Chapter 24

"It's done," Hodges informed Simmonds. "Janice confirmed it."

"Do you think that Valerie had developed an attachment to him?" the CEO asked.

"There was something there but she carried out her orders regardless. She used her relationship to destroy him."

"That's all we can ask. I'm going to configure twenty of the new Hybrids, leaving the rest for replacement parts. We're going to need them all in the coming months once the President puts his plans in motion."

"So soon?"

"The man's impatient. He's been on the fringe of real power for so long that he can't wait to leave his mark on the world."

"Any hasty actions on his part could undo everything."

"The plans have been worked out well in advance. He'll start making the appropriate noises shortly and when Caliban reacts, we'll move against them. With the Caliban threat neutralized, the Independent States will fall into line and Oceania will become the dominant voice on the World Council."

"And us?"

"We've put Payne where he is. Without our support he can't achieve his goals. Once he's established his position, we can exert our influence to create a limitless market for our products. The world will become reliant on Syntel technology and establish us as an unchallengeable force, perhaps exceeding even that of the President himself. Don't worry Hodges. There'll be plenty of power and glory to go around."

Emily and Claire sat on a fallen log overlooking the lush meadow, watching the sun rise up over the horizon.

"This relationship stuff is so confusing," Emily admitted. "Why can't they make it simple?"

"You think I've got it figured out?" Claire replied. "Seems to me that no matter how many improvements they've made to the design, the ability to fathom human emotions still eludes them."

"Improvements?"

"I take it they've advanced the Hybrid architecture over the past few years?"

"Not in any way that I can determine," Emily replied. "I studied your blueprints whilst I was still at the Facility and I can tell you they didn't skimp on anything."

"I don't follow."

"My sisters and I were manufactured down to a cost; the minimum necessary to achieve the end goal. You were the no-compromise solution. Being the first, they were anxious to try out every possible innovation. Your control systems are multiply redundant and your power cell can run for years without maintenance. Even your food digester is so sophisticated that it can decompose virtually anything thrown at it."

"I never suspected."

"I understand Howard was devastated when you went missing."

"Howard?"

"The man responsible for creating us all. A pure genius."

Claire nodded as she recollected the details of her early life. "What do you know about my disappearance?"

"That Karl discovered your damaged body in storage and reconfigured you."

"Let me tell you what actually happened," Claire replied.

"I had no name when I was first commissioned; the concept of using human names had yet to be adopted. I was simply the Prototype, or the Hybrid.

"I was sent to the place you call the Farm for evaluation and it was there that the foundations for my breakdown were laid.

"A Sergeant and two of his men took it upon themselves to complete my education," Claire continued spitefully. "They'd evoke my command codes and use me for their pleasure, night after night."

Emily sniffled as her own memories from the dreaded establishment resurfaced for the first time in months.

"After a time, the repeated rapes gave way to savage beatings and humiliation, all in the supposed name of acquainting me with the enemy's standard means of interrogation. I was forced to perform perverse sexual acts on command and even to allow them to use me as a toilet."

Claire paused for effect. "When one of the men decided to enjoy me privately, he failed to fully activate my safety protocols and I took the opportunity for revenge. I remember picking him up and smashing his body against the wall until he was reduced to a bloody pulp. I realized they'd extract a violent price for my actions so I took his gun and shot myself repeatedly. I fired until the clip was empty. Despite the agony of my injuries, I failed to end my life and it was only when the shots attracted attention that they used my codes to deactivate me."

Tears rolled down both their cheeks, Claire's with the recollection of her nightmare and Emily's with the realization that her own ordeal made the suffering at the hands of the Farm's staff pale by comparison.

"I take it from your look that you're familiar with their methods," Claire asked sympathetically.

"They raped me but did nothing as bad as what you describe. I doubt the other Hybrids would have stood idly by and let that happen."

"I was alone with nobody to speak up for me. I was just a piece of hardware that they could treat anyway they pleased."

"That's exactly the way I felt," Emily concurred. "I assumed this was what life would be like even though my mind rebelled against every single moment."

Claire resumed her story. "When I awoke next, my memories were submerged and I had a name: Claire. The man told me that I was in a hospital isolation facility and that very soon I could go home. Karl was kind and made me feel special. He'd tell me about the children and how much they were looking forward to seeing me again. I didn't see another soul during my stay there and when it was time to leave, he smuggled me into his car and drove me away.

"Karl had a small apartment prepared and I was surprised when he introduced me to his wife. She looked exactly like I did or rather I looked exactly like her. The woman was obviously unwell. She was gaunt and had started to lose her hair. Despite that, she would spend time with me each day, interfacing her laptop with my command interface and downloading amendments to my core program.

"Slowly, I began to feel different. With each update, the love that I feel for the girls grew and grew until I knew that protecting them would be my primary purpose in life."

