The CRES code

Chapter Twenty Three - Recovery

     The verger returned with Jane and Loach to find Randall and the priest in the church's back room.

     The room lacked the large diagnostic and analytical machine that the church in Tettlehall had had, but it did have what looked like a washing machine that they assumed cleaned and disinfected blankets and bandages. Loach assumed that anyone in need of serious medical attention went to the city to get it. This priest mainly treated injuries and minor infections, and probably served as the town's midwife as well. He therefore didn't need the same kind of medical equipment that the Tettlehall priest had possessed.

     Randall was pulling on some dry clothes as they entered. He looked up as the verger showed the other two hibernators in, but waited until the church attendant had left before speaking again. "Also, I want a directive that the priest will obey us and help us in any way he can. Any directives that VIX might have given him to act against us will be deleted."

      "I understand. That is easy to accomllish."

     "And what about the orcs? Are any of them like you? Robots wrapped in living flesh?"

     "The chieftains, yes. The other orcs are conditioned to obey their chieftain no matter what he tells them to do."

     "I want to be able to do the same thing to them as to priests. Erase their CRES codes, make them help me."

     "That is also easy to accomplish."

     "What's going on?" asked Loach.

     "We had to leave Tattlehall in rather a hurry," Randall replied. "There were some other features I wanted added to yama666 that we didn't have time for. It occurred to me that VIX might reprogram all the priests so that, even with their CRES codes erased they might still try to capture or kill us, so I told our new friend here to make yama666 reverse those changes. From now on, any priest we liberate will help us, even if VIX told them not to beforehand."

     "Liberate?" said Jane with an arched eyebrow. "You're turning them into slaves!"

     "Only people can be slaves," replied the former businessman. "These are machines being returned to their originally intended function..."

     He fell silent as the verger popped his head back into the room. "Will there be anything else, Father?" he said.

     The priest looked at the state of Jane's hair. "I think our guests would appreciate hot baths," he said. "Get some water warmed up, would you?"

     "Will they be using the bathtub in your own living quarters?"

     "Just this once, until we find them somewhere permanent to settle down."

     "Very good, Father." The verger bowed his head and left the room.

     "We won't be settling down here," said Randall, though. '"It's too close to Tattlehall. We need to get to a completely different part of the country before the other priests find us."

     "If they come, can't you do to them what you did to him?" asked Jane.

     "Yes, but they might not come. They might send the army instead, or just drop a rock on us from space. Turn this whole village into a smoking hole in the ground."

     Jane gasped. "Would they do that?" she asked.

     "To protect themselves? Wouldn't you?" He turned back to the priest. "How long before VIX figures out we're here, do you think?"

     "A day or two, if we're lucky," the priest replied. "I've told him I had to stay to treat a woman with tenebreria. He'll believe that, we've had outbreaks here before."