“What do I call you?”

“Carmilla.”

It takes seven weeks.

Brisbane is in pain, but he does not know if this is due to the surgeries or the fact that he is dying from Exotic poisoning. It waxes and wanes.

“The AIA is quasi-experimental. It may make odd choices, but you’ll be there to override when necessary.”

“What’s it like?”

“It’ll be a voice in your head. You can adjust volume, gender, what name you want to use, anything. Mr Brisbane, if you get caught with any of the materials—”

“I know.”

“I don’t know what you’re going to do with this, but if it comes back to me I have to cooperate with the authorities.”

“It won’t matter by then.”

“What?”

“It won’t get to the authorities.”

In the waiting room, on the televisual entertainment, the hot news item is about Yan Maxwell. Brisbane is still groggy so he can’t fully understand what he sees.

“What’s this?” he asks.

“Hmm? Oh, some gazillionaire is leaving the solar system. Good riddance, I say.”

Fuck.

Home.

Well, the hotel; a new one, hired for his recovery.

If Yan Maxwell is leaving Earth, Brisbane has to get him before departure. Broadcasts say Maxwell is the richest human in history, with a fortune that changes so rapidly it cannot be accurately calculated. Tax officers must love him.

The medics told him to wait two weeks before activating the AIA, but he panics. The system has to sync with their headquarters every few weeks for patches and Drift Correction, whatever that is.

“Activate AIA,” he says.

His world fills with colour and digits for five seconds.

“Initialising…” The voice is exactly like the doctor’s. Ego. “Complete. What is your name?”

“Jeremiah Brisbane.”

“How should I address you?”

“Call me Brisbane.”

“All right, Brisbane. My name is Carmilla.” Brisbane laughs.

“What’s funny?”

“The name. She put her own name and voice in the software.”

“You can change my name and the cadence of my voice. There are sixty-two personality choices.”

“Let’s stick with what we have. Carmilla’s fine.”

“I am currently optimising your modifications for your physique. Are you aware that you are dying, Brisbane?”

“I am aware.”

“Shall I modify for longevity or effectiveness?”

“I can’t have both?”

“One takes a toll on the other in your state, Brisbane. How long would you like to live?”

“I just want to be able to carry out my mission for the Tehani. After that, I don’t care.”

“What is the mission?”

“Eliminate Yan Maxwell and broadcast a planetwide message. An instrument of vengeance, a word of caution.”

“Pulling all information on Yan Maxwell. I have the public domain material. Would you like the private as well?”

“You can do that?”

“Yes. I am bound by programming to tell you this is illegal. Turn the warning feature off?”