Unicorn Point

He wished he could remain to watch, but he had pressing other business. Humming, he left the office.  Citizen Blue was at the designated meeting place for the ceremony, with his robot wife and robot son. Blue was in his usual blue clothing, while the other two were naked in the fashion of the serfs they were. Citizen Purple swept in, trail ing Citizen Tan. This was all that was required; the holo recording would acquaint other interested parties with the transaction.

“I am ready to do business,” Purple said.

“We are expecting Citizen Translucent,” Blue said.

“Haven’t you heard? He is indisposed at the moment. Therefore this formality devolves on me. You may proceed.”

“It is my understanding that he is indisposed because a gas bomb was smuggled into his office,” Blue said evenly. “I think we should postpone this ceremony until he is recovered.”

“As I recall, you used the pretext of the missing child to cut off our contact with the Oracle before. The child was missing by your connivance. Now you propose to use the pretext of Citizen Translucent’s absence to renege on the Oracle again?”

Blue hesitated. It was obvious that he did not like this situation, but could not make more than a token protest, because his side had lost the contests.

“I think we are seeing the falling out of thieves,” the robot wench muttered.

“It is not your concern, machine,” Purple said, giving her breasts a straight stare. What a satisfaction it had been to beat her in the Game!

Blue did not show his annoyance. “Then we may as well proceed.” He turned to face the pickup that was the only indication of the Oracle’s presence. “Oracle, are you aware?”

A small hologram appeared: a whirling spiral of light hov ering just above the pickup. “I am. Citizen Blue.”

“My side held a contest with the Contrary Citizens, the stakes being control of the access to the Oracle and the means to contact the frame of Phaze. The Contrary Citizens won.  Accordingly, I am now instructing you, Oracle, to acknowledge the instructions of the Contrary Citizens, whose spokes man is—”

“Citizen Purple,” Purple said.

“Currently Citizen Purple,” Blue continued. “And to decline to acknowledge my instructions, or those of any who are allied with me. Do you accede?”

“It is an unfortunate pass,” the Oracle remarked. “The Contrary Citizens will ruin the planet.”

“Do you accede?” Purple demanded.

“I accede,” the Oracle said. “I can do only as directed.”

“Then you will answer, until further notice directly from me, only to me or to Citizen Tan, who will be working with you initially.”

“Citizen Purple and Citizen Tan, logged on,” the Oracle agreed. The whirling spiral faded out.

“Now the matter of contact with Phaze,” Purple said.

“Mach will serve in that capacity, as before,” Blue said. “And Bane, when he is present.”

“I think not.”

Blue looked at him. “You need them for contact.”

“I prefer to use the child Nepe,” Purple said. “Her contact is more versatile, and she should prove to be more responsive to our interests.”

“That wasn’t the understanding!” Mach snapped.

“The understanding was that the means for contact would be provided,” Purple responded. “The actual mechanism was unspecified. It therefore becomes an option. I am now exercising that option. The child will be our instrument of contact. Since she is already in our possession, no more need be done. The agreement is complete.”

“You beast!” the robot wench cried. She had adopted many human mannerisms.

“I doubt Nepe will work for you,” Blue said.

“I believe she will, before long.”

“I’m not sure you can even keep her captive long,” Mach said. “She has remained with Citizen Translucent because she knew she was part of the stakes; she was to be returned if we won. She did not try to escape because she did not want to interfere with our arrangements. But she has never agreed to be your permanent contact with Phaze. Now she will feel at liberty to make her escape.”

 “Let me show you her current situation,” Purple said.

“Oracle, tune in on my office suite and show the child.” In a moment a half-life-sized hologram formed. It showed a bottle containing the head of Nepe. The rest of her was puddled protoplasm.

“As you can see, she is truly captive,” Purple said. “I am sure she can not escape that bottle. At the moment the air is good and the temperature comfortable, but there is no assurance that they will remain so. I believe she will elect to cooperate.”

“I doubt it,” Mach said, with his robotic control of reaction. “She knows that if you hurt her you risk rendering her unable to function. That will do you no good.”

“I see that you do not quite understand,” Purple said.  “Should the child be rendered unable to contact the other frame, you will remain obliged to provide another instrument of contact. It is therefore to your interest to encourage her to cooperate.”

They mulled that over. They knew that he would not hesitate to torture the child, and that all he had to do was gradually heat the bottle. Like the spineless creatures they were, they capitulated.