Suzy Que

By Bill Parker

We were told that only the finest of mankind ventured forth from Earth into space. But if you ask any of the other intelligent species, they will tell you fast and quick that where mankind goes, evil grows. Evil follows us in our jump wakes like a foul stench. According to them, mankind was cast into the outer darkness because of the evil in his heart. Four millennia later, Earth had become just a distant memory, a legend. Explorers sent back to find Old Earth only found a burned-out cinder where it should be.
So then, Mankind had surely been cast into the outer darkness for a reason. Fate had saved this remnant of Mankind, and He was not willing that any who belonged to Him were lost. So, once more, Fate tested mankind in the crucible of time to separate the gold from the slag.
Into this chaos came a secret wrapped in an enigma enclosed in a mystery. In the beginning, Mother was killed for this secret by the worst gangster on eleven planets. David Zharn would stop at nothing, kill anyone in his path, to gain the secret. But then there was Suzy. She was not at all what she seemed, nonetheless, she was every bit what was needed. But Mother had hidden the secret so that only Suzy could unwrap the mystery. Then Suzy had to solve the enigma to find the secret, but only if she survived.
The whole time, Suzy was never more than one step ahead of David Zharn’s gangsters. To follow her path, she needed to sit right next to the Devil himself without letting on. The whole time, war was looming all around her. The evil Syndicate had sent in their best assassins and spies, known only by the codeword ‘Betto,’ to infiltrate not only David Zharn’s mob but also Union Fleet itself to the highest levels. When Special Forces gets involved, this becomes a spy versus spy to nines in a full contact match. The Syndicate was not about to give up what it considered theirs to take.
And then there was the secret. Was mankind cast into the outer darkness because of the evil in his heart? You will have to discover the secret to find out.
Suzy Que is the prequel to the entire Five Moons Series. It sets the stage and puts the characters into play. It is a real intellectual walk in the weeds while at the same time a love story, a detective story, a spy thriller, and an action-packed science fiction story to its very core. Just when you think you know where this story is going, it takes yet another turn.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bill Parker
• Release date: Mar 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463885772

Bill Parker

BILL PARKER's 39-year railway career began at Doncaster in 1945 and progressed through to divisional manager at Kings Cross. He died in 2023.

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Suzy Que

A Science Fiction Novel

By Bill Parker

Suzy Que by Bill Parker

Copyright © 2019 William P. Parker, 14059-9749 USA

All rights reserved. All of the stories, characters, places, events, and things presented in this novel are the intellectual property of William P. Parker.

Disclaimer:  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and as such are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, organizations, events, or locales is entirely coincidental, except for Elm Cove. It really did exist in this time stream.

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Prologue

Good morning, Doctor Johnson, the security scanner greeted her as she entered the building, but she continued on without so much as a word.

Good morning, Evelyn, everyone greeted her as she made her way to her office and lab.

Good morning, she smiled and answered back. Everyone liked Evelyn.

Mid-morning, Evelyn looked up from the genetics project she was working on to find Suzy standing there, patiently waiting for her with a big smile on her face. Evelyn smiled. She got up and hugged Suzy. Suzy hugged her back. Evelyn kissed her cheek.

You are special, Evelyn whispered to Suzy. You don’t belong wearing the two-tone beige. You are not one of them.

I am special, Suzy repeated. I love you.

And I love you, Evelyn whispered back. It was their secret, just between them.

I heard Supervisor Macklin complaining this morning about how much of my time you were taking, Suzy told Evelyn. That was not good. He says that he needs to deliver me next month to make his quota, and I won’t be ready if I am always here with you.

We have come so far. We can’t have problems now that we are this close, Evelyn decided. So, she got Jimmy Macklin on the videophone. She wore her best ‘schmooze’ smile.

Hi, Jim. It occurred to me that I need one of my test bots in my lab an awful lot.

Yes, actually. You do, Jimmy agreed. I really need her to finish her training so I can get her delivered.

That training is all over the network, though. Am I right?

Well, yeah, mostly.

Could she do it right from my office? I could sign off on it then.

Sure. That would be fine. I will send you the schedule. Jimmy went away happy.

You are more than special, Evelyn told Suzy. Now, let’s review. For every plan. We have a backup plan. I need to be certain that you have this all down.

For the next two hours, Suzy and Evelyn went over Evelyn’s plans in every detail. She grilled Suzy and made sure that she could do whatever it took. Only then did Evelyn look at Jimmy Macklin’s training schedule. Only then did she set Suzy to that task. Evelyn was happy to just have Suzy there with her. Life was good… well, almost. But Evelyn had fixed that ‘almost’ alright.

