Tales From the Maid Wars Episode Two:
House of the Benefactors

Helen opened the door of the squad car and stepped out. A strong wind was blowing, carrying with it the smell of the ocean, just over the horizon. The MASA officer turned to the front gate of the Benefactor mansion. Though she didn’t see any obvious security cameras, there must have been at least one watching the road. As she walked up to the front gate, a small bot rolled down the long lawn to meet her.

It was a utility bot, one of the smaller models of the robots, who could often be seen in the background, doing minor tasks and functions for the larger diplomatic Robolords. It was, more or less a cube in shape, with small tracks at the bottom. Around its chasses were panels that could deploy a number of appendages for any task needed. “I am afraid that, due to the recent attack, no visitors are to be allowed onto the grounds at the moment. How may I help you, madam?” A high electronic voice spoke to Helen. On what she assumed was the front of the bot, a small screen lit up. It was displaying a blocky smiling face.

“Hello, I’m Lieutenant Helen Pierce, MASA intelligence.” Helen replied, handing over her badge. One of the panels on the bot opened up and a mechanical claw extended. It took the badge from her and held it up to a small optical scanner, near its ‘face’. Helen waited, while the bot examined her ID. It was hard to keep in mind that behind the simple, unreadable, graphic screen and high pitched, electronic voice was an intelligence equal, or more likely greater, than hers; a strange, alien intelligence to be sure, but intelligence none the less.

After a moment, the bot handed the badge back, evidently satisfied it was genuine. “Welcome, Lieutenant Helen Pierce. We have been informed of your assignment on this planet. We were not expecting you here, though. What is the purpose of your visit today?” It asked. Its face changed to a neutral, confused expression.

Helen slipped her id back into her pocket. “I’ve been assigned to assist the local security forces in their investigation. I was hoping I could examine the scene of the crime.” She said.

The curious expression remained on the bot’s electronic face. “The crime scene has already been examined, by both your own investigators and our security teams. Why do you wish to see it again?”

Helen shrugged. “I just wanted to get a feel for the case myself.” She wondered what the bot would make of that. As far as she knew, each bot had its own personality. They weren’t a hive mind. But the bots were capable to sharing information amongst themselves freely and on a level organic being’s couldn’t easily understand.  

She also wondered if the bot would let her in. Technically speaking, the bots had agreed to abide by all human laws, while on human worlds. As an investigator, even if only in an advisory role, Helen had every right to demand access to a place where a major crime had committed. In practice though, no human law enforcement agent was going to try and order the Benefactors to do anything. Anyone who did would very quickly find herself reassigned to a backwater mining station for the next half century…

For a moment, the bot was silent, save for a few odd clicks and whirrs coming from inside its mechanical body. Perhaps it was thinking things over, or perhaps it was communicating with the other bots at the mansion, in silent debate. The bot rocked back and forth on its tracks. Helen wondered, was that was simply part of its normal functions, or was it some sort of mechanical body language? At universities, there were whole departments of learned scholars dedicated to trying to understand the Benefactors and how they thought and functioned. If they had made any breakthroughs recently, Helen certainly hadn’t heard.

After a moment, the bot came to a conclusion. “It has been decided.” It stated, “You will be allowed into the mansion to view the room where the ghastly murder occurred. We will answer any questions you might have, to the best of our ability.” As it said this, the gate shifted back and slowly slid to one side, to admit Helen.

Without waiting to see if Helen was following, the robot spun 360* and started rolling back up the long path towards the mansion. Jogging slightly to keep up, Helen followed after him. As she got closer, she again noticed the activity around the corner of the large building. There appeared to be a large number of bots, of various models, moving about. They were busy doing something major, judging from all the noise.

“What’s going on?” She asked the bot, pointing.

The bot turned. “We are repairing the damage caused by the cowardly terrorists in their attack.” It said matter of factly.

“What?” Helen said, eyes widening in surprise. “Already? But the investigation isn’t completed yet!”

“It was felt that leaving these repairs undone would reduce the efficiency of this facility, in addition to the already unacceptable loss of productivity caused by the termination of the Robolord and nine security units.” The little bot told her. “A decision was reached, to begin repairs immediately after your security teams had finished their sweep of the crime scene.” It paused for a fraction of a moment before adding, “The head of your local law enforcement agency agreed with this analysis.”

As if the security chief of a minor world would deny the Benefactors of Mankind anything they asked. Helen thought. She shrugged. Nothing she could do about it then. “Alright, let me see the room where Arex 4391 was killed…” she said with a sigh, braced for the worse…

It wasn’t as bad as she’d feared, partly because the bots hadn’t started repairs on this room just yet. They were still busy rebuilding the holes left in the structure by the terrorists’ entry and exit. Maybe they felt this was the most important crime scene to preserve for the investigation. Or maybe it just wasn’t efficient to start repairing the Robolord’s chambers, when he was dead and a replacement hadn’t been sent yet. Either way, the room had been left mostly untouched.

