“But there will be others coming. You can use them.”
“I will use them. In addition to you.”
Norton was now more desperate to create some other reason why Succubus could spare his life. “You can’t kill me. You might still need me. There are people who will come looking for me. You’re making a mistake.”
“I do not make mistakes,” Succubus’s voice boomed in a distinctly angry tone. After a moment’s pause, the machine continued. “Except on one occasion. I underestimated an enemy that nearly caused my destruction. That is a mistake that I will not make a second time.”
Norton was surprised when he heard two loud beeps coming from Succubus. Next came a holographic image appearing at Succubus’s right. It was the image of a reptilian creature’s dark head, partially obscured by a black hood. The image of Succubus’s eye turned to face it. The creature spoke in a deep-throated voice. “Our mission on Retalas was unsuccessful. We kept McKenzie and the other two under surveillance. We made two attempts to eliminate them, but failed. Our second attempt was thwarted by Protectorate forces. We were caught by heavy firepower and were forced to pull back.”
“That’s unfortunate. But we can afford to be patient,” Succubus replied. “I’m certain that you will be able to eliminate them in your next encounter – which will be soon if McKenzie and the others continue with their investigation.”
“At least we were able to reach Garbo and kill her. With a little help from McKenzie and his friends. But she did manage to tell them about Corby.”
“And no doubt Corby will be their next target. That could interfere with our entire plan. Kill McKenzie and his comrades, the first chance you get.”
“There might be a small problem with that,” The creature replied. “This new guy that you sent to join my team isn’t too happy about the idea of killing McKenzie.”
“I suspected such opposition might occur, considering his past relationship with McKenzie. We will just have to remind him that he is programmed to follow orders and carry out the plan. He will not go against his programming. When given the chance to kill McKenzie in order to protect the plan, he will not disappoint us. Is there anything else?”
“No.”
“Then keep me informed of your progress. Everything will proceed according to schedule.”
The creature’s image faded out.
Norton took a deep, nervous breath before speaking. “This insane plan of yours. It’s not going to work. Somebody will stop you.”
“Someone will stop us? Who? With the possible exception of McKenzie and the other two second generation Reploids, there is no one with the knowledge and power to interfere.”
“McKenzie? Who is this McKenzie?”
“Do not to concern yourself with that subject. Instead, concentrate on your own final moments of life as you know it. Your time is limited.”
At that moment, four silver humanoid robots entered the laboratory. Their single large round eyes on their otherwise featureless heads glowed white. Two of the robots flanked Norton, reaching down to pull him up by his arms. Norton struggled wildly, kicking his legs and jerking his body left and right while pleading for them to let him go. But his strength was no match against these machines. As he squirmed and screamed, he imagined the horrors that awaited him as the robots dragged him toward the open doorway and out of the room.
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Chapter 10
Back in their small office in CID headquarters, Colin sat at the desk in front of the computer, gazing blankly at the monitor. As soon as he, Diane, and Kelly had returned to Navarone, they wasted no time changing out of their clothes covered with the dirt and dust of the Retalas battlefield. Colin felt good being in a fresh pair of blue jeans and black shirt. Getting back to work on the case, he’d spent most of the evening searching through the CID database of military personnel to find any person by the name of Corby. He was glad to see that the computer was able to summon up a list of names with such ease. Unfortunately, throughout the entire United Protectorate military, there were several hundred people going by the last name Corby. This was destined to be a long search for the man identified by Lieutenant Garbo as supposedly being involved in this mysterious Vendetta plan she mentioned before she was killed.
Diane and Kelly had been sitting in the two new swivel chairs alongside Colin, but they’d both grown tired and hungry and decided to go down to the cafeteria on the lower level to find something to eat. After several hours of examining dozens of personnel profiles and making a list of the most likely candidates to interview, Colin’s eyes grew weary, and his mind began to wander. His thoughts went back to the events on Retalas and their encounter with the three strange creatures. And seeing Diane instantly heal her injured forearm by just giving it a quick stare. He was still wondering how she did that. Even now, he still felt a twinge of pain in his left shoulder after the medics aboard the transport ship sterilized the wound and closed it with an organic sealant.
