—I say take her out. March her down Constitution Avenue. Let everyone wonder what she can do. If you want a bigger deterrent, find a meaningless war in the middle of nowhere and annihilate one side. From what Dr. Franklin tells me, conventional weapons could not even put a scratch on her. I believe she could have driven the Iraqis out of Kuwait by herself. Are you going to tell me you would pass this up? You know this is worth a little squabble with Moscow.

—Maybe. I’m still not convinced that robot is all that you say it is. While you’re here, can you tell me what you’re doing about getting the controls to work for someone other than the Resnik girl?

—We are…

—Yes?

—Why do you ask?

—It’s just a question.

—It is not. What are you not telling me?

—Fine. I received an e-mail from someone on your team. Alyssa…something.

—Ms. Papantoniou. She is a geneticist.

—Well, Ms. Paponiou.

—Papan…

—Whatever. She thinks we can’t rely on that pilot of yours for something this important. She says she’s too unpredictable.

—Is that all she says?

—No. She says that studying her should be a priority but that Dr. Franklin won’t give her the resources she needs. She also says you won’t do a thing about it.

—And what do you think?

—I think you have what looks like a mutiny on your hands, and I don’t find that the least bit reassuring.

—I find it mostly annoying. But if it can make you feel better, I will let you decide what needs prioritizing. We do not have a complete robot. What we have cannot move. If and when we find the missing pieces, then it may or may not move. One of the control helmets does not work for anyone at this point. That nonfunctioning helmet is at a station designed for a creature with a different anatomy that we also cannot operate. What we do have is one functioning helmet, one station we can actually use, and one pilot able to use both the helmet and the station. So, Robert, where do we focus our efforts? Choose wisely.

—Hey, it’s your show. All I’m saying is you should have a better handle on your people. But even if we don’t need to deal with it now, that…Alyssa person’s got a point. What are we going to do when the Resnik girl is too old? God forbid she gets hit by a truck a week from now. What if she wakes up one morning and decides she doesn’t want to do this anymore? Say she decides it goes against her values. Say she gets pregnant and doesn’t want to risk her life anymore. What would we do then?

—Believe me, she will not. None of them will. They would not give this up for all the gold in the world, let alone for principles. We will have a few more years to analyze it. We will find a way to make it work for someone else. There is always a chance that her children could work the controls.

—You want to breed pilots? You’ll forgive me if I don’t bring your suggestion to the president.

—I do not think it will come to that, but why not? Breed them. Clone them. Ms. Papantoniou would certainly not object. Who knows what we will be able to do twenty years from now. In any case, this president will be long gone when that decision needs to be made. I think this robot will still be advanced weaponry long after you and I are buried.

—I don’t share your optimism. This whole thing scares the hell out of me. I can’t help but think it will all blow up in our faces.

—Do you like superheroes?

—Oh, I’m not in the mood for a metaphor right now.

—Humor me. Who is your favorite superhero?

—I don’t know. Superman. No, the Hulk.

—OK, now imagine for a minute that—what is he called when he is not the Hulk?

—How should I know? I’m not twelve! Wait one second…Lisa, what’s the name of the guy who turns into the Hulk when he’s angry?…She doesn’t know…How about Superman?…Superman is Clark Kent…Thank you, Lisa.

—Imagine that Clark Kent walks into your office one day and offers his services to fight for America. You are given the opportunity to recruit a near-indestructible soldier with superhuman strength who can fly faster than a supersonic jet fighter. Would you say no because Mr….

—Kent.

—Because Mr. Kent might someday fall ill?

—That’s it? That’s your point? I can tell you this: I’d certainly think about it if I had to start by invading a dozen countries to pick up body parts from Mr. Kent all over the map.

FILE NO. 118

INTERVIEW WITH CW3 KARA RESNIK, UNITED STATES ARMY

Location: Underground Complex, Denver, CO

—Yes, I slept with him! Are you happy now?

—I did not mean him.

—Well, which one do you mean? The one in jail, or the one in the hospital? I slept with both of them, so take your pick. I sleep with everybody. That’s just the kind of girl I am.

—There is no need to be on the defensive. I am not accusing you of anything. I just want to know what happened.

—You’re not accusing me? Now that’s a relief! You can just go ahead and say it. It’s not a matter of opinion. I know this is all my fault. Believe me, I know.

—You can start by telling me what happened with Mr. Mitchell.

—I don’t know what to tell you. We spent so much time together. He’s kind. I’m not used to men being kind. I’ve made the wrong choices every single time when it comes to men. Ryan, he’s…a good guy. Leave it to me to pick Mr. Right and still get it wrong.

I mean, I knew better. I knew this wasn’t for me. He just…wore me down. I caved in, and I was hoping I’d wake up the next day and all the pain would be gone, all that self-doubt. But, of course, I felt exactly the same. You don’t erase a lifetime of mistakes by sleeping with some man in a car, no matter how kind he is. I tried. I swear.

—You saw him again after you made love in the car?

—We didn’t make love in the car. I jumped him. I had too much to drink. That was me being…

—Self-destructive?

—I was gonna say “me being me,” but that works too. He knew, that’s the worst part. I was hoping he didn’t, but he knew. I felt horrible. So yeah, we went out again a couple times. I figured, he’d seen me at my worst and he stuck around. The least I could do was to give it a real shot. I mean, that’s what people do. Isn’t it? They find a decent, good-looking man who doesn’t judge them and treats them like a princess. They realize how lucky they are and they never let go. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?

—I wish I could offer a piece of wisdom. Sadly, romance is not an art form I have ever mastered. As unsuccessful as your attempts at relationships may have been, you are still the expert in this room. Is there something about Mr. Mitchell that you find off-putting?

—No! Nothing! There’s nothing. If I could describe the perfect man, all the qualities I’m looking for in someone, it wouldn’t be too far off from Mitchell. He’s a bit clingy at times, but overall he’s great company. I love the way he looks at me. I like seeing myself through his eyes. I don’t know. Maybe it’s me I can’t stand. Maybe I don’t like the effect I have on him, how he loses himself when I’m around.

—Would you prefer he paid less attention to you?