The double doors at the front of the room had been blasted open with more explosives of the kind used to breach the outer walls. One lay twisted and charred on the floor of the large, round room. The other hung, drunkenly, from one hinge. The elaborate mosaic on the floor, depicting a stylized map of the known galaxy, had been marred by the firefight between the terrorists and the Robolords’ remaining guards. Shards of broken glass glinted like the mother-of pearl stars and jewel-like planets below them. Helen guessed they’d once been part of several magnificent chandeliers that had hung above the room. Again she wondered if the bots really appreciated art or if this was simply another calculated effect to awe the humans.

At the far end of the room was a raised dais, on it a throne, where the Arex 4391 would have sat, imperiously, meeting with visitors and dignitaries, come to beg for assistance with some problem or another, or to offer humble thanks for the many services the mechanical beings had freely rendered to humanity. At the base, a small area had been cleared away. Helen’s guide told her this was where the Robolord and his guards had been terminated. Their remains had been gathered up and sent back to their home world. He didn’t say to what purpose, and Helen briefly wondered what would be done with them? Did the bot’s revere the remains of their dead, like organic beings? Would they be buried, or would they be recycled, used to build new beings?

“I was actually hoping I could examine the remains of the security bots.” Helen told him. “Figure out what sort of weapon was used to kill them like that. Do you know?”

The bot thought for only a moment before answering. “I’d afraid that we must refuse your request. That information is classified.” Was it just Helen’s imagination, or was there a slight note of fear in the bot’s electronic voice? Could bots experience fear? Of course, she’d probably be afraid to, if there was a weapon that could kill her so easily and it was in the hands of a terrorist group who had already staged one attack on her facility. And she probably wouldn’t be eager to help another military power acquire data on that weapon. Rather brusquely, the bot added, “Is there anything else you would wish to ask before you leave.” The electronic voice every so slight added emphasis to those last three words.

“um…oh yes there is.” Helen said and she swore the bot looked disappointed for a moment. “I was reading the report of the investigation and I thought it was odd that there was no DNA evidence found at the site. Could you explain this?”

“Yes. While they were here, the terrorists deployed a neutrino-emitting device. What you refer to as a neutron-bomb. It sends out a powerful, focused wave of radiation. Fortunately, all of our systems are hardened against such attacks, so it was not as effective as they might have hoped. However, one effect of this device is to destroy all organic matter within the devices radios, preventing any potential DNA-identification of the attackers.”

“I see…” Helen said. “How could they have such a device?”

“It is not a difficult device to construct.” The bot said, and Helen thought is sounded almost smug. “Provided one has the proper materials and knowledge.”

“Why wasn’t this in the report I was given?” Helen asked and she was moderately pleased to see the bot taken aback by this question. It’s face changed to a neutral expression.

“One moment, I will consult with my fellow units.” It said. For several minutes it was silent. “An oversight on our part.” It finally told her. “The effects of the device are very subtle, if you don’t know to look. We should have realized your own investigators would not have realized this. We will take steps to rectify this. Now is there anything else you wish to know?”

Helen shook her head. “I think I’ve got everything I can here…” the small bot led Helen back to the gate. As she left, she saw the bots had already finished patching up the hole in the side of the mansion. She couldn’t even tell there had ever been a gaping hole blown in the wall to begin with. At the gate, the bot enthusiastically wished her a good day; almost sounding glad she was gone. Sighing, Helen walked to the squad car and got in.

“How were the bots?” Morris asked. “Did they answer your questions?”

Helen nodded. “And raised quite a few more.” She added.

“Hotel now?” Morris asked.

She shook her head. “Not yet. I was wondering if you could take me to this school, St. Joanne’s, was it?” Morris looked surprised for a moment, before nodding. Helen continued. “Like you said, it happened just a few days before the attack on the Benefactor’s mansion, and the details are odd, to say the least. It’s not much, but there might be a lead there. And since you boys aren’t looking into it at the moment, I might as well.” Helen turned to face Morris, grinning. “Besides, if all I accomplish is finding and rescuing a bunch of schoolgirls, I don’t think anyone will complain.”

Morris was quiet for a moment. “Thank you.” He said, quietly, starting up the car.

“Don’t worry about it.” Helen told him as they pulled back onto the highway. “It’s my job.”

St. Joanne’s Girl’s Academy lay a few miles outside of Rajani, on the opposite side of the city from the Space Port and the Benefactor’s Mansion. Sergeant Morris turned onto a winding country road that circled just beyond the outskirts of the city, giving Helen a view of more of the countryside. Along the way, the older Security Officer filled her in on the disappearances.

