by Grant Pies
NEW ALCATRAZ
Volume II
GOLDEN DAWN
Grant Pies
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are of the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Grant Pies
All rights reserved.
“I would be glad to know... whether when my brain has lost its original structure, and, when some hundred years after, the same materials are fabricated so curiously as to become an intelligent being, whether, I say that being will be me; or, if, two or three such beings should be formed out of my brain; whether they will all be me, and consequently one and the same intelligent being.” – Thomas Reid, 1776
NEW ALCATRAZ, VOLUME II: GOLDEN DAWN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
UNIT 5987D v. FEDERATED NORTH AMERICA
CHAPTER 1 - 2070, Phoenix, AZ
CHAPTER 2 - 2075, Phoenix, AZ
CHAPTER 3 - 2075, Phoenix, AZ
CHAPTER 4 - 2075, Phoenix, AZ
CHAPTER 5 - 2075, Phoenix, AZ
CHAPTER 6 - 5255, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 7 - 5257, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 8 - 2075, Phoenix, AZ
CHAPTER 9 - 2075, Phoenix, AZ
CHAPTER 10 - 2075, Phoenix, AZ
CHAPTER 11 - 2075, Phoenix, AZ
CHAPTER 12 - 5257, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 13 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 14 - 2075, Outside Flagstaff, AZ
CHAPTER 15 - 2075, Gray Mountain, AZ
CHAPTER 16 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 17 - 2075, Gray Mountain, AZ
CHAPTER 18 - 2070, Phoenix, AZ
CHAPTER 19 - 2075, Gray Mountain, AZ
CHAPTER 20 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 21 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 22 - 2075, Gray Mountain, AZ
CHAPTER 23 - 2075, 80 KM NE of Gray Mountain, AZ
CHAPTER 24 - 2075, Golden Dawn HQ, Blue Canyon, AZ
CHAPTER 25 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 26 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 27 - 2075, Golden Dawn HQ, Blue Canyon, AZ
CHAPTER 28 - 2036, Buford, WY
CHAPTER 29 - 2075, Golden Dawn HQ, Blue Canyon, AZ
CHAPTER 30 - 2075, Golden Dawn HQ, Blue Canyon, AZ
CHAPTER 31 - 2036, Buford, WY
CHAPTER 32 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 33 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 34 - 2075, Golden Dawn HQ, Blue Canyon, AZ
CHAPTER 35 - 2075, Golden Dawn HQ, Blue Canyon, AZ
CHAPTER 36 - 2072, Chicago, IL
CHAPTER 37 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 38 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 39 - 2075, Golden Dawn HQ, Blue Canyon, AZ
CHAPTER 40 - 2075, Golden Dawn HQ, Blue Canyon, AZ
CHAPTER 41 - 2075, Golden Dawn HQ, Blue Canyon, AZ
CHAPTER 42 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 43 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 44 - 2075, Gray Mountain, AZ
CHAPTER 45 - 2075, Gray Mountain, AZ
CHAPTER 46 - 2075, Gray Mountain, AZ
CHAPTER 47 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 48 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 49 - 2075, Gray Mountain, AZ
CHAPTER 50 - 2075, Albuquerque, NM
CHAPTER 51 - 2075, Albuquerque, NM
CHAPTER 52 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 53 - 2075, Aurora, CO
CHAPTER 54 - 2075, Buckley Air Force Base
CHAPTER 55 - 2075, Buckley Air Force Base
CHAPTER 56 - 2075, Buckley Air Force Base
CHAPTER 57 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 58 - 2075, Buckley Air Force Base
CHAPTER 59 - 2075, Buckley Air Force Base
CHAPTER 60 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 61 - 2075, Buckley Air Force Base
CHAPTER 62 - 2075, Buckley Air Force Base
CHAPTER 63 - 5280, New Alcatraz
CHAPTER 64 - 2075, Buckley Air Force Base
CHAPTER 65 - 5280, Buckley Air Force Base
UNIT 5987D v.
