by Clay Moore
John said: "What are we seeing, D0ctor." "We are seeing the dead bodies of two women. These women are identical, but they do not share the same egg. These two women are genetic robots."
* * *
Director Johansson said: "here is the proof you need, John. It saddens me to say that we have to do this."
"What is going on here?" Asked Doctor Shaw. "We are living off borrowed time from another age," said John. "We are dealing with the remnant of what the league of planets did."
"Do you mean the surgical strikes?" "I'm going to tell you just how stupid that sounds to me. You can park a cruiser approximately 2 miles above the surface of this planet, and you still can't hit a small pocketsized target. What do ships have to do is gather around the target area and shoot their blasters until they glow red. You will miss more often than you hit. It's possible for them to even target the settlement. Trust me these planetary governments are not jacking around."
"Then why are you here. Are you trying to tell The League that they have enough evidence to do the bombardment?"
"That's one of my jobs. The other one of my jobs is to go where they are being made and using explosives destroy them. If I do enough damage, and they can see it from space, then I know I have saved my friends."
"They will give us time to get off the world?" * * *
"Understand that the worlds believe this to be a disease. What do you do to a sick world."
"You don't let anybody out." "If I managed to get this done then there is something that you can do. If you can use your scientific knowledge to produce a genetic robot detector, that would go a long way to protecting the other worlds. I would imagine that such a device could actually be quite lucrative. I think it might take you four years.
"Now, how did these women die?" "Okay, both of these women were stabbed in the heart. This is something that only someone knowledgeable about human anatomy can do."
'
"Why was is done to them?" "Are you expecting me to give you a real answer? I thought you guys knew all there was about genetic robots?"
"The only people that know about genetic robots are those that made them. The scientists that were working on these were a remarkably closed mouth bunch."
"Okay, the program that's in the wetware of each of these robots lasts only for two years. After the two years, they start to develop behavioral problems. It may no longer like sex or your inane conversation. After that two years, you are expected to destroy them. You take them back to the factory and they melt them down for their protoplasm. The genetic robots become more genetic robots. Whoever this person was had too much love in his heart to kill them by putting them in the protoplasm vats."
"Suddenly this person who owns two of the same genetic robot types has to deal with them. He doesn't want to take them to the factory which may actually be in his contract. He decides that he will efficiently kill them, wrap them up and put them in the trash heap. Do you have any idea how well preserved they were?"
"You are dealing with a death that is a bout 13 months old."
"Why would a normal human being kill something that looks like another average person?" "Perhaps the procedure that they were going to put her under seemed barbaric. Putting a knife in her heart seemed to be less severe."
"That sounds about right, Director Johansson. Click this man I fallen in love with his own fallen Angels?" "When Cheri first came to live with me it seemed like there was a starter program in her head. She did all the things that somebody thought a man wanted. It wasn't until we reached the end of that program that I realized that I actually had someone and not something. Let me tell you something bringing Cheri up was a little like raising Daniel. It took her about three months to get her personality together. During that time she could have split with I decided not to. Then she got pregnant with Danny Matt seem to change her for the better."
"Okay, this is what you all are going to say to those in authority including those in authority over me. You're going to say we do not doubt that this is two genetic robots. Apparently was purchased from someone who had a twin fetish. They were killed because after two years they no longer work with their program. You will then say exactly these words to anyone who asked you from off planet. We have a troubleshooter on board who is going to deal with this situation in the most extreme manner. Within the next couple of days, the laboratories are going to be bombed and as many of the scientists sanctioned as possible."
"Why am I going to have to say anything?" Asked Daniel. "Danny you are a member of the council here. Someone in authority may actually be a member of Parliament, and they will relate to you better."
Danny looked at John's eyes. He saw no light in them he saw no prevarication. What he saw was someone who kills not for the pleasure of it, but a situation needed to be cleaned up. Danny nodded. In many ways, the last 13 months have matured John however younger he looks.
"Okay now this is something I want to know," Colin said Daniel. "I've been sitting here trying to do this age calculation, and I am not coming up with the appropriate age. You should be at least 41, but your physical appearance is at least 30. How did you do that?"
"While I was on my sabbatical after Vivana's murder, I knew that I had to have some kind of rejuvenation. The medical scientists on Juneau had come up with a sort of a procedure. When I discovered what they did, I took my wealth, and I went to Juneau. It took me over a month just to find who the people were that was doing this research. The reason they let me know who did this research was that he was ready to try it. Such was my desire to be young again that I paid a huge amount of money and an enormous amount of pain. I don't recommend that you take that cure for old age unless you are ready to deal with grief.
"When I recovered, they told me that I had the body of a 30-year-old. When the doctors said, that stated that, in my mind, I also stated in the last of a 40-year-old."
