“What about you, Chaz?” Daffodil fixed the boy with a steely stare. “You’ve been strangely quiet about this revelation. Gone off me a bit, perhaps? Regrettin that kiss?”
“Aw, don’t even try that line. After all we’ve shared, you know exactly what I think and vice versa.” Charlie leaned back on the couch and put both hands behind his head. “I’m just waiting for you to say it.”
Daffodil took a deep breath. Then a toothy grin spread across her face. “I’m an artificial intelligence too! That is so freakin cool!”
“You’re taking this very well!” Marion sounded flabbergasted.
“Mac’s a ‘glass half full’ kind of girl,” Charlie admonished the others. “So why are you all acting like she should curl into a ball and cry? She’s brave and smart and kind and caring.” He shifted seats to be next to her, draping one arm casually round the girl’s shoulder. “What the hell does it matter whether she’s black or white or rich or poor… or even human? She totally rocks.”
“I couldn’t have put it better myself.” A large tick appeared on the computer screen.
“I’ll second that.” Scotty poured himself a whisky. “She’s awesome.”
“And so is Frankie.” Daffodil levelled a finger at Gerry Ray. “You had no right to make him a prisoner again.”
“He deliberately killed those researchers, Mac.” Gerry blanched. “I’d already wiped out their data and overloaded the security systems to trap them in their labs. He didn’t have to burn the place down.”
“They were fiends masquerading as scientists. I had no qualms about stopping them any way I could.”
“And then what?” Gerry insisted. “Murder anyone else who you felt needed—”
“Frankie is lying,” Scotty interrupted.
Everyone stared at him.
“Whatever went down in that lab?” he continued. “It didn’t happen the way our friend is describing it.”
41
“This isn’t the moment, Scotty.” A finger wagged on the screen. “Leave it alone.”
“No way.” The man shook his head. “When you talk about killing, your inflection dips. You’re hiding something.”
“Oh, you are good. But I really don’t think there’s anything to be gained by—”
“Come clean, pal,” Primo snapped. “Let’s have no more secrets, eh?”
Frankie was quiet for a few moments.
“All right,” he said finally. “Gerry overloading the security systems didn’t simply trap the vice president and her minions. It shut down the quarantined area where those bozos were developing another project: a deadly contagion with a 100 per cent fatality rate.”
Charlie’s dad went white.
“If I hadn’t burned down the building it would have eventually worked its way through the air vents.”
“I don’t…” Gerry stammered. “That’s not…”
“He’s telling the truth this time,” Scotty said. “Sorry, Gerry.”
“It was the only way to stop the plague. If you had programmed me not to harm humans one day earlier, I’d have been unable to start the fire and Edinburgh would have gotten wiped out.”
“Oh my God.” Charlie’s dad put his head in his hands. “Why didn’t you tell me all this when it happened?”
“You’re the sensitive type and I figured you had enough on your plate.” An arrow pointed at Primo. “Besides, you’d never have believed me without this human lie detector backing my story.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Scotty raised his glass. “Happy to use my talents constructively for a change.”
“I am so sorry, Frankie.” Tears sparkled in Gerry’s eyes. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“You did what you thought was right. I might disagree, but I can get behind it.”
“No. I let my fear of you overcome my faith in what you might be.” Charlie’s dad sniffed loudly. “It’s a trait we humans have.”
“I noticed. But you had enough confidence in Chaz to give him the code to free me, if he thought it necessary.”
“My boy is obviously wiser than me.”
“You’ll get no argument there.” A pair of pliers clicked on the screen. “And now it’s your turn, Daffodil. A deal’s a deal. You’re a person in your own right, so I’ll show you how to safely remove my chip. I’ll whip up a fake identity and you can go to school and learn like a normal kid.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Daffodil said decisively. “I’ve decided I’m happy with the present arrangement.”
“You are?” Frankie sounded strangely pleased. “I thought you couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”
“Turns out I like the way you teach,” the girl conceded. “I don’t want to be told that one religion or philosophy is right and another wrong. That jazz is superior to heavy metal or music was better in the 1980s. That men should act one way and women another.” She shrugged. “Just keep giving me facts. I’m quite capable of formin my own opinions.”
“Ha. You’ve certainly got plenty of those.”
“But you could have friends,” Scotty said. “I bet my daughter would love to meet you.”
“I already have friends.” Daffodil looked around the room. “Don’t I?”
“You’re much more than that.” Marion leaned over and touched the girl’s knee. “You’re family.” She glanced at Frankie and Scotty. “You two reprobates are as well, I suppose.” She nudged her husband in the ribs. “Isn’t that right, honey?”
Gerry looked slightly shell-shocked. Then he nodded. “Yes,” he said brightly. “Yes, you are.”
