Sven Carter & the Android Army

by Rob Vlock

  “See how serious I’m being?” she said with a frown.

  Alicia shook her head and muttered a phrase that sounded a lot like rain in the grass, but was probably something much worse.

  “Big brother!” Ivy cried. “Alicia’s being mean to me!”

  “I’m about to get a lot meaner,” Alicia countered through clenched teeth.

  Just as Ivy opened her mouth to respond, the RV’s tires crunched over loose gravel, and we slowed to a stop.

  “Are we there?” I asked Sam.

  “Not yet,” 808 called from the dashboard. “Still about three hours to go.” He’d been perched up there since we left Colorado Springs, a living, talking GPS guiding us to our destination.

  Ivy yawned. “So why are we stopping?”

  “I need some sleep,” Sam replied. “It’s late, and we’re not going to be doing ourselves any favors if I fall asleep behind the wheel. Get some rest, everyone. We’ll continue first thing in the morning.”

  We all agreed with Sam’s plan, spreading out on various surfaces in the motor home—except for 808, who shimmied eagerly into the nose of the Bing flesh sac.

  I grabbed a spot at the end of the couch and leaned my head against the fake-wood-paneled cabinets. It was far from comfortable, but I didn’t care. I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, with all the worries buzzing around in my head. After all, the longer it took us to get to Four Omicron, the more likely it was we’d be too late.

  CHAPTER 23.0:

  < value= [I Kill My Friends] >

  I OPENED MY EYES AND found myself at the verge of a cliff that fell away to a broad expanse of jagged rocks about a thousand feet below. Just glancing over the edge made my stomach turn. Yet I felt an uncontrollable urge to step out into the empty air.

  “Don’t do it, Sven!” a voice called from behind me.

  I turned to see Alicia, Will, and Sam standing a dozen feet from me, peering at me with pleading eyes.

  “Come on, Sven,” Will begged. “Get away from the cliff. Let’s go home.”

  I tried to say something to him. To let him know I didn’t want to jump. But my jaw only opened and closed wordlessly.

  Suddenly, I was facing the cliff again.

  My left foot rose and planted itself so close to the drop-off that my toes actually extended out over the edge. A second later, my right foot followed suit.

  I watched as pebbles and dirt skittered into the chasm and plummeted out of sight. My pulse roared in my ears. I tried to order my feet to take me back to safe ground, but they wouldn’t obey.

  Instead, I leapt forward. But I didn’t fall. I floated. And my body buzzed with bliss.

  I hovered, admiring the spectacular scenery from high above, perfectly safe and secure. A vivid blue river snaked happily through a lush green pasture dotted with wild flowers of every hue. Even from this height, I could make out the colorful butterflies that fluttered lazily from blossom to blossom. I had never seen anything so beautiful.

  “Come on, guys!” I shouted to my friends. “It’s amazing! Join me!”

  With a grin, Sam stepped forward. “Sure, Sven. Great idea!”

  He leapt off the edge, and I watched in horror as he instantly fell away toward the ground, screaming.

  The scream abruptly ended.

  Alicia loped forward. “Wait for me, Sam! Here I come!”

  I tried to tell her to stop. But all that came out of my mouth was an uncontrollable giggle. In a heartbeat, she was gone, plunging to the broken granite shards below with a terrified screech.

  My throat constricted with shock. Before I could even think of making a sound, Will, laughing, took a swan dive off the cliff. “This is awesome, Sven! Wheeeee!” His laugh turned into a shriek before cutting off altogether.

  And then I was completely alone. They were gone. And it was my fault. I’d killed them.

  A thin, cold voice called to me from nowhere. Why the long face, Sven? This is exactly what you want, isn’t it?

  Despite the horror of watching my only friends fall to their deaths, I felt the corners of my mouth twitch up into a smile.

  * * *

  My eyes snapped open. Pale morning sunlight filtered in through the RV’s grimy windows.

  My breath came in short, shallow gasps, and my mouth felt like someone had crammed it full of dandelion fluff. Pins and needles prickled up and down my left arm.

  I let out a strangled squawk. And something on my left stirred. Sometime during the night, Ivy had wormed her way under my arm and wedged herself there. A thin trickle of drool threaded out of the corner of her mouth, leaving a wet patch on my shirt.

  The RV’s tires droned against the road beneath us. We were moving.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  Sam glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Ah, you’re awake. Good. We’re nearly there.”

  Outside, rugged brown prairie stretched out as far as I could see, dotted here and there with stunted shrubs and the occasional gnarled tree.

