Irritated, Matthew lashed out, “You’re dismissed private. Now!”
The man unshaken by Matthew’s stern tone stood grinning for a second, then slowly began walking down the hallway. Matthew entered the room and closed the door behind him, then sat across the desk from Mr. Baxter. As they made eye contact he noticed the Staff Sergeant had an inquisitive look on his face.
“What the hell was all that about Davis?”
“It’s a long story.”
“That’s all right, my morning’s clear. After a night like you had, you’re going to want to start talking.” Matthew gave and acknowledging nod as Baxter continued to speak, “You look like shit by the way. I want to be fair and hear you out, there’s always two sides to every coin, but the shit storm you’ve caused isn’t remedied easily. Did you know Doctor Mongrove’s also stating you were harassing him?” The word hung in the air with silence, “Most people would have tried to distance themselves from you. So, go ahead, explain away.”
Matthew sequenced the events in the order they happened, being meticulous in his recollection.
He explained the unusual number of AWOL guardsmen in his unit, the stalker at the car, his unnatural eyesight, his finding of drastic differences in behavior and inconsistencies in the examiner’s report. Finally, he went over his encounter from last night, the fight, the words the Butcher had said, and how he wanted him dead because he was asking questions.
When he finished speaking, he patiently waited for Baxter’s response. Staff Sergeant Baxter had been listening intently and making eye contact with Matthew’s bloodshot eyes, but now he had leaned back in his chair and was looking out the window.
He nodded his head while thinking and quietly speaking, “I see, I see… The butcher you say, huh?” He began chuckling lightly, then stopped and turned to face Matthew again. “You’ve gone fucking bat shit crazy Davis, I mean… damn Matt. I just can’t have you running around as a Sergeant talking nonsense like that. They look to you for leadership; even worse, imagine if you were to convince them that this crap is real. I mean robots, are you even serious? I would have preferred for you tell me ‘hey I was just way drunk, sorry, won’t happen again.’ Look we go way back, and I know you to be a level-headed straight shooter, so part of me wants to believe you to a certain extent. I’ve done everything I could to shield you, but I have to put you on suspension. I’m going against the grain and disobeying orders by keeping you on and not discharging you. There are calls for you to be dropped like a rock into the deepest ocean, but it’s the calls from outside the Guard that have me stumped. Someone out there wants you not only gone but shut up. They say it’s to avoid disgrace to the Army, but I’ve been around long enough to know something’s different.”
“Who is it that wants me silenced?”
“I don’t know names and even if I did, you know how it works, information only cascades if expressed to do so.”
“Sir I need those guardsmen reexamined. You know I wouldn’t make this up, I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes the truth is.”
“What you need is to lie low and let me handle this. Give me your notes. Nothing prevents me from visiting this soldier myself and seeing if he’s more than he should be. I’m not saying I believe you, but the first thing I asked for after hearing from Doctor Mongrove was for him to grant your request to reexamine.”
“So, they’re set to reexamine, perfect. I’ll expect an apology after they take a second look.”
Staff Sergeant Baxter laughed once again, only this time it was in frustration.
“I wish that were so Davis. My request was denied by Doctor Mongrove, not under his authority but someone high above him, probably the same someone that wants you silent and forgotten.”
“Well that’s not happening, I’m not going down without a fight, nor will I be silent. You can suspend me, but I’m not stopping my pursuit of this. This thing threatened to kill me and is disgracing my name and reputation, I’m not about to let my unit be picked off and swapped out one by one.”
“I knew you’d say that Davis. Hooah soldier!”
CHAPTER 21
A fter what felt like weeks of pacing the halls and familiarization exercises with the BOTS, he finally had something to focus on. Fox One was becoming impatient and a bit perturbed that Stratus, who wasn’t fully committed, was the one out having all the fun. Fox One wasn’t one to sit on his hands and watch others make a mess of everything he could do better, but until he had a target he was stuck here. He felt conflicted on the kidnapping of Gretchen, but it had only been a few days and she wasn’t harmed.