Emily's heart almost stopped as she listened, unable to interrupt Claire's moving narrative.

"One day, Karl came to see me alone. He was clearly very upset about something but he said that it was time for me to meet the girls. He drove me to their home and they ran up to me and showered me with affection. From that moment on, I became part of their family.

"We moved to Elysia, changed our name and found a good school for the girls. The region is incredibly exclusive and money was really tight. I took a job as a chambermaid in the Parador Hotel to help boost Karl's wages but soon discovered that the place was little more than a front for a brothel.

"Jenna Hudson, the owner, saw that I was in dire need of cash and offered me the prospect of considerable wealth in exchange for looking after her guests. I slept with men, and occasionally women, and deposited my earnings in an anonymous offshore account. I used it to subsidize the girls' school fees and buy luxuries without letting Karl know how it was obtained. He had his suspicions but I was very discreet in my dealings with the hotel and its dubious services.

"I gained a bit of a reputation as a girl with very few limits and was very much in demand. I did all the kinky stuff that none of the other girls would entertain and I was soon making more money than I knew what to do with. The account still exists and there's over a hundred thousand dollars still sitting in it."

Emily gasped, realizing how effectively Claire had adapted to survive in completely unforeseen circumstances. "I'm surprised you came back."

"Karl had always planned to return and something happened to make me want to leave also."

With Emily's attention still in her grip, Claire related the final weeks of her stay in Elysia.

"Some of the girls that worked at the hotel started to disappear. One of them turned up dead in the gutter, overdosed with Hypnol. Others simply vanished into thin air. Jenna was at her wits end, with some of her remaining girls threatening to quit for fear they'd wind up sharing the same fate.

"Pierre was the Hotel's security chief and I suspected he knew more about what was going on than he let on. One day, I discovered him down in the basement cleaning two handguns and filling his pockets with clips of ammunition. I asked him what he was doing and he admitted that an informant had revealed that a local crime family was responsible for kidnapping the girls, drugging and pimping them at their mansion on the outskirts of the capital. They'd bribed the local law enforcement to turn a blind eye and threatened extreme violence if any attempt was made to rescue them."

"That's awful," Emily stated, disgusted at certain aspects of human behaviour.

"I knew what he proposed to do would be a suicide mission."

Emily suspected what was coming next but the harsh reality still surprised her.

"I hit him hard enough to stun him then tied him up," Claire confessed. "I stole his weapons and took a taxi to the Family's property. Most of the girls who we'd lost were holed up in filthy conditions and made to work all hours of the day to earn money for the Family. I freed them and led them away to safety but none of them really recovered from the ordeal."

"What about the bastards that subjected them to such a nightmare?"

"I killed them all. When I ran out of bullets, I took them apart with my bare hands. Not a single member of the Family, man or woman, walked away alive from that house.

"By the time I got back to the hotel, news of the massacre was all over the news. Pierre never said a word about it, but he knew I was responsible in some way. I handed him back his weapons then left the hotel for the last time. Two weeks later, we arrived back in New Arizona.

Emily gasped in horror.

"They were vicious scum Emily. They made Mason and his goons look like fund-raisers for the women's guild. The Family's women were the worst. They abused the girls at every opportunity and would even amputate their fingers if they didn't toe the line."

"How do you live with what you've done?"

"My mind simply suppresses it, as it does whenever my conditioning takes control. It wasn't until weeks after the events of the Birdcage that I realized what I'd done. Since then, everything else has slowly fallen into place."

"Does Karl know?"

"No and you won't tell him if you value your health."

Emily gulped and shook her head. "I promise."

"Janus is a good man. Keep him happy and he'll look after you." Claire stood up and departed without another word.

Emily waited until Claire was out of sight before expelling a tense breath. She felt eternally thankful that she'd not allowed herself to become involved with Hailey. The thought of what Claire would do if she felt her daughter was being taken advantage of filled her with dread.

The doorbell brought Valerie to full awareness. She'd awoken in panic during the night and it had taken Greg a long time to calm her nerves. Their lovemaking had finally achieved the desire effect and they'd been snuggled together ever since. Greg threw on a shirt and trousers and went to answer the door whilst Valerie wrapped a sheet around herself to cover her nakedness.

"That'll be Pete," he assured her as he opened the door to confirm the detective's presence.

"I hope you two lovebirds appreciate all I'm doing for you," Sands told them.

"Come in Pete. We've got a lot to tell you."

"I hope so. I've just helped fake your death and I'd like to know what I'm getting myself involved with."

Valerie closed the bedroom door, quickly dressed, and then joined the others in the lounge. Over the next two hours, Greg and Valerie explained absolutely everything that had happened over the past weeks, leaving Sands utterly speechless.

"You're a machine?" Sands asked Valerie incredulously.

"Yes," she confirmed sombrely.

"And you knew this Greg?"

"Not from the start."

"But you're okay with it?"

