The machine detective, p.17
The Machine Detective, page 17
part #4 of The Synth Crisis Series
“Nice prosthetic,” Dhata said, admiring how natural the man’s cybernetic arms appeared. “Is it a full graft, or partial?”
“A man of culture, and an appreciator of fine, cybernetic assets, I see.” The man grinned and twiddled his beard. “Interested in any modifications?”
“I’m not buying what you’re selling, pops. Just admiring the craftsmanship,” Dhata said. “Must have cost a fortune. Does it hurt or tingle when it rains?”
The older man sighed. “When is it ever not raining?”
“So what do you need? You’re making moves on the doc there? Are you here to shake me off her?” Dhata said, laughing.
“Not so loud,” he said under his breath. “The wife will hear, and no, I have no ownership of the beautiful doctor. Hey.” He leaned in closer so that only Dhata could hear. “You ever, y’know, with one of them before?”
“A synth?” Dhata said, surprised at the turn their conversation had taken. The man nodded expectantly and Dhata glanced past him to Sherwood’s door. Ten minutes were nearly up, and he wondered if he should check in on Ariana just in case. “Yeah, I’ve done it,” he said suddenly, feeling no shame in admitting the truth. “Dated them, loved them, and hooked up with them, everything short of getting married. What about you?”
“Garry,” he said, nodding.
“Garry,” Dhata repeated. “Have you been with a synth?”
“Never had the chance,” the man said. “Been married 42 years, and back when my friends were servicing their synth maids, I was already trying to manage a family. It’s always intrigued me, though. Human beings that go to bat for them, despite the potential danger to our existence that they present.”
“Be that as it may,” Dhata said. “We tried our damnedest to do ourselves in with the War for Peace. So how rich is it that now, after they saved us, we want to go back on what we promised them? A place in humanity. Sex with a synth, I can’t tell the difference, if you really want to know. Maybe they’re a touch more open-minded about experimentation, I guess. Synth women can be … adventurous. At least that’s been my experience.”
“Lord above, we have a person who gets it,” Garry said excitedly, his eyes lighting up from hearing Dhata’s words.
Dhata was about to say something more when Ariana emerged, wiped her hands off with a towel, and surveyed the room. When she found Dhata, she beckoned him over, and he had to bid a quick farewell to his new friend.
“I’m wanted at the station, Dee,” she said. “Let’s go get your car,”
Dhata nodded, but behind her he could see a bit of commotion surrounding the room that housed Sherwood Paradise.
“What did you do in there?” he said, following her out, nearly having to jog since she was walking so fast.
They got into her vehicle and she pulled off before the doors could fully shut.
“Got him to talk,” she said, “Like I said, we don’t have much time, especially with my freedom on the line, my respect, and justice for Ida and Kaden. Hmph. You know how painful a gut shot is; Jason told me you got one before. Wood confessed to the knowledge that a bomb was placed inside Ida’s car, but he didn’t plant it. A recruit for their order took on the job. He said that she was having an affair, and it would have been brushed aside if her lover hadn’t been a synth.”
“Membership to the thorns requires the killing of a synth, and to risk it all by taking a woman’s life,” Dhata said. “Someone wanted to be promoted high into the order. Not just getting in by killing Kaden, but doing this personal favor for Paradise. Did he give you a name?”
“Hurst? Hurts, something like that. First name Devin?” Ariana said, her face a mask of focus as she weaved in and out of traffic.
“Devin Hurst.” Dhata let the name roll off his tongue. “All this time and it was him? He didn’t look like much, but of course, since he used a cowardly method to execute that woman. I could snap his neck, that rat-faced bastard. All this time, and he was the one. Funny how the simplest path to a thing is always the right one. What’s the plan here, Ari?”
“We want Paradise,” she said, “So Wood gets to live for now. I’ll have one of my guys pick him up. I blamed the ambush on him, so he’s going to need his brother’s money and lawyers really soon.”
“No doubt,” Dhata said, relishing the thought of Wood’s smug expression being replaced by panic and doubt.
