“Not all of the monsters,” Cyndi stated as she approached, leading Audrey by the hand. “There’s still one more that we have to deal with in the auxiliary control room.”
Colin suspected which monster Cyndi might be referring to. He turned to address a female trooper who was walking their way. “We need to get in touch with Commander Brant on the bridge. The communications are cut off. Can you can reach somebody up there with hand-held communicators?” She nodded. “Good. Tell Brant to send a backup force to the auxiliary control room to help regain control of the ship. We’re heading up there now.”
It took longer than Colin wanted for them to travel from Deck Six to Deck Two in order to reach the auxiliary control room. With his hands still useless, he had to depend on Diane to help pull him up as he climbed up each emergency access ladder. They were joined by a force of eight troopers armed with laser rifles – four who came up with them from the landing bay and another four who were sent by Brant from the bridge. Cyndi, armed with a laser rifle, was also a part of the team. The troopers were the first to storm the auxiliary control room, easily taking Ron and his two accomplices by surprise. They charged in and shouted orders for everyone to surrender. Colin, Diane, and Kelly remained outside the room with Audrey and watched as Cyndi confronted Ron, pointing her rifle at the back of his head. The other troopers covered the two traitors sitting at the left and right consoles, forcing them to stand and raise their hands over their heads. Ron remained seated at his console.
“Ron, raise your hands and step away from the controls,” Cyndi ordered him.
Ron did not reply or turn his head.
“Ron! Raise your hands and step away from the controls right now!” Cyndi insisted in a louder, more forceful tone.
Ron still refused to move, but said, “Are you insane? We’re close to reaching our target. We still have our mission.”
“Our mission? To kill the president and a bunch of kids?”
“This will help end the war!” Ron snarled. “We’re going to help build a new world for us! I’m thinking about our future! And about Audrey!”
“I’m thinking about Audrey too. I’m thinking about how frightened she was when those monsters you made a deal with threatened our lives. You think you can build a new life for us while living under Poltergeist’s thumb? Or that thing he and those other monsters were working for? Or the Brelac?”
“You still don’t understand. We can’t turn back now. If we carry out this mission, we can help to create new lives for ourselves. You remember what Driscoll promised us.”
“Yeah, I remember. And look how that turned out. Driscoll is dead, and so are the rest of the Enforcers. And we haven’t seen any of those fancy promises of the good life come true, have we? Nobody’s around to hurt us now, so you don’t have to go through with this.” To add weight to her point, Cyndi aimed her rifle at the cyber processor and fired a laser bolt into it. Its cylinder shattered, and the liquid contents and brain matter inside oozed onto the floor. Cyndi aimed her rifle back to Ron’s head. Ron sighed and held his head down, then slowly raised his hands and stepped away from the console.
Colin, Diane, and Kelly entered the room. Audrey ran into the room and stood close by her mother’s side.
Cyndi turned and looked back at Colin. “That’s it. It’s finally over.”
Colin nodded. “Yeah. It’s over.”
A large square holographic screen appeared over Ron’s console, displaying the image of a red eye sitting in the middle of a mass of white brain matter. Cyndi gasped and stepped back. Colin stared at the image, breathless. He never thought they’d see that thing again as long as they lived. “Succubus,” Colin rasped.
“McKenzie,” Succubus responded in a deep gravelly artificial voice. “You and your companions are still alive.”
“Yeah,” Colin said flatly. “Big surprise, I’m sure.” He and Diane and Kelly stepped closer to the projection. “So,” he prodded. “You’re the big boss that Driscoll was talking about. I would have thought that Doctor Trevors was the one in charge.”
“Doctor Trevors’s whereabouts are currently unknown,” Succubus replied. “Since I became fully functional again, I set this operation in motion. And now the operation has been thwarted. I cannot believe that you inferior second generation Reploid’s had the power to destroy the superior third generation units.”
“Yeah. We sent your high school science projects to the scrap heap,” Colin taunted.
