Mortal Protection Services Chapter 41: XI.TPWM : The Problem With Marta

Read chapter 41 of Mortal Protection Services by B.T.Skull on NovelPedia.

XI.TPWM : The Problem With Marta Marta A few of me were preparing to make tea, while the others stationed themselves around the facility at some of the different terminals we could not yet work. There was one of me that had come out wrong , she was a me, a Marta, but was not of me. She had to be told by voice what to do, but she followed verbal commands just fine. They knocked, and the tea wasn't even done yet. Oh well. One of me let them know, and another came to greet them at the airlock. It hissed as it opened, and a small crowd of people in combat armor came in from the cold. Just inside the door I'd set up a little living room space, a few chairs, a coffee table, I used things from Marta's memories, from before she was me. "Well howdy folks, I'm Marta, those are also Marta." I gestured back at the facility where more of mes were. "Come on in and kick your shoes off... ha! or don't. I won't blame ya for keeping your little suits on." The first few stepped inside, "Breathable air, Ing." One of them said, and took off her helmet. She was the one we talked to before. I had my closest me walk up to shake her hand and greet her, but she put up a hand to stop me from approaching and all but one of the rest pointed their weapons at me. So my me stopped. I didn't want to get it shot. "I hope you'll forgive me if I don't wish to touch you, until about an hour ago you were a Scourge meat blob." "Do we not shake hands to greet? This one remembers doing it often." I just wanted to make them comfortable. "We do... with people ... people we know are safe to do it with." She pulled a device off the leg of her suit. A DNA tester. "We'd all feel a lot more comfortable if you and... all the other Martas could line up in the order you were made to submit some quick genetic samples." "Well, I'm the sixth one, but lets just get mine tested while the rest of my mes line up." I turned back to shout to the one Marta that wasn't right. "Come stand at the end of the line Marta!" The woman looked confused for a moment, but then smiled, "Number six, got it." I reached out my hand to touch her device and there was a gentle pricking of my finger for tiny sample. The other's guns never wavered in their aim. When more of us were near, they quickly spread their aim. If they wanted to, they could destroy us in an instant. The rest of mes lined up and we let them do their little tests on each body we had, even the off Marta. "90%, 90.3, 90.7, 90.9..." She read the report on our results to her compatriot, Ing, as she'd called him. He had also removed his helmet. "...93, 93, 93. And this last one is ...99.4. Fascinating ." "Happy now, we Martas mean you no harm. We don't possess enough of the rest to be a threat. We just wanna learn how to work these here machines, darlin'. That's all." "Happy enough," the woman said. "Jimantha Jimsonson, nice to meet you Marta." She stuck out a hand to the unlinked Marta, who took it and shook it. Marta leaned in close and said something to her that I did not hear, and the woman replied, "Ha! Certainly," and patted the unlinked Marta on the arm. While I wondered what she said, my closest linked Marta asked. "Will everyone be having tea?" "Just me and Ingamar," Jimantha scared us, the way she smiled when she threatened me. It made all my Martas uncomfortable, "Everyone else is under strict orders to kill all you Martas immediately if you try to Scourge out on us, or we die, or give the signal." "Well heavens, me, we wouldn't want that now would we?" I tried my winningest smile on my speaking Marta, but it didn't seem to make them feel any more comfortable than her smile had comforted me. She walked into my little living room set up there, just inside the airlock, and made herself comfortable. She stepped over the back of one of the chairs, and plopped down into it; after giving it a quick scan, of course. The first few mes to get tested had gone to collect the tea. "Do you both like black tea?" "We do." She said. Not allowing