by Tara Tyler
Cheers erupted as Senator Cooper, carried by an extra-large droid, ran out, followed by Wells.
“Wells, find me,” the Colonel said into his tie tack.
Wells searched the crowd and pushed people aside to get to Crews.
“Sir.”
“Ah, my boy. You’re safe. Thank goodness.” The Colonel patted Wells on the back.
“That’s how you greet him after he escaped a deadly battle? His life was in danger!” Aimee put her hands on her hips.
The Colonel went on the offensive. “You said my boy Wells here is a simulation, right?”
“Yes. He is,” Aimee agreed.
The Colonel pointed at the simulation of Cooper. “Well, I say that man is a simulation!”
Hasan pouted. “Uh oh.”
Aimee nudged him.
“I mean, that’s absurd! Preposterous! Inconceivable! This is my longtime friend.”
The Colonel smiled and continued, “Agent Harper probably made him so he could fool everyone. Wells, show them he’s not a real person, but a simulation.”
Wells grabbed for the fake detective’s arm, but it dodged him. So the self-defense programs had been installed.
The crowd backed up, ready to watch a fight.
Wells reached again, but this time the detective’s simulation caught Wells’ wrist.
The Colonel knew Wells had superior fighting skills and had been in this position before. It smiled at the Cooper imposter, one of the tricks the Colonel taught him, to show the enemy he wasn’t afraid.
Simulation Cooper mirrored his smile, which also caused him to ease out of fighting mode.
Wells punched the simulation with a left hook to the cheek, knocking his head sideways with a crack. Simulation Cooper fell to his knees, then to the ground, with sparks shooting from a slit in his neck.
The crowd gasped and mumbled.
The Colonel put out his hand, displaying the exposed simulation. “There, you see?”
He would have his way. He stuck his chin out. Nothing would stop him.
“Are you okay?” Cooper knelt beside Geri and lifted her head. Her mask was torn. Blood and chunks of fake skin hung from her face. It was hard to tell which wounds were real and which were part of the mangled mask.
She blinked at him. “Hold on.”
Feeling her face, she yanked the rest of the mask off, except for a few pieces around the edges. It made her screech, but she squinted and waved off his attempts to help her. After a couple of deep breaths, she was able to respond.
“Okay. That’s better. I’m banged up, but I’ll live.”
Cooper looked into her eyes, past the blue, into her living, breathing self. He leaned down and hugged her close. She was real and safe. He couldn’t believe she was all right.
“Ouch!”
Releasing his grip slightly, he laughed. The moment was over.
“How did you survive the fall?”
“Aimee’s gun has a grappling hook. It stayed camouflaged, so you didn’t see me get to safety. Sorry to scare you.”
“I wasn’t scared.” He was devastated. “And how did you stop that simulation? The super droids couldn’t touch it.” He caressed her cheek where she had a cut, then noticed her shoulder had been seared.
“I snuck up behind her and used my QV remote control to stun her like the droids at the Colonel’s house.”
He helped her slowly to her feet. “Clever. Of course you did. Well, you’re injured. We should get back downstairs and—Duck!” Cooper pushed her head down as a very badly burned sim Geri ran up behind her, swinging a police droid’s arm to whack her in the head.
Geri continued the downward motion, spun on the ground, and kicked the sim’s feet out from under it.
With its quick reflexes, sim Geri twisted and smacked real Geri, sending her skidding across the roof. The android that wouldn’t die hopped back up, ready to attack again. It aimed its laser finger at Geri’s chest.
Before it zapped her, it spouted, “There’s only room for one of us, sweetheart.”
That had to be the Colonel talking.
Grabbing a jagged piece of metal debris, Cooper stabbed sim Geri in the neck, shorting it out, and got shocked pretty good in the process. He quickly let go and backed away.
The zombie-like robot was a hideous, frightful mess right out of a horror flick, with charred flesh hanging off its nanoplastic bones, and its eyes bulging out of their sockets. It vibrated and pulsed a few times, with bolts of electricity snaking around its body until it finally fell to the ground, spazzing for a few last jolts.
