[Story] The Future History of Jakob Pettersohn (11/Jul/09 - Final Chapter)

[Ryan_Galen]

A timed out reading on his soul. That can't be good. Hopefully those soul gems Jakob claimed to have as standard equipment for the robots and other personel has safely snatched it, though it probally needs its sensitivity turned down just a bit. Probally a little disconcerning to Dorcan, walking around soulless.

So, I'm assuming Keaton's father is coming back in installment plans or something? After all, there's really very little reason for them to just be showing her his soul right now when they're sitting in robot central. Or is Keaton about to recieve some bad news? After all, part of the choice to come back is up to her father.

Honestly, can't wait to see what happens next.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

It'd be a bit difficult to take it back to claim on the warranty.

"Hi, I'd like to complain about my soul gem."
"I'm sorry, that use is not covered under the warranty..."

;-]

[RobbieThe1st]

Hm... I don't know... I had always figured that a 'soul' was basically a software image, running on either normal brain matter, or on whatever emulator the robotic brain is running...

Perhaps /dev/soul is the "harddisk", keeping a working or backup copy of all data that isn't currently loaded in memory?

I don't know - I can't think of any other theory of how this might work... It certainly looks cool however.

Hey, wait a second.. Why Linux/Unix? its been a few hundred years sense CJP, wouldn't someone have invented a better operating system(To go with the advanced hardware) in the mean time?


-RobbieThe1st

[Tapewolf]

Hm... I don't know... I had always figured that a 'soul' was basically a software image, running on either normal brain matter, or on whatever emulator the robotic brain is running...
Perhaps /dev/soul is the "harddisk", keeping a working or backup copy of all data that isn't currently loaded in memory?

I almost chose a slightly different device name, but that would have given too much away.
Needless to say, Salomere is going to look him over with her powers.

Hey, wait a second.. Why Linux/Unix? its been a few hundred years sense CJP, wouldn't someone have invented a better operating system(To go with the advanced hardware) in the mean time?

The OS is acting as a monitor for his hardware, it's not running him as such.  And heck, it might even be QNX which is popular for embedded systems.  Remember, the system was imported from an alternate earth continuity.

That said, Jakob is still running OpenVMS on a minicomputer that is almost as old as Dorcan.  (While this hasn't been mentioned, I'm assuming that it's the same one from SAIA that he bought/stole/inherited when they replaced it with something more modern.

[Gabi]

That said, Jakob is still running OpenVMS on a minicomputer that is almost as old as Dorcan.  (While this hasn't been mentioned, I'm assuming that it's the same one from SAIA that he bought/stole/inherited when they replaced it with something more modern.

And it's still working? Now that is amazing!

[Tapewolf]

And it's still working? Now that is amazing!

Yes.  However, one of the reasons they like it is because it is made up primarily of standard components.  It's all either TTL or CMOS parts, only the ROMs and maybe a few PAL/ULA chips are specific to it, and even those will only be LSI technology and therefore easy enough to duplicate.  There might be a few Z80 sub-processors in it, I don't know, but if so those would probably be the most complex parts in it.  The mechanical parts they can just run off with the forge.

Also, it's quite likely that they have laid enchantments on it to reduce the amount of wear.

**EDIT**

The 700-series was all-TLL.  Apparently the CPU core was made using the 74181, which isn't even LSI having only about 75 gates per chip.

[Tapewolf]

Thanks yet again to Keaton...

Chapter 32 - Wiretap

Joshua wandered through the complex, armed with a small hand-held unit.  It began to beep faintly and he stopped, turning on the spot and then walking in the direction where the beeping was strongest.  Entering one of the labs, he made for a storage cupboard and opened it.  Inside, one of the panther guards lay helpless on his back, the interlocks set off by Fendrick as a prelude to the attack.

"Come on then," the husky said gently, "I'll take you back to the lab."  So saying, he clipped the detector to his belt and hefted the creature over his shoulder like a shiny black sack of potatoes.

Joshua had been a robot for almost six months, but he still got something of a buzz from doing things like this, which would have been flatly impossible for an ordinary Being of his build and stature.

Just as he turned to go, he heard a faint rustling sound from the cupboard.

"Just a moment," he told the inert panther, placing him gently on to the floor.  Opening the cupboard, he suddenly noticed a small, quivering shape, and pressed the button on his watch.

"What is it?"  Niall asked, running into the lab.  He stopped when he saw what Joshua was holding.  "Kirian!?  What is it?  What's wrong?"

"Put me back in the cupboard!" she bleated.  "They won't find me there..."