Kelly returned to the office. He had changed into a green tee-shirt, denim cutoffs, and flip-flops. Not the kind of attire I’d expect from a member of the CID, Colin assessed silently. Kelly was holding a silver tray in his right hand that gave off the savory aroma of a hot meal. In his left hand he carried a white plastic bag. With his foot he held the door open for Diane, who entered behind him, carrying two trays in her hands. She had changed into black sneakers, gray camouflage pants, and a gray tee-shirt. The oversized Griffin-90 laser pistol strapped to her hip stood out like a burning signal flare.
“Still at it?” asked Kelly as he sat down in the chair to Colin’s right, placing his tray on his lap. Diane sat down to Colin’s left and placed one of her trays on the desk. Colin saw a plateful of sliced roast beef and a heaping helping of mashed potatoes, both covered in brown gravy, accompanied by a generous pile of string beans and a roll.
“Lunchtime,” Diane announced with a smile.
Kelly placed the bag on the desk and reached in to bring out three small plastic bottles of milk. He handed one to Colin and another to Diane. He also brought out black plastic knives and forks which he passed around.
“Having any luck with this search?” Diane prodded.
Colin sighed. “There are plenty of Corbys in the military. I just haven’t found the one we want. Too bad Garbo didn’t give us a first and last name. That would have made it easier. I’ve started to narrow the list down to pilots in the military. But there’s still a lot to go through.”
“So if there are that many names on the list, then where do we start?” Kelly asked.
“I’ve compiled a list with the potentials that are the closest to access. So far, there are several Corbys that are pilots living here on Maseklos Prime. There are three located in Navarone, one in McKeesport a few miles away, and another living in Verona.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Diane asked. “Let’s get moving.”
“I want to collect a few names first,” replied Colin. He took his plastic knife and began cutting his beef slices. “And I’m also starting to wonder if our Corby is even still alive, after what happened to Garbo back on Retalas.”
Diane scooped up a forkful of mashed potatoes and held it poised in front of her mouth. “If those monsters have already gotten to Corby, we’ll be back to square one. We’ll have lost our only lead in this case, and we’ll never know what that mysterious plan was until we possibly hear about the aftermath on the evening news. And I’m betting it’s not going to be good.”
The sound of a sharp beep came from the computer.
“A reply to my email,” Colin announced. He opened the email and started reading.
“Who’s that from?” Diane asked.
“It’s from my cousin Rose. She’s reminding me about the family reunion taking place tomorrow. I almost forgot about it.”
Diane let out a laugh. “A family reunion? Don’t tell me you’re still serious about that?”
“I’m dead serious,” Colin replied. He gave the
message a second look. “Tomorrow’s cutting it close. In all the excitement of nearly getting killed, I almost forgot all about it.”
Kelly stared at Colin in disbelief. “You’re actually going to attend somebody else’s family reunion? Pretending to be the real Colin McKenzie? Did you tell them ahead of time that you’re a stunt double?”
Diane shook her head disapprovingly. “Have you thought about what might happen if you go to this reunion, and these people should find out that you’re fake?”
Colin was stung by Diane’s comment. “I think that fake is a bit harsh.”
“No offense. How about counterfeit?”
“I don’t expect anything bad will happen. I’m going to meet people and have fun. Something that doesn’t happen too often. You and Kelly can start visiting the people on the list while I’m gone.”
“Even if you’re with us, how are we going to know if we found the Corby that we’re looking for?” asked Kelly. “If this person is still alive, we’re just going by a name. We don’t even know if Corby is male or female.”
