Read Zero Point (Owner Trilogy 2) for Free Online

humanoid one, since the human world had been built to fit humans. However, that was before
factories became wholly robotic, and before the reality of specialized robots became apparent. If you wanted to repair a pipe under the sea, for example, better to send a robot with integral
welder, with no need to breathe and no likelihood of suffering from the bends. The few humanoid robots still in existence on Earth were kept as quaint affectations of the very rich – which
generally meant Committee delegates.
    ‘A result of Chairman Messina’s growing paranoia,’ explained Saul. ‘He wanted to be able to depend completely on his bodyguard.’
    ‘His paranoia is no longer a problem for him,’ said Hannah.
    Saul gazed at her but could not read her expression. Messina himself had been the first to go under her microsurgery, and was now slowly recovering in Arcoplex One. Already, even after this
short time, station personnel had a name for people like Messina. They were being called ‘repros’ – the reprogrammed.
    Hannah steadily returned his gaze. ‘What are you going to do with them?’
    ‘These?’ He waved a hand at the racked androids.
    ‘Yes, them.’
    Considering the atrocities committed in the development of these androids, Saul had thought about having them destroyed. But they were just a spit away from being put online, and he was
reluctant to waste what could prove valuable assets. When he probed earlier, from Tech Central, he had found a route through to some minds that were complex and strange, ticking over like
high-performance cars caught in traffic. They could do things the other station robots could do, and more, and they contained technology the like of which he had never seen before. And, if he was
being totally honest, they fascinated him, for he saw potential in their semi-biological brains that no other station robots possessed.
    ‘I’m going to use them,’ he decided. ‘Another pair of hands is still another pair of hands.’
    ‘You don’t need any more bodyguards,’ protested Langstrom.
    ‘No, perhaps not.’ Saul turned to Brigitta. ‘You know what’s left to do?’
    Brigitta looked puzzled for a moment, but Angela replied, ‘ I know.’
    ‘Do it, then. Get them commissioned and tested.’ He turned away.
    Year Zero – Earth
    Serene closed the door firmly behind her and walked over to her mirror, gazing at her face. She looked as tired as she felt. Ten days of organization, ten days of trying
to maximize her resources, gain control, and now this. She’d just returned to Oversight after an inspection tour of the growing town of Administration survivors, and had known, by
Anderson’s expression, that something had gone badly wrong.
    Without preamble he had announced, ‘We’ve lost Glasgow HQ – it’s been overrun. Only twenty survivors got out.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Seems the ZAs are getting organized.’
    ‘They had readerguns at Glasgow,’ she said. ‘There were four thousand of them there.’ Then she managed to get herself under control. ‘Our perimeter
readerguns?’
    ‘I did shut down radio access to them five days ago, but now we have direct fibre-optic control from here.’ He paused, grimacing. ‘They won’t be enough, though. Glasgow
had no problem with their readerguns; they just ran out of bullets.’
    ‘Then it’s time,’ she said. ‘It’s time.’
    She realized that, despite her apparent self-assurance and despite her hardness of purpose, she had been procrastinating. She had allowed herself to sink into bureaucratic time-wasting; pursuing
detail and ignoring the central problem. She had not taken charge, and now it was time to. Glasgow was a wake-up call that brought home to her the necessity of what she must do. The face in the
mirror returned to her a slow nod. She turned away, methodically stripped off her wrinkled suit, and went to take a shower. Then, just as methodically, she changed her appearance, and hardened her
mind.
    Finally, clad