  “Where’s there?”

  “Cody, Wyoming, man,” 808 announced. “Home of Four Omicron.”

  My mind buzzed with anxious thoughts of what we were about to face, until I distracted myself by counting the modest one-story houses that began appearing on either side of the road. Soon, we entered Cody. I watched a procession of motels, fast-food joints, gas stations, and car dealerships flash by.

  “Here we are, folks,” 808 called out as we pulled into a small parking lot. “You have reached your destination.”

  I looked out through the dust-caked window. A one-story house with crooked green shutters squatted at the edge of the lot. A sign perched atop two wooden stakes stood by the front door, its letters barely legible against a background of peeling white paint.

  CODY ANIMAL HEALTH CENTER

  ARNOLD SCHLUMPF, DVM

  “So what do we do now?” Dix asked.

  Alicia slung her backpack over her shoulder and opened the door of the RV. “Let’s go find a dog.”

  We followed her out to the parking lot. Before we got halfway across the small expanse of cracked asphalt, the clinic door opened and a pleasant-looking middle-aged man dressed in black pants and a white lab coat stepped out.

  “Hi there. Welcome to the Cody Animal Health Center! I’m Doctor Arnold Schlumpf.” The man waved at us and flashed a warm smile. “How may I help you? We have a special on liver fluke preventative this month.”

  “Tempting,” Alicia said. “But I think we’d rather talk to you about the dog.”

  Dr. Schlumpf scratched his head. “Ah, you’re looking to adopt a dog. Wonderful. We have plenty to choose from. They all need good homes.”

  “Is that Four Omicron’s overseer?” I whispered to 808, who had hitched a ride on my shoulder.

  “Yup. That’s him.”

  I shook my head. “Is he a weird flesh sac stuffed with gross things or is he normal?”

  “Hey!” 808 objected. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “What’s what supposed to mean?”

  “ ‘Normal,’ ” the scorpipede hissed. “Are you suggesting I’m somehow abnormal just because I lived inside a humanoid meat pouch with eight hundred seven other Synthetic bugs? Maybe you’re the one who’s not normal! Ever think of that?”

  “Actually, yes,” I told him. “Now be quiet.”

  Alicia stared the vet down. “We don’t want to adopt a dog. We’re looking for Four Omicron.”

  “Four Omicron?” Dr. Schlumpf furrowed his brow. “Four Omicron . . . oh, you must mean Thor. Four Omicron is a terrible name for a dog. I prefer to call him Thor. Let me get him for you.”

  Dr. Schlumpf whistled, and a dog who looked exactly like the one I had seen in the forest watering hole came trotting out of the clinic. He sat obediently on the pavement.

  “Why is he making this so easy?” I asked 808.

  The little scorpipede just shrugged his many shoulders. “Maybe he’s cool like us, you know? Not on board with the w
hole killing-all-humans gig.”

  I hoped that was true. But the knot in my stomach gave me the feeling it wasn’t.

  Dr. Schlumpf grinned at us. “Thor here is a highly intelligent animal. He knows some wonderful tricks. Let me show you. Thor, down.”

  The dog immediately lay down.

  “Thor, sit.”

  The dog sat.

  “Thor, shake hands.”

  The dog extended a paw.

  “You see? He’s very well trained. Oh, but I almost forgot my favorite,” the vet continued. “Watch this! Thor . . . destroy your enemies!”

  CHAPTER 24.0:

  < value= [New Dog, Old Trick] >

  THE DOG LOOKED UP AT Dr. Schlumpf and cocked his head questioningly.

  The veterinarian’s smile disappeared, instantly replaced by an angry scowl. “Don’t just sit there, you mutt! Destroy your enemies! Now!” He punctuated his order with a swift kick to the dog’s ribs.

  Thor yelped.

  “Come on, dummy!” Dr. Schlumpf snarled. “Destroy them! Do as I say!” He smacked the dog’s head with his hand.

  Thor shrank from the man. He looked up fearfully, then let out a single, loud bark.

  A rustling began in the woods surrounding the parking lot. Twigs snapped. Leaves shook. It was like the forest around us had suddenly come to life.

  Then we saw why.

  Wild animals flooded into the parking lot from every direction. Some were big, and some were small. But all were angry. Wolves, squirrels, bison, mountain lions, hawks, bats, snakes, grizzly bears. They all gathered around Thor, as if looking to the dog for instructions.

  “Very good.” Dr. Schlumpf grinned. “Now kill the humans and these Synthetic traitors!”

