"Correct." Seth says. "The Inquisition is overthrowing Blice as Master Director. The charges against him have been confirmed. I was right about the Android Laws. As soon as the sun sets, Paradise is going to be a war zone. President Evans is going after his own son."
15
Isidore lies down and lays his head in Blice's lap as they sit on the couch together watching a movie from before the war. The remaining mismatched toppings from another Wasteland Pizza and popcorn fill the room with a strange yet enticing fragrance. Pair that with Blice's beer and Isidore's red licorice and it's the smell that has been in so many of the happy memories Isidore has watched. He can get used to this, laughing and joking here with his friend just enjoying being together and at peace. As Blice combs through Isidore's hair with his fingers, Isidore can't help but smile. Blice is proud of him. That's all he's ever wanted, to be accepted and loved. He hasn't stopped telling Isidore how good of a job he did on the mission. There is a powerful feeling of success and correctness in the world now that he has fulfilled the one reason he was created. Blice is happy. That's all that truly matters.
When they are close like this, Isidore knows deep down that Blice could never hurt him on purpose. It was all a big misunderstanding. None of that matters now and it never will matter. That's in the past. And those horrible rumors? Just rumors. Every government official will have people trying to slander their name and create something out of nothing. Blice would never hurt Isidore like that.
Blice turns the television down. "Do you hear that?"
"No."
"Get up, Niko."
Isidore sits up and looks around, trying to pinpoint the sounds. "What is that?"
"An angry mob." Blice runs into his office and begins pulling computers from the wall. "Erase these."
Isidore follows him and stands in the doorway as the shouting grows louder outside. "What?"
"Destroy them. We can't let anyone know the information that is on here. You have most of it already." Blice grabs his arms and shakes him. "Do this, Niko. I know you can do this. Do this for me. Use this."
Isidore takes the large metal rod and examines it. "This is a magnet, isn't it?"
"An extremely powerful one."
"I don't think I should be around this, Blice."
"Oh." He takes it from him. "I didn't even think about that. Good job. That was really close. You go get your bags packed. We have to get out of here."
"What do they want?" Isidore asks.
"My life."
"What did you do?"
"Too much." Blice says as he shreds a stack of papers. "Get your bags packed. We're leaving Paradise."
Isidore goes into his bedroom as the shouting grows louder outside. Something crashes in the street. They have to get out of here. He pulls down a backpack from the closet and tosses some clothes and a few of his most important belongings inside. He looks around and sees his robot women. He grins as a plan formulates in his mind.
Isidore lines up his robotic women and turns them on. Their eyes open and follow him as he opens the panels on their backs and rewires them. He's never done this before, but it should work. Well . . . there was that one night . . .
He claps his hands and the women in matching black lingerie focus on him again. "All right, ladies. This may be our final moments together. You are all so pretty and I love each of you the same. I need you to be hardcore ass kicking robot ladies. I believe in you. Here are your orders. Defend this house with your lives. We need just enough time to slip outside and make it through the front gates of Paradise. Once we're in the wasteland, you are free to do whatever it is you three do all day." Isidore kisses them each one last time. "You can do this. Make your owner proud."
"Niko! Come on!"
Something shatters in the living room and Isidore notices a familiar smell. Gasoline. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he runs then stops in the hallway as the flames fill the only way out. "Blice!"
"Just run for it." Blice calls to him from across the hallway. "As soon as you come this way, I will block the flames with my dark matter, I promise."
"I can't."
"I'm right here. You can do this. You're running out of time. You have to trust me, Niko."
The flames are spreading quickly and the heat is intense. Isidore looks into Blice's eyes and wipes the sweat from his face. Can he trust Blice with his life? He closes his eyes and takes off running as fast as he can until he runs into something soft. Blice's chest.
Blice's arms are around him, pulling forward and away from the fire. "I told you. Nothing is going to hurt you while I'm here."
"Thank you."
"I'm your friend. It's my job. Now, let's get out of here." They rush to the front door where Isidore's robot women are taking bullets and shooting plenty of their own. "Niko, are those your robot women?"
"Yep."
"I see. Come on, we'll let them combat the soldiers. Jump through the window." Blice busts the glass out with his elbow and slips out into the night.
Isidore follows and Blice catches him. "Where are we going?"
"We are going to the garage and getting the hell out of here." Blice says as he takes Isidore's and pulls him down into a hydrangea bush. "Shh. Stay quiet and stay out of the spotlight."
Isidore's heart is pounding in his chest as the helicopters hover overhead and search for them. Masses of citizens and soldiers are assaulting the house, calling over speakers for Blice to surrender. He looks to Blice who is peeking out of the dense foliage. Did he know this could happen? What did he do for all of Paradise to be this angry and demanding he pay with his life? He's the Master Director of the Inquisition and he is second only to the president. He shouldn't be normally treated like this even for grievous offenses. Surely this can't be because of some silly rumors. They aren't after Isidore. According to all reports, he died on the space station. So this is all about Blice. "What did you do to piss them off?"
"I'll explain later."
"Explain now."
"This has to be my father's doing." Blice whispers. "You didn't ask about my stitches."
