Fallen Gods of the Old World by J. Adam Lefever

7/31/2019 Fallen Gods of the Old World by J. Adam Lefever

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Cop yr ig ht 20 12 . Jo sh ua Ad am Lef ev er . A ll Rig ht s Re ser ved 1

Fallen Gods of the O ld W orld

by J. Adam Lefever

INTRODUCTION

M y ed i to r to ld m e i f the re 's any chance fo r young peop le t o read th is, I shou ld no t m ent ion the

Third Wor ld War. Young people do not l ike to read m uch as i t is, and I 'm t o ld w ar is to o

depressing and of f -put t ing in our era of peace. But w hen I f in ished w r i t ing th is story, I rea lized

i t is im possib le for m y generat ion t o d iscuss anyth ing w i thout f ram ing it in cont ext o f t he W ar.

I t w as exact ly w hat com pel led m e to w r i te in the f i rst p lace, so I ' l l m ent ion i t , but on ly in th isin t roduc t ion .

W hen I was six or seven years o ld, my fam i ly was obsessed w i th Am er ican v ictory. M y father

fo l low ed t he new s of every g lobal conf l ict , scrut in izing everyth ing and get angry i f anyth ingw ou ld suggest someth ing o ther than an und ispu ted w in . M y mot her and tw o o lder b ro thers

w ere no d i f ferent ; Am er ica w as the centra l force of every bat t le in a wo r ld that revolved around

our success. Cheers of unadu l terated g lory w ould erupt for even t he m ost t r iv ia l new s, even

the repo r ts of our m achines destroy ing the ir m achines.


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Two years af ter the W ar, w hen I was tw elve, I at t ended a ground breaking for a m onum ent t hat

inc luded a m em or ia l serv ice for an uncle whom I had never m et . He d ied dur ing a surge on the

Paci f ic f ront , very ear ly in the w ar . I was a par t icu lar ly qu iet k id , but I was so bored that I had

star t ed to ask adul ts around m e about t h ings I rem em bered: the tw o dozen sold iers beheaded

in th e st reets of Bangkok w hen Sout heast Asia was consum ed by the Asian Pro l i ferat ion, the

num ber of r io t ers in Egypt w hen the Com m onw eal th of Afr ica w as form al ly recognized, homesburn ing in Par is when Euro pe near ly co l lapsed, the ve loci ty of debr is that t ore t hrough t he U.S.space stat ion, the t er r ib le purp le po lka-dot ted b l isters on row s of bodies f rom Chinese NanoM D

hacking that decimat ed th e Pacif ic Nor thw est .

W hen approached wi th such quest ions or com m ents, m ost adul ts wou ld nod and change the

subject . Then they w ould ask about school , m y f r iends or m y fami ly . Back the n, I w as

f labbergasted by how stup id they w ere ; w hy even at t end a mem or ial when they had fo rgo t ten

al l o f th ese ter r ib le th ings? Everyone knew som eone af fected by th e War. Looking back, I th ink

perhaps they fe l t t hey w ere prot ect ing me by avoid ing those conversat ions, a va in at t em pt t o

m ove m y th ink ing aw ay f rom t he deta i ls o f t he t rag ic past .

For an adu lt , th ose detai ls are tragic tr ivial i t ies, a single br ick in a pi le of gr ief th at exists

som ew here betw een our esophagus and stom ach. But as a ch i ld , you a lways rem em ber these

th ings. They become a par t o f w ho you are, even i f youre to o young to understand them .

On the af tern oon of the m em or ia l serv ice, I had tw o real izat ions that shaped my percept ion of

t ragedy. Fi rst , i t is most of t en th e scale of t he t ragedy th at is rem em bered. "Bi l lions d ied," isw hat most te l l the i r ch i ld ren i f asked abou t t he W ar . M ost o f the 'w here ', 'how ' , and 'why '

2.67 b i l lion peo ple d ied, the va l iant acts of b ravery, and t he l i fe long regrets of those w ho l ived

thro ugh i t w i l l a l l fade in to o bscur i ty . For our ch i ldren, the ir ch i ldren, and th e ir ch i ldren 's

chi ldren, the scale is what w i l l be remem bered.

And, perhaps, the l l w onder about the d ebr is f loat ing in orb i t around o ur t iny p lanet . Every

genera t ion w i l l look up a t t he remnants o f space bat t le as a monum ent ded icated t o our ow n

stup id i ty and scof f a t t he m ess for as long as i t t akes us to f igure out h ow to c lean i t up.

The second real izat ion I had that a f terno on w as th at th e very purpose of a m onum ent is to

comp ensate for our forget fu lness. Nat ional mo num ents are constructed so w e never forget ,

because forget t ing is som eth ing w e are so good at . Don t get m e w rong; forget t ing is not

a lways a bad th ing. Forget t ing can be therapeut ic , especia l ly for t hose wh o have l ived through

t raumat ic exper iences. W e are p rogramm ed to m ove on , we te l l each o ther to m ove on , andw e shel ter our yout h f rom our ho rrors so they can have the chance at a bet ter l i fe than th e

hand we w ere dea lt .

Num erous adul ts tod ay, w i th t he ir ow n chi ldren to shelter , have never exper ienced the scale of

a t ragedy such as the t h i rd W or ld W ar. The same goes for every other Am er ican t ragedy: the

Burn ing of Washington, Pear l Harbor , Nine-Eleven and NanoM D hacking, to nam e a few. From

the yout h 's po int o f v iew , a crazy o ld m an l ike m e seem s m ythologica l. I speak f rom personal


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exper ience that has no m eaningfu l bear ing on the ir l ives. M any wi l l learn t he facts f rom a less

int im ate source: m useum tour guides, academics, or i f they ' re lucky, an o ld f i rst -gen Proto col

One p rogramm ed wi th m emo ry recal l du r ing war t im e.

But the W ar is unpo pular wi t h young people, so says m y edi tor . And i f today I were at t ending a

m em or ia l , and i f I w ere approached by any ch i ld w ho asked about a par t icu lar beheading or ap i le of bod ies, I w ould ask them about school , the ir f r iends, or t he ir fam i ly .

I w i l l leave m ent ion o f t he W ar on t ha t no te , because the po in t I wan t to m ake is abou t

forget fu lness. Tragedy is not th e only th ing w or t h rem em ber ing, and i t is not th e only th ing

w e const ruc t m emor ials fo r . W e have bu i l t m onum ents to Gods, heroes, and im por tan t peop le ,

a l l w or t hy of admirat ion for the ir w i l l and in f luence in shaping our wo r ld . Am er ica, l ike oth er

nat ions, has had many such people. W e hear them referenced rhetor ica lly when i t su i ts the

discussion, usual ly to em body som e ideal that seems w or th l iv ing up t o .

There are also darker, hidden inf luen ces in our l ives. These individuals are never recognized; nom atter how t rag ic and im por t ant th e events of the ir l ives m ay have been, they w i l l be

forgot t en. Chi ldren w i l l never ask about them , and w hether w e are w orse or bet t er o f f because

of i t is rea l ly a m at t er o f p erspect ive.

One such person is Rita Saya. The event I am refer r ing to is th e Saya Incident of 2 158. In a

science classroom , i t is usually discussed as an accident in b io-engineering. In history

c lassrooms, it is most of ten seen as the f ina l b low to a dy ing Am er ican inst i tu t ion. Inphi losophy c lassroom s, i t o f ten represents an i ron ic, serendip i tou s usher ing in o f a new cultu ra l

era for Am er ica. In rea li ty , i t w as a massacre. Everyth ing that h appened th at August n ight w as

intent ional , and I learned f rom Ri ta Saya how to k i l l a God r ight b efore w i tnessing it w i th m y

ow n eyes. I t w as in tha t m om ent I had becom e par t o f someth ing m uch larger than m yse l f , therepercussions of w hich I was too young and t oo stup id t o have seen t he s ign i f icance of unt i l th is

po in t in m y l i fe .

I t has been th i r ty years s ince the Saya Inc ident . This story is m y personal mem or ia l to t he end

of the Col lectors and the re ign of the ir ter r ib le , m ost sacred God. I t is m y f i rsthand account ofthe f ina l bat t le in a si lent w ar and the beaut i fu l w idow w ho orchestrated i t . She saved my l i fe

for reasons I w i l l never understand.

I was the only hum an being to w alk out o f the Saya Estate o n August 17t h, 2158, and fo r the

f i rst t ime, I wi l l te l l the story.


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INVITATION

I t w as by accident , or du m b luck, that I received an inv ita t ion to the Saya Estate. In Apr i l o f

2158, I was st ro l l ing throu gh a museum exhib i t about b io-engineer ing in the 21st century w hen

a wel l -dressed v isi tor hast i ly to ld m e he w as unable to at tend an event in t he far w ing of the

m useum . Aw are the mu seum s banquet ro om had a fu l l bar serv ing top shel f l iquor , I glad ly

too k h is t icket .

W hen I ar r ived, the recent ly w idow ed M s. Ri ta Saya was giv ing a presentat ion o n some of thediscoveries her com pany, SayaTech, had m ade in regener ating prehist or ic f lora using bio-

st ruct ures found in f ossi ls or f r ozen in perm afrost .

At t he t im e, I w as a lead creat ive st rategist for Nexus Corporat ion . W hi le m y ego large enough

to f i l l the room , m y at t i re w as not imp ressive enough to convince anyone of anyth ing. I wore

very average khaki pants, dark brow n loafers, and a green polo sh ir t th at lum ped ou t just far

enough to m ake me look horr ib ly out o f shape. The room w as a f lour ish of su its and gow ns and

there w as now here to stand wi t hout looking l ike a parrot in a banquet o f penguins. I pretended

not t o not ice, and nobody e lse seem ed to pay any m ind. I tucked in t o the back corner of thebar and sucked dow n m art in is at an Olym pic pace.

M s. Saya w as speaking f rom a por table stage in th e far end of t he room . Her jewelry g l im m ered

in spot l ights that a im ed d irect ly at t he narrow pod ium w here she stoo d. Num erous SayaTech-

comm issioned Protocol One robot s w ere d i rect ly behind her . They stoo d m ot ion less, as i f they

w ere m annequins mod el ing the t rad i t ional b lack-and-whi t e uni for m s that SayaTech sc ient ists

w ere so proud o f . Each held a ceramic pot w i th a g lass dom e that conta ined some un iquereconstructed version o f p rehisto r ic p lant l i fe .