"Who won't find you?" Niall asked, looking at the warp-aci with an expression of some concern.  "Josh, can you get her some coffee or something?"

"No!  Don't go... don't go into the kitchens... not alone... they'll get you..."

A faint suspicion began to dawn in the fox' mind and he chose his words with care.  "Who is in the kitchens, Kirian?"

"The ear-gnomes," she burbled, wide-eyed.  Niall just stared.
"They sleep in the oven... and when you're all alone they come out and eat you!  Daryil said so..."

The silence was broken by Joshua, who left, mumbling something about having a panther to deliver.

* * *

"Don't panic," Dorcan said nervously.  "I feel fine."

"But it's a soul error!"  Salomere shrieked, as if she was expecting Dorcan to drop dead there and then.

"It is alarming," Dorcan admitted, "But let's keep our heads, shall we?"  Even as he spoke, more lines appeared and his vision was entirely obscured aside from a few small patches in the corner of his vision.

"All right, what do we do?" she asked, in a voice of forced calm.

"Well, we'll need to find a way to ask Jakob what it means," he said, with a thoughtful expression.  "You know, the more I think about it, the less likely it is that he managed to design a software interface to my soul.  It must mean something else."

"Okay.  So how do we get in touch with him?"

Dorcan removed his shirt and working by touch, opened his chest up.  In the back of the door was a lining of blackmetal, which Jakob had somehow managed to imprint with the address, phone number and WorldNet address of the Jayhawk Cybernetics headquarters.

"If I remember the schematics correctly, the phone number should be on the back of the door.  But my watch only works inside Jakob's complex, so we'll have to find a public booth."

It took them some time to find a videophone since many people had their own personal communicators, but eventually they came to a small town.  To help reduce suspicion, Salomere - her fur reddened once again with dust - purchased a wig of long dark hair which she donned, morphing her natural hair into something like velcro to keep it in place.
Leading him to the phone booth, Dorcan fished the debit card from his pocket and handed it to Salomere.

"Good afternoon, Jayhawk Cybernetics," said a blond springer spaniel.

"Hello," Salomere began, "I understand your organisation has produced a number of android replicas."

"What?  That information is not public.  Officially I can neither confirm nor deny-"

"I have one here with me.  Serial number eight-one-triple-oh-triple-oh-seven."

"Indeed!  Who am I speaking to?"

"Salomere."

"Hmm, yes.   I thought you looked familiar." the spaniel suddenly became poker-faced.  "How much are you asking?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I know of your crimes.  What are your demands?  How much is the ransom to ensure our replica's safe return?"

Salomere blinked.  "I'm not holding him hostage, he's my son!  He needs help!"

"Oh!  I do apologise.  In that case, what seems to be the problem?"

"I'm getting some kind of system error," Dorcan said.  "Can I speak to Ashley?"

"I'll see if he's available."

The screen went blank for a moment, then a familiar face appeared.

"Dorcan!  Thank the gods you're okay.  What's happening?"

"Hi Ash.  I don't have time to explain, but I seem to have a hardware fault.  I'm getting an error message: 'Timeout reading /dev/soul'.  What's that mean?"

"I'm not sure offhand, but I can find out.  At a guess, I'd say it sounds like the circuitry monitoring the emergency soul-gem has failed.  Mrs. Ja'Fell, you're a succubus.  Can you just check him out?"

"Oho," Salomere began, and started chuckling to herself.  "You've got two souls in your head, kid."

"What?  Oh my gods... the squirrel!"

"Squirrel?" Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Some wandering brigand," Salomere said.  "He tried to murder Dorcan.  Now he's an ex-squirrel."

"Hmm," Ashley said, looking at the code.  "Yes, that would explain things.  The gem would have gone offline after capturing the soul... yes, I can see the error message would have appeared, but it shouldn't have mattered because it was only supposed to happen after death.  Your mother should be able to kick him out easily enough - that will stop the errors appearing."

"Great," said Dorcan in a relieved tone.  "But that leaves the slight problem that I'm blind.  The error message is covering my entire field of vision."

"Well, the next version of the firmware will include the ability to log into your OS for emergency maintenance, but for now we'll need to hook you into some equipment.  Let's see..." he ran a search on the phone booth's exchange code.

"...the nearest branch with the facilities we need is at Thorsden.  I'll call them ahead so they know to expect you."

"Thanks."

"Good luck," Ashley said, and hung off.

Elsewhere, in a small and dinghy office, a hare turned to his companion, putting his headphones down with an expression of glee.  "We've got her!" he crowed.  "Jayhawk Cybernetics corporation, Thorsden branch office.  Thirty minutes.  Let's go!"