"I didn't think you wanted to talk about it."
"I got beat up by the police chief."
"Why?" Isidore asks.
"Some people believe I sabotaged the mission and they didn't think you were adequate for the job."
"Really?"
"Yes. Now it seems they want to remove me from office . . . and life."
"That can't be the only thing." Isidore says. "They wouldn't do this to you just for that. Shouldn't you have a trial?"
"I've been charged with other things, as you've heard."
"Those rumors are lies, right?"
Blice doesn't answer.
"Right?" Isidore asks again.
"Be quiet and wait for my signal. Then we'll run and get in a car."
A bright light trickles down into the bush and Isidore looks up to see an helicopter focused on them. "Blice, I think it's time for the signal."
"Run."
Blice and Isidore dash out of the bush and towards the garage. A group of Paradise soldiers runs up the street towards the house and something flies through the air then explodes in the middle of the group, sending shrapnel and blood into the yard.
"Was that a grenade?" Blice asks.
"Maybe."
"What kind of kinky robot sex do you have, Niko?"
Isidore giggles and ducks behind the corner of the garage. "You'd like to know all about it, wouldn't you?"
"Grenades? Machine guns?"
"And flame throwers." Isidore says. "You can't forget the flame throwers."
"Get in the Jeep and we'll get out of here."
Isidore climbs inside and shuts the door as Blice joins him. "Any reason for the Jeep?"
"Look in the back."
Isidore looks over the seats. Gun cases. "Oh."
"Under those is a week's supply of food and water for two people."
Blice starts the engine and they speed down the stree
t as the soldiers fire at them, the bullets shattering the windshield and penetrating through the metal. "Oh shit. They've already locked down the gates."
"What do we do? We can't get out."
"Throw your insignia into the security hologram as we drive by." Blice says. "We can't afford to stop. You get one chance. Aim well, Niko. If you can, access your combat enhancement program. I hid it, but you should be able to find it. There's an aim assist function."
Combat enhancement? "Really? What were you planning on doing with me, Blice?"
"Doesn't matter. I'll explain later."
Isidore searches through his programs, but the stress is making him lose track of what he's doing. "I can't find it."
"Then you're gonna have to just go for it. You have quick reflexes. Now's your chance to prove how good you are."
Isidore looks over at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?"
"You have ten seconds."
"You're insane. That's a one in a million shot."
"Not if you focus and throw it now!"
Isidore throws the insignia at the blue hologram and it flashes green. He made it. "Got it!"
"Nice shot, Niko."
The gates begin to open, but not fast enough. As they speed closer, Isidore knows it's going to be close. "We're not going to make it."
"Duck."
The lead scrapes across the top of the vehicle, sending sparks showering down on the pavement as they race out into the wasteland.
* * *
An hour of driving later and Blice stops the Jeep on the edge of the canyon that Isidore has come to both love for its eerie beauty and hate for the haunting memories. He climbs out of the Jeep and stretches as Blice searches in the back for something. The smoke and fires still rage on the horizon from behind the lead walls of Paradise.
Blice tosses Isidore a bottle of water. "Drink up. We have plenty."
"Thanks." Isidore drinks then pours some on his face to wash the soot and dirt away.
"Come sit with me, please."
Isidore wipes his face on his shirt and sinks down into the sand beside Blice. The distant airy echoes of explosions fills the cold night. When Isidore starts to shiver, Blice reaches up and pulls out a blanket. Isidore moves closer and joins him beneath the wool for warmth. Even under the aura of gasoline and smoke, Blice still has the spicy aroma of an inquisitor. For an unknown reason, Isidore finds comfort in that. Isidore holds onto his friend as Blice rubs his arms.
"It's going to be a long night, buddy." Blice says. "Just stay close and we'll be okay."
"Do you think they'll come looking for us out here?"
"Who knows? Maybe President Evans will be satisfied with this. Maybe there will be a report that I'm dead. I didn't think that it would deteriorate that quickly. My father's a bastard and I swear I'm going to kill him."
"Will that solve anything, though?"
"Probably not. I was so naive. I thought I was untouchable." Blice finishes his bottle of water and kicks the plastic bottle off the edge of the cliff. "So this is what it feels like, to be exiled. Now I get to see the lead walls and know that I can never go back inside."
"At least we're alive." Isidore says.
"You should be in there, Niko. It's me they want."
Isidore looks at him. "Why? You still haven't told me what you did."
Blice rubs his face with his hands. "You want to know? Open your memory folder 4,759,321. Watch all fifty-eight. Then you'll understand part of it. I have to warn you, though. It's graphic and you will want to kill me too. I have to ask you for your gun before you watch them."
"If it's that bad, I don't want to watch."
"Just give me your gun, please."
Isidore hands it to him. "Can I at least know the context of this before I watch it?"
"I'll say this. There's a reason I've been charged with fifty-eight counts of sexual assault."
No. It can't be true. "Oh my God, Blice. You didn't."
"Apparently it still counts if it's against a T.I.M.E." Blice says.
"I'm not watching it."
"You need to know."