Fox One had received word from Mr. Sullivan to meet him to discuss Gretchen and a disturbance on the grounds. He was brief so Fox One’s imagination was free to roam, and it focused on the disturbance as he made his way to Mr. Sullivan’s location. Passing through several holographic walls he finally entered his boss’s upstairs office. He was surprised to see a handcuffed Gretchen standing next to a seated Mr. Sullivan. Fox One eyed one of Halaby’s internal security behind Gretchen, his gun jammed into her back.
“What’s this all about?” Fox One said, with a bit of confusion mixed with anger. To him it looked like he intended to harm her. Sullivan followed Fox One’s focus on Gretchen and responded, “Oh her? It’s just for assurance, we can’t have her running about inside. We don’t want things to get any messier than they already are.”
“Has something changed? What is she doing out of her room?”
“Yes, things have definitely changed for her. It appears ‘Dad’ wants to play games with us.”
“Sir she isn’t to know her reasons for being here or any dealings. That only makes things complicated for her release.”
“Her situation is definitely complicated, and delicate. You don’t approve of my bringing her up here? The reason she is up here is that we have an unwanted visitor here on the grounds. I’m not concerned, but it’s caught visual confirmation of Gretchen still in our custody. Now, Mr. Naublock feels he has all the cards. He wants us to free her. Normally I’d tell him to go to hell, I’d squeeze our pressure point, Gretchen here, but I can’t afford for him to complete the next wave he’s working on, and he’s agreed to disrupt production if we free her.”
“I’d be the first to say let’s cut her loose, but that leaves us nowhere and with no guarantees he’ll stop. I’m tired of being behind the eight ball.”
Fox One looked over to Gretchen, wanting to say more, but he didn’t want to reveal anything to her.
“Take her out of here for a minute,” Fox One commanded the internal security man. “And take that damn gun off her back, its over kill. She’s unarmed and cuffed for god’s sake.”
Fox One glared at the guard as he holstered his weapon and took her by the arm. He waited for them to exit fully until he spoke to Mr. Sullivan.
“Sir what’s Stratus’s progress? Is he even cooperating? And in the future, I need to be notified of any movement in personnel, guest or guard.”
Mr. Sullivan laughed. “My, my, Fox One, you always exude such confidence. I definitely made the right choice with you. Let’s not argue though, don’t forget we’re on the same team and I have the final say in everything. Stratus has nothing so far but is working hard and, trust me, he’s in it one hundred percent now.”
Mr. Sullivan grinned.
“Understood sir. With all due respect though, what the hell are we doing? I’m here pacing back and forth like a dog overseeing a hostage, something’s now encroaching on our position outside, and Ms. Likvold’s out there proceeding with her plan unimpeded. Are we going to take off the gloves or not? I wanna kick some ass.”
“I can tell you’re anxious and the gloves are off. We just have to be pointed in the right direction. Start with this intruder. Check the grounds to see if it’s still here, we can’t have eyes on us. It’s a perfect chance to test our BOT’s synchronization with you. If everything’s working properly they’ll help steer you, and when the time comes they will be yo
ur soldiers, for now.”
“Anything to get outside sir, if I find the intruder is it shoot to kill or capture and question?”
“Use your discretion, but I’d like to know how it got so close without the proper electronic signature. We should have been alerted of its presence the minute it stepped foot on the property. Depending on your findings, we will decide Gretchen’s fate when you return. Oh, and Fox One your discretion doesn’t mean to disregard and shoot the damn thing anyway. We both know I instructed that Cromwell be taken alive and we know how that turned out.”
“Hey, I can’t help that that desk jockey wanted to play soldier. He should have known who he was fuckin’ with. I’m not the grim reaper, nor am I in the business to play babysitter or save lives. I’m the sword, sir, not the pen. What you see is what you get. I’d like to know how this intruder got on the grounds undetected as well.”
Fox One nodded his head, turned, and exited the room. Making his way to the rear of the home, he passed through a few more holographic walls, then turned the knob to the outside door. The complete silence of the secure environment of Halaby was invaded with bird song and the sound of the breeze blowing through the trees, rustling the leaves and cooling his face.