* * *

"What are you?" Keaton asked, staring enraptured at the shimmering figure of her dead father.  It had just occurred to her without her 'Cubi abilities, whatever it was that she was seeing must be physically there, right in front of her face.

"A shade, I suppose," he replied.  "If you will, a projection controlled by my soul that will allow me to talk to you.  Whatever it is, Daryil has made it possible."

Keaton squirmed inwardly at his choice of words.  Dorcan in her dream had said that before he tried to slay her soul... was this a dream too?

"But why are you like this?  Jakob could build you a body... you could come back..."  Her words dried up as she noticed that Salem was shaking his head sadly.

"I'm sorry, Kath... I'm only here for a passing visit," he said, and for a moment he looked quite torn.  "Returning to this world would mean abandoning the others.  I couldn't do that."

"Well, could we bring them back, too?"  Keaton said, desperately.  Azrael glanced at Daryil, raising an eyebrow.

"The entire clan?  Look, Katherine.  Being dead has given me a fresh perspective.  Perhaps, in life, I always knew that Jyraneth was dangerously insane, yet refused to face facts out of tradition.  But from here, it's obvious.  Would Jakob be willing to bring back so many 'Cubi who had willingly participated in her atrocities?  I think not.  Even if he was, our return might act as a catalyst that could sweep the Red Queen back into power.  I would not be party to that."

Keaton's headwings drooped, but she nodded in reluctant agreement.

"Sierra," she said.  "How is she?  Is she... healthy?"  Her younger sister had been born sickly and her very survival had been in question for many years.  Even after that, she had been too fragile to leave the house.

Salem smiled.  "Well, as healthy as a dead person can be, yes.  The problems that affected her when she lived are no longer relevant.  Seriously, we're fine.  Those of who are here, anyway."

"Who... who's missing?" Keaton stuttered.  If those Kamei'Sin bastards killed any of my family's souls, I'll...

"Well, you and Lianna, obviously," he said.  "And Elizabeth."  Keaton started.  "Don't panic.  Your mother is still alive, though I'm not sure where."

"Thank the gods," she said.  "Would you tell me... what it's like out there?"

Out the corner of her eye, Azrael began to make frantic gestures.

"Yes, you're quite right, Angel," Salem sighed, glancing at him, and then back to Keaton.  "It's not considered proper to discuss the afterworld with the living.  Consider it... a surprise," he grinned.

"It's been wonderful to see you again," Salem said when they had run out of things to discuss, "but now I must return."  Reluctance washed across him for a few seconds, but he pulled himself back together. "Maybe we'll get the chance to talk again before we are finally reunited.  In the mean time, look after yourself."

Keaton nodded.

"And the next time you decide to take someone's soul, remember me."  With that, he vanished.  Keaton stood there, fixed on the spot where her father's shade had been.

Daryil broke the silence with a cough.  "I'm sorry that turned out to be a bust with your old man," he said.  "But it's up to him at the end of the day.  Still, I'm sure I can find some other way to make it up to you."

"Lianna," Keaton said hopefully.  "She's in a state of psychosis in the Academy's mental wing.  If anyone can make her sane again, it's you..."

"No," Daryil said.

For a few moments Keaton just stared at him, refusing to accept what he'd said.  But it wouldn't go away, his curt refusal gnawing at her.  When finally she spoke it came out as a torrent of sobs.

"No, no, no!" she whimpered, collapsing against the wall.  "Why not?  Why does she have to remain like that?  Why won't you let her have a normal life again?  Why..."

Her protestations died on her lips as Daryil flapped his hip-wings at her.  With the possible exception of SAIA's headmistress - who was suspected of being tri-winged - the only other such 'Cubi she had met was Jyraneth herself, who was dangerously insane and as likely to think you dead as look at you, depending on her mood at the time.

"Katherine, Katherine," Daryil said, placing a hand on her shoulder.  "Don't get me wrong.  I would consider it, but... well, Fa'Lina will flip out if I ever set foot in the SAI Academy again.  So unless you can convince her otherwise, I fear that Lianna will have to recover on her own.  But I promise, I will make it up to you.  In fact, I know the very thing."

"It is the perfect reward," he added, and removed her soul.

[Ryan_Galen]

Well, as I thought, Keaton's father just didn't want to come back. Not for any reason I would have personally expected mind you. Still, this does raise the question of what Daryil is going to do with Keaton. I mean... even for Daryil, that was unexpected.

