The Island Project: A Thriller

by Taylor Buck

  He spotted two doors close by. Bennett ran toward them just as he heard the robot tear loose of the door and start advancing on all fours. Bennett got close enough to the doors to quickly read the signs above each.

  ACCESS CLOSET

  SERVER BAY

  Bennett chose the door on the right and opened it. He ducked inside as it shut behind him.

  The interior of the room revealed multiple rows of server columns reaching high to the ceiling. It was dark and exceptionally noisy inside. The sound of hundreds of fans cooling the hardware reminded Bennett of an angry hoard of insects.

  He had entered the server bay. This was the level that stored all of the data and company files belonging to CERTA. Bennett could just imagine all of the information housed in the bays around him. He bobbed in and out of the columns attempting to find a way out. The robot would be following him in soon…if it wasn’t already inside.

  He made his way down the left side of the room. Circuits and cords wrapped and twisted around the columns. The room was eerie and uncomfortable. It reminded Bennett of a nest...or a den. Something otherworldly.

  The columns glowed with green lights, flickering and pulsating—like pods, suspended from the ceiling. The cables swarmed the exterior like feeding tubes passing data back and forth. The environment was ominous and suffocating. He knew it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but something about the place didn’t feel right. The room was nauseating and disorienting, and Bennett lost track of where he was among the pod bays for a brief moment.

  Then he heard something.

  It could’ve been the door shutting, he wasn’t quite sure. Bennett kept moving along the left wall until he reached the back of the room. He felt along the wall, looking for a door in the darkness. He thought about using his phone as a light but didn’t want to give himself away if the robot was, in fact, inside. He moved slowly along the wall, not finding a door anywhere—then he stopped. He sensed the presence of something in the room with him. He scanned the walls, looking for the robot until his eyes stopped on a sign across the room—a green sign.

  A green exit sign.

  He began making his way over, ducking behind columns and using them for cover. One of the columns he came across was hollow on one side. The racks were missing. Bennett stepped out into the aisle and immediately spotted the movement out of his right peripheral. He froze.

  The robot was inside. Only four rows away.

  It hadn’t seen him, Bennett was fairly certain. He guessed the robots were equipped with night vision, or possibly thermal imaging capabilities—considering it had spotted him easily in the lab.

  He looked around him.

  The heat from the servers…he could disguise himself!

  The intense heat emitting from the servers would surely throw off any visual recognition brought by thermal imaging. Bennett slid back behind the column and stepped inside the nearby empty bay. He realized he was able to see though the cables in front of him—he could watch the robot approaching. The robot passed through the aisle three rows away. Then…another one passed in front of it.

  There were two of them.

  Two robots had entered the room—and they were getting close. Bennett brought his body in tight inside the column. The cables were hot. He could feel the heat close to his face.

  The fear began to sink in. The fear of the unknown.

  Bennett had no idea what these things would do to him if they got ahold of him. Trample him to death? Skewer him with retractable spikes? Eat him?

  Do robots eat?

  The robots passed the aisle in front of him. They stopped only a few feet away. Bennett held his breath as the first one passed, and watched as the other one followed.

  They didn’t see him.

  He watched as they continued down the aisles. Bennett knew they would soon reach the back wall and then most likely return to the front of the room.

  It was now or never.

  He spotted the exit door and jumped out from inside the column. Bennett zipped past the servers and columns and made a beeline for the door. One of the cables protruding out from a column caught on his bag, snapping the buckle. It made a clattering noise but Bennett kept moving, he didn’t look back. He kept running until he reached the door. Bennett reached out his phone and the door slid open. He noticed the door was flanked by two columns, which appeared to be freestanding.

  These could be of use, he thought.

  Bennett pushed on the side…the bay gave slightly. He looked back. The robots weren’t coming yet. He got behind the column and pushed on it with his left foot—forcefully. It began to teeter more—and more. Bennett reached out and used the adjacent column for leverage while he pressed harder and harder against the tall, heavy column. The hot metal began burning his hands. Bennett pushed hard. The bay tipped over and came crashing down in front of the door. Metal plating, cords and circuit boards filled the doorway in a muddled heap. It had nearly barricaded him in, just barely allowing enough room for Bennett to crawl underneath.

  The crash had created a loud noise. He was certain they heard it.

  He got down on his hands and knees and squeezed his body through the opening. As he pulled himself through, Bennett impaled his right shoulder on a sharp piece of metal sticking out of the heap.

  Blood appeared in a dark, round spot on his clothing. Bennett cursed.

  He thought he heard the robots behind him…by his legs.

  He moved quickly, pulling himself through the narrow opening. He got his shoulders through. Then his torso. Once his upper body was cleared, he was able to pull his legs across. Bennett got to his feet and looked through the doorway—expecting to see the robots at any moment.

  They didn’t come.

  Maybe they hadn’t heard him leave…nevertheless, it surprised him. Bennett stood in the hallway catching his breath. He looked at his watch—it was now 2:00 in the morning. This evening had turned into a complete nightmare. He had to find Kelly and get her out. It was time for it all to come to an end.