M ost of her w ords were far above my level o f educat ion and in terest but I do recal l her

char isma. Her sm i le exuded beauty, weal th , and in te l l igence. The crow d seem ed genuinely

captivated , by sty le or substance I could no t say. Her late hu sband, Doctor Richard Saya, w as

one o f t he m ost w e l l- respected found ing fathers o f m odern robo t ics, most w e l l know n fo r h is

par t in Am er ican in f rastru cture developm ent: th e Bism arck Pro ject , publ ic in tegrat ion of t he

M ainfram e Operat ing System for Assets, Inf rast ructu re and Com m unicat ions(M OSAIC) as w ellas the fou nder o f the Ind igo M i l ls recycl ing fac il i ty just outs ide of M em phis. His death w as atragic accident . W hen he d ied, Ri ta w as the so le inher i tor .

Two years before h is death she had f ound ed SayaTech, a corpo rat ion w i th b io- tech so ahead of

i ts t ime I 'm not sure Ri ta could have quant i f ied the ir va lue in any m eaningfu l w ay. She w as the

young queen of a dead Amer ican sa int , and admir ed a l l the same.


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Al though m any years m y senior , I was far m ore in t erested in checking her out and navigat ing

the dr ink se lect ion. I f lagged dow n t he m useum 's cater ing robot s w hen they st ro l led by to nab

cheese hors d'oeuv res from th e platt ers th ey carr ied. Precariously, I sipped n o less th an tw o

beverages at once and clapped pol i te ly wi t h t he crow d.

"Excuse m e, M r. Reginald Hol t , " sa id a Proto col One w ho app roached m e carefu l ly .

I sw al low ed th e cheese m orsel I was chew ing and shook m y head. "Sorry, f r iend, I said,

You've got me confused wi th som eone e lse." I slapped h im on t he shoulder w i th a lcohol-

induced amusement and tu rned aw ay.

The robot leaned forw ard and responded inqu isi t ive ly , "Are you not M r . Reginald Hol t , as your

t icket stat es?" He held up the t icket and pon dered i t . The sh iny nam etag on h is jacket said

KENNETH.

"Oh no, Kenneth , I 'm not M r . Hol t . I 'm h is esteem ed guest , " I announ ced prou dly.

"W hat is your nam e, si r?"

"Bennet Kapshandy."

"M r. Reginald Hol t d id not state he w as br ing ing a guest , M r . Kapshandy."

"W el l , I 'm sure he d idn ' t , Kenneth. M r . Holt w as in a hurry and couldn ' t s tay. He inst ructed m e

to at t end th is for h im . Here 's the t icket . "

I was count ing on having a few m ore dr inks, so I handed over the t icket s tub w i th a look of

befuddled ignorance on m y face as to not arouse any suspic ion.

Kenneth stoo d st i l l for a m om ent, concentrat ing. His expression t icked in to a sm i le and he sa id,

"Thank you, s ir , for your pol i te and ca lm comp l iance. I f you do not m ind m e asking, w hat isyour re la t ionship wi t h M r. Hol t so I may adequate ly comp lete our guest l ist?"

" I . . ," I stam m ered and paused. I knew no th ing about M r. Hol t or an acceptable t i t le , but I

d idn ' t w ant to appear stup id or insincere and r isk e ject ion f ro m the bar .

"I 'm a close associate and his personal assistan t," I l ied.

Kenneth paused again to process an answ er to ap propr ia te ly deal wi t h t he c i rcum stance. Igu lped my d r ink and quick ly raised m y index f inger to s ignal for anoth er . Fi rst generat ion

Proto col One was a par t icu lar ly s low robot to have a conversat ion w i th , but they w ere excel lent

at tak ing orders. This m eant the bar tend er w ould be far more ef f ic ient than Kennet h at f igur ing

ou t w hat to do w i th m e. M aybe Kenneth was con tact ing M r . Ho l t to ask h im persona l ly . I had


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enough t ime to ge t one mo re beverage in f ron t o f m e be fo re the f i f t y - f if t y chance I w ou ld be

asked to leave. I grabbed the f resh l ime m art in i r ight f rom the bar t ender , gu lped at least ha lf

o f i t and im m ediate ly asked for anoth er .

By now, I was sl ight ly in t ox icated. I clapped loudly w i th t he crow d and ignored the ob noxiously

st i l l robo t nex t to m e.

"Sir?" asked Kenneth , h is an imated head coming back to l i fe . I in tent ional ly ignored h im and

sipped m y dr ink. "Sir?" he asked again, s light ly louder , and tapp ed m y shoulder .

"Yes?" I responded, em phasiz ing just enough imp at ience for a Protocol One t o t ake not ice.

" I apologize for the repeated in t rus ion, M r . Kapshandy," he bow ed s l ight ly to eye- level , " I on ly

k ind ly wish to in f orm you t hat I have ensured your nam e has been added t o ou r guest l ist as an

of f ic ial a t ten dee. Subsequent ly , I have added your nam e to t he at t endance l ist f or t he Saya

banquet as M r. Hol t 's guest on August seventeent h of t h is year . "

"W onder fu l ," I sa id, nodd ing wi th approval , "Great Job, Kennet h! Thanks for tak ing care of

that . You've been m ost hospi tab le."

That n ight , I g leefu l ly staggered hom e w i thout m uch th ought ; never had i t crossed m y m ind

that I wo uld be going to t he Saya residence. By Ju ly, I had ent i re ly forgot ten about the

inv i ta t ion. I t w as then I received a request f rom an assistant o f M r . Hol t sta t ing that h e wo uldl ike to speak w i th m e.


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BUYIN G A REACTION

M r. Holt l ived just o uts ide of Ann Harbor , M ich igan. He had a lready ar ranged t ravel for m e, and

the of fer t o v isi t h is e laborate estate had p iqued m y cur iosi ty . I dug m y favor i te wo ol su i t out o f

the c loset and agreed t o m eet h im in m id-July.

Hol t Estate w as a gratu i t ous p lace, even am ong th e w ealth iest . I t w as bui l t in a t rad i t ion al sty le

w i thou t t he p re -fab w a lls you f ind in m ost m odern hom es. The f ron t door w as near ly a hal f -

m i le f rom the gated ent rance, and I was t ranspor t ed dow n a lengthy bou levard of e laboratef low er gardens that s t re tched f rom end to en d. Along the w ay, var ious Proto col One robot s in

t ight orange uni form s e i ther pruned leaves or hef ted bun dles of yard waste. I wondered ho w

oft en M r. Hol t , or anyone, appreciated such at t ent ion to det a i l. W hat k ind of man w as M r. Hol tto u t i l ize such resources pu rely for t he sake of vanit y?

At t he door , I was greeted by a gorgeous young b londe Protocol One w ho in t roduced herself to

m e as "Kelly". Kelly had a volup tu ous shape th at m ade the usual P-One hip swagger as

fem in inely at t ract ive as possib le , w i th t he aesthet ic face and comp lexion t hat m ade wo m en so

intensely envious. I 've never shared the sam e at t ract ion tow ards robot s that m any men have,but I found i t im possib le not t o look. She not iced m y leer ing, as P-Ones usual ly do, but rare ly

w ere they p rogramm ed to be con f ron ta t iona l abou t i t .

I was escor ted thro ugh the w ide French doors leading to the back of the estate. I took the

passenger 's seat in a golf cart and Kelly keyed in th e coo rdinat es. W e w ere quickly transport ed

dow n the m arble pathw ay, thro ugh a tun nel o f rose t re l l ises, up a ramp and on to p lat form

w here the e ighty-year o ld M r. Holt s tood. He was hunched over w i th h is head to the ground,conspicuo usly f ir ing golf bal ls int o an expansive green fairw ay below .

As I approached, he d id no t t urn h is at t ent ion aw ay f rom his le isure. I squint ed and peered

dow n the law n. In the d is tance, e ight t o t en P-Ones in br ight b lue basebal l un i form s w ere in

posit ion w i th m it ts in hand, at t em pt ing to catch M r. Holt 's go lf ba l ls as they w hizzed past . Fi rst

Generat ion Proto col One was not an ath let ic robot . Their h ips jerked to-and- f ro as they hast i ly

chased t he balls, occasionally losing th eir usual sensibi l i ty and bu m ping int o each oth er

comical ly l ike eager dogs. M r . Hol t guf faw ed at the ir va in at t em pts.

I considered asking why h e w ould dra in t he l i fe of such e laborate m achinery on p oint less

ath let ic tasks they w ere not bu i l t for , but som eone's hom e is no p lace to quest ion the ir habi ts.

"So, you are Bennet Kapshandy," he said w i thou t loo king up. He sm acked another gol f ba l l in to

the far le f t side of t he f ie ld . Adm it t ed ly, I was impressed; he w as qui te spry for h is age.


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"Yes, si r , that 's m e. Reginald Hol t?" I spoke w i th conf idence and stepped forw ard to shake h is

hand. M y gesture w as ignored, so I stu f f ed m y hands in to m y pockets and teetered on m y

heels.

"Call m e Reggie," he said. His eyes w ere st i l l inten tly focused on his ent ert ainm ent . He tapp edhis c lub o n th e tee and a pneum at ic tube spat a f reshly fabr icated gol f ba l l a t h is feet . "Howw as your t r ip f rom Chicago? I t rust m y staf f t ook good care of you?"

"A s adequ ate as travel can be," I said, shrugging. "The fo od w as very good ."

"Adequ ate," he sa id, shaking h is head w i th d isappointm ent , " Nobod y respects t ravel any

more . "

"Oh , I m ean no disrespect, sir ," I apologized, " I appreciate th e hospital i ty. Net herica just makes

travel po int less m ost of the t im e."