Dorcan's error message being because of his soul gem wasn't entirely unexpected, though I would have guessed that it would be because of it being damaged or capturing his own soul, not because of it capturing the squirrel's soul. Thankfully his mother made the comment about him having two souls, so we know it's the squirrel's soul that is passing on and not Dorcan's.

A new villian pops it's head into the wood works, just as Keaton's family problems are about to be wrapped up... for now anyway. In retrospect it's probally way this chapter is called wiretap. Though the question of why someone would be wiretapping for Dorcan's mom on a public phone has me baffled.

Joshua's mindset is what really has me curious in this chapter. I've seen this coming for a long time, and it makes sense that Joshua would be the first one to exibit signs since he is the only being amoung the first batch of robots. I believe Joshua and the other robots are starting to think of themselves as their own race. Jakob's effort to make them comfortable by looking like their old selves slowed thing down a bit, but the insite into Joshua's mind shows how the unintended deterent is wearing off.

...or maybe I'm just reading into this too much, but it is a thought.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Perfect.... ?

er....



I can't wait to see what he's been thinking of now.

[Zedd]

What the...I better wait till next time

[Tapewolf]

A new villian pops it's head into the wood works, just as Keaton's family problems are about to be wrapped up... for now anyway. In retrospect it's probally way this chapter is called wiretap. Though the question of why someone would be wiretapping for Dorcan's mom on a public phone has me baffled.

Because she's worth a lot of money dead.  I'm assuming that they have a tap into the main routing system (and probably some kind of automation to look for keywords).  Tapping into just that one phone booth would be a bit silly.

...or maybe I'm just reading into this too much, but it is a thought.

I think you are, because you're exploring an angle to this which I haven't consciously thought of.  It might be worth my own investigations - a parallel can be drawn to Dan, I suppose.  Or indeed Abel, who seems to me to think of himself more as a super-Being than an incubus.

Perfect.... ?   er....

Perfect.

[Gabi]

Oh, I'm sure it's perfect... if it's what I've been thinking of for the last few chapters.

Poor Kirian... I guess it's good that she won't be causing trouble in the kitchen for a while, but having her live in fear is a cruel solution.

And I liked the conversation between Keaton and her father.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

A new villian pops it's head into the wood works, just as Keaton's family problems are about to be wrapped up... for now anyway. In retrospect it's probally way this chapter is called wiretap. Though the question of why someone would be wiretapping for Dorcan's mom on a public phone has me baffled.

Because she's worth a lot of money dead.  I'm assuming that they have a tap into the main routing system (and probably some kind of automation to look for keywords).  Tapping into just that one phone booth would be a bit silly.

T'other option is that they're not, obviously, tapping the phone booth. Just the phone line that the phone call was made to.

Perfect.... ?   er....

Perfect.

I thought you might say that.

It occurred to me that I should probably comment on the rest of the story. I'm just at a loss for words...

[Tapewolf]

T'other option is that they're not, obviously, tapping the phone booth. Just the phone line that the phone call was made to.

The problem with that line of reasoning is that no-one knows of a link between Salomere and JCL, so it would have to be a bit more wide-ranged than that. 

It occurred to me that I should probably comment on the rest of the story. I'm just at a loss for words...

Talking of which I must comment on Aisha's story at some point...

Poor Kirian... I guess it's good that she won't be causing trouble in the kitchen for a while, but having her live in fear is a cruel solution.

Ear-gnomes is a corruption of 'ear-noms' which someone said on IRC.  Daryil's probably forgotten he even did that by now...

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

The problem with that line of reasoning is that no-one knows of a link between Salomere and JCL, so it would have to be a bit more wide-ranged than that. 

Point. I had overlooked that detail...

Although that's not that no-one knows. Just -we- don't. I know you like putting details like that several chapters earlier, which is, I grant you, a good idea usually. In this case, however, there -is- the minor connection of who Salomere is with... Or you could come up with something else...

[Tapewolf]

Although that's not that no-one knows. Just -we- don't. I know you like putting details like that several chapters earlier, which is, I grant you, a good idea usually. In this case, however, there -is- the minor connection of who Salomere is with... Or you could come up with something else...

Okay.  I might clarify this in the upcoming chapters (probably chapter 34 at the rate things are going), but it's something like this.  Dorcan isn't known about outside of the town where he died.  His resurrection probably made the news but there isn't really any proof of it (aside from the dead Mayor) - so in the wider view it's like a "I was kidnapped by aliens!" story which most people have forgotten about.

