Gretchen watched, feeling useless. Interrupting the sound of Chimera scratching metal as he clawed at the lock was a sound of something heading their way out of the darkness, their claws biting into the wood flooring as they sprinted.
Chimera heard it too, and his head turned to see what was approaching. Bullets once again whizzed in his direction, bouncing off the metal door beside him. Chimera changed his exposed back into a sphere for safety, shielding his limbs as they worked to unlock the door.
“Gretchen get back! Hide in that hole and wait. When I get this open, run through the doorway when I tell you.”
Gretchen, screaming, dove into the crude hole in the wall, banging her side as she scurried to pull her legs all the way in.
A guard that accompanied two feline bots shouted over his gunfire. “Stop! You’re going nowhere! All exits are sealed! You are cornered, you’ll only hurt the girl. We’ve been ordered to use deadly force if necessary.”
“I’ll bet he did!” said Chimera as the guard slowly advanced on his position and stopped firing his weapon. The cat-like creatures advanced sneakily on either side of him. The guard covered his ear with one hand as an incoming transmission came in. Chimera could hear it, too.
“Security team, please identify the target. I want to make sure we have confirmation of both subjects.”
“The girl crawled back into the damaged wall sir. It’s Gretchen all right. As for the other subject it’s hard to say, but it looks like a… metal ball with legs sticking out.”
“Now’s not the time for jokes. Does it resemble our rogue BOT or not!?”
“It’s no joke sir. Hold on. It’s speaking… and changing.”
“Impossible, get yourself together soldier----”
The guard turned down the incoming volume knob so he could hear what Chimera was about to say.
“I have a message for him. He doesn’t own me, and he definitely doesn’t own Gretchen. Your dominion doesn’t extend to all creatures of my sort. Does it anger you that he made me superior to your army of mindless animals? Marty believes that every living thing should have free will, the ability to think and act as they see fit, and to have feelings and convictions. And, the mind to follow whatever path we choose. You’ll never understand. You’re a ruler and taker. Send whatever you will after us. We shall die free, out of your control and with a clear conscience. Goodbye former failed dictator of the Robotic Militia and former failed father of the Robot Alliance.”
With that, Chimera morphed into monkey form and shot barbs from his tail at the guard, hitting the guard’s face and chest.
The guard was silenced from relaying any more information or speaking on Mr. Sullivan’s behalf. Mr. Sullivan had heard every word and now wondered at what Marty had created.
The complexity and intelligence were remarkable for the crude code Marty had been given to work with. He saw no purpose for something that couldn’t be controlled, though. He wanted his orders followed.
Chimera twisted his paw, and a click followed. He jumped down to the ground and the door swung inward revealing a flight of maintenance stairs.
“Run Gretchen! I’ll catch up. Don’t wait for me.”
Chimera’s shots had killed the guard, and the cats were in a full sprint, covering the hallway at an amazing rate. He may be in over his head, but he’d fight until he was destroyed. He had several advantages on them; he fired barbs rapidly at the felines, causing them to dodge and slow as Gretchen ran past him down the stairs, disappearing.
Chimera knew if he were to kill them, he couldn’t stay in close proximity. Being in a hallway, he worried he would suffer from their after death corrosive explosion. A couple of his barbs hit the felines as they struggled to dodge his barrage of fire.
One stumbled and fell as a barb pierced its paw the blades sticking out the other side. It quickly bit down on the blade end and pulled it through.
Fluids oozed out and the cat stood back up and sprinted toward him again. Several hit the flank of the second cat but didn’t go all the way through; they were close to his position now and he wanted to keep them out of the stairwell. He curled into a ball and rolled quickly in the direction of the second feline that hadn’t gone down.
Surprised by the transformation, the cat couldn’t react in time and the full force of Chimera in hard steel ball form smacked the feline in the head. A dull deep thud and high-pitched clank like that of swords clashing filled the hall.