“I told the captain that I hired you as a private investigator, since I had a hunch on the case, but was disallowed to touch it. That’s why you were in Ida’s apartment, and also why you were seen at Larry’s Auto Depot. I’m in a world of shit, Dhata, but nothing that will have either of us arrested. Likely they’ll move up the date on me losing my job. Go home, take care of Lurita, and lay low for a month. I’ll put Wood on record, ping the FBI, and they will reopen things on Paradise,” she said.
“What happens to Devin Hurst?” Dhata said, not wanting to remind her that he had promised to give Aaron the go-ahead once the case was solved.
“Less chance of him perjuring himself if he’s gone,” she said softly, shrugging ever so slightly as she kept staring forward. “Keep your gangster on ice, Dee. Tell him it will be worth it if he does. When the news hits the waves, all the roaches involved will scatter to the shadows where he’s free to have at them. Nobody would miss them if they suddenly vanished, especially us Johns. I’m so tired of this.”
“I know it,” he said. “What’re you doing later?”
“Nothing. Why? Is there another camp of losers you’re looking to wipe out?”
“Figured I’d buy you a drink as thanks for putting your life on the line for me with the Khans. You were right, I did expect to go in there alone. Considering what happened, it would have likely ended up all wrong. Nothing good would have come from me dying out in the sticks. Lur would be alone, waiting on a call that would never come. Fuck me, if it wasn’t a bad move.”
“You were desperate, and out of options,” she offered. “It was stupid, yeah, but we made it out alive, and for the most part we’re fine, right?”
“For the most part,” Dhata said, turning so she could see he was sincere. “You’re a good friend and partner, Ari. Thanks for holding me down.”
Chapter 20
To Pluck a Thorn
Against Ariana’s wishes, Dhata returned to Larry’s Auto Depot the next evening, which was a Friday. He took another rented car and parked within walking distance of the building so that he couldn’t be marked. Being a fugitive of sorts, wanted for questioning by both the St. Petersburg and Tampa Police Departments, he had to be careful so as not to be picked up.
Today he wore a disguise, a yellow jacket, an old relic from his wardrobe, sleeveless, with the collar sticking up. Black cargo pants concealed his load out, and his big revolver was loaded with bullets in case of violent action. On his face, he wrapped a silk handkerchief across his nose and mouth—masks were the norm in the industrial area, since the fumes from the factories forced a lot of workers to cover up.
He paused to collect himself, waiting for the road to clear before exiting the vehicle, doing his best to keep attention off himself. He looked up at the streetlights, where he knew there would be cameras recording everything. They were always on and watching, but as a former detective he knew that there was no active surveillance, though the footage could be used if he got himself caught.
Walking intentionally to avoid suspicion, Dhata tried to mirror the behavior of a tired worker. He received a few looks and several greetings, each of which he returned, though he worried that one of them would stop him to spark up conversation.
It was the five o’clock hour, closing time for most businesses, but auto shops were always an exception. Devin Hurst was the manager so Dhata assumed he’d be one of the last to leave. His hunch bore fruit when he got eyes on the property and saw several vehicles still parked in the employee area.
Larry’s Auto Depot was a large lot, bordered by a junkyard filled with discarded auto parts. Mountains of metal and old vehicles made it easy for him to run reconnaissance, jumping a fence and staying hunched as he worked his way to the back of the depot. The place was abandoned but for a few android workers, powered down but still imposing, their dead eyes staring forward into nothing.
A few minutes in and Dhata had to stop. He surveyed the lot, realizing too late that he had stumbled into a maze and would be at a disadvantage if he were to be confronted. His aim was to get to the break area at the rear of the garage where Devin had taken him to talk when he’d confronted him about Kaden.
Dhata had assumed it would be easy, but the junkyard was vast, and it was getting dark. He slipped between two vehicles, hunched down, and placed a finger near his ear. Throwing out an augmented interface through his ICLs, he logged into his implant and brought up a map. He zoomed into an area and put down a virtual pin at his intended destination. Closing it out, there remained a beacon, showing him the general direction to go.
