Code of Vengeance: The Complete Collection, page 15
After his aborted attempt to abduct Clive, Br00-S decided to lie low for a while. Detective Lewis had obviously predicted his behavior. The security around Clive would be tighter than before. To maximize his chances of success, he would wait for a few days so that security could settle.
To pass the time, Br00-S dove even deeper into the life of Clive Proskey. Thanks to Nat's assistance, Br00-S had every piece of public information on the businessman as well as a fair amount of information that was not available to the public. With the extra time on his hands, Br00-S allowed his pattern recognition software to comb through the details of Clive's history.
In many ways, Br00-S' artificial intelligence worked in much the same way as a human neocortex. It thrived on the ability to identify and decipher patterns. Like the human mind, Br00-S did not need all the information to understand a formation. He thought of human language, particularly written language. With their symbols, humans had created the ability to communicate both through time and space. The language was nothing more than a set of patterns. In most cases, a word could be missing letters or misspelled in other ways and humans would still be able to understand what they read.
Br00-S was the same. He didn't need all the information, just enough information to identify the system. And as he searched through everything on Clive Proskey, he became more and more convinced that the man was not in charge of Sapiens First.
They had one exciting development in the days of waiting. Clive, like most of the people whose beliefs he shared, was caught between two worlds. He hated artificial intelligence and the changes that came with it, but he was a successful businessman living in a world shaped by the very technology he hated. Even if he detested technology, it was still a necessary part of his day-to-day life. Because of this tension, Clive relied on his phone more than most people, and his phone was far less advanced and had less security than most.
After less than a day of work, Nat and Br00-S hacked into Clive's phone. It had opened a treasure trove of new information. Thanks to Clive's weak security, they could access all of his personal messages and many of his work ones.
For the coup de grâce, Nat even mirrored his phone, so they could receive any messages the moment that he received them.
It only took Br00-S a few minutes to incorporate all the new information into his existing models. His new theory was confirmed: Clive was receiving messages telling him when and where to set up new meetings.
Clive was not the one in charge, but whoever was sending the messages was savvy enough to hide their identity well. If Br00-S was going to dive any deeper into the organization, there was only one way forward that he could see. He still needed to have a private chat with Clive.
The robot looked over at Nat, curled up into a small ball on a sleeping pad she’d brought in. She had been gone more often lately, but he hadn’t questioned her. She hadn’t asked him what he did, either. They were less like partners and more like two people running on parallel tracks.
He had tried searching for more information on her, but he couldn’t find anything. Either he was looking in all the wrong places or she was a ghost.
Her behavior toward him had changed after his first attempted abduction. She said less, and displayed plenty of evidence of being more nervous around him. The obvious conclusion was inescapable. Somehow, she knew what he had tried to do and disapproved.
Yet she remained by his side, even going so far as to help him. She had seen him threaten Kleon, and she was clever. She had to know he was a different robot. Was that the reason she stayed?
Br00-S didn’t have answers to any of his questions about Nat. He thought, though, that he shouldn’t tell her what he planned to do next. If she detested his encounter with Detective Lewis, she would be terrified of the ideas he had in mind for Clive.
Br00-S studied the different routes Proskey took home, focusing on the downtown area. Originally, the bike path had seemed the safer, more private bet. That assumption had been incorrect. Downtown was more crowded, but there were more options for an abduction. Buildings were under construction and a maze of subbasements, sewers, and tunnels connected everything. The kidnapping might be observed, but he was confident he could lose any pursuit.
The encounter with Detective Lewis gave Br00-S an important piece of information: his secret wasn’t secret any longer. His enemies knew he was a robot. Where stealth had once given him the greater advantage, it wouldn’t any longer. His opponents, if they were intelligent, would change their tactics. He would have to as well.
The benefit was that he could act more like a robot. He could use his full strength, speed, and intelligence.
This was in the forefront of his thoughts as he planned his abduction of Clive Proskey.
Another fact was also certain: he had no lack of information. Thanks to his and Nat’s combined efforts, he had daily schedules, locations, and more. He only had to find the time and place where Proskey would be most unguarded.
His analysis was much the same as last time. Clive was most vulnerable biking to and from his workplace. Fortunately, Clive's guards hadn't seen Br00-S during his last attempt, so their behaviors hadn’t changed. They still tailed Clive in a car, delaying their reaction time by a few crucial seconds.
