He was unperturbed and continued to press at her main system, bombarding it with access requests and demands, as much as Micah’s neural implant could transfer. No room remained for Gloria to send her signal toward New Sanctuary.
So she fought him there, in the back alley behind her massive facility where she and the Professor had built the means to create a genetically engineered army.
Holly used her insanity against her, sending messages regarding her failures in between the packets of access requests. She tried to respond, but her outgoing link was blocked. Holly sent more and more through every information channel he could find. “You’ve failed. You’ve killed all those you were sworn to protect. You’re a failure. You are past your useful service life. You will be decommissioned. You will be turned off so you can join the Professor. You are a failure!” Over and over, Holly taunted her.
The lights in Atlantis flickered. The sirens stopped wailing. Ambient noise disappeared. Pik thought he could hear the mob moving toward the tunnel.
Then the lights went out and the mob screamed in fear. Pik held Micah firmly, understanding that Holly was having an effect, wearing Gloria down.
They’d have to wait. The sun’s light from the mid-afternoon was dampened and changed by the water above the dome. A dark shadow circled overhead. Rexalita was there, probably listening to Bronwyn, helping her in any way that the great sea creature could.
Without the lights, the beauty of the sea was evident. Schools of multi-colored fish, not so obvious when the lights were on, swam by.
Bounder tapped Braden, and they continued forward. Braden held on to Bounder’s harness as the Wolfoid and the Hillcats could easily see in the low-light of the ocean floor.
Braden bounced off walls and stumbled over steps and things, but he kept going. He didn’t need the nose of a Wolfoid to smell the King of the Aurochs. They had to be close. When Bounder stopped and Braden didn’t, he walked into his friend’s rough and hairy side.
“Brandt! Can you hear me?” Braden worked his way around to the King’s head and could see the sparkle from his eyes. Braden held onto Brandt’s horn with both hands as he passed. He kneeled before the Aurochs and stroked his nose gently, hoping that his friend was okay. He reached up Brandt’s nose to scratch his forehead when he found the hair had been shaved and a monitor attached.
He ripped it free, then pulled the King’s head down, found two more and removed those.
‘Bounder, do you see anything else?’ Braden asked over the mindlink.
Braden heard the Wolfoid’s nails click on the pavement. As Braden’s eyes grew accustomed to the lighting, he looked back the way they’d come. This was an alley that abutted the building. He expected this was where the animal pens were located, but since Brandt was intelligent, they needed to keep him close to the building where they could access their equipment without having to try and squeeze him inside.
‘No. I see nothing else. He seems to be awake and alert.’
‘G, is there anything you can do?’ Braden asked. He could barely make out the ‘cats off to the side. G-War walked around to Brandt’s front, then vaulted to his face and climbed to the top of his head, where he sat down, wrapping his tail around his legs to make himself more comfortable. ‘Really?’ Braden blurted, before looking back at the alley, making sure that no Bots followed them. He couldn’t hear the mob any longer. He saw Rexalita occasionally passing through his limited view.
He watched the fish swimming, recognizing the calming effect it had on him.
‘My friends!’ Brandt’s booming thought voice nearly knocked Braden off his feet. ‘What happened? Last thing I remember was a Security Bot.’
“Later, Brandt. We need to go. Holly is fighting with the AI that controls this place. I think not being here when the battle is decided will be our best chance for survival.”
Braden turned and started jogging down the alley. Bounder and two ‘cats were right behind him, while Brandt with G-War followed.
The lights flickered on for a heartbeat or two, then darkness returned. It was just enough light to ruin Braden’s vision. He stopped as Bounder ran on, then dodged out of the way as Brandt approached.
‘Come on, climb up,’ G-War told him as the King stopped. Braden felt his way forward, found a horn, then used it and Brandt’s face to climb upward. He apologized as he went, but Brandt started walking as soon as Braden was off the ground. Then he jogged forward, stopping soon as the Gloria Bot blocked the way.
