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“Why is he still breathing?”

“I said I wanted you on the team, didn’t I?” said Mason.
 
He leaned forward.
 
“I don’t want this to come out the wrong way, but it’s not because of your good looks.”

“We’re going to meet Eckers?”

“Already tried that,” said Mason.
 
“He wasn’t home.
 
Then old man Gairovald changed the mission.”

“You spoke to Nancy?”

“I spoke to Gairovald,” said Mason.
 
He waited for that to sink in.

Harry’s feet flexed against the concrete floor, then he started to clank around.
 
“Look — shit.
 
Can you uncable me?”

Mason walked around behind him.
 
“Wait a sec— shit.
 
Is there supposed to be crap leaking out of here?”
 
He yanked on one of the pipes connected to Harry’s chassis.

“No,” said Harry.

“Good,” said Mason.
 
“It’s not.”

“You’re an asshole, Floyd.”

Mason grinned up at the back of the enforcer, then pulled the rest of the cables free.
 
Lights flicked in the dark of the cavity he’d pulled them from, then the casing whirred and clicked into place.

“Better,” said Harry.
 
“I hate that thing.”

“You hate eating?”

“It’s not really eating,” said Harry.
 
“I mean, hell.
 
There’s a simulation.
 
It feels like I’m having a royal feast.
 
Just before you came down?
 
Truffled eggs.”

“Truffled eggs?”

“Pretty good, too.”
 
Harry’s big arms waved in the air, hydraulics hissing.
 
“But it’s not the same.”

“Maybe you should go work for Reed Interactive.
 
Their eggs are probably better.”

“That’s not funny,” said Harry.
 
“Anyway, it’s not the taste that’s the problem.
 
It’s because I know there ain’t no eggs.”

Mason lifted himself up to sit on the bench.
 
“Maybe it’s you that’s been reading Zen.”

Harry swung back around to face Mason, torso moving independently from his legs.
 
“So.
 
Eckers.”

“And Gairovald,” said Mason.
 
“We’re going to go plug a leak.”

“Figures,” said Harry, head nodding.
 
“Why today?”

“Carter,” said Mason.
 
“She’s been sniffing the net.
 
There’s been an increase in syndicate activity around the bar that Eckers owns.”

“Syndicates?
 
Which ones?”

“As near as she can tell, all of them.
 
Now, anyway.
 
But initially?”
 
Mason shrugged.
 
“Metatech.
 
Reed.”

“You’re thinking you’re going to get shot again.”

Harry Fuentes pointed a gun at Mason, the dark closer than the rain around them.
 
Mason shuffled a bit closer, pushing the barrel of Harry’s weapon into his shoulder.
 
“Here.
 
Take the shot.”

“Ok, Floyd.
 
You know what your problem is?”

“Why don’t you tell me.”

“You’re too much of a damn arrogant son of a bitch,” said Harry.
 
The shot rang loud, spinning him.
 
The pain from his shoulder —

“I get shot a lot,” said Mason, pushing the memory away.
 
“That’s not the problem.
 
The problem is not being able to shoot back hard enough.”

Harry flexed big metal shoulders.
 
“I’m your man.”

“That didn’t take much convincing,” said Mason.

“No,” said Harry.
 
“I’m pretty much always up for a fight.”

Mason smiled, getting down from the bench.
 
“It’ll be tonight.
 
I’ll swing by a bit later, we can work through a plan.”

“Ok,” said Harry.
 
“Why not now?”

“Sasha’s working on something for me.
 
I need to go check on it.”

“Coburn?
 
Say hi to her from me.”

“No problem,” said Mason.
 
“And Harry?”

“Yeah, Mason?”

“Thanks.”
 
Mason turned to go.

“Mason.”

“Yeah, Harry?”

“Why me?”
 
Harry swiveled again, gesturing down the bay.
 
“There’s a lot of enforcers at Apsel.
 
Why this particular model?”

The fire burned so hot, the lattice trying to pull his hand away.
 
He could hear Harry screaming from inside the car, the flames blasting out the window.
 
Fire so intense the air started to burn.

Mason forced the lattice aside, grabbing the edge of the door.
 
He yanked it open, reaching for what was left of the man inside.
 
His overlay lit bright, warning icons flashing and alive against a haze of static.
 
Mason felt his hand begin to spark and flare, the skin on his face starting to smear from the heat —

Mason flexed his hand again, then looked back at Harry.
 
“No reason, Harry,” he said.
 
“No reason at all.”

⚔ ⚛ ⚔

“The problem with you,” said Sasha, “is that you don’t listen.”

“She’s right,” said Carter.
 
“You don’t listen.”

Mason considered the suits of armor in front of him, stretched out in lockers.
 
The Federate’s falcon was in gold on the breast of each chest plate, the empty visors looking down into the room like ancient guardians.
 
“I listen fine.
 
It’s a robot.”

“No,” said Carter.
 
“It’s not a robot.”

“You said it was a robot,” said Mason.
 
He reached a hand towards a light armor model.
 
No — that shit’d get torn in half tonight
.
 
“Looks like a duck, right?”

“It’s not a robot.
 
It’s not a duck either,” said Sasha.
 
“It’s what we’re trying to tell you.”

“Got it, not a duck,” said Mason.
 
He took a pull from his cigarette, the silver filter bright from the ceiling lamps in the armory.
 
“Which means it’s a robot.”

“You try,” said Sasha.
 
Her voice was hard on the link.

“I…
 
Ok,” said Carter.
 
“Mason.”

“Yes, Carter?”
 
Mason walked down the line of armor suits, coming to stand in front of a heavy suit.
 
The bulk of the plating stood out tall and flat in the shoulders.
 