FEDERATED NORTH AMERICA
CASE NO. 2070FN99823
Bailiff: All rise! The Honorable Judge Griffin presiding. This Court is now in session.
Court: Thank you, bailiff. You all may be seated. Before I bring the jury in, it seems there is a development we must first address.
Federated Prosecutor Klipton: Yes, your honor. Counselor Powell is not on this case any longer. He has been arrested and is awaiting his own trial.
Court: Yes, I have seen the reports. Shocking, to say the least. He seemed more mild mannered, but I guess it is the quiet ones you need to be careful of.
Federated Prosecutor Klipton: Yes, your honor. However, Counselor Preston of the Android Representation Counsel has been brought on as replacement counsel for Unit 5987D. We have met, discussed the case, and he has agreed to move forward with the reading of the verdict.
Court: Good. Unit 5987D…
Defendant: Yes, your honor.
Court: Your previous counsel, Counselor Powell, has been removed from this case. Counselor Preston will be representing you from this point until the verdict is read. It is really more of a formality. No offense, counselor…
Counselor Preston: None taken, your honor.
Court: Representation at this point is most likely unnecessary, but you are entitled to representation at all stages of your trial. So we have provided you with a replacement. Do you have any questions, Unit 5987D?
Defendant: No, your honor. I am ready to move forward.
Court: Good! Now let’s bring in the jury.
(Bailiff brings jury in)
Court: Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict?
Jury Foreman: Yes, we have, your honor.
Court: Can you please pass the verdict form to the bailiff?
(Jury foreman hands verdict form to bailiff. Bailiff hands verdict form to judge)
Court: Okay. It appears everything is in order here.
(Judge hands verdict form back to bailiff. Bailiff hands form back to jury foreman)
Court: You may read the verdict.
Jury Foreman: For Count I: Unauthorized Use of Technological Components, the Jury finds the Defendant guilty. For Count II: Defrauding Wayfield Industries, an Authorized Technological Company, the Jury finds the Defendant guilty. For Count III: Murder of a Human, the Jury finds the Defendant guilty.
Court: Very well. Before I sentence you, Unit 5987D, do you have anything to say?
Defendant: Your honor, I believe that my previous counselor, Counselor Powell, was correct in that everyone ends up sacrificing themselves for something. It is truly a gift for a person to decide what they are sacrificed for. I believe Pierson was fortunate enough to decide what he would be sacrificed for. And I believe I am just as fortunate. I hope my sacrifice was well worth it. Thank you.
Court: Okay. You have been found guilty of all three counts by a jury of your peers. I sentence you to termination. You will be powered down and remanded back to your manufacturer, Wayfield Industries, where they are free to dismantle, recycle, or destroy you as they see fit. I order that your sentence shall be carried out immediately.
(Bailiff approaches Defendant and powers him down)
Court: Thank you, bailiff. And thank you, members of the jury. You are now dismissed. This court is adjourned.
CHAPTER 1
2070
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
The bailiff wheeled Whitman over to the two Wayfield employees who had watched the e
ntire trial; his face was lifeless. Vesa and Cooper sat and watched the bailiff sign Whitman over to the men. Cooper hung his head and sighed.
Vesa never took her eyes off the men who were there to transport Whitman. She watched every move they made during each day of the trial. She noticed the man who signed for receipt of Whitman was left-handed, not right. She noticed the other man kept checking his cell phone and texting someone on the other end. Personal, she decided, not work. She had spent the entire trial observing the Wayfield employees. After the proceeding concluded each day she spent the rest of the day following them and mapping their route. Cooper had hacked Wayfield’s human resources department and read through the two employees’ personnel files.
“Come on,” Vesa said and tapped Cooper’s knee. Cooper looked up like he was awakened from a dream. If only he were so lucky. “They’re about to take him out of here.”
