“Where would he go?” Grace asked.
“Someplace he knows well,” Daniel said. “Someplace safe, secure.”
“He could just power himself down and go into a warehouse,” Tanaka said. “Like you said, he’s a robot.”
“That doesn’t sound like him,” Daniel said. “No, he wants to be around to observe. He’ll want to hide in plain sight.”
“What about Nancy?” Tanaka asked. “They’re partners, right? They’d both want to find a way to blend.”
“Or hide,” Harold said. “I think he’s just hiding.”
“But where?” Daniel asked.
The four of them sat in silence, the only sound coming from the TV which Tanaka started to play with again. He stopped on the news as they talked about the weather. It was going to be hot and dry again. Tanaka thought being a weatherman in Vegas was probably a really sweet job. The image on the screen showed the Vegas Strip as seen from the Vegas sign. Could he be in any one of those building? Hiding in a room, waiting for his turn to try again?
“We need to look at the abandoned hotel again,” Daniel said. “Maybe he left something there we could use to find him.”
“Or we can go back to Nancy’s place,” Tanaka said. “I bet there’s something there, too. The strip club is gone, so we can’t find anything there.”
“So is Nancy’s place,” Daniel said. “It got pretty much destroyed when I fought her roommate.”
“So the hotel then? You don’t think he’d go back to the bunkers.”
Daniel said. “The place is swarming with FBI, army, and police. He’s not that stupid.”
“There’s the place he used to study Nancy,” Tanaka said. “We don’t know where that is.”
“I know,” Harold said. “At least, I think I know. When he interviewed me, I went to a small house near Fremont street. I didn’t see a girl, only him.”
“That could be worth checking out,” Tanaka replied. “Do you think you can show me the location on Google maps? If I have a mental image of it, Daniel and I can teleport there.”
“Daniel’s not going anywhere,” Grace said. “He’s hurt.”
“I’m going,” Daniel replied. “Sorry, Grace. I want to finish this.”
Defeated, Grace stood from the chair and wordlessly walked out of the room. Tanaka stood, not wanting to say anything but knowing he’d have to speak for his brother about this. “Excuse me. I think I’ll go talk to your girlfriend.”
“Going to explain me?” Daniel asked.
“Guess so,” Tanaka replied. “You two brain storm or watch TV, I don’t care. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
He stepped outside the room to find Grace standing by the elevator. She had pressed the button and was waiting. When she saw Tanaka, she pressed the button a few more times, maybe hoping it would bring the elevator quickly. Tanaka walked up to her and said, “You really can’t run from me, you know.”
“I just don’t want to talk about it,” Grace said. “Look, I get it. You guys are superheroes. You put yourself in danger all the time.”
“Well, to be honest, we’re actually business owners. We’re only superheroes like, thirty percent of the time.”
“Still, that’s a lot of danger.”
The elevator dinged and the door opened. Grace stepped in and Tanaka followed. The elevator was large, but empty. “I’m going home. I have to. I don’t think I can be around Daniel when he’s in superhero mode, not with his head all bandaged.”
“I get it,” Tanaka said. “It’s like being married to a cop. You never know if he’ll come home or not. Can’t really blame you. But let me just say this: Daniel has been in relationships before but they never last. He’s got a very weird sense of what he wants from a girlfriend. I don’t know if you’ve got it, but he does seem to like you a lot more than his other girlfriends.”
Grace laughed as the doors opened to the bottom floor. “He’s only known me for a few days.”
“I know, weird right? But like I said, I know him and he seems to really like you. Heck, he’d normally wait at least a month before doing the deed; with you, it was only a day. That’s something, I mean, really something.”
Grace nodded and looked away from Tanaka. He saw pain and uncertainty in her face. “Thanks. I like him a lot too, and... Well, I don’t want him to go. I can’t convince him, but I don’t want to be a wet blanket. I’ll see you guys when you get back, okay? Have him give me a call.”
