Mickey did not seem to have anything to say about that. It looked again at the barracks. “We think she is in there.”
“You’re wrong,” said Brodie. “If she were there, she’d come out. She wouldn’t risk all these people. She’s not a coward like you.”
Mickey looked back at Brodie. “Explain your insult.”
“It would be easy enough for you to storm the building and find out for yourself if she’s in there. But you’d take losses. And you already have taken losses. I’d guess you’re down to about fifty at most from your original sixty. Thirty of you are here. That’s another twenty to secure the gates and mop up any resistance. Not bad odds for you. Then again, there’s a lot that you don’t know. Did word get out before you cut the power? Are reinforcements on the way? Is there air support coming that you don’t have knowledge of? You’ve never fought a battle like this. A real battle. One that doesn’t have a clear beginning and end, a defined number of enemy fighters to take out, and a reset button once it’s all over. The truth is, Mickey, you don’t really know what the fuck you’re doing.”
Mickey was silent a moment. Then it said, “This is called ‘goading.’ You seek to provoke an emotional response from your enemy. You do this to force them to make a mistake or reveal something they shouldn’t. This will not serve you with the type of enemy you face today.”
“We’ll see,” said Brodie. He added, “You need something from Taylor. And from us. Otherwise you’d level that building right now and shoot us both where we stand.”
“Correct,” said Mickey. It added, “You are not as stupid as you look.”
“Nice one. Where did you learn that line?”
“From my dreams.”
Dixon said, “They’re not dreams. Dreams come from your own mind. You don’t have a mind. You don’t know what dreams are.”
Mickey seemed to ignore that. It raised its arm and pointed south. “That way.”
Brodie and Dixon walked in the direction the thing had pointed, and it followed close behind, along with another tin man carrying an RPG, while the rest of the D-17s remained behind at the barracks. As they walked, no one said a word. Brodie could not imagine what the hell this was, but at least they weren’t dead yet.
In a couple of minutes, they stopped in front of the lab. Mickey put its right hand on the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. Then it yanked on it hard. The entire door came off its hinges, and Mickey tossed it aside.
It entered the lab, and the other tin man said in its flat voice, “Go.”
Brodie noticed the other one’s number was fifty-four. He asked it, “What do they call you?”
“Goose,” replied Goose. It repeated, “Go.”
Brodie and Dixon entered the lab, which was completely dark except for the dim orange light coming through the doorway. Mickey switched on a battery-powered lantern on a table in the middle of the room. Then it grabbed two metal chairs and slid them toward Brodie and Dixon. “Sit.”
Brodie stared at the D-17. It stood in front of and to the left of the lantern, its looming shape backlit in the otherwise pitch-black room.
Brodie asked, “What is this?”
Mickey and Goose said in tandem, “Sit.”
Brodie and Dixon exchanged a look, then walked to the chairs and sat.
Mickey stood in front of them and looked down. Goose lingered near the open doorway.
Mickey asked, “Where is Magnolia Taylor?”
Brodie replied, “I don’t know. And if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
Mickey quickly reached out and grabbed Dixon’s left hand. Brodie heard a snapping sound and Dixon screamed.
“You bastard!” Brodie shot up from his chair and was immediately slammed back down by Mickey with such force that it might have broken a rib.
Dixon was doubled over in pain, breathing hard. Her pinky finger was bent backward.
Mickey asked again, “Where is Magnolia Taylor?”
Brodie stared up at the thing. “If you’re going to hurt someone, hurt me.”
“No,” said Mickey. “Based upon your professional background and what we have seen of your personality, we conclude that you find comfort in your role as a protector, particularly of females. You draw pride from this, and strength. Subsequently, your failure to protect females is humiliating. I will continue to break her and I will continue to humiliate you until I receive a satisfactory answer. I will break her fingers, then her arms, then her legs, then I will probe her in a sexually violating manner, then I will kill her. Are you prepared to let all these things happen to her?”
