Paradise of Lead Trilogy

by Mackenzie Morris

  "Four homing missiles were tracked back to Eden and destroyed two harbors in southern Great Victoria about twenty minutes ago. They sustained three thousand casualties and lost fifteen ships. Their parliament is meeting as we speak to decide what retaliatory actions they are going to take."

  Blice pulls up the defense system grid of the entire Unified State. Nothing. "Leblanc, nothing has been fired from this country. There are no reports of anything even being in our airspace except for space transports, a private space station, and some helicopters. I'm looking back at a time-lapse compilation from the past two hours and nothing has left our shores. The counts for my missile silos are still where they were ten days ago."

  Prime Minister Leblanc laughs his airy laugh. "Good luck convincing Queen Catherine and Administrator Ming. We all saw it. I just called to warn you that you should probably get those shields up in case they decide to fire back."

  "There are no shields. That was all a lie. We have no defense system."

  "What about W.A.N.D.? Isn't that what your scientists are working on?" Leblanc asks as the sound of his hurried typing sounds over the speakers.

  W.A.N.D. What a joke. They never should have entrusted that much money in the hands of Damien Montgomery. "It isn't even close to being operational."

  "What does that stand for, anyway?"

  "World Annihilation Negation Decoy."

  "Sounds awfully important for something that doesn't work."

  Blice's watch beeps and he looks at the screen. "Hold on. I have a call coming in. Looks like it's from Administrator Ming. I will have to call you back after I save the human race from annihilation again."

  * * *

  Byron watches Damien who is scribbling notes in a binder as he looks through some documents on his sensor screen. "Now there are going to be more androids to keep beaten down."

  "Why are you so hateful?" Byron asks as he makes a sandwich in the kitchen.

  "Hateful? No. I'm not being hateful. Androids need to be aware of their place. If they look at Isidore as an example to follow, the world will be a terrible place. Can you imagine what will happen to humans if all the new androids try to emulate our friend's behavior? Rebelling and trying to be human? We can't let the androids replace us, Byron. Why do you think the government is cracking down on those Android Laws? Now Isidore will have to wear a slave collar and be registered. It's comforting."

  "So it's comforting for you to know that he is being treated like an animal? And you get on to Blice for what he does to him."

  "It's never really been about how Isidore was being treated." Damien says. "As long as Blice conforms to the laws, I don't care what he does to his computer."

  Byron looks at his sandwich and he suddenly isn't hungry anymore. "Please be joking. You can't be that heartless. Have you read some of the laws? It's awful."

  "Of course I read it. I wrote them. I mean . . . oh forget about it."

  "You wrote them?"

  "No. It was nothing. I misspoke."

  Byron knows what he heard and he's not going to forget it. How did Damien write them if he was just five years old when Isidore was created? Something's not right here. "What happened to partners telling everything and not having secrets?"

  Damien turns around and glares at him. "You don't know who you're messing with, Erikson. For you own good, I suggest that you forget about my slip up or things will get . . . unfavorable for you."

  "Are you threatening me now?"

  "Do you think I was threatening you? Would I threaten the man I have to entrust with my life?"

  "No, I guess not." Byron leaves the room and goes upstairs to his room. This is so confusing and he desperately needs a drink. He can't. He keeps telling himself that he can't give up now.As he walks down the hallway, he stops in front of the hall closet when he notices what looks like bloody fingerprints on the wall. What is that? Looking behind him to make sure Damien is still downstairs, he slides the door open. When he flips the light on, he is relieved when there's nothing out of the ordinary inside. Wait. There's a cardboard box half concealed by a black plastic bag. Something tells Byron to turn around and pretend like he never noticed anything. However, the way Damien has been acting lately is concerning enough to make Byron take action. He lifts up the black plastic and slides the box out from the corner. He looks inside at the contents. One thing catches his immediate attention. An Outlander Force keycard. Byron turns it over and reads the name on it. Seth Thompson. He reaches into the box again. A Glock 17, some ammo, four empty syringes, a tobacco pipe, and an Inquisition insignia. Whose is this? Byron reads the tiny inscription on the back of the golden triangle. Vladimir Evans. The late president? Byron and Blice's father? Why does Damien have something like that? Could Damien truly be responsible for Evans's death? Then he finds the one thing he truly can't explain. A binder full of papers, each one covered with charts, graphs, vital signs, and genetic information covering years.