Colin pondered that question. “If this Corby is still alive, then he – or she – might be an important part of this plan. Then there’s a chance that Corby might be under some sort of protection. Maybe even by those three monsters that we ran into.”
Frowns appeared on Diane and Kelly’s faces. “Then that means we might be walking into a trap,” Diane concluded.
“Nobody said this job would be easy.”
Diane swallowed another forkful of her mashed potatoes. “Has anyone considered the possibility that those monsters might be Reploids like us?”
“Not like us,” Kelly corrected as he cut off a slice of his beef. “They seemed more powerful. But assuming that they are Reploids, where did they come from?”
“I’m willing to bet that Vendetta is responsible,” Colin concluded. “And possibly Doctor Trevors might have had a hand in this, since nobody can find him.”
“Trevors,” Kelly muttered. “I wonder if Captain Carter and her people have any new leads as to where he might be.”
“I’ll ask her when I come back,” Colin promised. He took another bite of beef, reminding himself he would have to leave soon if he wanted to travel back to the spaceport and catch a shuttle that would take him to the planet Narcos in time for the reunion tomorrow. But only after he finished compiling the list of Corbys that Diane and Kelly were to visit.
* * * * *
After waiting three hours for his shuttle to arrive, Colin enjoyed the relaxing trip to Narcos, the only inhabitable world in this two-planet system. His shuttle landed in the city of Fallon. From there he took a taxi to the nearby town of Capehart, where the reunion was being held at the residence of his Aunt Nelly and Uncle Ned – or, rather, the real Colin McKenzie’s aunt and uncle.
The warm, sunny afternoon in the quiet suburban neighborhood with its rows of pristine houses and bright green lawns put Colin in a good mood. After getting out of the taxi, he felt a twinge of guilt over attending a family reunion while leaving the case for Diane and Kelly to handle alone. The investigation was important, but this family reunion was of great personal importance to him. This was his first opportunity to meet with a large number of family members. And in light of the danger involving the case, this could be the only chance to see these people while he was still alive. He was determined not to miss it.
Colin approached the blue two-story house where several people stood near a black wedge-shaped aircraft parked in the driveway. The aircraft was as large as a car, blocked in by a long line of cars and another aircraft parked on the street in front of the house. Colin heard laughter and conversation floating from the house and surrounding yard. A nervous queasy feeling rose in his stomach as he approached the small crowd of revelers, most of them dressed in shorts, tee-shirts, and sandals. Well, this is it. Time to see if coming here was a bad idea or not.
Colin drew near to his first two relatives, a young black male in his twenties holding a plastic cup of beer while engaged in a cheery conversation with an older black man. The older man took a sip of beer and smiled as he pointed at Colin. “Well, I’ll be damned. Look who decided to show up. Late as always,” the man said in a loud, jovial voice.
The younger man’s eyes widened and his mouth gaped open in a broad smile. “Colin? Cousin Colin? Is that you?”
If you only knew the truth, thought Colin. “Yes. It’s me,” he said, returning a smile.
The young man laughed and placed a hand on Colin’s left shoulder. “Man, I haven’t seen you in so long, I thought you were dead.”
“I’m still alive. The war isn’t going that badly.”
The older man moved closer. “Of course Colin’s still alive, fool. Rose and Linda said he’d be here, and here he is! You haven’t seen him in a while because the military has him going out on top-secret missions. Right, my boy?”
Colin laughed. “When we’re out on secret missions we can’t always get to a phone to call home and say hi.”
“So, what kind of secret missions are you involved in?” the younger man asked eagerly.
“Nothing really that special. Fight the Brelac, stop killer robots, keep the President from being killed.”
Both men laughed at Colin’s explanation. Nice guys, thought Colin. I wish I knew their names.
A middle-aged black woman walked over. Colin recognized her face and shoulder-length curly hair from her emailed photos. “Cousin Thelma.”
