Mirage (isaac asimov's robot mystery)

by Mark W. Tiedemann

  "That is what I am seeing, Derec."

  Ariel's skeptical look slowly changed to apprehension. "Mia, do you remember what you saw?"

  "Not that well. Our first concern was the explosions. Then the gunfire."

  "Bogard," Derec said, "we'll advance the scene now. Tell us when those missing figures first appear."

  The scene once more ran its course, in slow motion. The crowd seemed to undulate under the sound of the blasts, like anemone waving in an ocean current.

  "Stop," Bogard said.

  Derec leaned forward, then grabbed the subetheric control. "Where?" he asked, handing the device to Bogard.

  The robot narrowed the view to a patch of people about four meters from the base of the platform. It was a variegated collection of onlookers, mostly well-off, dressed fashionably in brightly-colored jackets over more muted single-pieces, hair streaked and coifed in pastels. Now, panicked, their faces were drawn into macabre parodies of themselves, eyes wide, mouths gaping, and their bodies crouched in preparation to run. But they were trapped in a larger crowd with no room.

  In the very midst of the twenty or so spectators, three people stood dressed all in black. Even their heads were covered by pullovers. There was something not right about two of them, though, the two following a third who shoved a path through the crowd.

  "They don't fit," Mia said. "Look at the people immediately around them, especially that man in bright red. Beside him is a woman in orange? They're standing right next to each other. In fact-Bogard, can you give us more mag? Thank you-in fact, they're holding hands."

  "So?" Ariel asked.

  "Their arms are joined right through that assailant's stomach," Mia pointed out. "Look at the other one… the shoulder is passing through that woman's breasts."

  "Images," Derec said. "Projections. Bogard, follow those two, continue scan."

  The scene began to move again. The two black-clad figures stepped quickly through-through, not around-the intervening people, following a leader, to emerge into the space now at the foot of the platform. Others joined them. They seemed to lean their elbows on the edge of the plat form, rifles in hand, and commence firing.

  "Bogard, see if the other sudden appearances come grouped in twos or threes."

  The robot advanced and backed up the images, shifting from one part of the crowd to the next, so quickly Mia had trouble following the scene. She had to close her eyes when vertigo threatened to make her nauseated.

  "There is always one in the lead," the robot said finally, "and two who appear behind. "

  "Military," Mia said. "A holographic generator worn by a soldier projects an image of two or three more. An enemy targeting system can be confused, just like Bogard was, giving multiple counts."

  "Bogard," Derec said, "do a projected trace on one of their shots and see where it goes."

  There was a moment's pause, then one of the shadow rifles fired. The scene jerked forward then, into the frightened delegates, and stopped on an Auroran woman trying to turn and flee back into the debarkation umbilical. She looked unhurt and continued her attempted flight.

  "Bogard, according to your trajectory plot she should have been hit?"

  "Yes, Derec. "

  "Wouldn't the newsnets have figured this out already?" Ariel asked.

  "Probably not," Mia said. "They got their recordings, they put them on subetheric, they did their duty. I doubt anyone gave it a second look." She thought for a few seconds. "On the other hand, maybe they have and they don't know what to do with it. It doesn't change the results, does it?"

  "All right," Derec said, "this would confirm your suspicion that Kynig Parapoyos at least supplied the weapons and that an ex-military man like this Bok Golner conducted the actual assault. What do we do next?"

  Mia cleared her throat, then, and looked at Derec and Ariel.

  "Before we go any further," she said, "I need to make it clear that once we start, it gets dangerous. I can't trust my own people and they control the security network for the planet, or at least a good portion of it. If we go probing we could get hurt. If you don't want to risk that, tell me now and we stop it here."

  Ariel pursed her lips and made a show of thinking it over. "There's no option for me. I have to know. But Derec-"

  "No option for me, either," he said. "I'm involved already through Bogard. No matter how this comes out, what I've built here is at risk. The only way I can protect any of it is to see this through. We're in."