Everyone laughed at the joke. Each of the others went over when they would utilize rejuvenation. The simple fact with John was that one-half of his team was killed. John and Vivana were very much two peas in a pod. When Vivana was murdered, John found himself in an organization that required young fit humans. John was pleased to know that he was still very fit. The years of working with the Marines kept him fit. The youth was something that the Marines took away from him. John found that he was addicted to the type of work that they did. The excitement, the knowledge that you make a difference, and the look that you receive from your target when you have them dead to rights. Absentmindedly he reached over to where he had his 9 mm blaster secured. It took him quite a long time in the armory to find the appropriate holster. The holster he found was one that went underneath the belt line. The grip of the blaster could always be drawn, because of the protrusion of the grip.
Caldwell looked at John with a bit of concern. The man that he had known with Vivana was gone. What had taken its place was someone who was a lot scarier. Caldwell knew that if A told John to go ahead and kill person b, then he would go and kill that person. Maybe with some qualms as to why he had to die. It looked like most the missions involved a little bit of factfinding. Once John knew the facts of the situation, then he could terminate the target.
"Generally speaking the mission for which I was sent to do his status green. I need you to say that to anybody who is going to be talking to A. I need the space assets of Faraway to be available and to begin a sensor watch of the space between the hyper exclusion zone and the atmospheric interface."
Because this was his little ball of yarn, Caldwell pulled out a slate and a stylus. He wrote on the screen of the slate writing down what John said he needed.
"Why do you need to know when a starship arrives?"
"This is not going to be any kind of starship you have ever seen. This is going to be a fleet, and if I know the world's they come from there going to send their best. Even Eridani is going to have to send one of the fleets that belong to the Eridani High Guard. In fact, I think this fleet might be called the Eridani Hig
h Guard."
"Why might this Happen?": Asked Daniel. "Somebody somewhere knows what's going on. That person is in power, and he may even be on the bridge of their ship. In the age of sail, there were men who sailed a ship with the idea of stopping commerce all vessels to steal their cargo, cash, and papers that possibly could be sold to a different government. The company that is running what is going on in Genetic Concepts building is operating very much like a pirate."
"0000h. What you are saying is that by making genetic robots they are working outside of the law."
John and Daniel slapped hands. "I believe that who ever provided the start-up money for this operation does not want it known that they are the benefactor. One of the best ways to make sure that nothing is found is to bring a fleet and pulverize the labs."
"I don't think they can move that fast." "You don't understand the amount of hate that the real people of the worlds have for the genetic robots. Oh, there is the person that happens to like the genetic robots for him to make love to. When Anton Hecton took over the good businesses that belong to the Planetary Interests, he asked what remained of the scientists of Genetic Concepts. He moved the scientists to a different world, and they were able to set up a pretty efficient manufacturing system. When the Eridani High Guard let it be known that Anton Hecton was in charge of a revived Genetic Concepts system. With in three days, Eridani had been given the go-ahead to destroy the planetary interest infrastructure. This is in the heart of one of the megacities. No other fleet showed up. Alphacent sent their fleet away so that there would be no interference. Eridani moved the cruisers into the atmosphere. When they reached the appropriate distance, they bombarded the planetary interests building. Collateral damage is always part of the deal. Alphacent thought it was being singled out.
"You can imagine the glee that's going to be in Alphacent. If you fail to make the bombs work for us, Alphacent is going to become the next ship repair port for everyone."
"Yes, Director Johannesen. Which makes me a little suspicious."
“Are you sure that Anton Hecton is nowhere here?"
"No, why are you asking?" * * * “There's a lot of things that make this whole deal a good deal for Alphacent. There's no telling how long something like this was going on here."
"Are you saying that the Alphacent government is working with Anton Hecton?” "Not with the government but with a fraction of the state. This has a dark feeling of being Intelligence. They hired him to do this, and he is being paid very well."
"As has been in government circles all my life, I have a feeling that you are exactly correct. Alphacent is so large that some of the government entities do things on their own without overwatch."
"This is the situation where my people in authority would love to have Anton Hecton alive. However, I would love to have him dead. He was one of the people paid to have that sniper kill Vivana."
"I hope that you will listen to your people in charge. I would love to see Anton Hecton in an Eridani prison. You are living there for many years coming."
John nodded at Johannessen. If he had a chance to take Anton Hecton, a prisoner he would do that. That would require him asking for naval transport. That's the only thing he would accept as a prison for Anton Hecton.
John picked up the small case. "Daniel, did I not hear an invitation from your wife for dinner?"
Daniel smiled at John. "You know that you have an open invitation to dinner your first night on the planet." "By my watch, it is close to dinnertime. Let's go."
CHAPTER SIX RECONNOISSANCE
Both men left the morgue. They found the grav-car where they parked it. John got into the passenger side of the vehicle. Daniel got into the driver side. He pushed the start button because this was a model that used an electronic key in the key. For the first time, John realized there was an actual road network in the settlement.