  Bennett looked down the hallway. He saw a set of stairs in the lobby that led to the second floor. He knew he could access the containments from upstairs.

  He made his way down the hallway.

  As he rounded the lobby, he noticed the entry of the stairs had statues adorning the columns—Greek gods. One looked to be Apollo and the other Ares, judging by the shield in his hand and the warrior’s helmet atop his head. They stood high above the stairs, judging all who entered the building. Bennett found the statues curious. More so the fact that the entire construct of the facility resembled Greek ruins. Whoever built this place had an obvious obsession with Greek Mythology, he thought.

  Bennett looked down at his phone. The battery life was at 12% and dropping steadily. He knew he wasn’t going to have his phone available much longer. He debated whether to turn his phone off, to prolong the life of the battery. If he powered it down, then he could turn in on when he actually needed it. After a moment of holding it in his hands, he pressed the power button and the light turned off. Bennett ascended the stairs. He took one last step then froze in his tracks.

  There—standing directly in front of him…the man called Braden.

  He had a gun pointed at Bennett.

  The man didn’t hesitate. He fired the gun from about fifteen feet away. Bennett was caught off guard, but reacted quickly. He spun to his left, swinging his body away from the man.

  Not quick enough.

  He felt the impact of the bullet—hitting him in his field bag slung across his back. The impact was quick and jolting. He immediately felt a small shock accompanying the impact, however…there was no pain.

  A shock…

  A Taser gun! The Taser harpoons must have embedded into his bag.

  He quickly threw the bag off. Then
he turned around to face the man. But it was too late…

  Another shot fired.

  Bennett had no time to react. The electrode harpoons landed directly in Bennett’s chest. A fiery pain immediately shot through his torso, causing him to seize up and curl into a ball on the floor. The pain was excruciating. His eyes were closed but he could see bright light everywhere—all around him. He felt as if he was burning alive…for a time…Then it stopped. He lay there on the ground—barely conscious—unable to move. He felt his arms being pulled back and tied behind him. Next thing he knew he was being dragged by his feet along the cold surface through the dark building.

  CHAPTER 37

  HILO POLICE DEPARTMENT

  16 OCTOBER, 2:30 A.M.

  Detective Lee shut down his computer for the night. He turned off his desk lamp and grabbed the keys to his Jeep. It was late—actually—early in the morning. He had stumbled onto a lead after speaking with a woman earlier that day. She had spoken of a logo or insignia seen on a helicopter that had passed her house frequently over the last few days.

  Lee ran the logo through image recognition diagnostics and came across some interesting findings. It turned out there was a company called CERTA that had a vague reference to having its headquarters on the Big Island—just off the eastern side of the island, inland from Hilo. Which would put them in range of where the woman had seen the helicopters flying by. He was unable to find much of anything else on them. CERTA didn’t have a formal website of its own. Lee had found a very generic reference that gave little—if anything, of a company description. But, the company logo fit the description that the woman had given him earlier.

  99.98% match. It was almost certainly the same company.

  But where did this place exist? He had lived on the Islands his entire life and never once heard mention of this place.

  Lee made his way through the office. It was dark—besides the light coming in from the parking lot streetlamps. He stepped out the front doors and used one of his keys to lock the doors behind him. Then he walked across the parking lot to his Jeep.

  The newfound information about CERTA stuck in his head. It was something, at the very least—even if it didn’t turn up anything. Lee needed something to pursue since he was hitting dead ends everywhere else.

  He decided he would leave early in the morning to investigate. He hopped in his Jeep, fired up the engine and drove up the road to his house.

  CHAPTER 38

  THE DEN

  16 OCTOBER, 2:45 A.M.

  The sound of the door opening awoke Kelly from her dazed state. She must have nodded off again. Whatever was in her system was seriously affecting her ability to focus. Last she remembered, Tom had disappeared into a hallway. He kept appearing on the different cameras throughout the building. First he had been chased through the lab and then through a hallway until she lost him when he ducked inside a room.

  As far as the wildcat was concerned…the proof was right in front of her. It was obvious now. Kelly came to the realization that the cat was, in fact, not real. It was some sort of machine...or robot. Whatever it was, it was trying to kill Tom and had nearly succeeded.

  Kelly felt horrible. She felt like this was her fault and, at the moment, she was more worried about Tom than her own safety. She was, however, feeling more alert. Her eyes could focus on objects, and she was beginning to have feeling in her arms and legs. She wiggled her body around and looked back across the room.

  Braden appeared. He was dragging something…

  It was Tom.

  “Tom!” Kelly yelled. “What did you do to him?”

  Braden looked up at Kelly, surprised. “Oh, I see somebody is awake.”

  Braden dragged Bennett into the empty containment next to Kelly. She could see Tom was barely moving. He let out a groan, indicating he was alive, at least partially. Braden shut the door, leaving Bennett alone and tied up on the floor of the cell.

  “This man is extremely lucky. I’m not sure how he got away from them…”

  “What did you do to him?” Kelly yelled. Her voice exposed her fragility. It angered her that she couldn’t control it at the moment.