“We don’t really know all much about what happened, truth be told…” Morris said, sheepishly. “A week ago, we got word a number of women had gone missing from the Girl’s Academy. Eighteen students and six teachers, including the head mistress, as well as four staff members; almost the entire senior class disappeared. The younger students were ignored.”

He paused a moment. “We searched the grounds, carefully, but we couldn’t figure out what happened. There was no sign of any break in, none of the doors or windows were forced, the school’s security network was deactivated. It was like they’d just vanished in the night!”

“Did any of the other students witness what happened?” Helen asked.

Morris shrugged sheepishly. “I…I don’t know. We were about to start interviewing the remaining students, but then the attack on the Benefactor’s mansion happened and well…we were all reassigned to that case and the interviews were never done.” He pointed. “We’re here…”

Helen glanced out the window as the ground car rolled past the campus. About half a dozen buildings, from a small, one story house, to a large four story tall dormitory, built of red brick with white trim, no doubt intended to evoke the ivy-bedecked campuses from old Earth’s history. In between them, the open ground was covered in beautifully sculpted green lawns crossed by stone footpaths. Trees were planted here and there, providing shade from the warm, tropical sun. It seemed to Helen a nice place all in all.

Morris parked the car and the two got out. “I called ahead.” The older man said, “While you were talking with the bots. Somebody should be here to meet us.” After a moment he nodded. “There she is.” He pointed to one of the buildings. A young woman wearing a modest, grey dress was walking along the footpath towards them.

“Hello, Officer Morris.” The woman said in a prim voice. She had obviously met him during the earlier investigation. She turned to Helen, eyeing her rumbled uniform. “I don’t believe I know you, Miss…”

“Pierce.” Helen replied. “Lieutenant Helen Pierce. MASA intelligence. I’m here to assist the local security forces with their investigations. I thought I would look into this case, in case it pertains to the terrorist attack. And you are?”

“I’m Miss Catherine Lawrence. I teach Rhetoric and Composition here.” The teacher replied.

“Where were you the night of the abductions?” Helen asked, making sure to keep her voice friendly and open. The last thing she needed was for this woman to decide Helen was accusing her and become defensive.  

Miss Lawrence sighed, “I was off campus.” She said morosely, “I’d gone into town to visit my sister and her husband earlier that day. It was her birthday. I decided to spend the night at their house. Probably the only reason I wasn’t taken with the others.” She shivered, perhaps reflecting how close she’d come to whatever danger had befallen her students and coworkers.

Helen glanced over at Morris who nodded. “We can confirm all of that.” He said quietly.

“The next morning, I got word of what had happened.” The teacher continued. “I came back to find the younger girls distraught, the older girls and all of the staff missing. I did what I could to calm them and helped the security officers with their investigation.” Helen noticed the younger woman was close to tears. Survivor’s guilt? She wondered. Did she regret the fact that she’d been away, safe and sound, while unknown parties carried off the girls under her charge?

“Where are the other girls?” Helen asked, hoping to calm Miss Lawrence some.

She shrugged. “I sent them home.” She said, softly. “There wasn’t really anything else I could do. I had to send them back to their parents, where they would be safe. In the meantime, I’ve been staying here, to watch over the place, keeping things ready for when we start teaching again.” The way she said that, Helen wouldn’t have been surprised if she thought all of the missing girls and teachers were just going to suddenly reappear tomorrow morning, and everything would go back to the way it was.

“By yourself?” Helen asked, glancing around the large school grounds.

Miss Lawrence shook her head. “I’ve got Mr. McGrouder helping me. McGrouder and his wife tend the grounds and their girl, Sally helps while attending classes.” She paused. “Or at least they did. Mrs. McGrouder and her daughter were among the ones taken in the night. I’m afraid Mr. McGrouder took it very hard.”

“Where can I find him?” Helen asked.

“At this hour, I would expect he’s at home.” The other woman said. She gestured across the campus to the small, one story house.  Helen thanked her and walked towards the house. She knocked on the front door. A moment later, the door was opened by an older man dressed in a light blue utility jumpsuit. Her nose caught the smell of alcohol on him.

“Yes, who is it?” the man said in a tired, dull voice. Helen quickly read the man’s haggard expression, accentuated by the bloodshot eyes and a two-days stubble on his chin. Depression, hardly surprising. Drink, even less so. Exhaustion, perhaps from overworking, to distract himself from his loss.

“My name is Lieutenant Helen Piece, MASA intelligence.” She said in a diplomatic tone. “I’ve been sent to work with the local security forces in their current investigations. I was wondering if you could tell me what you saw the night of the disappearances.”

