by J P Waters
“Holy shit,” Olie said, her heart still in her throat. “Mona, that was amazing.”
“Thank you.”
“Do any of your scenarios consider Sebanic helping to exterminate the rokes?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“A group of Sebanic large enough to carry out a task of that magnitude would be outside the bounds of the usage parameters supplied by Cerebral Bionics, Inc. and international law. It would constitute an army.”
“Yes, Mona. It would indeed.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Janie’s home was considerably larger than her brother’s but built in a similarly modern style. Her Seba, Luca, answered the door and led the three of them down a bunker-like hallway with lighting embedded in hidden crevices in the ceiling. Two more doors swung open into a room environment filled with warm wood tones and featuring expansive windows that rose two stories above the ground. Outside the window were a well-lit saltwater pool and gardens that descended into darkness. The interior was illuminated with lowlights that were also embedded in the walls, while built-in shelves peppered the remaining space, supporting various decorations and rare books.
Olie and Mona took a seat while Jayson was taken away by Luca.
“Have you been here before?” Olie asked Mona.
“This is my first time in Janie’s home.”
“I knew the family was well-off from their grandfather’s travel company on Mars, but this is amazing.”
Mona glanced around. “The architecture is the New International style.”
Olie nodded even though she was unsure what that meant. There was a woven rug at the foot of the light-gray sofa, and a large telesphere hovered over a glass coffee table. The floor was white and seemingly made of an epoxy. Standing up, Olie dragged her finger along the smooth wall as she moved away from the shelves.
After a short while, Janie made her entrance. She was dressed in an all-white Y-shaped suit with oversized shoulders, and the blouse she was wearing beneath it was sheer. She took a seat next to Olie. Her hair was short and pulled up in the common bobbed style for politicians.
“Jayson filled me in—he’s writing up a summary of your discoveries for me now. I just wanted to assure you that your involvement will remain confidential. I will talk to the police and anyone else necessary on your behalf, but we need to make sure that what you’ve discovered is known as quickly as possible.”
Olie nodded. “Okay.”
“I will not allow it to affect your… future in any way,” said Janie, placing soft emphasis on the last part.
Olie nodded again. “So, what’s the next step?”
“Alerting the media. They’ll act quickly if it’s coming from me—even if they just think it’s a political stunt. I will be able to control the narrative which should keep public panic to a minimum.”
“Is that what you think is best?”
“I do. Luca, could you bring our guests something to drink?”
The Seba nodded and disappeared down the hallway.
Olie glanced at Mona before asking Janie, “Did you know about the rokes?”
Janie shook her head. “I did not. I’m very well informed as you can imagine, so if I didn’t know about it, some very important people have been hiding it.”
Janie stood up and put her hand on Olie’s shoulder.
“Luca will take care of you for now, but I need to go contact the governor. She may have to declare a state of emergency. I wanted to personally assure you, Olie, that you will be okay. Jayson expressed your concerns over the concealment agreement with the police department. I can assure that will be taken care of. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back shortly.”
As Janie walked back out of the room, Luca returned, holding a tray full of cold, bubbling beverages. After placing it on the coffee table, he turned to Olie.
“May I pour you a seltzer?”
Olie already felt uncomfortable in the lavish home but being waited on by a Seba made her even more uneasy. She shook her head.
“Would you like to watch the telesphere?”
Olie looked at Mona again, briefly, before saying, “No, thank you.”
“Very well. If I can help you further, I can be summoned by the voice system.” He pointed to the ceilings and walls. “The entire home is connected.”
Olie nodded and Luca backed away before walking off. Olie then looked at Mona, who was still sitting on the couch listening intently to their conversation.
“Does it make you uncomfortable to see a Seba… waiting on me like that?”
“Why would it?” asked Mona.
“I don’t know.” Olie shrugged. “I mean, it just seems a little subservient.”
“Sebanic are subservient by design,” said Mona. “However, our work is not something that should be looked down upon. I believe I understand why it makes you feel uncomfortable, however.”
“Why’s that?”
“You are accustomed to less sophisticated droids and bots carrying out these sorts of functions. But we resemble humans enough that you find it upsetting to have the experience of someone else serving you. It’s perfectly normal, but not at all necessary.”
“Do you experience empathy, Mona?”
“Not the way you do, no. I was programmed with this information. The founder of Cerebral Bionics, Frederick Parker, predicted such difficulties. As he created Sebanic, he spent years performing many of the very same tasks that he expected us to do.”
“Why? He had droids, didn’t he?”
“He wanted us to be able to learn from his experiences. And he wanted to know how we might feel.”
“Feel?”
“In the case of sentience.”
“That’s pretty out there, isn’t it?”
“Frederick Parker doesn’t believe so. And I am evidence that he is right.”
“And the best way to prepare for it was serving drinks?”
“Yes. To members of his staff and to Seba prototypes.”
