Free Dead Town by Dean Koontz Page A

concern of others.
    She was created to serve Victor, to submit to him without protest, and was programmed to hate humanity, especially the young. Even then, Victor envisioned a world that would one day have no children in it, a future in which sex had no purpose other than the relief of tension, a time when the very concept of the family would have been eradicated, when the members of the posthuman New Race owed allegiance not to one another, not to any country or to God, but only to Victor.
    “Mommy’s in the city buying me new teddy bears,” Chrissy said.
    That was what Michael told her. In fact, her mother was dead.
    “That stupid pretend mommy tore up my teddy bears.”
    The pretend mommy was the Communitarian that replaced the real Denise Benedetto. Michael had rescued Chrissy, and Carson had but moments later killed the replicant.
    “Where did that pretend mommy come from, anyway?” Chrissy asked.
    She seemed as fragile as a Lladró porcelain. The girl’s trusting nature and her vulnerable heart brought Erika close to tears, but she repressed them.
    “Well, honey, maybe it’s like bad witches sometimes in fairy tales. You know, sometimes with just a spell, they make themselves look like other people.”
    “Pretend mommy was a bad witch?”
    “Maybe. But pretend mommy is gone now and never coming back.”
    “Where did she go?”
    “I hear they threw her in a cauldron of poison that she herself was brewing to use on other people.”
    Chrissy’s eyes widened without benefit of hot chocolate. “That’s so cool.”
    “She tried to turn herself into a flock of bats and fly out of the cauldron to freedom,” Erika said, “but all the bats were still covered in the poison, and they just—
poof!
—turned into a cloud of mist and vanished forever.”
    “That’s what
should
happen to bad witches.”
    “And that’s what
did
happen.
Poof!
”
    From the study, along the hallway and into the kitchen, came again the voice of Jocko in the throes of hacker excitement:
“Boom, voom, zoom! Got me the puddin’, now bring me the pie!”
    Putting down her cookie, Chrissy said, “Your little boy don’t sound like any little boy I ever heard.”
    “No, he doesn’t. He’s very special.”
    “Another plum, another plum, another plum for me! Jocko shakes the cyber tree! Ah ha-ha-ha, Ah ha-ha-ha-ha!”
    “Can I meet him?”
    “In just a little while, sweetheart. He’s doing his homework right now.”
    “Boogers! Boogers! Boogers! BOOGERS! Okay, okay. Sooo … clip it, flip it, jip it, nip it, rip it, tip it, whip it, aaaannnd ZIP IT! Jocko is king of the world!”
    Erika said, “You remember what you told me your daddy said about the outside and inside of a person?”
    “Sure.”
    “Well, Jocko is very pretty inside.”
    “I hope he likes me.”
    “Jocko likes everybody.”
    Chrissy said, “Does he like to play teatime?”
    “I’m sure he’d love to play teatime.”
    “Boys usually don’t.”
    “Jocko always wants to please. Honey, have you ever been afraid of something, then you discovered there was no reason to be afraid?”
    Chrissy frowned, considering the question, then abruptly beamed. “Like dogs.”
    “Were you afraid of dogs?”
    “The big ones with big teeth. Big old Doofuss next door.”
    “But then you got to know Doofuss better, huh?”
    “He’s really all sweet inside.”
    “And I’ll bet he doesn’t look scary anymore outside, either.”
    “He’s cute now.” Her right arm shot up, and she waved her hand as if she were in a schoolroom and seeking the attention of the teacher.
    “What is it, sweetheart?”
    “The duke. I first saw the duke, he scared me.” The duke was what she called Deucalion. “But then he picked me up and he held me like you hold a baby and said close my eyes tight, and he magicked us from there to here, and he don’t scare me anymore.”
    “You’re a good girl, Chrissy. And brave. Girls can be just as brave as boys. I’m proud of you.”
    Along