  A large note card falls out of the pages and Byron covers his mouth in disbelief. Android 42: Isidore Nikolai Williams. Alpha code status: accepted and dormant. In case of emergency, destroy immediately. Risk level: 10. Highly volatile. Recommend permanent shutdown. See reverse for developer notes.

  Byron almost doesn't turn it over, but curiosity drives him so he does.

  Year One: Android 42 has started to show emotion when pain is inflicted. Advised President Evans to scrap the project, but he declined. Operation to implant computer hardware: Success. Year Two: Android 42 developed language skills. Functioning as a normal human child. Year Three: Disobedience rampant. Initiated strict behavioral training. Year Four: Android 42 shows violence towards scientists, physically attacking them. Year Five: We were forced to restrain Android 42 during the night after it tried to escape. Has started crying for days at a time. We have stopped all education and influence from the outside world. Year Six: Android 42 asked to be held and claimed it was sad. This sort of self-awareness is troubling. Year Seven: Android 42 has started singing. We attempted to remove vocal chords, but President Evans made us stop. Year Eight: Inquisitor Allen reprimanded for indecent sexual conduct with Android 42. Emotional impacts unknown. Year Nine: Specialized education started. Year 10: Attempted escape. Android 42 again restrained. Has stopped eating normally. Crying is getting worse. The more we inflict pain, the more it cries. Found foreign free will program installed. Eliminated educator. Advised President Evans to let us shut Android 42 down, but he declined. Year 11: Intense physical and mental preparations started. Introduced Android 42 to future owner's scent to establish permanent bond. Wiped unimportant memories. Year 12: Delivered Android 42 to President Evans's son. Experiment success.

  Byron hides the binder and other objects back inside the box and leaves the room just as Damien's footsteps sound out on the stairs. He keeps the note card. He shuts the door to his room and sits on the edge of his bed as his mind races with the newfound information. Now to attempt to put the pieces together. First things first. Seth's gun and keycard. Maybe they were given to Damien. Seth and Damien had been partners for years, after all. Still . . . the bloody fingerprints on the wall are unexplainable. Is there a way he could find whose fingerprints they are? Then there's the pipe. Who smokes a pipe anymore? The only person he's ever seen with one was President Evans when he was on television addressing the country. Damien has certainly never smoked one as long as Byron has known him. As for the syringes, they could be used for any number of things . . . though Maria died with a syringe in her arm. There can't be a connection. Not Damien. Damien loved her.

  Then there's that binder. Why does Damien have all of the research and developments surrounding Isidore's childhood? Poor Isidore. Byron didn't know how bad he actually had it. How can they treat a little child like that? Even if he was an android, there's nothing that he could have done to deserve abuse of that caliber. No wonder Isidore has so many emotional issues. Now he's being controlled with a slave collar like an animal. Even if all the other things in that box ar
e coincidental or have no meaning, Byron swears that he will go talk to Isidore. It's the least he can do now that he knows about what he has lived through. Why does he need to do this? Because Byron needs someone to help. That's how he feels accomplished in life. It's not like he's doing much right now anyway. He grabs his backpack and leaves without saying a word to Damien.

  * * *

  Byron knocks on the door in the Presidential Palace as the Secret Service agents watch him closely with their hands hovering near their concealed pistols. It took him twenty minutes to get past security and they still won't take their eyes off of him.

  The door opens and Clara smiles at him. "Byron? What are you doing here?"

  "Is Isidore here? I'd like to talk to him if that's okay."

  Clara lets him into the room and motions to the bed. "He's asleep. Do I need to wake him up?"

  "No, no. It's okay. Can I stay here until he wakes up? I'd rather not go home."

  "You have a fight with Damien?"

  Byron sits at the table and puts his bag down. He watches the butterfly as it crawls on his arm. "Not exactly. I have a lot on my mind and he's been behaving really strangely."