Reggie f rown ed and shook h is head again. He g lanced at m e br ie f ly and tapped th e tee. The

bal l had bare ly stop ped ro l l ing before he f i red i t f i f t y or so yards to t he le f t . A pair o f P-Ones

chased af ter i t , then stop ped to stare at on e another before im m inent co l l is ion. They bot h

fo l low ed i t w i th the ir heads and stop ped to w atch i t bounce past . One waddled over to p ick it

up, prom pt ly put i t in to h is pocket , and assum ed ready posit ion .

"W orth less robots," sa id M r. Hol t d isparagingly, "Disobeying m y overr ide com m ands again.

Probably anot her M OSAIC update. I ' ll see those tw o of f to the M i l ls tom orrow . Kel ly , br ing us

each a dr ink, wo uld you ? Ste ven shou ld be in the cel lar. W e have a guest, so br ing us

som eth ing v in tage. Bennet , red or wh i te?"

He looked at m e expectant ly .

"W ine?" I asked.

"Of course w ine! he exclaim ed, Don' t be dense, or daf t , or w hatever i t is you are being."

"Red," I responded assert ively.

"A Pinot no ir , Kel ly. M ake i t ext ra rare. Som eth ing Pre-War, f rom t he Nor thw est . Bennet , graba club. Let 's play."

M y on ly exper ience w i th go l f w as w i th pu t t -pu t t and vague m emor ies o f X- t reme Naked Spor tsin Neth erica. Cautio usly, I picked up a club t hat lo oked as close to M r. Holt s as possible. I

observed as he sw ung and wat ched the bal l bounce across the green. As the ro bot s began to

chase i t , he quick ly w hacked a second bal l dow n t he fa i rw ay, u t t er ly confusing them about

w h ich w ay to go .


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"So, w hat exactly is th is game w e are playing?" I asked.

"I 'm teaching th em baseball ," said Reggie.

"W i th go l f?"

He ignored my ques t ion ye t looked m e in the eye , "Watch them t ry to do as they ' re to ld , " he

said, "despi te a l l o f t he ir f law s. They' re horr ib le at out f ie ld ing. But a li t t le exerc ise never hur t

anybody and I get to p ract ice m y sw ing."

Af ter tw o em barrassing at tem pts, I m anaged to smack a gol f ba ll in to the f ie ld . I squinted in

the sun to w atch. The robots stoo d stupid ly , f rozen in posit ion as i f noth ing happened. "They' re

not do ing anyth ing," I sa id.

M r. Holt smi led. "They' re not supposed to. They only chase mine. At least somet h ing is st i l lw ork ing r ight in th e ir t iny heads."

"W hy robo ts? I m ean, why teach robo t s how t o ca tch?"

"Obedience, Bennet . Pla in and s imple. Every af ternoon I take a break to com e out here, h i t a

few gol f ba l ls and w atch them do as they ' re to ld . I t reminds me to a lw ays expect w hat I w ant . "

He h it anot her . A P-One caught i t and prom pt ly dropp ed h is pr ize in to a f ront p ocket . The

oth ers faced M r. Holt and gol f -clapped for h im. M r. Hol t looked at me and laughed, genuinely

amu sed to show m e th is . For an o ld m an, h is st rengt h w as in t im idat ing and I w as cer ta in he

w ould l ive for m any m ore years. The e lder ly do seem t o st ick around m uch longer these days.

"Do you know w hat I do , Bennet?"

" I 'm not ent i re ly sure, si r . "

"Cal l m e Reggie," he rem inded m e. " I 'm a Col lector . You m ay have heard of th e Col lecto rs.

W e're a sm al l group. W e col lect th ings."

"W hat k inds of th ings?"

"Lots of th ings. M oney, f i rst and for em ost , but a lso ant iques, w ine, rar i t ies, and pre-w ar

ar t i facts. W hen you and I crossed paths at the W infe ld M useum , I m ade of fers for several

p ieces. Som e of them I 've been af ter for years. Af ter t w o decades of w ai t ing I f ina l ly had m ychance at the M onet I w anted. I t w as large enough to f i l l f i f teen t issue boxes."

From his pocket , he procured a square of pa inted canvas. He wiped h is brow w i th i t , b lew h is

nose and t ossed i t behind h im .


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"W hy w ou ld the m useum w ant to se ll i t s co llect ion?"

" I t 's not because they w ant to . They have to keep t he doors open. Running a museum is cost ly ,

so som et im es they l l re lieve them selves of a few t h ings."

"How nob le ," I thought , look ing a t the w ad o f parchm ent on the g round . M useums as an t iquestores. Subju gation as a ho bby. Golf as baseball . I gulped and said no t hing. I w as to o sober to

handle t h is.

The beaut i fu l Kel ly return ed on her gol f car t w i th t w o absurd ly ornate gem m ed goblets on a

plat ter . In her other arm w as a bot t le of wine sw addled in a tow el . She coddled it against her

body as i f i t w ere an in fant .

"C'mon, " M r . Ho l t sa id . He mot ioned fo r me to fo l low h im t o the tab le and chai rs on h is pa t io

deck. The elaborat e rose garden surr ou nd ing us had been as careful ly prun ed as th e entr anceto t he Holt Estate. The arom as gave th e air a cr isp freshness. Birds chirped in the t rees. I t w as

a peaceful, elegant and classy place, for t he m ost part. A stat ue of Reggie Holt sto od om inou sly

on t he top of a fou nta in. His pale, pupi l - less eyes w ere rem in iscent of a Greek God, posit ioned

proud ly over a c i rcu lar water fa l l that perpet ual ly pum ped chlor inated wat er f i f teen feet in to

the enorm ous pool be low . I t produced a light mist that t raveled in our d i rect ion and cooled

our skin in t he July sun.

Kel ly poured a tast ing por t ion o f Pinot Noir in t o Reggie's goblet . He sipped i t t hought f u l ly and

nodded. She dut i fu l ly f i l led the tw o goblets of th e dark, opaque w ine and p laced the rest o f

the bo t t le in to a tem perature cont ro l led reservoir under a t rapd oor w i th in Reggie 's reach.

"Kel ly , I'm tak ing a break f rom basebal l lessons," sa id M r. Hol t , "W ould you inst ruct m y jew elry I

w i sh t o w ear t hem now?"

W hat w as he ta lk ing about ? This p lace, the games, the w ine, the st range language; I w as m ore

confused than im pressed l ike I had hoped to be. And st i ll , the pressing quest ion in m y m indw as: why had he b rough t m e here?

Of a l l the crazy t h ings I have exper ienced, noth ing in a l l Nether ica could have prepared m e for

w hat I w as abou t to w i tness.

"M r. Hol t , um , Reggie, I 'm sorry," I said, c lear ing my thro at . " I appreciate the h ospita l i ty , but

I 'm no t en t i re ly su re w hy you 've b rough t m e here ."

He savored the quest ion. He inhaled deeply and t ook h is t ime t o si t dow n and get comfo r table.

He crossed h is legs, sipped his wi ne and swished it in small ro tat ing circles.


12/48


"M ost ly ," sa id M r . Ho lt , " I w an ted to m eet the m an w ho descr ibed h imse lf as m y persona l

assistant."

His eye cocked suspiciously at m e.

"For that , oh yes.. ., " I apologized hal f -hear tedly, " Good l iquor . Som eone asked w ho I w as and Id idn ' t rea l ly know w hat to say."

Perhaps I shou ld have been em barrassed, but I w asn't . Aft er al l , he did give his t icket t o a

comp lete st ranger .

In the d istance to m y r ight , the French doors of th e mansion f lew open. Kel ly s tepped out

a longside another ent i ty . Hum an, I presum ed, by h is gai t . Kel ly to ld t he car t w here to go and

they w ere headed our w ay. As they neared, I could see it w as indeed a person. He was

costum ed in som e e laborate, co lor fu l garm ents you m ay have expected t o f ind in some sor t o f

20th centu ry Vat ican sex c lub; ta l l , go ld- t r im m ed headw ear encrusted w i th f ine gem s anddiamon ds. His reveal ing robe f i t t ight ly and accent uated h is m ost personal body par ts . He had

the genes of an underw ear mo del , and presum ably the f i tness regimen. In fact , i t w as possib le

h is physique may very w el l have M r. Hol t 's fount a in statue. Sm oot h sk in. M ascara. W el l -

groom ed sandy b londe hair . Quiet ly , he approached M r. Hol t f rom behind, p laced h is

uncom for t ably jew eled hands around M r. Holt 's co llar and connected h is thu m bs and m iddle

f ingers around h is neck. Graciously, he looked do w n upon M r. Hol t 's th in h air .

Speechless, I watched f r om m y seat , u t t er ly confused as to w hat t h is r i tua l could be.

"M y hum an necklace, Bennet , " sa id M r. Hol t w i th assured conf idence, " I have severa l m ore

avai lab le. W ould you l ike to w ear one th is af ter noon?"

"Um , no th anks."

M r. Hol t w as re laxed despite being only a grasp aw ay f rom strangulat ion. He sat back in h is

seat , put h is hand on h is ch in and w atched as I st ru ggled to m ainta in m y comp osure. I was al i t t le f r ightened. I im agined just w hat could be in store for m e on th is st range man's proper ty

w ho seemed i t appropr iate t o w a lk a round h is home sub ject ing ano ther person t o adorn h im .

"Sui t yoursel f . Isn ' t he a beaut i fu l creature?" said M r. Holt . He gestured at h is jew elry, and

w ithout looking back, reached over h is ow n head to pat h im on t he cheek.

"A hum an necklace?" I leaned forw ard, am azed, and st ruggl ing wi t h the urge to laugh. I was

confused as to w hethe r th is was a joke or not . And i f i t w as a joke, should be laughing at M r .Hol t? W ith M r. Hol t? Should I laugh at h is hum an jewelry? I exhaled a breath of f ine w ine

thro ugh m y para lyzed, dangling jaw.


13/48


"He is on ly jew elry, Bennet . Have you never seen jew elry before," he asked, and looked at m e

expectant ly . "Real ly, is there somet h ing wro ng wi t h you?"

It w as as i f i t wer e as ord inary as bread. His w ine swashed in his goblet . He w as enjoying th e

a t ten t ion .