She stood and ushered her brother out of the row of seats. She watched the bailiff leave, and the two men took Whitman out a side door in the courtroom. The one man kept his head down at his phone and stumbled into the back of the other. Vesa walked hastily out of the main door to the courtroom then jogged in short spurts when no one else was around so as not to draw attention to herself. Cooper tried to keep up with her. Vesa made it to the elevators and frantically tapped the button to go down.
“We only have a couple minutes. The Wayfield guards will exit out the west side of the court house, near the loading bay.”
The elevator arrived. Brother and sister entered, and Vesa repeatedly tapped the ground floor button until the doors slid closed.
“They’ll load Whitman into the van and, hopefully, keep him in the wheelchair. It’ll save us a lot of time if we don’t have to carry him to our van.”
The elevator doors opened at the ground floor.
“I know,” Cooper said. “We went over this dozens of times with Whitman. We follow them to the processing center and swap Whitman out there.” Now Cooper walked in front of Vesa. “You are so cold. Have you even thought that that could have been the last time we see Whitman? You can’t take a minute to contemplate that?”
Vesa sped up to match her brother’s pace. Their feet echoed as they landed on the scuffed tiled floor. Every once in a while, their shoes squeaked.
“No. I haven’t stopped to think about that. Because once we think like that then that will be the last time we see him. It will become reality. I can’t worry about things that aren’t going to happen. And we are not going to fail at this. Whitman is too important for us to fail. What is inside of him is too important to fail.” Vesa held onto Cooper’s arm and looked him in the eye. “Do you get that? Because we always knew this is the way it would go. We always knew his attorney could only do so much. We always knew he would lose, and this would be the only way to keep him alive.”
Cooper shrugged his arm away from Vesa and nodded. The two of them walked out the front of the courthouse.
The sun shone bright and the air was dry. Criminals, attorneys, and members of various government agencies milled about around the courthouse, preparing for their various trials and hearings. Attorneys and clients huddled together, discussing the best way to spin the facts. They wouldn’t admit they were lying, but they couldn’t think of a better word for it if they were pressed to. Vesa and Cooper entered a white van with dark tinted windows parked in front of the courthouse. No markings. No business name. No scratches or dents. Nothing to draw attention to it.
An android that looked identical to Whitman sat in the back. It had the same face and hair. It wore the same standard issue jumpsuit given to all android defendants. It was strapped in a wheelchair, an exact replica of the wheelchair the bailiff strapped Whitman into after the trial. The chair and the android were tied against the wall of the van. Vesa started the van. Cooper pulled a thin tablet out from the glove compartment, and plugged an external keyboard into it. The tablet lit up and lines of code spilled over the screen. With each line he frantically typed, the tablet spit out more and more lines of code. Vesa pulled out of the parking space, and looked down an alley running along the side of the courthouse. The two Wayfield employees were loading Whitman into their own van.
“There!” she said. Cooper didn’t even look up from what he was doing. “We’ve got about thirteen minutes before they arrive at the processing center. Is that enough?”
“I guess it has to be,” Cooper said without looking up. Text scrolled across the screen at a fast pace. Some of the text Cooper typed, while other text was some sort of automated response from whoever, or whatever, he was communicating with. “Just follow them and let me know how far away we are.”
Vesa slowly lurched the van forward as two employees locked Whitman’s lifeless body in place and climbed in their van. Both vehicles weaved through side streets and alleys. Vesa stayed close, but not so close that the Wayfield employees would be suspicious.
“About ten minutes out,” she said. “How are we doing on time?”
“Hard to say,” Cooper answered. “Wayfield’s security is unpredictable. So far it’s letting me in, but one wrong line of code and the security measures may flag what I’m doing.”
Vesa turned a corner, leaning forward over the steering wheel, her face almost pressed against the windshield. “And what if that happens?”
“The security protocols will lock me out. I wouldn’t be able to alter the official android serial numbers in Wayfield’s database, and they would know that Whitman wasn’t Whitman about ten minutes after we swap him. They would activate the tracking device in Whitman, and be on us about a minute after that.”