Succubus stared at Colin in silence as a robotic creature came over and stood nearby, visible in the viewscreen from the waist up. Colin immediately recognized the shiny broad-chested humanoid robot with its large oval head topped by two long horns, and adorned with two round eyes glowing with red lights. It flexed one of its thick arms with large three-fingered hands. The triangular wings on its back, and the gun barrel on its left shoulder with the metal cylinder containing six small missiles nearly made him flash back to the last battle with Succubus. “Deltan,” he growled. “I thought we’d finished them all off.”
“You thought wrong, apparently,” Succubus jabbed.
“We’re going to find you and finish the job we started,” Colin promised.
“Not if I come for you first,” Succubus retorted. The holographic image faded out.
“I guess we can take that as a threat,” said Colin.
“Succubus still alive,” Kelly said. “I can’t believe it. Maybe this is a different model. A replacement stepping in for the first one after we destroyed it.”
Colin shook his head. “I’ve got a feeling this is the original Succubus we fought months ago, although I can’t believe it survived our assault, as well as the Viperhawk exploding.”
Cyndi approached Colin. “Succubus. What was that thing?”
“Basically it’s a computer created by a madman,” Colin explained. “A while back, we fought it and its master. Its master is dead. We thought that we destroyed Succubus as well. But, as you saw, we didn’t quite get the job done. As for that thing with it, it’s all too familiar – deadly familiar. It’s called a Deltan.”
“Then we were wrong,” said Cyndi. “It really isn’t over.”
Colin wished that he had an answer to ease Cyndi’s fears. “That’s hard to say. This fight isn’t over for us. Sooner or later we’ll meet with Succubus again. But it might not retaliate against you, since we destroyed its plan – along with its henchmen, the Enforcers.”
“Let’s hope so,” Cyndi replied. She frowned and lowered her weapon. “Then again, being stalked by monsters is the least of our problems now, after what Ron and I have done.”
Colin knew that once Brant and his crew resumed full control of the ship, Cyndi and the other conspirators would face the consequences of their actions. Working with Vendetta, a terrorist organization, was already a felony offense. But being involved in a plot to commandeer a Protectorate ship and assassinate the President were treasonous offenses that would result in the harshest punishments.
Diane placed a comforting hand on Cyndi’s shoulder. “We’re going to include in our report that you helped us regain control of the ship. The court might cut you a little break.”
“I doubt that,” replied Cyndi. “A military court will take a dim view of an officer joining the ranks of traitors. But still, thanks. And I’m sorry I tried to kill you all with the grenade earlier. They threatened to hurt Audrey if I didn’t.”
Kelly looked at Ron and the other two conspirators standing with their hands over their heads in front of the armed troopers. Then he looked to Colin. “So, what happens next?”
For a brief moment Colin was lost in his thoughts about Eddie Driscoll, and how the outcome of today’s ordeal would have been different if Driscoll had not helped. It was a choice that cost Driscoll his life. But he proved to Colin that a Reploid could evolve beyond the restrictions of a program and think for himself. Colin sighed and turned to Kelly. “Next, we tell Commander Brant that the ship is secure and that the President will be safe. Then we go ho
me. This case is officially closed.”
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Chapter 19
Colin was sitting at the desk in their office back in CID headquarters on Maseklos Prime, trying to eat a spoonful of chicken noodle soup. Eating was a grueling task, as he did not yet have full control over his regenerated hands. Even after their three-hour return flight, his fingers were still stiff, and both hands still had the constant stinging pain. Colin noticed that, over time, the pain had lessened, but he still felt frustrated when his spoon slipped from his weakened grip and splashed back into his bowl.
Diane sat at Colin’s right, and Kelly to his left. They both held their bowls of soup in their laps and ate slowly so as not to outpace Colin. Captain Melony Carter had just entered their office a minute ago and was standing in front of the desk, gazing down at Colin. “So how are your hands feeling now?” Captain Carter asked.
“They still ache. But not as bad as before,” Colin said. “And my fingers are still stiff. But I am getting better control of them. I’m hoping that by tomorrow they’ll be okay.”
Captain Carter laughed and shook her head. “You actually grew back your hands.”
“Yeah. It came as a big surprise to me too,” Colin remarked.
“I found out how to regenerate weeks ago,” Diane told Colin. “I could have showed you how to do it.”
