‘I thought we had an agreement,’ Geoffrey said.
‘Unless,’ Memphis said reasonably, ‘the circumstances were exceptional. That was also the understanding.’
‘You still didn’t have to come here in person.’
‘On the contrary, I had to do exactly that. You set your aug preferences such that you are not otherwise contactable.’
‘You could have sent a proxy,’ Geoffrey said peevishly.
‘The elephants have no liking for robots, from what I remember. The absence of smell is worse than the wrong smell. You once told me that they can differentiate Maasai from non-Maasai solely on the basis of bodily odour. Is this not the case?’
Geoffrey smiled, unable to stay angry at Memphis for long. ‘So you were paying attention after all.’
‘I wouldn’t have come if there was any alternative.Lucas and Hector were most insistent.’
‘What do they want with me?’
‘You’d best come and find out. They’re waiting.’
‘At the household?’
‘At the airpod. They were keen to walk the rest of the way, but I indicated that it might be better if they kept back.’
‘You were right,’ Geoffrey said, bristling. ‘Anything they’ve got to say to me, they had their chance last night, when we were all one big happy family.’
‘Perhaps they have decided to give you more funding.’
‘Yeah,’ Geoffrey said, stooping to collect his bag. ‘I can really see
Lucas and Hector were standing on the ground next to the metallic-green airpod. They wore lightweight pastel business suits, with wide-brimmed hats.
‘I trust we did not disturb you,’ Lucas said.
‘Of course we disturbed him,’ Hector said, smiling. ‘What else are we to Geoffrey but an irksome interruption? He has
‘I conveyed the urgency of your request,’ Memphis said.
‘Your cooperation is appreciated,’ Lucas said, ‘but there’s no further requirement for your presence. Return to the household with the airpod and send it back here on autopilot.’
Geoffrey folded his arms. ‘If there’s anything you need to tell me, Memphis can hear it.’
Hector beckoned the housekeeper to climb into the airpod. ‘Please, Memphis.’
The old man met Geoffrey’s eyes and nodded once. ‘There are matters I need to attend to. I shall send the airpod back directly.’
‘When you’re done,’ Hector said, ‘take the rest of the day off. You worked hard enough as it is yesterday.’
‘Thank you, Hector,’ Memphis said. ‘That is most generous.’
Memphis hauled his bony frame into the airpod and strapped in. The electric duct fans spun up to speed, whining quickly into ultrasound, and the airpod hauled itself aloft as if drawn by an invisible wire. When it had cleared the tops of the trees, it turned its blunt nose to face the household and sped away.
‘That was awkward,’ Hector said.
Lucas flicked an insect from the pale-green sleeve of his suit. ‘Under the circumstances, there was no alternative.’
Geoffrey planted his hands on his hips. ‘I suppose a lot of things look that way when you’ve had an empathy shunt put in. Have you got it turned on or off right now?’
‘Memphis understood,’ Hector said, while Lucas glowered. ‘He’s been good to the family, but he knows where his responsibilities end.’
‘You didn’t need him to bring you out here.’
Lucas shook his broad, handsome head. ‘At least the elephants know him slightly. They don’t know us at all.’
‘Your fault for never coming out here.’
‘Let’s not get off on the wrong foot here, Geoffrey.’ Hector’s suit was of similar cut to his brother’s, but a subtle flamingo pink in colour. Close enough in appearance to be easily mistaken for each other, they were actually neither twins nor clones. ‘It’s not as if we’ve come with bad news,’ Hector went on. ‘We’ve got a proposition that we think you’ll find interesting.’
‘If it’s to do with taking up my burden of family obligations, you know where you can shove it.’
‘Closer involvement in Akinya core strategic affairs would be viewed positively,’ Lucas said.
‘You make it sound like I’m shirking hard work.’
‘It’s clear to us that these animals mean an enormous amount to you,’ Hector said. ‘That’s nothing you need be ashamed of.’
‘I’m not.’