The feline BOT’s crumpled body flew down the hallway in the opposite direction. Jarred by the collision, Chimera had separated partially from his sphere form and lay against the wall regaining his wits and shaking off the collision.
He shook his head side to side and was horrified to see he hadn’t drawn the attention of the other feline BOT. It sprinted through the open doorway in the stairwell. He suddenly realized that the BOT that he had just collided with and killed would self-destruct any second.
He balled himself back up and sped toward the stairwell as quickly as he could, but he knew he was too close. The detonation sent a small shockwave down the hallway, shooting Chimera like a bullet through the doorway and into the stairwell, bouncing wall to wall down it like a pinball.
Mr. Sullivan, angry about the news of his fallen guards and BOTS, sent a call to activate both BOT 205’s on the perimeter in case they escaped out onto the grounds. Outside the front of the home, the eyes of the two motionless Gargoyles on either side of the front door lit up in unison and slowly raised from their crouching stances.
Each was aware of their targets and peeled off to cover the exits. They wouldn’t be alone. All of Mr. Sullivan’s squirrel BOTS were keeping a tight watch on the perimeter of the mansion.
. . . .
Mr. Sullivan called Fox One, speaking as soon as the call connected. “I need you to return as quickly as you can. Have you completed your mission?”
“Not exactly, but I do have an accomplice with me here. I am one hour out sir. What’s the problem?”
“Damn it, you let Stratus escape? He is the only one who can ruin us. He knows too much. Just come as quickly as you can, there is an intruder here attempting to escape with our captive.”
“I told you Gretchen would be a problem. We were better off using Stratus, or better yet, let me out. I’ll get some answers. You’re wrong though, Stratus isn’t the only one with knowledge of what’s going on. I have someone else who knows about Ms. Likvold’s plans,” said Fox One confidently.
“Oh right, like that worked out so great last time. Stratus escaped, and we have problems at the mansion that you’re not here to attend to. I knew I shouldn’t have sent you out, away from the mansion. We’ll discuss your prisoner and determine his value when you get here. Just hurry!”
Mr. Sullivan looked down at his screen, monitoring the status of his feline BOTS detaining Gretchen and BOT 301. One of the BOTS on the screen disappeared, followed by a mild tremor caused by its detonation within the home.
“Damn it! Must I do everything!” Mr. Sullivan shouted as he slammed down his fist on screen, breaking it.
He rose from his chair in the safe depths of the mansion. He didn’t want to get involved, but it was looking like he might have to. He didn’t mind getting his hands dirty, but that was what he paid others to do for him. He was busy, but this couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER 34
I n the stairwell Chimera raced to catch up to Gretchen, unaware of the feline BOT’s location ahead. Am I too late? I must save her. He heard distant echoed screams from Gretchen and sprinted to the bottom of the stair case, only to find it empty. This was the escape route he had planned, the door in front of him led directly outside. Where could she be? Looking around frantically, listening intently, he stood on his hind legs to determine the direction of her cries.
“Chimera help me! HELP! Get off of me!”
Chimera’s ears popped up from his head and rotated immediately in the direction of the sound. Her screams were one flight up. He didn’t know whe
re that door led, but he fearlessly leaped up, grabbed the railing above, and launched himself through the doorway.
Midair, Chimera determined the space; it was the garage. He landed on the cement floor and slid, trying to keep his footing on the semi-smooth surface, then scurried in Gretchen’s direction.
The feline BOT had caught up to her. She was thrashing around to keep the animal away from her. Her clothes were torn and hung loosely about her body, blood soaking into the material, the feline clawing at her, trying to keep her close. Chimera was enraged at the sight of her wounded and bleeding.
He pushed forward faster, mad at both himself and the BOT before him. The feline attached itself to her arm; she swung it wildly trying to loosen it and keep the BOT away from her face.
“Chimera, where are you?! Help!”
Gretchen managed to wriggle the BOT free of her arm, but it grabbed her pony tail and dangled from it, clawing at her back to gain purchase.