Sticking tight to the stacks of vehicles while avoiding the more open areas, he worked his way over to the beacon, an effort that had him doubling back and trying new lanes several times. Eventually he got there and checked the time. It was now after six o’clock and he wondered if he had managed to miss Devin’s departure.
Stopping just out of range of the mounted camera above the back door, Dhata brought up his electroshock tube, aimed, and shot a bolt into the base where he knew the circuitry could be overloaded. Checking for more before hurrying to the door, he tried the handle, and was able to crack it open, though he feared there’d be an alarm.
Inside there was what appeared to be a meeting underway, with nine men in a circle around Devin. There were no vehicles being worked on or any of the large machines operating at the time. The place looked to be closed for the day, and Dhata saw that this was why he’d managed to get in so easily.
Duck-walking to a counter, he slid down behind it and replaced the tube inside his hand with his revolver. Closing his eyes to calm himself, he prepared for action, hoping that this time he could do things the quiet way. He could hear them clearly, they were having an intense discussion. Devin was shouting something about carelessness and held the full attention of all the others.
“If they got Wood, it’s only a matter of time before another one of them comes looking here,” said one man.
“Johns took care of the last one, and he’s been trespassed, so if he shows his face ‘round here it’s a wrap,” Devin said.
“Is the prophet aware?” another one said, and then closed his mouth abruptly when Devin turned on him in response, making a zipping motion with his hand.
“Don’t worry about the prophet,” Devin said. “This is on us to handle, and that’s what we’re going to do, handle it. You get with your people, check their loyalties, remind them that all it takes is one mistake and the machines will win. The human race will be ended. If that can sit comfortably on their conscience, then why are they here? Listen up, you all are leaders, and we need assurances. Am I clear?”
One of the bigger men stepped forward suddenly, and Dhata recognized him as the hulk who had gotten in his way when he’d first come inquiring about Kaden Maidani. “Dev, this is serious now, brother. I believe we’re well past the time of tightening up screws. If they were true believers, wouldn’t they be here?”
“What are you saying, Jus?” Devin said.
“You know exactly what I’m saying. We plug all leaks. Anyone who knows about that bitch and her robot, we snuff them out, and that’ll be the end of it. Like you said, this is on us. If we get exposed, they can get to the prophet, and then all the rust-fucks with their robot wives and girlfriends will put them into power—you all know, and history won’t look favorably on us for being so fucking sloppy.”
“I agree with Big Jus,” one of the others said. This one was a short stocky, meathead with a carrot-colored beard.
Dhata closed his eyes and uttered a curse. He had expected to find Devin alone to question him. Here was a real company of Paradise’s lieutenants, and they had already learned about Sherwood Paradise. He was out of time. Something had to be done, and he wasn’t foolish enough to believe that he could take on ten killers, even with his superior aim and experience.
He had to make a decision, and nothing stood out as good. Go in shooting? The cylinder only had eight shots. He could kill Devin, forcing the rest to scatter, and he too could be in the wind before they recovered, beating a path back to his car. The problem with that plan was that there would be witnesses, and this wasn’t a movie. Life as he knew it would be over. Every trumped-up charge could be beaten, but inside the building there were cameras, not to mention the witnesses, each who would carry an additional charge of attempted murder.
The other option was Aaron, who was waiting on his phone call. He would bring in a host of synths, thirsty for revenge for what happened to Kaden. Their wrath would be absolute, and Larry’s Auto Depot would be burned to the ground, but that could kick off another war, which would unravel everything he and his old partner Jason had done.
This left him one option, Ariana, who wouldn’t be happy to learn he was there instead of “laying low” like she had told him. Dhata decided that it didn’t matter. He touched his ear while blinking hard, triggering his internal interface, where he could send a message out to Ariana.
I’m at the Depot listening in on our boy and nine other thorns discussing Wood. They’re aware that he’s been talking. I believe that a number of members are about to disappear.