Fox One’s eyes adjusted to the sunlight and he drew his pistol to defend against any surprises. He walked from the garage structure from which he had exited, shielded his eyes from the sun, then searched for Gretchen’s window pane. He located it about one hundred feet away up several levels. As he lowered his hand, several squirrel BOTS approached and got his attention with a few quick squeaks. They looked up to confirm he saw them and then scampered off in the direction of the woods near Gretchen’s window. They took turns stopping and pivoting to make sure Fox One was following them.
“I see you, you stupid metal rats,” he said to the rodents, who either didn’t comprehend or simply ignored him. He was new to the idea of having a hoard of BOTS running around at his feet. He had found it annoying at first but was slowly warming to the concept. It allowed him to see and notice more, a set of eyes other than his own, an extension of his senses.
He just hoped they were always on his side. Fox One approached the trees near the window and looked upwards, the BOTS he had been following also craning their necks skywards. High up he saw movement and scanned the trees, seeing a network of squirrel’s tip-toeing along branches. One of them scampered up the tree and followed the path the intruder had taken all the way to the window.
He wasn’t about to climb, and it appeared there was no evidence in the trees anyhow. Fox One walked under the limb the BOT stood on way above and saw a small mound of powder. This was the only remains of their teammate and any evidence of how it was destroyed had been dissolved with it.
“Not very useful, acid-filled vermin,” he called out to his small helpers. “What in the hell!” he said. He looked overhead seeing a suicidal squirrel leaping to what looked like his death. As it fell, it stretched out its razor-sharp claws and snagged a narrow ledge on the mansions walls.
It scaled the stone edifice going up fifteen feet and stopped. It examined something closely and then turned to let out a screech, indicating it was on to something. Fox One lined up the pile of powder and the building corner where the noisy squirrel was and noticed small tracks that resembled human hands in the dirt. When he reached the corner of the building he saw light scratch marks that were fresh. When he looked back up the squirrel overhead was just under the roof overhang, looking up.
“Meet you on the roof, rat,” he called up to the inquisitive BOT. Its hind quarters dangled as it had leapt for the roof, caught on, then slowly disappeared over the edge. Fox One pressed a button on his wrist coms and spoke to Mr. Sullivan.
“On our intruder’s trail sir, it didn’t poof into thin air. It went onto the roof. I’ll keep you posted.” Fox One went inside and climbed the stairs to the roof access panel.
Guarded by a red holographic security barrier, he spoke once more to Mr. Sullivan to remove it then pushed up the hatch-like door. Securing it behind him he drew his pistol again and surveyed the roof top. Half a dozen BOT 111’s ran the ledge along the perimeter.
The roof was stark with the backs of sculpture adorning the roofline and chimneys strewn across its surface. The BOTS looked for clues unsuccessfully, and Fox One browsed the entire rooftop before returning to the area where the intruder had gained roof access.
He stood and thought of where it could have gone. It couldn’t have entered the home. Only approved BOTS would be allowed to pass the digital barrier. He pivoted and eyed the chimney stacks, then walked up to one and clanked his weapon against the ceramic flume that gave off a bong that vibrated the surrounding air. He went along, one by one, rapping the chimney tops until he finally came to one that didn’t vibrate. Instead, there was just a solid thunk as his weapon struck it.
Fox One quickly stepped back and fired two rounds, splintering the brittle chimney and weakening it. He turned sideways and kicked, breaking off the top, sending pieces flying down onto the rooftop. Fox One stuck the barrel of his gun down the jagged opening and peered into the black hole. The light illuminated only the first foot. He grabbed a flash light and shined it down but saw nothing. With no explanation for the solid tone to the pipe, he looked to the inquisitive, cautious squirrels gathered around him.
“It’s your turn rodents, down the hole, check it out.” As he spoke to them, he hoped they recognized his commands but didn’t see any response. Static filled his ear piece and Mr. Sullivan came over his coms.
