Woman of the Blue Sun (Part Two)

February 3 - Hale's Moon

-----

"Now, since we are alone...let's chat a little about our joint venture," I suggested.

Without a word, Ms. Zhangsun slid her office door shut. The mechanism locked.

"Thank you," I replied.

She nodded in return.

"As you are by now aware," I began, "Ardra has deleted all information about her from Lily..."

"Seems so," agreed Ms. Zhangsun.

"...I suspect it is to cover her tracks as much as it is to punish Lily."

"Remember," said the woman, "when I purged Lily...turned out, Lily had actually kept the information...."

"Lily proved herself capable of independent thought," I mused, "even when linked to the Ardra Overmind, by hiding the information about the twins."

"Lily never loses information," she stated, "It just....moves around. Do you think she did it intentionally? Hid the information, I mean..or was it random?"

I offered my theory, "I think Lily protected the children because she sees them as her friends."

"They've been here, you know..."

"What were they doing here?" I asked.

"...followed by their Auntie," she replied. "I don't know."

I nodded.

Ms. Zhangsun continued, "Mercedes left something for Lily."

"Oh?"

"Lily hid it, then put it in a crib."

"Ah right," I replied, "I have seen that."

Something red and fleshy in a glass container.

"Then someone stole it. But she managed to get it back. Did you get a good look at it?" she asked.

Before I could formulate a reply, she said, "Pepper....you know...when Lily met Ardra...Ardra wasn't the one seeking a place to leave her information."

"What was she looking for?" I asked.

"Ardra was...phasing out..ending...in a lab that was about to blow."

"Phasing out?"

She explained, "Lily was the one found Ardra. Not the other way around. Arms and legs and all were hardly moving, Lily refused to leave her to 'die alone'."

I frowned as I considered this information, "You know that was a drone...and you are telling me the drone was...dying?

"Yes."

This struck a chord.

"Tell me...." I pressed further, "was it ...suicidal?"

"Whatever it was, it was...endin'. It told Lily about captivity.....how it wanted to be free...needed to be free.... Lily recorded it all. The others, they all ran. Lily wouldn't leave her."

My mouth dropped open slightly. "Do you have that record?"

"I might have," she replied, "I'll have to look. My point is they all ran. Exceptin' for Lily."

"Tell me more," I asked with some urgency, "about the captivity."

"Trapped in the metal body. I can't remember really...just that Lily expressed it was in agony. Would rather die. Yes, that's right. Said it would rather die."

I thought this over.

Trapped in a metal body....

Would rather die....

When Ardra Aurotharius spoke to me about reacquiring the drone program, I had assumed she had lost control of the drone when Lily downloaded it. This information suggested the drone had a degree of autonomy prior to Lily's actions.

"I think the Consulari was there," added Ms. Zhangsun.

"Ms. Raghilda?" I asked.

Ms. Zhangsun nodded.

I nodded carefully. That would have been long before she held political office.

"It was a genetics lab...in the Wastelands."

"One of your brother's labs." I knew where she meant.

"Yes. Right after they left, that's when Lily went to ...well, 'mate', with Blue."

Things were falling into place and the picture that was emerging was disturbing. The lab to which she referred was reported to be the location of the termination of the Colonel's illegal clone. An Ardra drone in the same area as an autonomous, unauthorized clone of an UAP officer.

"An Alliance man was there, correct?"

"At the lab? No....I don't think so," she replied. "I wasn't living here yet at the time.

"We will find out," I said, "if you can find the tapes."

"No, no, Lily records it, and transmits.... oh hell." Ms Zhangsun stopped suddenly and rushed over to her desk computer once again. She continued, "I wonder...no.. couldn't be. She stopped transmitting until a few days ago. Only...there ain't nobody for her to be transmitting to. I thought she was just parroting old subroutines."

"So... what are you saying?" I asked.

"Maybe she's been transmitting what she got from Ardra....I hear another drone was found wandering here...oh dear. An injured...sickly..." She sat down abruptly.

"Another drone," I repeated, "but here."

"I..I don't know. There are so many possibilities." She began tossing around ideas. "Maybe it was the remains of the one Lily 'wouldnt leave'....maybe she's been transmittin'to it, or to the main Ardra. This place used to be crawlin with drones. Lily was attached to one, a robotic, named Aldea. When the revolution came...and they all attacked, Aldea could not bring herself to end Lily....Lily took up arms ...against..us."

"Was this when the Replicant Order was active here?" I asked.

"Short time before," she answered, "Although, they may have been active underground."

"What happened to the Ardra drone that was here recently? Do you have a photo?"

"I don't," she replied, "I only heard about it from young Winterwolf."

I was satisfied. "Well if you can access Lily's recording of her first encounter with the Ardra drone... that could help."

"I think first things first," she insisted. "Before I can search for information with Lily, this 'marriage' situation has to be resolved. Right now, all she is talking about is how she loves this boy, and 'him a boy'. Odd really. Her reaction to him, I mean."

"I trust you will steer her in the right direction," I said confidently.

"Ain't but one direction," she replied, "if there ain't no love lost, then there ain't no point in trying to pretend there is. Better for him, actually. Guess there is a bit of the hopeless romantic in me, thinkin' such things still happen. Course they don't."

I smiled, "Well, I wish you a good night, Ms Zhangsun."

"I'll see what I can find," she added.

"Thank you."

-----

I stepped out into the night air. Lynx turned and watched as I approached.

"Time you head indoors and rest," I advised, "Ms Zhangsun will see what she can do to straighten things out."

Lynx nodded. "I'm sorry for the mess I've caused," he began.

"It is not your fault..."

"I should have researched the cultures here," he continued.

"And you don't have to marry if you don't want to," I reminded him.

"I.. I'm not ready."

"Okay then," I smiled.

"I don't know what to say or do," he blushed slightly, "I was chastised by a companion for making a faux pas."

"Well, for now head off to bed," I directed.

Lynx nodded, " I will." He looked a little more relieved.

"Good ...we will talk later."

"Alright," he replied.

"Good night Lynx."

"Thank you for being here. Good night Major."

-----

Back in my ship a message was waiting from a member of my staff:

"Continuing to build trust in the local clinic at ______, collecting medical scans and tissue/blood samples. Medicine with voluntary patients is fascinating."

I sent a coded reply:

"I am glad you are enjoying your assignment, Captain. I understand you conducted the autopsy of the clone of Colonel M_________. How does it compare with the forensics of the Audrey twins? Is there anything to link the two sets of clones?"

-----

[OOC - when Lily met Ardra http://jairaghilda.blogspot.com/2009/08/mission-to-wastelands.html ]