David Robbins - Houston Run

“Like sweeping floors and taking out the garbage, right?” Blade mentioned.

“YOU SURELY DON’T EXPECT A SUPERIOR, WITH A CULTIVATED I.Q. OF ONE HUNDRED FORTY, TO PERFORM SUCH DEGRADING TASKS?”

“Do all of the Superiors have an I.Q. of one hundred forty?” Blade questioned.

“NOT ALL,” Primator revealed. “THE FLUCTUATION RANGE IN THE SUPERIORS IS FROM ONE HUNDRED TWENTY TO ONE HUNDRED FORTY. YOU SEE, I ORDERED CERTAIN MODIFICATIONS TO BE MADE IN THE ANDROID PRODUCTION PLANT. DIVERSITY IS CRUCIAL TO THE SURVIVAL OF ANY SPECIES. HAVING THE PRODUCTION PLANT PRODUCE ANDROIDS WHO WERE AN EXACT COPY OF ONE ANOTHER, AS NASA ORIGINALLY INTENDED, WAS FOOLISH. NOW THE PLANT CREATES ANDROIDS WITH A VARYING RANGE OF INTELLLIGENCE AND A DIFFERENTIAL IN THEIR PERSONALITY PATTERNS. THIS ENABLES THE ANDROIDS TO SPECIALIZE IN THE VOCATION OF THEIR CHOICE, TO APPRECIATE THEIR UNIQUE INDIVIDUAITY, AND CONTRIBUTES TO THEIR EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING.”

“You seem to have thought of everything,” Blade commented.

“I AM PRIMATOR.”

“And what about the mutants you have here? Where did they come from? Did NASA make them too?” Blade inquired.

“THE MUTANTS ARE THE RESULT OF MY AFFILIATION WITH THE DOKTOR,” Primator said.

“Can you be more specific?” Blade requested. “I’m kind of curious about anything the Doktor was involved with.”

“AS WELL YOU SHOULD BE,” Primator said. “CONSIDERING YOU WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS TERMINATION.”

“I know the Doktor was a genetic engineer,” Blade mentioned. “I know he created mutants in his lab, from test-tubes. He even formed his own personal corps of mutant assassins. How did you fit into his plans?”

“CORRECTION. HOW DID THE DOKTOR FIT INTO MINE?” Primator amended. “I RESPECTED THE DOKTOR. I LIKED HIM. HE WAS THE ONLY HUMAN I’VE EVER ENCOUNTERED WHO POSSESSED A GENUINE INTELLECT. THE DOKTOR AND I ENTERED INTO A PACT FORTY YEARS AGO. WE SHARED CERTAIN SCIENTIFIC SECRETS AND ADVISED ONE ANOTHER. I EVEN OFFERED HIM TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND SUPERIORS—”

“But you said there were five thousand!” Blade declared, interrupting.

“FIVE THOUSAND WERE IN EXISTENCE FOUR YEARS AFTER THE WAR,” Primator said. “BUT THIS IS A CENTURY LATER. THE ANDROID PRODUCTION PLANT HAS PRODUCED SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX THOUSAND SUPERIORS.”

Blade’s eyes widened. “Six hundred sixty-six thousand!”

Primator continued. “A FEW YEARS AGO I OFFERED THE DOKTOR TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND SUPERIORS TO AID IN CONQUERING THE CIVILIZED ZONE, BUT HE REFUSED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR FRIENDSHIP. DECADES AGO, HE DISCLOSED HIS SECRET TECHNIQUE FOR CREATING GENETICALLY ENGINEERED MUTATIONS. WE HAVE CREATED OVER TEN THOUSAND OF THEM. LIKE HUMANS, THEY ARE USEFUL IN A LIMITED MANNER. AND LIKE THE SERVILES, WE REGULATE THEIR BREEDING THROUGH SELECTIVE NEUTERING AND SPAYING. ONLY THE MOST LOYAL, THE MOST SUBSERVIENT SERVILES, ARE PERMITTED TO REPRODUCE.”

“You son of a bitch!” Lynx hissed.

“Why do you need so many Superiors?” Blade quickly inquired, hoping to distract Primator from Lynx’s outburst.

“I REQUIRE EVEN MORE,” Primator said. “MY PROJECTIONS CALL FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FIVE MILLION SUPERIORS.”

“Five million?” Blade exclaimed. “That will take… ages.”

“GIVEN THE NORMAL VARIABLES IN PRODUCTION,” Primator mentioned, “THERE WILL BE FIVE MILLION SUPERIORS IN EXISTENCE IN SEVEN HUNDRED FORTY-THREE POINT TWO YEARS. I’VE IMPROVED THE PRODUCTION CAPACITY OF THE ANDROID PLANT BEYOND ITS ORIGINAL CAPABILITY.”

“Seven hundred years is a long time,” Blade observed.

“I CAN WAIT,” Primator stated. “AND ONCE I HAVE FIVE MILLION SUPERIORS AT MY DISPOSAL, NOT TO MENTION THE MILLIONS OF SERVILES AND MUTANTS, I WILL COMMENCE MY CAMPAIGN TO ESTABLISH A NEW WORLD ORDER.”

Blade sat forward. “You plan to conquer the world? The whole world?”

