EDGE OF DAY

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Welcome, welcome," the man in the doorway said. They'd made it to the forty-third floor half by elevator shaft, and half by the stairway and so far there was no sign of police droids.

Day leaned against the doorframe, breathless, sweaty and undoubtedly bleeding. Hair stuck to the sides of her face. Her eyes were kind of blurry. Meanwhile Will stood next to her smiling like he'd come up the whole way in the elevator.

"Come in, come in," said the man. He stepped back, put his palms together in a prayer gesture and bent his head. Will mirrored him.

"Shikshak Amada," Will said. "This is Day White."

The man bowed to Day, palms pressed in prayer. She mirrored the gesture.

"Well, well," Shikshak Amada said. "You made it." He wore a beautiful golden long-coat jacket with buttons down to the waist, and soft, golden slippers. His face was even and handsome with a trimmed beard.

He welcomed them into an extraordinary marble hallway. Soft luminance pulsed inside the white marble walls. The hallway resembled a large cocoon, and though it was very faint, Day heard entrancing music that sounded like the sun humming.

"Shoes," the shikshak said. Day pulled off her air-trainers, and the light under a marble bench grew brighter. It was not just a bench but a box, and there was something inside it. As she moved closer, the box popped open and she saw several pairs of golden slippers, just cloth really, no sole to the foot, no inherent structure to the shape. Will reached over and swopped his trainers for slippers. She did likewise.

"Let us have tea!" The shikshak clapped his hands and a droid entered dressed in a sari. "Tea, please, Aditi." The droid nodded and moving with the elegance and poise of a dancer turned to fetch it.

Day glanced at Will. They didn't have time for tea! The police were climbing forty-three floors as they spoke. The suite was probably already surrounded. They'd be bursting in here any moment. But Will didn't seem to have any time constraints. He was standing looking as serene as ever.

"Shikshak means teacher," Will said as the shikshak lead them into a lounge with a giant bonsai tree growing in the middle. "Or master, tutor, and guru." Day gazed up at the leaves arched like a roof overhead and the plants growing in the walls.

"Aditi Rao Hydari," the shikshak. "Aditi was a wonderful actress and dancer. Born of two royal lineages three centuries ago."

Day crossed her arms, pressing them into her chest, trying to suppress the anxiety.

"Shikshak Amada makes his own droids," Will added. "You can have anyone from history serving you."

"Angelina Jolie is very popular from the days of the big screen cinemas," the teacher nodded. "The droid 40B9287 series resembles her, but I have a special technique. I do not use plastic compounds for the skin. I have my own composite. None of this machine made stuff. It's all done by hand. It's the imperfections that elevate the work."

Day chewed on her lip, unable to stay her impatience. "Will says you think you can extract a deep personality implant."

The shikshak smiled and stroked his beard. "I'm looking forward to trying."

"Isn't it a very delicate procedure?"

The shikshak raised his eyebrows at Will.

Will shrugged. "Her personality implant isn't very positive or open minded."

"Ah," Shikshak Amada nodded.