With a parting kiss and a whispered, “
I love you,” Inanna entered the building with Ayreon in tow. Then came the waiting.
“
How does your girlfriend know this Bithia chick, anyway?” Jeb could be heard asking.
Had Cato thought to ask that question, Inanna would’ve been forthcoming with her answer: “
She’s the ex-wife of an ex-boyfriend of mine. Kind of weird, I know, but we used to be good friends. She helped me out when I needed it most, and… well, I figured Ayreon would be better off with her. She’s something of an android herself these days…”
Inanna and Ayreon were admitted to a rectangular room which was part office, part lounge. Comfortable couches and recliners were available to sit on, and the space was dominated by a wall-length window providing a magnificent view of the ecumenopolis. No sooner had Inanna dumped Ayreon’s severed arms on the table and sunk into a plush armchair to wait, a hidden panel in the wall slid open and in walked Bithia Grayson.
Similar to Ayreon, she’d undergone a cybernetic transformation, though her transfer had been a willing one. She hadn’t aged a day since then, her new body remaining youthful and beautiful. “Hello, Inanna,” she greeted, flashing perfect white teeth in a smile. “Long time no see. How have you been?”
“
Pretty great, actually. How about you?”
“I’ve had a little trouble lately.” Bithia’s inhuman gaze flicked toward Ayreon. “But I think you may have just solved my problem. Is that who I think it is?”
Ayreon regarded her stonily, his expression unchanged. Bithia walked over to her desk and picked up his severed arms as if they weighed nothing. “Where did you find him?”
“
It’s kind of a long story…” While Bithia worked on repairs, Inanna quickly regaled her with the account of how they had found him, leaving out a few choice details. She made no references to Jeb the Rat, instead stating that they thought Ayreon had been stolen by a hacker who was able to reprogram him.
Bithia’s smile vanished. With his arms now reattached, she circled around Ayreon, appraising her handiwork. “And you have no idea who the culprit is?” she asked.
Inanna shrugged. “
Nothing. Although we didn’t look at his memory banks or anything like that.” She paused. “
Say, Bithia… You had Ayreon for almost fifteen years, right? Did he ever show any signs of regaining his… humanity?”
“There was no humanity left to regain,” Bithia murmured. Returning to her desk again, she opened a drawer and took out a thin briefcase. It was full of pieces of synthetic skin. Ayreon’s
original skin, Inanna realized as Bithia proceeded to peel off his Zeltron face as if it were only a mask. “A lot of people believe that the mind and the body are two distinct, dual entities which can influence each other but are fundamentally separate,” she talked as she worked. “Take it from me—that simply isn’t the case. There is no ghost in the machine, no humanity without a human body. It’s why the entechment method invented by the Ssi-ruuk caused so much suffering… and it’s why Jon Ayreon died with his human body, not when his droid memory was wiped.”
After carefully attaching the old, familiar face of the HRD to his metal skull, she began replacing the rest of the pink skin on his body. It was uncomfortable to watch even for Inanna, who stared at Bithia’s back instead. “
What was he doing on Zeltros, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“A routine job for one of our clients.”
“
Murder is routine around here?”
Bithia paused. “Well, we are in the business of killing. Soldiers, bounty hunters, assassins, spies—you name it, we employ them.”
“
I thought you only took certain jobs, though,” Inanna pressed. Reaching up to run a hand through her hair, she flicked on the little comlink device Cato had given her. “
You only went after the ones who deserved it. Nothing cold-blooded.”
“Times have changed, and so have we. The war is over, but we still need to work and make a profit. Besides, how do you measure what a life is worth? Aren’t we all guilty?”
“
Gambling debts aren’t worth dying over.”
“Maybe the target should have thought of that before he gambled his way into debt.” Bithia frowned. “How did you know about that job, anyway? You said you hadn’t looked in his databanks.”
“
You’re right, I haven’t.” Inanna stood up. “
Ayreon, let’s go. I think I let her borrow you a little longer than I should have.”
As she turned to leave, Bithia suddenly lunged forward, uppercutting Inanna with bone-breaking force. The impact sent the Shi’ido sprawling backwards on the couch. Groaning, she sat up—just in time to see Bithia standing over her, a gun in her hand. Force, she was fast.
“Normally I would just shoot you now,” Bithia said, flicking off the safety on her gun. “But for old times’ sake, I’m going to give you one last chance to leave. Go back to your family and live, Inanna.”
“
What the hell happened to you?” Inanna asked, trying to buy time. “
You’ve changed. You used to be a good person.”
“So have you,” Bithia said. “I never thought you’d start giving a chit about criminals and lowlifes. What are you, a Jedi? These aren’t
good people you’re trying to protect. They’re scum. If anything, I’m doing the galaxy a favor by getting rid of them...”
