“But where, Maurice?” Judy asked. “Where do we go?”
Her lips continued moving. She was muttering to herself under her breath, trying to figure out what to do next.
“Leave her alone, Maurice,” scolded Saskia. “Look at her. She doesn’t
“None of us does,” Maurice said. “That doesn’t mean that we should just stand here in the middle of an empty square, being watched by the Watcher.”
The wind gusted and Saskia sneezed. Her eyes were watering. Maurice felt cold too, even within the controlled environment of his passive suit. It was something to do with the huge emptiness of the square. In his mind, the looming tower was sucking all the available warmth and life into itself, discarding the chaff of the elements and picking over the grist of the humans’ emotions.
He frowned as a line of text appeared on his console screen.
Hello, Maurice.
Maurice looked up, looked around the empty square, looked towards the tower. The bristles along one side of it rippled in the wind with a whistling sigh. There was no one else to be seen. Maurice tapped at the keyboard.
—Hello. Who are you?
A friend. What is Judy doing?
What was Judy doing? She was gazing at Edward, who had folded his arms around himself and was gazing around the square, shivering. Her mouth hung slackly open as she gazed up at the tall man. An expression of something like horror crossed her face.
“What’s the matter, Judy?” asked Maurice.
She looked at him, dark eyes wide open, then she looked back to Edward.
“Judy, what’s the matter?” Saskia put her arm around her shoulders, but Judy hurriedly shrugged it off.
“I think I understand,” she said. “I think I finally understand. The Watcher…Chris was right all along. Or half right anyway. It’s the Watcher who is wrong.”
Speak to me, Maurice. What is Judy doing?
—I don’t know. She looks horrified. Tell me, who are you? How are you accessing my console?
Who am I? My name is Chris. And as to how I am accessing your console…well, when you are one of the most powerful AIs in existence, these things are easily done. I think you had better tell Judy that I am here.
“Judy,” said Maurice, “there is an AI called Chris…he wants to talk to you.”
Judy froze, and then ever so slowly she composed herself. Her arms fell to her side, her head rose slightly, her face assumed an impassive expression.
“Tell him I have nothing to say to him,” she said.
—She doesn’t want to speak to you.
Tell her she has no choice. I had her brought here.
“He says you have no choice. He had you brought here.”
“Give me that.” Judy took Maurice’s console from him. “Set it so it will accept my voice,” she demanded.
“As she requested,” Maurice instructed.
Judy held the console in front of her. Maurice stood just by her shoulder to read the words that Chris sent. Saskia was comforting Edward. Constantine gazed into the middle distance. Maurice wasn’t fooled. Constantine had robot senses. He could look where he liked, regardless of the orientation of his head. He was reading the console.
“You didn’t have me brought here, Chris,” Judy said. “Don’t try to bluff me. I was returned here by DIANA. I am their property, apparently.”