“So nothing good then,” Vesa mumbled and made another sharp turn.
“No. Nothing good.” Cooper got up from his seat and crawled into the back of the van. He placed the tablet on the floor and leaned the Whitman look-a-like android forward. He opened a panel in its back and strung a thick cord from the android to his tablet. “How long?” he asked.
“We’re a few minutes away. How about you? How long?” Vesa asked, but she didn’t look back at her brother. She kept her eyes on the Wayfield van that carried the real Whitman.
“More than that,” Cooper said. “You need to buy me more time.”
CHAPTER 2
2075
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
“Well that’s not fair, Powell!” the woman cried across the table from me. Her face was red and scarred. “I didn’t resist. They just ripped through my door and threw a grenade into my apartment. They barged in and tackled me. They did this!” she said and pointed at her burnt face. Her face drooped on the left side of her. It was littered with deep pock marks and raised bubbles. She looked melted, like an autumn squash. The kind of squash that someone might set out at Thanksgiving, but not really eat. It was hard to look at.
Her small child played on the floor behind her with a green plastic toy truck. He crashed the toy into the wall and made explosion noises with his mouth, mimicking the sound of the flash bang bursting through his home. Rose flinched after each noise.
“I get that, Rose,” I said as I tried to ignore her child’s noises.
The plastic toy rattled with each collision against the wall. “Pooosch!” the kid said, spit splattering out of his mouth as his lips vibrated together.
How can she live with this all day, every day? “Believe me, I know how these agents operate, their tactics.”
She gripped a messy stack of papers in front of her and slid them across the table to me. When people came in with paper—actual paper—they were desperate. They took the time to find a store that sold the stuff, print out their documents, and carry them around like some sort of traveler from the past. The papers had the words ‘summons,’ ‘assault,’ and ‘plea bargain’ scattered throughout the subject lines.
The young boy’s obnoxious noises screamed around the tiny office. It doubled as my living quarters, so this was double the intrusion. “Blam!” he said over and over. Each time I tensed and clenched my j
aw tighter. He gripped the toy truck with his snot-covered hands, making green scuffmarks on the walls with each collision. A less controlled person would have ripped the toy from the brat’s hands long ago. A person who could pick and choose their clients might have asked the child to wait outside in the waiting room. Maybe if I had a waiting room or a secretary, maybe if I wasn’t so desperate, I wouldn’t have to pretend I wasn’t annoyed by this stupid kid. I wasn’t carrying-around-actual-papers desperate like Rose, but it wasn’t like I was entertaining my clients in a corner office either. I couldn’t just put up a website and advertise my services, so I had to put up with him.
“But if you fight this, you will lose,” I continued. “You’ll do nothing more than piss off the agency, and they’ll swat you like a gnat. You think your door was the first door the agency ever busted in without a warrant? You think they’ve never gone to apartment A when the warrant read apartment B? Or that you’re the first person they injured in a failed arrest?” I let my questions linger in the cramped space, their implications eating up oxygen. Rose leaned her head against her hand, her index finger pressing into her temple. She stared off blankly trying to think of a way to make sense of this.
“The law doesn’t matter to them,” I said. “They make it up as they go. They cloak themselves in a virtually invincible cover of legality. Just by virtue of being a government agent, whatever they do is lawful. And the kicker is they believe what they do is for the greater good.” I tilted my head down to try and meet Rose’s blank gaze.
“They are trained to think they are only trying to help. The only thing worse than an authority figure who breaks the law is one that does so under the false belief that what they are doing is right.” I leaned forward and pressed my elbows against the cold table.
“Ask yourself: if this is how they treated you when they didn’t even know you, imagine how things would be if you really made them mad. Imagine what they would do if they wanted to really hurt you. Or if they wanted to hurt your son.” I said and pointed at the boy, hoping that maybe she would actually pay attention to what he was doing.