As the hour grew late, Suzy’s time with her came to an end. Suzy had to go back. Evelyn hugged her, kissed her cheek, and sent her on her way, but she wasn’t quite done yet.

Outside her office, old-style mechanical androids began cleaning the hall. As they did, a man in coveralls stood half-hidden behind a column. The name on his coveralls said ‘Manuel,’ but that was not his name. ZapClean was embroidered across the back. In his hand, he held a small tablet. He spoke commands softly into it and watched.

Evelyn spoke the words into her system but recorded it as a hard copy. This was important as she did not want anybody to have any excuses. It would be in black-and-white as plain as day. She expected this crap would hit the fan tomorrow morning. So be it.

As she worked, a small spider-bot made its way silently across her floor. It had but one task. It closed in. In an instant, it struck. It sprayed a deadly poison onto Evelyn’s bare ankle, poison mixed with a virus to cover its presence.

Evelyn may have felt the sudden wet feeling on her ankle, but by then, it was already too late. Before she knew what was happening, she was gasping for air and grabbing at her chest. She struggled to voice her last words in vain as she fell to the floor. A few last convulsions marked her demise. The evil deed was done.

The man in the ZapClean coveralls looked at his tablet. It’s done, he reported.

And you have the video to prove it? the man with piercing steel-gray eyes demanded back.