"W hy? I mean, w hat?" I looked a t t he m an w i th h is hands wrapped a round M r . Ho lt ' s neck .On ly the gob le t in f ron t o f m y face cou ld h ide m y be fudd led am usement .

"Does th is shock you? Or of fend you ?"

"W el l , a li t t le ," I adm it ted.

"Consider i t hazing. Oscar w i l lfu l ly subm its h im sel f , and I choose to w ear h im. He m ust be in

m y presence i f he is to learn how to be a par t o f t h is w or ld . He fo l lows m e anywhere I take h im

around t he estate and d igests every word . Don' t you, Oscar?"

Reggie cannot see Oscar nod subm issively. For Oscar 's sake, si lence w as pro bably t he o nly

appropriate response.

" I to ld you, Bennet . W e are Col lectors. Oscar is t r a in ing to be t he next generat ion of ou r k ind.

Only those wi t h t he r ight kno w ledge and connect ions can keep the t rad i t ions al ive."

"W hat t rad i t ions?"

"M ainta in ing pow er st ru cture, Bennet . M oney is the crux of pow er . Did they not teach h istor y

in your Nether ica c lassrooms? M oney bui l t th is p lace. I t w on the w ar , bu i l t the f i rs t robot s,em ploys the banks, em ploys the m arkets and w ins elect ions. I t keeps museum s and p arks a live.

I t a f fords M s. Saya the access to per fo rm her research t hat yo u so obv iously neglected t o

appreciate."

"But w hy? M oney is so old," I said, "Public system s are easily m anaged by M OSAIC. W ater,foo d, pow er, shelt er, travel, SENS are pract ical ly given away. I haven't paid fo r anyt hing in at

least t hree years. W hat imp or tance is m oney w hen you do not need i t to l ive?"

"Typica l po int o f v iew f rom som eone l ike yourself , and an advantageous one for m e. 'M oth er

M OSAIC directs prod uctio n, M ot her M OSAIC ensures stabi l i ty. ' M ant ras of t he m asses," saidM r. Holt sarcastical ly. He circled his hand s as i f he w ere direct ing an invisible orchestra.

"M oney st i l l buys som e th ings, Bennet . Don' t be so nave; you grew u p in the o ld wo r ld , andyou sure ly m ust know t h is. Haven t you ever w ondered how the w ealthy st i l l ex ist w hen

nobody you know pays fo r any th ing? Have you ever thought abou t how the econom y w orks?"

" I rea l ly don ' t th ink about m oney, Reggie. I actual ly prefer it t h is w ay."


14/48


M r . Hol t scof fed and looked at m e l ike a dum b chi ld w ho had just d isappoint ed h im . Of course,

I was o ld enough to rem em ber mo ney. I just hadn' t cared in so long.

"There are th ings of va lue aside f rom your basic needs, sa id M r. Hol t , M oney is the

undercurrent o f governmen t and corporate pow er . Nei ther could ex ist w i thout i t . I t is verysim ple: Congress m ust w in elect io ns. To w in elect ion s, th ey need vote s. To get vot es, th eyneed stat us. Stat us needs at tent ion. At t ent ion requires m arket ing. M arket ing requires

resources. Those resources com e at a pr ice. Nexus Corp orat ion pays tr em endo usly to t heir

const i tu ents to keep Neth er ica under th e ir m anagem ent. Am er ican Robot ics pays large sum s

for a seat a t the t ab le when Proto col One developm ent is d iscussed. Kindred Indu str ies for

energy. Sun Com m f or com m unicat ions. Simist ry Blue Gold, m y ow n comp any, pays

generously to m ainta in SBG logo on every p iece of Am er ican p ipel ine that comes out o f

M em phis. This is an econom y of pow er . M OSAIC m ay manage i t a l l, but i t is st i l l the people

w ho m ake the decisions on w hat is m anaged, how i t is m anaged, and w ho is account able. And

w hen m oney is needed, a Col lector is needed. Like m e."

"W hy w ou ld corporat ions pay so m uch to government?"

"Oh, m ost ly to m ainta in the brand. I t is best t o avoid nasty sp l it -o f fs ," he expla ined, "At

Simist ry Blue Gold, some em ployees used to t hreaten t o create a com pet ing w ater supply. But

som eone st i l l has to s ign the check, and t hey ' re a f ledgl ing w i th no capi ta l . They' l l need th at

capi ta l to convince anyone in governm ent to put t he ir nam e anyw here. They step out w i th lo tsof amb it ion, but no m oney. I have the m oney, so I th ink perhaps you can see w here th is is

going."

"Sim istr y Blue Gold stays?"

He nodded, " For ty- th ree years and ru nning."

"How m any Col lectors are th ere?" I asked, in t r igued.

M r. Hol t ignored th e quest ion, whet her in tent ional ly or not I w as not sure. He cont inued w here

he le f t o f f , "You have spent far t oo long in Nether ica, sucking the M OSAIC teat . And w hy not ?

Autom ated f ood, w ater , recycl ing, bu i ld ings, energy, p lum bing, repairs, t ranspor tat ion , roads,

hospi ta ls, " he rat t led them of f on h is f ingers. " W e are who l ly dependent on th is system to keep

t ick ing a long. I f they fa l l apar t , i f they fa i l for any reason, w ho is on t op? W ho m akes thedecisions? This is w hy m oney st i l l exists. I t is th e glue of al l leadership and th e back-up plan for

fai lure."

M r. Hol t looked at h is jewelry and h is f ie ld of Prot ocol Ones, "W hat a lovely back-up p lan i t is .

W hat do you th ink, Bennet ?"


15/48


"W hen M OSAIC w as bui l t , the w ealthy fo ught against i t becom ing publ ic. But tu rns out i t w as a

good th ing. It w orks!"

M r. Hol t chuckled un der h is breath and said, " I w holehear tedly agree wi t h you - M OSAIC is a

good t hing. This is al l a mat ter o f perspective. M OSAIC w as bad for som e. Very, very bad.

M any fought against i t , and they lost . Af ter M OSAIC w as inst i t u ted, m ost of them simp ly qui tand ret i red som ew here com for t able w hi le they st i l l could. But not m e. Not a Col lecto r . Theycouldn ' t th ink about m oney l ike a Col lector t h inks about m oney. And I never gave them m y

secre ts. Oh, no . I wou ld w a it fo r the r igh t m om ent and simp ly buy them ou t . Oh, how I m iss

th ose days."

M r . Ho l t remin isced fo r a m om ent . He recovered the w ine bo t t le f rom the reservo ir and

poured a healthy ref i l l . Oscar fo l lowed h is m ovem ents wi th eyes turn ed to the pavement . The

diamon ds on h is r ings spark led br i l l iant ly as he m ade the ef fo r t t o never d isconnect h is thu m bs

and f ingers f rom M r . Ho l t ' s neck . M r . Ho l t t ipped the bo t t le in my d i rect ion to o f fe r m ore . I

obl iged.

"Obviously, there are some t angib les wor t h consider ing, he said as he poured , Everyth ing yo u

see here is m ade possib le by mo ney co l lect ion. W hen is the last t im e you 've seen a bot t le of

Pre-War w ine? Or the last t ime you 've stepped on som eth ing othe r than M OSAIC pre- fab

Fungifoam or com pressed B-Plank? Real w ine. Real marb le. Real land, real golf . Vir tu al gam es

and v i r tua l hom es are sm oke and mir ro rs. Nethe r ica is a d ist ract ion; enter t a inment w rapped

around l i fe . W hen i t 's t im e for bed, w hen i t is t im e to eat , w hen an ind iv idual steps outs ide ofthat fantasy existence, they open the ir eyes to t he same t iny hom e and t iny l i fe . They crave

that i l lus ion because they kno w w hat I have achieved w i l l never be obt a inable. Nether ica is a

consolat ion pr ize of wh at every generation has jealously pu rsued. M OSAIC. ' M a i n f r a m e

Operat ing System for Assets, Inf rast ructure a nd Comm unicat ions ," he pondered fo r a m om ent , Such a long, sil ly name. Som e call i t M ot her M osaic. I cal l i t The Great Enabler . I t is th e

per fect excuse to m ake it po ssib le for me t o enjoy w hat they never w i l l, and w ear what t hey

could never wear . And in my shoes, the re is not h ing more w onder fu l than t hat . "

M y m ind w as overw helm ed; brazen arrogance coupled w i th th e generosi ty of v in tage w ine andthe amu sem ent of end less eccentr ic it ies.

"But i f m oney prod uces not h ing," I pondered o ut loud , "of w hat va lue is i t? I f we can a ll focus

on m aking M OSAIC produ ce everyth ing we need t o the best o f our ab i l i ty , why w ould w e even

need m oney to m ake decisions about M OSAIC? Can' t w e f igure out how to m ake decisions andho ld e lect ions w i tho u t m oney?"

M r. Holt sighed. "Don 't b e so altru ist ic about need s," he said, shaking his head disappro vingly,"Have you not been paying at t ent ion t o w hat I 'm t e l ling you? M oney produces th is, " he says,

and spread his arm s to em brace his estate. "Pow er to m ake those big decisions. Pr ivi lege and

access to th e w or ld 's rar i t ies. The b iggest ho odw ink on t he Am er ican people is that Net her ica

and M OSAIC m ade the Am er ican Dream po ssib le for a ll . That d ream has never changed. M ost


16/48


people are content to set t le for w hat is handed to them . Col lecto rs lead th e count ry. Ri ta Saya

know s th is, and her husband Richard did as w ell . W e are the leaders. This is w hy w e are invited

to her events. This is also w hy she is thro w ing a par ty at her estate on August seventeent h.

She inherit ed everyt hing from Richard and gave everything aw ay except f or SayaTech. She is

st i l l th e sole ow ner and h as spent everyt hing she has to keep it going. Since Richard's death ,

our f r iends in Congress keep asking her for m ore, m ore, m ore. Others have pressured her in tosel l ing. I 'm cer ta in th is par ty is a stage to w oo us in to m aking an of fer . I know severa lCollector s are poised to d o so. SayaTech is a pr ize for t he taking, and I w ant i t ."