Salomere, however is a wanted criminal.  They probably figured out who she was after she left the previous town, and now knowing roughly where she was heading, the news has got to a few bounty hunters like Mr. Squirrel, and the other two.

[Ryan_Galen]

...or maybe I'm just reading into this too much, but it is a thought.

I think you are, because you're exploring an angle to this which I haven't consciously thought of.  It might be worth my own investigations - a parallel can be drawn to Dan, I suppose.  Or indeed Abel, who seems to me to think of himself more as a super-Being than an incubus.

With the theme of immortality in the story, I'm actually kind of surprised the thought hasn't come up to you before. It's been in my mind for awhile now. Particularly with the council coming to investigate the facility soon, the idea of them running across the robot facility is hi, and decisions will have to be made.

At the moment, Jakob appears to think of the robots as if they're inorganic versions of their original species. But that thinking will have to change. Once they have creature strength mind shields, for instance, what is to keep them from installing one in Josh or our other two former being robots? Or the full magic system? Once they have such things up and running, questions will have to be answered.

[Slowtini]

As usual, Excellent work, Tape...

Quick question, what are they going to do with the squirrel's soul?
Will it be a "Catch and Release" deal?

[Tapewolf]

As usual, Excellent work, Tape...
Quick question, what are they going to do with the squirrel's soul?  Will it be a "Catch and Release" deal?

Thanks.  They're just going to release him, yes.  One question is why this didn't happen when the Mayor died.  I'm assuming it's a range thing.

Particularly with the council coming to investigate the facility soon, the idea of them running across the robot facility is hi, and decisions will have to be made.

Actually, I had almost forgotten that particular plot thread, or at least the hook to it mentioned in the story so far.  I'd better add it to the to-do list 

At the moment, Jakob appears to think of the robots as if they're inorganic versions of their original species. But that thinking will have to change. Once they have creature strength mind shields, for instance, what is to keep them from installing one in Josh or our other two former being robots? Or the full magic system? Once they have such things up and running, questions will have to be answered.

It's not clear whether they will develop the full magic system within this timeline.  They still don't have it by the time of the Brotherhood RP, which (as far as Dorcan is concerned) is tentatively set 30 years later.
That said, Turnsky's working on a rendition of him which is only plausible with at least some form of wing-morphing, so it's a little up in the air.

As for installing a Creature card in Josh, that would be kind of like 'Cubifying him, wouldn't it?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Very much so.

On the other hand, it's almost certainly a lot less effort to install a mod in a machine than it is to totally redesign someone's basic genetic structure (since Cubi's, obviously, have some fairly deep differences to your average being; at least in terms of feeding them, for example)

Unless the module is extremely expensive and/or hard to create (both of which can be overcome; see Dariyl's rise to tri-wing status, for example - all it requires is time and money and effort; the first two of which are hardly in short supply for any Cubi, really) I can see Android upgrades as being more in vogue than Being upgrades, as it were.

Of course, there's also the detail of how long someone will live for in an Android body; while that's still better than dying from blood loss, losing 50 years of lifespan to gain the ability to wave your wings about and cast magic is hardly going to catch on. And I'd expect it to take many many years of training to get -good- at magic; practice is important, after all.

I'm betting one of the reasons Cubi take so long is the lack of attention span, actually. *grin*

"So, for magic, you have to make sure you ooo, pretty butterfly!" ;-]

[Gabi]

Pretty Butterfly? That's a pseudonym I've used on several places.

I don't think all Cubi can make money easily. Some people can't make money because they immediately spend whatever money's in their hands thus being unable to save up, while others - like me - don't know how to ask for it and often have to content ourselves with the offers we get, making saving possible but only at a very slow rate. I believe it would be similar for Cubi.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Of course, Gabi. I wasn't suggesting otherwise.

However, your average Cubi can a) work for a lot longer than your average person or Being, and b) has the advantage of being able to read the minds of the people around him, thereby making it possible for an unscrupulous Cubi to use this as an advantage in getting a job, say, as a manager. Said positions tend to pay better than non-managerial positions, and also give greater access to opportunities for graft of a larger nature; entry level positions tend to have opportunities for low-level graft, if you're willing to break the rules, but that doesn't provide large sums of money.

In addition, Cubi don't have to eat; thereby saving a lot of money on groceries over the course of a year.


I'm not suggesting that all Cubi are that underhanded, of course - though I can't say I've seen anything to suggest that they, as a race, are unlikely to see this as a perfectly normal and acceptable approach - but for anyone with an aim in mind, this sort of thing could be easily accomplished with a little focus.