She arched her back in pain and whipped her head away, snapping her head forward and downward, and the BOT with it. The BOT tore free with a bunch of her hair, giving off a sick ripping sound, and crashed against the vehicle she was attempting to get away in.
Chimera in an open sprint, opened fire now that the cat was free of her. His shots went between her legs as she stood, hitting the BOT repeatedly as it scrambled to get up. The barbs from Chimera had rendered the BOT motionless, and it lay paralyzed until the monkey approached, going from a full sprint to a complete stop, inches away from the BOT.
The servos groaned as they halted his momentum, but the monkey kept his tail in full motion. It spun and hit the feline’s head clean off its shoulders, sending it skidding across the garage. Gretchen stood in shock and surprise at Chimera’s ferociousness. The pain from her cuts returned, and she grabbed at her head to the missing patch of hair.
“Gretchen, danger! Get in now, quickly!”
Chimera leaped through the truck window, shattering it. Still confused and in shock, Gretchen took a moment and then followed his instructions. As she got in the vehicle, she covered her head, not knowing what to expect, when she heard a loud blast as the truck swayed from an explosion just outside.
“Gretchen are you okay?” Chimera asked as he looked over her torn clothes that looked like rags.
“Well no, but I’m okay for now. Thank you, Chimera.” She quickly crawled over to the driver’s seat and sat down, tensing as wounds on her back contacted the seat.
“I told you to meet me at the front gate. Why did you go here?”
“The cat jumped down blocking my way, so I ran through this door. I’d say it’s a pretty good way to meet you out front though, don’t you? Dang it! No keys.” Gretchen detected a faint smile from Chimera. He leapt into her lap and looked at her wounds with a face full of sorrow.
“I can help with that Gretchen.” Chimera jammed one of his metal claws into the ignition and turned, the black S.U.V.’s engine firing up.
“Let’s get the heck out of here friend,” she said as she put the truck into gear and floored the accelerator.
The tires squealed, echoing as she headed to the garage exit. The door was closed, but that wasn’t stopping her. She plowed right through the barrier, leaving the SUV’s windshield broken and some cosmetic damage but otherwise unharmed.
On the outside, a hoard of squirrels immediately attached themselves to the vehicle, clawing and trying to tear their way inside.
They climbed the hood and dug at the cracks in the window. Chimera fired out of the broken window at a seemingly endless stream of rodents who tried to enter. Soon they covered the windshield and began to chip away at it. Gretchen turned on windshield wipers to remove them, but they easily tore them off.
A barrage of metallic pings and tings filled the cabin, and dozens of rodents fought to break in. Barely able to see, Gretchen struggled to know which direction the car was headed, catching only a glimpse every once in a while. As they sped around the front of the home, she could tell they were generally headed in the right direction, when she saw two large BOTS blocking the roadway. She closed her eyes and sped ahead, hoping they couldn’t stop the vehicle.
Chimera was busy making sure BOTS didn’t enter the broken window when he received Marty’s last transmission. It was a distressful one but one that brought hope and with it encrypted coordinates to his position, which he quickly decoded.
“Don’t stop Gretchen!” He called to her, conveying hope to their dismal circumstances. To Gretchen’s surprise, no collision was felt; she opened one eye then the other to see a clean windshield. The remaining rodents hopped down onto the hood and off the vehicle. She looked in both review mirrors to see the sentries standing motionless beside the roadway. She sped down road; the stream of BOTS had stopped their attempt to enter the vehicle and the truck was now free of them.
Chimera stood up, looking straight ahead. “Go, go, go, Gretchen. We’ve made it!”
Chimera accessed the system and lowered the gate to the front entrance, and the vehicle sped underneath its eerie archway and away from peril. They let us get away. Why? Mr. Sullivan wouldn’t let us just leave, he must be planning something.
. . . .
Radios crackled all over the mansion from the remaining security agents.
