The Warning

by Michelle E Lowe

Turning off the main drag to avoid another roadblock, they came to a one-way street. Marko drove the old station wagon slowly over the narrow road.

  “We ought to be in the clear from this point on,” Dog said. “See?”

  Nikolai shifted in his seat to look at the monitor. The road they traveled on was utterly vacant with the exception of a few civilian cars, and a subway bridge stretching across the street. At first, he paid the subway bridge no mind—until he noticed two cars no less than a block ahead slow down.

  “Why are those cars stopping?”

  “What?” Dog turned the computer back around. “Oh shit.”

  “What?” Marko said, glancing at the rearview mirror. “Don’t say ‘oh shit’ unless it’s something really bad.”

  “Oh shit,” Dog repeated.

  “What is it?” Ari asked, sitting beside him. She leaned over. “A roadblock!”

  Nikolai stared at them without blinking. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Sitting beside Kip in the far back, Mockingbird cringed and buried her face in her hands.

  “Can I turn around?” Marko asked, slowing the car.

  Before he even finished the question, red and blue lights flashed through the windshield.

  “Damn it, Dog!” Kip yelled. “You were supposed to be watching out for this.”

  “They’re hiding under the bridge,” he defended himself. “I couldn’t see them.”

  The roadblock was too close to make a run for it. If any of them made a drastic move the cops would take notice.

  “Jesus, what are we going to do?” Nikolai asked.

  “Don’t worry,” Marko said. “Ari is already handling it.”

  Nikolai craned his neck around to see Ari typing violently on the keyboard. “What are you doing?”

  “Don’t bother me,” she said shortly.

  The first car passed through the roadblock as one of the officers waved the driver on. They followed as the second car slowly rolled forward.

  Marko stayed ten feet back to keep from being seen through the cracked windshield. Nikolai swallowed hard as an officer spoke to the driver while another one searched the vehicle’s trunk.

  If I’m caught, Marko and the others will go down with me.

  He wasn’t too eager to be arrested—again—but he also didn’t want to bring them down to the level of screwed with him. The only thing he could do was sit patiently and wait for whatever miracle Ari was about to perform.

  He dug his fingernails into his sweaty palms while the police searched the car ahead. Marko had a tight grip on the steering wheel and held an unwavering stare at an opening between the police cars. That made him nervous. If Marko panicked and stomped on the accelerator …

  The streets were crawling with police, looking for him. It would take only seconds for an entire squadron of officers to surround them if they discovered he was in the car.

  “Marko, don’t,” he said softly. “If I have to, I’ll get out and run while you guys make a break for it. They’re more interested in me than you.”

  “If you run,” Marko said, “they’ll shoot. I can’t let that happen.”

  Nikolai knew he was right. Once he darted out, he’d either be tasered stupid or shot dead.

  “Oh, stop being such drama queens,” Ari said. “Have a little faith, will ya?”

  She put a headset on and plugged it into the computer. The car rolled forward again, this time being their turn to be searched.

  The distance Marko had placed between them and the other car gave Ari the time she needed. As the car got close, Nikolai slumped. He crossed his arms, bowed his head, and gritted his teeth while every heartbeat pulsated in his ears. An officer approached Marko’s side window while the other officer was coming up on his side. His nails dug deeper.

  A third officer waved Marko forward with his flashlight. If he shined the light into the car, he’d be granted a clear view inside. Nikolai shifted in his seat as if the fabric was getting hot; Ari needed to hurry.

  “Attention all units. Attention all units,” she said in an alert voice that made him jump. “The suspect, Nikolai Crowe, has been seen entering Ruby’s Diner on 79th Street. Any unit near the area is ordered to cease action and leave for the diner. I repeat—Nikolai Crowe has been spotted in Ruby’s Diner on 79th Street.”

  He could hear her voice over the officers’ radios perched on their shoulders. The officers drew back from the station wagon and rushed to their cars.

  “See?” Ari said. “Nothing to worry about.”