And, of course, if the Cubi in question wanted to be less selfish, they could also use the mind-reading skills to manage excellently, which would have hugely positive effects on the department or organisation so managed; sort of a tit for tat approach.


Edit:
Also, research tends to pay off after a while. Not -all- research, but overall, the trend is positive. Sadly, short-term payoff is less good in such a process. Fortunately, Cubi are all about the long term; putting in 20 years on a single child is way different to the approach of your average human being...

[Tapewolf]

Of course, there's also the detail of how long someone will live for in an Android body; while that's still better than dying from blood loss, losing 50 years of lifespan to gain the ability to wave your wings about and cast magic is hardly going to catch on.

The androids are designed to last a long time.  They do (or will at some point) have nanomechanical self-repair modules, and the mechanisms have probably been blessed with some kind of anti-entropic enchantment to reduce wear anyway.
Offhand there are two limiting factors - the fusion reactor will need to be refuelled in a few decades (which is hardly a major problem) and the other limit being the storage capacity of the brain modules.  These could be upgraded of course - indeed, the entire brain could just be ripped out and the mind and soul transferred across to a new one.
But yes - Jakob would be extremely disappointed if the android did not at least have a lifespan comparable to 'Cubi.

And I'd expect it to take many many years of training to get -good- at magic; practice is important, after all.

As for getting good at magic - presets.  But then I'm on an Ultima VII binge at the moment, so I would say that 

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I was under the impression the android design was still being worked on, and the original design used was a little bit dodgy, on grounds of not being really finished yet, so to speak.

Since said work would be, to my mind, something that could take ten or more years to do properly - since it -is- a secwet pwoject, you can't just go out and hire anyone, which limits how much you can get done, and how fast - a limited lifespan is not something I figure Jakob to have fixed immediately. It's not as easy as just waving a hand, after all...

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 33 - Bounty

"On the floor," said a voice.  Dorcan and Salomere complied reluctantly.  Their captor was a beagle dressed in the uniform of a security guard and he was aiming a small pistol at their backs. 
Behind the counter of the Jayhawk Maintenance branch, a golden jackal came back into the workshop carrying a small handheld data terminal.  His jaw dropped as he spotted Salomere and Dorcan.

"I've got her, Sir," the beagle said, wagging his tail proudly.  "The authorities are on their way."

"What the f*** did you go and do that for?" the jackal exploded.  "What did you think you were doing?  They're supposed to be here!  Orders from high up!  Jesus... the Boss is going to murder you when he finds out.  You know he's supposed to be one of Johan Cross' old students..."

The guard paled.

"Hush," Salomere interrupted, turning to face the beagle.  "We can still salvage this.  As I understand it, fixing Dorcan isn't going to take long, so let's get him sorted first.  In the meantime, cancel the alarm if you can.  If not we can probably hide somewhere.  It wouldn't be hard.  You can tell the guardsmen that I escaped or something."

"Yes ma'am," the guard said.  "What about the CCTV?  They'll probably request it."

"Show me where the recorder is.  I'll steal it while Dorcan is being checked out," she said.  "I hope Jakob won't mind the insurance hit, but it's what they'd expect me to do and I don't want either of you to get hit for aiding a fugitive."

The recorder was a hardened black cube about a foot each side.  Salomere's tentacles came out and with a little effort, cut it away from the concrete base in the floor.  Lifting it up, she dropped it and the cube vanished into some other plane as it fell past her knees.

In the workshop, the engineer opened up the small flap in Dorcan's skull exposing the fibreoptic port and attached his diagnostic terminal to it.  As Salomere returned, he entered a few commands and the error messages suddenly cleared.

"Thanks," Dorcan said, as they disconnected him and closed the flap.  "Now..."  He was interrupted by the sound of breaking glass.

"On the floor," said a voice.

* * *

Keaton awoke on a table.  There was something wrong with the room.  Colour!  She gave a gasp of surprise, and then another as she realised that she was breathing.  Sitting up she felt her wrist.  A pulse...

"What..." she croaked.  "I'm alive... What year is it?  How long did it take?"

"How long did what take?" Daryil asked politely.

"Jakob said it would take twenty years to clone another body for Ephrael..."

Daryil scratched his head.  "We can't clone 'Cubi.  It just doesn't work.  The magical bit doesn't 'take' properly without a lot of work and you just end up with a Being.  The clone Jakob created to fake his death was a special case - a bit of a hack, really, and not at all suitable for someone to actually live in."

"Then what... am I?"

"You're you," he said simply.  "And that's your replica," he gestured to the inert, de-souled form of the android she had been.  "That's why your eye is damaged again.  A clone would have full vision."  Keaton's jaw fell open.

