Machine Man (serial)

“I’ll be honest with you, Charlie,” said Cassandra Cautery. “After you killed the Manager, some people were very upset.”

“About that—”

“Not to mention the car you put into the building. The whole wing had to be checked out for structural damage. Human Resources was working out of the cafeteria; it was a nightmare.” She leaned forward, earnest. “But here’s the thing about Better Future, Charlie: we’re forward-focused. We have an expression: history is a sunk cost. Because it’s very easy to slip into emotive thinking. Like, ‘This guy, he murdered our chief executive, he has to pay.’” She sat back. “But why? Will that help us? We didn’t get where we are today by worrying about hurt feelings. We got here by applying ruthless, dispassionate logic to opportunity maximization.”

“Like software,” I said.

She looked momentarily surprised. “Yes. I suppose so. But the point is, we understand that accidents happen. That great advances aren’t made without setbacks. We know better than anyone that, despite the best intentions, sometimes things just get messy.” Now she looked solemn. “With the benefit of hindsight, was it a mistake to install a Bioreplacement in Lola Banks without her knowledge? Yes. Should we have rushed to broaden testing to include other people? No.”

“Putting that thing in Lola is a hell of a mistake.”

“So is kicking a man out a window to his death. You see? Fault on both sides. The important thing, Charlie, is where we go from here.”

I was no longer sure that Cassandra Cautery’s hair was different. I was starting to think it was her manner. “Cassie,” I said. “I’m sure you—”

“Cassandra.” She turned her grimace into a smile. “Not Cassie. Cassandra.”

It was definitely her manner. “I’m sure you…” A thought occurred to me. “Did you say Bioreplacement? What happened to Combat Augmentation?”

“I never liked Augmentation. It sounded like something you choose to match your shoes.” She shrugged lightly. “I changed it.”

“You changed it.”

“Mmm.”

“You changed it.”

“Did you know the British specifically appointed a wartime Prime Minister during the Second World War?” She nodded. “Winston Churchill. He was one cold-hearted human being. You wouldn’t want him running your country in peacetime. But a crisis demands a particular skillset. It calls for unflinching leadership. That’s what I told the board.”

“You? They made you—”

“Interim CEO. It’s temporary.”

“Well,” I said. “Congratulations.”

“To be honest, Charlie, I’m not entirely sure they don’t simply want someone to pin this on.” She smiled. “But thanks.”

137.