Nicole turned and gave her an empty stare, then finally her eyes focused, and she shook her head. “No, he wouldn’t do that. They were trying to get it off. Didn’t they know what would happen?”
Before Shirley could answer, the door crashed open and the Major strode in with Travis at his heels. “What’s going on?” he shouted. He crossed the room in three steps and leaned forward to stare at the monitoring screen.
“It’s Eric. They’ve cut his wrist computer. He’s dead.”
“Dead? He can’t be dead!”
“They didn’t give up,” Nicole said, the tightness in her throat making her voice harsh. “They were in the kitchen together. I was getting some pain readings from Eric, but I assumed he was simply remembering what he had done at the museum. Dr. Cameron must have cut his band, not knowing what would happen.”
“Not knowing?” Travis interjected. “Of course he knew what would happen. He explained the whole system to Eric back in the detention cell, remember.”
That brought the Major upright. “That’s right. So why would he do it?”
“Maybe Eric did it,” Shirley volunteered. “He was very depressed when he came back.”
“Eric wouldn’t commit suicide,” Travis snapped, his mind racing. “Somehow they thought they could beat the system.”
“Is that Cameron now?” the Major demanded, jabbing his finger at the screen.
“Yes. He hasn’t moved since it happened.”
“That’s odd. Is he all right? What’s his reading?”
Nicole turned to her terminal and quickly punched in the code numbers. The readouts appeared almost instantly, causing her eyebrows to lift in surprise. “He’s lying down, and his brain scan shows a comatose state.”
“Comatose?” the Major said, his eyes narrowing. “Eric’s just been terminated, and he’s comatose? What’s going on there?”
“Lieutenant Robertson is on his way there now,” Shirley said.
“Was Eric lying down when this happened?”
“I can check.” Again her fingers flew over the terminal keys. Then, even more surprised, she nodded. “Yes, in exactly the same place. And look, just before termination, his pain level jumped sharply. That’s when Clayne came in, and we were checking on Dr. Cameron’s position, so I didn’t see that.”
The Major’s fist crashed down against the top of the table so hard that Nicole jumped. “They’re operating on each other!”
“What?” Nicole and Travis had blurted it out together.
“Eric’s not dead. If he were, would Cameron be lying there like a sick ox?”
“But how could they take out the implantations without triggering the wrist computer?”
“Because they’ve cut off the wrist computer!” he roared, his face a mottled patchwork of red and gray. “Somehow they’ve done it simultaneously. The computer shows Eric terminated, but if the silicon chip was out of his head when the terminal voltage was sent, it would be completely harmless.”
Travis shook his head, his expression dubious. “I don’t think—”
Suddenly the Major’s face contorted in shock as his mind carried his conclusion one step further. “Nicole, hit Cameron’s PMT button!” he shouted.
Nicole’s head jerked around as though he’d yanked on it with a rope. “What?” she cried out in stunned surprise.
“They’ve got Eric’s out and now they’re operating on Dr. Cameron! Hit the PMT button! We’ve got to stop them!”
Stupefied, Nicole just stared. The Punishment Mode—Terminal button was on every console, bright red, in the far upper left corner. She had never used it, had even avoided looking at it because of what it did to her when she pictured what would result if she touched it.
“Terminate him!” the Major thundered. “Now!”
Nicole’s hand raised, hung for a moment over the keyboard, then she snatched it back as if it had been burned. “I can’t,” she whispered.
In a rage, the Major grabbed her chair and whirled her away from the terminal. He turned to Shirley, but she was white-faced and shook her head in shock.
“Travis! Which button is it?”
Travis too was rigid, staring at the Major’s hand hovering over the keyboard.
“Travis!” His voice was an explosion echoing inside the small room.
Travis jumped to the Major’s side. “Hit this blue release button first. Then the PMT button is here.”
