"Murderer!” I screamed across the table at Mr. God.

       He had dismissed his retinue to chambers below

before I ever arrived; it sealed his guilt to me. We

were alone within the glass enclosure above the city. He knew

I would launch into the subject he wished no one to hear, and

he knew I would do it without care.

        “Maaaaiinntenance, my son,” the old man purred,

“maintenance.”

        “You murdered my Sharon!” my tirade continued, “You

did it on purpose! You took my happiness from me!”

         “No, she was randomly chosen by the machine,”

calmly explained the ruler of this cursed city.

         “Lies!”

         “Watch yourself, boy, I won’t stand for impudence.

Cross lines and I will deal with you very harshly. Very harshly,

indeed.”

        “Murderer!” tears streamed from my eyes, my face red

and swollen from painful fury.

         “Funny, coming from you.”

        “You did this on purpose to get me back!  To kill my

ability to belong and lose the only gift given to me in this awful

world!”

        “Your gift was the gift to maintain the Earth’s balance

until I can find a better solution for the over-population

plaguing mankind. You have freedoms above the mere mortals

within my creation. Does that mean nothing?

        Your God commanded you to free this city of what

would kill it and turn it to dust over time. I commanded, you

ignored. I took up your mantle, son; I did the dirty work week

after week; I stalked, and plotted, and furtively eliminated

random targets. It was not my fault that your bonding came up

on the computer’s screen.”

        “Liar!” I screamed again.

        “Watch you tongue, worm!” he matched my vicious

passion with his own outrage.

        “You lie: she was chosen months ago! By me!

Meeeeeeeee!”

        Silence so strong persevered a minute while I heaved

breaths.

         “I was chosen to randomly kill Sharon 1-323,” I

explained loudly, “How can a random choice among millions

choose the same person only a few-dozen rolls later?”

         He was caught, but he tried to recover composure. The

ensuing silence allowed him to do a good job of restructuring

his inner strategies toward dealing with me.

         “It can happen,” Mr. God calmly explained, “It did

happen.”

       “Lies!” I screamed.

       He didn’t counter me. He didn’t inflame. I knew he

was iniquitous. He knew I knew. There was no point to try

and bully me: I was too strong.

        “Your eyes are red again,” he observed calmly while

we stared at each other.

         Silence.

         “That is the way of this city,” the old man became a

little tender, “you placed yourself among the wards of my care

and were subject to the rules that govern the world. You can’t

go against it. I asked you to regain your position. That would

have saved her from such a possibility.

         You failed to protect her by indulging in your own

happiness, lad.

         Welcome back to your destiny. Now you will resume

duties as my most-important aide against dissolution of reality.”

        “What’s to stop me murdering you right now,” I

growled.

        Mr. God’s eyes widened.

        “You can try,” he said, “but remember the pills you ate

last time. Remember, now.”

        “Lies.  This city is built on lies. Everything is a lie! I

can’t be sure those pills had anything inside of them as you

claim. I never saw that sacrificial steward ever eat one of those

pills. You were clever. Very clever, but I have been challenged

since I was withheld from the promised happiness of your

realm. I’m not one of your mindless drones shuffling about

these dull streets in repetitive task.

        I am an individual.

        I can create.

        I can destroy.

        I think.

        My life means nothing to me, now. Even if you could

kill me, I’d be happy trying to end your evil life in my hands.” 

        “Tell me how you will do it,” he had no fear in his

voice.

        “Two seconds to step over there,” I boiled, drinking

in the luscious fantasy within my mind, “two seconds to get

my hands around that thin, old, decayed neck of yours. Two

seconds to break that frail bridge between mind and body, your

trachea crushed by my thumbs. No coming back.”

         “You could try,” he reasoned to me, eyes wide and

sorrowful as he addressed me squarely, “but I could escape.

Within seconds you would be dead.”

         “Unless you have explosives within me, I see no way I

could fail.”

        “Look behind you,” he commanded lightly.

I did as he said. There were two minders coming up

from the corner stairwells behind me. They weren’t rushing,

but they were arriving to duty again outside the left and right of

the room.

          “I summoned them,” the elderly man explained, “you

are too late.”

          My hunched over form glanced wildly from one

guardian to the other as they surrounded the room. Instead of

looking outward, they crossed arms and looked inward.

          “I could taaaalllk,” dripped the threat from my mouth.

         “You would merely be a curious deviant, as others

have been through the past. It is not unknown or unheard of.

Whatever you say would be smoothed over my stewards after

you would be removed and repackaged. Or eliminated per laws

of the city.”

         He knew I was beaten. My moment of possible

revenge passed; I talked instead of acting. Such a chance

would never reappear again.

          “Take up your life’s duties, Hooke,” the old man said as

he pushed the populace slate across the table to me, “take your

device and continue what you were made to do.

          Do your duty.

          Or suffer the consequences of my wrath.”

          Trapped by my inadequacy to act, I froze for a span

of time. Breaking from the stalemate, my hands grabbed the

electronic gadget and swiftly departed.

          “I’ll be back,” were my last words.

          Seconds later I was descending to the streets below

teeming with life.