The Clean Slate Accord Read Online Free PDF Page B

only place he could be. She knocked on the door several times. “Jonas? Are you all right?”
    No response. She turned the doorknob and found it unlocked. The room was empty. Staring into the dark bathroom, she called David on her communicator.
    â€œYes, Director?”
    â€œDavid, is Jonas with you?”
    â€œHave you misplaced the little imp somewhere?”
    â€œThat’s unkind, David. A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed.” Alexa hurried from the lab and stood in the hallway. “Can you see if he’s in his room?”
    â€œOne minute, Director.” David paused for a moment. “No, the heat sensors don’t detect anybody in his room. Do you want me to search for him by his sub-dermal transponder?”
    She’d never fitted Jonas with a transponder chip because she didn’t see the need. He never went anywhere without her. Now she wished she had. She couldn’t let David find out or he’d probably make a point of how hypocritical it was since all other personnel were required to have a transponder. She touched her upper arm, where her own transponder lay. How short-sighted she’d been. “Ah, never mind, I must have missed him somehow. He probably went outside. Carry on with your work.” She disconnected the call. On the way to the outer door, she stopped at her room, but Jonas wasn’t there either.
    â€œActivate mirror.”
    â€œHello, Director. Sorry I can’t think of a suitable compliment, but you look terrible and I’d only be lying.”
    â€œI can’t find Jonas. Can you search his movements?”
    â€œBy his transponder?”
    â€œNo, he doesn’t have one.”
    â€œExcuse me? Director, by your very own directive, all personnel must receive a transponder.”
    â€œYes, I’m aware of what I ordered. It’s too intrusive for Jonas. I don’t want him to feel like he’s…being watched.”
    â€œWell, pardon me for going out on a limb here, but if he’d had a transponder, you wouldn’t have lost him and gotten yourself into this trouble.”
    Alexa groaned and sat down on a footstool. “I’m also aware of that. The point’s moot now anyway. Perhaps I can find a way out of this mess on my own. After all, it was me who created the implants.”
    â€œYes, but Jonas was the one who found the initial critical errors, although now it appears that a peer review of his work would have been advantageous.”
    â€œAlso a moot point.”
    â€œA question for you, Director. Since he’s obviously capable of error, why are you so dependent on using his intelligence? How can you ever trust his work?”
    â€œI just have to examine his genetics and run a few more tests, then my confidence will be restored. I created him so he could solve problems that were too difficult even for me. His IQ is the highest on the planet. I need him.”
    â€œPerhaps it would have been wise not to rely on him at all. If you needed him to find solutions and catch errors, then doesn’t it stand to reason that the project was too difficult in the first place and shouldn’t have been implemented?”
    â€œNo. Clean Slate is the only way to bring peace. I probably would have found the errors, in time, but I didn’t have enough time to devote…can you trace his movements through a heat signature?”
    â€œAll right, I see you don’t want to debate the issue any longer. I can trace his heat signature, but it depends how long ago he wandered off. Where do you want me to start searching?”
    â€œThe lab. I was only away from him for an hour or two.”
    â€œThere’ll be nothing left after that long, Director.”
    â€œThen scan the entire Bunker for his signature body temperature. He runs warm, 1.8 degree points higher than a normal human.”
    â€œYes, I know.” The lights around the mirror blinked off and on. “Scan running.