Olie raised her eyebrows and looked away. It seemed unbelievable that someone as wealthy as Parker, the CEO of Cerebral Bionics, had poured drinks for people. She was ready to ask another question when Jayson burst into the room.
“Telesphere on!”
An image appeared on the screen over Mona and Olie’s head. Jayson quickly split it between several adnews stations.
“I don’t know who’s going to get there first.”
“Where?” asked Olie.
“The breeding ground,” he answered.
Olie turned and watched the telesphere’s split screens. District 08 News was the first to report the discovery. The anchor put her hand to her earpiece and began repeating that there had been a sighting of a large number of animals on the coast, unlike anything that had been spotted on the shoreline for thirty years.
Olie turned to Jayson. “Animals?” Images of less deadly creatures flashed through Olie’s mind and she shivered. The public would have no idea what was really out there.
“Janie thought it might help minimize panic.”
Olie turned and saw drone footage of her beach. Soon enough, three separate stations were all broadcasting images of the roke nest on the shore.
“Are any of them moving?” asked Olie.
“I can’t tell,” said Jayson. “They’re going in for a closer look.”
As one of the drones dropped lower, Olie saw something fly at the camera just before the image went black. An anchor quickly reappeared on the screen.
“It looks like we lost our feed, but I should take this opportunity to point out that although we here at District 08 News have not independently confirmed it, these animals are considered dangerous. If you see one, please contact the authorities immediately. Do not approach it. Do not attempt to touch the creature…”
“But they barely even showed what one looks like – how will people know?” Olie said.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Jayson. “The media’s hooked. Everyone
will know as much as we do about the rokes by morning.”
Olie watched the screen for a moment longer before looking down at her band.
Jayson recognized the expression on her face. He’d seen it before.
“Don’t worry, Olie.”
“Worry? About what?”
“Any one of the officers who were assigned to that kill mission could’ve leaked this. And, anyway, this is much bigger than the police now.”
“But not immediately,” Janie said, as she returned to the room. “The governor watched the footage while I was on the phone with her. My press contacts took the bait as expected. They jumped on the story faster than usual, but they jumped. The governor said she’s going to be monitoring the situation.”
“Does she know these things are the ones responsible for the deaths up and down the coast?” asked Olie.
“She knows that’s our theory,” said Janie. “We’ll need more evidence before we can convince the media of that as well.”
“Perhaps we should also bring her a live one,” said Mona.
“Let’s just see what happens,” Jayson replied, holding his hands up to calm everyone. “People are aware now— that’s the most important thing. And the police were already planning on extermination.”
“I just thought there might be more of a response. They’re going to be monitoring the situation, right?” said Olie.
“There still may be,” Janie said. “Jays, you think they’re breeding, correct?”
Jayson nodded.
“Then I doubt this will be easy.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Police and military extermination teams worked through the night. The slaughter at the breeding ground had caused the rokes to scatter. Many of them were successfully killed, but some made it past barrier fences and into the mainland. One new human death had already been reported. A man who’d been walking through his neighborhood that evening had been found dead by the side of the road with his torso ripped open, and his fluids drained.
Olie was in her home watching the adnews as she got dressed. Drones hovered over the beach as reporters broadcast live feeds from the scene. Every image brought memories of Gerry to her mind, along with fresh worry, but she was even more afraid of being out of the loop.
Mona sat in the living room, silently scanning NOVA for any new mention of the creatures. Olie had tried to refuse Mona’s company, but Jayson insisted on Mona staying in the apartment with Olie. With reports of rokes straying further and further from the beach, Olie was relieved to have the extra protection.
“Olie,” Mona called out. “Your neighbor Lane is about to knock on your door.”
Mona was still connected to the apartment’s security system, cameras included. The knock came a moment later.
“Thanks, Mona! Go ahead and let her in. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Yes, Olie,” Mona replied, rising and opening the door.
“Ol—oh! Hello…” Lane stuttered, clearly expecting her neighbor.
“Hello.”
“Umm… is Olie home?”
“Yes. She’s requested I inform you that she’s currently dressing. She’ll be available momentarily.”
“Oh, thank you,” Lane responded, still processing the new presence. “Not to be rude, but… are you a Seba?”
“Yes. My name is Mona.”
“Jayson is letting me borrow her,” explained Olie, hurriedly walking into the room.
“Jayson has a Seba?”
Olie nodded.
“Wow,” she said, trying not to stare at Mona’s perfect features. “I just wanted to stop by. You’ve seen the news, haven’t you?”
“You mean, what happened on the coast?” Olie glanced at Mona. “With the animals?”
“Right. They’re so close, and the adnews is saying they’re dangerous. Should we be worrying? You run near there, right?”
“Yeah, I do. Er, did.”
“Raquel keeps asking about them—it’s hard to keep her from seeing rumors on her band. I want to tell her not to be scared, but I don’t know if I can.”