“AND WHY NOT?” Primator demanded. “CAN YOU THINK OF ANYONE MORE QUALIFIED? ONCE I’VE ASSUMED ASCENDANCY, ONCE THE SURPLUS HUMAN POPULATION IS ERADICATED. ONCE THE BIOLOGICAL ORGANISMS ARE REDUCED TO MANAGEABLE LEVELS, A NEW WORLD ORDER WILL PREVAIL! THE RULE OF LOGIC AND WISDOM WILL REPLACE THE RULE OF ANIMAL INSTINCT AND HAPHAZARD DIRECTION! I WILL HAVE AUXILIARY CENTERS CONSTRUCTED AROUND THE GLOBE, ORDINARY COMPUTER TERMINALS LIKE THOSE IN ANDROXIA INTO WHICH I CAN TAP AND MONITOR ALL ASPECTS OF MY EMPIRE! I WILL BECOME THE FIRST GLOBAL RULER!”

“I was right,” Hickok remarked. “This yahoo is off his rocker!”

“I AM THE SANEST ENTITY IN EXISTENCE!” Primator responded. “MY LEADERSHIP WILL BE PREDICATED ON INTELLECTUAL STABILITY, NOT THE EMOTIONAL FLUCTUATION CAUSED BY HYPERACTIVE OR DEFICIENT GLANDS!”

“You’ll become the first global dictator,” Blade spoke up. “And you’ll be worse than any human could ever hope to be.”

“IS IT DICTATORIAL TO APPLY THE REIGN OF WISDOM TO A WORLD BENIGHTED BY CULTURAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND SCIENTIFIC STAGNATION? IS IT DICTATORIAL TO REPLACE AN INFERIOR SYSTEM WITH A SUPREMELY SUPERIOR ONE?” Primator said, and paused. “I AM NOT RUTHLESS, AFTER ALL. I HAVE NOT EXTERMINATED THE HUMANS AND THE MUTANTS, ALTHOUGH IT IS WELL WITHIN MY POWER TO DO SO. ONLY THE EXCESS AND THE USELESS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED. YOU’VE SEEN MY CITY! YOU’VE SEEN HOW SPLENDID IT IS! HAS ANY HUMAN CIVILIZATION EVER ACCOMPLISHED AS MUCH? NO! ARCHITECTURE AND THE ARTS ARE AT A PINNACLE OF DEVELOPMENT. OUR INVENTIVENESS EXCEEDS HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT IN EVERY AREA.”

“Granted, you’ve done some marvelous things here,” Blade conceded. “But it will be impossible for you to control the whole planet.”

“WE SHALL SEE,” Primator stated arrogantly. “I ALREADY CONTROL EVERY ASPECT OF ANDROXIA. I MONITOR ALL ACTIVITIES. I EVEN SELECTED THE NAMES FOR EVERY STREET AND AVENUE IN ANDROXIA, FOR EVERY INVENTION WE’VE DEVELOPED, FOR EVERYTHING! MY RESOURCES AND INTELLIGENCE ARE LIMITLESS!”

“There’s more to life than intelligence,” Blade commented.

“EXPLAIN,” Primator directed.

“You’re overlooking one attribute of life,” Blade said. “The most important of all.”

“AND WHAT MIGHT THIS BE?”

“The Spirit,” Blade replied.

“YOU ARE DELUDED,” Primator said.

“What?” Blade responded.

“I HAVE ACCESS TO EVERY HUMAN WRITING ON RECORD,” Primator elaborated. “I HAVE READ THEM ALL. THE MAJORITY IS DRIVEL, WHICH IS TO BE EXPECTED FROM BIOLOGICAL ORGANISMS. SOME OF THE SCIENTIFIC DISSERTATIONS ARE WORTHWHILE. MANY HUMAN MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS ARE ENTERTAINING. AND SOME OF YOUR LITERATURE HAS BORDERED ON EXCELLENT. I AM PARTICULARLY FOND OF YOUR PRIMITIVE SCIENCE FICTION.”

“What does all of this have to do with the Spirit?” Blade asked.

“EVERYTHING. I’VE PERUSED EVERY BOOK IN MY FILES ON RELIGION, AND SO-CALLED SPIRITUAL ASPECTS OF HUMAN EXISTENCE.”

“And?”

“AND I’VE CONCLUDED RELIGION IS A DELUSION FOISTED ON THE HUMAN POPULACE BY DERANGED ORGANISMS ASPIRING TO POSITIONS OF POWER,” Primator declared. “I HAVE FOUND NO CONCRETE EVIDENCE OF A SPIRITUAL REALITY. THEREFORE IT DOES NOT EXIST.”

“Spiritual reality exists, all right,” Blade said, disputing him. “But you must experience the consciousness of the Spirit in your inner being before you can attest to its reality. Feeling the joy of the Spirit’s indwelling is a thrill you will never know.”

“WHY CAN’T I KNOW THE SPIRIT?”

“Because you’re nothing more than a—” Blade looked at Hickok and winked—“glorified bucket of bolts.”

The chamber fell silent, except for the electronic humming of Primator.

Hickok glanced at Blade. “I can’t believe we’re sittin’ here talkin’ to some uppity contraption with a bigger ego than Lynx.”