  Clara closes the door. "You can stay. I see you've met Yuri. He's Isidore's robot friend. Blice is dealing with an emergency right now, but he shouldn't mind. What do you need to talk to Isidore about? Anything I can help with?"

  Byron smiles as he watches Isidore sleeping. He looks peaceful. "How much do you know about Isidore's childhood? Did he talk to you about it?"

  She sits across the table from Byron. "This might make me a bad wife, but I never asked because I don't want to know. If it was anything like I've heard about T.I.M.E.s, it was probably awful for about a year."

  "Try twelve years of complete submission, abuse, and torture."

  "How do you know this?"

  Byron slips the note card from his pocket and slides it across the table to Clara. "I found this. Don't ask me where, but you need to see it."

  Clara picks up the card and reads it. She's not smiling anymore and she begins to whisper. "You have to tell me where you found this. If Isidore has the alpha code, my life could be in danger."

  "What's the alpha code?"

  "Shh. You can't talk about it around Isidore. We should meet in secret somewhere where he won't find us." She glances at the bed. "I can't take any chances, especially now that I think I might be. . . forget it. Just know that if he's a carrier, everyone in a fifty mile radius could be impacted when it finally goes off."

  "Goes off? Like a bomb or something?"

  She shakes her head. "No. It's difficult to explain. You know those freaky zombie games that everyone was playing in Paradise about a year ago?"

  "No. I was in prison."

  "Well, you know about zombies, right?"

  "Sure. The walking dead or whatever. Shoot them in the head or they'll eat your brains."

  "Exactly."

  Um . . . zombies? Really? What is she getting at? "Clara, I'm not following you."

  "Then I can't say anything else. Meet me in the gardens tonight at midnight. That's when Isidore and Blice always spend time together before they go to bed. As soon as Isidore is out of the room, I will sneak out and we can talk then. Until then, I need you to hold onto this. If the alpha code is activated prematurely and he has this, then the outcome could be catastrophic." Clara places something metal in the palm of Byron's hand.

  The rejuvenation ring. "Isn't this your wedding ring?"

  "It is."

  "Won't he notice that you're not wearing it?"

  She holds up her hand, revealing another ring that looks just like it. "I have a replica. More like a decoy just for cases like this."

  Isidore stirs awake and sits up. "Hey, Byron."

  Clara gives Byron a cautious look before going to her husband. "Are you feeling better, baby?"

  He rubs his eyes. "Yah. I need to take my medicine."

  "Of course." She hands him the pills.

  "What's that?"

  "His medication. It helps to regulate his emotions."

  "How are you doing, Isidore? I came to talk to you about some-" Byron stops talking when Clara furiously shakes her head. "Um . . . I was just wanting to check on you."

  "I'm gonna be okay. Blice and I are working on things."

  Byron sees the black collar around Isidore's neck. "Do you like wearing that thing?"

  "My slave collar? What do you think? Would you want to wear something called a slave collar that can hurt you if you try to take it off or if your owner presses a button on his watch?"

  "No, I guess not."

  "Well, it's not like I can take it off anyway. Blice locked it and only he has the key. It can't be picked, either."

  "Why did you attack Blice? What could have pushed you over the edge?"

  Isidore crosses his arms. "You really want to know? I can show you."

  "Don't, Isidore." Clara puts her arms around him. "There's no reason for that. You need to forget about it. It was in the past."

  He pushes her away and gets out of bed. After he pulls on a pair of jeans, Isidore starts pacing around the room. "I will never forget again. He beat me and raped me fifty-eight times. I was sent to the hospital multiple times from my injuries. At one point I was in a coma for nearly four days from some concoction of drugs he gave me. Then one time, I had a fractured pelvis. Imagine how that happened. I was humiliated and brutalized for no goddamn reason. And you want me to forget about it?"

  Byron didn't know that Isidore could get this angry. He can see the fiery passion in those deep blue eyes. What can he say to that? So Leena's diary entries were all true. "Hey, man, you need to calm down."