"No, I don't. I really don't need to know. I wish you hadn't said anything." Isidore wants to talk about anything other than this. And no, he truly doesn't want to know. Then the disturbing question enters his mind. "Did we have sex?"
"Just watch the memories."
"Being with a man isn't a crime." Isidore says. "Surely they wouldn't be trying to kill you over that. I thought you liked women."
"I do. It's difficult to explain and it's not what you think. We were never romantic or anything. You will get all the answers you need from the memories. I will answer any questions you have, but only after you watch them for yourself and draw your own conclusions."
"I'm not watching them, Blice. Can we just forget about all of this?"
"Eventually you will need to know." Blice says.
"Well, I don't need to know right now. So where do we go from here?"
"Where do all the exiles and rebels go?" Blice asks.
"Rubble City."
"Exactly."
"They'll kill you."
"So will everyone in Paradise." Blice says. "Your point?"
Isidore shrugs his shoulders. "It's your call. Now give me my gun back."
16
Ugh, Rubble City. Blice never imagined he'd be here again. This just proves how desperate he is now. He's lost everything and not even his android computer fully trusts him anymore. Things can't get worse. Right? The way Blice's life has been going, things can always get worse. He gives a quick smile to Isidore then knocks on the motel door then wants to stab himself in the face when Damien is the one who answers it.
"Well . . . look who it is. Never thought I'd catch you snooping around Rubble City again, Master Director McSage."
Way to come out swinging, Damien. "It's just McSage now."
"Oh? What happened, your daddy finally had enough of your crap?" Damien asks.
"I don't want to talk about it out here. Please let us in."
"Isidore can come inside. Traitors aren't allowed."
"Then why are you in there?" Blice asks with a facetious grin.
Damien pulls Isidore inside and slams the door in Blice's face.
Blice sighs and knocks on the door again. "Someone please let me in. Niko, tell them to let me in."
No answer.
"Isidore . . . buddy?"
"He's not your buddy, McSage." Damien calls from inside.
"Damn it, Montgomery, let me in."
"Or what? You think I'm scared of you?"
"I don't want to fight or argue." Blice says. "Isidore and I have gone through a lot in the past day and a half. Let us get some rest and talk about a plan."
"Oh, wait. This is even better. If you've been removed from your position and had your title stripped from you, then I am above you in rank. You should address me as such."
Maybe Isidore was right. This wasn't the best place to come. Why couldn't it have been Byron who answered the door? At least he wouldn't be so cocky and arrogant.
"Pay me."
Is he insane? "Pay you to enter your sleazy rundown motel room?"
"Yep. You're the rich guy here."
"I have fifty bucks to my name." Blice says. "Isidore has his money, but I'm not taking that from him."
"How much?"
"If he hasn't spent it, he has ten thousand dollars."
"Don't you mean you have ten thousand dollars?" Damien asks.
"No. It's Isidore's. I gave it to him and I'm not stealing it away from him."
"I thought property couldn't own property." Damien says.
So now Damien is rubbing Blice's face in this too. "Things between us have changed recently."
"Is that true, Isidore?"
Isidore sounds so pathetic today. "Let him in. I'm not staying if Blice isn't with me. I need him." Why is he so sad and quiet? This isn't like him.
"If he hurts you, I kill him." Damien says.
/> Blice is getting very tired of being the one blamed for everything and painted as the bad guy in all of this. They act like he is some kind of cruel slave driver and that couldn't be farther from the truth. It's not correct. At least, not anymore.
Damien opens the door and gives Blice a glare that eats away at his soul.
"Thank you."
"What do you want?" Damien asks as his sits at the table.
Blice sits across from him and swallows a few assorted pills from his pocket. "I need a computer."
"You have Isidore."
"A different computer. I need one that is synced to the Paradise information network."
"Why?" Damien asks.
"W.A.N.D."
"W.A.N.D. is my project. You didn't have any say in that even when you were head of the Inquisition."
"I know." Blice says. "However, the fate of the Unified State and the world depends on me getting these details taken care of and I have to remain in contact with my spies."
"Spies?"
"Oh, come on. Don't pretend you don't know. The Inquisition has their own spies too. You Outlander Force guys aren't the only spies in the wasteland."
Damien leans back in his chair and eyes Isidore. "Fair enough."
"I also need to finish typing up the treaty."
"What treaty?"
"Peace treaty with Great Victoria." Blice says. "Common Ground has amassed what I can only call an army along the border to the north. My goal is to go behind my father and get this signed without his authorization. A few months ago, there were reports of them having warships in our coastal waters, but it was never confirmed. I need to listen to some transmissions and find out who is still on my side in all of this. There has to be someone in Paradise who doesn't want my head on a pike."
Damien leans over the table and grins darkly. "I'd personally like to see that."
"Shut up."
"And where does Isidore sit in all of this?"
"Where he always has." Blice says. "Why do you think anything has changed? He's with me every step of the way, where he should be."
Damien turns to Isidore who is sitting on one of the beds with his head down. "You're awfully quiet, Isidore."
Isidore shrugs his shoulders. "I just don't have much to say. I like to let Blice have control."
Paradise of Lead Trilogy Page 39