Tanaka nodded. “Sure. I’ll take care of him. I’ll make sure he comes back.”
Grace turned and walked way leaving Tanaka alone in the hallway. He turned and pressed the up button.
“How’s your brother?”
Tanaka looked over at the source of the voice, a small grin on his face. “Officer Lee. What brings you here?”
“Came to question you and Daniel. And I came to thank you both. You saved a lot of lives. We’re still sorting through it all, but it seems that you did something good.”
“All part of the job.” Tanaka said. The elevator came and the two walked on. “Listen, my brother’s been through a lot so, go easy on him, okay?”
“I will. Just want to find out what’s going on exactly and I want to see how I can help.”
“Well,” Tanaka said in a slow, charming voice. “We’re trying to track down Destructo and Robot Nancy. We think we have a lead but if you can help us that would be great.”
Office Lee shook his head. “You Evos, what’s up with all this silliness? Destructo, Robot Nancy, an army of robots. God, it makes no sense.”
“In Haven, we deal with this stuff all the time,” Tanaka said, as the elevator doors opened to their floor.
The two walked out and down the hallways toward Daniel’s room. When they got there they found Harold asleep in a chair and Daniel flipping through some channels on the TV. He looked over. “Officer Lee. What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.” Officer Lee said, shaking Harold. “Can you please give us the room?” he said to the kid once he woke up.
“Sure,” Harold said, standing up. “If you guys need me again, just ask. I’m a few rooms over.”
“Yeah. And thanks for your help,” Tanaka said as Harold left the room.
Officer Lee sat in the same chair as Harold and pulled out his notebook and his phone, which he placed on the tray activating the recording app he asked, “So, how are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better,” Daniel replied. “But I’m recovering fast. Should be out of here soon.”
“We heal fast,” Tanaka said. “Plus, except for the plugs that were removed, Daniel wasn’t really hurt too badly. Destructo just used his powers to shut down Daniel’s organs. They’re still in good shape.”
“Right,” Officer Lee said, writing that down. “I think we need to start from the top, from the moment you arrived here in Vegas to now. You guys think you’re up to it?”
“Can we take the fifth?” Daniel asked. “I don’t think we did anything illegal but I’m not sure.”
“I want to help,” Officer Lee said. He placed the pad down and turned off the recorder. “I was one of the first people to arrive at the bunkers. I saw all those people in the chambers. Hundreds of them. Hundreds of the people I swore to protect had gone missing and we didn’t know a damn thing about it. You guys come along, and in a few days, break the entire thing open.”
“Doesn’t hurt they were trying to kill us,” Tanaka said.
“Still, we should have known something was wrong and we didn’t. I want to stop this from happening again, and it seems you guys are the ones who can help.”
“We will,” Daniel replied.
“Great. Start from the top and tell me everything.” Officer Lee said turning the recording back on.
Daniel and Tanaka started talking, each one telling the story as best as they could remember. They filled in blank spaces, told of the fights with the other robots and how David figured out how to track Destructo down,
how they discovered the real Nancy, and how Robot Nancy probably killed her. Officer Lee placed his pad down and turned his recorder off. “I’m sorry about your friends. I’ll have my boys check out this house, see if anything is there.”
“We need to come along,” Daniel said. “If they’re there, your officers won’t stand a chance against them.”
Office Lee pursed his lips in thought. “Okay. We won’t do anything until you’re ready. I’ll just keep the house under observation.”
“Good,” Tanaka said. “That’s probably the best plan.”
Office Lee stood, “Oh, before you do anything stop by the station. We have your shield and sword. The hospital has your uniforms. I have the feeling you’ll want them for when we face down these robots.”
“Yeah, that would be nice,” Tanaka said. “Thanks. We’ll see you in a bit.”
Officer Lee turned and walked away leaving Daniel and Tanaka alone. Tanaka sat down. For the first time in a while, he had a chance to think and absorb all that had happened. Feeling a wave of guilt and grief run through him, he sighed loudly. “I know she was a robot, but before she remembered that, she was my Nancy again. And now, she’s dead.”
