Page 16 of Operation Iron Heart

Chicago, October 2056

Jack frowned, feeling unusually worried for a robot, and Cathrin nodded, almost as if she’d been expecting Marci’s answer. “You should never underestimate yourself,” she mused out loud. “As it happens, we have a role for you that’s just opened up.”

“You don’t mean Anah’s job?” Jack immediately interrupted, concern evident in his voice.

“Yes, why not?” replied Cathrin evenly. “We haven’t been able to find a replacement for her yet and Marci seems more than suitable.”

Jack shook his head in disbelief. “Cathrin, you know I hardly ever disagree with you, but Marci has two boys who depend on her. They’ve just lost their father. Are they supposed to lose their mother to MacIntyre and his gang, too? I didn’t get them out of the slums so that we could immediately turn round and send them back into the line of fire against MacIntyre and his bloodhounds. Will wouldn’t have wanted it.”

Marci put her hands on her hips and looked at Jack and Cathrin in turn. “Can someone please explain to me what this argument is actually about?”

“It’s called Operation Iron Heart,” explained Jack cryptically.

“We plan to spy on MacIntyre’s production facilities by sending him a decoy,” Cathrin added plainly. “The stuff with CRU and the sex robot was just the beginning. One of our agents was to attend a robot conference pretending to be the owner of a new start-up making ‘robo-lovers’. MacIntyre is due to open the conference in Chicago this Saturday and all the main robot manufacturers and key politicians from around the world are scheduled to be there. The aim was to gain access to MacIntyre’s inner circle and win his trust. We wanted to use what we found out to destroy his hybrid laboratories, which are so secret that even our agent on the inside doesn’t know where they are. As the prototype for this new generation of robotic lovers, Jack would also make contact with a well-known journalist who writes about the latest trends among the rich and powerful. We’re pretty sure that she’s interested in the idea of robotic lovers because she’d already arranged an interview with Rochelle that now won’t take place. Once Jack had snagged her interest, we would have been able to let her in on what MacIntyre’s really up to, so that the whole world can learn that his perverse experiments wouldn’t baulk at including children.”

“Why do you keep saying ‘was’, ‘would have been’?” asked Marci.

“Because Anah, who was supposed to go on this assignment with me, was killed during our attack on CRU, as I found out yesterday,” explained Jack flatly, “and we’ve not found a replacement yet. This kind of operation is pretty dangerous. You may not come out of it alive, and you need to know that before you agree to it.”

“What would my assignment be?” asked Marci soberly, giving Cathrin a challenging stare and showing that she was not going to be intimidated by Jack’s arguments.

“If you agree,” replied Cathrin, “over the next two days you need to transform into Skyla Rosebud – a successful businesswoman who’s recently launched a start-up providing male escort robots and who lives on St Lucia, one of the neutral Caribbean islands, that’s been set up as a tax haven for the super-rich.”

“And how have I made that much money?” asked Marci, confused. “I mean, I can’t just turn up out of nowhere, and that wealth has to come from somewhere.”

“You inherited a huge fortune from your aunt, Toria Rosebud. This late ex-wife of a Russian oligarch did exist and, in your manipulated backstory, she financed your education at the best universities. We’ve used her background to create a completely new identity for Skyla Rosebud that will stand up to any kind of genetic and data checks by intelligence agencies. Those checks will be automatically carried out when we use the data to register you for the congress in Chicago. If you agree, you and Jack will present your latest robotic lover prototype at MacIntyre’s gala dinner in the Universe Hotel.”

“Wow.” Marci whistled through her teeth, feeling awestruck. “The Universe is Chicago’s top luxury hotel. Their conference facilities can fit more than forty thousand people.”