He considered waiting even longer, but it had been a few days since the last attempt. The longer he waited, the more time he gave his enemies to set their defenses and prepare for his next moves. Better to move quickly. The business day was already winding down, and according to Clive’s calendar, he was only scheduled to work for another few hours.
Br00-S unplugged himself from the wall, gently setting the ends down against the floor. He stood up, grabbed a pair of jeans and a hoodie, and walked out of the room, making sure he didn’t make a sound to wake up his sleeping partner. She never even stirred.
As he went through their standard counter-surveillance measures, he studied the maps of his intended abduction area, both above and below ground. He’d already chosen a couple of potential options for a private place where he and Proskey could have a quiet chat, but the additional time ensured he hadn’t overlooked any vital details.
By the time he was two blocks away from Proskey Enterprises, Br00-S figured he found the best place to wait. Clive always biked past this place, only a few short feet from where Br00-S stood. More importantly, from here Br00-S had three potential places to take Clive to. The final decision would be made on the run. He stood under the awning of a building that had already closed for the night. He accessed Clive's phone and pinged the GPS every couple of minutes so he would know the moment Clive left.
Waiting was a unique challenge for Br00-S. On one hand, his limbs never tired, and he didn’t get sore. He could stand still for hours without difficulty. But his AI struggled. Without having to move, most of his processing power was free, and the only way to prevent crushing boredom was to observe his world more closely.
The streets were filled with humanity, giving him plenty to observe and learn. All told, he'd only been active now for a little over three weeks, and there was still so much of human behavior and attitudes to learn. Because of his unique relationship with the Mantle, he understood that his development was entirely different than that of other robots. They could all rely on shared experiences. Br00-S only had his own. Downtime like this allowed him to collect and process information he desperately needed to develop.
It was almost nine o’clock by the time Clive left his office. Whatever personal defects he may suffer from, the man worked hard on behalf of his company. The shadows were dark behind the buildings, and Br00-S was confident he would carry out his abduction without interference.
Clive appeared down the street less than ten minutes later, Br00-S directly in the businessman’s path. As Clive rode closer, it was obvious the man did not understand that his life was about to change forever. His head was down, eyes focused on the road ahead, ignoring his surroundings as he pedaled. Bluetooth headphones were jammed into his ears, further reducing the man’s awareness.
Too easy.
Br00-S spotted the black security sedan, about a half block behind the bicyclist. The robot calculated he would have somewhere between five and seven seconds before the guards could get out of the car and pursue. The time would never be better.
With only a few seconds until the moment arrived, Br00-S imagined the entire scenario in his processors, trying to see if they would try to stop him. His mind was clear and calm. There wasn’t a single warning or distraction. He was free.
Br00-S stepped into the street and raised his arm straight in front of Clive, clotheslining the businessman and sending him crashing to the ground behind his bike.
Behind him, the black sedan screeched to a stop, and all of Br00-S’ processes lit up. The reaction time of the man’s bodyguards was quicker than he expected. Bending down, he picked up Clive, who was still trying to get his bearings and catch his breath from the attack. The man’s nose was bleeding, the only defect on an otherwise perfect face.
Br00-S picked his victim up like he would pick up a young boy, throwing Clive over his shoulder and sprinting back into the alleyway he had come from.
A surge of excitement ran through him as he made use of his strength for the first time. Carrying Clive was easy.
Br00-S searched for the fire escape, finding it exactly where it was supposed to be, the ladder hanging up about ten feet in the air, the bottommost platform about fifteen feet above his head.
Br00-S ignored the ladder, and his servos whined as he jumped with all his power. Even while carrying the businessman, he leaped high enough that he could catch the bottom of the last platform of the fire escape. Balancing the befuddled businessman on his shoulder, Br00-S pulled himself up to the top of the platform. From there he pounded up the steps as fast as he could go.
Turn after turn, Br00-S ascended the fire escape. From below he heard shouts, but he ignored them.
There was no way they could follow him quickly. Even if they were able to find their way up to the roof within a few minutes, he would already be gone.
Br00-S reached the top of the roof just as Clive gained his bearings and started to struggle. They were about to attempt a jump between roofs, and if Br00-S wanted to keep them both safe, Clive couldn’t be fighting. Br00-S hit him once, hard enough that Clive’s eyes unfocused and he stopped struggling.