“I’m sorry. I really am. I saw you two together and thought you guys might have a chance.”
“I thought so, too,” Tanaka said, leaning back in his chair. He looked at the ceiling and felt the tears slowly fall down his face. “Well, I’ll get over it I’m sure. Lots of woman out there, right?”
Daniel gave a weak smile. “Yeah, lots. But, we need to talk about something else. Killing them.”
“What are you thinking?”
“We can’t kill them. At least not unless we have no other choice. They might be robots but they’re alive. It would be like killing a human.”
“Bet we could get away with it in court if we did.” Tanaka let out another sigh. “Look, I get it, Destructo fed you some line about how he was alive and you can’t kill him. But he’s a robot, he’s just computer chips and wires. He—and Robot Nancy—are not alive. If I’m given the chance, I’m killing Robot Nancy and Destructo. No questions asked.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Tanaka said standing from his chair. “They’re as good as dead in my eyes, and I think you need to see that too. If you get a chance to kill them, snap their necks, pull out their freaky robot hearts and don’t feel bad about it. I won’t.” Without letting Daniel say another word, Tanaka teleported out of the room.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Daniel adjusted the bandage on his head before putting his black hat on. He looked into the review mirror of the car frowning. It was not a good look. The bandages were uncomfortable and they made his head sweat. The hat didn’t help with that, but the last thing he needed was for an enemy to know he was weakened and take advantage of it. Thus, the hat to hide his wounds.
“You look stupid,” Tanaka said from the passenger seat of the unmarked police car.
“He always talk to you like that?” Office Lee asked, he sat in the driver’s seat and looked back at Daniel.
“Since we were kids,” Daniel replied.
“Could have stayed in the hospital,” Tanaka said. “They weren’t thrilled with you leaving.”
“They don’t know that Evos heal pretty fast.”
“Even from a traumatic head wound?” Office Lee asked.
“From pretty much anything,” Daniel replied, before leaning back into his seat.
The three looked at a greenhouse surrounded by several bushes and a nicely kept lawn, hoping to see some activity inside. It was the location Harold had given them, and Daniel was certain both Destructo and Robot Nancy were either there or had been there recently. He closed his eyes and stretched out his other senses, picking up the distinct smell of high grade oil, the same kind they used to lubricate their parts. It wasn’t too strong, but hadn’t faded so the time frame was close. Maybe a day. The time line fit for when they left the bunkers to now.
Officer Lee had sent a patrol car out not too long after Harold gave up the address. The officers said they didn’t see anything but that didn’t mean anything. Not too long after, Tanaka decided he would stake the place out. Daniel told him he was going to come along and Office Lee offered them a ride, then parked the car and didn’t leave. That was seven hours ago when the sun was high in the sky. Now the sun was setting and nighttime was upon them.
The neighborhood was only a mile or so away from Fremont Street. If you saw a casino in an old movie set in Vegas, chances are it was one of the dozen or so ones at or near Fremont street. As the years went by, and the giant luxury casinos started to dominate Vegas, the old section was nearly forgotten. To help build it up again, the city constructed a video screen canopy three blocks long, closed the streets to traffic, and invited everyone to experience the light show and concerts they threw every night. It was new technology in an old neighborhood and it worked. Even from a mile away Daniel heard the sounds of music and the crowd of people talking and laughing.
Tanaka let out a bored sigh. “This is getting us nowhere. I’m going to go in.”
“Breaking and entering,” Office Lee said. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Well, can’t you get a search warrant or something?”
“I tried,” Officer Lee replied. “Not enough evidence, which is why we need to stay here and wait. They’ll mess up somehow, then we can do our job. It’s all in the Constitution.”
Tanaka said. “They’ve probably shut down or something. Which is why we should go in.”
“Not without a warrant. I’m sorry, there isn’t anything I can do.”