Yes, Boss, the man in the coveralls replied. The boss hung up.

~~~

Suzy came to Evelyn’s office the next morning, but security had the whole corridor blocked off. But Evelyn had prepared her for just such things. Suzy went back to her regular training schedule. Three days later, she could walk down the corridor to the lab, but now she no longer had access to Evelyn’s office. It was dark. Evelyn was not there. Suzy returned to Evelyn’s office every day for a week, but each time, it was dark…

Chapter 1

Today was the end. Bob Johnson had survived the sudden death of his beloved mother, which no one, including Bob, had even thought possible. He hadn't died on the spot nor had a nervous breakdown, but something deep inside of him was gone. Since her passing, Bob teetered on the edge of sanity, not remembering the moment ago nor considering the next. At first, shock had anesthetized his mind, but now Bob approached death with each step that he took, steeped in pain, consumed by his loss.

And don't think for one moment that any of this was the fault of the intelligent, lighthearted, and ever-loving woman Bob called Mother and friend. In fact, to the contrary, Evelyn Johnson had always encouraged him towards a rich and varied social life, and not just in word but also in deed, her own life filled to overflowing with family, friends, and colleagues from the university in joyful abundance. Oh no, Bob had built this prison himself one brick at a time over many years, preferring her company over all others. After all, who could hold a candle to her?

Despite his obvious condition, life around him stubbornly refused to stop. Today his phone started ringing early. At first, the phone call nagged at his refusal to answer it. Whoever was calling just would not give up and leave a message for him to ignore. It was becoming irritating. He was sitting at the kitchen table half-awake, drinking his first cup of java when the woman’s face suddenly appeared on the 3D display.

Bob Johnson? she asked, looking hard at him to be sure of who he was.

Yes! And just how the hell did you get my house code? He demanded, indignantly glaring at her, but she was unflapped.

Evelyn told me to call you, she said in a low voice. Etron is burning.

Bob was stunned. A mind that had died was slow to move.

She looked intently at Bob and repeated, Etron is burning.

Yes, Bob responded. Etron is burning. I understand.

You have a prepaid order waiting for you at CloBot. I am sending you the order details. You need to go pick it up, she insisted, today.

I will go right away, Bob replied. And with that, she hung up.

Whatever was left of the old Bob was gone now. The phone call had killed him. It wiped his slate clean. A man with a clean slate has nothing left to lose.

Bob looked at the order document that had popped up on his personal tablet. Mother had placed a special order at CloBot; at least that is what the order said. There were serial numbers and option codes, but nothing to tell him what this was all about. ‘Evelyn Johnson’ was listed as the purchaser, but ‘Evelyn Johnson or Robert Johnson’ appeared in the ‘Deliver To:’ box, so Mother had obviously planned for this. It also showed a number of payments with dates. Those could all be verified. Bob quickly checked Mother’s bank statements. Sure enough, there they were. Tempus Fugit. Etron was burning, and here he was, wasting time with doubts and disbelief.

Today was the beginning. A man with nothing left to lose becomes an unstoppable force. Dragon birds sang in the tree outside the kitchen window. The faint smell of real Arcturan Lilacs carried on a breeze lightly tickling the curtains struck him as everything around him came into sudden sharp focus. His mind was now clear and ablaze with purpose. He took his first breath as a free man and felt the warmth of sunlight on his face. He walked out into the carport. His car was docked closest to the door. Mother’s car was docked next to it.

The CloBot Salesroom location already displayed on his car’s navigation display as he entered. Good Lord! The woman on the phone had that access code, too, apparently.

Confirmed. Bob’s car undocked from its bay and lifted gently into the pattern as it logged into Suborbital Traffic Control.

Wherever you need me, send me, Bob whispered. There will I go. Whatever you ask, will I do. Whatever plan you have set in motion, will I complete. To the last drop of my blood will I endure. And he meant every word.

Bob kept looking at that order on his tablet as if staring at it would clear any of this up, but it didn’t. All that was clear was that this was certainly not a matter to be taken lightly. Mother had given this woman their private family code for danger. ‘Etron is burning’ required his immediate, unquestioned action. Mother had given her the private house codes and encryption keys, too, another closely kept family secret. Mother had that much trust in her. For now, so would he.

Good afternoon and welcome to CloBot, the perky receptionist greeted Bob as he entered the lobby. How can we serve you today?

Was she android or human? Did it matter? Not really, but he was fairly sure that she was artificial. She was somehow just too perfect. Real humans are never that perfect.

I am here to pick up my order, Bob told her in a low voice.

Identity, please, she requested. Bob looked into the camera. It scanned his biomarkers. A likeness of him appeared as a 3D hologram moments later.

Thank you, Doctor Johnson… I see your open order is ready for delivery today. I also see that you are a member of the CloBot Family, she said cheerfully. That was how CloBot referred to employees and contractors. Anthony Bertone will be your sales rep today. He will be with you in a minute.

Bob walked once around the lobby decorated in the two-tone beige that was the trademark of everything that CloBot did. Then he took a seat across from the receptionist. As he settled in, a well-concealed holo-projector began its sales presentation. Bob made an effort to ignore the usual background material about how special human clones had long ago been genetically engineered for transplant parts. This was all made to seem so ‘humane’ because, after all, their upper brain functions were absent for the most part due to some very original genetic engineering. That was supposed to somehow make all of this okay? Or was it just another rationalization? CloBots were the ultimate androids. They were so close to being human that most people really could not tell the difference. Bob could. They were too perfect.

