“Why am I here?” she asked suddenly. Her eyes stayed on the shrouded stranger. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes, yes,” he said quickly. “I’m sorry if this all seems scary. I want to talk about what happened with Kieran.”
“Kieran?”
“Yes, he was brought to my office by a couple of teachers and he appeared shaken. We tried to get him to tell us what was wrong, but he refused adamantly.”
“Refused,” she repeated back. The stranger had made a noise in the back of her throat. Was that a signal of some kind? “If he refused,” Madeline said, “then what’s wrong?”
“Kieran is a…well, let me say that his parents are highly valued in our community. They chose our city to set up shop and we have all been better off for it. Now, we don’t give him special treatment. He is disciplined and praised accordingly, but when we see this confident, brazen prodigy suddenly fall mute, anxious and apprehensive…we take notice.”
Prodigy? Wasn’t that a bit much?
“I think he was trying to throw a rock at someone,” Madeline said calmly, “and he hit me instead. It was an accident.”
“He was throwing rocks?” the Principal had to confirm.
“All of the boys do, I’ve heard. It’s normal. A girl told me about it in class, but I didn’t listen. I was so excited for recess that I didn’t take cover.”
“And then what happened?”
“I was angry,” she mumbled, acting as if she were ashamed for yelling in such an unladylike manner. “I yelled at him…and he didn’t like that. I don’t think he’s used to people fighting back.”
“I see,” the Principal said, nodding his head in contemplation. “Hmm. While I do not condone his or the other boys’ actions—no one should be throwing rocks—I should remind myself that they are in the third grade. I will ask Ms. Laine and the other third grade teachers to watch out for this kind of behavior. Have you seen the nurse?” Madeline nodded. “And are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said. She felt like the interview was almost up, but the identity of the woman in the corner was nagging her. Did they buy her story? She hated lying, through and through, but Grandpa had given her permission to do so when necessary.
“You have no hard feelings against Kieran? Do you want me to inform his parents of his actions? I can, if you like.”
“No, it was an accident,” she said innocently.
“Right, right,” Mr. Waters replied. “Thank you for coming in. Madeline, you may go back to your—”
“Wait,” the darkness spoke. The voice was so sharp and sudden that Madeline jumped a little in her seat. Her heart sounded like a horse going from a trot to an all-out sprint. She held her breath in anticipation, watching as the skeleton-thin woman emerged from the shadow like she had stepped through a portal.
Madeline gasped in both horror and disbelief. She knew this woman instantly. Her black, pixie-cut hair. The copper-toned skin. Jade-colored serpent earrings. Midnight blue pantsuit and black stilettos. The way her thin lips pursed when she prepared to speak.
This was not an ordinary witch, but a relative god in the new world.
Madeline, a human, part of a race of people that were hunted, enslaved and spat upon, was now in the presence of her sworn enemy. One of the seven that sought genocide against her people.
And she realized, in that moment, no matter how much she had prepared and trained for this day, she was utterly helpless.
“Ah,” Mr. Waters’ voice trembled. “I didn’t know you wanted to speak—here—now…I can handle this situa—”
“Where are your manners?” the woman said, a trace of amusement in her inquiry. “Won’t you introduce us?”
“Yes,” Mr. Waters cleared his throat and looked back at Madeline. She could see the fear in his eyes, the quivering in his lips. “Madeline, I would like you to meet Annalise Torres, High Witch of the Coven.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Annalise said. “I hope you don’t mind if I ask you some questions.”
“Of course,” Madeline said quickly.
“The first thing I want to know is…why was everything you just told Mr. Waters a lie?”
An Excerpt from Witchfall
Now Available for Preorder HERE
An excerpt from Upgrade
Now Available: HERE
Chapter 1 – Blowout Sale
It was just an ordinary shopping mall, but to him it was a military fortress. The shoppers were the patrolling soldiers, the items in their carts—their weapons, and the security guards standing watch at the entrances were its wardens and gatekeepers. He knew that time was short, yet he couldn’t find the will to move forward. Instead he took in his surroundings, once more convincing himself that the extra scan over the land was necessary for his mission’s success.