Nicole bit her lip to stifle a cry as she saw the Major’s finger stab down twice and heard the electronic beep. The flashing light on the screen flared into a bright point twice its normal size, then slowly faded. Then the red letters began to unfold onto the screen. WRIST COMPUTER #446823, CLIFFORD CLARK CAMERON. PUNISHMENT MODE-TERMINAL VOLTAGE INITIATED. SUBJECT TERMINATED. UNABLE TO READ FURTHER MOVEMENT.
The Major turned back around, shot Nicole one quick, withering look, then turned to Shirley. “Send a message to Lieutenant Robertson via his wrist computer. Tell him that Eric is free and dangerous. We’re on our way.”
He leaped up and started for the door. “All right, Travis! Let’s go!”
Chapter 18
Nicole sighed and stood up, averting her glance from the oddshaped brown package on the coffee table. She made herself think of how good a hot shower and then cool sheets would feel, tempting as it was to collapse now on the couch and give in to a stupefying weariness. She had come into the living room to put the redwood sculpture down, and staying here with it would only keep the turmoil and shock churning. Tomorrow she would put it away somewhere or perhaps give it to someone. The eagle had broken free, but it had cost an honorable, decent man his life doing it.
Pushing away the sudden guilt, Nicole clicked off the light and started for the bedroom, realizing how totally wrung out she was. As she opened the bedroom door, the soft chime of the doorbell stopped her. She glanced at the clock on her dresser. 12:47. Who would be calling at this hour of the night? Without turning on the lights, she slipped to the door and moved back the curtain a crack.
“Oh!” she said in surprise, then flipped on the lights and opened the door. “Travis, what are you doing here?”
“Hello, Nicole.” He came inside as she stepped back. He was in street clothes now, a pair of jeans and a soft pullover shirt that emphasized his broad shoulders and lean waist. “They said you’d left just a few minutes before I came back to Central Control, so I thought I’d take a chance on catching you. I saw your light go off just as I was getting out of the car.”
“Did you find him?”
“No, not yet. But we will. Every Guardian has been called out, and we’re combing the city. I’m going to grab a few hours of sleep and be back at seven.”
“How’s Clayne?”
“Fine. His pride is hurt more than anything.”
“It shouldn’t be. Eric must have seen him drive up and been waiting for him inside the main entrance.”
“That’s what I told him, but it still hurts him a little to think Eric could get his stun gun away from him that easily. And then to use it on him after he carried Dr. Cameron’s body out to the car, that—”
“Carried Dr. Cameron’s body?” Nicole blurted. “That wasn’t in your reports coming in.”
“Yes. Eric was in a rage. Said he wouldn’t leave Cliff as a trophy for us to parade. He made Clayne carry him out to the car, then used the stun gun on him. Clayne was just coming to when the Major and I pulled up.”
“I heard the report that you found Clayne’s squad car about nine.”
“Yes, in the Cherry Heights section. We spent a fruitless hour searching the area from house to house before a lady came running out to tell us her car was missing. We found it just a few minutes ago over on Spruce Street. But he could go on stealing cars all night. Half the people in Shalev leave their keys in their cars.”
“He’ll head out of the city, probably hole up in the mountains for a day or two, and then head for Serenity and his family.”
“That’s exactly w
hat we figured, so we’ve put up roadblocks on all the roads out of town, and a twenty-four-hour surveillance on his family. But I think he’s still in town. We figure he took some time to find a place to bury Cameron and then went back for Dr. Abernathy. He wasn’t operated on until almost ten o’clock, so they couldn’t have gone very far since then.”
“That was a real surprise,” Nicole admitted. “Cameron must have brought Abernathy in on this from the beginning.”
“That’s been puzzling me, too. If Abernathy was in with them, why wasn’t he at the apartment helping them? If he wasn’t, how did Eric know he could trust him?” Travis passed his hand across the stubble darkening his chin. “I don’t know. Who can tell what’s going on in Eric’s mind?”
“I can’t answer that,” she answered softly, “but whatever it is, it’s been there from the beginning.”
“They almost made it, you know.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“We found Cameron’s wrist computer in the apartment along with Eric’s. And both computer chips. They must have been within seconds of getting Cameron’s out when the Major hit the PMT button.”
