Snippet #816427

"Anything else sir?"

Emia didn't turn around, standing at the doorway to the room with her back to Simon. There was distinct distress in her voice. Not surprising really given the circumstances. Anything to do with her past, Shortcut, the 404’s, even certain areas of New York City itself, could trigger her emotional ‘episodes’. If he had been more aware at the moment he might have called her back and asked what was troubling her. Instead, he allowed his mind to be preoccupied with the task at hand. It was always the same lately, work first.

People had become a means in which to get the job done. Simon’s people skills had diminished greatly since the accident delegating various tasks so that he now only had to deal personally with a select few. It was in this aspect he had come to rely heavily on Emia. Her unique skills in reading people have proved invaluable since the untimely departure of Veronica.

“No, that will be all Ms. Marksmen. This was to be a chance to get away from the city. Sorry to cut it short.”

A small pop-up appeared in the bottom right hand corner of his image screen alerting Simon to the arrival of the package he had requested. It was never his preference to transmit such information over the internet but in this case he had made an exception. If the revelation revealed in his earlier conversation was any indication time was of the utmost importance. A few quick clicks and the attached video file was loaded and ready to be viewed.

The contents were subtle enough. The ‘Veronica’ unit as he called it had simply walked out. Walking out of a secured facility was a feat in itself. What had made this such a monumental mystery was the fact that the unit had not been activated. Tracing the android’s movements backwards Simon was able to locate what he believed to be the origin of the event.

It took several minutes to find what he had been looking for. A small brightly lit sterile room, its white walls lined with various monitors and equipment of any well stocked medical facility. He watched as two technicians laboured over the test piece known as Version Two. Initial tests had all proven successful. A small smile pulled at the corners of his lips as the proud papa viewed his newest creation.

The body of the android was nothing spectacular, a simple generic form at the moment. But, you can’t always judge a book by its cover. What was of greater importance was the synthesized brain within the shell, a combination of high-tech electronics and Simon’s own DNA. An experiment initiated in part by the successful merger of similar elements within Emia that now keep her alive. It is hoped that this unit would one day house the creative genius that is Simon should his natural body continue to fail.

Within the confines of the testing lab was also a singular gurney pushed off to one side of the room. Atop the mobile cart was what appeared to be a well shaped female form concealed below a fresh white bedsheet pulled up over the body. While it wouldn’t seem out of place in such an environment it somehow caught Simon’s attention. It was as if he was expecting something to happen.

“There it is.” Simon mindlessly whispered aloud as he continued viewing the footage.