Locked Out

]

With the Senate session over, Senator Fluzhi walked calmly down the corridor away from the Senate chamber and toward a main hall. Senators and aides evacuated after a long day of work and while many were getting into groups to go out and eat, drink, and generally be merry no one offered to buy Locke anything. He wondered why. Had he made a faux pas? Were people taking a wait-and-see approach? Something didn’t sit right with him. He was quickly stirred from his thoughts when a large droid blocked his way.

Locke instinctively moved to go around the bulky thing, but it moved to block him again. Only then did he actually regard the droid. “Yes?” His single word was coated with frustration and impatience.

“Follow.” The voice was both quiet and menacing. Locke certainly did not like being ordered about by a metallic approximation of a person. “Or be dragged.”

It then became completely clear. This droid was operating under the auspices of Halcyon. Locke's plan had worked, albeit much faster than expected. Given how much he wanted to see her, she didn’t need to send this muscle, a simple text would have sufficed. But that was the message, wasn’t it? No contact information to reply to, and no bargaining. He was to be intimidated and lose all sense of power in their relationship.

“I prefer to walk, let’s go.”

] [

When finally given permission to enter the office, Locke carefully pushed open the door. He figured if she wanted him dead this was as good a time as any and as good a method as any. However no electric shock came his way, so he went on into the darkness. This time instead of being seated at her desk Archduchess Lori Halcyon stood at her window, looking out, expressionless as always.

“Thank you for seeing me…” Locke began.

“I was very, very clear in my instructions.” Halcyon cut him off. “And yet you ignored them, which means either you are very, very stupid, or you have a death wish, or perhaps both. Nine.”

Locke wondered what the number meant, but didn’t have to wonder for long. The same droid that had escorted him from the Senate had been powered down in the corner. With unexpected speed, it came to life and ran over to Locke, knocked him down, and pinned him to the floor.

“Did you know this particular model of droid can perform surgery so efficiently, cauterize so quickly it won’t spill even one drop of blood? What pound of flesh should I take? You don’t need both kidneys…or perhaps castration will send the right message to your tiny brain…” As she spoke one of Nine’s arms cycled through various medical tools, all of them looked sharp.

Locke felt his pants get pulled down, his genitals exposed. “Brama Harik”

The droid moved to begin.

“Stop.” Halcyon’s command prevented the droid from making the incision by only the narrowest of margins. “Why did you say that name?”

“To prove to you I’m not as small-minded as you might think.”

“Nine, withdrawal.”

Locke quickly put his clothes back on. Halcyon actually turned from the window and regarded him. “You’ve got more tenacity than I ever would have expected. Why can’t you just do as you're told? You are trying to do what exactly? Whatever it is, your efforts are pointless. All you will do is get yourself killed. You have no idea what is going on, and you’ll never know the entirety of it.”

“I can be trusted,” Locke promised, and he meant it.

“Me trust you? No. I don’t need you, and if you fall out of line one more time, you’ll meet the same fate as Harik.” Halcyon was over at her desk. “I’m sending you the data to present at the next session. It will show Cantonica is doing more than its fair share for the war effort.”

“Please.” Locke got down on his knees. “I have no pride, no agenda. Please don’t cut me out. This is humiliating.”

“I thought you had no pride,” Halcyon threw his own words back at him, “How can you be humiliated? Leave. Now.” Her tone made it clear this was not up for debate. He complied.

] | [

A lot just happened, Locke realized and mulled everything over again and again in his mind. He almost missed his stop when the high-speed transport rail car stopped at his building. He declined his staff’s offer of dinner or refreshments. He just wanted to be alone and puzzle this out. He opted for his bedroom instead of his study.

Once he closed his door, a man walked out from the shadows.

“You’re not here to kill me, so what is it?” Locke had no interest in theatrics at the moment.

“I’m here to help you, Senator, it’s time we met. My name is Kube, and I can solve all your problems.”

“For a price?”

“For a hefty price, but miracles are never cheap.”