No — couldn’t even scratch myself in that.
 
No mobility.

“It’s a…
 
I guess we don’t have a word for it.
 
It’s like a robot—”

“Right,” said Mason.
 
“I got that part.”

“—but it’s a remote.”

“Like a drone?”

“Sort of,” she said.
 
“It’s probably better if I show you.”

Mason paused, then looked down the line of armor racks.
 
“Show me what?”

“This,” said a voice behind him.

Mason spun, the lattice dragging hard against him, the Tenko-Senshin already out and up.
 
The Reed body was standing there, head tilted to one side, neck broken.
 
The eyes looked past him, through him, dead and glassy.
 
It’s shoulders were slumped.

“Gotcha,” said the Reed body.

“Gotcha,” said Carter’s voice at the same time.
 
She laughed down the link at him.

Mason struggled against the lattice for a second, the Tenko-Senshin shaking in his hand, whining soft and high against the quiet of the room.

“Seriously,” said Carter.
 
“Don’t shoot, all right?
 
It’s me.”

“It’s me.
 
Really,” said the Reed body.
 
There was something wrong with its mouth, the left side dragging like a stroke victim.

“I’m never taking you out,” said Mason.
 
“Not bowling, not dancing.”

“It’s not a robot,” said Sasha.

“It’s not—” said Mason.
 
He lowered the Tenko-Senshin, slipping the little weapon back into its holster.
 
He walked around the Reed body, then reached out a finger and poked its shoulder.
 
It swayed gently, then righted.

“Hey,” said Carter.
 
“Don’t do that.
 
This isn’t easy.”

“Definitely,” said Mason, “not a duck.”

“So, like we were trying to tell you,” said Sasha.
 
“This is new tech.
 
Brand new.
 
So new, it’s not on the market.”

“It’s got that new-car smell,” said Mason.
 
He leaned towards the Reed body.
 
“Not on the market?”

“No,” said Sasha.
 
“We’d know.
 
We’d have seen something like it by now.”

“So — it’s like some sort of remotely piloted robot?”

“It’s not a…
 
Look,” said Sasha.
 
“Yes.
 
Ok.
 
It’s a remotely piloted robot.”

“I didn’t take much science at school,” said Mason.
 
“It looks like a really cool robot, though.”
 
He pushed it against the shoulder again, harder this time.
 
It swayed again, then stepped sideways.
 
One of its feet gave way and it stumbled down on one knee.

“Ow,” said Carter.
 
“I told you not to do that.”

“Stop pushing me,” said the Reed body.
 
The words were slurred, and the head turned to look at him.

“Can you…
 
Can you turn it off?” said Mason.
 
“It’s kind of reminding me of a clown.”

“A clown?” said the Reed body.
 
If Mason listened carefully, he could start to hear Carter’s pronunciation in the voice, but the voice was a man’s.
 
The Reed operative’s.

“You know.
 
Clowns at kid’s parties.
 
Ronald.
 
Whatever.”
 
Mason looked down at the Treasurer burning on the ground where he’d dropped it, then pulled out another one, lighting it.
 
He offered the packet to the Reed body.
 
“Smoke?”

“I don’t…
 
Sure,” said the Reed body.
 
It reached up a hand, clumsy and jerky, knocking a cigarette from the packet.
 
The silver foil spun end over end and tapped the ground.

“Did you get into computers because you’re some kind of cripple?” said Mason.

The Reed body started to get to its feet, jerking and starting.
 
“I—” it slurred.

“This is easier,” said Carter.
 
“I’ve sort of… compromised the interface.
 
This isn’t native.”

“What do you mean?” said Mason.

Sasha cleared her throat.
 
“Well — we’re pretty sure you’re supposed to direct connect with one of these.”

“Neural tap?”

“I thought you didn’t go to school,” said Carter.

“Not for science, no,” said Mason.
 
“Girls.
 
But—” he waved his cigarette at the Reed body.
 
“This.”

The Reed body managed to grab onto one of the armor racks, hauling itself upright.
 
“Can.
 
You.
 
Get.
 
Me.
 
The.
 
Cigarette.”
 
The words were slow and clear.

“I think I’m getting the hang of it,” said Carter.
 
The link crackled for a moment, the body sagging on one knee.
 
“Wait.
 
Don’t help.
 
Don’t help,” she said.

Mason picked up the fallen cigarette, flicking it into life.
 
“Let me know when you’re ready.”

The Reed body reached out for the cigarette, the hand shaking.
 
Its eyes looked past the glowing tip, and it grabbed at the air once, twice, before snaring the filter.
 
It pulled its hand back to its mouth, stuffing the crumpled filter between its teeth.

“How’d I do?” said Carter.

“I—” said Sasha.
 
“Great.
 
Sure.
 
Really great.”

Mason pulled on his own cigarette, leaning back against one of the suits of armor.
 
“They’ll come looking for it.”

“Sure they will,” said Carter.
 
The body took a pull on the cigarette at the same time as she was speaking.
 
It coughed, then blew a stream of smoke out.
 
“They’ll never be able to bust in here though.”

“There’s one thing I don’t get,” said Mason.
 
“Doc.”

“Yes?” said Sasha.

“This thing.
 
Took some fire, right?
 
I’m pretty sure it died.”

“It’s still dead,” said Sasha.
 
“We had to, I dunno, patch it up first.
 
It’s not going to be good for field work, but we can strip it down.
 
See how it works.”

“‘Patch it up?’”

“It had a hole in it.
 
It’s remarkable, really,” she said.
 
“It’s a lot like a real body.
 
It’s got blood, or something like it.
 
It’s got a lattice.”