“Ohmigod, you’re a cat.” Not Molly’s. This is a whole new cat. My eyes have adjusted well enough to see it’s a white cat with a black splodge between ears and eyes shaped like a… I cock my head. Like a squiggly octopus? Chuckling, heart lifting, I reach down and smooth my hand over the curves of its head. The purr deepens, and the cat nudges me to encourage another pat. “Aren’t you a sweetie.”
It’s so white the moonlight haloes its furry outline with the faintest blue.
Damn, I have no cat food.
I pull up my legs to sit cross-legged.
“Are you a sign? I don’t think you fell from the sky like a comet or a falling star? Hailey’s comet?” I snort lightly.
It crawls onto my lap, turns and curls up as if happy to find a friend. A warm friend. I’m probably only a convenient heater.
Still, I am smiling. Every pat I deliver warms my heart. It’s a good trade. Guess I am staying. At least until I find out where my falling star-cat lives.
“What’s your name? Comet seems average. Kraken? Squiggle? You probably already have one?”
He, or it, doesn’t answer.
I’m still here, thinking, being a bed for a warm cat, when a subtle noise then a soft voice from the back yard makes me rise, place the cat on the floor, and pad over to the right on my knitted socks with the wolf ears. They keep my feet warm and were Dad’s last Christmas present. I lean out, just far enough to see the back entrance. There is almost no light in that area.
Is this a thief, below? Who would want to steal from this house?
The floor doesn’t creak under me, which I am thankful for.
4
A MURDERY DEBUT
“Struct Four, up. Time to go kill your target, Simon Tarrant.” He pokes my shoulder with one finger, as if afraid to touch me. “Make sure no witnesses are left alive.”
Blinking, I rise and peer down at the mostly dark house. Only one window, on the upper level, is lit up.
I don’t like being called Struct Four. As I maneuver through the undergrowth and branches, I consider a few alternative names. Defying what my makers have named me is satisfying. Blom? Larsen? Those are Scandinavian names, I think. Gunner? Recalling facts without knowing who I am is perplexing. Kail. I like that.
Kail…that name feels very right as I turn it over in my mind.
My large feet crunch through the leaf litter, and the ground sinks under my shoes, no matter how careful I am.
The rear door seems a better choice for a stealthy entry, so I circle to the left, descending the slope until I can walk beside her fence.
The name of the woman my handler said I could kill, if she is a witness, it bothers me. I’m certain I know her. The little memories say this, as well as how her name rolls around in my head. On my tongue it would roll well also, if I would speak it. I open my mouth and subvocalize. My barely used voice makes harsh noises compared to the syllables of her name. Unhappy, I cease my effort and climb the fence, drop into a crouch.
A fence paling has snapped under my hand—the result of my heaviness or the rotten state of this fence.
Quietly, I place the broken end on the ground beside a small tree. As I advance on the white back door, I extract a long splinter from my palm.
A large, quite-pretty daisy has been painted on the center of the door in darker colors.
When I hear my handler approaching, the order jars into my mind.Kill my target.He’s been following and has jumped the fence. Though he’s almost silent, I can hear him, can place where he is to within a foot or two.
Time to do this.
I reach for the door handle, and with a strong twist break the lock. This always works, though it hurts my hand. As I watch, the hurt and the redness fades from my palm. If the lock hadn’t snapped, I would have broken in somewhere else.
The crack might have alerted the occupants.
I listen and hear nothing within the house. I must be fast. Get in and kill everyone. Him, her. Go through the door. Put my hands about her neck, pin her down, and squeeze until she stops struggling. Squeeze until the small bones crack and blood comes out her nose or her mouth.
This vision is too precise to be imaginary. Have I done thisto someone before? Not just the practice dummies or the other structs.