  A glass bowl smashes against the wall, littering the carpet with shards of glass. Isidore throws another one at Byron who dodges. When Isidore picks up his revolver, Byron holds up his hands. Isidore aims at him. "Don't tell me to calm down. No one tells me what to do. That includes you." He points his gun at Clara who starts to cry.

  Clara is visibly shaking as she pleads with her husband. "Darling, put the gun down. No one is trying to hurt you. I love you and Byron cares about you. We only want to help."

  "Shut up. Both of you get on your knees and don't say another word or I will kill you both."

  Byron obeys and watches Clara do the same. Isidore wouldn't kill his wife . . . would he? How long until Blice gets back? The better question is how long until Isidore pulls the trigger. Something in his mind has snapped and Byron sees it now. It can't be put back together. This isn't the Isidore that Byron knows. Isidore was a happy, friendly, kind man. This person is a monster.

  Isidore locks the door and pulls the curtains closed. "Now, I need to know the truth. I heard you talking. What is the alpha code? I found the file a few weeks ago, but I couldn't open it. Get talking, Clara. You wouldn't want to end up with a body full of bullets, would you?"

  Tears stream down Clara's cheeks as she trembles. The panic shows in her voice. "Isidore, I don't know what it does."

  Then Isidore does the one thing Byron thought was too far for him. He places the gun against his wife's head. Byron has to do something. This is his one chance. He leaps up and tackles Isidore to the floor as the shot rings out.

  5

  The door opens and Blice steps inside. "What the hell is going on in here?"

  Clara stares in horror as Byron and Isidore exchange punches. "Blice, stop them!"

  He pulls Isidore off of Byron. "You shot your gun?"

  "Fuck off."

  "You don't hurt people!" Blice throws Isidore into the wall and hits him. "You are an android. You obey."

  Isidore squirms under Blice's grasp and bites his neck. "Get off of me."

  Blice wipes the blood from his neck and sends a ball of purple glimmering dark matter into the wall behind Isidore. "Selfish twisted robot monster."

  Agent Monroe and two other Secret Service agents rush into the room with pistols drawn. "Stand down, android."

  Isidore
glares at Blice. His muscles tense in his arms as he clenches his fists, still ready to fight. "I will kill you and tear that human body into pieces. Every inch of your body will be ripped apart and I will eat you."

  Ugh. He wants to eat Blice? Clara hopes he is just making threats.

  Agent Monroe aims at Isidore. "I'm warning you. Stand down, Mr. Williams, or we will be forced to shoot."

  "Isidore, please." Clara begs with him. "Don't do this. Just let them take you."

  A tense minute goes by until Yuri flies over and lands on Isidore's shoulder. Isidore's demeanor begins to change then he holds up his hands.

  The Secret Service agents handcuff Isidore and take him out of the room.

  Byron stands up and helps Clara to her feet. "Are you okay?"

  "Yes." She dries her eyes on her sleeve. "Now we start the recovery process. I only hope that Isidore can survive it."

  Blice is obviously furious as he sits at the table and tries to stop the bleeding from where Isidore bit him. "What am I going to do with him?"

  Clara sits between the two men and holds her head in her hands. There's only one thing that Blice can do now. "You already know what you have to do. Why do you think he is acting like this? You. It's all your fault. Androids learn behaviors from their owners or those in control over them. Isidore was conditioned and trained for years to obey, evolve, and become like those around him. Once he established this bond with you as his owner, he absorbed and analyzed every aspect of your behavior. He is slowly turning into you. That's the basis of an android's training. It was like that with the T.I.M.E.s as well. With them, just like with Isidore, the training is amplified because they can be programmed to depend on their owner even more. Be glad that Isidore had that educator who showed him how to be kind and caring. Without that positive influence at that developmental stage, he would be filled with nothing but hatred. That's why androids have to adhere to the Android Laws. It's both for their safety and the security of the human race. There are so many future owners who will abuse their androids. If left without regulations, those androids will eventually catch on. They're not stupid. They could band together and rise up against humans. With the program I gave Isidore, their strength far surpasses a human of the same size. If they had free will and no slave collars to keep them submissive, humanity wouldn't stand a chance."