  “He’ll be fine. They didn’t get to him. I did.” Braden directed his attention to Kelly. “Now…” he said with a cheerful voice that came across rather unnerving, considering the circumstances. He pulled up a chair and sat in front of Kelly.

  “What exactly are you doing here?”

  Kelly hesitated. She looked over at Bennett, hoping he would miraculously snap out of it and help her. But he was collapsed on the floor and unresponsive. She glared back at Braden and gave him a look that could freeze the sun.

  “You’re sick. You know that?” Kelly said wrathfully. She was furious. She had no problem speaking her mind. Her tactic now was to be direct and demeaning. “Whatever you’ve created…those…robots. They’re monsters.”

  Braden let her talk.

  “You shot and killed that man…” Kelly pointed to the doorway where Tegan’s body still remained laying on the floor. “Why did you kill him? Kelly asked.

  “Because he’s a psychopath,” Danner interjected.

  “Quiet!” Braden yelled at Danner, who was sitting inside his containment with his back to them. Danner had stayed quiet for the most part after Kelly had arrived.

  Braden returned his attention to Kelly and continued. “Collateral damage. That man was getting in the way of my tests and I don’t want him or anyone interfering. Rick should never have involved him or anyone else in this.”

  “What are you talking about…tests?” Kelly demanded.

  “You’re interested…I can see that. I’ll tell you, but first you tell me what you’re doing here,” Braden asked and folded his hands together.

  Kelly looked down, pausing for a moment. Then she spoke. “We were hiking—in the reserve. Then we came across the building. We were planning on just passing by, but…we noticed…” Kelly looked over at Tom. “We could see into the building. We saw the cats in here…we thought they were real.”

  A smile spread across Braden’s face. “They do look real don’t they?” He seemed pleased to hear Kelly’s comment. He clearly took it as a compliment to his creation. “So you happened to stumble across the building while you were out hiking. You looked inside and saw the poor, trapped kitty cats and you wanted to save them? Is that about right?” Braden spoke with gross enthusiasm. He blinked quickly while he spoke.

  “Am I right?” he asked.

  Kelly stared at him. “Until we found out what they really are…killing machines. And you…” Kelly looked away disgusted. “You’re a murderer.”

  The smile faded from Braden’s face. “Wrong place, wrong time. I suppose.” He sounded slightly defeated by Kelly’s accusation. Braden paused for a moment as if deep in thought. Then changed the subject.

  “You asked about my tests…yes, I’m testing. I’m testing them in a live environment. They need to be released into an uninhibited ecosystem where they can evolve on their own. Free to explore, adapt…and hunt. You see, the only way to actually advance their behavior is to remove them from a controlled environment and place them into the wild.”

  “They’re dangerous. Can’t you see that? They could kill an innocent person out there,” Kelly said agitatedly.

  “Yes, they can be dangerous. They can also be controlled,” he said.

  Braden got up from his chair and began pacing. “It’s all about control, and they abide. They’ve always come back to me.” He paused. “Well, until yesterday…but I know what went wrong. I know why she didn’t return.” Braden seemed to be thinking as he spoke—as if he was working something out. He realized he was losing his concentration and focused again on Kelly.

  “You see, the technology surfaced rather easily. Robotics have made leaps and bounds over
the past few years, especially in the area of prosthetics. People who have never been able to use their legs are now walking around like normal human beings—even running and jumping. There are some who have never been able to write a letter or hug another human being with their own fully functioning arms, hands and fingers.

  They can now do that with the help of science. It’s because of us—and we help people every day with it,” he said—pointing at himself proudly.

  Braden continued pacing back and forth as he spoke.

  “For example, a man with no arms can now pick up a spoon and feed himself, just as he would if he had real limbs of his own. He can do this simply by thinking it. A sensor of electrodes is implanted in the motor cortex of the brain…the cortex being the part of the brain that controls movement and motor skills…the person’s thoughts are relayed from the sensor to a computer, which sends instructions to the robotic arm—and there you have it.” He spoke quickly and animatedly. “So the brain controls the robotic prosthetics and the person is able to perform necessary functions to survive.”

  Kelly looked over at Tom. He was still lying down.

  “This is all good and has been a major breakthrough in neurorehabilitation as well as sustaining rehabilitation for para and quadriplegics. However the downside, is that in order for it to be of practical use, we needed to find a way for people to control it without being tethered or ‘hooked up’. Unless they wanted to carry around a machine with them while they went on a date…” Braden smiled at Kelly as if he had just told an amusing joke. Her impassive expression remained unfazed.

  “Anyway, we took that award-winning technology and began to insert it into other fields: Medicine—we developed a surgery sequence carried out entirely by robots. Routine C-sections can now be completed without a doctor being in the room. Surgical procedures become templates and they can be performed again and again with precise execution. In the military, we have created robots that can handle life-threatening tasks that may be too risky for a normal human being to accomplish. Soon, we will have robots doing the job of a soldier—and we will spare hundreds of thousands of human lives.” Braden looked off into the distance, as if he was experiencing a vision. “However, we soon realized after field-testing many different subjects that the communication needed to come from the device itself and not rely on a host to inform it. You see…”