“Thank you for the extremely generous offer,” Eva interrupted, wincing as this elicited the psychic equivalent of a frown from Damaal. Must have been impolite, but oh well. “We’re concerned that he might be in danger,” she continued, “so we’re trying to keep our search from becoming public knowledge.”
Damaal’s psychic tone returned to its prior buffeting of splendor and authority, with a sharp edge that Eva couldn’t place. “I am pleased to be able to offer some ease to your mind,” she said. “The diligence of our Watchers ensures there is no danger in Spectrum City, or Rilia, or indeed in all of Garilia. Our guests can be assured of complete safety.”
The hairs on Eva’s arms stood up, and she struggled to keep from showing her disdain on her face. The VI she’d been perusing earlier had suggested much the same thing, but any place that talked the house of shit about cops keeping everything safe was probably anything but. Then something occurred to her, and she smiled politely.
“That’s good to hear,” Eva said. “In that case, he can’t possibly be here, because if he were safe then he certainly would have contacted his beloved sister already. Qué lástima; we came such a long way.”
“I share your disappointment as if it were my own,” Damaal said, her tone laced with empathy. “I regret that I cannot offer you a more positive outcome, especially when you have done so much for Garilia.”
Eva shrugged, maintaining her wistful smile even though her stomach was full of nails. “It happens. We’ve had other false leads, so this isn’t a complete surprise.”
Damaal continued her slow walk, now that she apparently had enough information to satisfy her needs. She came to a stop in front of Min, who shrank slightly and wrapped her hands around the cat-shaped lump in her jacket.
“May I inquire as to what you will—” Damaal began, then paused, her tone gaining a surprisingly genuine spike of puzzlement. “What creature are you carrying there?” she asked, staring fixedly at Min, which was unnerving given the enormity of her eyes.
“It’s a cat,” Min stammered.
Mala emitted a low growl, and a wave of psychic aloofness that nearly made Eva laugh out loud.
“May I bear witness to the specimen?” Damaal said, stepping closer to Min, who retreated while still clutching Mala protectively. “The similarity to our Attuned is fascinating.”
“I don’t think she wants to come out,” Eva said. “But you can find plenty of holovids all over the q-net. Humans are pretty obsessed with them.”
Damaal’s tail twitched, but she turned away, her tone shifting to benevolence. “The Attuned are also creatures with minds of their own,” she said. “To that end, before you depart, perhaps I may offer you a sample of the great bounty of our planet, which we are preparing to share with the rest of the universe?”
She gestured, and another xana entered the room, silent but oozing deference. This new xana carried a translucent box of small capsules, each about the size of a baseball, which she held out for Damaal’s perusal. Damaal picked one up and held it out to Min, whose fear was overtaken by curiosity.
“Perhaps you have heard of these,” Damaal said. “Our brilliant scientists and engineers have worked tirelessly to re-create our Attuned in artificial form, with some modifications. We hope to shift the paradigm in virtual intelligence to promote synergy in a variety of industries, as well as increasing personal harmony among our users.”
“Is that a Pod Pal?” Sue asked, excited. She covered her mouth again and shot Eva an apologetic look. Eva was interested, too, but she wasn’t about to fangirl over them.
“That is one of the human terms, yes,” Damaal said, her tone gaining shades of pride and amusement. “Please, each of you, accept these as a token of our hospitality. Gromira, if you would?”
Gromira approached each of them, offering the box as if passing out treats. Sue took one immediately, but Pink shook her head politely.
“No, thanks,” Pink said, trying to maintain a civil tone. “I don’t really play with toys anymore.”
“They are far more than instruments of leisure,” Damaal said, a sharp edge to her psychic emanation. “They are companions, and partners, intended to fulfill every function of an Attuned with additional features that render them even more useful.”
Pink shook her head again, and Vakar also declined by raising his hands and lowering them. Eva had the sense they were being wildly rude, but she also didn’t like the idea of accepting random tech from a stranger with questionable motives.
Min took the one Damaal held out, turning it over in her hands with undisguised delight. Sue was also enraptured with hers, letting out a squeak of surprise.
“Oh, it’s asking to sync with my commlink,” Sue said.
((Don’t,)) Eva pinged her, but Sue’s blush and guilty expression told her it was too late.
Me cago en la mierda, Eva thought. Some people would let anything past their comms safeguards. She’d have to make sure Min coached Sue on proper safety protocols and did whatever damage control she could.
Damaal’s psychic waves turned suddenly apologetic, but still authoritative. “To my intense regret, I must request that you permit my associate to escort you to your next destination,” she said. “I have received a summons from my superiors that I am obliged to answer in the affirmative. I hope you can forgive my extreme discourtesy in this and all things that may have occurred within our extremely pleasant visit.”
“Sin pena,” Eva said, feeling like a rug she hadn’t known she was standing on just got yanked. “We’re, uh, honored to have met you at all.”
“Gromira, my deepest gratitude for your assistance in this matter,” Damaal said, but her tone was commanding in a way that Eva found deeply uncomfortable.
Worse, Gromira immediately approached Damaal and knelt in front of her. Damaal extended her tail, which Gromira pressed to her head, just as Eva had seen her target do so many years ago.
Eva fought the urge to gag. They were mind-linked now, the two of them. That meant Damaal had every intention of following their crew herself, whatever bullshit she was spinning about having an important meeting to attend or whatever.
Did she know Eva knew about that? If so, it was pretty bold of her to act this way in front of Eva. Was this a mind game? Her way of deliberately telling Eva she was keeping an eye on them, so they’d better behave?
This place fucking sucks, Eva thought. I hate it and I don’t want to be here and fuck everything.
Sue gave another soft gasp of delight, and Eva sighed. There were perfectly good reasons to be there. They had a job to do, for better or worse.
“Farewell, honored guests,” Damaal said, interrupting Eva’s thoughts as she drifted back to the other end of the room. “May you walk in the Light.”
Pretty hard not to with all the windows, Eva thought, but she plastered on a smile and inclined her head politely. Her crew followed suit, each in their own way, and without another word they followed Gromira back out into the common area with all the resting xana.
It wasn’t until they reached the elevator that Gromira turned her enormous black eyes to Eva and projected polite helpfulness at her. “To what destination may I convey you and your companions?” Gromira asked.