Shifting Clive back to a position that was easy to carry, Br00-S lined up his jump. He knew he had the strength for this.
Br00-S ran towards the edge of the rooftop, leaping at the last moment.
The jump over the alley was about nine feet, and Br00-S covered the distance without a problem. He landed, his knees bending deep to absorb all the force of the landing, being careful to cradle Clive's neck and prevent injuries from the impact.
From the rooftop, it was a simple matter to access the service stairwell. Br00-S carried Clive down the stairs to an abandoned room on the fifth story of the building. On the way down, he grabbed some exposed Ethernet cable, ripping sheetrock from the wall as he pulled. He opened the abandoned office by kicking the door open, throwing Clive into a chair, and tying him up. It was time for a long-overdue talk.
When Clive came to, the look of fear on his face was almost palpable, even to a machine such as Br00-S. His eyes were wide, and they darted back and forth for some clue as to where he was or what was happening to him. When his eyes focused on Br00-S, they somehow managed to get even wider.
“You!”
Br00-S nodded. He was, as was his custom, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt that no doubt had become well known around Proskey Enterprises. He still had the hoodie pulled over his face, curious as to Clive’s reaction when he found out he was dealing with a robot.
Br00-S faced a problem. To prepare for this event, he had researched everything he could find on the techniques for extracting information from humans. He found loads of data on extracting information through violence, persuasion, coercion, and chemicals. Some of these required training, specific materials, or to put the subject in harm, which was currently out of the question. As much as he wanted revenge, he still wasn't sure when his original programming would kick in. He didn’t want to reach the point where he attempted something and got stopped by old code. Clive needed to believe Br00-S could do anything.
Clive's whining protests brought Br00-S back to the present. “What do you want from me? What’s the meaning of this?”
“I want to know everything you know about Sapiens First,” replied Br00-S.
Clive laughed, a maniacal edge in his voice. His heartbeat and respiration were both well above normal, and well above even what Br00-S had predicted. But he had never done this before, so he ignored the information.
“Sapiens First? You want to know about Sapiens First? I'll tell you everything you need to know: whoever you are, you’re in way over your head. They're everywhere, from the servers bringing you your food at restaurants to the politicians making your laws. They’re untouchable, and there's nothing you can do that’s going to change that. If you have any desire to stay alive, you need to let me go now and maybe, just maybe, they will let you live.”
Br00-S wasn’t fazed. He had no interest in the hyperbolic ramblings of a man driven by fear. He wanted information: details and names that he could track down.
“That's not good enough,” he said, lowering his voice. “I need names. I want to know what you've done and why you've harmed so many innocents.”
Something about the last thing Br00-S said must have angered him, because Clive spat on the floor. “Innocents? There are no innocents. Look around. The world is changing. Robots and artificial intelligence are taking over. We've created an invention we don't know how to control or use. The day’s coming when if we aren't careful, humans will destroy the very reason for our own existence. We will be supplanted by those we created.”
Br00-S wasn't interested in the campaign speech. He had already looked up all the information he needed to know about Sapiens First and their beliefs. He wanted names, crimes, and locations.
“Names,” he demanded.
“Whose names? There are thousands of us just in the city. Just get on a bus or light rail. Look to your left and to your right. Both of those people are members of Sapiens First.” Defiance echoed in every word, and Br00-S realized that Clive genuinely believed what he was saying. There was no way he was telling the truth, though.
Br00-S clenched his fist and drew it back. It was clear this line of questioning wasn’t getting him the information he was looking for.
“I don't have time for this!” Br00-S growled. He was just about to smash his fist into Clive when he noticed that Clive’s heart rate had gone through the roof.
Mentioning time panicked Clive.
“How long have I been out? Where am I?”
Br00-S studied Clive. The pitch and tenor of his voice had changed, and his heart rate was in a dangerous zone. He couldn't make any sense of it. Clive looked terrified, but not of Br00-S. What was going on? His processes couldn’t figure out what was happening inside the human’s mind.
“You’ve only been out for about five minutes,” said Br00-S.
A wave of relief passed over Clive.
It occurred to Br00-S that perhaps Clive was waiting for rescue, that somehow his guards would home in on them and that there simply hadn't been enough time yet.
