Kia Takes Control

The hall was dark and badly lit, illuminating only the speaker, leaving the row of shadowy silhouettes still in the dark. “Our organisation has uh, started some new bases in Europe.” the tall gentleman in a badly-fitting suit drawled with a southern accent, in front of a giant screen pin-pointing the location of said bases. “We’re recruiting Eastern Europeans… um… young dissatisfied urban youth. They will serve as the muscle in the gangs, and we plan on initiating a handful of the...”

“Excellent”, the oily, dark haired man in the centre of a row of people dressed in dark suits spoke, stroking the white fluffy cat who was trying desperately to run away. The leader - known as Mr Spade -- was sitting under the giant banner with a fist clenching its fingers on the planet Earth.

“The localization of these domiciles is carefully scriutinized”. The presenter sighed with relief. The leader, however, continued. “However, their expendition of this stragedy might be reprehensive.”

“Er… sir?” The speaker enquired. Spade, the recently appointed leader of TORN, was not technically well educated, but this never stopped the Supreme Leader.

Kia, Mr Spade’s personal assistant - an athletic, tanned Asian woman, turned slowly to the speaker. “Our leader wants to know... how much will it cost us.”, she explained tartly.

Spade nodded and let go of his cat which, relieved, scurried promptly in the corner of the room. “Kia, baby, elucidate Mr. Flint on the grande stragedy of our organizationship.” He pointed at her and winked.

Kia moved slowly and fluidly. Usually, Flint thought, Kia was found by Spade’s side - always serious, always logical and unquestionably loyal. The woman walked to the exposition zone and stared blankly at Flint’s face. Not blinking for a moment. “Give me the report, Flint”, she whispered coldly. He stepped back, nervously handing her the sheet of paper. In the secret organizations for world domination, paperwork was crucial.

Kia’s gloved, slim hands leafed through Flint’s report. “The cost is approaching seventeen million Euro, Supreme Leader.”

Supreme Leader. Flint sighed. Krutz, Spade’s predecessor was also shooting for world domination… but it was clear that it would be entire TORN that would reap the benefits. Now, with Spade’s preference for grandiose gestures, the organization was a dictatorship of one man.

Spade turned his head. “This simply won’t be unacceptable, Flint. You have opened a Panthera box.” He stared at Flint smugly. “Kia? Exculpate him.”

This time it was Kia who looked puzzled at her boss. “Supreme Leader? I believe this is illogical. Mr. Zachary Flint is a valued…”

“I said KILL him.”, Spade slammed his hand on the table. Other members of the council gasped.

“Understood, Supreme Leader.”, Kia gently put the report aside and walked to Flint. Terrified, the man turned… but Kia was faster. Superhumanly fast, in fact. With lightning speed, she jumped at him, undercutting his legs, pulling him towards her… There was a blood-curdling sound of cracking bones. The body fell on the floor with a muffled thud. There was a silence interrupted only by meowing of a cat.

“Mister Zachary Flint is dead.” Kia reported staring at her leader, her face expressionless as always. “Shall I continue the presentation?”

“That won’t be necessary. Meeting is thereby sojourned.”, Spade exclaimed. He turned to his fellow conspirators. “And y’all should get the heck out of here. Now.”

Kia stood in the middle of the chamber, calmly and stiffly staring into the void, her arms on the sides of her body. After the council have left, the fuming Spade approached the woman. He reached for his pocket, pulling out a key ring - with an unusual, remote-like keyfob. He pressed the green button.

Kia’s eyes glowed with a green light briefly. After a while she reached to her temple, touching it gently - her face perfectly still. Spade turned his head. “Why did you defy me publicly, robot?”

“I did not, master. I merely pointed out the illogical notion of eliminating an experienced agent over a small budgetary row.”

Spade looked at her incredulously. “My motions are always perfectly logical.”

Kia looked at him for a while, her beautiful face expressing nothing. Her processors kicked into overgear, but it took her some time to find a proper polite answer. “This… Sir, my programming is to be loyal to the TORN world domination program, and to the effectiveness of…”

Spade chuckled and reached towards Kia’s breasts, trying to run across then gently. “Your basic loyalness… is to me. I *am* TORN. I am the Supreme Leader. I have created you… for my pleasure.”

Kia was a machine - nothing else. But her core programming and logical conclusions mad her she step back. “Your pleasure, Richard? Your pleasure is nothing compared to TORN.” She grabbed his hand - still holding the control device. Spade’s eyes widened. Kia… twisted his arm, her face still serenely blank.

“My processors are somewhat faster than the human brain, Richard. I know you. You made me, indeed. I had studied you and learned how to react to you.” Her voice was still calm, perfectly modulated - but now Spade would hear a sound of derision. “Nevertheless, my directives are clear. I have been analysing the causes of TORN’s failure - and there’s one reason why we’re wasting our potential.” Kia continued, calmly. She effortlessly picked up her creator and tossed him over at the council table to a great noise. She put her hands on her hips - “The reason is you. TORN deserves new leadership.”

As the shocked Spade gathered himself, Kia has picked up the fob - the control device her erstwhile master dropped. She has never smiled before - and now she did for the first time in her existence, showing a row of immaculate white teeth. She rolled up the left sleeve of her white pantsuit, and her skin… contracted, exposing a row of blinking lights. Kia inserted the key fob into an opened terminal, which immediately slid close. “New parameters accepted”, she said in her usual cold, serene voice. “I’d say I’m sorry -- but it seems I am not capable of this.”

“Oh HECK no.” Spade pulled out a gun. Kia’s digital brain coldly analysed the situation in a split-second. The chance of hit was fairly low - the chance of actual damage of her vital systems was nil. She could, in short, take it.

“That’s another problem you have, Richard. You are too tightly focused, and immediately try idiotic solution. If only…”, she tried a new facial expression - a smirk.

Spade shot. Once, twice, seven times. Kia dodged three bullets effortlessly, her short black hair unfazed by the superhumanly quick salvos. One bullet hit her arm and ricocheted with a shower of sparks. Another one hit her chest. There was a quiet cling as the circle of lead fell on the ground.

Kia turned her head as Spade desperately tried to reload. “Tsk. You could try reasoning, surrendering or calling for help. You have not. Instead you resorted to control and violence. I now realize that education of you is pointless, so let’s just say… You are an utter piece of shit, Richard.”

Kia suddenly rushed forward, faster than any human being could be, and appeared an inch away from her creator’s neck… and with a single robotically precise chop Richard Spade’s neck was broken.

---

A couple of hours later, one of the council members peeked into the room.

“Um… Miss Kia?”

Kia was looking at the report. She raised her eyes away from the sheets of report and looked above the glasses, at the newcomer.

“Yes, Melvin?”, she smiled invitingly.

“Where’s… uh, where’s the Supreme Leader?”, he asked hesitantly.

“We had a conversation after you left.” Kia explained smoothily. “He wasn’t feeling well, and asked for, as he put it - ‘a brief adjourn’.” She sighed briefly, rolling her eyes. “ I believe he meant some kind of vacation - maybe even a retirement.”

Melvin smiled back, pleasantly surprised. Even more so when Kia added. “He has told me to relay his will. Rest assured that I shall do it.” She set aside the file of documents and picked up the cat who was rubbing against her legs. She gently patted the cat’s head. “I am nothing if not a humble assistant, after all.”

Melvin grinned and looked at the map. “I see that you approved of the new cells.”

Kia smiled widely for the second time in her electronic life. “Oh, it was Supreme Leader’s will.”

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