He didn't pay much attention when it got to the part about how Calvin Thayer, founder of the CloBot Corporation, connected a computer up to a human clone to create the very first flesh and blood android. But when the holo-image filled with a view of the external computer network that made that first android possible, Bob sat transfixed by the image. Next to the computer, a slab nearly a meter-tall stood Andrew Johnson -- Bob's father.

I'm sorry, Dad, Bob said under his breath to the image of his father. I tried my best. I really did. Bob was only twelve when his father died. Every day, as his father had left for work, he would tell his son, take care of Mom for me while I'm gone. Andrew Johnson never imagined how seriously his young son had taken his words. The view switched to the Union dime-sized modern computer for comparison, which it rotated slowly, only a few decimeters from his face for effect. Bob's mind arrived back in the here and now several seconds after the image of his father vanished.

Sorry to bore you, Doctor Johnson. Bob turned to the sound of the man walking briskly towards him, smiling. A typical salesman type, Bob thought as he looked over the well-groomed and expensively dressed man that approached. They shook hands as the man continued,

I am Anthony Bertone, but everybody just calls me Tony. We are so glad to have you with us this morning. So, you're an associate?

The salesman's cologne was almost overwhelming up close.

Well, not exactly, Bob told him. Bob was quite frankly amazed that this idiot salesman didn't recognize his family name and connection to the corporation. What the hell is wrong with these people? Don't they even listen to their own sales promos? Apparently not. Well, far be it from me to educate this fool.

My whole family has consulted to the corporation at one time or another.

So, then you are a medical consultant?

No. My Ph.D. was earned in Artificial Intelligence Software.

Bob wanted to scream at him, You know, like my father: the man whose software genius made all this possible! but held his righteous indignation.

You are picking up a custom order then today? he asked with raised eyebrows as he looked at the copy on his tablet. Tony had never seen a custom order before. Standard CloBots were expensive enough, so you can only imagine how much more expensive a custom order one was.

Yes, Bob answered a bit nervously.

How did you like Cindy? Isn't she a charmer?

She sure is, Bob replied. Now I bet he'll tell me she's a bot.

She's one of our latest Arien model androids. I bet you wouldn't have known without me telling you.

Yes, I would have, Bob thought, as he said, No.

Tony rambled on incessantly as they entered the inner showroom but ended with, … So, when did you place this order? He was really fishing for what other salesman had taken the order, but he would start off easy and work his way around to it.

I’m not exactly sure. It was ordered for me.

Well, somebody really likes you. It doesn’t get better than this, Tony said.

Bob just smiled at him. Tony knew he would get no more information by prying and maybe more business by being discrete. He ushered Bob into a nice little side room that looked more like a parlor than a business office.

Make yourself right at home. I will have your new unit sent right up while I go to finalize the delivery in the system.

The salesman hadn’t been gone five minutes when the door opened. It was the woman on the phone this morning! His heart was in his throat as he looked long at the vision that had called him earlier, now in the flesh before him. Honey brown hair flowed down a graceful back in gentle waves of softness. The simple two-tone beige dress, though, just did not do her justice. Luscious lips set against nose and cheeks in perfect proportion were topped off with large brown oval pool eyes that swallowed his soul when he looked into them.

Hi Bob, she said when he looked her square in the eyes.

What are you doing here?

I am your new CloBot.

No way. She lacked that ‘too perfect’ homogenous CloBot look. She was… different.

Yes, way, she said with a big smile.

You’re… artificial? I would have never guessed that in a million years. How did you manage the call this morning?

It was easy. This whole place is run by artificials. The only real humans are the salespeople, and they don’t get in here until ten o’clock at best. I could make all the calls I wanted until then. I was a bit concerned, though when you didn’t answer. I had to use the house codes to see if you were there.

I never asked your name.

I am Suzy, she told him. Suzy Que.

Bob smiled. Oh yeah, Mother had named her all right. He glanced quickly to both sides as if someone would see or hear what was going on. She suppressed a chuckle.

They are all artificial, she told him. As long as you act human, whatever you do will not be questioned. She obviously knew what she was talking about.

I am supposed to bring you over to the sales office when you are ready. Are you ready? she asked. Tempus Fugit and he was spinning his wheels again.

Right, he said as he regained his composure and offered her his arm.

Thank you, she said and took his arm. The day had taken on a surreal quality in Bob’s mind and showed no sign of letting up. He was caught up in this now and determined to see it through.

Tony was going through all of the documents on his own tablet when they arrived at his cubicle. In his presence, the woman, or CloBot, or whatever the hell she was switched back into ‘artificial’ mode. Bob was amazed at how well she pulled off this look.

Tony had all the documents arranged so he could pop them up on the tablet one after the other. He had been through this a hundred times. He had his routine.

And so, Dr. Johnson, just to confirm, this is exactly what you ordered?

What was ordered for me, he corrected Tony. Yes, she is exactly what was ordered.

And have we met all of your expectations?

Yes, you have.

Good. We are working for a perfect score for customer satisfaction.

So far, so good, Bob assured him.

Okay then, let’s get started. Please approve at the ‘X’ that you accept delivery…

The documents popped up onto Bob’s tablet. It alerted him of their arrival. Bob pulled his tablet from his pocket and read through the documents. He approved where he saw the numerous ‘X’s with his thumbprint. He then sent the approved document back to the CloBot system. Moments later, her clear, legal title appeared on his tablet. He returned his tablet back into his pocket.

Hey, Ron! Anthony called to one of the male CloBots behind a desk across the room. SQ559519, he read from his tablet. Have her accessories brought out to Doctor Johnson's car right away, please.

Bob could see now that all of the CloBots wore two-tone beige uniforms while only the salespeople wore regular business attire of various colors. Bob sent the car its security codes to open the doors and to allow them to move it for him before returning to signing all of those papers.

