Body Suit by Suzanne Hagelin

Author:Suzanne Hagelin [Hagelin, Suzanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science fiction, mars, adventure, artificial intelligence, space, genetic engineering, robots
Publisher: Varida Publishing & Resources
Published: 2018-02-22T08:00:00+00:00

17—LIFTOFF

High in the Swiss Alps, in a luxurious estate, an aged man scowled as he shuffled through the printed pages of a report. He was seated cozily in a rich leather chair with a warm blanket tucked around his legs and a thermos of brandied hot chocolate leaning by his left hip awaiting his pleasure.

“This isn’t good,” he growled, flicking at a page that offended him.

Warm sunshine poured in the east facing window, bright and cheery. Crisp, startling snow-covered peaks cut into the blue sky directly in view. Birds were singing and a light wind tossed handfuls of dead leaves and wisps of snow.

“Why wasn’t I notified of this?” he barked, turning a wrinkled head to look at one of his patient assistants.

“Pardon?” the solid, stone-faced young man queried calmly.

“In Boston… this – this intrusion!” He slapped the paper against his hand threateningly.

“Intrusion, sir?” The young man’s expression showed no distinguishable change. His voice was dead pan.

“Who walked into the excluded zone?” The boss was no fool and understood that the younger one was responding in the way most likely to calm him down. He wanted to yell at him, but because it was working, he didn’t.

“Are you referring to the Miscellaneous Items Report? I haven’t read it in its entirety, sir. There isn’t always time and other matters are of greater importance.” Not even a nervous twitch of a facial muscle.

The old man curled his lip in annoyance. His assistant had done exactly what he had demanded of him every other day.

“There are a couple blocks in Boston that have been removed from public access records. They’re not destroyed but as most people never travel there physically, it’s as good as being wiped off the map literally. It was a business deal, some time ago.” He reached down for the thermos and poured some cocoa. One, two swallows, and he began to relax a little.

“There’s been no intrusion in fifteen years and apparently, no one was watching any more. This yearend report barely mentions it in a footnote. Someone went there!” Another swallow, a deep sigh, and he grew sullenly thoughtful.

“Perhaps it was a coincidence or an accident,” the assistant raised an eyebrow with the barest hint of cheerfulness. The old man’s face reluctantly mirrored the mood change, unintentionally mimicking the raised eyebrow.

“Maybe…” he hesitated. “But, the tag was lost and any visual recordings of foot traffic in the area have been archived.”

“May I ask what the concern is?” The young man knew what the next step should be to please his employer. ”Perhaps I can take care of something for you.”

The old man shook his head and scowled again. Any searching he would do himself and he didn’t even bother to explain it. He shooed the assistant away with a sweep of his hand and drank his cocoa.

“My business…” he muttered after the young man was gone. “And I will take care of it.”

− ◊ −

“Mr. Cuevas! Mr. Cuevas!” a multitude of questions spilled over one another as reporters, both human and android, vied for his attention.

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