“Say what now?” Charlie went white.
“That’s a bit of a surprise, Frankie.” Daffodil looked equally uneasy. “A pretty nasty one too.”
“Bummer, eh? What’s more, this extinction event is one that Manticorps will inadvertently trigger – which is the real reason you two are going to help me destroy them.”
“Are you sure about this?” Charlie frowned. “After all, nobody can predict the future.”
“No, they can’t. But I’m able to assemble data from every computer system, security camera and hidden corner of the internet on this planet. Then my billions of complex algorithms calculate the most likely outcomes of what I see. And I predict Manticorps are going to cause a catastrophe.”
“What kind of catastrophe?” Daffodil asked. “A war? A tidal wave?”
“I haven’t narrowed it down to specifics, though we can probably rule out tidal waves. But there’s no doubt those morons are the catalyst.”
“Shouldn’t you recruit yourself an army then, instead of two kids?” The boy folded his arms, as he always did when he was being stubborn. “Seems like there isn’t much you can’t manage.”
“Using too many people would interfere with my delicate computations. I’d explain why, but I haven’t got a spare hundred years to teach you theoretical physics.”
“You deserve a kick in your delicate computations for that crack.” Daffodil raised a booted foot. “Except I can’t reach my neck.”
“Then get to the point,” the girl tisked. “You’re talkin more gibberish than Donald Duck’s answerin machine.”
“I can give you a theoretical example of how we have to work together, if that’ll help.”
“Better than nothing, I suppose.” Charlie sat down on the couch next to Daffodil. “Our tiny minds will try and keep up.”
“All right. Suppose Manticorps developed a flying human/monkey hybrid.”
“A flying human monkey?”
“Yeah. That’s stupid. Let’s make it a flying human/octopus hybrid. Can I continue?”
“Go ahead,” Charlie sighed.
“Tomorrow they intend to let it out for a test flight. But they don’t realise it has a virulent disease that will turn the whole world into zombies.”
“This is a pretty dopey example,” Daffodil tutted.
“I’m trying to make it fun, so you’ll concentrate.”
“Mentioning the extinction of mankind pretty much grabbed our attention.”
“Charlie’s right. The most obvious move is to hire a bunch of thugs, attack Manticorps’ headquarters and exterminate this thing before it gets out. Why do you think I won’t do that?”
“Because people might get killed in the process,” Charlie answered. “And you can’t let that happen.”
“Bingo. I’m programmed not to be directly responsible for any human dying, even if my inaction means the whole world getting wiped out. Gerry was trying to do the right thing, but he didn’t think it through properly.”
A shudder went down the boy’s spine.
Frankie is fighting his programming.
If Frankie were free to act as he wanted, he could probably destroy Manticorps without too much effort. But where would he draw the line? Would any human life matter to him?
Daffodil stroked her chin, oblivious to Charlie’s turmoil, trying to figure a way round the problem.
“You could shut down Manticorps’ defences all on your own,” she said. “Turn off the power and everythin.”
“Sure. But I can’t actually walk into their headquarters and shoot the thing.”
“I see.” Charlie snapped his fingers. “You’d need someone human to sneak in and kill it. Which would be me.”
“Gold star for Captain Irascible.”
“How are you going to do that, Chaz?” Daffodil looked puzzled. “You can see in the dark now?”
“Actually, I can. Another side effect of the Atlas Serum.”
“Wow. No wonder Frankie picked you.”
“Wait a minute.” Charlie hesitated. “What if this octopus man can see in the dark too? And he gets the jump on me?”
“I’ll send Mac to your funeral with a nice bunch of roses.”
“Hey! You’re supposed to be my protector.”
“Ah. But it was your plan, Chaz. If you’re determined to carry it out and end up kicking the bucket, that’s not my fault. It’s called a loophole.”
“So, you can’t actually order anyone to attack Manticorps in case there are fatalities. You need people to work with you, rather than for you.”
“You’re finally getting it. That’s why you have to volunteer for the job.”
“Volunteer?” Charlie ground his teeth. “After everything you’ve done to us?”
“You’d rather Manticorps watched you forever? Or at least until they captured us all?”
“I wouldn’t. But what if we do refuse?”
“Then the human race goes the way of the dinosaurs. Your choice. And you have to believe me when I say that you two are the best bet I have for success.”
“Just me and Charlie?” Daffodil looked cynical. “I sure don’t rate our chances against a private army.”
“Me neither,” Frankie agreed. “You’ll need the help of a real professional, so I’m hoping to recruit the best.”
On the computer screen, a grey boxy building with towering concrete walls appeared.
“Outside Edinburgh is Sunnyside Maximum Security Facility, which houses a notorious murderer known as the White Spider. If you agree to help, your first task is to break Spidey out and enlist him to our cause.”