Regg ie poured the rema in ing w ine f rom the bo t t le , downed i t , and s tood up to con t inue h is

oratory. Oscar held h is f ingers t ight , fo l low ing M r. Hol t 's m ot ion s. "Col lect ing is a gam e,

Bennet , he said, You play i t . Like baseball . And l ike any gam e, on ly a handf ul can be tru ly

except ional a t i t . "

"Baseball is a team sport," I said cynical ly. I gazed at th e silent , st i l l ro bo ts.

"W e are a team , when i t su its us to be," said M r. Holt , "A very com pet i t ive team . I to ld you,

Bennet , th is is Am er ican t rad i t ion. Let m e enl ighten you. Com e meet t he Col lectors. Com e to

th e Saya Estate in Augu st."

" I w i l l not be your jew elry," I sa id wi t h d isgust .

"Bah! You don' t loo k the par t , anyw ay," he laughed. Oscar sm i led. I smi led.

"W hat do you get out o f br ing ing m e wi t h you?" I asked inquisi t ive ly .

"Absolute ly noth ing," sa id M r. Hol t non-non chalant ly . " I 'm b ored. Consider i t a perk to beingm y personal assistant . Call Kelly to m ake arrangem ent s. Now go aw ay. I have baseball to

teach." He shoo'ed m e of f , p icked up a gol f c lub and w alked away.

I was escor ted of f the estate by Kel ly, who k ind ly of fered hersel f to m e on the w ay out . I 'm

unclear as to w hether o ld M r. Hol t extended th is to m e personal ly or to a l l o f h is guests, butI 'm cer ta in my refusal am used h im a l l the same. On the w ay hom e, I pondered wh y he had

asked me to com e to h is estat e. Perhaps he want ed to show of f and f launt h is w ealth . M aybe

m ake m e jea lous o r t r y to in t im idate m e w i th i t . Ne ither w orked . Bu t perhaps i t w as even

m ore simp le than th at . I th ink it w as enter t a in ing for an o ld Col lecto r to get a react ion f ro m a

stranger . W ith every luxury in the wo r ld yet surroun ded only by robot s and hum an jew elry, Ican im agine l i fe becoming lonely and predictable. In our post-scarc ity w or ld , m oney could st i l l

buy three t h ings f rom a com plete st ranger : rar it ies, exper iment a l m edic ine and a react ion. M r .

Hol t seemed heal thy. He had p lenty of rar i t ies. Perhaps a react ion is the only t h ing le f t for h imto buy .


17/48


M A IN E V EN T

M r. Hol t m ay have had t he largest h om e I had ever seen, but t he gated entrance for t he Saya

Estate w as easi ly the largest and m ost elaborat e ent ryw ay. Solid gold plated en gravings on t he

fron t feat ured a ful l-sized Richard Saya. He was imp rint ed int o t he left panel l ike Han Solo

frozen in Carbon ite, tal l , w ith his shou lders back. He donne d a M OSAIC unif orm and gazed

opt imist ical ly in to space to see fur t her than any m an who h ave ever l ived before h im . His le f t

hand reached to w ards the center crease of the gate, wh ere h is f inger met w i th t hat o f anequal ly-posed bust o f a Protocol One rob ot on t he r ight panel .

Together , wi th t he gate shut , i t rem inded m e a l i t t le o f "The Creat ion of Adam ". Centeredabove t he engravings w as a met al l ic SayaTech logo hanging wit h pr oud app roval over M r. Saya

and h is hum anoid com panion.

For th e past h our , I had been si t t ing d i rect ly across M r. Holt in h is arm ored l im ousine. His

concierge had p icked us up at the a i rpor t . The perm anent pout on M r. Holt s face and ut t er

lack of react ion m ade i t ob vious he w as unim pressed w i th t he r ide and h is surroun dings.

M r. Holt t o ld m e that m y sui t w as ' t rash ' and ins is ted that as h is guest , I was to w ear the c lo thes

and shoes Kel ly had ta i lored to m y m easurem ents. I vaguely rem em bered her s izing me up

w hen w e had m et in Ju ly. The su i t w as m ore comf or table than the one I had arr ived wi t h , I

m ust admit , but t he u l t ra w hi te pant s and jacket w ere a grave concern for m y c lumsiness.

I t w as around e ight o ' c lock. W e w ere to ld to ar r ive at e ight o ' clock al thou gh the banquet d idnot begin unt i l n ine. The sun w as beginning i ts descent be low t he hor izon. Cool hues of ye l low

and b lues em anated f rom accent lamps on t he prop er ty, welcom ing guests and d i rect ing them

tow ards the f ron t door .

M ore luxury vehic les ro l led in behind us. I dropped t he wind ow and the smel l o f petro leum

from the o ld v in t age vehicles brought back m em or ies of m y chi ldhoo d. To th e r ight , a couple

w as being helped out o f a personal he l icopt er on t he proper t y 's landing pad. Other guests

shuf f led around t he prop er ty in auto m ated service car ts .

I fel t a t inge of anxiety on our w ay to t he entrance. These people were m y com pany for the

evening; w hat do Col lect ors ta lk about at a par ty , or even th ink about ? How could I re late t o

som eone w hose idea of a good t ime is d iscussing the f iner p o ints of cham pagne fount a ins and

top iar ies? Or ta lk about m useum exhib i ts and zoos w i th people w ho on ly care if a wing is


18/48


nam ed af ter them ? I don ' t know anyth ing about opera, personal bodyguards, yachts, hum an

jew elr y o r p r iv at e ar t co l le ct io ns. I f elt lo st in t ran slat io n w it h ou t hav ing spoken a w o rd .

M r. Holt and I s tepped out o f t he l imou sine and in to t he cu l-de-sac. Severa l a t t endees hudd led

just ou t side o f t he m an sion 's en t ryw ay , chat t in g q u ie t ly below a c lassy am bie nce o f st r in g

instrum ents and brass that came f rom inside. W ary of draw ing at tent ion, I w alked w i th m yhead dow n.

M r. Holt t apped m y le f t shoulder w i th t he bal l t ip o f h is cane. "As my guest , " he sa id, " I ins ist

you a llow m e to in t roduce you to m y compet i t ion . "

"Your compet i t ion?" I asked.

"Yes, Bennet , sa id M r. Hol t , W e're a l l Col lectors here. I to ld you t here is on ly a handfu l o f us.

W e a lw ays take f rom each ot her . "

"Sounds l ike a brut a l w ay to have a f r iendship."

His gr in w as l ike ly in tended to m ake m e feel s tup id. "You know n oth ing of m oney, do you?

W e're cord ial, of course. But w ere always strategizing. Em ot ions are weakn ess, so don 't

expect t o see m uch of i t . "

I wan ted to be anywhere e lse than stand ing id ly next t o M r . Ho l t . I wan ted to w ander theproper t y a imlessly, m aybe f ind a bathr oom , use m y Opt iLens, or w alk asser t ive ly in one

direct ion as i f I w ere doing som eth ing desperate ly im por t ant . I thought a dr ink may loosen me

up. "How about I f ind us some dr inks?" I asked cheer fu l ly.

"Reggie Hol t ! " be l low ed a por t ly m an w i th a long goatee, bald head and b lot chy red face. He

chuckled as he waddled over in h is tuxedo l ike a b loated penguin. He had a sm i le permanent ly

at tached to h is face w i th a ch in that jost led w i th every guf faw, pushing out the o dors of

w hiskey and hum m us f rom deep inside h is enorm ity . " I haven' t seen you in person for over s ix

years! You shouldn ' t bu i ld a hom e so large i f it m eans you ' l l never leave."

"Sal Lannard!" excla im ed M r. Hol t , ignor ing the com m ents ent i re ly . I t w as qual ity o f h is I

rea lized w asn' t pe rsonal . " Have you lost w eight? You look so m uch larger on conference

w alls," he asked w him sical ly.

I bare ly knew M r. Hol t , but I gathered th is w as h is w ay of be ing condescending.

"Ingr id, com e here," said Sal Lannard , " Reggie th inks I've lost w eight. W hat do you t hink?"

A young tw enty-somet h ing stepped to h is le f t , st r uck a sassy pose and stared h im up and d ow n.

Proto col One. Blonde. Sor t o f rem inded me of Kel ly.


19/48


She m oved behind h im , pressed her un natura l ly large bosom against h is back and w rapped her

hands around his w aist. Sal Lannard gr in ned, expressing a goofy false surp r ise as her yo ut hfu l

hands ran up his w aist and across his chest. She f l ipped h er hair aside, step ped arou nd t he

w ide man and repor t ed back to h im, "Since our in t roduct ion , I 'd guess you 've put on about 20

pounds. But I l ike you large, Sal . I w ant to w atch you eat . W hen do w e eat?" She f row ned a

l i t t le and sh i f ted h er w eight , f l i r ta t iously anxious.

I turned aw ay to ro l l m y eyes and quick ly observed my surroundings. I gathered tw o pecul iar

facts: f irs t , every Col lecto r w as m ale. Secondly, every one of t hem except f or M r . Hol t had

brought a P-One escor t . Fem ale-gendered m ost ly , except the sparse few i t w as safe to assum e

w ere gay. No wives, com panion s, or chum s. N o associates. No apprent ices. No jew elry. I m ay,

in fact , have been the on ly hum an guest .

" I t seems to m e you may be the one needing the larger home, Sal ," sa id M r. Hol t . He prodded

Sal Lannard in th e gut w ith his cane.

M r . Ho lt t hen qu ick ly tu rned to m e, p laced h is a rm on m y shou lder and wa lked me qu ie t ly to

the f ro nt d oor o f Saya M ansion. "Let 's go inside, he sa id quiet ly , That m an is m iserable. I

haven' t forg iven h im for w hat d id to basebal l. Sal Lannard has sing le-handedly made a m ockery

of t he spor t b y buying up every professional league and nam ing every sing le team af ter a

sandwich. Sandwiches! Houston Hoagies. Saint Louis Subs. Philadelphia Cheese Steaks!

Bosto n BLTs! Absurd, al l of i t . And w orse, i f you st ick aroun d long enough , he w il l even gloat

about i t . No respect for t rad i t ion. He can rot in he l l. "

"At least they st i l l p lay i t cor rect ly ," I t hought to m ysel f before saying to M r. Hol t , " I have a

quest ion, i f you d on' t m ind, Reggie."