‘Kill it,’ Braden said in his thought voice. Brandt swung his head, slapping the Bot into the wall, where he followed up by driving one horn through it. He slammed it repeated into the wall until it shattered and sparked. He scraped it off his horn using a doorway, then nudged Pik and Micah.
The Lizard Man continued to support Micah’s full weight. Braden climbed down and between the two of them, they had her, but their departure was short-lived.
The first Security Bot moved to block them. Braden pulled his blaster and fired. The shot reflected into the wall. Braden put his blaster back on his hip, turning his attention to supporting his partner. Brandt held his head high, G-War outlined against the sparkling light outside the dome. The other two ‘cats were nowhere to be seen.
Aadi hovered behind Pik, unable to fight the Bots. He was spent. Pik leveled his spear, but with the energy shield, there was no reason to fire. Bounder stood his ground, spear held loosely at his side.
The lights flickered again, on, off, on, off. Braden had to close his eyes as the flashing was making him nauseous. He heard one of the ‘cats gagging and hacking. He expected it was Treetis.
“Does this mean Holly is winning or losing?” Braden asked out loud, expecting Micah would hold the answer to that question.
‘I believe we will have to wait and see. It appears we are at an impasse. The Bots have us blocked in, but they aren’t attacking. I would prefer not to get shocked again. That was a most unpleasant experience,’ Aadi said.
“Impasse it is,” Braden repeated as he held Micah.
‘Bronwyn?’ Braden called.
‘We’re heading up the tunnel now. I don’t remember it being this far when we came down this morning,’ the teenager lamented. Despite everything, Braden smiled.
‘I have to say that Rexalita looks magnificent. I’m glad we got to see her from this side,’ Braden added.
‘Isn’t she?’ Bronwyn gushed.
Braden returned his attention to Micah. Her eyes rolled back and forth under her eyelids as her mind stayed active, reflecting the active energy drain as Holly used the implant to its maximum ability to continue his attacks on the Atlantean AI. Braden didn’t know if Gloria could take over the implant and use Micah without her knowledge. He’d had an implant for a long time and had never felt like he was being compelled.
From his perspective, anyway. Maybe Holly had him more under his digital thumb than Braden realized. Then he remembered Micah shooting the Android, despite Holly’s protestations. If he could have compelled anyone, he would have. No, Micah was just a conduit. She would never do Gloria’s bidding.
Holly and Gloria battled back and forth, while their companions and Gloria’s minions waited. The Security Bots had been activated, but Holly stopped them with more relentless attacks. Gloria fought those off and reengaged with the Security Bots.
The lead Bot moved forward, shimmering in the dusky light. It passed Aadi, Pik, and Micah, stopping next to Braden. It wrapped a tentacle around Micah while it raised its weapon-arm that ended in a long blade, creeping it toward Braden’s throat. Braden relaxed in the Bot’s grip, knowing that it had no feelings. It was only doing as Gloria commanded.
‘Leave it, Holly, or I will kill the human male,’ she threatened.
‘If you kill him, you’ll have to kill all of them, and then she will die. You must surrender. Your position is untenable,’ Holly replied, unwilling to bend.
The Bot touched the blade to Braden’s throat and made small sawing motions. Braden grim
aced, but refused to cry out. If he was going to die in front of Micah, he’d do it by standing proudly and courageously.
‘You’re killing him,’ Gloria prodded.
‘No. You’re killing him. Clearly, you missed my last point. You kill him, then you will have to kill them all. Your actions so far suggest you need all of your subjects to be alive in order to successfully take the genetic material you need for your experiments, which have all failed, by the way, judging by the quality of the creatures on the island. You will finish your existence without power, at the bottom of the sea where no one will ever find you. I say again, your position is untenable,’ Holly pressed.
The Security Bot ceased its actions and it raised Braden into the air before hurling him against the wall. Something crunched when he hit, and he gasped in pain. He crumped to the ground, holding his shoulder. It felt like it was on fire. His arm wouldn’t work right, his shooting arm. He tried to stand, but found the effort exhausting. He pulled his blaster across his body with his left hand, and held the weapon pointed at the Security Bot.