He sent the message off, knowing she wouldn’t be happy, but they had worked together long enough for this not to be a surprise. If she intended to keep him on ice, she wouldn’t have told him about Devin; at least that’s what he told himself before clicking send to await her lecture.
Her reply came in moments later: Wood just made bail, 10,000 UCCs from Paradise’s lawyers. Out of our hands now. The Johns have you on their radar, but they aren’t looking too hard. I am heading that way to back you up. Don’t be a hero. Be smart, old man.
“Hero,” Dhata mouthed, and the word made him smile. He was nobody’s hero, at least not in this case. This was survival after they’d placed a bounty on his head. He recalled the car chase and pursuit into that abandoned building, and how fortunate he was they had sent amateurs. He was lucky to still be above ground, and now he had the drop on one of the men who had threatened his life.
He messaged her back. Do not come here. I’m going to unleash hell, and you will need an ironclad alibi. Do you understand?
Call me when it’s done, was her reply, and it was all the confirmation Dhata needed. They had tried doing it the right way, but as usual, the department had let them down. Now it was just him and Devin, whom he saw as the critical head of the snake. Was there even a real Paradise calling the shots? The other Thorns took him at his word that the “prophet” was better left out of the loop, but Dhata was beginning to question whether their leader was anything more than a ghost.
Really, the only evidence of Paradise being alive had allegedly come from the FBI. But if the departments were part of a cover-up, it spoke of something potentially bigger. But why? Was Manton Paradise so important as to be protected by the very same offices that should be protecting citizens? Human citizens, he thought, which meant deeper implications for the synths. Do Robert and The Unsung know something of this arrangement?
He’d heard rumors in the past that Paradise was a tool used by the government as an answer to what they termed “the synth crisis,” which was a fear that synths would eventually rule the Earth. The inability to understand let alone control Arch Brain had many thinking that it was only a matter of time before it happened. Technology could no longer be trusted since Arch Brain, a true Deus Ex Machina, would always be a step ahead of humanity.
The Arch Brain knew of this fear, and in response assembled The Unsung. They were to give it a voice to communicate with the world’s leaders, but the more Dhata worked with them, the more he saw just how blind they were to what was going on. If those rumors were true, then Manton Paradise’s Thorns were a tool to wipe out synths one by one.
It wasn’t an impossible mission. There were only so many robotics developers in the world, and since the synth’s sentience came only from Arch Brain, who was selective, it wouldn’t be enough to just shut those manufacturers down. Dhata had seen basement geniuses working on synths, assembling them from parts and connecting them to pirate networks where Arch Brain’s program could be uploaded.
Having a religious group, protected by the law of the land, seek out synths to summarily destroy them, would slow their growth and keep things manageable. Dhata wasn’t one for conspiracy theories, but with everything he’d seen in his career, this assumption seemed right. He didn’t believe in this theory of genocide for humanity coming by way of synthetic hands, but he began to think that going at Paradise would end up costing him his life.
Devin was the mark, and the solution to this case he had been given by Ariana to solve. The goal was to get justice for Ida and Kaden, not save the world from the Children of Paradise, he reminded himself. The question was whether he could let that go, to focus in on what he could control. He thought of Lur and everything he’d put her through. He recalled her brilliant cyphering, and how she’d been a large part of putting the rogue A.I., Sigma down.
The men were still talking, going over the details on how to silence everyone who knew about the murder. Dhata’s eyes fell on a piece of machinery near where Devin and his cronies stood. It was one of those robots meant to take cars off the floor and stack them neatly in rows on the warehouse wall.
Sliding backwards onto his elbows, Dhata crawled across the filthy floor towards the exit where an adjacent door stood cracked with “Devin Hurst” stamped upon its face. He reasoned that while they continued their scheming, he could pull more evidence, waiting for them to disperse so he could follow Devin out to apprehend him. With the lights being low in this area, he hoped no one would see him open the door.
