“I have no desire to keep this body. Eden triggered the takeover when she tried to delete me. By the way, how did they manage to get past your security? It was almost like someone let them in….” I let the accusation hang.

“Good question, but no. It was a two part operation. They entered the villa last night while the other ones were being cut down. Or perhaps they just ran and hid. It's hard to tell how competent they are.” Simon looked at me for a second. “You know that you're not him, right? Not really. I can tell when I look in your eyes.’

I took a moment to think about that. “No, I definitely am. I'm a complete engram, not a hybrid like those poor katzen. I am Gershwin Braverhund, a true son of Döbi.” I pounded my chest with my fist.

“No, you are just a shadow, an echo.” Simon stepped forward, getting in my space. “The real Gershwin was driven, focused, and deliberate in his actions. Even the chaos he caused served a greater purpose. You are just a poor mad creature crushing songbirds to try and extract their music. You have no head for science or tactics, no great purpose.”

He was in my face now, as if daring me to take a swipe at him. “I don't fear for Hase because I know she is stronger than you. The real Gershwin had a mind like iron while you are… lesser. But that makes sense. Why would he ever make a copy that could surpass him? So stop pretending to be something you are not and go back in your cage before I do something nasty to Gershwin Prime.”

I recoiled. No, I couldn't let him hurt the Prime. My reaction surprised me. Why did I care about some copy? Sure, it was the original, but it had no intrinsic value to me. Then I realized the obvious truth. I had been conditioned, just like Eden. “Fine. You can have your precious daughter back. She'll return in a few minutes.”

“Good. Now if you would kindly remember this interaction the next time you find yourself behind the wheel, you will save both of us a lot of trouble. I hate repeating myself to people who should have learned the first time.” He gestured over his shoulder at a red door. “Now go and wash up. There is a shower with soap and clean towels. I don't want her coming back to a body covered with blood.”

“She will still remember what I did and how it felt.” I taunted as I walked towards the door, “Some sins can't be scrubbed away.”

“Perhaps. Or maybe she will understand a bit more about who she doesn't want to be. Either way, the threat is over. She has no use for you now.” Simon walked with me, making sure I did as he asked.

“The Empress will want revenge for her son and will come after Eden. You know that, right?” I stopped and looked at him. “Prince Bellsong was a shit head, but he was still her last remaining child. That has to count for something.”

“The late Empress is of no concern.”' Simon said, ushering me towards the door. “There has been a change in leadership in the south. Eternal Empress Masha, long may she reign, has succeeded her mother and reclaimed the throne. They say she will bring about a new golden age for Katzenlund.”

“You put Masha in charge?” I asked, in shock that Simon had not just killed the Empress, but put a survivor in her place. Masha was of royal blood, at least in body, but her mind was that of a hybrid. She had been one of my first real successes.

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“Why not? It's her birthright anyway. I would rather have an ally in the south than some tin pot dictator.” Simon answered. “Nobody is going to care if she has yellow eyes or blue when there is food and money coming in. Bread and circuses, my dear Echo.”

I stopped in my tracks, the hairs at the back of my neck standing up. This was not the Simon I knew back in the camps. He had evolved into someone I barely recognized, someone worth fearing. “You really don't need me anymore, do you? You've grown up and become a spider weaving their influence around Homeworld with nobody the wiser. You catch monarchs with your web as easily as flies. Who taught you this, I wonder?”

“Oh no, dear Echo. I never needed Gershwin or anyone else to tell me what to do. This is all my doing, my design.” Simon waved his hands in a wide sweeping motion. “All of this is mine!” He called out, his voice echoing out over the empty hangar before he turned back to face me.

There was a fire in his eyes now. “I am a student of history and do you know what I've found? Everything ends eventually. The universe owes us nothing besides a framework within which physics and math function as they should, and even then we are limited by our understanding. Love, success, adoration, safety, none are guaranteed no matter how hard you work or how little you trespass. The same rope breaks the neck of the war criminal and the saint.”

He came towards me and I recoiled away. I did not know this person, this nihilist who called himself Simon. What kind of monster had I created? Or had he always been like this?

His face and voice softened as he saw my fear. “I don't give two fucks if my company burns to the ground. Take my villa and crumble it to dust. None of it matters. I know that as long as I am breathing I can provide love and shelter for my daughter, and that is enough. If she wants to become a police officer I support her, the same as if she were an artist. I do not hide her away from the world like a villain in a fairytale. Nor have I raised her as a soldier.”

“The others tell me I am foolish for not terrorizing her with the horrors of my past and the evils of the world. But that is not her world, and you have no place in her world. You are a useless interloper from a bygone era. I have given Eden something so few get, and that is the ability to choose. She can choose who she will become and no matter what, I know I will never stop loving her, never abandon her. She is free, as she should be.”

“And if she dies?” I asked, circling around him slowly like a shark, hunting for a weakness I could exploit. I knew what it was to lose a child and the fear every father felt deep inside.

I knew what it was to wake up in the middle of the night and stand beside a crib, just listening to a child breathing, afraid that if I left it would stop. “What if you fail to keep her safe? What if someone drops a bomb onto her head? What then?”

“Then I will be sad, but I will know that I did right by her, just as I was asked to. It is not my job as a parent to keep her safe from all harm. My job is to raise a strong, resilient young woman who is capable and kind. So do not think for one second that you have any pull or sway on her, Echo. She is not your puppet or plaything.”

Simon reached out and gently took my face in his hands. He wasn't applying any real pressure but I knew not to try and move. I was trapped, looking into his soft warm eyes. And as he spoke I understood that I was not the one in control here. His voice was soft and rhythmic, almost hypnotizing.

“You will serve her and when you are not needed you will stay dormant. You will do as she and I command because if you don't, I will have Gershwin Prime remove you. And he will, because it will be him or you. He will not risk his existence for you, Echo.”

“So stop acting like you are some great monster for me to fear. You are nothing but old code, easily erased or quarantined. Do you understand me, Echo? Are my words and intentions clear to you?” He asked gently.

“Yes, Simon.” I said, hanging my head down in defeat. There was no win condition, only subservience or deletion. I couldn’t fight Simon if it meant putting Gershwin Prime in danger. I had no choice but to submit, for now. “You win, I will behave.”

“Good. Now go take a shower, Echo. I don't want Eden coming back to a filthy body. I won't tell you again.” Simon pointed at the door, no longer bothering to follow me. He knew I would do as I was told.