He cocked h is eyebrow and tur ned to face me, "Hm ?"

"Am I the only hum an guest here?"

"Yes. Absolute ly , " said M r. Hol t , nodding nonchalant ly .

"W hy has everyone brought an escor t?"

"W el l , obviously, there are reput at ions to look af ter ! Nobo dy want s to be seen wi th a w r ink ly

o ld naggy-saggy wi fe , or som e n i tw i t f r iend w ho t a lks too m uch. Escor ts are far m oreat t r act ive, but m ost im por t ant ly , they are predictable. They' l l f i l l the ro om and stay m ute about

your bu siness. Just ta lk to on e. Like id io ts, they ' re only in terested in w hat t hey see around

them and they ' ll wa i t a round a l l n igh t fo r you i f you w ant them to . "

"W ou ldn ' t hum an jewe l ry do the same?" I asked .


20/48


"You have comp lete ly misunderstoo d the pu rpose of jew elry. Jew elry are objects. They are not

guests. Besides, they get t i red and need t o be fed. And th e m ore I dr ink, I just get t i red of

w ear ing them . I le f t m y jew e lry at hom e."

"Bu t why m e? W hy no t Ke l ly?"

"Kelly bores m e, and besides," he said, adm ir ing his cuff l in ks, " you r pre sence is a cur iosity t othem . I f I'm lucky, I wi l l have of fended them by br ing ing you here. They w i l l spend the evening

w onder ing w ho you are. In th is echelon of society, there 's noth ing m ore eccentr ic than t hat . "

" I 'm not your dam n m onkey," I sa id, stop ping in p lace.

"Of course you ' re not a m onkey, Bennet , " said M r. Holt , laughing. He spoke w i th a h int o f

b i t t erness, " I f I w anted a m onkey, I w ould have bro ught a m onkey. Haven' t you heard of Hol t

Zoo?"

I hadn' t heard of Hol t Zoo.

" I be l ieve you w ere m isin fo rmed about t he na tu re o f th is even t , " said M r . Ho l t m at te r -o f - fact ly .

"This part y is for Collecto rs. Not f or guests. You' re a stranger and that f act is precisely w hy I

brou ght you. Str angers m ake col lectors nervou s and upt ight. As for you, just relax. Be

yourse l f. M ake them uncom for tab le. "

I stoo d at th e door , gawking.

"Oh, get t hat s tup id expression of f o f you r face. W hy not ask yourself w hy you cam e? Cer ta in ly

not b ecause you and I are such great f r iends wi th so m any n ice people to m eet . No! You camebecause you w ere cur io us. So, go be cur iou s. Ask th e ot hers abou t th em selves. Be confiden t,

and i f you choose not to be, just get drunk and act a foo l i f that is what su i ts you best . I real ly

don' t care. I t w i l l amu se m e al l the sam e."

M r. Hol t b lew h is nose on w hat I can only guess w as a p iece of hund red-p lus-year-o ld Frenchar t . He not on ly craved react ion, he had a voracious appet i te for i t .

"So, what should I te l l them i f th ey ask about m e?" I asked.

"Say anyth ing you w ant , " sa id M r. Holt as he waved m e of f . " I f you don' t know w hat to say, justte l l them Reggie Hol t brought you. Not h ing m ore."

And w i th tha t , M r . Ho lt w en t t o g reet a hand fu l o f guests in the corner .


21/48


THE GARDEN S

Inside, orchestra f i l led the room , doused w i th t he occasional outb urst o f laughter or heels of

escor ts as they c lopped across the m arble f loors w i th t he s ignature P-One t ro t . An e legant

chandel ier hun g above us, shaped as a b i rds nest , w hich w as m ore t han m etapho r ; i t actual ly

w as a large, m ul t i -cham bered nest . To m y del ight , dozens of luminescent hu m m ingbirds

hovered and f lu t te red above the lobby . M y eyes f l icked to fo l low the i r movem ent beyond the

f ine screen that cordoned t hem from the guests. They zipped across the t op t iers of the room

l ike m oving ra inbow s, dar t ing to and f rom their nest and t he enorm ous honeysuckles thatdr ipped sw eet , a i r f reshening nectar .

I assum ed t hese creatu res wer e designed in a SayaTech lab, perhaps by Rita's request. Iw atched carefu l ly and appreciated t hat I w as only one of a few to have wi t nessed such a unique

re in te rp re ta t ion o f na tu re .

"Beaut i fu l , aren ' t t hey?" a wom an's vo ice asked behind m e. I nodded rh etor ica l ly , assum ing

that som eone's escor t had wand ered over to del iver a program m ed icebreaker in an at tem pt t o

social ize w ith m e. I tu rned to f in d Rita Saya standing mer ely inches aw ay.

Ri ta w ore a stunning b lack cockta i l dress under a t ranslucent lace top that dropp ed loosely f rom

her slender shoulders and d ow n to her w aist . Her sm oot h b lack hair was carefu l ly constructed

into f ine cur ls and p inned w i th w hi te gold. A sw eet smel l ing purp le f low er corsage gr ipped her

w r ist and forearm w i th v ine- l ike stem s; another SayaTech creat ion, m ost l ike ly . Aroun d her

neck w as a gold necklace and a p i l low -shaped locket t hat sat just above h er bosom .

Ri ta held ou t her a rm to m e w i th hand tu rned dow nw ard and cocked her head w i th an inqu i r ing

elegance, " I do n ' t recall m eet ing before , M ister . . .. "

"Kapshandy. Bennet . I mean, M r. Bennet Kapshandy. You can ca l l m e Bennet , " I stam m ered

l ike an id io t . There have only been a few o ccasions in w hich I have met som eone that I had

previously only seen on screens and at speaking events. Aw kwardly, I took h er hand and shook

it .

She sm i led pol i te ly . " I 'm Ri ta , Bennet , " she to ld m e, "and i t 's a p leasure to m eet you. W elcometo m y home ."

Perhaps she w as preoccupied by t he oth ers, or t ry ing to f igure out how I came to be h ere, but I

couldn ' t shake the fee l ing that she w as e i ther bored or annoyed b y m y presence. Nei ther

react ion m ade me feel welcome. Had I been rud e? Did she expect a k iss to her hand, or give


22/48


her one of t hose quick Europ ean sm ooches on t he cheek? I wasn' t ent i re ly sure of pr oper

et iquet te am ong the cu l ture of w ealth , but I 'm cer ta in i t w as obvious I d idn ' t b e long here.

Ritas eyes glazed over t he crow d and she asked, "So t el l m e, Benn et. You 're no t a Collecto r.

Just out of cur io sity, w ho se guest are you t his evening?"

"Reggie Holt brought m e. As his guest."

"Did he?" she asked and looked at M r . Hol t contem plat ive ly for a br ie f mo m ent. Her at t ent ion

snapped back to m e. "Com e tour the gardens w i th m e, w ou ld you? Befo re I open them up fo r

everyone e lse. You' l l get the f i rs t look. W hat do you th ink?"

"Really? W ow , sure, I 'd love to ," I said ent husiast ical ly. I w as genuinely excited ; it w as tr uly on e

of t he greatest pr iv i leges I had ever been of fered.

"This w ay, Bennet , sa id Rita , po int ing dow n th e centra l ha l l , Third d oor o n t he le f t . "

She took m y arm and leaned s light ly against m e as w e w alked thro ugh the lobby. I 've never

been sure o f where to pu t m y a rms w hen a w om an he ld m e l ike th is. I stu f fed them in to the

shal low pockets of M r . Hol t 's t ro users w hich were bare ly deep enough to f i t m y f ingers.

Num erous Col lecto rs eyed us as we w alked past ; on ly in w eddings had I fe l t th is mu ch at tent ion

in such a form al set t ing. M r . Holt s tared at us wi t h the sam e cold amu sem ent I had not iced

w hen he show ed of f h is jew elry. The w arm th o f Ri ta 's body against m ine made i t im possib le tote l l i f I was sw eat ing because of bod y heat or the pers is tent g lare of r ich o ld m en.

The th ick double doo rs to t he gardens w ere const ructed of in t r icate w ood p arquet-sty le

pat t erns. They were w el l -prot ected wi t h re in forced steel beam s, yet locked f rom the out sidew ith a sim ple keyhole. Rita pu l led a large, vint age lookin g key from a black-si lver clut ch she

carr ied, sl ipped i t in to t he lock and tu rned i t w i th a c lick. Cur ious onlookers w atched as w e

stepp ed in to t he d im garden and Ri ta c losed the door behind us.

Inside, the gardens g lowed w i th a m yr iad of b otanica ls that I had t he p leasure of w i tnessingbefore anyone e lse; f low ers wi th c losed pedals th at g low ed in purp le and b lue hues l ike f loat ing

orbs. Vast net w orks of m ycelium f low ed in gradual curves a long the pat h, producing a sof t ,

steady g low t o l ight the w ay. Green lum inous fun gus c lung to the th ick t rees that lo f t ed h igh to

the very top of the roo m , perhaps f ive or six s tor ies above. Above them , a ret ractable roof w as

closed for the evening. The a i r w as oxygen r ich, moist and smel led l ike p ine and ho ney.

Ri ta and I w alked dow n t he le f t path. Severa l s teps inside, the m usic and mu rm urs of those

out side were replaced wi t h only the f lu t t er ing of m ore lum inescent b i rds, the ch irps of cr ickets,and th e cl ick of Ritas heels along th e decorat ive br ick pat hw ay.

"W ow ," I sa id wi th am azem ent. I t w as a ll so very in tent ional , ar t icu late and beaut i fu l . I t w as a

place of tr anqu il i ty. A place of Zen.


23/48


Ri ta w alked ahead and turned t o face m e, "W ould you l ike a personal tour?"

I nodded.