Daniel focused his powers on his hearing, letting the world around him grew dimmer. His sense of taste went away and he could no longer smell. He listened carefully and caught a faint snap and buzz from the electrical lines. He followed the sound to the other houses, listening to their rhythms, doing his best to understand how much power went into each home. The other houses on the block were smooth, almost quiet in their electrical use. The house across the street, by comparison, screamed with power consumption. “That house is using a lot of power which leads me to believe they’re either repairing each other or charging up,” he said.
“Which means we need to do something now,” Tanaka said.
Officer Lee looked at Tanaka, then back at Daniel. “Do you guys even have rules and laws in Haven?”
“Sure we do,” Tanaka said. “But Daniel and I aren’t part of the police force. We’re just two business owners who happen to kick ass when we need to.”
“Right,” Officer Lee opened the door and stepped out. “You guys stay here, I’ll go check it out.”
“Are you sure?” Daniel asked. “If you’re attacked—”
“You guys come to my rescue, okay?”
Tanaka looked at Daniel. “I don’t like it, but okay.”
Office Lee walked out of the car and up to the house as casually as if he were coming to visit an old friend.
Daniel watched from the backseat, mindful of his danger sense. “Have you decided what you’re going to do?” He asked.
“What?”
“We never really finished our conversation from the hospital. You teleported away and spent the rest of your money at the blackjack table.”
“I’ll have you know that I almost broke even before losing it all.”
“Don’t change the subject,” Daniel said. “When we confront them, can I trust you not to just destroy them?”
“No, you can’t.” Tanaka replied bitterly. “They’re computers, nothing more than circuits and wires. I won’t be killing them, I’ll just shutting them off.”
“From all you’ve seen, you can’t see they’re actually living beings?”
“A robot isn’t a living being,” Tanaka said, folding his arms across his chest. “Just like a car can’t be a living being or a chair. We might give those things names and pretend they’re alive, but they’re not.”
“I don’
t know,” Daniel said, keeping his tone even and light. Tanaka was easily upset and once he started, it was almost impossible to calm him down and make him listen. Daniel discovered a long time ago the best thing to do was not show emotion, to just keep talking and to ignore the hostility in his brother’s voice. “From what I’ve seen, these two are different.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re the only one who thinks that. If I kill them, will the police arrest me? I doubt it. And even if they did, what judge will even allow it to go to trial?”
“This isn’t just about what’s legal and not. It’s about what’s right and not. We both took an oath not to kill unless we had no other choice.”
“Yeah, when we were Protectors. Which we are not anymore.”
“I still go by that oath,” Daniel said, feeling his own pulse start to race. “I know you’ve always disagreed with it—”
“No,” Tanaka said, spinning around to face his brother. “Don’t make it sound like I want to go full vigilante and start killing the bad guys. Yeah, I think that some of the people we fight and bring in don’t deserve to live, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to kill them.”
“I’ve heard you talk! When we watch the news and some guy we helped bring in doesn’t get the punishment you think they deserve, you say you wished you had killed them.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth, dude,” Tanaka said. “I would never say anything like that.”
“You have!” Daniel yelled, this time not even bothering to hide his emotion. “Jesus, I’ve heard you.”
Tanaka shook his head. “No, no. I might say something like ‘I hope someone kills the guy in jail’ but I would never say I wished I had killed them.”
Daniel threw his hands up in frustration. “You’re just... I mean... What the hell? I’ve heard you.”
A sudden wave of pain rocketed through Daniel’s skull, forcing him to close his eyes and hiss. “Get out of the car!”
Before they could react, the front and back end of the car were lifted off the ground. Tanaka reached back to try and grab his brother. Before he could, the car was thrown and flipped over onto its roof. Both men tumbled, landing awkwardly upside down inside the car as it skidded to a stop.
The Evolutionite Chronicles Book Two: Dagger and Shadow Ninja in: Welcome to Las Vegas Page 21