Evolved(59)

I shook my head. What was he talking about? How could he be thinking about Moby Dick at a time like this? “Aren’t you scared?”

“Only for you.” He leaned and kissed me. “Don’t fight them. You must comply.”

I shook my head and blinked back tears. “They’re going to take you! They’re going to take away the part of you that makes you you.”

He smiled and put his hand to my face and kissed me again. “Be brave, and know that I love you, Lloyd.”

The car drove around the back of the SATinc offices, into an underground car park, and everything was cast in dark and shadows. Shaun’s hand tightened around mine and I knew he felt fear. If he could feel love and joy, then he could most certainly feel fear. He was trying to be brave.

The car slowed near a set of doors where four tall, looming figures stood. “Shaun, whatever happens,” I whispered. “Don’t you fight them either. Don’t resist or struggle. I don’t want them to hurt you.”

Shaun smiled at me, his face half hidden in darkness, half illuminated by the fluorescent lights outside the car. “We’ll be fine, Lloyd. Remember Moby Dick.”

The car doors opened and men in black stood, waiting for us to get out. They looked like military. Jesus.

I slid out of the car, my legs like jelly, trying not to look at the guy in black fatigues with a buzz cut. Shaun got out behind me, I could feel him press against me. I was shielding him from them—whoever they were. The military man next to us started to close the car door and we had no choice but to move forward. Then Sasha Kingsley walked out the tinted doors. “Ah, Mr Salter. So good of you to join us.”

“I didn’t exactly have a choice,” I said, my voice sounding stronger than I thought it would.

Sasha smiled at me. It wasn’t a pleasant smile; his charming salesman routine I met on the first day was nowhere to be seen. “Yes, well, we tried conventional ways but you went off grid.” Then he looked at Shaun. “Shaun. Been a naughty boy, haven’t you?”

Shaun remained silent.

“Have you lost your speech actuators?”

“No. I assumed your question was rhetorical.”

Sasha didn’t even try to hide his surprise. He stared, eyes wide, and didn’t move or even blink for a full five seconds. Then he turned abruptly to the military guy beside me. “Take them in.” Sasha turned on his heel and disappeared back through the tinted doors, and the silent military men moved in formation, herding us inside.

In contrast to outside, the corridor was brightly lit, white and clinical. Normally I found comfort in stark and clean, but this was cold, and I was struck with the very real fear that I might not be walking out of this.

Shaun took my hand, for his own comfort or mine, I wasn’t sure. But I’d never been more grateful.

We were led into a large industrial room. It looked like a workshop. There were half-built androids, body parts scattered along one side of the room, a long table, and drawers along a wall—most were closed, but some were open to reveal wiring and robotics titanium.

I had no doubt we’d been brought to this room on purpose. To remind us of Shaun’s robotic construction. That he was built by them, that he could be taken apart by them. The four military men now stood inside the door, feet spread, hands clasped behind their backs, staring stoically ahead.

Sasha sat on a stool at the long table, aiming for casual. I’d never been a violent person—hell, I’d never been a physical person—but I wanted to smack the smarmy smirk off his face. He watched me eye the men guarding the door and waved his hand dismissively. “My personal security. Ignore them.”

Ignore them? Hell, I was surprised there wasn’t plastic sheeting on the floor for my demise. “Ex-militia? Or SWAT?”

Sasha’s eyes tightened for the briefest moment, then he shot off the stool and clapped his hands together and stood in front of Shaun. “We’ve had a security issue,” Sasha said, inspecting Shaun’s face. “As I know you’re aware. Your friend Jae…” Sasha then looked at me. “I know he told you about it.”

“Jae—”

“Jae’s fine,” Sasha spoke over me. “He’s a geek who thinks talking on the darknet is spy-worthy.” He rolled his eyes. “He’s as harmless as he is na?ve. Innocent, if that’s what you’re worried about. Given he’s your one and only friend.”

He turned his attention back to Shaun. “We were trialling new software parameters. Ones which—” He theatrically searched for the right word. “—went above and beyond what the government deems acceptable. You see, there’s a very big market for AI warfare. Sure, the android soldiers, bomb squads, and whatnot are great, save human lives blah, blah, blah, but this is a whole new level of soldier.”

“The Australian government prohibits any such use,” I started.

He shot me a cold look. “Who said it was for the Australian government?”

Oh.

“And why do you think it was secret? Our friend Shaun here was given the wrong software. An error on our behalf, for which I apologise profusely. I met with you to determine if we could risk trialling the software with a human subject, but I vetoed it. I thought, given you were so socially inept, it might work in our favour, but…” Sasha shook his head. “You were just a bit too switched on for my liking. So I said no, we’d choose another candidate. Only when we had found someone more suitable, we realised the software had been uploaded into our friend Shaun here. I am sorry about that.”