"Wow, I didn't know you guys had a road network now." "Yeah, we even have a constable whose job it is to write tickets for the traffic violation." Daniel could not help but laugh at what it must seem like to someone like John who has lived on a large population planet.
“Ah, there no more road network. We're back to skimming over the result of work done by a large tractor drive bulldozer."
"You remember that much of how to get to my house?" * * * "I've done enough to blow my cover with you, so I'm going to give you the straight skinny. The part of the Eridani Secret Service that I am with is referred to as the active agents. We don't do much in spying, but we have to be invisible up to and including the moment that we do something. More often than not when somebody in the government says 'somebody, do something,' that's me. I was sent on this mission because I've been here. I know who most of the actors are."
Daniel didn't say anything for a good long moment. He kept his eyes on the road even though there is very little traffic. Finally, he found something he could ask. "Is part of that action killing people?"
"For some people in politics, it is easier if somebody dies than if they had them imprisoned. There is someone called Doctor Grosvenor. This person is significant to this mission. Since no one really wants the technology she knows, then I can safely kill her with no problem. If I were able to find Anton Hecton and killed him, I might find myself in serious trouble. One of the other intelligence apparatus on Eridani would claim that Anton Hecton could prove Alphacent interference with Eridani interests. That is hard to refute since he would be dead. No matter that I solve the problem of genetic robots. I could very well be the focus of political pressure.
This brouhaha that would happen over the political ramifications could stagnate the government. I would be offered up as an offering to the gods of politics. I note A and he would do everything to help me out. Including giving me a contract moving cargo for the Secret Service."
“This Eridani interest means us, the planet that they haven't done anything for it over a couple of years." “I would think that it would be one of those situations where Faraway's interests coincide with Eridani's interests. Yes, they would brazenly announce that your interest is their interest. I would find myself in a situation where I'm probably receiving two orders. A would order me to kill Anton Hecton the moment I could without being seen or noticed. Then there would be the political order which is I'm supposed to arrest him. Then I hold him while waiting for a Navy fleet. "
"Someone once said that the Eridani Secret Service has a group of agents who have been given a license to kill." "That is true. I can be ordered to take a person into custody, but my license to kill gives me carte blanche in dealing with the target the way I wish. In my first mission, I unhesitatingly killed the sniper. When I got to the person who financed him, I had a little trouble in determining whether or not to kill him. I always felt that somebody was pulling his strings. So I decided to take him into custody. He didn't want to be arrested and ended up falling off of a cliff on the rocks and water where lived piranha. No one held me accountable for the murder of that person because of the license."
Daniel stopped the grav-car on the road. He turned to John and said: "You are telling me that you have permission to kill anyone in the known universe and your government will shield you."
"Yes, you have the essence of it down." "Do you know that you have a license to be free. You could kill anyone that you want to and only state that it was according to the permit. I daresay that being your hands in the pocket of somebody who you just killed look kinda."
“In fact, we are encouraged to do these kinds of things by the Eridani Secret Service. The money that I find in briefcases, wallets, even wall safes are invited to be stolen by us. When we reach home base returning the money, and it becomes part of the general budget for the Eridani Secret Service. They even share the amount of the booty that we take. I usually get about 50% of the money."
"Oh isn't that delicious. The one thing that the Parliament could do to rein in your power which is cut your budget cannot touch this other money that all the agents bring in."
"This is going to sound like me being a cheerleader for the Eridani Secret Service. I find it a little bit unpatriotic to deny the complete funding of the Eridani Secret Service. If we can fund ourselves through some of our activity, then how does that harm the average citizen."
"I can tell that I'm not going to be able to argue you out of your position. All I can do is just hope that you heard it and that it might later bear fruit." "Let's get back to your good wife and your son. Tomorrow the next day, please make sure that Danny does not go anywhere near the Genetic Concepts buildings."
" That is what you're going to do tomorrow. You are going to go in and set the charges. That's what's in that golf club case."
"Yeah, that’s Penda HDX. That is to be used in the Eridani naval system is the explosive in most missiles and rockets. It is a Radamite enhanced munition. When these explosions go, it's going to be very very hot in that building."
"Just how powerful of an explosive are they?" "When I got this mission everybody was emphasizing overkill. I made the contingency of requiring a human agency. I have the remote control. And that is several kilometers in range. I expect to be at your house. I will set it off when I meet you. If anything happens, I may have to set it all off earlier and trust to my riding skills"
"You are warning me to make sure that Danny goes nowhere near those buildings."
"If he is inside those buildings when they go off, you will not be able to say who belongs to you."
"This is not nuclear?" * * * “Do you think I want to deal with the fallout? That is a more permanent solution than blowing up the building. That is building up all of the settlement."
"I daresay that if you needed one you could requisition a nuclear device. It would be delivered to you with the user manual."
"Do you think I am one of those old warmongers from the 20th century? They almost did release their weapons, but they came back from the precipice. I never ask for anything that I do not want to use."