"B-but the ashes," she gurgled, clutching for the locket around her neck.  It wasn't there any more.

"Yes," Daryil said heavily, pulling the thing from his pocket and opening it.  "Your real body has been kept in stasis ever since your death.  But we couldn't have you snooping around looking for it, so I told you we'd performed a cremation."  Before the jackal could protest, he leaned over and blew the ashes across the room.

"Burnt toilet paper," he said.

* * *

"Scruffs and Sethir," the hare announced, walking through the smashed front door.  His companion was a white wolf and like the hare, he was dressed in black motorcycle leathers.  The crossbow behind his back and the sword at his side jarred somewhat against the biker gear and the firearm in his hands - if it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation Dorcan would almost have laughed.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"We're here for Salomere," the wolf said.

"She's mine, you bastards!" the beagle yelled, rushing at the hare.  "You'll not have the bounty!"

I hope to the gods that's a feint, Dorcan thought.  Otherwise Jakob really will kill him.

As the hare and security guard tackled each other, Dorcan leapt between the wolf and his mother.  The gun discharged into his thigh but he ignored it, grabbing the weapon and bending it like a cheap fork.  As he tried to go for his sword, Dorcan punched the wolf in the stomach and pinned him to the wall.  It wasn't hard - the Doberman was considerably stronger than most Beings, as his party-trick with the gun proved.  His opponent, winded, glowered back at him with a look of detestation.

"I've been intimidated, poked with swords and shot at by goons like you," Dorcan said, "And I'm bloody sick of it.  Now it's my turn."  As he spoke, he pulled out the compact pistol which had formerly belonged the squirrel, flicked off the safety and pushed it into the wolf's face.  He didn't have much practice with firearms, but at this range he wouldn't need it.  The bounty hunter's expression did not change much, but he stopped struggling.

Meanwhile, the beagle had subdued Scruffs who lay on the floor in a state of concussion, but his arm had been nicked by the hare's sword and he concentrated on making a bandage from his own shirt to stem the flow of blood.

"I want you to know that I hate the idea of slaying a fellow canine," the Doberman told Sethir, "But if it comes down to a choice between Salomere and someone who wants her dead... well, it would suck to be you."

Behind him, his mother looked thoughtful for a moment and then her expression hardened.  "Stand aside, Dorcan," she said.  "We can't have any more witnesses."  Nervously her son shuffled away, keeping his gun trained on the wolf whose expression slowly morphed from stubborn defiance into a look of sheer horror.

"You know who I am and what I did, don't you?" Salomere continued as her tentacles emerged.  "You must do, or you'd not be here.  So you know I'm desperate and if I have to kill another soul in order to ensure my freedom, then so be it.  After all, soul-dead men tell no tales."

"Not in here!" barked the jackal, with a look of horror and disgust.  "Can't you do that outside or something?"

"Wait!" the wolf said, holding up his hand with a sickly grin.  "I'm one of Us."  A pair of black, feathered headwings appeared.  "You wouldn't consume a fellow 'Cubi now, would you?"

"Oh, wow!  It must be my lucky day!" Salomere said, her eyes shining with eagerness.

Oh gods oh gods...  "S-surely we can come to some kind of... arrangement... What do you want?  Money?  Anything..."

"Really?" Salomere paused.

"Yes!  Anything!"

"Okay," she said.  "With the engineer guy and the security guard as witnesses, will you swear upon your own soul to serve and protect my friend Dorcan Ja'Fell here, for a period not exceeding five centuries or until he releases you from bondage?"

"What?" the wolf gulped.  Salomere glowed and stepped forwards, an almost Keaton-like expression on her face.

"I swear to serve and protect your companion for the next five hundred years or until he releases me from servitude," the wolf said, very very quickly.

"That's better," Salomere said, folding her arms.

Scruffs came out of his daze just in time to hear his erstwhile companion pledge fealty to their enemies.  "You," he squealed angrily.  "I thought you were my partner!  You're one of them... one of the monsters!  You killed him, didn't you?  Killed the real Sethir and took his place, and now you've cut a deal with the demons!"

"What?  No... I..."

"Lies!" the hare broke free and lunged at the incubus, sword at the ready.  The beagle fell to the floor as his opponent bolted out from under him but recovered quickly, aiming for the hare's shoulder.  He fired just as the wolf pushed his partner aside.

"Oh shit," said the guard quietly, as Scruffs slumped dead to the ground.  Salomere made a sign of blessing over the corpse and murmured a short prayer.  The wolf stared back at her, his eyes narrowing.