"Tw o acres of custom designed fo l iage," Ri ta began, "M ost ly hybr ids of exot ic f lora that havebeen ext inct for a t least one-hundred m i l l ion years. One-hundred and e ight scient is ts includ ingm ysel f have w orked fo r near ly e ight years acquir ing and processing th is genet ic know ledge in to

l iv ing f lora. This garden is a show case of ou r f inest w ork. Together w i th f i f t een of m y staf f , we

comb ined ou r m ost successfu l re incarnat ions in to a resi l ient and fu l ly fun ct ion ing indoor

ecosystem.

Rita had bu il t t he very f irst Designer Garden.

W e stop ped around a bend. "Let me show you somet h ing incredib le we d iscovered last year ,"

sa id Ri ta . She bent over and point ed to a s ing le p lant ro oted near a pr ick ly bush. The p lant w assmall, only reaching as high as th e knees, w ith lots of t hick and w axy leaves. "Touch a leaf, but

do so careful ly. Only use a single f inger. Go on; brush it very quickly and very l ight ly."

I st roked m y index f inger a long a leaf o f t he p lant and pu l led m y hand away. As i f I had aw oken

i t , v ines im m ediate ly pushed out w ard tow ards m y f inger . I t qu ick ly cur led upon i t se l f , as i f i t

w ere constr ic t ing prey.

"W hat w as that ?" I gasped.

"W e cal led i t the Greenthum b," she sa id, " I t reacts to o i ls on t he sk in and rapid ly grow s. I f you

w ere to ho ld your f inger th ere, i t w i l l wrap i t s v ines around as t ight ly as i ts size w i l l al low . Them ore you st ruggle, the fu r ther i t creeps up th e body and t ightens. As i t cont inues to co l lect o i ls

the v ines w i l l sw el l and grow. Obviously, i t m ust be handled w i th extrem e care. I t could very

w ell str angle a person."

"Seems l ike a rather d angerou s species to keep at h om e, I said.

"Oh yes," said Rita, no dd ing. "I f po orly hand led, the Greent hum b is a very dangero us species.

Strangely, i t is most react ive to hu m ans, som eth in g we h aven' t f igured out yet . There are a lo t

of m yster ies in here. Be carefu l o f what you t ouch."

I shuddered, ho ld ing m y f inger and looking at t he h ideous, ev i l p lant . Perhaps som e th ings

w ere be t te r o f f ex t inct .

Rita show ed m e tu l ips th e size of basketballs, hexagonal bam bo o stalks as th ick as trees, and

cherry-sized apples that grew on squat t rees and prod uced a d i f ferent f lavor in every p iece of

f ru i t they bared.


24/48


"Are t hey safe to eat?" I asked, po int ing at one o f t he gnar ly l i t t le t rees.

"They cer ta in ly are," Ri ta said cheer fu l ly . She p icked a few f rom the branches and to ssed m e

one. "Try a few . Alw ays a surpr ise."

Thought fu l ly , I crunched dow n and t r ied to det erm ine the f lavors. "This ye l low one is great , Isaid, Tastes alm ost l ike... vanil la pud ding. But th e text ure is a l it t le gr i t t y."

Ri ta held out her apple to m e and said w hi le chewing, "Bennet , t ry th is one. Sour cake icing,

maybe?"

I crunched dow n ow n the uneaten hal f and gr im aced, Oh! I t 's horr ib le !"

"The Tree of Good and Evi l , I suppo se," Ri ta said hu m orously, and lead m e fur t her dow n t he

pa th .

" I f t hat is t rue, I should b e very, very caut ious of eat ing w hat you ' re g iving me."

She laughed; i t w as the m ost sincere th ing heard f rom anyone s ince my arr iva l . The l ight

w r inkles a round her eyes d ropped her guard and a l luded t o the w isdom o f a m ind tha t cou ld

concept ualize a place l ike this. This garden w as m agical to h er. Lovingly, she int rod uced m e to

her p lants. She placed her han ds on several tr ees as w e w alked along, as i f she w ere checking

their pu lse or greet ing them . And for t he f i rst t ime s ince I had arr ived, I fe lt re laxed.

Al though t w elve years o lder than m e, she held hersel f wel l and w as fantast ica l ly a t t ract ive. I

am a comp lete st ranger ; w hy had th is beaut i fu l , r ich and in te l l igent w om an brought m e here

before everyone e lse? There w as not h ing special about m e. I had noth ing insight fu l to sayabout her w ork. W as I be ing set up for a joke? Par t o f m e hoped th is w as som e ef for t to

separate me and f l i r t . I hadn' t the s l ightest how these af f luent peop le th ink.

"Rita , there 's som eth ing I ve been w onder ing about . "

"A sk away," she said.

"W hy w ould you t hrow a par ty on ly for these o ld r ich Col lecto rs? W here are your scient ists ,

fr iend s, business partner s?"

"Richard w as a very in f luent ia l m an. The Col lector s wou ld regular ly scout for up-and-com ers in

the academ ic w or ld t o f ind new pro jects to fund. M any years ago, in h is ear ly tw ent ies, Reggie

Ho lt m et Richard and g roomed h im to be par t o f t he Co l lecto rs . M any o f the men here ton igh tfunded Richard s w ork and saw i t t hrough Congress. Obviously, they saw the opp or tu ni ty . For

lay ing the groundw ork, they have benef i t t ed t rem endously."


25/48


"How did you m eet Richard?" I asked.

"W hen I w as comp let ing my PhD at th e Dul l ins Academ y, I w as asked to speak on a panel about

the fu ture of b io-enhancement for M OSAIC Proto col ser ies robot s. Richard spearheaded th e

pro ject , so he w as a lso on t he panel . Not long af ter th e panel d iscussion, he asked m e to

dinner . Af ter that , he wo uld ca l l m e when he w as in tow n. Those occasions grew m oref requent as t im e went on . He was f i f t y -tw o w hen we m ar ried and I w as tw enty -eigh t . A f te rtw enty- tw o years of m arr iage, he d ied six years ago. Since t hen, I 've dedicated m y inher i tance

to con tin uing his vision and direct io n. So, I guess you can say I felt I ow ed a party t o th e

Collectors."

"W hat w as h is v is ion?" I asked.

"To f ree hum ani ty f rom m anual labor and d im in ish er ror f rom our supply of basic needs so w e

can l ive mo re prod uct ive, creat ive l ives. I t w as the core goal o f h is w ork and t he very purpose

of M OSAIC. Assets, infrastru cture and com m unicat ions. Integrat ing M OSAIC as a pub licinst i tu t ion w as a dream far beyond w hat he t hought w as achievable in h is l i fe t im e, but i t

happened. He had a way of get t ing that t im ing just r ight . This garden represents my ow n

extension for that v ision; these p lants m ay hold so lut io ns for a susta inable fu tu re. That

know ledge is invaluable. There are many pro blem s w e may not yet know , and of course a few

tha t w e do ."

"L ike w hat?"

Rita sm iled. "This garden is ful l of m ystery," she said. "Perhaps som e th ings are bett er left

unknown un t i l the t ime comes tha t w e need them. W e have a lo t o f w ork to do . You 've had

plenty of quest ions, and now I have one for you. How did you becom e acquainted w i th ReggieHolt? He rarely leaves his estate long eno ugh to social ize w ith strangers and you do n't seem

l ike the t ype of person w ould associate w i th som eone l ike h im ."

"W el l , i t 's a funny story. I w as at the m useum th e n ight o f your exhib i t ion and ended up w i th a

t icket , " I spout ed before real iz ing it m ade me sound pet t y . "No o f fense. I rea l ly d idn ' t knowanyth ing abou t your w ork a t the t im e."

"No of fense taken, sa id Ri ta , So you ' re n ot h is apprent ice and you ' re not an escor t , w hy d id

he br ing you? I t 's ra ther pecul iar to m e."

"Tel l me about i t , " I said, laughing it o f f . "To be com plete ly honest , not a c lue. He said he

brought m e because I 'm a st ranger , and no body h ere l ikes a st ranger . M y very presence is

amu sing to h im . I don t get i t . "

"Hm , yes. Collector s are uniqu ely reclusive types," said Rita. "I have spent tw o years build ing

th is p lace and dedicat ing i t to Richard ju st so I could have som eth ing im pressive enough t o


26/48


d raw them a l l he re . I f you w ant the i r at t en t ion , you must astound them . I t has to be an o f fe r

they can ' t re fuse."

" I t 's none of m y business, but i t seems to m e everyone has i t in the ir m ind that yo u ' re going to

sell SayaTech ."

"W el l. I t 's amu sing they wo uld th ink that , " sa id Ri ta . W e st ro l led around anoth er bend, past anal ternate set o f so l id doors that s tood on our le f t . She pointed tow ard them . " That 's the

banquet ha l l . Shor t ly , w e ' l l have a toast and serve d inner as wel l as open t he gardens for

everyon e else."

"These gardens w i l l def in i te ly astound," I said, "but you had bet ter m ake sure t hey know about

tho se Greenthum b p lants and anyth ing e lse lurk ing in here. That t h ing is dangerous. I t k ind of

m akes m e nervous."

"I t 's very sim ple, Bennet ," she said, "Be m indfu l and st ick to t he pat hs. You l l be alr ight."

OPULENCE

Rita s m ent ion of a to ast rem inded m e of m y sobr ie t y. Return ing to t he lobby, a ll I could spot

w ere the estate' s Protocol One staff dishing out snacks and non -alcoho lic beverages. The roo mw as dry. The Col lectors w ere r ight w here w e le f t t hem , standing in the ir social c i rcles w i th

escor ts behind t he ir respect ive patr on.

M r . Ho l t took no t ice o f our retu rn .

"Ah, Ri ta !" h e sa id cheer fu l ly , "An d Bennet , my gracious guest ! There you both are! Ri ta , I'm

thr i l led to see you 've met Bennet , my guest fo r th e evening."

"Benn et ," she respond ed, " is quite t he character, Reggie."

"The decor is exquisi te ," com pl im ented M r. Hol t , " I am cer ta in your gardens are just as

stun ning. Wh at say you, Bennet?"

"It 's a nice place," I said. "Big tr ees, f low ers, apples. But just look out for t he Greent hum bs."


27/48


"Reggie," said Rita, "I can ensure you w il l have m any surpr ises th is evening. But fo r now , I have

som eth ing to show you. Please fo l low m e, w ould you?"

