Ynno was in the next day. Late. He worked but without
spirit. Despite careful attention by Clare and Sarion he didn't
improve. After two weeks Sarion took him aside.
"Hey, pal. You're not looking great." Ynno just stared back.
"We can't have you moping around like this." He looked at an
irate complaint. "Telling a customer 'What do you expect for a
capital investment of 30,000Cr? An aerostat on toast?' is just
not good for business." Ynno shrugged. "Well we're going to call
in psychologists from Beta Hugh. You know where that is?" He
nodded. "Well, hopefully they might be able to help you work this
out. Is that OK?" Ynno nodded and went back to his desk.
So Ynno was put onto interoffice advisement and Clare took
over customer interaction for the three weeks before the imperial
specialist arrived. They met in a small briefing room.
"Hello, my name is Auadaea Keleu." He shook Sarion's and
Ynno's hand. "I would first assure you and your department that
all maintenance is covered by your original contract and will be
met by the Imperial Government. Our whole policy in making these
advisors available is so that we may trade competitively with
local industry on an equal footing." Sarion made polite noises
and nodded. He opened up his briefcase and took out several
folders. "Annual maintenance record good, no complaints. So what
seems to be the problem?"
"Um. Severe depression, sir", said Sarion.
Mr. Keleu looked up a bit quizzically. "Hmmm. Brought on
by...?"
"Um..." Sarion shifted uneasily, "Unrequited love, I would
say."
"Ah. Do you have a picture of your lover, Ynno?" Ynno stared
at him expressionlessly, then reached in a pocket and handed him
a photostat. Mr. Keleu looked at it for a few seconds and handed
it back. He then placed all his folders back into the briefcase
and closed it. Sarion looked worried.
"What is it?"
"I am afraid this is a bit of an embarrassment. We are
normally careful but occasionally an advisor is sold outside our
knowledge. We weren't aware that a second model existed in this
system."
"I don't understand", said Sarion.
"That photograph. It's quite clearly from our advisor line."
Ynno started forward and Sarion exclaimed "What!"
"How can she be? You're just lying", accused Ynno. "How
could she be so... so... and be a robot?"
"How could you be as _you_ are...?" said Mr.Keleu quietly.He
sat back in his chair and waited for the shock to pass. "Have you
never wondered why humanoid robots are only available in the
advisor series?"
"I... I always thought they were used elsewhere", said
Sarion. "But like the advisors, no one was telling, for maximum
effect."
"No. There are only two models. That's all there ever have
been. There was a minor noble, Kiertwith Konnoi, who fell deeply
in love with another, Ajin Heer, who totally rejected him. In his
despair he drove himself into work. The man was an unmitigated
genius and with his monomania he produced a software replica of
the two people he knew best: Ajin and himself. They thought just
like a person. Excellent at interaction. They were good. Too
good. Too much the replica's of the originals. Whenever two of
those models meet their unfortunate story is replayed." Mr. Keleu
fell silent.
Ynno looked outraged. "What do you propose to do now?" asked
Sarion levelly.
"Well", said Mr. Keleu, "we will send in a replacement of
the Ajin series. At our expense."
"I don't give a damn about the expense!" Sarion objected.
"How can you just replace someone? Ynno isn't this Kiertwith
person. He's an individual. He laughs cries, thinks and feels
just like the rest of us. _He is my friend._"
Mr. Keleu measured him for a moment. "Ynno, close your
eyes."
"Why should I co-operate at all with you?", growled Ynno.
"You're trying to kill me."
"Is there something you're afraid I can prove?" Ynno glared
at him for a moment and then closed his eyes. Mr. Keleu quietly
reached forward and pinched his upper forearm, hard. Sarion
started forward when Ynno didn't react. Ynno opened his eyes,
cried out and struck the hand away.
Mr. Keleu leaned back. "See. You have very few nerves other
than on your face and hands. You behave in a programmed reaction
to what stimuli you receive and approximate the rest."
"It hurts the same!" shouted Ynno back.
"But only when you look", countered Keleu.
"His body doesn't matter, it's his mind!" said Sarion.
"The analogy is exactly the same."
"Can you deny that I love her?", screamed Ynno. "I feel just
like anyone else! I have passions! I love! I hate!"
"You rant and rave but no tears fall. You can't cry. You
sleep but you don't dream. You can eat but you don't taste. You
smile and embrace but you don't feel. And neither does she. The
Ajin model quickly comes to terms with this. The Kiertwith model
never has to the best of my knowledge."
"Stop it! Stop it!", shouted Sarion.
"What", said Ynno in a cold level rage. "What is to stop me,
with what I feel as hatred, what is to stop me from killing you
now?"
Mr. Kellu calmly stood and picked up his briefcase and said,
"Because every other time this situation, this conversation, that
question has occurred... You never have." He waited to let the
full significance of this sink in and left.
Sarion threw himself into a chair and gnawed his knuckles.
Ynno stood still, gripping the table edge. "Imperial toilet
paper", muttered Sarion. He bit the end off a nail and spat it to
one side. He held Ynno's hand for a moment, still in its death
grip on the table. "Relax", he said quietly, "Don't hurt
yourself."
Ynno unclenched his hands and looked disgustedly at them. He
sat heavily in a chair and wrapped his arms around himself. "I
want to be alone", he said.
Sarion nodded and left quietly, locking the door behind him.