  Mia studied them both, then nodded. "All right, then. First we need to find out where the guns came from and where Bok Golner trained his team. The attack took expertise. You don't just get up one day and do something like this without practice. Where would they train?"

  "Kynig Parapoyos bothers me," Ariel said. "Why would he do this? Or his organization? I don't recall ever seeing or hearing anything about him conducting assassinations."

  "Not like this, no," Mia said. "But I don't think he's entirely behind it. Someone had to subvert the RI, someone had to subvert Special Service agents, someone had to be on the inside. Parapoyos could provide the weapons, but all the rest?"

  Ariel was nodding. "He's the main supplier for the Settler colonies. Do you think they had anything to do with it?"

  "Why would they?" Derec asked.

  "The piracies," Mia answered. "One of the primary suspects is the Settler worlds. One or more of them may be harboring the pirate bases."

  "And robotic inspections could affect that relationship," Derec said, nodding. "But all of them? As a matter of policy? Isn't that a stretch?"

  "Of course," Ariel said, "but the Settlers aren't a monolith, no more than the Spacers are. It's a possibility."

  "It would be a good idea for you to buy some guns, Ariel," Mia said.

  Ariel's eyebrows went up.

  "It would be a way to get to Parapoyos. You go to the Settler Coalition and talk to them. If they're buying through Parapoyos here, Riansa Visher was involved. Her successor will know about it. They can put you in contact."

  "Why me?"

  "Because this little incident could mean war," Mia explained. "Aurora may need weapons."

  Ariel did not look comfortable, but she nodded.

  After an awkward silence, Derec waved a hand at the subetheric. "With this and the recordings from the RI-"

  "Assuming anyone but you and the RI staff saw those particular records," Ariel said. "By now, Special Service may have confiscated or destroyed them."

  Derec frowned and stared at the subetheric.

  "Bogard," Mia said, glad for the change of subject. "Find the actual casualties and trace the shots back to source. Determine how many live assailants were present."

  For a few painful minutes the view shifted from victim to attacker, victim to attacker, several times. Each instance startled and saddened Mia. What struck her most consistently was the expression of surprise each wounded person wore upon being hit, followed sometimes by a rictus of pain, but only if that person had survived the injury. Death left the last expression stamped on each face: bafflement, confusion, amazement, in one instance a look of betrayal.

  "Nine," Bogard announced finally. "There are twenty-one images and nine actual assailants."

  "Nine," Mia mused. "That tends to validate the idea that they were after only a few individuals."

  "Bogard, can you identify the individuals killed?" Ariel asked.

  "Yes, Ms. Burgess." Bogard began displaying the names of the delegates as they appeared on the screen.

  "You captured three of the assailants," Derec said to Mia. "Didn't you?"

  "Yes," Mia said. "I-"

  "Stop," Ariel said, standing. Bogard fell silent. She stared at the screen. "That last name…"

  "Tro Aspil," Bogard said.

  "Tro… but he survived…"

  "The wound depicted," Bogard said, "is not consistent with survival. The shot entered the throat and severed the carotid artery."

  "Then…" Ariel went to her datum.

 
; "What is it?" Mia asked.

  "Should I continue?" Bogard asked.

  "Hmm?" Mia glanced up at the robot. "Compile the list for future reference."

  "You captured three of the assailants and…?" Derec prompted.

  "Yes, I did. Well, Bogard captured two of them, but-"

  "How did Bogard perform?"

  "After I gave him a new priority, perfectly. I couldn't have apprehended those men without it."

  "Then…" Derec looked at Bogard self-consciously. "How do you explain the failure?"

  "I'm not sure-"

  "I built Bogard, Agent Daventri. Senator Eliton is dead. I need to know what happened."

  "I see. Yes, you should know. Frankly, I had intended to ask you that question. When-" She gave Bogard an apprehensive look. "I'm not sure we should talk about this in Bogard's presence."

  Derec nodded. "Bogard, have you completed compiling the list of casualties from this recording?"

  "Yes, Derec."

  "Stand down, then, please."

  "I cannot do that, Derec. I am still responsible for Agent Daventri's safety."