  “Dispatch,” came the voice of an officer, leaving for his car. “This is unit 139 and 157. We’re on our way to the diner now.”

  “Copy that,” she returned. “You’ll have backup when you arrive.”

  The police cars skidded out from under the bridge.

  “Backup, my ass,” she said, taking off the headset.

  Nikolai let out his pent-up breath and pried his nails from his palms. “What did you do? Hack into their radio frequency?”

  “Yep,” she admitted proudly. “I used the satellite to find a place nearby. Ruby’s Diner is about to get a shitload of armed customers.”

  “Anyone hungry?” Marko asked as he accelerated. “I know a great little diner on the next street over.”

  “Nope,” Nikolai replied, adjusting himself comfortably in his seat again.

  The Programming Room had escalated into a battlefield. Five of the Betas were severely wounded but their bodies stayed functional. Flashes of rapid gunfire seemed to come from every direction, illuminating the room in a stroboscopic effect. Model Two had been destroyed when three Betas surrounded her while Nineteen and Four tried to escape, but had been cut off by a spray of bullets. They regrouped in a corner and continued shooting at their attackers. The Betas returned fire, but not before a couple more fell dead. Nineteen knew they were about to be taken out. Stabbing hot pains ignited in different parts of his body as bullets tore into him.

  Before he knew it their weapons were snatched away by the last of the Betas. They immediately lunged at them, resorting to brute strength to fight them in hand-to-hand combat when their limbs were seized. Nineteen could feel the joints in both arms dislocating. He thrashed about in an attempt to escape, but he couldn’t break free. The intense burning of the bullet lodged between his bulletproof vest and chest where he’d first been shot had crippled him.

  A new wave of gunfire rang out from across the room, striking the Betas in the back. Both he and Four fell to the ground as bright flashes of gunfire appeared from the doorway. The remaining Alphas had returned and with them was Stewart.

  The two closest Betas collapsed after being repeatedly shot in the back. The last Betas charged their attackers, but were easily taken down. Finally, there was silence. It wasn’t until Nineteen saw the group approach that he realized he and Four were safe.

  “Are you both all right?” Stewart asked.

  Nineteen staggered up, while Three helped Four to his feet. “I … I think so,” he said, dizzy from blood loss. “Where did the rest of you come from?”

  “We were nearly discovered,” Sixteen explained. “We overheard the distress call from Doctor Linden about your attack.”

  “I spotted them coming into the laboratory on the security cameras,” Stewart said. “I supplied them with weapons before leading them to you.”

  Eighteen spoke up. “We’ve come to join you in the plan.”

  Waver spotted Linden climbing the stairs to the platform.

  “Doctor Linden,” Waver called, running down the flight of stairs along the steel wall. “What’s the meaning of this?”

  He whirled on the stairs at the sound of her echoing voice. “What are you doing here? I told you to take care of the Alphas.” His voice trailed off when Seven and Christos came through the door at the top of the staircase.

  “Christos?” he said to himself as the child walked calmly behind Seven.

  Christos was on their side? How could I have missed it? Did my fear of him
hurting me keep me from seeing that there were other ways for him to betray me?

  “Doctor Linden,” Seven said, stepping off the last stair. “You must stop this.”

  The numbing shock quickly wore off and was replaced by seething rage. Linden slid his eyes to Waver. “You brought him here, didn’t you?”

  “And for good reason,” she said. “Why have you created so many Replicas? What are they for?”

  “War,” Seven replied, coming up beside her, “against you and everyone else in this country.”

  Waver stood in disbelief. “That’s ludicrous. He wouldn’t try waging a war against his own coun—”

  “He’s correct,” Linden abruptly cut in. “These are my third Replica series, the Gammas. I’ve given them improvements that the Betas lacked.”

  He hurried up the steps, rushed to the computers, and began typing in numbers. Seven bolted toward the steel platform, taking him only seconds to reach it. He leapt over the six-foot tall platform, grabbed Linden’s wrist, and twisted his arm away from the keyboard. It sent an electrifying pain up his arm and he clutched the Replica’s wrist.