"The authorities will be here soon," she pointed out.  "There's too much blood and evidence of violence for us to cover up now."

"Can't you make it invisible or something?" her son queried.

"The blood would stick to their boots... I think they'd notice the trail.  No, Dorcan... I want you and wolf-boy here to go.  Get to Jakob as quickly as you can - go there physically as the phone links must be tapped somehow.  These two might not be the only ones listening."

"What?  No!  I won't leave you!"

"Listen!  I have a plan.  I think it's the only way to solve this, but there isn't time to explain the details.  Just do as I say!"

"But what about you?"

"Just get to Jakob.  If he is as good a man as you believe, he'll be able to help me.  Now, hurry!"

* * *

Jakob walked into the lab with Joshua in tow.  "Excuse me," he said, and stopped dead.  He'd never seen Keaton like this before.  She looked for all the world like a pet dog about to be taken for a walk.  Behind him, the husky's eyes narrowed and he backed away nervously - Keaton in a good mood was usually bad.

"Oh, you're up already!" Jakob said.  "Wonderf-"  He staggered back as she hugged him.  "Gods, Daryil!  What did you do to her?!"  Is she on drugs or something?

"She's just happy to be alive," Daryil said simply.

"Oh, good.  Um, anyway... we have a slight problem.", the wolf said.

"What's that?"

"Well, Ashley was trying to bake some brownies to celebrate Keaton's resurrection.  The oven is completely dead.  I think we're going to have to replace the element."

"That means we'll have to go to the DIY shop," he said brightly.

"No, Daryil... please... not after last time," Jakob said in a somewhat distraught tone.  Then his eyes narrowed.  "Anyway, Niall tells me that Kirian left the oven on full-bore for most of last week."

"Is that so?"

"Yes.  Apparently she was 'trying to kill the ear-gnomes'.  You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Daryil looked guilty for a moment and then vanished.

* * *

"What's going on here?" demanded a stocky feline as the city guards rushed into the Jayhawk branch office.

"We have captured the demon Salomere and killed her accomplice," Dorcan told him.  He was dressed in the dead hare's riding gear and had assumed a marksman's stance, covering his mother who sat on the floor, staring at her captors with a seething look of impotent hatred.  Salomere's accomplice, the hare, lay dead in Dorcan's own clothes.

"Indeed.  May I see your bounty hunter's license?" the cat asked.  Dorcan's heart missed a beat.  At least, it would have done if he'd had one.  With a silent prayer, the faux-incubus reached into his pocket and pulled out the hare's ID card.  He stifled a grunt of surprise as he glanced at it to see that the hare's photo now portrayed a rather sour-looking Doberman.  Sneaking a glance at the floor, his mother's eyes were squeezed tight shut with concentration.

"Well, that seems to be in order, Mr. Scruffs," the guard said, handing him a complex form.   "You can fill this in to claim the reward if she is convicted.  I'll take it from here." He fastened a pair of enchanted bracers to the female Doberman and led her into their car as one of his deputies called for an ambulance to remove the body.

TV cameras had begun to gather outside.  Dorcan shooed them away as best he could and a few minutes later, with a look of resignation, Sethir led him to the alley where the bikes had been left.

Now... Dorcan thought - trying to recall his Being Transportation lessons from SAIA - Let's see how much of this I can remember.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Heh. I like the id card. That rocks.

And yes, the "swap clothes" thing is the 'Cubi party trick, I guess.

[Tapewolf]

Heh. I like the id card. That rocks.
And yes, the "swap clothes" thing is the 'Cubi party trick, I guess.

Well, it would have gone pear-shaped if Scruffs hadn't been around the same build as Dorcan, because he can't shapeshift anymore.  Though they could be in trouble if the police stop them, depending on whether Dorcan does still have a valid driver's license.

No comments on Keaton? 

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Well, the burnt toilet paper is a nice touch. Other than that it was a bit pedestrian; we've come to expect these shocks from you by now. ;-]

(I'm kidding, btw. It was fine.)

[techmaster-glitch]

The start of this chapter was a little confusing, but everything else is good, as usual.

[Tapewolf]

Robo-Keaton was never actually my original intention - Keaton suggested it herself, although a little wistfully since it would have killed her character.  About that time I wrote what became chapter 24, although more as a thought experiment than for actual inclusion, until I devised a means of doing so while allowing it to be undone.

In short, while we were expecting a certain amount of grief over this, the whole premise was conditional on Keaton being resurrectable.