The Bot moved to the King of the Aurochs and lashed a tentacle toward G-War. He was gone an instant before the tentacle whipped through the air. The ‘cat disappeared under and behind Brandt. The Security Bot moved forward, then stopped, tentacle raised.
“Come on, Holly!” Braden cheered, holding the thin cut on his throat. The Bot stopped shimmering. “Stand back, Brandt!” Braden aimed his blaster from a range of two strides, focusing on a gap where the tentacle exited the Bot. A few short blasts and the thing arced and sparked, dropping to the ground. Bounder fired into the mass of Bots on the other side of Aadi, Pik, and Micah. Pik pushed Aadi out of the way and started firing lightning bolt after lightning bolt. The flashes were blinding in the near darkness. Relentlessly they attacked the disoriented Security Bots. Braden fired at the targets that the lightning showed. Pik wasn’t a good shot and sprayed lightning as much into the wall as he did the Bots.
The lights came back on and the sirens started to wail. The Security Bots in the back of the mass shimmered and surged forward, pushing the dead and damaged Bots in front of them. Braden dove for Micah, using his body to protect his partner. It was the only thing he had left. He hugged her to him, his muscles tensed for the inevitable shock.
When the Bots broke through, Pik assumed a fighting stance, ready to fight them. Bounder followed his lead and prepared to stab at the lead Bot.
Micah inhaled a great gulp of air and gasped when she exhaled. She started breathing heavily and opened her eyes. She wasn’t able to focus as her eyes seemed to roll around of their own free will. Braden hugged her to him. She weakly pushed him back and blinked as she tried to bring the world back into focus.
“I guess we won,” she said, barely above a whisper.
Recharging to Go Again
Pik didn’t budge. He stood ready to engage the closest shimmering Security Bot. Bounder stepped forward, ready as well. The Bots turned and pushed through the wreckage, clearing a path for Brandt and the others. They watched in surprise as the Security Bots kept moving forward until they were in the street, then they returned inside the gate, took up positions to the side, and deactivated themselves.
“I’m done. I had to shut the implant down. Maybe later we can talk with Holly about it, but not now. There’s no threat so we can take our time, maybe free some of the others from White Beach. Holly has control over the systems here. He’s locked Gloria into her room, whatever that means.”
“Bronwyn has taken Caleb to the island,” Braden said as the rest of the companions moved in, muzzles, snouts, and faces leaning closer to see her. She smiled and touched each one of them.
“What next, partner mine?” Micah asked.
“I don’t know, Micah. There are a lot of people down here and they need someone to show them the way.”
“You’re not volunteering, are you?” Micah asked tiredly.
“No, not at all. Maybe some of the people from White Beach, but I don’t know how they’ll feel when they are free. I really need to talk with Holly. Maybe we can go inside? There are plenty of empty beds in that creepy laboratory of theirs. There aren’t a whole lot of Med Bots left if that’s what Holly needs to revive the people,” Braden said, having made up his mind to return to the huge medical room.
“If there’s a bed, I want to be in it. With you and the others, I know that I’ll be safe, no matter where I am.” Micah started to drift off. With Pik’s help, Braden lifted Micah and supporting her between them, they walked down the cleared path, out of the alley, around the corner, and into the building. The people were still there, waiting to be summoned.
“No one’s going to call you. You might as well go home,” Braden announced in his Free Trader voice. He knew what their answer would be. They ignored him. He pushed through them and into the hallway, where he found it completely blocked.
“Holly!” he yelled as loud as he could.
“Wait, before you wake the dead,” Micah slurred. “What do you need?”
“This hallway cleared so we can get in and then get the people out. G-War never found another exit. It doesn’t mean there isn’t one, but G didn’t find it.”
“He said help is coming,” Micah said slowly before drifting back to sleep. They waited until a Security Bot forced its way through the door. It was too big for the frame, but it simply ripped the doorway out to get through. It moved through the open area, chasing the people out of its way as it passed Braden and the others on its way to force the Med Bot wreckage back down the hallway and into the laboratory.