Under the silver light of the full moon, he sat on the gravel rooftop of the neighboring plaza, connected below by a number of cell phone recruitment centers, sub shops and rival pharmacies. He let his eyes sigh as he took in the stars up above, masked by a fog of light pollution and smoke. They continued to fascinate him despite the fact it would take him well beyond his lifespan to reach one. It didn’t matter. It told him there were endless mysteries to be solved, infinite equations and new discoveries to be made. That’s what exhilarated him after all—information. Being at a desk was the most ideal work situation for him—where he could scour the internet without restraint, absorbing each page that became unveiled to his eyes, even the advertisements. The complete opposite of what he was required to do now.
“I can do this,” Alphonse muttered as he studied the crowds below, clamoring over each other for tickets to the upcoming revolutionary gadgets. It didn’t matter that the first snows were yet to arrive. Tickets being passed out by the A.I Corporation meant Christmas was no longer confined to one specific, profitable day. Though no one would yet receive the gadgets they longed for, they would still scour the store, purchasing everything in sight, and it was simply glorious for the company’s stocks.
Not even the tape barriers and calls to order could maintain the excited masses, and perhaps it would actually work in Alphonse’s favor for once. The external cameras were intricately designed to detect an android’s entry but with so many people climbing over one another, not only were the security systems processing data at fallible rates, but he was sure he could get under a human and walk right in without being identified. Once inside, the mission was bound to get a lot easier, since the internal surveillance was purposed toward deterring shoplifting and random bouts of violence. As long as he didn’t draw suspicion, he would be okay. After all, profits came first.
“8 p.m.” Alphonse cleared his throat as he spoke candidly into his father’s handheld recorder. “I’ve made it to the rooftop of the Lakeview plaza undetected. Approximately ten thousand people are outside and waiting for the doors to open…um, guards appear to be about forty or so…probably lack of funds for overtime. Situation is hostile, but with tickets for the new Universe X technology, I surmise that they will be too engrossed in acquiring their stub to be aware of my intrusion in their ranks…and Father? From here on out, I really want to just speak normally. This isn’t a Special Ops mission, as much as we like to pretend it is.”
He could already hear the words of his father echo in the darkness surrounding him. But Alphonse. He would say. It is a special mission. We are all that stand between the fall of our species.
Alphonse shook the words from his mind and stood straight up, ignoring the danger his actions could bring. He let the cool autumn breeze brush against his cheeks, rustle through his fine hair like small hands and then become stagnant as it came across his artificial skin. He couldn’t feel any of it, but he smiled all the same and walked to the rooftop’s edge. Staring out over the roaring crowd, it took only a second to find his mobile HUSK—a walking, pre-programmed copy of himself that he could transfer his consciousness over to at any given moment. On its own, it was perfect for blending into the crowd,
but horrible when apprehended and interviewed. He had seen plenty of examples on the news, showing mindless HUSKs spouting off how much they liked the taste of bacon or what the winning lottery number would be five hundred years from now based on some obscure algorithm. It was embarrassing.
But he couldn’t dwell too long on that now. Someone was sure to spot him now that he was exposed before them on the rooftop. Alphonse lifted up the right sleeve of his denim jacket and pressed the face of the watch, immediately giving his HUSK the signal to perform the transfer. His HUSK glanced up at him and in the next second, he was no longer on the roof.
Now he was looking at it, nestled firmly between the enlarged folds of an obese woman and several screaming children, trying to shove each other side to side. Still he tried to pay them no mind as he watched the body he left on the roof fall backwards into a crumple. As soon as it hit the gravel above, an explosion erupted across the plaza’s rooftop, bursting into flames in such stylistic fashion, the crowd thought a performance had broken out, and it was simply controlled pyrotechnics. But when the first stray flame unexpectedly flew down and sent an exhausted man’s coat on fire, everyone got the message.