  Derec frowned briefly, then shrugged. "Should any of the subject matter we're discussing present potential operational difficulties for you, alert us."

  "I will do that, Derec."

  Derec smiled. "Bogard will know better than any of us when it's in trouble."

  Mia felt uneasy. "I attempted to get a full report from Bogard last night. The part about Senator Eliton is absent from its logs."

  "No, it's not. It's elsewhere, but it's there. At some point I'll have to run a complete debrief on all Bogard's systems to get at it, but it means that its system is working the way it should. Please, go on."

  "When the explosions began, Bogard immediately enshielded the Senator. That left us free to confront the assault. But it came so suddenly and unexpectedly-you train for the possibility, but nothing can prepare you for the reality. The casualties, the explosions, the panic-what do you do first? Our training says to get the people we're supposed to protect out of harm's way as soon as possible. There was nowhere for them to go. We couldn't get them to safety. Then… then my teammates started going down. I tried to return fife, but for all I know now I may have shot nothing but images. Or I may have shot innocent spectators. There was too much all at once."

  Mia swallowed thickly, aware now of the stinging in her sinuses and eyes and the faint quiver in her stomach.

  "I remember turning to see if anyone was covering the Spacers. I saw Bogard retract from around Senator Eliton and head for Ambassador Humadros. Senator Eliton stepped backward-"

  "Stepped or stumbled?"

  "Stepped… as if he was ready to be abandoned… but he still looked surprised…"

  "And?"

  "And Ambassador Humadros went down before Bogard reached her. It reversed itself to return to Eliton at the same time I started toward him. Then Senator Eliton… went down." She wiped at her nose, embarrassed. "Excuse me, I'm not-"

  "It's all right. This isn't a normal day. You're entitled."

  Mia sniffed, then looked at him, suddenly angry. "Am I entitled to fail? I don't think so."

  "How did you fail?"

  "I did not protect my assignment."

  Derec waved his thumb at Bogard. "There stands several million credits of technology a hundred times faster and more alert than you could ever be. It failed."

  "There has to be a reason."

  Derec nodded. "Exactly."

  "But-" Mia caught herself and held back. In an instant she lost the sense of recrimination that had been building in her all day and had nearly overwhelmed her just now. Not entirely, she could sense it still within, but it was at arm's length again, manageable. Perhaps it would get worse later. Perhaps it would come and go for the rest of her life. It was a simple truth Derec had handed her, and it sabotaged the guilt she felt… at least for the time being.

  It's not, she thought, so much my failure as it is someone else's success… temporary success.

  She cleared her throat. "I see. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Avery."

  "Derec, please." He looked at Bogard again. "So the question is, why did Bogard abandon Senator Eliton? You said Eliton had ordered Bogard to protect Humadros, but that shouldn't have made any difference. I need to take Bogard back to Phylaxis to debrief it."

  Mia felt herself tighten up inside. She glanced at the robot. "I shouldn't travel yet-"

  "You only need to release Bogard from its priority and turn it over to me."

  Mia would not meet his gaze. "I-I'm not comfortable with that, Mr. Avery."

  "Not-" Derec caught himself when she looked away. "Please understand me, Mia. Bogard has data necessary to this-this investigation. The only way I can get at it is to do a full debrief and reset."

  "Bogard is the only reason I'm still alive. I can't-"

  "You're in the Auroran Embassy. What's going to hurt you here?"

  "I don't know. And that's just it. I do not know. Until I can walk on my own and defend myself, I just-I can't release Bogard to you."

  "Agent Daventri-"

  Mia shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mr. A very. I can't. Please don't press me further on this. Maybe in a day or two…"

  "There's another problem," Derec said. "Bogard right now is unaware ofa discrepancy in its memory. Its behavior is conforming to its program, but there is discrepancy and eventually the self-diagnostics are going to tumble to it. When that happens, Bogard will hunt it down even if it means tearing its own programming apart to find out what the problem is. Bogard could easily destroy itself. That's why debrief is important. More so because it involves a personal failure on its part."

  "I don't know what to tell you."