“Sir, they are getting away! They know intimate knowledge of the building, they will tell someone. We have to go after them and kill them immediately.”
Mr. Sullivan stood in the driveway, watching the truck speed away. “No one will do anything of the sort. They’ve gotten away because I allowed them to. We have a new plan for them, we won’t be killing either of them as it turns out. We will be following them. Like clockwork, in one hour’s time, Marty has just relayed his coordinates to Chimera. They are encrypted, so we must follow them. All BOTS return to base, I have a different dog to track them. At least with him, I know he won’t fail.
Mr. Sullivan pulled up his wrist communicator and called out to Fox One once more. “Change of plans, I’m sending you coordinates. Follow the woman, she’s leading us right to Marty. Your friend can help. If he doesn’t comply, he is of no use to us.”
CHAPTER 35
I t was early afternoon but not that you could tell. Puffy white clouds had given way to a dark overcast sky. Leo and Sara sped down the narrow rural road en-route to his childhood home. He hadn’t visited it since his father had disappeared, and he wondered if it was like he remembered.
The message he had found from his father seemed unreal. He had always wanted answers. Then when he wasn’t even looking and least expected it, he had run onto evidence of his father’s life after his disappearance.
He was frustrated about his current situation. He hadn’t really wanted to return from Croatia, but he couldn’t run away from things forever. Just when he couldn’t believe that things could get worse, he had his meeting with Bartholemeau at New Wave.
The one thing he thought he could be proud of was now tainted. It seemed all that he had worked on would now be used for defense purposes.
His creation’s uses being changed to something completely different from his original intentions made him feel used and powerless. It seemed like father, like son. His father had also been exploited and used to create military designs. He needed something to make sense. He wanted a bit of stability.
All seemed out of control, but he hoped his parents’ home would fill him with warm memories and for at least a moment, perhaps, a feeling of safety.
“Leo, Leooooooo, hello. Did you hear me? I said this is gorgeous, isn’t it?”
“Sara sorry I was just…”
“Spacing out? Ya I know, you’re missing all of this. Wake up. This scenery comes pretty close to our planned autumn horseback trip.”
Leo snapped out of his internal thoughts of frustration and anticipation to view the beautiful landscape before them. The rural roads they traveled had turned into mountainous byways as they dipped in and out of patches of fog, he saw hills of orange,
red, and yellow.
He rolled down his window and stuck his head out for a second to take a deep breath of mountain air. The smell of fall foliage mixed with kettle corn and campfire. Upstate New York was beautiful this time of year, and he remembered the many good times he had camping here.
Sarafina knew that Leo had been deep in thought and that going back to this place could be difficult. Instead of being pushy and asking where his mind had drifted off to, she simply let him readjust at the sight of their beautiful surroundings. When she was sure he had cleared his mind, she slid her hand onto the center console meeting his and grasped it lightly. Although he liked the feeling of her hand in his, she had surprised him. He enjoyed the comfort of her touch until they arrived at their turn.
Leo removed his hand from hers, put on his turn signal, and gripped the wheel. “Almost there, just a few more miles down this road. This is weird. I’ve ridden down this road so many times as a passenger, but I’ve never driven it myself.”
“This road looks like the one less traveled. Are you sure this is the right road? I mean you said yourself you’ve haven’t been here in years.”
“Pretty darn sure, I think. I didn’t really recognize it when we turned to be honest.” Leo chuckled.
A skeptical Sarafina gave a courtesy laugh and looked down the dirt road leading into the thick fog. They hadn’t passed a car or seen a house for miles. To Sarafina it looked more like a forest route. The tall grass and occasional small shrub that covered the roadway made her wonder if this was the right road, what condition would the house be in?
Several miles later Leo confirmed, “Oh, yep. There’s the old birch that’s split in two and still growing. It’s over 200 years old, even the lighting couldn’t kill it.”
“Wow, you lived all the way out here? Way cool! I bet you had horses living this far out?”
The Second Rising Page 24
