Over the next few weeks...then the next few months...the JE team carefully monitored their surveillance networks for signs of Hyde Rival activity across the city. What they found puzzled them – instead of openly bold aggression, Hyde Rival minions seemed to take on a milder approach. The frightening mech robot warriors stood motionless in their robotics workshop. The laser turret remained inactive. However, JE began to notice subtle hints of substantial, and indeed increasing, activity.
Olympia asked her colleagues: “What do you make of these curious signs? We've picked up increasing levels of encrypted communications emanating from known Hyde Rival facilities, although we can't decode their meaning. And we've noticed increasing attempts to probe our own voice and data communications. Oh, and consider this...we can't practically track the many thousands of androids roaming about the city...but we can pinpoint those who seem to be communicating with Hyde Rival facilities, even though we cannot understand what they're saying. All this activity must surely mean something...if only we knew what!”
“What indeed!” responded Galileo. “We've been able to correlate some of these communications signals with both camera imagery and location tracking...the originating androids don't seem particularly distinctive...however, our clever staff has observed the comings and goings of these androids...what places they visit...how long they stay there...and other such data. And guess what we found?”
The staff suddenly grew very quiet, and all eyes turned toward Galileo. He continued: “We've analyzed these visits...dividing them up into categories...noting their frequency...displaying them on maps. Look at this list of the visited places: note the large numbers of bars, casinos, brothels, and other similar locations. We cross-checked them with the limited police files we can access...all seem legal, but most have long records of police calls. Although we have only very limited access to financial and banking records, we could determine that lots...and I mean lots...of money is changing hands during these operations.”
Olympia remarked loudly: “So Hyde Rival continues his old vice operations here on Earth...just like he did at Rival Resort out in the asteroid belt. Figures!” Everyone laughed. Then she turned serious, lowering her voice: “Oh my...that means he's also exploiting his own workers, as he did at the resort...and likely his customers too.”
“Well, there's more,” Galileo said. “Some of our police contacts...who insist on remaining anonymous...claim that these same parties engage in various forms of bribery, extortion, and other similar practices. They say that some arrests have been made and a few cases brought to court...but that many remain hidden...” Galileo hesitated, then whispered: “...because they involve corrupt city officials.”
“Wait a minute!” exclaimed Olympia. “How could androids do all this? I can see how androids might tend bars or operate gambling tables...gynoid hookers might ply their trade in bothels...as they did at Rival Resort…but why would humans put up with bribery or extortion from androids?” Then she sighed and answered her own question: “Because, just as at Rival Resort, Hyde Rival could always find human thugs willing to carry out his dirty work, for enough pay. He operates likes a mob boss!”
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