Chapter 15: The Hunted — Part 7

Yap sat down across from Orchid as she ate, taking a cup of tea and sipping it. Orchid ate her food, considering the intrusion. It wasn’t entirely a burden, to have the company, but it wasn’t entirely wanted, either. Androids had an uncanny way of responding to unconscious hume considerations, to those things one might still be deciding on. Her intrusion, therefore, would not be without purpose. Androids didn’t know how to have a conversation without purpose. It would take a moment or two for Yap to express that purpose. Yap’s particular time of pause was either two seconds, or three and 1/16 seconds precisely. Orchid had tested and timed it on many occasions.

“Why did you let him go?” Yap asked, choosing the longer interval.

“He hasn’t left yet.” Orchid reminded her. “He had no information helpful to us, nor does he pose any immediate threat. He was a mercenary in a body designed to kill humes. Now he’ll probably have to ask for help just to open a bottle of ketchup.” Orchid said, and though some would have chuckled with this, or shown some kind of smug satisfaction, Orchid looked more pestered than anything else.

“What if he finds a new body?” Yap wondered with some distraction.

“He won’t.” Orchid said. “Elec’s is the only source of bodies besides the android cities, and she’d scrap him for parts in a heartbeat, so he won’t find any help among the humes.”

“If he goes to the city?” Yap wondered.

“Then he goes.” Orchid paused in eating her toast, sipping her tea. “I can’t change his mind, and he isn’t a hume, and he hasn’t killed anybody.”

“You’re going to have to start being more cruel if you want your enemies to take you seriously, Miss Bizaar.” Yap said.

“Perhaps I don’t wish for them to take me seriously.” Orchid said. “Perhaps I only wish for them to give back the children of my kin. Perhaps, once the children are returned, I will encourage my friends to leave with me to unexplored space, and never look back.”

Jun interrupted the conversation, sitting at the same table as Yap and Orchid. Her voice proved quiet and serious. “Your enemy will kill you at the first opportunity. Perhaps you should accept your destiny, Miss Bizaar, and use the full power at your potential, rather than sit and quietly wait.”

Orchid’s response was quite curt. “I am never sitting quietly except when I’m thinking.” Orchid paused for a moment, brought back to her thoughts on other issues. “I require the help of your father.”

Jun nodded, closed her eyes, and concentrated. Within moments, Master Alon arrived. “How can I help you, Miss Bizaar?”

“If given an infinite amount of power and resources, could you build a zero point transmitter that could target a specific hume hidden somewhere along our stellar arm of the Milky Way galaxy?”

Alon considered. “The meta required for building up the circuitry capable of creating a DNA resonant emission is beyond my grasp. It would take vast calculative resources to control the variables and focus the circuitry across such a broad expanse, perhaps android and hume minds working in synchronicity. The androids in question might not come out of the experience in the best of shape, and I don’t want to consider the potential risk to the hume acting as the gorvernor for the device. The power requirements would be incredible, and the source must be consistent, without fluctuations or surges. I have no idea how we could ever hope to power the device in question given the nature of both local and galactic power sources.”

Orchid disregarded Alon’s concerns. “Spunky, please take Master Alon to Bamboo, who will undoubtedly be able to handle the meta needed, once he and Master Alon discuss the variables. Don’t let Bamboo get too far into calculations before I’ve gotten back to him. How many androids will you require for your calculations, Alon?”

“Three,” Master Alon said, counting on his fingers, though his eyes betrayed much deeper calculatory processes in play. “Definitely Three.”

“I’m certain we can find you three suitable volunteers.” Orchid said, returning to her tea.