Br00-S tried to frighten the businessman with more information. “Your guards will never find you. I disabled your phone moments after I abducted you.”
The same look of fear returned to his face, the level of panic beyond what Br00-S had seen before.
“I'll tell you anything you want to know. Just ask me quickly and let me go. I need to get out of here right now.”
Clive didn't seem to be lying, so Br00-S asked the question that had been at the heart of his journey ever since the beginning.
“Who ordered the deaths of Alex and Roger Jones?” Br00-S asked.
A range of emotions tore over the man's face. Confusion, followed by thoughtfulness, followed by the wide-eyed realization of what was happening. The businessman muttered to himself, “It can't be.”
Br00-S pulled back his hood, revealing his robot exterior. The look of surprise that he expected to see on Clive’s face never materialized. So the businessman had guessed who he was. Not just that he was a robot, but specifically which robot he was.
Br00-S redirected his captive’s attention to the present. “Who ordered their deaths?”
Clive seemed lost in thought. “Felix,” he muttered absentmindedly. “Felix.”
Br00-S stood up and paced around the room. That was the name. This was the information that he had gone to such lengths to obtain, farther than any robot before him. New connections were forming in his mind. There was only one Felix it could be, and so he knew who his next target was.
“Tell me everything you know about that night.”
Clive complied without a problem, his voice still sounding like it was far away. “Yes, of course. Alex and Roger, they were getting too close to the truth. They had obtained information that would ruin everything we had been working on. They were the highest profile people that we ever had to kill. But we had to. They were getting too close.”
Br00-S studied his captive. He was babbling, rambling on and not focusing. He got the distinct sensation that there was something happening here he didn't understand.
Clive looked at him, his eyes now filled with a desperate plea. His voice was stronger now. “Please. You need to let me out of here. I need out, right now. Let me go home. I just want to see my kids again.” Snot was coming out his nose and tears ran down his face.
Br00-S was torn by indecision. Clive was a part of the organization that had been responsible for the murder of the people he cared most about in the world. Whether or not he had pulled the trigger, he was guilty by association. Revenge—no, justice—could best be served by killing him, right here and right now. An eye for an eye. It was one of the oldest of human laws.
Logically, he knew that harming Clive wouldn’t bring back anything he had lost, wouldn’t do any good at all.
To pass the time, Br00-S dove even deeper into the life of Clive Proskey. Thanks to Nat's assistance, Br00-S had every piece of public information on the businessman as well as a fair amount of information that was not available to the public. With the extra time on his hands, Br00-S allowed his pattern recognition software to comb through the details of Clive's history.
In many ways, Br00-S' artificial intelligence worked in much the same way as a human neocortex. It thrived on the ability to identify and decipher patterns. Like the human mind, Br00-S did not need all the information to understand a formation. He thought of human language, particularly written language. With their symbols, humans had created the ability to communicate both through time and space. The language was nothing more than a set of patterns. In most cases, a word could be missing letters or misspelled in other ways and humans would still be able to understand what they read.
Br00-S was the same. He didn't need all the information, just enough information to identify the system. And as he searched through everything on Clive Proskey, he became more and more convinced that the man was not in charge of Sapiens First.
They had one exciting development in the days of waiting. Clive, like most of the people whose beliefs he shared, was caught between two worlds. He hated artificial intelligence and the changes that came with it, but he was a successful businessman living in a world shaped by the very technology he hated. Even if he detested technology, it was still a necessary part of his day-to-day life. Because of this tension, Clive relied on his phone more than most people, and his phone was far less advanced and had less security than most.
After less than a day of work, Nat and Br00-S hacked into Clive's phone. It had opened a treasure trove of new information. Thanks to Clive's weak security, they could access all of his personal messages and many of his work ones.
For the coup de grâce, Nat even mirrored his phone, so they could receive any messages the moment that he received them.
It only took Br00-S a few minutes to incorporate all the new information into his existing models. His new theory was confirmed: Clive was receiving messages telling him when and where to set up new meetings.
Clive was not the one in charge, but whoever was sending the messages was savvy enough to hide their identity well. If Br00-S was going to dive any deeper into the organization, there was only one way forward that he could see. He still needed to have a private chat with Clive.