Mr. McGrouder sighed. “I don’t know what I can tell you…” he said, a pained tone to his voice.

“I know this must be painful for you, Mr. McGrouder, but is there anything you can remember that might help us?” Helen told him.

He nodded. “What can I say? I was asleep with my wife in our bedroom, there…” he pointed around the corner of the house. “Sally was in the bedroom across the hall from us. I woke up the next morning, to find my wife was gone. When I got up to look for her, I found Sally was missing to. When I stepped outside, I ran into some of the students who were looking for their friends, and that’s when I called Security.”  

“You didn’t notice anything at all in the night?” Helen asked, somewhat incredulous.

“I’m a heavy sleeper.” He said with a shrug.

“Were the doors and windows locked?” Helen asked.

He shook his head. “We don’t usually lock the doors and the windows were open that night. There’s not a lot of crime in this area.” He hung his head, shamefully.

“Well…thank you for your cooperation, Mr. McGrouder.” Helen said, extending her hand.

“There is…one more thing…” McGrouder said, hesitantly. “I showed it to the officers when they first investigated, but they didn’t seem to think it was important. This way…” he stepped forward, motioning for Helen to follow. The two walked across the campus around the main dormitory. Behind it was a large open field, which McGrouder explained was usually used for outdoor activities.

“This is what I was talking out…” McGrouder said, pointing out a section of the field. “I usually keep the grass trimmed and neat. Which was why I noticed this…” he pointed to a large patch of grass which, in contrast to the uniform green turf of the rest of the field was crushed flat and dead. “Honestly, I’m not sure what could have caused this.”

“I do…” Helen replied. The veteran MASA officer recognized it immediately. “And I think I figured out how the missing women were taken away. Some sort of counter gravity VTO transport landed here, quite a large one from the look of it, powerful engine, definitely not civilian. Military or private security. It hung around for a least a couple hours with its thrusters burning. Which is odd.”

“Odd…how?”

“Well, even your civilian air car, with its small grav-generator and air thrusters makes a good deal of noise, and military models are even louder. Loud enough you’d need ear protection just to be in the same field where they’re taking off and landing. These craft are designed for rapid assault, not sneak attacks. But apparently, this one flew in, loitered for a good while and flew out without anyone hearing anything.”

Helen shrugged. “It would have to be equipped with some pretty impressive sound dampeners, and I don’t know of anyone, military or otherwise who might have that kind of tech.” she thought a moment. “Well, maybe the Benefactors. Who knows what sort of technological wonders they’ve got stored away, but how would our mysterious kidnappers get ahold of it?”

She sighed. “Thank you for showing me this.” She said as they walked back to the campus gate. “I think it may have raised more questions than it answered, but it’s a step in the right direction.”

At the gate, Helen met with Miss Lawrence again. Speaking quickly with the teacher, Helen asked her to get in contact with the families of the students who had been left behind by the attackers and to arrange for Helen to meet with the girls.

“The Investigators never got around to doing that,” Helen explained quickly. “before they were pulled off the case and its possible one of the girls may have seen or heard something which can help us.” Miss Lawrence nodded, though she didn’t seem very hopeful.

Helen rejoined Officer Morris in the squad car and asked him to take her to her hotel. They drove in silence, Helen in deep thought. The young woman knew she should concentrate on the Robolord’s assassination and indeed, the facts of the case were odd enough to be intriguing on their own; the unprovoked nature of the savage attack, the mysterious weapons used by the assassins, the bomb used to cover their trail.

But inevitably, her mind kept wandering back to St. Joan and the missing girls. If Arex 4391’s murder was odd, the students’ kidnapping was downright cryptic. An unknown, impossible VTO vehicle, the lack of any sign of struggle or even of a break-in, the selective nature of the victims… Helen couldn’t shake the feeling the two cases were mixed together. That one should happen so soon after the other was not a coincidence.

“Think about it, Morris…” she said, finally breaking the silence. “A number of young women disappear mysteriously, and then, less than a week later, a group of terrorists who claim the Benefactors are kidnapping young women assassinate one of the Benefactor’s leaders. I think the two cases are connected.”

“Oh don’t get me wrong,” she added, hurriedly, “I don’t think for a moment the Bot’s are actually responsible for the kidnappings. Let’s be honest, the very idea of it is patently ridiculous, but it doesn’t change the fact that there are those who do believe it, and they’re willing to kill because of it. In which case, finding the real kidnappers is the first step in stopping these assassins.”    

“I think you may be right.”  

“At the moment it’s my best lead...” Helen said with a shrug. “And until something better comes up that’s what I’m going with.”

“Well then,” Morris said with a nod. “It looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us…”