Cooper kicked the simulation a couple of times, glad it no longer resembled the real Geri, and held his foot on its midsection, like a hunter with his prize kill. Fearing another resurrection, he changed his mind.
“Aw, what the heck. Look out below!” With one last kick, he shoved it off the roof. Standing at the edge, he watched the broken android drop down the front of the building. No more surprise comebacks.
Cooper rushed to Geri’s side. As he examined her face, her original, scraped up, bloody-nosed, black-eyed, beautiful face, a rush of emotions melted his heart and tears welled in his eyes. Ripping the hem of his shirt, he dabbed at the blood, hoping she would be okay. He never wanted to let her go again.
Her eyes fluttered and she smiled up at him. “My hero?”
“At your service. Just relax. I’m going to get you all fixed up.”
Tough as she was, she let him. She was in pretty bad shape.
Surveying the battle scene, Cooper breathed a sigh of relief, glad it was over. The super droids had everything under control, guarding the corralled police droids that were still functional in case the Colonel got a chance to override them again.
Bending down, Cooper picked up Geri. She put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.
Despite his aches and pains, Cooper’s strength resurged as he held her, and he headed for the stairs.
Now they just needed to take care of the Colonel. And his Rottweiler, Wells.
Norcross, GA
Wednesday, June 24, 2082
ive seconds after the Colonel showed the world evidence of the detective simulation, placing the blame on Agent Harper, the Agent Harper simulation, in all its mechanical glory, fell from the sky, headed straight for them.
Wells pushed the Colonel away from the falling android and ran after him.
Crews looked back and saw the small girl agent crouched down over the foolish Creator, covering him with her arm over their heads. A lot of good that would do them.
When the droid struck them, it cracked in half, and bolts of electricity shot out of it, sending the crowd screaming in a panic as if the sky was falling.
It was the perfect time to make an exit. While everyone was playing Chicken Little, the Colonel guided Wells to an ambulance and they took off.
In the stairwell on the way down, Cooper staggered. He had to stop and rest at a landing. He wished he could control the police droids still lining the walls so they could help him and Geri. Or he should’ve let a super droid carry them both down. But he just had to be a hero.
“You can put me down now, Mr. Universe. I think I can walk.”
“Are you sure?” Cooper asked in between pants as he tried to catch his breath.
“Let me try.”
He set her gently down.
Geri’s legs wobbled a bit, but she could walk. “There. See? I’ll make it.”
“Shh!”
“No, really. I’ll be fine.”
“Shh!” Cooper waved Geri over to him. He heard someone or something coming up the stairwell.
Whoever it was must have heard them too, because it stopped.
Cooper pointed to the door beside him, which had a big number ten on it.
Geri nodded.
As quietly as he could, he pushed the door open and they slipped inside.
The door made a small click as it latched shut after them and Cooper winced. Waving Geri forward
, they scooted down a short hallway that opened up to some office cubicles. With the electricity out, the room was dim, lit by the wall of windows on one side. Shadows played over most of the large room. He wasn’t ready for another fight, but he also hated hide and seek. It made him antsy. He pointed to a cubicle for Geri to hide in and tucked himself into the one across the aisle from her.
Cooper sent a message to Hasan, telling him where they were, then quickly ran through who might be out there. The stranger was most likely an enemy person or droid, not a friend or rescuer come to save them. From the way it stopped to listen on the stairs, Cooper judged it was smarter than a police droid. He hoped it would just go away.
In case it didn’t, Cooper went through what he and Geri had left for defenses. Cooper had nothing. He looked over at Geri, leaning against the wall, still trying to regain some strength. Her QV looked to be intact. He got her attention and pointed at it.
He mouthed, “Weapons?”
She opened it up and went through some functions. After a few tries, she shook her head at Cooper with a frown. Apparently the fighting took a toll on her QV too. And her electrogun was long gone.