They began pushing forward and screaming, urging the person in front of them to fall out the way, but in spite of the chaos, Alphonse couldn’t help but let a smile slip. Though no one wanted to get burned, he noticed that the crowd was instinctively pressing against the mall’s glass doors, even pushing the guards to the side. It didn’t matter if this was a rock band’s outbreak performance or a terrorist attack, they were going to get their ticket at any cost.
Alphonse let the mob carry him like an organic wave machine, pushing him closer to his goal. As the first of the rioters broke through the glass doors and left the guards trampled in their wake, Alphonse began acting. His eyes went manic and he began shoving the couple in front of him, gnashing at the teeth and even spitting in the hair of a teenager to his right with his chemical saliva. He kept his head down as much as possible, and eventually he made his way past the entrance. It didn’t matter if the cameras saw him now. Any nearby security was busy figuring out what happened outside, and by the time they could identify him as a robot in the stock footage, he would have already moved on. Unless he was under direct investigation by the federal government, it was nearly impossible to track down an android with access to an HUSK.
Alphonse navigated the crowd until he saw the escalators. Ignoring the jaw-dropping citizens, he leapt over their heads and over to the top of the electric stairs. He hit the railing on the side awkwardly and would have dislocated his shoulder if not for his durable, internal frame. He brushed off the blow and took the steps down three by three until he hit the bottom floor. No one was there since the Universe X tickets were being handed out on the top floor, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t stop running. The cameras were sure to catch him now, especially since the lights were at full and he wasn’t taking any extra precautions. Running at full speed through the middle of the corridor, he was obviously the only humanoid not there for the only reason the mall had been opened so late.
Passing by kiosk after kiosk, he aimed only for the corner store at the other side of the mall, the side which inconveniently possessed no exit nearby. How the mall passed its building inspection was beyond him.
Alphonse skidded to a halt just as he came upon the front of the store, the sign above it thrusting itself upon his eyes in bold, neon green letters that popped out in 3D: THE COMPANION DEPOT.
Alphonse casually thrust his fingers under the metal wire gate and pulled it up from off the floor with ease, as if he had done it a million times. Letting it fall behind him, he entered the store cautiously, examining the displays for any inconsistencies.
The displays were his brothers and sisters.
All of them were unaware of their connection, but they felt like family all the same. There were no mannequins on display. Just the real deal. Placed upon round pedestals with bright colored tablecloths underneath their feet, dozens of them stood in place, forced into awkward poses for presentation. Dressed in an array of casual jeans and hoodies to full-blown tuxedos and elegant prom dresses, their potential for companionship hit the customer like a slap to the face, and why wouldn’t it? They looked exactly like humans, with the only oddity being the price tag hanging from their ear lobes like they were cattle. Upon activation, they would be no different either. In speech, action, desire and purpose, they were the perfect friend, trainer, mate...slave…pet.
“Hmm,” Alphonse hummed over one particular android, who was hunched over like he was dribbling an imaginary basketball. The basketball player’s eyes were shining that familiar rustic red color, the same color that his own eyes gave off when the proper contacts weren’t put in. “It’s almost like this one is on,” he said.
“He is,” a voice called out from in front of him. Alphonse craned his neck to the side and focused beyond the rows of androids to a man behind the counter. It took only a second to realize that he was, in fact, the target.
“It’s part of our surveillance,” the man said, chuckling as Alphonse slowly approached. “Why install expensive cameras when we have the most advanced technology right here at our disposal for free?”
“Or at least you used to have the latest,” Alphonse stated, scanning the man for weapons. “And you know that using store merchandise for security is illegal. You have to contact a licensed provider for an establishment such as this.”