Before you sign that one, Tony interrupted, let me show you the optional wardrobe. You know, of course that she comes with all the basics but… well, let me show you.

When Tony turned away to call up a catalog on his table, Bob looked at Suzy. She shook her head ‘no!’ Was she trying to tell him not to buy her any more clothes?

No, thank you, Bob told him. I think we're fine for now.

Okay then, just so that you know. Anthony never pressured a customer making a purchase as big as this. He would prefer they leave happy and come back to him to buy another one.

Bob's car was at the door, humming as they emerged. He held the door for Suzy as she stepped up and into the vehicle floating some twenty-five centimeters above the ground. It was a comfortable height for him but a little bit high for her. He decided to adjust it down as he got into his side and ordered, Home. When the coordinates appeared, he said, Confirmed.

The car spiraled upwards, waiting for clearance to enter the pattern. Bob watched as the CloBot building shrank into the distance below, his real thinking mind now taking back control. Old Bob, new Bob, whatever, he still wanted some answers, and there was a lot more than just a little explaining to be done here.

Now, will you please tell me exactly what is going on here? Bob asked unable to contain himself any further. I feel like I am stealing something here or, in the very least, doing something illegal.

You have done nothing in the least bit illegal. Ev paid in full right up front, honest and true, all according to the terms of the contract. You only took possession of what was rightfully yours, bought, and paid for, She assured him. The price was honestly set from actual costs and paid directly from Ev’s own bank account under her own signature.

Yes, I know that. I checked her bank statements, but to what end?

So that you would have documented indisputable legal proof of ownership.

Bob looked at the pile of documents that he signed. One of them was her legal title.

Yes, Bob confirmed. I do have indisputable legal proof of ownership.

Alright then, where do we go from here? What was the plan? Bob asked her.

You are supposed to take me home and keep me safe. Ev said that I should tell you that you are all that stands between me and certain death, Suzy told him. Mother was not one to be melodramatic nor did he ever know her to exaggerate danger. Bob had learned to trust his mother’s judgments of danger and to act upon them without question. Aurora was an outworld when his family settled there. Outworlders are tough, resilient, and used to seeing to their own safety and security. Aurora had become much more civilized over the years, but once an outworlder, always an outworlder.

Hmm. Why would she say that?

Suzy continued, I am to tell you that my genetics was based on experimental information developed by Tom Radanow. They are very special. Ev suspected that the CloBot Corporation wanted to use the secret genetics to make highly skilled assassins for the military. She told me that if she did not come after me herself by today, that I was to call you and say 'Etron is burning.' She said that you would come right away if I used those words.

And she was absolutely right about that.

Security is job one, Suzy said, using his father’s own words. Bob heard a lot of his mother in Suzy’s words and mannerisms. Enough so that he was confident that what she was telling him was true.

Why are you so sure that we will be alright now that you out of there?

My serial number was duplicated from another unit, already in production. She will be ready for delivery tomorrow. That is why it was so important that you picked me up today. When that unit is sold, her file will cover mine in the system and wipe out any trace of my existence.

How can you be so sure of that?

Ev was tracking some of her experiments through the system when she found that all of her research data on one of the units suddenly disappeared. The root cause was that one of the human lab techs had accidentally duplicated a serial number. It was not until the other unit was sold that all of her data was lost. She decided to keep this system flaw to herself. She just had to be very careful from that point on to double-check the serial numbers on her research units herself.

I have never seen an artificial as smart as you are, Bob told her.

Thank you. Ev said that I was special too. She tested my real permeability at 9.97, but she only recorded 0.97.

Hmm, Bob considered the impact of a female artificial almost ten times as quick at learning as the average human. Humans never did take very well to smart artificials. There was this whole paranoid fear that smart artificials would make humans obsolete. Androids invoked that same fear to a much lesser degree, but they were controlled. Suzy would scare them to death.

Ev said that you are an AI software genius, just like your father.

Well, I wouldn’t go that far, Bob conceded, but I do pretty well in core logic. I haven't worked on 'interface' in years. It has been maybe too long. I seem to have lost touch with just how far this stuff has come.

You would think that android software would pretty much all be the same, but then you would be wrong. What really makes an android sell is how human it appears to be. It has to have its own personality to be just like one of the family, as the advert says. You probably do not want it to seem too human if it is just doing household chores, but if you want a companion, well, that’s another whole other story then, isn’t it?

To make them seem human, you really have to simulate emotions. That’s where the software people took over. Those very creative software coders never cease from their constant tweaking, improving, and integrating. As you might expect, over a thousand years of android software development, those same coders seemed to have lost track of the ‘simulate’ part. Now, all that was required was a simple matter of tweaking settings on configuration pages to get exactly the level of response you want. That is where CloBot excelled. They applied all of that thousand years of software development for mechanical androids to their finest biologicals -- CloBots. There was no better software, nor more refined emotional responses anywhere in the Union.

Tell me about your software, Suzy.

My core logic is Life 2.147.

I designed that core logic myself!

Yes, I know, she said smugly and smiled.

But CloBot refused the rights to it, Bob countered, a bit upset.

So Ev had Jimmy Teach install it for her, as a favor.

They said it was way too cutting edge for them. They were very adamant about it at the time. Bob’s ego was still hung up on that.

"Jimmy has it labeled Life 1.989 so that