Breaking the silence, the door to the stairwell clicked shut. The mysterious visitor was on their floor.
Cooper tried one more possibility and mouthed, “Remote?” He touched his ear, to help her understand. If it was a droid, maybe he could get it to back up to Geri and she could put it to sleep. Wouldn’t that be nice?
She nodded and opened it up, but they wouldn’t know if it worked until she tried. Geri shrugged.
Listening for footsteps, Cooper could only hear the sirens and shouts of the crowd outside. Across the aisle, he saw Geri’s face in the shadows, twisted in pain and worry. She was in no condition to fight either. He had to make sure nothing else happened to her.
Catching her eye, Cooper pointed at her then toward the exit.
She shook her head.
But Cooper wasn’t giving her a choice. He grinned at her and stood up. He saw the droid coming straight down their aisle. And not just any droid. It was Echo. Cooper had no idea what physical capabilities it had compared to the police droids, but mentally, the Colonel’s personal android was as close to artificial intelligence as a droid could get after who knew how many illegal improvements and special programming it had to serve the old man. And the Colonel probably possessed it now anyway.
Cooper drew Echo away from Geri, running in the opposite direction of the exit to give her a chance to escape.
Echo focused on Cooper and chased him across the room.
While he ran, Cooper grabbed the cubicle partitions and knocked them down behind him in the path of Echo. The debris slowed it a hair, but Echo was much more agile than Cooper expected, lithely hurdling the obstacles. By the time Cooper reached the end of the row, Echo caught up with him.
The android grabbed Cooper’s shoulder and spun him around, then pinned Cooper’s back against the wall, gripping his biceps like metal clamps.
“Look at me, Cooper. You’ve failed for the last time.”
Over the droid’s shoulder, Cooper saw Geri crawling for the exit. He had to keep Echo occupied. And it sounded like the Colonel was in control of Echo, as he suspected. Shouldn’t be too hard to keep him talking.
“I’m looking at Echo. What am I supposed to see, Colonel?”
“Bingo, young man. You win the kewpie doll.”
“The what? Coopie doll? You into voodoo now? And I prefer Cooper.”
“Silence!” Echo slapped him hard across the face, then resumed its grip.
Cooper tasted blood. He ignored it. He wanted to keep the Colonel’s attention, but if he didn’t want to get hurt, he would have to keep the snark to a minimum.
“You enjoy the physical power of youth, don’t you, Colonel? Controlling Echo or Wells must be quite a kick for an old man like yourself.”
Another smack. “I said silence!”
Cooper wasn’t doing a very good job of holding back on the insults, but he was giving Geri more time. He couldn’t see her anymore and wondered how close she was to the door.
The Colonel, speaking through Echo, continued, “You have failed. Wells and I may not have accomplished what we first set out to do, but I will still find a way to live forever.”
“What about your estate? And all the droids?”
“Burn them. Burn it all. I have money hidden all over the world. I can live in luxury anywhere I please. No one will ever find us.”
“So go. Why are you telling me? And since you left Echo here behind, we can trace where you’re connecting from.” Cooper had no idea if that was true, but he didn’t know if Geri had gotten out yet. She might’ve needed a little more time, so the Colonel needed a little more taunting.
“That may be true. But I’m not planning to leave Echo behind. He’s like the son I should’ve had. Much more faithful and obedient than any human child. He and Wells will make wonderful servants and protectors together now.”
“How do you plan to get…? Oh.” The Colonel was going to have Echo kill him. Then the android would blend into the crowd and join the Colonel later. No one knew who the droid was. Good plan.
An evil grin spread across Echo’s mouth and Cooper could picture the same scary face on the Colonel.
Cooper squirmed, trying to get out of Echo’s powerful grip. He was starting to lose feeling in his hands.
Hearing the door shut, Cooper and Echo both jerked their heads to see where it came from. Geri was out. She’d bring some cavalry. He hoped it was in time.
