18

"Unless you've managed to persuade Charon to carry me back against my will, we're going on," Xen said more calmly. The conversation had gone about as expected up to this point. "But I'm sure that would violate his contract, which means he can't do it."

"Dat is correct," said Charon.

"So we're going North," said Xen. "I'm open to discussion of the best way to accomplish that successfully."

There was a soft hum as Changeling considered this.

"Under present circumstances, you are easily capable of causing your own death when your judgment is impaired," said Changeling. "You must now understand this."

"Yes," said Xen.

"If this situation recurs, we may not be able to save you from yourself. Charon cannot disobey your orders in order to protect you, and you have removed my ability to do so."

"I have," Xen said. "But I'm not going to rewrite your objectives again. You still see forward progress as the greatest threat, so you'll just try to prevent me from going forward."

"You can aut'orize us to prevent you from clearly suicidal actions," said Charon. She'd noticed that he very seldom spoke without being spoken to. This surely must mean he considered the issue serious. Xen bit her knuckle as she considered.

"Yes," she said finally. "And you might accept that contextually. Changeling's base AI is too good at reinterpreting definitions when it's convenient." She thought about it for a moment. "You are authorized to prevent harm to me, including against my previous orders, provided that I am verbally unresponsive to stimuli repeated three or more times and that you have not deliberately prevented my response. Always prevent me from removing my goggles in daylight. Acknowledge."

"Acknowledged," Changeling said.

"I unnerstand," said Charon.

"Changeling, what are the odds that I'll have another episode like that?"

"Too many factors are involved for me to accurately predict," Changeling said. "It will depend most upon how frequently the precipitating trauma is repeated."

"You mean how often we run into people Charon has to kill," Xen said.

"Affirmative," said Changeling.

"Charon, you said you've been to the area before," Xen said. "Are we likely to encounter Raiders and Ferals very often between here and there?"

"Less often dan in the Metro," Charon said. "But on the surface dere are other types of t'reats."

"Human?" Xen asked.

"In a manner of speaking," Charon said. "Super mutants derive from humans. The rest are more or less animal. I have no reason t'believe we will encounter mercenaries."

"Mercenaries," Xen said. She traced the term in memory. "Men who fight for someone who gives them money? I don't think so. Not enough people know I exist for them to want to kill me." She looked at Charon thoughtfully. "A lot of people knew who you were back in Underworld. By now, everyone knows you killed Ahzrukhal. Would anybody hire mercenaries to kill you for that?"

"Dose who would best be able t'make the expenditure are also dose who benefit most from Ahzrukhal's death," said Charon. "I derefore consider it unlikely."

"You assume that Charon will be able to cope with any threats we encounter with no further assistance than I am able to provide," Changeling said. "While it is clear that his combat abilities are unusual, that may be an unwarranted assumption."

"All right, let's question the assumption," said Xen. "Charon, how old are you?"

"I cannot answer dat with any degree of accuracy," Charon said. "I do not know t'date of my birt'. I would estimate dat I am approximately forty years old."

"Forty years," Xen said, concealing her surprise. But then, how could you tell how old a Ghoul was? "And how many employers have you had?"

"My contract has changed hands five times," Charon said.

"And how many of those times were because an employer died?"

"Twice," said Charon.

"How did they die?" Xen asked.

"One died from an overdose of psycho," said Charon. "The other invalidated our contract by physical violence and died immediately subsequent to dat."

"None of them died because someone else killed them?" Xen asked.

"No," Charon said.

Xen turned to look at Changeling. "That's not a bad record, for a bodyguard," she pointed out.

"It is not impossible for him to lie," Changeling said. "And if he does so, it will not be detectable."

Charon didn't seem perturbed by this. Xen looked at him. He looked down at her.

"I don't think Charon is like you," she said. "Your AI is predisposed to lie when it fits your other objectives. That's the biggest problem I have with you. Charon, do you think you'll be able to protect me all the way to the crash site and back?"

Charon's face, square and heavy-lidded, did not change except for the twitch of a red and shining muscle in his right temple. His heat signature flared up so fast in the dark room that it shocked her. She took an involuntary step back. Changeling's laser powering up was an ominous sound in the momentary silence.

"Charon?" Xen said, aware that suddenly her voice was very small. "Your temperature just jumped about three degrees. Why?"

Charon's heat signature faded slowly back toward normal, only a little elevated by the time he spoke. His tone was flat, perhaps a little strained.

"I will abide by my contract until or unless it results in my own death," he said slowly. "While I live, I will continue to obey your orders, and I will prevent harm to you in every way dat I can. But I cannot predict future circumstances, and dere seem to be factors in your survival dat I am not well-equipped to perceive."

"Oh," Xen said, obscurely relieved, but wondering why this of all things should cause such an emotional response. "Changeling, shut that off. - I don't worry about my medical problems." Which was a lie, but maybe he couldn't tell that in the dark. "You shouldn't, either. We've prepared for them as best we can. I meant, is it possible we'll encounter an enemy you can't deal with?"

"Anyt'ing is possible," Charon said, but there was no temperature response to the question; apparently this was more familiar ground. "Dere are a few circumstances in which I will not be able to eliminate a t'reat to you. In the worst case, it is likely I can insure your escape."

He means at the probable cost of his own life, she recognized with a small shock. But that bothers him less than the possibility that I could die of a seizure. I suppose it's because one of those circumstances is something he's anticipated with every employer he's had, and the other is a new problem. What was it he said earlier? 'Nothing there we can fucking shoot?'

"What will happen to you if I die but you survive?" Xen asked, suddenly curious. "What happened with the employer who overdosed?"

"Dat caused me discomfort," Charon said, still quite calm. "It impacted only briefly upon my ability to serve the person who took t'contract from his corpse."

So that's not what he's afraid of. Interesting, Xen thought. It must be something specific to me. Maybe it is because I'm a 'juvenile female.' I think of myself as an adult. But he surely can't, not when he's more than twice my age. And I look younger than I am...

"Did Ahzrukhal ever order you to hurt someone my age or younger?" Xen asked.

"I do not know your age," Charon said.

"I'm seventeen." She watched closely for a reaction to this information, but saw none.

"Den no," said Charon. "He did not."

"Did he hurt a young person in front of you?"

"Yes," said Charon.

Ah hah.

"Was this person female?"

"She was," said Charon.

"Was that why you killed him?" Xen asked.

Charon looked at her without speaking for a long moment. There was a small, a very small temperature spike in his face and his hands. Presently he said, "Dere are many ways in which t'world is a better place wit'out Ahzrukhal in it. But it was a significant contributing factor."

"I see," Xen said.

And she did see.

It fits with what he said earlier, she thought. Maybe he knew a girl when he was younger, and something happened to her; or maybe a girl was kind to him somewhere in that Hell where he grew up. Upbringing can affect us oddly. I know I would find it harder to watch a robot be destroyed than most people in the Capital Wasteland would.

"So was Ahzrukhal the only employer you've killed after your contract was sold?" Xen asked.

"Yes," said Charon.

"One overdosed, one attacked you, and one you killed because he was a monster... I suppose a sick adolescent with an overstuffed head isn't anywhere near the worst you've seen," Xen said.

Charon, looking stolidly down at her, apparently had no comment on this. Xen sighed silently.

Wetware logic malfunction.

Just because he'll suffer if I die doesn't mean he likes me, she reminded herself. Maybe he hates everyone he works for, with that contract around his neck like a shock collar.

"All right. We'll move out as soon as it's dark outside," she said.

It was two whole days before they were attacked by super mutants.