“You mean that Eric cut Dr. Cameron’s wrist computer off anyway?”
“I guess so. Cameron’s wrist computer was completely burned out from the Terminal voltage, and Clayne said he noticed a charred spot on the back of his wrist as he picked up the body.”
“Don’t!” Nicole whispered, averting her face.
“I’m sorry.”
They both fell silent for almost a full minute. Then Nicole looked up. “Is the Major angry with me?”
Travis shook his head quickly. “He understands.”
“Travis, I don’t want to be a Monitor anymore.”
“Hey!” he said in surprise. Then his voice gentled. “You’ve had a rough day. Things will even out again once we get Eric.”
“I mean it, Travis. I’ll do anything else, but I can’t do that again.”
He held up his hands. “That’s fine. But you don’t have to decide that tonight. We’re both exhausted. Let’s get some rest and talk about it tomorrow.”
Quickly she ducked her head to hide the tears that welled up and spilled over onto her cheeks. “You’re right. It’s just that all I can think about tonight is an old man lying face down on a table, being terminated long distance by computer.”
He took her face in both hands and tenderly brushed the tears back. “I understand, honey, that was awful tonight.”
But you showed him which buttons to push! To her surprise, Travis continued to smile gently down at her, and she realized she had only shouted the words in her mind. She took a deep breath. “I’ll be better tomorrow.”
Suddenly the door into the kitchen slammed open, causing both her and Travis to jump. “Don’t count on it!” Eric said, stepping into the living room, a stun gun held easily in his hands.
Nicole and Travis whirled around to stare at the figure facing them. “Eric!” Nicole cried, as Travis pulled her behind him and stepped forward to face him.
“Easy, Travis.” Eric’s voice held a mocking dare, like the soft rattle of a snake. It froze Travis in midstep.
Even as she gaped at him, Nicole’s mind registered that Eric had changed his clothes. His short-sleeved sports shirt and light cotton pants and tennis shoes had been exchanged for heavy hiking boots, work pants, and a long-sleeved, flannel shirt. He stood easily, half leaning against the doorway, but his eyes gave him away. As they stared at her and Travis, they were like the gray ashes in a campfire through which one could glimpse the smouldering, red-hot coals beneath.
“This is an unexpected bonus, Travis,” Eric said. “I thought I’d have to leave a note. Now I can tell you directly.”
“Tell me what?” Travis snapped, recovering his balance quickly.
“I’m taking Nicole with me.”
Nicole’s mouth dropped open, but if Eric heard her sharp gasp, he ignored it. “You’ll receive word from us day after tomorrow sometime in the afternoon. The exchange will be made a day or two after that. We’ll tell you where.”
“The exchange?”
“Yes. You will have my mother and three sisters with you by then. Their wrist computers and their implantations will have been removed.”
Travis laughed, a short, derisive bark, touched with nervousness. “Oh? Just like that?”
“Yes, just like that.”
“And if we do, then—”
“You get Nicky here back in one piece—still pretty, still healthy, and perhaps even a little wiser. Otherwise, you won’t see her again.”
Travis’s fists clenched and half raised. “You wouldn’t dare harm her, or I’ll—”
“I didn’t ask for commentary,” Eric said as he squeezed the trigger of the stun gun.
Nicole screamed as Travis slammed back into her, spun around once, then crashed heavily to the floor. In one bound she knelt at his side and cradled his head in her lap. “What have you done to him?” she cried.
Eric crossed the room swiftly, ignoring her and the icy shock in her eyes. He bent over Travis, patted his pants pockets, then extracted the keys to his car and tossed them behind the couch. As he bent over, Nicole’s eyes caught sight of the crude bandage taped to the back of his neck. Smears of dark brown were clearly evident beneath the edges, and she shuddered involuntarily.
“All right, Nicky,” he said, taking her elbow. “On your feet.”
Nicole jerked away, swinging at Eric’s head with her free fist. He caught her arm roughly and dragged her to her feet, causing Travis’s head to fall heavily on the floor. He spun her around. “My father taught me to treat women and old folks with respect,” he said, “but after tonight, my manners are wearing a bit thin.”