In one fluid motion, Echo released Cooper and gave him a knife hand strike to the throat, sending Cooper to the floor in a lump. He remained conscious but couldn’t speak to warn Geri as Echo sprinted across the room to catch her.
Cooper heard a crash. He had no idea what was happening. He couldn’t see a thing from his vantage point on the floor. His legs and hands were useless, but he was able to shake enough feeling into his elbows to drag himself to the next aisle.
He heard what sounded like a scuffle, then a sizzle. He hoped Geri had tricked Echo and not the other way around. Weak from the pain and numbness, Cooper could barely keep his eyes open. Where was Geri? Had to make sure she was safe.
A loud boom shook the building. Was that Echo? Did it have the self-destruct feature, like Hasan’s super droids? He tried calling out, but his voice was a whisper, “Geri?”
Struggling to make his body work, Cooper was determined to see what was happening. He was afraid Geri might have been hurt in the explosion. The blows Echo gave him must have struck some essential nerves because he felt like he was paralyzed. He tried again to call for her.
“Geri.” Another faint whisper. He was helpless.
Before he passed out, he spied her. She was limping toward him with a mischievous grin on her face and that unmistakable sparkle in her eyes. A calm spread over him. He smiled back at her and was out.
Cooper slipped in and out of awareness. At one point, he heard Geri’s voice.
“Help! We need a doctor over here!”
He opened his eyes to see her face again. His arm was over her shoulder as she struggled to pull him outside. Knowing she was safe, he let himself sink back under.
Before being loaded into the ambulance, he heard Aimee’s voice, but kept his eyes closed and just listened.
“Is he going to be okay?”
“I think so. He’s probably faking it. Where are the Colonel and Wells?” Geri asked.
Hasan’s voice crept into the conversation. “He made Wells fight with Cooper Two and exposed it. Then they escaped when your simulation fell off the roof. It landed right on top of us! But Aimee saved me. She’s superwoman! I think I’ll keep her.”
Again, Hasan had glazed over the more important part of the story.
Geri squeezed Cooper’s hand. “The Colonel got away?”
How did that slippery old man escape? Again!
“Don’t worry, Geri. We’ll get him,” D
awson assured her.
“Oh, yes. We will find him. Of that I am sure.” Hasan sounded smug. That was promising.
Geri gave Cooper a peck on the cheek. “Sweet dreams.”
He squeezed her hand back and smiled as they loaded him into the ambulance.
She laughed. “Stinker. I knew you were faking.”
Daweloor Island, Indonesia
Friday, July 17, 2082
rews wore a peaceful smile as he scanned the endless deep blue horizon of the glimmering, glassy sea. He had gotten away with everything. And soon he would be transplanted into a sturdy young android to relive his youth with all the knowledge and wisdom of his experiences. Everyone’s birthday wish as he grew older—and Crews was making it come true.
Wells interrupted his thoughts, bringing him a marbled red and gold frozen drink with a little flowered umbrella and a pineapple wedge. He sat down in the lounge chair beside him, staring out at the waves, mimicking the Colonel.
“This is the way to retire, eh, McFarland?”
Without Rajul to keep up with Wells’ maintenance, and not always having a port to keep him charged, the poor simulation had lost many of its higher-level functions. Just as well. Crews didn’t have much to say to him anyway. McFarland made a perfect cabana boy and served very well as an intimidating translator.
Crews sipped his drink, content to sit and watch the waves crash all day and count the stars at night. Politics had gotten too dangerous. Maybe he would return to the States someday, just to show off his new body. But he doubted he would miss many of the changes in the world. Most were for the worse, anyway. Good riddance.
“Now this is a gorgeous piece of beach. Smell that salty air!” Cooper took a deep breath and let it out loudly, “Ahh.”
The Colonel choked on his Hurricane. Grabbing the arm of his chair, he jerked around. The expression of fear and disappointment on his long face was priceless.
“Why, hello there, Colonel.” Cooper stood there in plaid Bermuda shorts, a hideous red flowery shirt, and a huge grin on his face.