“Thanks for telling me now,” Colin grumbled.
For several minutes, Captain Carter said nothing as she stared down at Colin, Diane, and Kelly. “What?” asked Colin, finding her staring to be unnerving.
“Sorry,” said Captain Carter, waving her hand. “Didn’t mean to stare. Don’t get offended by this, but I just can’t get over how you three are so human, yet so ... alien, for the lack of a better term.”
“No offense taken,” replied Colin, hoping that Diane and Kelly felt the same way.
“I just got Commander Brant’s report,” Captain Carter said. “It’s a wonder that you three are still alive. There was extensive damage to the Maelstrom. They’ve decided to hold off sending it out with the rest of the ships in the expedition until repairs have been made. But the main thing is that President Drennan is safe, and these monsters are gone. You three are heroes.”
“Great,” Kelly grumbled. “Now can we get a bigger office?”
“Probably not. But I need to know. Did Driscoll mention any more of these third generation Reploids running loose?”
“He only mentioned the Enforcers,” Colin told her. “We can only assume that there are more. It’s only a matter of time before they emerge.”
“And this other monster, this thing Fenlow created. Succubus. It’s still out there as well,” Captain Carter reminded them.
“I thought for sure that Succubus was destroyed,” said Colin. “I don’t know how it survived. But we’re got to find it before it causes any more damage.”
“I wanted you to know that I received a report from two guys who did an on-scene inspection aboard the Maelstrom. They managed to find a small surviving portion of the cape that Poltergeist wore and did a scan of it. Its material contained a synthetic dendrite mesh similar to what they use to treat paralysis patients, but a bit more advanced. They found that this material is also able to pick up radio signals.”
Colin thought about the connection between Poltergeist and this strange material. “Poltergeist needed the cape to keep his power under control. Maybe the cape was acting as some sort of broadcast mechanism.”
“It was still a lousy fashion statement for a fight,” Diane interjected. “But what about Cyndi Corby? What are they going to do with her?”
“Cyndi Corby is currently in custody, along with her husband and the two other conspirators. The court might show leniency to Cyndi, considering she helped you regain control of the Maelstrom, and she acted out of fear for her life because of threats made against her and her daughter by the Enforcers. She’ll still have to face some form of punishment, but not as severe as what Ron has coming to him. As for Audrey, she’s currently in the custody of her grandparents.”
Colin nodded, glad that Cyndi’s fate sounded promising.
“There is another bit of good news from all this,” said Captain Carter. “After solving this case, it’s a certainty that Silencers will become a permanent subdivision of the CID.” Captain Carter turned and walked toward the door. “I’ll expect a full report emailed to me. After that, take a few days off. You guys have earned it.”
Colin watched Captain Carter leave the office. He looked at his bowl of soup that was getting cold. “So, now we’re heroes,” he muttered. He would have a better appreciation for the title after his hunger was satisfied. He placed his spoon into his bowl and brought out a small sample of his soup. As he leaned forward to bring the spoon up to his mouth, the spoon once again slipped out of his hand, this time clattering to the floor.
Colin heaved a sigh as he looked down at his spoon lying in the puddle of soup between his feet. He was about to pick up the spoon and try again, but Diane placed her bowl on the desk and then bent down, grabbing it before he had the chance. She reached over to the desk and picked up his bowl, looking into his eyes as she said softly, “You big baby.”
Kelly smiled and continued eating as he watched Diane feed Colin his soup. I didn’t have a dream about this moment, Colin thought. But the best dreams come true in the presence of true friends.
###
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~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Barry K. Nelson
A Pennsylvania native, Barry K. Nelson has attended college and has worked at a variety of jobs, including retail and the corporate environment. Barry enjoys reading and gardening and is a fan of science fiction and horror movies, Marvel comic collecting, and the X-box 360.
Barry has written short stories in addition to his science fiction series, The McKenzie Files.
Barry is a member of Ning and Goodreads, can be found on Facebook, and can also be reached through Penumbra Publishing.
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Table of Contents
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Assassination Anxiety (The McKenzie Files) Page 23