vN The First Machine Dynasty(68)

"No." He cleared his throat. "No. Not at all."



"Because I would hate to think that you found what Portia did to Nate amusing. It's not. It's awful. And I want it to be over. Now. That's why I'm here, not listen to some history lecture on where vN babies come from."



A knock at the door interrupted them. The door opened to reveal a female vN standing there, wearing a man's dress shirt and nothing else. She wore the same Asianstyled shell as the ranger that had stopped to give them money – the one who had first told them about Rory's desire to help them.



"Daniel?"



"Everything is fine, Atsuko. Go back to your swimming."



Atsuko lifted her legs over the cushion daintily as she crossed the room to be at Dr Sarton's side. She stroked what little remained of his hair and looked first at Amy and then at Javier. "Why didn't you tell me they were here? I've been looking forward to meeting them."



"I'm selfish," Dr Sarton said, kissing the inside of her wrist. "I wanted them to myself for a little while."



"Are you connected to Rory?" Amy asked.



Atsuko smiled. "Yes. I use her diet to avoid iterating." She looked sad. "Rory feels just terrible about what has happened, Amy. She had no idea the hunger could have such… side effects."



Amy felt her eyebrows crawl up toward her hairline. "Side effects?"



"Your parents wanted you to stay small, so you dieted. But you were so hungry that when your grandmother came, all you could think to do was eat her."



Amy frowned. "I didn't eat Portia just because I was hungry. I ate her because it was the fastest way I knew how to kill her."



That's my girl.



Atsuko said nothing. She just gave Amy a soft and knowing smile, as though the two of them were old acquaintances and she were all too familiar with Amy's bad habits and common shortcomings. Condescending. That was the word for it.



"Not that it worked, of course," Atsuko said. "She's still alive, in a manner of speaking. She's certainly still causing trouble. It's no wonder they wanted to bring you all in."



"Atsuko, be nice–"



"I'm sorry, Daniel, but I can't do that. This girl is very dangerous, and I don't think she understands the risks you're taking by having her here. Even if she is able to control her grandmother, with the position you're in, you can't afford to–"



"That's enough, Atsuko." He took her hand and ran one of his over it. "It's because of the position that I'm in that I want to help Amy."



"What do you mean?" Amy asked.



Sarton pushed away from the display. Like a conductor opening a symphony, he gestured wide and opened up an image that swallowed the whole screen. It looked like a satellite scan of the Earth in darkness – tiny lights blazing in cancerous lumps that streaked across vast swathes of shadow. Some of the lights were dimmer than the others, and of varying colour. Some were so tightly clustered that they formed whole bullseyes. All of them seemed to be moving.



"My name wasn't always Sarton," he said. "It used to be LeMarque."



Behind her, Javier sat up so fast the cushion squeaked beneath him. "Are you fucking kidding me?" He stood close beside Amy. "Come on. We're done. It's over. We didn't come this far to get Strangeloved by New Pedo Ministries."



Two angry pink dots rose to the surface of Sarton's pale face. It was his only display of frustration. "I'm not like that. I had nothing to do with designing that game. It's just how I got into robotics. It was the family business."



"Oh, so the old man had a crush on you, and got you the job?" Javier said.



Sarton's gaze fell to the floor. His hair had begun thinning around the crown of his head. He looked so fragile, suddenly. He was the first human being Amy had met in a long while that she had no need to fear on one level or another. He had no power over her. And he was more than afraid of her. He was ashamed.



"Are you his son?" Amy asked.



Sarton's head rose, but he continued staring at nothing in particular. "Oh, no. I'm a more distant relative – a type of cousin, technically, but spiritually more like a nephew. His relationship with my parents was…" Sarton paused, then shrugged. "It was what it was."



"Did you know Dr Singh, when you worked in Redmond?"



For a moment, Sarton looked bewildered. "Ashok? He was on an internship when I was there–"



"LeMarque ordered Dr Singh to kill my mother," Amy said. "And me."



The colour departed Sarton's face as quickly as it had arrived. He quickly scanned his office, as though trying to reassure himself that everything was just where he'd left it. He shook his head, but his fingers twitched, and Amy recognized the telltale signs of somebody who desperately wanted online contact. "That's not possible," he kept saying. "It's just not. He can't do that. His contacts are limited. The victims asked for it in their statements. They pleaded for it. Even his kids, my cousins…" was still shaking his head. "He can't be talking with corporate, much less with DARPA. It makes no sense. He's in prison."