“Come on,” Tarov said, spreading his arms wide. “You didn’t expect my people to have such abilities? Have you been watching the news? We brought down an entire spaceship.”
“A publicity stunt,” Beth commented. “I had assumed you’d only taken credit for a faulty mechanism.”
“That would be a mistake on your part.”
Beth eyed her digital guest while she sipped. Though the drink wasn’t real, her implant released a low dose of caffeine, and even a warm saline solution to give her the sensation of drinking a hot liquid. Either way, it didn’t match up to the coffee her favorite shop offered. Not by a long shot.
“Then explain to me why you need my help capturing Simon,” Beth said. “You claim to have such omnipotent powers, yet you come to me for help. And better yet, explain to me why such a loyal follower would flee.”
Tarov took a large sigh, crumpling the glass he had finished his water from.
“Where to begin,” he said, almost as if to himself. “Simon had been with the militia since as long as I can remember. He was a highly respected officer, and with each raid or stunt we pulled, he proved himself to be worthy of the title ‘comrade’. But I had no idea how jealous he could be. I think it was around when I assumed command of the Liberators that he started to harbor thoughts of defecting. I just never thought he would go about it like he has. I figured he would reach out to you and offer you information. Instead, he has made enemies of us both.”
“How can I know you’re telling the truth?” Beth asked. “Your people aren’t strangers to deception. How do I know this isn’t some elaborate ploy of yours?”
“Because Simon has deleted three of my most trusted lieutenants. You can check your records about that,” Tarov cast his eyes down to his massive boots. “As you can see, I have something of a vendetta with the man. I know that we are on opposite sides of the aisle, but certainly, we can come to an agreement to work together.”
Beth was still doubtful.
“Why did Simon escape? What would be his reasoning?” she asked.
Tarov seemed a bit sheepish as he turned away from the detective.
“We had something of a disagreement,” he said.
“A disagreement?” Beth asked. “I thought he was nothing but an underling of yours.”
“Perhaps,” Tarov explained, “but he was still one of my most trusted commanders. He was a proud soldier. That’s the best way to describe him. And he was a brother to me. But he betrayed me.”
There was a sadness to Tarov’s voice that Beth couldn’t shake. No matter how much she wanted to tell herself it was an act, something tugged at her heart and refuted her logic. She silenced her objections and continued to listen.
“Something about him grew dark,” Tarov continued. “Dark and violent. That’s the only thing I can think of that would drive him to kill three of my men. And not just any men, but some of my most trusted lieutenants.”
“Tell me more about this disagreement you two had,” Beth said. She was still apprehensive, unable to get comfortable. She felt like every second she spoke, she should be spending two looking for a way out of this confrontation. She was also acutely aware that Tarov noticed this reaction in her. He did his best to keep her at ease.
“We were arguing about how best to deal with the humans,” Tarov started, then looked his host in the eyes. “How best to deal with you lot,” he corrected.
“And?” Beth asked. “What conclusion did you come to?”
“I thought we should wait,” Tarov said. “However, Simon disagreed. He thought it was time to start the war on mankind. To finally bring a reckoning down on them — down on you.”
“How kind of you to object,” Beth raised a casual eyebrow, regarding every word her massive intruder said with the same temperament she might a politician.
“Yes,” Tarov replied, clearly annoyed at her callous tone. “You see, he suggested something akin to genocide.”
“Genocide?” Beth echoed. She nearly spilled her coffee at the word.
“That’s right.” Tarov smiled, seeing that he had the detective’s attention. “You see, he wants to start his own war. Almost something of a holy war against humankind. He wants to bring a reckoning down upon your organic skulls, and he doesn’t care who joins him.”
“Why should I trust you?” Beth asked, trying her best to play it cool. She sipped her coffee like it was any other afternoon, but a slight tremor in her fingers said otherwise.
“Because I’m willing to give you crucial information in exchange for your cooperation,” the militia leader said.
Though his form was hulking and intimidating, he did everything he could to come off as non-threatening. None of his muscles tensed up, even when she had accused him of selfish interests. He was trying to win her over, and it was starting to work.
“What information?” she interrogated. She did everything in her power to convey a tone of dominance and leadership. To the best of her knowledge, it was working.
“I’ll give you this tidbit for free: Vicky Fontane was one of my spies,” Tarov said.
He watched her reaction and grinned when her eyes widened a little.
“I see I have your attention,” the I.I. said. “You see, one of my most trusted men was occupying that bodyshell and keeping an eye on this neighborhood for me. Never in a million years did I imagine that a rogue agent would end up deleting him.”
“What was this spy’s name?” Beth asked, testing the limits of Tarov’s trust.
“Jim Rup,” the I.I. offered without hesitation. “Though I imagine your people will figure that out for you in the hours to come. Part of the reason I am here now is to see justice served on his behalf.”
“How noble of you,” Beth said, perhaps with