“Shots fired, please tell me you got it?”
“No, not exactly. I did hit something though.”
“Forget that for now. I heard back from Stratus. I need you to come back to me and refocus your efforts. You may get that action you so desperately seek.”
“Yes sir, that’s music to my ears. I may be on to something up here, though. Do these BOTS have any auditory recognition or comprehension? I couldn’t get them to budge for me.”
“Yes, they do. I put a stop order on them though. I’ll task two for your search party. They’ll check it out and report back to me.”
“Ten four.” He closed the coms and looked out to the squirrels standing at attention, then spoke to them.
“You heard the man. Scatter!” He turned and walked towards the hatch and heard it click as the door unlocked for him. He began his descent, but not before looking back at the two that had stayed behind to finish the job.
“Don’t let me down now,” he shook his head and latched the door above him. No BOT could ever replace a human, and no BOT would ever be able to do the job like he could. Oh well, they serve their purpose: disposable, replaceable, rats. He chuckled to himself.
. . . .
Fox One’s kick was quick but not instantaneous, and it had given Chimera just enough time to move himself down a few feet and slide into a notch in the chimney. Out on the roof top, the first squirrel prepared to go down but first sniffed the jagged opening.
Chimera’s systems had fired up and his movement to avoid initial detection had caused small amounts of heat to radiate from his body, heat that this squirrel was now detecting with its sensitive simulated olfactory and infrared, located within its nostrils.
The other squirrel had this heat information relayed to him and waited sentry as his teammate descended the dirty chimney pipe. Chimera wasn’t blind. He was able to intercept this same heat detection information and knew he was in for a fight. Knowing the pipe was a tight fit, he wanted to limit his exposure.
Chimera quickly whipped out his tail. The squirrel saw this immediately and let out a screech that was silenced before it could finish by barbs fired from Chimera’s tail, slicing into the squirrel’s open mouth. Chimera quickly retracted his tail and avoided getting acid on his irreplaceable appendage.
The foaming squirrel plummeted part way down, until it became jammed and then exploded into dust. Swirls of powder shot out of the chimney top, coating the sentry�
�s face with his teammate’s remains. It was alert and its eyes surged with anger, glowing a brilliant deep red. This squirrel wasn’t about to meet the same fate as his predecessor, so it began its ascent open mouthed, but unlike his teammate, it released acids through a tube in its throat that rained down the chamber. Sizzling was heard as the acid fell and landed below. Chimera remained frozen and poised. Its only hope was to lie unseen until it could spring on the determined squirrel.
The inner lining of the chimney bottled and radiated heat from the exploded BOT, throwing the monkey’s heat signature out of whack, making Chimera’s detection nearly impossible.
The squirrel’s claws reached around the nook where Chimera had hidden and grabbed hold of the foot that Chimera was using to prop himself up with. The squirrel sensed movement by Chimera who had repositioned himself. It was too late for the squirrel, Chimera struck first. He uncoiled his tail and lassoed the rodent’s neck, yanking down sharply and releasing as the BOT fell down the shaft.
Chimera was thrown off balance by the movement and tumbled himself. Scrambling to find purchase, he spread his limbs and dug in, stopping just inches from the squirrel. The BOT managed to stave off freefall and was now on the attack to the exposed Chimera. As Chimera stabilized, he dangled his head down to fire barbs from his mouth at the rodent but saw the squirrel’s hind quarters go slack.
Like a wave the squirrel’s motor functions ceased to operate and the red glow from its eyes that filled the chamber dimmed out as it fell the rest of the way down. Knowing this BOT was evidence and would provide them valuable information, Chimera fired into the darkness.
He remained still and waited to see if his round had hit the BOT; seconds later, a draft of swirling white dusk confirmed it was a success. The safety measures of Halaby’s digital barrier were impenetrable without authorization, so the squirrel met that fate and its systems were paralyzed. Chimera would have met the same fate also had he plummeted a few more inches below the roof line.
The Second Rising Page 12
