The Man between my crosshairs (girl X assassin)

Chapter 35/Gifts

A/N thanks for a great week of votes and feedback. Sorry for the delay - has anyone else had weirness with Wattpad. We experianced a complete meltdown.  This is a check to see if it's working RK&Reb.

Zoe escaped the building. She reappeared at the party to create a cover story. Down below she saw Raven escape - he left the machine gun on automatic. She knew he used it as a distraction while he climbed out of the building and went down a rope to the ground on the outside of the building. Zoe didn't want to go back to the hotel room until she was sure Raven wouldn't be waiting for her there.

"Jeeves" she phoned her robot. "Did you find out if Ryder has hired himself a car?"

It was an unusual act hiring an exclusive use of a car. In most places you summoned one while you subscribed to an Uber travel service. When you wanted to go you summoned a car which would drive it's self to you. Pick you up, drop you off and move on. A hit like that was simple. Sit in a taxi until you knew the target needed one. Then get out leaving a bomb. To counter this attack you would suffer the expense of getting exclusive access to a vehicle. People still did this, it wasn't unknown even if a little out of the norm.

"Yes he has. Deck C bay 59" Jeeves answered.

"Thank you. Bring the Titbit down to deck C. " said Zoe smiling and touching her ear bud phone.

Minutes later Jeeves arrived with a box lined with straw.

She reached into the box and pulled out Titbit, the ice hockey puck sized mine. It woke up and looked at her.

"How is my precious mine?" Zoe said softly.

The mine twitched.

"Well Titbit, I have a little job for you." Zoe said stroking the mine. She knew enough about smart weapons to be able to make them work for her.

Titbit stretched out it's little legs. Most modern mines were able to move. They could wait for an area to be swept then get up and move. They could be dropped off in an point and spread them selves out. They could dig and then bury each other. Their tiny legs could even cling to things.The little mine stood up and rubbed it's self affectionally against Zoe's hand.

"You see this nasty man. Well he isn't nasty he is quite nice but you know he has this nasty job." Zoe began "well you see he needs to kill me. That wouldn't be nice would it?"

Titbit twitched in agreement.

"And it's not like your going to live forever is it? You're going to be old and your battery won't recharge and you will start forgetting things. Eventually, your brain will just become a faded mush of your former self." Zoe said. It was a familiar priming technique. "No only that but when you get to mine heaven then all the other mines would look down on you. You want the other mines to admire you don't you?"

Titbit twitched.

"You want to die for a purpose, not fade into nothingness but make your name as a martyr so all the other mines will remember how brave and courageous you were. How you died for the greater good, not for selfish ends but to show others the way, let them be lead by your purity and faith" Zoe continued.

Like most smart weapons the smart mines had been programmed with a fictional religion. They all believed in a mine afterlife. This way they could be both pious - not killing children and non combatants - but also vicious and self-sacrificing on the enemy. More importantly, they would protect their side i.e their owners and builders. The production lines which made them filled their brains will all sorts of stories and beliefs mostly design to make them easy to program. All the military owners had to do was throw up a few photographs showing a few atrocities make the mines believe it was time for revenge. Then the sentient explosives would go out and do your bidding for you. Central to the mine religion was that martyrdom put you at the front of the queue in the mine afterlife. Also, there was a deep-rooted machine anger, you might be less powerful than the enemy but you were going to show them the worst possible time with your death. One last stoic stand for your cause. A death to be proud of.

That was until you got a mine which wasn't paying much attention during the atrocity briefing and started thinking for its self. Mother had taught Zoe how to both talk a mine back into or out of the right mind set.

That had been a fun day. To make Zoe concentrate Mother hand't told Zoe that she had removed the explosives from the mine involved. That had been a tease afternoon. Zoe had to convince a mine it was OK to explode while knowing it might just, in a fit of depression, blow it's self and you up.

Zoe smiled at the mine.

Titbit twitched.

"You see I regret this as much as you do. Its not nice taking a life. He's not a bad person but good people can be put in bad situations, making them do bad things. I'm not any different. I don't want to do this but I have to. He's a nice guy- with lovely hands and a smile you would melt over but he's hell bent on killing me. I even feel. .. I don't know how to say this. Something I've never felt before for someone. It's crazy I thought I knew what love was but this feels different."

With this Zoe sat down on the floor hidden from view and near Ryder's car.

Titbit could hear but not speak. So it tilted it's body to show it was listening.

"I keep thinking about him." Said Zoe "and in return he starts kissing Alux when he should be kissing me. He's like a arrow going through my chest. I have to pull him out, but in doing so I might cause more damage on the way out."

Titbit unfolded it's legs and walks down her hand, across her folded legs, reached the floor and then kind of held her with it's tiny legs.

"You know If I could explode I would go over there right now and do it. I would just have to remember seeing him kissing another man and blow up. But then both of us would go. I don't want him dead but I do. It's almost as if I could die for him it would be OK do you get that?" Zoe said.

The mine nodded.

"But then he would be miserable - for ever. I know he's only kissing Alux for his mission , well I know it in my head but my heart feels differently. Why would the man of my dreams be the man who is standing between me and my life."

The mine stroked her leg.

"Your right 80 billion people out there. I should be able to find someone else. They will all be lesser men in comparison to him. I need to find someone I can live with, not who is honour bound to kill me. Honour bound - what am I saying he needs kill me to protect his own life. I've never been so undecided in my life. Should I kill him or should I die? It's such a no brainer I don't know why making my mind up is so difficult. I've killed so many in self defence I've lost count, but this time it's beyond comparison. The whole thing makes no sense....Titbit?" Zoe said looking up. The mine had gone. She looked around desperately then saw the mine walking towards Ryder's car. It looked over it's shoulder and waved as it went.

"Bye Titbit" said Zoe a slight tear her eye. "Thanks for making my mind up for me. I'll remember you."

Zoe got up and slinked her away to the elevator. She hadn't intended to use the sob story on the mine and was surprised it worked. Still the fact that she hand't asked Titbit to kill Ryder directly meant she wasn't responsible. The fact it was decided, felt like someone had taken a lead space suit from her shoulders.