Written in 365 Parts: 109: You Choose People

“You think you have to take him along? Why exactly? What is your reasoning?”

“Well to begin with he seems keen to do something. He may of course change his mind once he learns more about himself. But I have a feeling that he may be more useful than a hindrance. There is the shape of something, I am not sure what I mean by that. He is a key of that I am sure. Keys unlock things. We may have to unlock something, and he may be the key.”

“That’s very tenuous and also highly unlikely. I thought that they reared him until somewhere around forty before using him? So would he really unlock anything now?”

“Yeah, it’s odd that he needs to be around forty, and makes me wonder what exactly age has to do with matters. I still think that he links something and we may be able to gain access via that link. He must have been connected to a remote system, likely an artificial intellect. He was disabled before by having the implant restricted, being enabled now may give us a competitive advantage.”

“Alternatively you could be wildly guessing and risking at the very least his sanity?”

“True. But it isn’t my sanity.”

“That’s a tad harsh.”

“What can I say, I am harsh.”

“Somewhat. But not all the time and not as much with him. Why are you risking increasingly amounts of time, effort and potential danger for Marsh?”

“I have my reasons.”

“As do we all. But you are asking us to share that risk.”

“I know. But you are being paid and you can still walk. I may not like it but if you insisted I wouldn’t stop you.”

“Well, that may be true. But it is also irrelevant as I think you already know that those people you choose to be close to you, are that close precisely because they would never walk away from you once you asked them to complete something. We are all bitten by the same bug, as the cliché goes, run by the same mechanisms. You are a good judge of character and situation. I have never known you to be flippant or casual; in fact you are always purposefully provocative, considerate and cunning. So you are still asking.”

“I know the risk is worth taking.”

“Yes. I think that you do. I also think there is more that you are not telling me at this time, Drick. I realised once again, while engaged upon errands for you, that I know so little about you. I mean we have a history, it goes back over fifty years to when I was a very green public defender, you know a great deal about me. Yet, in all that time, I have learned little more than what I knew fifty years ago. I know you age spectacularly well. I know you take the most challenging cases and make them look easy. I know you appear to have a hard edge and a fatalistic attitude with little regard for organic life. Yet I also know that is a screen and most of it is a misdirection. So I think you know exactly what you are asking of people. I think that you specifically choose who to ask and when. I think you create people a little, mould them by your influence.”

“Well that’s an interesting assessment.”

“It’s just a passing fancy. I was just wondering what type of person I would be if I hadn’t met you, and I think I wouldn’t enjoy my own company as much as I do.”

“You claiming I made you a better organic?”

“No. Not directly. Perhaps it is that the exposure to so much shit has made this particular flower blossom.”

“Nice. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. So what are you going to tell Marsh?”

“The truth. A percentage of it, not all of it. But the truth. I just got the medical screen back from Rodero. That’s his mother, he deserves to know and be given the choice of whether to see them.”