"No!!" Jacques shouted at Sigma. He was losing patience, confused, and his 15-year-old mind was desperately seeking comfort. "Get me out of here! I don't care about your stupid war!"
Sigma turned off the holographic screen and dimmed the lights in the room.
Soon after, six other holographic screens popped out of the ports in the wall, showing the silhouettes of six different figures. One of them had an unusually sharp, upward-pointing collar and slicked his hair in an Elvis Presley style.
"Our Argonarian boy doesn't believe the war exists," Sigma reported.
A sturdy old man with white hair and broad shoulders spoke. "Let him see the war for himself—so he'll believe it."
"Are you suggesting we enlist him in the military?" a silhouette of a woman with stylish orange hair cut in a sharp bob spoke up. "I wouldn't recommend it. He could get killed—and that would be a waste of potential."
"The kid doesn't believe it. Unless you have a better suggestion, stop criticizing mine."
The woman laughed. "Dear men, you forget that he's only 15. Fifteen is basically just a child in a bigger body. Give him his mother, and he'll calm down—then he'll listen."
"The kid is an orphan. His foster mother apparently has no real bond with him," Sigma explained while swiping through his notes on a tablet. "She sent him to the police academy because the boy decided it himself, and she was willing to sponsor him—because she has plenty of money but lives alone. As long as the boy is willing to be a good person, she'll support him."
"Aw… wonderful mother," the orange-haired woman's silhouette pretended to sound touched. "It doesn't matter. She can still come to comfort him."
"I'll pass it to the police," Sigma bowed obediently as the six figures logged off.
***
It was 8 p.m. and rain was drenching the city, soaking the balcony.
Ethan sat alone on the carpet with wet eyes. Two plates of rica, made hours ago, sat abandoned on the dining table—untouched.
A brown wig was thrown carelessly on the bed, piled on top of a flowery dress. Two pairs of women's shoes were on the floor—abandoned.
This was too quick. Too soon.
He never thought Jacques would be taken away from him this fast.
When he arrived at the police station, they told him Jacques had been transferred to another prison—but they wouldn't tell him where.
Ethan wiped his tears and stopped feeling sorry about the situation. He grabbed his phone and started doing something about it.
He had to find Jacques!
He ordered carnivore rica and then just walked away without finishing it?
No way!
Do not waste food!
***
"It's been two days. Why isn't he eating? Isn't he hungry?" Sigma exhaled deeply, watching Jacques lying on the bed without even touching his food. He wasn't even drinking.
Sigma had already surrounded Jacques with holographic screens displaying videos of people eating and cooking—everything from juicy steaks to Chinese food and other traditional dishes. But Jacques still ignored them, as if they were nothing.
A humanoid android stood beside him, taking the form of a human woman with long, flowing hair. Her face was unnervingly perfect—synthetic fair skin, delicate features, and glossy red lips—reflecting Sigma's personal preference for female aesthetics.
Her lips parted as she took the initiative to provide a relevant piece of trivia that might interest the human she was serving.
"A human being can survive without food for an average of three weeks. However, without water, organ failure begins within three to five days. Death is imminent shortly after. Current brain activity indicates the subject is suppressing survival instincts. He may be experiencing dissociation, viewing sustenance as an extension of control rather than necessity."
"I know!" Sigma looked displeased. "Stop jamming useless information, Beatrix. What I need now is to keep him alive. We need his DNA. A dead Argonarian is as useless as my taxidermied cat."
Beatrix's synthetic lips moved as she blinked her eyes, adding a cute expression—just how Sigma liked to see women behave.
"Logical comparison confirmed. The taxidermied feline retains visual and structural integrity but lacks interactive functionality. Similarly, a deceased Argonarian would preserve identifiable characteristics while becoming biologically nonviable. Conclusion: Preservation of life is required for continued utility."
Sigma sighed in frustration. Yes, she had everything he liked to see in a woman, but AIsplaining was truly exhausting.
"Detected: Elevated frustration levels. Suggested intervention: Would you like me to initiate stress reduction protocols, human?"
There was no use getting mad at a robot—they wouldn't get it. He'd ask the developer to fix her tendency to overexplain everything later.
Sigma adjusted his eyeglasses and asked Beatrix, "Suggest another way to get him to eat before I knock him out and inject him with liquid food to keep him alive."