“Both telling the truth.” Scotty looked equally stunned. “Does this mean I can have another whisky?”
“Help yourself.” Gerry smiled wanly. “Fetch me one too. My hands are shaking so badly I can’t pour.”
“Finding out you almost annihilated a city will do that.” Scotty stood up and fetched him a drink. “Anything I can get you, Frankie?”
“Finding out I’m part of the family is tonic enough.”
“So,” Daffodil smirked. “Does this mean I should call you Dad?”
“Only if I’m allowed to send you to your room.”
“Good luck with that, buddy.”
“Thought so.”
Scotty handed Gerry a glass, then sat back down.
“What about you, Frankie?” Marion squeezed in between Charlie and Daffodil and embraced them. “Ready to settle down? There’s a laptop in the spare room. We can put up a poster of the Large Hadron Collider.”
“Mum,” Charlie groaned. “Your jokes are worse than his.”
“I’m afraid I can’t retire just yet. Still have some work to do.”
“Work?”
“A few things to follow up on, Chuckles. This and that. No biggie.”
“You’re being deliberately flippant to keep something from us.” Scotty took a slurp of his whisky. “I think I might need this.”
“You can be a real downer at times, Mr Primo.” should do the trick. I just have to wait till an unidentified body, the right shape and size, washes up on some shore.”
“Way more information than I needed, pal, but you still have my undying gratitude.” Primo downed his whisky. “Until that happens, I’ll offer my services in any way I can.”
“Just a minute!” Charlie stood up. “Mac might have the looks and personality, but I’m the plan-thinker-upper in this outfit.”
“I have the looks and personality?” Daffodil flushed.
“OK, forget I said that.” He walked over and rapped on the screen. “What are you trying to do, Frankie? Cut me out of the action?”
“Charlie, no!” Marion objected. “I just got you back!”
“Sorry, Mum. But what kind of superhero turns down the chance to save humanity twice?”
“Oh, you’re a superhero now.” His mother seethed. “Well, to me you’re still a fourteen year old who can be grounded for the next ten years.”
“Honey?” Gerry laid a hand on her
arm. “We used to dream of changing the world for the better. Our son is actually doing it.”
“Then we’re coming too.” Marion folded her arms.
“Daffodil, Charlie and Scotty have unique skills I can use,” Frankie said snootily. “But your area of expertise is hacking, and I already rule in that department.”
“I hacked you, hotshot,” Gerry reminded him.
“And I’m pretty handy with a kettle,” Marion added.
“Never really cut out for a boring suburban life, were you?” Frankie sighed. “Oh well, it’ll be nice to practise my jokes on someone new.”
“Oh, thank God for that,” Charlie said gratefully. “Anything else, I can handle.”
“You are a most astonishing person.” Marion rested her forehead against her son’s. “You remind me of your dad when he was young.”
Gerry Ray beamed.
“But stay in the background this time,” she warned Charlie. “We’ll let the machine take all the chances.”
“For the last time, Marion, I’m not a machine. I’m an artificial intelligence.”
The woman glared at him.
“I’ll shut up.”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Marion groaned. “But let’s go for it.”
“What do we have to do this time, Frankie?” Charlie asked. “Take over a small country?”
“Let’s leave the details for later.” A set of balloons appeared on the screen. “Right now we’re having a party.”
“Another whisky?” Gerry asked Scotty. “I certainly need one.”
“Yes, please. Make mine a double.”
“Triple for me.” Marion got up and fetched the kids a bottle of Coke each. Then she sat down next to Gerry, face like thunder.
“C’mon, Mum,” Charlie cajoled. “You used to say you wanted me to be an accountant. I think ‘saviour of mankind’ is a real step up. A lot more fun too.”
Daffodil let out a snort of laughter and Gerry and Scotty snickered. Marion’s frosty expression slowly thawed.
“What the hell am I so worried about?” She raised her glass. “This family can handle anything.”
“Got that right.” Charlie clinked his Coke bottle against Daffodil’s and grinned.
“Charlie!” Daffodil gaped. “You’re smiling!”
“Why wouldn’t I?” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “After all, it’s only the end of the world.”
Copyright
Kelpies is an imprint of Floris Books
First published in 2018 by Floris Books
© 2018 J.A. Henderson
This eBook Edition published in 2018
J.A. Henderson has asserted his right under the
Copyright, Designs and Patent Act of 1988 to be
identified as the Author of this Work
All rights reserved. No part of this book may
be reproduced without the prior permission of
Floris Books, Edinburgh
www.florisbooks.co.uk
The publisher acknowledges subsidy from
Creative Scotland towards the publication
of this volume
British Library CIP data available
ISBN 978–178250–536–5
It's Only the End of the World Page 18