The robot looked over at Nat, curled up into a small ball on a sleeping pad she’d brought in. She had been gone more often lately, but he hadn’t questioned her. She hadn’t asked him what he did, either. They were less like partners and more like two people running on parallel tracks.
He had tried searching for more information on her, but he couldn’t find anything. Either he was looking in all the wrong places or she was a ghost.
Her behavior toward him had changed after his first attempted abduction. She said less, and displayed plenty of evidence of being more nervous around him. The obvious conclusion was inescapable. Somehow, she knew what he had tried to do and disapproved.
Yet she remained by his side, even going so far as to help him. She had seen him threaten Kleon, and she was clever. She had to know he was a different robot. Was that the reason she stayed?
Br00-S didn’t have answers to any of his questions about Nat. He thought, though, that he shouldn’t tell her what he planned to do next. If she detested his encounter with Detective Lewis, she would be terrified of the ideas he had in mind for Clive.
Br00-S studied the different routes Proskey took home, focusing on the downtown area. Originally, the bike path had seemed the safer, more private bet. That assumption had been incorrect. Downtown was more crowded, but there were more options for an abduction. Buildings were under construction and a maze of subbasements, sewers, and tunnels connected everything. The kidnapping might be observed, but he was confident he could lose any pursuit.
The encounter with Detective Lewis gave Br00-S an important piece of information: his secret wasn’t secret any longer. His enemies knew he was a robot. Where stealth had once given him the greater advantage, it wouldn’t any longer. His opponents, if they were intelligent, would change their tactics. He would have to as well.
The benefit was that he could act more like a robot. He could use his full strength, speed, and intelligence.
This was in the forefront of his thoughts as he planned his abduction of Clive Proskey.
Another fact was also certain: he had no lack of information. Thanks to his and Nat’s combined efforts, he had daily schedules, locations, and more. He only had to find the time and place where Proskey would be most unguarded.
His analysis was much the same as last time. Clive was most vulnerable biking to and from his workplace. Fortunately, Clive's guards hadn't seen Br00-S during his last attempt, so their behaviors hadn’t changed. They still tailed Clive in a car, delaying their reaction time by a few crucial seconds.
He considered waiting even longer, but it had been a few days since the last attempt. The longer he waited, the more time he gave his enemies to set their defenses and prepare for his next moves. Better to move quickly. The business day was already winding down, and according to Clive’s calendar, he was only scheduled to work for another few hours.
Br00-S unplugged himself from the wall, gently setting the ends down against the floor. He stood up, grabbed a pair of jeans and a hoodie, and walked out of the room, making sure he didn’t make a sound to wake up his sleeping partner. She never even stirred.
As he went through their standard counter-surveillance measures, he studied the maps of his intended abduction area, both above and below ground. He’d already chosen a couple of potential options for a private place where he and Proskey could have a quiet chat, but the additional time ensured he hadn’t overlooked any vital details.
By the time he was two blocks away from Proskey Enterprises, Br00-S figured he found the best place to wait. Clive always biked past this place, only a few short feet from where Br00-S stood. More importantly, from here Br00-S had three potential places to take Clive to. The final decision would be made on the run. He stood under the awning of a building that had already closed for the night. He accessed Clive's phone and pinged the GPS every couple of minutes so he would know the moment Clive left.
Waiting was a unique challenge for Br00-S. On one hand, his limbs never tired, and he didn’t get sore. He could stand still for hours without difficulty. But his AI struggled. Without having to move, most of his processing power was free, and the only way to prevent crushing boredom was to observe his world more closely.
The streets were filled with humanity, giving him plenty to observe and learn. All told, he'd only been active now for a little over three weeks, and there was still so much of human behavior and attitudes to learn. Because of his unique relationship with the Mantle, he understood that his development was entirely different than that of other robots. They could all rely on shared experiences. Br00-S only had his own. Downtime like this allowed him to collect and process information he desperately needed to develop.
It was almost nine o’clock by the time Clive left his office. Whatever personal defects he may suffer from, the man worked hard on behalf of his company. The shadows were dark behind the buildings, and Br00-S was confident he would carry out his abduction without interference.
Clive appeared down the street less than ten minutes later, Br00-S directly in the businessman’s path. As Clive rode closer, it was obvious the man did not understand that his life was about to change forever. His head was down, eyes focused on the road ahead, ignoring his surroundings as he pedaled. Bluetooth headphones were jammed into his ears, further reducing the man’s awareness.