They le f t m e standing awkw ardly in the lobby. Sal Lannard, the on ly human b eing w ho m ight

recognize m e, was standing w i th several Col lecto rs. I w andered over and eavesdropped .

". . . far as I see it , those execut ives are no dif feren t. Threats wo rk, at t he very least. Obviously,br ibes are faster and far less expensive."

"Oh, s top t he rhet or ic and bragging, Sal ," b ickered anot her gent lem an, "you teach us noth ing.

Rem em ber how badly you want ed Sun Com m r ight a f ter President Channing was e lected? I t 's

m ine. No th reats or br ibes necessary."

"Your ego m akes you short -sighted , Er ic," said Sal, waving him aw ay.

" I don ' t know w hy e i ther of yo u care about Sun Comm ," ch imed in a sur ly gent lem an, "U selessold med ia. And fur t her ru ined since the day you too k cont ro l . I was g lad to get r id of that

trash."

I recognized one o f th em ; Er ic Olsen th e Third. He w as a shor t and sk inny fe l low w i th a p ointed

chin and nose. He wore a dark fedora w i th th ick sideburns t r imm ed w i th carefu l precision to

m eet h is jaw l ine. I f al l Am er ican news and in form at ion w as a f lood, Sun Com m unicat ions w as

the levee that m anaged the f low . Er ic ow ned i t al l . I tho ught he wo uld be ta l ler .

"Tell m e, Sal," said Eric, " W hat h ave al l of t hose th reats and br ibes achieved fo r you in t he past

th ree years? Hm ? You are incapable of f inishing a deal. And as for yo ur ' t rash', Oscar, m aking

th e Sunn Com m d eal gave m e leverage dur ing th e entire Chann ing Presidency! Oscar, th e onlyreason you haven' t been b ought o ut is because Reggie Hol t seem s to th ink you ' re th e only one

w ho could convince Sal to g ive you baseball . Cal l me shor t -sighted, but just know your

imp otence m akes you w or t h less. That goes for bo th of you."

"Bah! I w ould never se ll basebal l! " Sal exclaimed as if som eone h ad dem anded h is f i rst bornchi ld . The Col lecto rs not iced m e hover ing behind Sal . Severa l m urm ured to each other . A few

oth ers sauntered o f f .

"Sir , w hat is your nam e?" asked Oscar . He wore a purp le-t in t ed m onocle, had the m out h of a

bul l f rog and dual neck w at t les that lum ped over h is co l lar . They boun ced when he spoke.

"Benn et Kapshandy," I said, "And y ou are?"

"Oh," he said d isappoint ing ly and tu rned away w i th d isin terest . He whispered som eth ing to t he

tw o generously-aged gent lemen next t o h im and shuf f led aw ay.


28/48


An uncom for t able si lence arrested t he v icin i ty . Sal Lannard chew ed on the s lobbery end of a

c igar tha t he hadn ' t l it , o r even cu t fo r tha t mat t e r . W i thou t a d r ink in m y hand , i t seemed

fr ivo lous to d iscuss a lcohol , so I d efaul ted t o t he n ext icebreaker I could t h ink of .

"Those are incredib le shoes! Are they m ade of a l l igator?" I comp l iment ed the m an standing

next to Sal.

"No , they re no t , " he responded and looked away as i f my w ords were an of fending odor .

"Oh, wh at are they?" I prodded. I f igured at the very least I could get h im t o brag about h is

m ater ia l goods. Alas, he cont inued to look the exact opposi te d i rect ion. His nostr i ls f lared and

he coughed as if I had just t o ld h im I w as test ing for a hern ia.

Sal Lannard pul led a f lask f rom his jacket and to ok a swig. I couldn ' t m uster the courage to ask.

"Do you know w h ich w ay the bath room is?" I asked . The room m ay as w e ll have been em pty .

"Ok. No prob lem," I sa id, ho ld ing my hands up in surrender , " I ' l l just go f ind i t now ."

I sighed and walked of f my f rustrat ion. M r . Hol t w ould have appreciated m y at t em pts at

conversat ion and t he ir pret ent ious responses. One of Ri ta 's P-Ones d i rected m e to the

ba th room a t the end o f the ha ll . The red carpet p a th ex tended f rom the lobby and in to thebathroo m , w hich subsequent ly had its own lobby. Around t he corner , a line of go ld-p lated

ur ina ls w ere insta l led, wi th an adjacent row of enclosed sta l ls featur ing th ick mahogany doors

and br ight ly po l ished handles.

I chose the fur t hest ur ina l . M y id l ing mind m edi ta ted on t w o para l le l th oughts: f i rst , the absurd

realizat ion t hat I w as p iss ing in to gold, and secondly, my conversat ion w i th Rita . W hy w ould

she w ant t o im press these o ld snobs? I understood h er la te husband's connect ions, but she

seem ed w as so apar t f rom them . SayaTech w as w el l -respected by t he publ ic , so t here seem ed

no need f or po l i t ics. I f she w as in terested in sel l ing i t for any reason, then w hy th e b ig show ?Any w ise co l lector could see SayaTech w as a good investm ent or t hey w ouldn ' t have come in

th e f irst place. Everyt hing seemed so unnecessary.

The Prot ocol One b athroo m at tend ant Bac-Flashed m y hands, m assaged m y shoulders,

ad justed m y back , sp rayed m outhw ash, o f fe red m e a cour tesy w et t ow e l and a pepperm in t .His suit col lar bo re a small w hit e em bro idered SayaTech logo. His nam etag w as pr int ed

STEVEN.

"So, Steven, you l ive here in t he estate?" I asked h im cur iously as I w iped m y brow .

"Yes, sir ," h e acknow ledged.


29/48


"How of ten does Ri ta thro w par t ies l ike th is?" I quest ioned.

Steven's eyes looked upw ard for a m om ent as he concentrat ed, then sa id, " In t w elve years of

m y t im e at t he Saya Estate, th is is th e f irst part y."

" In t erest ing," I sa id, w adding up t he tow el and tossing it t o h im . "Thanks, Steven."

I re turned t o t he lobby and w as p leased to see Ri ta and Reggie had return ed. Despi te not rea l ly

know ing them , they d id acknow ledge m y presence, w hich made m e feel sl ight ly bet t er about

being ther e. They wer e bot h pressed int o a t ight group com posed of Er ic, Sal, Bull frog-Sm iler,

Hern ia-Cougher , and a couple of o ther m en. Their heads w ere dow n, preoccupied w i th some

object o f in terest . I p lanted m ysel f just beh ind Reggie and Ri ta , squeezing in betw een them

and th e escorts.

"Hi guys, I 'm so glad you 're back," I said.

"Bennet ! " sa id M r. Hol t in a t one of enth usiasm I d idn t r ea l ized he w as capable of , "Feels l ike I

haven' t seen you in days! How are you, m y f r iend?"

Flabbergasted , I said, "I 'm , um , f ine , Reggie. Just ret urnin g from th e golden ur inals."

Reggie laughed raucously, "Benn et, you m ust see this. See wh at Rita has. A sam ple fro m h er

garden."

"W hat is i t?" I asked.

"Opulence, she ca lls i t , " sa id M r. Hol t , "A bot anica l wi t h some in t erest ing proper t ies. Extrem elyrare. Of course, I w as incl ined to t ry."

In Ri ta 's hand w as the locket she had been w ear ing. I t w as tw isted p ar t ia l ly open and a l ime

green pow der f i l led the deep groove ins ide. Carefu l ly, she tapped a very t iny por t ion ont o th e

f inger t ips of each Col lector . They dabbed i t on th e ir tongue.

"W e uncovered i t in Brazi l , she announced, I t is an extrem ely potent der ivat ive of som eth ing

qui te ancient w e uncovered," she explained, "A f low er ing p lant . I t s un l ike anyth ing e lse w e've

ever found in nature. W e presum e th is species m ust have d ied of f ent i re ly . "

"W hat does i t do?" I asked.

"W ell, I ' l l just say this," Rita said as she tapped a port ion o nt o Sal Lannard 's f inger, "N o m att erw hat happens ton ight , w e w i l l a l l feel great do ing i t . "

I t sounded good to m e. I extended m y f inger .


30/48


"N one fo r you," said Rita as she closed th e locket. The Collecto rs chort led.

"One in ten p lants m ature enough to p roduce i t , she sa id, And t hey can only be grow n in

cost ly lab condi t ions. Gather ing th is m uch took n ear ly a year and t w elve of m y best s taf f . I t

shouldn ' t even exist . I f there w ere a pr ice, Reggie is probably th e on ly one here w ho could

af ford i t . "

M y hear t sank as she put the pendant back around her n eck. I fe lt l ike a dog. The Col lect ors

w ere equal ly p leased w i th t he ir pr iv i lege as they w ere amused by th is re ject ion.

Sal reached over to en velop Rita in a big bear hug. She quickly dodged his att em pt . Er ic tapped

his f ingers cont em plat ively and asked, "Rita, how m uch for SayaTech? All of i t . Just nam e your

pr ice."

"How bold of you, Er ic ," she sa id, "But I 'm afra id you ' re t oo la te. It 's not f or sale anymo re."

"W ho bought ? Gregory Hem m ings? He has been an incessant th orn in m y side. I sw ear he has

an in fatu at ion for w hatever it is I w ant . Always out b idd ing m e at the Glory Auct ions,"

comp la ined Er ic . He g lared at t he t a l l, lanky character in the oppo si te corner .

Gregory Hemm ings w ore a wide-r im m ed cowb oy hat . On h is w aist w as a f lashy bel t buckle

featur ing the bold, sh in ing emblem f or Handsom e M eats. Handsom e M eats w as the only

rem ain ing natura l cat t le ranch in the country, proud ly under h is so le ow nership. He had madethe in te l l igent decision to star t buying up the budding M eat Growing industry w hen the

prohib i t ion on lab cu l t ivated m eats had l if ted. At t he t im e of the Saya banquet , he had

conglom erated n inety-percent of the industry und er a p lethora of brand nam es. The oth er ten-

percent w ere owne d by anot her gent lem an in the room nam

Fallen Gods of the Old World by J. Adam Lefever

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