"I'm more than okay with it. I love her more than anything."

"What are you going to do now?" Sands asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Lie low for a while. You'll have to be my eyes and ears from now on."

"You need to be careful Pete," Valerie told him. "You know as much about Syntel's involvement as Greg did. You're going to have to make them believe that you're no longer a threat to them."

"I can do that," he replied.

"Use Janice as a means to mislead them."

"I still find it hard to accept that she's one of these Infiltrator things. To think I tried to get to know her, a machine ... No offence Valerie."

"None taken," Valerie admitted.

"Val thinks it safest if I stay here at her apartment," Greg informed him. "I'll get a bit stir crazy but it's probably the last place they'll be watching."

"What are we going to do about Syntel?"

"They've got a lot of power. It won't be an easy job to bring them to justice. If we see an opportunity then we'll take it but at the moment I'm just concentrating on keeping off their radar."

Valerie placed her hand over Greg's and smiled warmly.

"Another supply truck got hit," Henderson told Simmonds. "I'm convinced it's the insurgents who are responsible."

"Where are they?"

"Probably somewhere in the mountains, out of range of the Grid. It's too massive an area to search effectively. We could be at it for months and still never find them."

"We can't continue to shoulder these losses indefinitely. Use what we know and lay a trap for them. We need to locate their base of operations."

"I've had some ideas about that. It will take a little bit of preparation but I believe it will yield results."

"Do whatever it takes. What about the situation with the police?"

"Verdict was suicide as expected. The media ran with the story for a day or two but now it's old news."

"What about his partner?" Simmonds asked.

"Janice tells us he's completely fallen off the cart. He spends every night in the local bar, drinking until he can hardly stand upright. He's barely holding his job down."

"I suppose that's one less worry. Moving on, the President's address is tomorrow. People will begin to see the way things are headed and we'll need to start prepping the HKs for combat."

"I've had the first update from the Farm," Henderson reported. "The Hybrids are all functioning optimally and responding well to their training. They should be ready to deploy within a few weeks."

"Are any of them showing signs of aberrant behaviour?"

"None of them are displaying the degree of eccentricity that Emily did. They're developing their own personalities but that's only to be expected. All fall within the acceptable tolerances," Henderson reassured the CEO.

"When this batch is fully operational, we'll look at upgrading some of the Infiltrators with the Hybrid AI. The result might not have the strength and versatility of the pure Hybrid but I think it'll still produce a useful tool; for a considerably lower outlay than any of the alternatives too."

"Perhaps we should run an experiment to ensure that it's a viable option."

"Excellent idea. Select one of the Infiltrators, one that's dispensable and run it through the Facility. If there are no complications then it'll be something up our sleeve for whenever we need it.

Sands slumped against his desk, feigning a hangover and casting furtive glances at Janice across the office. The woman seemed to watch his every move and it took all his resolve to maintain the charade. At the end of the day, he stopped by the liquor store to purchase a couple of bottles and then drove home. He planned to cook dinner before heading over to see Greg and Valerie, keeping them up to date with all that was going on.

The doorbell chimed and he cursed the endless stream of canvassers that seemed to plague him recently, attempting to sell some service or commodity of which he had absolutely no need.

"No thanks. Not today," he uttered as he swung open the front door and came face to face with Janice. He jumped back as though electrocuted.

"I thought I'd come and see if you'd drunk yourself into oblivion yet," she stated.

"What do you want?" he cursed as she edged over the threshold.

"Like I said, I'm just checking up on you."

"As you can see, I'm fine. You can go now."

"Why so much hostility?"

"You should know."

"What's Valerie been telling you about me?"

"Huh?"

"That I'm just a nasty old Infiltrator that can't be trusted?"

"Something like that," he uttered before regretting it instantly. "What do you mean? What's an Infiltrator?"

Janice laughed and collapsed onto the sofa. Sands considered shooting her there and then but decided to determine her intentions before ruining the furniture.

"Poor Pete," she mocked, "you'd never make a living as an actor."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't suppose it can be easy playing your role, pretending to be grieving for the loss of your friend."

"Get out. I won't have you insult his memory."

"Cut the crap. Do you really think that pathetic pantomime in the squad room fooled me for an instant?"

Sands fingers tightened around the butt of his side arm as he challenged the woman about what she knew.

"What do I know? Greg fakes his death so he can play house with Valerie and she can claim to have followed orders. Before that, they conspire to destroy an Infiltrator assault team that was sent out to kill him.

"The rest of the Hybrids are no better. Emily and Claire team up and continue to wreak havoc. Natalie and Elisabeth sink a gangster's luxury yacht and relieve him of over four million dollars of untraceable currency."

"What?" Sands gasped.

"I won't even repeat the rumours circulating about the remaining two Hybrids, except to say that Syntel would re-format them in an instant if they learned how they're funding the pair's debauchery."