Too easy.
Br00-S spotted the black security sedan, about a half block behind the bicyclist. The robot calculated he would have somewhere between five and seven seconds before the guards could get out of the car and pursue. The time would never be better.
With only a few seconds until the moment arrived, Br00-S imagined the entire scenario in his processors, trying to see if they would try to stop him. His mind was clear and calm. There wasn’t a single warning or distraction. He was free.
Br00-S stepped into the street and raised his arm straight in front of Clive, clotheslining the businessman and sending him crashing to the ground behind his bike.
Behind him, the black sedan screeched to a stop, and all of Br00-S’ processes lit up. The reaction time of the man’s bodyguards was quicker than he expected. Bending down, he picked up Clive, who was still trying to get his bearings and catch his breath from the attack. The man’s nose was bleeding, the only defect on an otherwise perfect face.
Br00-S picked his victim up like he would pick up a young boy, throwing Clive over his shoulder and sprinting back into the alleyway he had come from.
A surge of excitement ran through him as he made use of his strength for the first time. Carrying Clive was easy.
Br00-S searched for the fire escape, finding it exactly where it was supposed to be, the ladder hanging up about ten feet in the air, the bottommost platform about fifteen feet above his head.
Br00-S ignored the ladder, and his servos whined as he jumped with all his power. Even while carrying the businessman, he leaped high enough that he could catch the bottom of the last platform of the fire escape. Balancing the befuddled businessman on his shoulder, Br00-S pulled himself up to the top of the platform. From there he pounded up the steps as fast as he could go.
Turn after turn, Br00-S ascended the fire escape. From below he heard shouts, but he ignored them.
There was no way they could follow him quickly. Even if they were able to find their way up to the roof within a few minutes, he would already be gone.
Br00-S reached the top of the roof just as Clive gained his bearings and started to struggle. They were about to attempt a jump between roofs, and if Br00-S wanted to keep them both safe, Clive couldn’t be fighting. Br00-S hit him once, hard enough that Clive’s eyes unfocused and he stopped struggling.
Shifting Clive back to a position that was easy to carry, Br00-S lined up his jump. He knew he had the strength for this.
Br00-S ran towards the edge of the rooftop, leaping at the last moment.
The jump over the alley was about nine feet, and Br00-S covered the distance without a problem. He landed, his knees bending deep to absorb all the force of the landing, being careful to cradle Clive's neck and prevent injuries from the impact.
From the rooftop, it was a simple matter to access the service stairwell. Br00-S carried Clive down the stairs to an abandoned room on the fifth story of the building. On the way down, he grabbed some exposed Ethernet cable, ripping sheetrock from the wall as he pulled. He opened the abandoned office by kicking the door open, throwing Clive into a chair, and tying him up. It was time for a long-overdue talk.
When Clive came to, the look of fear on his face was almost palpable, even to a machine such as Br00-S. His eyes were wide, and they darted back and forth for some clue as to where he was or what was happening to him. When his eyes focused on Br00-S, they somehow managed to get even wider.
“You!”
Br00-S nodded. He was, as was his custom, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt that no doubt had become well known around Proskey Enterprises. He still had the hoodie pulled over his face, curious as to Clive’s reaction when he found out he was dealing with a robot.
Br00-S faced a problem. To prepare for this event, he had researched everything he could find on the techniques for extracting information from humans. He found loads of data on extracting information through violence, persuasion, coercion, and chemicals. Some of these required training, specific materials, or to put the subject in harm, which was currently out of the question. As much as he wanted revenge, he still wasn't sure when his original programming would kick in. He didn’t want to reach the point where he attempted something and got stopped by old code. Clive needed to believe Br00-S could do anything.
Clive's whining protests brought Br00-S back to the present. “What do you want from me? What’s the meaning of this?”
“I want to know everything you know about Sapiens First,” replied Br00-S.
Clive laughed, a maniacal edge in his voice. His heartbeat and respiration were both well above normal, and well above even what Br00-S had predicted. But he had never done this before, so he ignored the information.
“Sapiens First? You want to know about Sapiens First? I'll tell you everything you need to know: whoever you are, you’re in way over your head. They're everywhere, from the servers bringing you your food at restaurants to the politicians making your laws. They’re untouchable, and there's nothing you can do that’s going to change that. If you have any desire to stay alive, you need to let me go now and maybe, just maybe, they will let you live.”