  "Don't tell me anything. Release Bogard-"

  "No."

  Derec jerked back as if she had slapped him. "How long do you want to wait to find out what happened to Senator Eliton?"

  "You can figure that one out," Ariel interjected, returning from her datum console. "The question I want answered is how can a dead diplomat board a shuttle back to Kopernik Station to take passage on a starship bound for Aurora?" "You're sure it's not an error?" Derec suggested.

  Ariel scowled. "That was my first thought. But last night when I spoke to Benen Yarick, one of the junior members of the Auroran Legation, she mentioned Tro. I replayed our conversation and she listed him among the fallen. But he was on the list of survivors I had from the embassy comptroller's office. One or the other had to be wrong. Perhaps Yarick only saw him injured, not killed. I checked the embassy transit office and found a passage booking for him on the shuttle that lifted this morning at four-fifteen for Kopernik. I sent a query to confirm his arrival at the station. The confirmation also verified that Tro Aspil boarded the liner Corismun at one-ten local time."

  "It could still be an error," Mia said. "It was chaos afterward."

  "That's what I want to find out." Ariel tapped a code into her com.

  "Trina Korolin."

  "Ms. Korolin, this is Ariel Burgess. Sorry to bother you again."

  "No bother. What can I do for you?"

  "I just wanted to make sure everything was still on for tomorrow's meeting and to check a couple of details. The rest of the survivors are leaving tomorrow."

  "Yes, I-I'm sorry we're all turning out to be such-"

  "No, don't. This was extraordinary. I can't blame anyone for wanting out."

  "That's… kind of you…"

  "I was curious, though. Tro Aspil has already left. Was there a reason he needed to depart before the others?"

  "Tro…" There was a long pause. "You're joking, aren't you? Tro died."

  "But I have a transit record for him through the embassy."

  "I don't care what you have, Ms. Burgess. I saw Tro die. He-his neck exploded. He bled to death in the middle of us."

  Ariel widened her eyes. "I'm sorry. This is an inexcusable error. My apologies. I'm glad I asked. I-"

  "When they loaded him into the ambula
nce, he was dead. He died with his eyes open, Ms. Burgess. I tried to shut them. They wouldn't close, they just kept… staring…"

  "Ms. Korolin, please. I am very sorry. This was a transcription error, obviously. Perhaps it was for his remains?"

  "No, all the bodies have been sequestered by the authorities pending autopsy. We were told it may be weeks before we can ship them home."

  "I see. Well. Thank you, Ms. Korolin. I'm frankly a little embarrassed about this."

  "Don't be. I apologize if I spoke inappropriately. I just-it hasn't been easy since…"

  "Will you be up for tomorrow? Would you like to postpone?"

  "No, not at all. I need to get on with this. If I wait another day, I might change my mind."

  "I understand. In that case, I'll let you get back to your privacy. Thank you for your time."

  "Thank you."

  The connection broke and Ariel turned back to Derec and Mia. "I didn't know the bodies had been sequestered."

  "It's standard procedure, Ariel," Mia said. "Even for foreign nationals, They'll be at the Sector morgue, attached to the Reed Hospital Complex."

  Ariel nodded.

  "So if," Derec said, "Tro Aspil died, then who is on the way back to Aurora?"

  "We need to verify that Tro is the one who did die," Ariel said.

  "Then," Mia said, "you need to get into the morgue. Normally, I'd be able to get you in, but right now I'm not one of the living myself."

  Ariel looked up, almost grinning. "I think I can arrange that."

  Fifteen

  The Civic Morgue occupied a sublevel, well below the main hospital complex in Reed District. Its innocuous faзade could have been easily missed-a plain metal door with an ID scanner to its right, a plain sign above the lintel. No other vehicles were in the small lot when the embassy limo pulled in.

  Derec stepped from the limo and tugged at the hem of the formal jacket Ariel insisted he wear. It did not quite fit and he kept pulling at the sleeves and shrugging as if to ease the tightness out of his shoulders. He had been glad she had lacked the rest of the suit that went with it.