If I Can Only Protect One Person, I'll Protect You First

"But he was also teaching Joanna not to hurt ordinary people without cause."

Vogelbaum said, "Judging by the results, that aligns with our socialization goals."

"What we need is obedience,"

Marty stressed, "not a test subject with her own moral code."

Vogelbaum looked toward the Game Room.

Joanna held a doll in a blue cape and was trying to place several civilian figures behind it. Her movements were still clumsy; clearly, she was only imitating the protection Lin Mo had just described.

"Absolute obedience would be ideal, of course, but it isn't realistic,"

Vogelbaum said slowly.

"Joanna isn't an ordinary commercial product. One day, she'll possess power the company can't restrain through conventional means. Orders and punishment alone won't be enough to keep her stable in public."

"If she believes she should protect the weak, at least there will be fewer pointless casualties."

Marty countered, "Provided the company gets to define who the enemy is."

Vogelbaum did not deny it. "That's precisely what her later education must accomplish."

As he saw it, Lin Mo's approach was not entirely unacceptable. Vought had always intended to turn Joanna into a product it could display to the public.

An ideal Superhero could not attack people on the street simply because they were afraid of her. She did need to learn to protect the weak, at least in front of the cameras.

As for who counted as weak, who deserved protection, and who could be labeled a threat, the company would give her those answers in time.

Vogelbaum made his decision. "Lin Mo may continue with nonaggressive guidance."

"But increase scrutiny of their conversations. If he starts openly denouncing the company, cut back their time alone immediately."

Marty was still dissatisfied. "I think he's already had too much influence on her."

Vogelbaum looked at the two children on the other side of the glass.

"That's exactly why we kept him."

In the Game Room, Joanna had placed all the civilian figures behind the doll in the blue cape.

She pointed to the doll, her clear eyes fixed on it, her expression utterly serious.

"This is me."

Then she picked up another figure in silver armor and placed it beside the blue one.

"This is you."

Lin Mo lowered his gaze to the two figures side by side on the table and asked,

"What are we doing?"

"Protecting the weak."

Her answer came at once.

Then she suddenly lifted her face and added with absolute seriousness,

"But you're more important than them."

"If I can only protect one person, I'll protect you first."

Lin Mo looked at her stubborn expression. He opened his mouth, then said nothing.

That was fine, really. He didn't need Joanna to protect him anyway. Close enough.

The fact that Joanna was willing to remember that the weak mattered too was already progress. Getting her to truly understand that protection did not mean protecting only the people she cared about would take much longer.

Joanna held the silver figure representing Lin Mo in her palm, using so little force that it was as though she were guarding her most precious possession.

"No one can hurt you,"

she murmured, with a resolve no ordinary child would have possessed.

"Not even them."

Meanwhile, things were far from peaceful for the people studying Joanna. That day marked exactly one year since Joanna had first met Lin Mo.

Edgar had come to the research bunker once again to hold a meeting on the direction of Joanna's research and what they had learned so far.

The key personnel soon assembled. Edgar stood before the projection screen, even showing a rare flash of his white teeth.

"A full year of data has proven that Lin Mo's presence significantly reduces Joanna's aggression."

He did not consult the report as he spoke. Clearly, he had already memorized every important figure.

"During joint activities involving Lin Mo, Joanna's destructive behavior without orders fell by seventy-one percent."

"Her attacks on caregivers dropped from an average of 3.4 times a week to fewer than 0.5."

"And she has begun accepting blood draws, neural-response tests, and basic ability training."

Edgar paused briefly.

"Because she wants to see that boy."

The head of the behavioral research team brought up another page of data.

"More precisely, she has identified Lin Mo as a stable attachment figure."

"Attachment figure?"

Marty gave a soft snort.

"You've given the results of the experiment a nicer-sounding name."

"In practical terms, he's a hostage."

Marty had opposed putting Lin Mo and Joanna together in the experiment from the beginning. He felt that adding Lin Mo had disrupted their original plan for Joanna's development and would make complications more likely later.

The mood in the conference room shifted slightly. Several researchers glanced instinctively at Edgar. Marty had openly challenged the experimental plan, but Edgar showed no displeasure.

"I don't care whether you call him a hostage or something else."

Edgar gave Marty a long look.

"Vought has always cared about results. And now,"

"the answer is plain in the report."

Marty was briefly at a loss for words, but then something else occurred to him, and he went on.

"Joanna is different. Normal children form relationships with multiple caregivers."

"Teachers, parents, peers, and other members of society. Our original plan was to prevent her from having contact with anyone else, creating psychological problems so that she would grow up willing to follow orders."

"If she trusts only Lin Mo, then his absence could cause her entire behavioral system to collapse."

One researcher voiced agreement.

"This approach has an obvious single point of failure."

"If Lin Mo dies, gets hurt, or refuses to cooperate, we could face a Joanna even less stable than she is now."

"And the more dependent she becomes, the more likely she is to take extreme action to protect him."

Edgar did not respond immediately. He sat back down.

"You think dependence itself is the problem. It isn't."

He looked around at the people seated at the conference table.

"Everyone depends on something."

"Children depend on parents, employees on wages, politicians on votes and public opinion, consumers on products, and armies on supplies."

"When someone depends on something, his behavior becomes predictable."

Edgar's gaze settled on Lin Mo's file photo on the screen.

"What we really need to consider is who controls the object of that dependence."

The conference room fell silent again.

"Joanna depends on Lin Mo,"

Edgar continued.

"And Lin Mo depends on the company for the means to survive, educational resources, and opportunities to see Joanna."

"As long as Lin Mo remains in Vought's hands, so does Joanna's dependence."

Frank frowned. "But as we already said, that assumes Lin Mo really is easier to control than Joanna."

"Of course he is."