“Monty MacIntyre normally invites representatives from combat robot manufacturing firms to this event to present the latest models to the governments of Western nations participating in the war,” added Cathrin casually. “For the first time, he’s invited innovative young companies who bring to the market new ideas on the use of robots. Skyla Rosebud will attend as the fictional CEO of our bogus company MfM – Men for Madames. And not only that, with a few small but elegant tweaks to the data, we can even bag a seat at one of the gala dinner tables. If I can persuade you to take part in this, you’ll sit at Jill Ambush’s table with Jack. She’s the journalist I mentioned and is not only the most popular gossip reporter in the country, but she’s also the sister-in-law of the PanAmerican President. Conveniently, she recently got divorced from Senator Aston Ambush, who happens to sit on the defence committee and is also responsible for the recruitment of hybrid soldiers. They have a daughter who studies abroad. The rumour is that Senator Ambush traded his wife in for a younger-looking robotic woman and Jill is now looking for Mr Right. I’m certain that after all she’s been through with her ex-husband, she’ll be keen to re-establish her crown and show him that she can look after herself. For that reason alone, she should be entranced by Jack and his abilities. The governor of Illinois, Doug Atkinson, and his wife will also be at the table. He’s an old friend of MacIntyre’s – they went to the same boarding school – and is funded by him. We, therefore, expect MacIntyre to come and sit at your table and exchange at least a few words with the governor. It’s then your job, Marci, to talk to him and push the advantages of your male robots enough not to only spark Jill’s interest, but MacIntyre’s too; the opportunity for a new line of business should make him prick up his ears as he’d already started one with Rochelle. Given the death of his wife and the stolen chip, it’s an area with which he’s inextricably linked.”

“But what if he’s behind his wife’s death? I mean, we don’t know that, do we? Maybe he didn’t like what she was intending to do? What if he has absolutely no interest in these robotic lovers?”

“MacIntyre is, basically, interested in everyone and everything that might make him a profit,” Cathrin explained. “And I happen to know that shortly before her death, he made Rochelle an offer to buy CRU back from her, but she rejected it. That’s why it’s important to find out as much about his plans as possible, particularly the location of his production facilities. It’s our objective to offer him a partnership in which he supplies Skyla with damaged combat robots that she then turns into attractive lovers. We can show him calculations that promise more profit than he was making off his fighters for the killing fields. If we can persuade him to come on board with Skyla, he will more than likely show her his laboratories. Once we know where his production facilities are located, it’ll be easy to attack and destroy them.”

“And what role does Jill Ambush play in this story?” Marci looked intently at Cathrin and had clearly made up her mind to accept the assignment she’d been offered.

“Once Jack has reeled her in,” explained Cathrin seriously, “we must persuade her onto our side; it would be a huge coup to persuade Jill Ambush to turn against her brother-in-law, the President, and tell the world’s public what MacIntyre is doing with all the innocent people who’ve been disappearing every day for quite some time.”

Marci still felt a bit dizzy, and not just from seeing Will’s corpse. Cathrin’s plan for her really was a challenge, and one that she definitely couldn’t tackle on her own. “I would like to accept the assignment,” she announced into the sudden silence. “But quite apart from the fact that I don’t look good enough to move in those circles, there’s also the risk that MacIntyre will recognise me. Have you considered that? He walked past me once or twice in Rochelle’s villa when I was polishing his ex-wife’s French silverware. I also don’t know anything about either the robot business or how they are made.”

“Believe me, you’re made for this role,” said Cathrin with an encouraging smile that didn’t leave Marci feeling any more convinced. “You even look a bit like Anah,” she added with an approving look.

Marci felt like she didn’t understand the world anymore. “There’s nothing about me that a man like MacIntyre could find fascinating. From what I know, he prefers robots that look like Japanese schoolgirls.”

“You’re right,” agreed Cathrin, still smiling. “We’ll need to put you through a makeover, but I guarantee he won’t recognise you afterwards.”

“Makeover?” Marci looked alarmed. “What does that mean?”

“We can adjust your proportions a bit by reducing your bust. As you said, MacIntyre and his allies are into a young look. Just in case you need to use your charms to get close to these animals. A bit of make-up and a change of hairstyle will do the rest. Would that be OK?”

Marci looked at Cathrin nervously. “A new hairstyle’s OK, but adjusting my proportions?” She licked her lips anxiously and glanced at Jack as if she needed his opinion.

“She’s perfect as she is,” he said earnestly. “I don’t want her operated on. Jeanette can give her a new look without an operation,” he continued firmly.

“Thank you,” whispered Marci, giving him a warm smile. “But my pregnancies have made my breasts a bit droopy…”

“That’s exactly what makes you so sexy,” Jack assured her. “I don’t think you should have to sacrifice your natural beauty to MacIntyre’s specific taste.”