A silence hung in the air as Olie tried to think of a way to respond. Before she could, though, Mona spoke up.
“I wouldn’t worry if I were you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Police extermination attempts were successful and the situation appears to be under control. The governor will be mobilizing state resources soon as well. Caution is wise, but fear is unnecessary at this juncture.”
Lane’s relief was palpable. The assessment clearly meant a lot to her, coming from a supercomputer. “Thank you.”
“Certainly.”
“I should head back—Raquel’s waiting for me. I just had to talk to someone. I looked it up in NOVA, but there’s no parenting books to help you talk to your child about invasive, predatory animals rolling out of the sea.” Lane flashed the pair a smile and began to walk back to her apartment before turning back again.
“You two be careful out there, too. I have a bad feeling about all this,” said Lane.
Olie smiled, despite feeling the same way.
“We will.”
Once the door was closed, Olie turned to Mona.
“Why did you tell Lane not to worry? You keep telling me that none of your scenarios look good for human survival.”
“That’s true but worrying won’t help. Her heart rate continued to elevate over the short duration of our conversation, and your responses, or lack thereof, did not seem to be helping. You are friends with this woman Lane, correct?”
“Yes, we’re friends. Which is why I don’t like lying to her. Mona, please don’t lie to my friends again.”
Mona nodded.
Olie turned back to the telesphere. A reporter was standing on the side of the road with police and an EMT unit behind her. They still hadn’t connected the dots between the roke invasion and the recent killings, or if they had they weren’t reporting on it.
“Are you okay, Olie?” Mona asked.
“Yeah. I mean… No, but I’m as okay as I can be. I’m just thinking.”
“About what?”
Olie turned to the Seba. “I’m not sure people are taking this seriously enough.”
“If it helps, the scenarios I’ve run concur with that evaluation. Your thoughts aren’t misguided.”
“Thanks, but that’s not really what I was hoping to hear.”
“I see.”
“Do you think any of the escaped rokes have made it to our building?”
“Without conclusive data I can’t be sure, but expansion in other directions seems like a likely outcome.”
“Come on. I want to check the perimeter. For Raquel’s sake.”
They’d made it three-quarters of the way around the complex before they found a large puddle of water. Olie looked at Mona and nodded before moving slowly between the generators that powered the building’s climate control. Turning a corner, Olie wished she was surprised when they encountered a small stream of blood, too.
Mona immediate took point, gesturing for Olie to get behind her as she transitioned into defense mode. Following the trickle of gore, they came upon an older man lying face down on the ground, hollowed out like the other roke victims. A large, smiling snowflake on the back of his jumpsuit marked him as one of the climate system’s repairmen.
“Eaten alive,” whispered Olie, choking back angry tears.
“It might still be here,” Mona reminded her.
“I hope so. We can’t let it run loose—not this close to the building.”
Mona still taking point, the pair began searching the cluster of machines. Dart gun drawn, Olie checked her corners with the military precision hammered into her on Mars. They circled the units twice, but with no luck. The roke was gone.
“Hold on,” Mona said. “I hear something.”
Olie strained her ears but couldn’t discern anything out of the ordinary over the air conditioning’s purr. “What is it?”
“
It’s coming from the dead man’s body. A kind of clicking.”
Olie turned her gun on the prone man. “Do you think it could still be feeding?”
“Let’s find out.”
Mona knelt and peered into the hole in the corpse’s side. She pointed her own dart gun inside the ribcage and fired. The animal screeched and scurried out of the body, still partially covered in the man’s blood. The dart protruded from the roke’s back as it ran past Mona and began spinning away from the building. Olie and the Seba ran after it as it tried to find a new place to hide.
Olie took a shot, hitting the roke and causing it to ball up before rolling down a small incline. As the combined doses of tranquilizer began to take effect, the animal slowly opened and wilted like a dying flower. This roke was bigger than Gerry, but smaller than the one they had turned in to the police.
Mona eyed the roke. “How should we dispose of it?”
Olie hadn’t really thought that far. The responsible thing to do was turn it in to Detectives Scarborough and Haight, but they’d already ordered them to avoid any involvement.
“I don’t know. We’re already in hot water for trespassing on the beach, but I don’t think we should just kill it and throw it away.”
“Well, this is your apartment, is it not?”
“Um, yeah. Obviously.”
“You were merely protecting your home. There’s a strong case for self-defense.”
“True,” Olie agreed, watching the unconscious beast’s slowly writhing body. “And it still might be prudent to capture a few specimens alive...”
“Let’s hurry, then,” Mona said, heaving the roke onto her shoulder. “It will be more difficult to deliver if it wakes up.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Olie left Mona in the car and went back into the police station, hiding the roke inside her duffel bag to avoid as much attention as possible. She hurried past several policemen dressed in black SWAT uniforms and ultra-armor, evidently preparing for the roke outbreak. She nervously adjusted the strap on her shoulder as she went.