  “What have you done?” Seven demanded.

  The only response was a whimpering cry.

  “What have you’ve done?” Seven repeated.

  “I’m downloading the same program I used in Four Thousand Twenty into the minds of these new models.” He turned to the screens with a wicked grin and said, “See for yourself.”

  Seven turned his attention to the monitors. One screen revealed brainwave patterns. The screen below that monitored heart rhythms, with the screen beside it showing blood pressure rates. A fourth screen displayed column after column of Replicas by their individual numbers. Four out of the sixteen hundred read the word STIMULATED blinking beside them. Somewhere in that vast room, four nearly fully programmed Replicas were going to awaken.

  Marko parked the station wagon behind Jean’s apartment building. Nikolai got out and leaned over to speak to him. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

  “Hey,” he shrugged, “it’s the least I could do after what you’ve done tonight. You’ve saved thousands of lives and millions from years of pointless war.”

  “Yeah, well, war is pretty much pointless anyway.”

  “I agree,” Marko replied. “Listen, if you need a place to hide until this shit blows over, you know where to find us. We’re packing up our gear to leave after the broadcast. You’re more than welcome to come with us.”

  He smiled. “Trying to recruit me?”

  Marko snorted. “Can’t blame me for trying, but if you change your mind …”

  He said goodbye to the others and shut the door. Marko slowly pulled away with a belt squealing as the car rounded a corner and vanished. Nikolai cut through a dark alley to the front of the building. He peeked around the corner to check if it was safe. He didn’t think the police would be in the area. Dog had surveyed the streets and found no trace of any looming about.

  When he saw nothing more than ordinary cars parked along the sidewalks, he lowered his hood and headed out.

  “I think that’s him,” Cooper exclaimed when he spotted the hooded figure on the sidewalk. “It is him!”

  “Not yet,” Geiger snapped, pulling him back when he tried leaving the car. “He’s too far away. He could scamper back into the alley and disappear.” He pressed a button on his phone and put it to his ear. “We’re not taking any chances on him escaping this time. Hello, Chief? Yeah, we have him in sight right now.”

  Nikolai entered the building after speaking to Jean on the intercom. He avoided the elevator and took the stairs to the second floor. As he headed down the hallway, he wondered what she wanted to speak to him so urgently about.

  He reached her door and knocked. She answered immediately and dragged him in, embracing him after closing the door. “I’m so glad you’re okay, I’ve been worried sick about you.”

  “I’m fine,” he assured, prying her away. “Why did you call me here?”

  “Come on and we’ll talk.” She walked through a short hall, into the kitchen. He followed her into the dining room, where she stopped under the arch leading into the living room. “I’ve found out something interesting.”

  “That’s a coincidence. I’ve come across some crazy shit lately myself.”

  “Do you have any weapons on you?” she abruptly cut in. “Any guns or knives?”

  He gave her a perplexed look. “What? No. Why would you ask me…?” He fell silent, suddenly suspecting they weren’t alone.

  “Mr. Crowe,” a voice came from the kitchen.

  Closing his eyes, he bowed his head and sighed. “Detective Knox.” He raised his head to the man standing in the middle of his sister’s kitchen. She had blocked the way into the living room and with Knox in the kitchen he was completely boxed in.

  “This isn’t what you think,” Knox reassured. “I’m not here to bring you in.”

  “Oh, really?” he retorted. “What are you here for? To tell me what an excellent job I’ve done hiding from you assholes?”

  “It’s true,” Jean interjected. “Detective Knox has evidence to prove you’re innocent.”

  At this, he turned his attention back to Knox. “What kind of evidence?”

  “I found a man named Douglas Crawford who paid a cosmetic surgeon to make his face look like yours.”

  Nikolai blinked several times. “Wait. What?”

  “He’s the one who went into your ex’s apartment today.”

  “Are you telling me this Douglas shithead is the one who killed Jade?”