Br00-S wasn’t fazed. He had no interest in the hyperbolic ramblings of a man driven by fear. He wanted information: details and names that he could track down.
“That's not good enough,” he said, lowering his voice. “I need names. I want to know what you've done and why you've harmed so many innocents.”
Something about the last thing Br00-S said must have angered him, because Clive spat on the floor. “Innocents? There are no innocents. Look around. The world is changing. Robots and artificial intelligence are taking over. We've created an invention we don't know how to control or use. The day’s coming when if we aren't careful, humans will destroy the very reason for our own existence. We will be supplanted by those we created.”
Br00-S wasn't interested in the campaign speech. He had already looked up all the information he needed to know about Sapiens First and their beliefs. He wanted names, crimes, and locations.
“Names,” he demanded.
“Whose names? There are thousands of us just in the city. Just get on a bus or light rail. Look to your left and to your right. Both of those people are members of Sapiens First.” Defiance echoed in every word, and Br00-S realized that Clive genuinely believed what he was saying. There was no way he was telling the truth, though.
Br00-S clenched his fist and drew it back. It was clear this line of questioning wasn’t getting him the information he was looking for.
“I don't have time for this!” Br00-S growled. He was just about to smash his fist into Clive when he noticed that Clive’s heart rate had gone through the roof.
Mentioning time panicked Clive.
“How long have I been out? Where am I?”
Br00-S studied Clive. The pitch and tenor of his voice had changed, and his heart rate was in a dangerous zone. He couldn't make any sense of it. Clive looked terrified, but not of Br00-S. What was going on? His processes couldn’t figure out what was happening inside the human’s mind.
“You’ve only been out for about five minutes,” said Br00-S.
A wave of relief passed over Clive.
It occurred to Br00-S that perhaps Clive was waiting for rescue, that somehow his guards would home in on them and that there simply hadn't been enough time yet.
Br00-S tried to frighten the businessman with more information. “Your guards will never find you. I disabled your phone moments after I abducted you.”
The same look of fear returned to his face, the level of panic beyond what Br00-S had seen before.
“I'll tell you anything you want to know. Just ask me quickly and let me go. I need to get out of here right now.”
Clive didn't seem to be lying, so Br00-S asked the question that had been at the heart of his journey ever since the beginning.
“Who ordered the deaths of Alex and Roger Jones?” Br00-S asked.
A range of emotions tore over the man's face. Confusion, followed by thoughtfulness, followed by the wide-eyed realization of what was happening. The businessman muttered to himself, “It can't be.”
Br00-S pulled back his hood, revealing his robot exterior. The look of surprise that he expected to see on Clive’s face never materialized. So the businessman had guessed who he was. Not just that he was a robot, but specifically which robot he was.
Br00-S redirected his captive’s attention to the present. “Who ordered their deaths?”
Clive seemed lost in thought. “Felix,” he muttered absentmindedly. “Felix.”
Br00-S stood up and paced around the room. That was the name. This was the information that he had gone to such lengths to obtain, farther than any robot before him. New connections were forming in his mind. There was only one Felix it could be, and so he knew who his next target was.
“Tell me everything you know about that night.”
Clive complied without a problem, his voice still sounding like it was far away. “Yes, of course. Alex and Roger, they were getting too close to the truth. They had obtained information that would ruin everything we had been working on. They were the highest profile people that we ever had to kill. But we had to. They were getting too close.”
Br00-S studied his captive. He was babbling, rambling on and not focusing. He got the distinct sensation that there was something happening here he didn't understand.
Clive looked at him, his eyes now filled with a desperate plea. His voice was stronger now. “Please. You need to let me out of here. I need out, right now. Let me go home. I just want to see my kids again.” Snot was coming out his nose and tears ran down his face.
Br00-S was torn by indecision. Clive was a part of the organization that had been responsible for the murder of the people he cared most about in the world. Whether or not he had pulled the trigger, he was guilty by association. Revenge—no, justice—could best be served by killing him, right here and right now. An eye for an eye. It was one of the oldest of human laws.
Logically, he knew that harming Clive wouldn’t bring back anything he had lost, wouldn’t do any good at all.