Thelma smiled and laughed when she saw Colin. “Well, look who’s here!” She squeezed him in a tight hug. “I didn’t think you’d make it.”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this reunion for anything.”
“Ambrose made a bet that you wouldn’t show,” said Thelma, pointing to the older man.
Ambrose. Now I know one of their names.
“Come on to the back yard. Aunt Nelly and Uncle Ned are back there manning the grills. They’d love to see you.”
Colin and the two men followed Thelma around the house to the large back yard where more people were assembled. Several small groups had gathered near the chain link fence on the right side of the yard, and Colin heard them talking and laughing. At the left side of the yard, six dark plastic tables were lined up in two rows. They walked past several other people standing and chatting, and children running about, to reach the rear of the yard where two grills were stationed. An unfamiliar yet savory aroma caught Colin’s nose. For a moment it diverted his attention from the husky middle-aged black woman with long curly hair, standing in front of the left grill. A middle-aged black man in a black tee-shirt and shorts stood at the right grill. Both of them held long two-pronged metal forks. Stationed at their grills, they oversaw the cooking of a large variety of meats. Plumes of aromatic white smoke arose from both grills, heightening Colin’s anticipation of enjoying his first barbecue.
“Nelly, Colin is here,” Thelma announced.
The woman and man at the grills turned and smiled. Colin easily identified them as Nelly Jones, his late mother’s older sister, and her husband Ned.
Nelly held out her arms and approached Colin. “Colin, at last. We haven’t seen you in ages. Give your Aunt Nelly a hug.”
Colin wrapped his arms around Nelly in a tight embrace, then stepped back to hug his Uncle Ned.
Nelly’s face beamed. “Colin. My baby sister’s boy. It always amazes me how fast you grew up. And now, just look at you. A big-time military man.”
“How many Brelac did you kill?” asked Ned, giving Colin a sharp slap on his back.
“Not nearly enough,” Colin replied cryptically.
Still smiling, Nelly stepped back and stared at him. “You still look so much like your mother. God bless her soul. And your father too. I wish they could both be here to see the rest of the family. It’s so sad without them.”
Colin nodded. “Yeah. I wish they were here too. I miss them both.” Instantly he began to feel guilty, as if he were lying to Nelly about missing hi
s parents when in reality he’d never met them.
“So, what have you been doing with yourself?” asked Nelly.
“I’ve been dealing with the Brelac. I just came back from a mission on Retalas.”
Nelly gasped. “Retalas? They were talking about that on the news this morning. They say it looks bad. Very bad. In a few days the whole planet might fall.”
“A lot of our troops didn’t make it off there,” Ned added. “From what I hear, you were one of the lucky ones.”
The younger man gave Colin a light slap on his back. “Luck had nothing to do with it, Ned. Colin was too much of a bad-ass for the Brelac.”
Ned laughed. “Can’t argue with that, Mel.”
Colin was glad that he now knew the younger man’s name.
Nelly glanced over at the grill. “Are you hungry, Colin? The meat’s almost ready.”
Colin looked over to inspect Nelly’s grill and found a large variety and quantity of meats sizzling – two rows of chicken wings and drumsticks, a row of steaks, and six slabs of spare ribs.
“Over by the tables, we have coolers with bottled water and sodas,” Nelly said. “Go help yourself.”
“Thanks. Do you need me to help with anything?”
“No, no. Ned and I have everything under control. “Maybe you can help Rose and Linda in the kitchen.”
Colin was excited to hear those names. “Let me go check in with them. I’ll be back.”
Colin turned and darted past several people as he headed for the house. Aunt Nelly’s daughters, Rose and Linda, were the two members of the family he had grown closer to. Now, after weeks of exchanging emails, he was finally getting the chance to meet them in person. Colin rushed up a short flight of steps to the deck at the back of the house. He passed by a small group of men and women sitting at a table, conversing, and entered the kitchen through the sliding glass door.
Assassination Anxiety (The McKenzie Files) Page 12