  “No, he’s not the killer. I don’t know who is yet, but I promise you, it won’t be long before I find him.”

  “And you can take this information to the right people? There’re a lot of crooked cops involved.”

  “Yes, I know,” Knox agreed grimly. “But there’re still good officers out there. Trust me on this; once I expose the truth, everything will be set right, I promise. Until then, your life is in danger. You can’t wander the streets anymore.”

  If only you knew. Framing me is only half the story. “What are you suggesting?”

  “Let me take you to the old precinct I used to work at. I know the officers there. They’re trustworthy.”

  “I’m not going to any freaking police station. I don’t give a damn what you say about them; I’m not going around any cop … Well, any more cops, if I can help it.”

  “Please, Nikolai,” Jean pleaded, coming forward. “Go with him.” She placed her hand on his shoulder. “It’s for the best.”

  “She’s right,” Knox said. “If you stay on the street, you’ll be killed. Staying here only puts your sister in danger. This is the best option you have.”

  He listened to Knox intently, realizing he was right. It was only by sheer luck that he’d remained alive this long. How much longer could he last?

  “There’s something else I need to tell you,” Knox added. “It’s about what happened before Jade died.”

  Knox was interrupted by the sound of sirens outside the building. Nikolai shot his head to where the sound came from and rushed out of the room. He ran through the living room, into the sun room, bumping into Jean’s computer desk, and knocking over the voodoo doll. He peered through the window to the street below. Fear exploded within the core of his soul when police cars screeched to a halt out front.

  “What is it?” Jean asked.

  He left the window and hurried across the living room, heading for her bedroom. “Not here to bring me in?” he said to Knox, who had also gone to the window to see for himself.

  “Crowe, wait!”

  He flew into the bathroom, slamming and locking both the bedroom and bathroom doors. Knox banged on the bedroom one.

  “Nikolai, don’t, they’ll kill you! You have to give yourself up!”

  He ignored the warning and threw the window open. It was a tight squeeze, but he managed to fit through before Knox kicked the bedroom door open. He hung from the windo
wsill a moment as Knox kicked the bathroom door in, then dropped two stories into a side driveway, landing on the concrete feet-first and falling on his back. Pain hitched a ride up the nerves of his legs. From above Knox’s face appeared.

  “Don’t run,” Knox shouted. “You have to surrender!”

  He rolled onto his feet and ran to the fence behind him.

  “Damn it,” Knox cursed, pushing away from the window.

  Nikolai clambered over the fence and dropped into the alley on the other side. He’d planned to go the same route he’d taken to get there, but when his feet hit the ground, lights washed over him.

  “You’re under arrest, Crowe!” someone yelled from inside a police car to his left.

  While their engine revved and the back tires squealed on the pavement, he banked to his right. The car charged him. He was so frightened he couldn’t think past a split second. He exited the alley into the lights of more cars surrounding him.

  “Freeze!” officers commanded.

  He slowed to a stop in the middle of the road, surrounded by officers with pistols and shotguns. A helicopter hovered overhead, shining a spotlight on him. The light nearly blinded him and the loud chopping sound of its rotor blades was deafening.

  His nerves were such a wreck he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t hear the man with a megaphone over the noise of the helicopter, which hovered unbelievably close.

  Howard Osborn and Michael Shaw stood watching Crowe. Osborn raised his megaphone and demanded, “Put your hands behind your head and get on the ground! Now!”

  Crowe just stood with his hands slightly raised. Osborn lowered the megaphone and turned to Shaw. “He doesn’t want to cooperate,” he said, smiling. “Shoot him.”

  “Can’t do that,” Shaw protested.

  Osborn’s face soured. “Why the hell not?”

  “’Cause it wouldn’t look good for these cops to blow someone away if he doesn’t have a weapon.” He pointed. “See?”

  Osborn followed his finger to the sidewalk, where Sakura Yoko stood in front of her cameraman, recording the events as they unfolded. He threw his megaphone to the ground. “Goddamn it!”