An operating jingle sounded from Beatrix's internal components as she processed Sigma's request.
"Generating alternative solutions… Processing…" A brief pause. Then, in her smooth, mechanical tone, she listed her suggestions.
"We can use reverse psychological manipulation. Present sustenance—"
Sigma dropped his body onto his work chair, exhaling in frustration. The ideas were wearing thin, and he knew it wasn't going to work. He activated a holographic screen and started playing Bejeweled while half-listening for any new ideas that might actually work.
"...Option 4: Emotional leverage. Present fabricated distress signals from familiar individuals. Example: Simulated distress message from someone important to him, asking him to eat and survive…"
Sigma dropped his mini-game and considered that idea.
"What do we know about his parents or loved ones again?"
Beatrix projected a holographic screen from her eyes, displaying Jacques Durant's biodata.
"Subject has a foster mother, an astroanthropologist named Marie Durant. She lives in Mojinko, 3,000 miles away from our laboratory. Delivering her here might take several days."
"But it's for humanity, right? She would be willing to do it. Connect me with her," Sigma commanded.
"Connection engaged. Using civilian database access to gather Professor Marie Durant's contact…"
"Connection failed. Subject appears to be busy and has deactivated her phone," Beatrix explained. "She probably—"
Before the robot could overexplain again, Sigma cut her off. "Send her a message to call us back once she's available."
"Message generated—" Beatrix's eyes flashed light green as the programming in her head activated. "Message complete. Would you like to review?"
"No, just send it."
Beatrix's eyes flashed green again, and she smiled cutely. "Message delivered."
Sigma thought he would need to wait a few hours—but apparently not. Just a few seconds after the message was delivered, Beatrix informed him that he had an incoming call.
"Wait." Sigma straightened his posture, adjusted his tie, and composed himself. After ensuring his expression was calm and professional, he commanded the robot, "Answer the call."
A holographic screen lit up, revealing Marie Durant driving a car. Her expression was sharp, her eyes narrowed with irritation.
"What is it that you want from me?" she said curtly. "I thought his instructors already agreed yesterday to repent his crime by making him a clone donor. You already fetched him from prison without even waiting for me to say goodbye, didn't you? What else do you want, government?"
Sigma maintained his composed smile, his tone even and measured.
"Ms. Durant, I assure you this is not a trivial matter." His voice was calm but authoritative. "It seems your son is refusing to eat or drink. If this continues, his condition will deteriorate rapidly. His genetic material is vital for an ongoing project, and his survival is non-negotiable. We believe that hearing from you may persuade him to cooperate."
Marie scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping her lips as if she were mocking the agent.
"Oh, first you refused to wait for me before you took him away, but now that your plan is delayed, you need me to be there? You can't treat human beings like this, Government. We are living beings with emotions and feelings, and yet you treat us as nothing more than our functions. This is ridiculous!"
Sigma's expression remained unchanged, but his smirk sharpened.
"And what can you do, Ms. Durant? Abandon him?" Sigma's smirk widened slightly. A quiet victory. "Because we both know if you bring this up to the court, he'll face a far worse punishment than this—for nearly killing the Intergalactic Police Chief Commander's only son."
Marie's angry smiles disappears, left only the anger, hidden under her stoic expression. She went silent for quite few seconds, before she exhales, giving up, "I would like to be there, but I can't. My schedule is tight, I need to give lecture in 3 different universities this week and I need to travel somewhere not around where your lab located. If anything, I can only make phone call."
"That would be enough," Sigma is delighted. His plan will works.
***
Jacques was sleeping on his bed, arms folded across his chest, eyes closed. His face looked pale, but his breathing was steady.
Then, a holographic screen of Marie Durant popped up nearby, replacing the other holographic scenes of people doing mukbang and cooking delicious food.
"Son?" Marie's gentle voice came through the screen.
Her voice instantly opened Jacques's eyes. But it wasn't because he missed his mother—it was because he missed her; she should be the last person to know about this. He couldn't bear to tell her the reason, and at the same time, he couldn't lie to her about what had happened.
"Mom?" Jacques's voice filled with guilt.
He was worried so much about what they would say to Marie, but now that she is here, looking calm, smiling at him with her patient face, Jacques regret everything he did that cause him to end up stuck here.
How am I going to explain? I killed someone?