“What are you, a cop?” the man laughed again. He was frail and thin, the suspenders over his plaid shirt seeming to be the only thing keeping him upright. His peppered hair was brittle and sparse, but his vibrant blue eyes shone beyond the veil with alarming youth. Although Alphonse was sure he wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight, the old man was sure to give it his best effort. Of that, he was sure.
“Not a cop. Or a thief. I’m here to escort you to safety.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” the old man said firmly, his smile disappearing both on his face and in his eyes. “My job is to attend this store overnight. I plan on keeping my word.”
“It doesn’t matter. If you don’t leave with me, you could be destroyed. I’ve heard you’ve been green-lit.”
“Is that so?” the old man snickered. “And what reason would that be? Why destroy someone already well past their prime?”
“Perhaps it’s because you have many more years than your frame suggests.” Alphonse smirked as the old man’s eyes twinkled.
“You know I’m an android,” the old man sighed. “Of course. And I’ve been so good about staying hidden too.”
“You’re very clever,” Alphonse admitted. “Staying overnight to tend to the store while using a HUSK to traverse outside during the daylight. And with so many models stocked in the back, it would be easy to keep this form well-hidden while you’re outside. I’m just curious as to one thing. How do you keep your HUSK so close? Based on their limited range, it couldn’t be more than a half a mile away from here.”
“With so many people going to and fro, it’s not difficult,” the old man smiled. “Especially when your HUSK is a fourteen year old boy. They tend to hang around the mall more than they should, and with new technology being released weekly, these are exciting times for the impressionable. But now let me ask you something. Are you an android?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Yes it does,” he said, coming from behind the counter. “Because if so, it would completely make my day.”
“I’m here to extract you. You’re not safe,” Alphonse said. A twinge of apprehension leaked into his system. His emotions were set at the lowest setting, but they were still making him uneasy. He redoubled his efforts. “The longer we stay here, the sooner we’ll meet up with trouble. I wasn’t very clean in leaving a trail. I’m sure the mall’s security have gotten a lid on the situation upstairs and are converging on us as we speak.”
“I have many HUSKs here. I’m not the one who’s in a h
urry. Answer my question or I’ll cut our meeting short. Then you can scramble among the merchandise searching for me while the police get ever closer.”
Alphonse glared at him through the red and yellow strobe lights that were softly illuminating the room, wondering if he should just render him unconscious. Perhaps it was the best option considering weight was not going to be an issue in carrying him. He took a step closer as the old man shook his head and held up the palm of his right hand. In the center was a small, circular red button.
“All it takes is the press of my thumb, and the scavenger hunt begins,” he grinned. “It’s your call.” Alphonse sighed heavily and crossed his arms.
“I am an android,” he replied reluctantly, “and the reason you’re in danger is due to the people that you once knew. According to my sources, you had a large part in A.I Corp’s growth. Especially being one of the first, 2nd generation androids. Since you’re using a HUSK now, I can only imagine that you’ve gone beyond your programming, acquiring several upgrades over the past few months. Correct?”
“I feel like I’m listening to an answering machine, but yes, that is correct.”
“We believe that A.I Corp has recently approved the dismantling of all first string, 2nd Gen androids. All 45 of you.”
“And why is that?”
“I can’t disclose any more. I have to protect my sources.”
“And how do I know you’re not from A.I Corp?”
“You’ll have to trust me.”
“No thanks,” the old man chuckled, “I’ll take my chances.” He immediately slammed his thumb against the HUSK button on his palm, and his body crumpled to the floor, his limbs flailing as he went down. The pupils of his eyes went completely black as Alphonse shook his head and grimaced.
I can’t fail again he thought, as he began looking deep into the eyes of every android display he came across. In the distance, he could already hear the stampede of mall security, their walkie-talkies blaring with immediacy and their voices excited over this rare occurrence—a time in which they could finally use the batons hanging from their cheap pleather belts.
The Works of Julius St. Clair - 2017 Edition (Includes 3 full novels and more) Page 84
