4

"The clone is powerful, yes. I have hopes of recruiting it: I want to make it a valuable asset to MetaHuman."

Clarissa nods. "Yes. That might be possible."

Next

"In August you met for the first time with Bertrand Gable, the Surgeons' primary representative on Earth," says Clarissa. "We appreciate your openness regarding that matter."

An unexpected courtesy from Clarissa, this. You say nothing, and allow her to go on.

"And in September, we had our first indications that Anaru Katariki was still alive. I'm sure that was as great a surprise to you as it was to us."

"More so, probably," you say. "I had witnessed his murder firsthand, after all."

"In October," Clarissa goes on, "the annual report was published, and then there was that regrettable incident with our researcher, Greg Rogan. I don't have a great deal to add to what's already evident from those two incidents. Now, I'd like to move forward to the events of last month."

You wait, aware that Clarissa's next words will likely have a major bearing on your evaluation.

"In November, you were uniquely placed to prevent the H'ssurru'ssurri invasion of Earth. And yet you failed to do so. The aliens have travelled to Earth en masse. Their influence is already being felt in every part of the world—those who have been transformed can be counted in the millions. We feel that this will create substantial difficulties for MetaHuman in the long term. The priorities of the H'ssurru'ssurri are just too different—too alien—from our own. The fact that we have also had to abandon our former headquarters, and the city of Seattle as a whole, is almost incidental. This outcome is extremely disappointing."

You were expecting that, really.

You pour yourself a glass of water, watching for any sign of approval or condemnation on the faces of MetaHuman's shareholders.

"One last point, before we move on to more general matters," says Clarissa. "Anaru Katariki. We understand that he died in the homeworld of the H'ssurru'ssurri. This is regrettable. As my colleague Mr. Guul made clear to you, we would have liked to debrief him—shall we say—ourselves."