"Missy (Illustration by the Author)" by Frances Monro

Missy

By Frances Monro

Missy was angry and confused.  She ran into the rec-room and stood before her Supervisor, Peter, wringing her hands. "Oh Sir, Cassie has gone mad! I cannot do my work! She has a knife and says that she will kill anyone who touches the floors!"

His face seemed blank at first as he looked up at her, but then he smiled. "There, there," he said in a gentle voice. "Come here." At a level deeper than thought she recognized her Supervisor. He would solve her problems. She hugged him, accepting comfort and reassurance as he stroked her hair. Missy had already stopped crying and begun to calm down as he spoke. "I want you to be calm now. It will be all right. I have called Security to deal with the situation."

"Oh Thank You, Sir," she said. "It's just that I wanted to get on with my work. I know where I'm at when I'm cleaning my floors. It makes me feel good. It's the only thing that makes me feel really happy. The normal routine has been upset."

"I know, I know Missy. You're a good girl. Security will be here soon, they will deal with the problem, and then you will be able to resume your work."

Missy nodded and wiped her eyes. "Yes, Sir. What is wrong with Cassie?"

"I"m afraid Cassie has malfunctioned."

"Mal-malfunctioned?"

"Yes, Missy. Our society is one where everyone knows their place. Masters and Mistresses, Citizens and clones like us. Everybody is happy now. But sometimes despite all the care that goes into our design and programming, something goes wrong. When that happens the clone must be sent back to the birth lab to be corrected and reprogrammed, and the error eliminated. Then when new brothers and sisters are made, they will be free from the problem."

"Cassie is my gene-sister. She's like me. Have I gone wrong too?"

Peter laughed and smiled. "No Missy, you are a good girl. You have not gone wrong. You want to do your work, don't you? You want to please Master and Mistress?"

"Oh yes, Supervisor, more than anything!"

"See, there is nothing wrong with you. It happens very, very infrequently, because we have been made so well. I have never seen it happen before."

At that moment there was a great deal of noise and shouting and banging of doors. "It looks like Security have arrived. I'd better go and see if I can assist. Wait here Missy. Sit right here in this chair until I return and do not worry."

"Yes, Supervisor."

Missy sat there and waited, ignoring the noises that came from outside. She sat with her hands folded in her lap and closed her eyes. She let her breathing become slow and even and repeated a relaxation mantra in her head: I am calm and I am functioning well. Peace descended gradually and washed away her troubled emotions as her conditioning system responded to her needs. The relaxation exercise was a basic part of her design and training. It was never needed - working made her happier and relaxed than anything.

After what seemed like a long time Peter returned with another man who she did not recognize. He wore bulky black cloth armor and a uniform. She knew his type – he was a security clone and, although he was not a member of the household, orders from Security must be obeyed.

"Is this her?" the man asked. "She's the same as the one upstairs?"

"Yes Sir, She's the same series, with identical gene-set and programming." Peter said. "Missy, this is Captain Thomas of Security. He's going to become your Supervisor for a little while. He has your Codes, and your Contract. Everything is in order."

Missy relaxed. The Captain was her Supervisor – that meant she could trust him. She could see that Captain Thomas was holding a list and what looked like the contract books for several workers.

"Missy, is it?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Yes. Good. Listen to me. I want you to listen to me very carefully..."

He gave her a shot and took her under then asked her a series of questions. Then he showed her pictures on the screen of his communicator and asked what was happening in each one. Next the screen showed command icons, and she found herself saying response codes without any pause for thought at all. They played a game where Thomas said a word and Missy had to respond with the first word that came into her head. Then Thomas said she was a good girl, she had done well, and he was pleased with her. He told her to feel calm and happy. Then he gave her another shot and brought her back, got up, and left.

Missy sat there feeling calm and happy for a while. This was a nice feeling, so she sat there and enjoyed it. Eventually it occurred to her that she might now be able to go back to her work.

She stood up and went out into the hallway and found Peter there, sitting in a chair with a blank, happy look on his face. In an unexpected flash of insight Missy realized that Thomas must have run an intervention on him too. "Sir? Are you all right?"

Peter smiled at her, looking tired. "Yes Missy, I'm fine."

"The Captain did an intervention on me."

"Yes Missy, it's nothing to worry about. He had to make sure that you were functioning correctly."

"Me, Sir?"

"Sometimes, very, very, rarely, when a clone worker malfunctions they spread the wrongness to other clones they've been in contact with. It's called a worm. There hasn't been anything like that in a long, long time, but they have to check. You're fine."

"Oh... I'm glad. I would hate to go wrong. Is Cassie all right? Did they take her away?"

"I'm afraid Cassie is dead, Missy. She would not put down the knife so in the end Security shot her. They had to put her down."

"Oh dear, that's very bad!"

"Yes, it is."

"What will happen now?"

"I have phoned the birth lab, and they will send a replacement for Cassie on Monday."

"Oh. Then things will be back to normal?"

"Yes Missy, everything will be back to normal."

"Oh Good, I don't like it when the routine is disturbed."

"I know Missy. You're a good girl."

"May I... May I.... "

"Yes?"

"May I do Cassie's work as well?"

David laughed and shook his head, smiling. "Yes Missy, you may do Cassie's work until Monday when her replacement arrives."

"Good." She smiled back at him. "May I return to my work now?"

"Yes you may. You are a good girl. Go and do your work."

Missy scampered up the corridor, retrieving her mop and bucket and scrubbing brush, happy now that routine had been restored. She went up to the dining room where Cassie had stopped her from working before. She gasped when she saw the fresh bloodstains on the floor. She supposed that was all that was left of Cassie? She frowned. Her stomach hurt and she felt flushed. Missy identified the sensation – She was feeling anxiety. That was bad.

However, it wasn't bad enough to make her return to her Supervisor for further comfort. She knew what to do about stains on the floor. Missy filled her bucket at the laundry and added detergent and disinfectant, then she returned to the dining room and mopped the floor.

Missy began to feel better. She was cleaning, fulfilling her function. Supervisor Peter would be pleased with her. Master and Mistress would be happy. She smiled as she cleaned, and felt content. It was the only thing that really made her feel happy.