Nicole tried to yank free, kicking at him, but with ridiculous ease, his arm circled her throat. He jammed the muzzle of the stun gun in the small of her back. “You listen,” he hissed in her ear, “and you listen good. You’re coming with me. And it doesn’t much matter whether you come under your own power or over my shoulder like a sack of dried beans. Now, which will it be?”
Nicole made a croaking sound, as if she were choking. Surprised, Eric loosened his grip slightly, and she dropped through his arm like a block of granite. She hit the floor, rolled once, leaped over the coffee table, and darted into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. But before she could move, the bedroom door exploded inward, blasted off its hinges, and crashed to the floor.
“Now,” Eric said, standing in the shattered frame, “I’ll ask you once more. Vertically or horizontally? It’s your choice.”
Her shoulders sagged, and suddenly the fight was gone. “All right.”
“Okay. Get some warm clothes—a jacket of some kind, some warm pants, warm socks. It’ll be chilly.” He gave her light summer clothing a quick glance. “There isn’t time to change now, just get whatever you need. Toilet articles. Whatever. Do you have hiking shoes?”
“No.”
“Tennis shoes, sneakers? Anything you can walk in?”
“Yes, I’ve got tennis shoes.”
“All right, get them. You’ve got exactly one minute.”
As they came back out into the living room, she glanced at the still figure on the floor. “What about Travis? You can’t just leave him. What if he’s badly hurt?”
He took her elbow and pushed her toward the telephone on the desk. “Since he strayed into this, we may as well make him useful.” He held up the stun gun so she could see the power dial on the side, then twisted the pointer into the red zone. “They tell me the red zone signifies a lethal stunning force. Never having used it, I’ll have to take their word for it.”
She stared at the dial, her heart dropping like a stone.
“Now, I’m only going to say this once, okay? No commentary.”
Her tongue darted out quickly as she wet her lips.
“You’re going to pick up the phone,” he said softly, “and call Central Control.” He s
wung the muzzle of the weapon around so it pointed down at Travis’s head. “Now here’s what you’re going to say, nothing more, nothing less, or else Travis terminates. Isn’t that the charming little phrase you people use?”
Nicole’s eyes were wide with shock, and her mouth opened slightly as she glanced quickly at Travis on the floor.
“If you’re wondering if I’d really do it, just remember, I watched a seventy-two-year-old man electrocuted tonight. Understood?”
“Yes.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“All right. Tell them Travis just phoned you. He tried to call in to them but couldn’t get through. Something is wrong with his radio. He called you to relay the message.”
He paused, and she nodded quickly. “I understand.”
“Good. Here’s Travis’s message. I was waiting at Travis’s house when he came home. He attacked me, but I escaped. Travis has me trapped in the neighborhood but needs every unit—every unit—sent to his home, Code Three. Have you got that?”
“They’ll never believe that. It’s too flimsy.”
“Sure it is, once they stop to think about it. But they’re too eager for the kill now to stop and evaluate.” His eyes were suddenly very frightening. “But Nicole, if you want Travis still sleeping peacefully on the floor when we leave, you’d better be convincing.”
She swallowed once, aware of the sudden dryness in her throat, and picked up the phone. For almost a minute she spoke quietly but urgently, then hung up with a curious mixture of sinking despair and vast relief. They had accepted her story without blinking. She had barely finished when in the distance a siren suddenly wailed, then another and another.
He grunted in satisfaction. “Okay, now let’s get out of here.”
Once they cleared the town limits, Eric pushed the car up to its maximum speed, still leaving the lights off. They headed north, on the highway leading to Glacier Park. Nicole was forced to grab wildly for the dashboard several times as the onrushing ribbon of road suddenly veered away from them and Eric had to brake hard and lean the car into a curve.
The ruse with Travis had worked perfectly. They encountered no roadblocks, no Guardian checkpoints. By ten miles out, any hope Nicole had of interception melted away.
Gerald N. Lund 4-In-1 Fiction eBook Bundle Page 40