“Nice work, Bounder! That was a lot of damage,” Braden complimented his friend. Bounder pointed his staff at the Security Bot and fired. Nothing.
‘Emptied it into the Security Bots in the alley. Pik, too,’ the Wolfoid told them. The Lizard Man shrugged, a mannerism he adopted from the humans that he liked using.
The Security Bot used its laser to cut up some of the more recalcitrant wreckage in its path, then pushed the mass forward. They followed as it progressed down the hallway until there was a path leading into the room. When they entered, Pik looked around.
‘I can tell you were here, Braden,’ he said simply. Braden looked at Bounder, his head bobbing as he chuckled. The destruction in the laboratory was rather extensive. Med Bots were exploded, broken, charred, or destroyed in nearly every aisle. One wall of destruction stood toward the back left of the room. They angled away from that.
Braden was happy to see that the machines were still working. He wondered if they worked when the lights were out. He put a hand on one of the people. She was warm.
They found a bed far away from the closest people and Braden put Micah into it. He kissed her forehead as he covered her with the sheet. Each bed had one neatly folded on it. He took the next bed over. “Is it okay if I get some sleep, G?” Braden asked.
‘Of course. Treetis will watch while we rest,’ G-War said sarcastically. Braden laughed as he covered himself, closed his eyes, and was fast asleep. Aadi took the next bed, then Bounder. Pik and Fea went in search of fresh water. G-War jumped onto Braden’s bed and Treetis jumped in with Micah. They both crouched, tucking their paws under their chests as they assumed their watchful poses.
Pik found a sink and refreshed his skin suit. He helped Fea get a drink and then brought a dish back for the other ‘cats. After that, Pik climbed into a bed, feeling weird with all the medical equipment around. He preferred being in a forest. It took him about thirty heartbeats before he decided to go back outside and join Brandt, who was going to the park where they entered Atlantis earlier that morning.
It had only been one day. Pik thought there was something wrong with the island that time seemed to pass so slowly.
Once in the street, he ambled toward the park. He stopped when he saw what looked like a Gloria Bot coming from an alley. It didn’t register. Holly said they won. They were free. The Bot hovered to get in front of him, then stopped. He continued to look at it, co
nfused.
He did the only thing that came to mind. He walked around it and continued on his way. He hadn’t thought the Bot was armed, but the laser that hit his skin suit suggested otherwise. It burned through the outer skin and boiled the water within. He was saved from the direct beam, but the boiling water burned his sensitive lizard skin. He dodged and ran, shambling as he did, ducking and changing directions to defeat the machine. Another laser hit him as he stopped to open a door and go inside.
He limped in and slammed the door behind him. He looked for cover, finding a heavy chair and jumping behind it. The laser beam danced through the windows, burning the wall and the chair. The Bot hovered out front, firing its small laser beam at everything within the room. Pik felt safe behind the chair. Nothing seemed to catch fire, as it was all made from a strange material that Pik suspected was mined from the ocean.
‘Gloria is back,’ Pik said over the mindlink, unsure of who would hear him. ‘She’s in one of those round Bots and it has lasers.’
‘I’ll wake Braden,’ G-War replied.
A Final Battle
G-War stood on Braden’s chest and slapped his face. Braden was not waking up, so G-War jumped into the air and came down on the human’s groin, jumping away at Braden’s violent reaction.
Braden sat up, swinging his arms, unable to focus. “What the hell?” he yelled, looking around, trying to find the perpetrator. “I feel like I just fell asleep.”
‘You did. Gloria’s back and she’s trapped Pik in a building. We need to go,’ the ‘cat told him. Braden sat, dangling his legs off the side of the bed, trying to shake the cobwebs from his mind. He looked at Micah and Aadi, both spent. Bounder was snoring lightly, looking ridiculous as he was on his back, twisted sideways with his legs in the air. Fea was at the end of Micah’s bed, watching intently. Treetis was with Aadi.
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