Ghost in the Machine

Truth & Lies

"I don't know much about Tech."

"Rhaner...I'd like to do this easy. What do you know about the Series Five?"

"Not much. She's not a model for conversation and I never bothered to upgrade her data storage."

"Provoking me is unwise," the General warned softly.

Considering his options, Greer took in a deep breath, finally looking at the one person he'd been avoiding.

"Let me talk to Mina alone. I deserve some answers. After that, I'll tell you what I know."

General Bowman glanced at the woman, seeing the cold expression on her face and nodded.

"That's reasonable. I'll give you thirty minutes, no more."

The men left the room, leaving the Rhaner's to face each other. Mina crossed her arms.

"Well?"

"Tell me why."

"Why what?"

"Seriously?" His laugh was hard. "Your son and I thought you were dead! Seven years, we've thought you were dead, and you have the nerve to ask me, what? Why did you do it? What's going on here? I'd like the truth."

"Truth, that's funny coming from you." Pacing the small room, Mina frowned. "For ten years you worked in a secret branch of the military, doing God knows what because you refuse to talk about it! What do you know about truth?"

Greer's features tightened.

"I never hid the fact that I was in a special ops unit, and I never lied to you."

"What difference does that make?" Whirling around, her lips trembled for an instant. "You kept things from me! So I kept things from you, things that I couldn't reveal in line with my work."

"The difference between us is, when it came down to my job or my family, I did not choose my job."

"It killed me to choose my job, Greer, but I truly believe in what we're trying to do! The work was so classified only those without immediate family were allowed to continue on the project,"

"You're a fool." Eyes like stone, he gazed steadily at her. "You're with them, Mina, which means I don't trust you an inch. What do you want from me?"

"Well," her eyes drifted away a moment. "The android imprinted on you, didn't it? It won't answer our questions or respond at all. You're the only one who can get the information we want."

"Dissecting her isn't enough?"

"Oh, that will put us decades ahead, but the General believes there is something else, something that makes the prototype special. If we take it apart, we might miss it."

"So you want me to tell her to tell you what makes her tick? Are you insane?"

"They'll get you to do what they want, Greer. One way or another. Don't make this hard on yourself...or Kai."

Fury surged through him as Rhaner came off his chair, stopped only by the cuffs chaining him to the table. Mina backed away, her expression cool.

"Think about it, Greer. Is a robot worth the life of our son?"

"No robot is, you know that."

"Then agree to help us."

"Why? As a final good act before being shot?"

"If you'd agree to work with us, to go back-?"

"No!" Unable to stand fully, he sat back down, his features stiff. "I won't go back to that life."

"Be reasonable,"

"If someone uses that word on me one more time,"

"Greer, think. Unless you do what they ask you'll die. Kai has a slim chance, very slim, to live through this. One android holds two lives, Greer. Is it worth it?"

"Why did you marry me?" Suddenly soft, Rhaner changed the topic. "Now that I think about it, everything happened pretty fast."

"That's ancient history,"

"So you needed a normal looking life? Or maybe it was a fling that your boss's didn't approve of."

"Greer-"

"Just tell me the truth, and I'll know if you're lying."

"You swept me off my feet." Her tone was suddenly as soft as his. "I loved you, I loved our life together. But eventually I had to decide, and I..."

"What?"

"I'm not a military clerk, I'm a scientist, an engineer." Mina's eyes suddenly lit up, her expression urgent. "I've spent years developing programming for robotics, and we're on the cusp of real breakthroughs. I would have had to give that up, to walk away and never see it through!"

"What!" Stunned, gaping at her, Greer felt his mind whirl. "Engineer? What are you doing messing with Tech, Mina?"

"I had to! Do you realize the first robotics since the War was because of my hard work? I helped build them, Greer! We've learned so much and could learn so much more from this new android!"

"Tech is forbidden, Mina! It's dangerous!"

"Not anymore! Stop living in the past! We're rebuilding the world, and that includes robotics! Military-grade androids can patrol and control the outlands, stop the Scavengers, and make the badlands safe to rebuild!"

"Do you even hear what you're saying?"

"Greer-"

"Get out." Disgusted, unable to comprehend the woman he thought he knew, Rhaner spat at her. "Get out, Mina. As far as I'm concerned, you died seven years ago."

"Greer-"

"Out!"

She complied, leaving without a backward glance. General Bowman came in after a moment, pausing in the doorway.

"I've lived up to my end of the bargain, Rhaner. I believe that puts the ball in your court."

"Tell me something. Why did you send Reapers to my house? They were after us, not the robot."

"Initially, we had reason to suspect that you had discovered the truth of your wife's work. That's why you got to the storage unit ahead of us. Then we realized it was a simple twist of fate you bought the unit and got the android, nothing more."

"Simple," Greer exhaled the word. "Sure."