Ch 4 Anyway(9)

"You chose a good route, but it still led to the confrontation with the hostage takers. Why did you kill three hostages and wound another?"

"I will grant you I might have wounded one but if you tell me the three greys a shot through weren't really reds, I won't believe you."

"You shot them because you believed they were enemies. The computer was still telling you they were not, and one was being tortured by the enemy." Joe looked mad, which made me sure his anger was fake. I got the impression that Goliath knew Joe wouldn't be so expressive if he was actually mad.

"There reactions made no sense, the one being hurt didn't fight even while being hurt. The other two weren't being held so they couldn't draw their weapons. They might not have survived killing the enemy at that point but they were dead either way. I would think most armed individuals would want to take a few with them. Also you need to practice a better mad face. I am still sure I made the right choice. Of course I am sure of that because the person I was trying to protect was too close for me to let anything with that high of a chance at hurting her by me. Yet that isn't something I would say to anyone I didn't think wanted to protect her too. I don't want to risk making more enemies for her after all. The public doesn't like it when you don't value them." Joe returned to his stony face and his body langue shifted back into his normal lethal stance.

"Why not just wound them all? You certainly could have made the shots."

Goliath answered with a shrug, "Even I miss sometimes, but really couldn't do it in as few shots and I wasn't sure how many more I would need for the sim. The reward wasn't worth the risk."

"Next you headed downstairs, were you encountered 3 military officers. You proceed to kill them why?"

"They were clearly blackfish."

"That is the second time you said that, what is it?" This whole time I had just been listening to the two talk. I knew firsthand it was the same thing Joe had done at the time. I remembered asking him about it once I was safe at home.

"A blackfish a slang term for someone displaying a military id who isn't part of the military. It is not supposed to be possible but most vets know it happens. Since the computer displays all military as blue friendlies they got nicknamed fish. The military doesn't acknowledge directly that there could be a problem, but they do let the bigger private security teams set up a code phrase."

"Yet it was a high stress situation and that was a younger officer, his request wasn't unreasonable so why did you kill him?"

"He was four floors below the reported problem area, not heading to any of the stairs, or using other lifts. He trained his computer screen on me before stopping me. Even if the AI couldn't bring up the response his reaction was incorrect. He could have ordered me to stay still until he got a response. His partners also weren't acting correctly either. They should have stood by covering his back but what they did was good for me. If they had been watching, they would have killed me before I finished them."

"Then you chose to split up from your charge. You cannot protect her if you aren't there."

"At that point I had become a bigger threat to her safety than letting her run alone. I couldn't know how well the enemy knew her from anyone else down here. I looked like the bigger threat so there was a higher chance of her getting away on her own. The biggest risk was in her stopping, but it didn't seem too likely. She doesn't seem like the type to freeze under stress. My next big worry would be her deciding to turn and fight but being so young having gotten her started she would most likely continue."

Joe's head tilted just a bit before he stopped it. I couldn't help but smile, Joe was impressed with Goliath. "Where did you train?"

"Orleans ghetto, first then running back up with an anti-spacers group. There are some skilled disenfranchised former soldiers in my group. Most don't carry out missions themselves anymore, but you can learn some interesting skills from them to use against the AI." I looked at Goliath with wide eyes I couldn't believe he had just said that.

"Maid, edit that answer to stop after ghetto. Confirm that the logs are edited as well." There was a faint ding as the MAID completed the task. Neither of the two men even glanced at me.

Joe just turned and walked off the range not even looking back over his shoulder as he talked. "Good choice, Goliath. Come on, let's test how immortal you think you are."

I froze for a moment. I had never seen Joe put anyone at his back who wasn't family. Not even the other guards raised in the family. I was trying to think if I had ever seen him turn his back on my mother when I noticed Goliath watching me, with a smirk on his green scaled face.

"What, you think I wouldn't tell him? He knew my history already. No doubt his files are more complete than any other non-computer-based system. Especially when it comes to you. Even if the AI and file on me didn't have it. I am guessing I did much as he did at the time, She-u."

"Almost step for step, though I think you were a bit faster."

Goliath shook his head at me, "I hope you don't undervalue him, princess, if that was the only time he chose your life over his own I will eat my hat. Come on." I frowned at Goliath; he wasn't wearing a hat.