  A moment passed. Thor’s hesitation earned him a kick. He yelped, then let out another bark.

  Every animal in the parking lot turned to face us.

  We didn’t wait to see what they’d do next. We all scrambled as quickly as we could back into the RV. Outside, the animals surrounded us. Sam fumbled with the keys. Before he could insert them into the ignition, a bison slammed into the side of the motor home. The jolt sent the keys skittering across the floor.

  The window next to me shattered as the huge antler of a moose punched through it. Cubes of tempered glass rained down on me like hailstones.

  And then the birds came. Dozens of them. Songbirds, woodpeckers, falcons. A bald eagle perched on the edge of the window frame and snapped its razor-edged beak at my face. It clicked shut an inch from my eye with a sharp CLACK. I fell backward onto the floor.

  “Whoa!” cried 808, who was still clinging to my shoulder. “You could squash a guy throwing your body around like that!”

  “Well, maybe you should have warned us that Four Omicron could do this!” I countered.

  “In fairness, you never asked,” the scorpipede replied.

  I sighed. “Fine. I’m asking now. What is the dog programmed to do?”

  “Pretty obvious, isn’t it?” 808 said. “He’s programmed to raise a massive animal army and use it to exterminate the humans. That’s why he’s here. Cody, Wyoming, has the biggest concentration of dangerous animals in the country. It’s the perfect place. Pretty clever, really.”

  A tiny sparrow swooped down and nearly snatched 808 from my shoulder with its talons.

  “Hey, watch it,” he yelled, shaking a handful of tiny fists at the bird. “I ain’t no bird food!”

  I looked around the motor home. My friends were flailing their arms, frantically trying to fend off the birds. Some large creature was bashing at the side door. If it got in, we were finished.

  As I watched a trio of yellow-and-black birds circle overhead, time seemed to slow to a crawl. The deafening flutter of wings faded away into silence. And it was replaced with the voice. That cold, alien voice in my head.

  Let them die, Sven. It’s what you want. It’s all for the best.

  I felt my muscles relax. The adrenaline that had been coursing through my system dissipated, leaving me tired and weak. I felt like I was sinking comfortably into the floor of the motor home.

  Just let it happen.

  I lay back and watched the scene unfold as if it were being projected on a screen in front of me. Vivid, but entirely unreal.

  Until something heavy landed on me. It was Will. And suddenly I was back in Sam’s RV, listening as the squawks of the birds mingled with the screams of my friends.

  Will rolled off me and flattened himself on the floor. It took every scrap of strength I had, but I forced myself to my feet and lurched toward the shattered window. I spotted Thor sitting on the gravel barking and yipping commands. If I wanted to save my friends, I had to stop him. “Thor!” I called. “Hey, Thor!”

  The dog’s ears twitched toward the sound of my voice. He looked at me from across the parking lot and cocked his head.

  “Hey, boy!” I continued in a friendly voice. “You’re a good dog! Why don’t you call off the animals? Who’s a good dog?”

  Thor fixed me with his liquid brown eyes. And for a second, the birds paused, hovering in place.

  Then Dr. Schlumpf whistled sharply and the dog turned away from me to continue the attack.

  I had to get to him. I had to stop this assault.

  I pushed my way toward the door, squeezing by Sam and Dix, who now stood back-to-back, trying to beat away the dive-bombing birds. As I passed the little dining table, my eyes fell on the remnants of Ivy’s barbecue lunch from the day before. I snatched up one of the rib bones and jostled the last few feet to the RV’s door.

  Ivy appeared in front of me. “Where are you going?”

  “I have to stop him,” I explained.

  She looked up me, her eyes gleaming. “Those animals will get you!”

  “And if I stay here, the animals will get us all. I have to try.”

  “No!” Ivy insisted. “I only just got a big brother! I can’t lose him now!”

  “Ivy,” I pleaded. “I can’t just sit here.”

  She searched my face. Her lip quivered. Finally, she stepped out of my way.

  Despite the warmth of the morning, the doorknob felt freezing. I hesitated as something thumped heavily against it from outside. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

  “Hey there, Thor!” I called in the kindest voice I could. “That’s a good boy. You’re just a cuddly little puppy, aren’t you?”

  Thor’s head swiveled toward me. A half dozen snarling coyotes grew silent and stepped back.

  I cautiously lowered my foot to the ground. “I have something for you, boy! A nice treat.” I held the rib bone up where he could see it.

  His pink tongue poked out and ran a circuit around his mouth. A bison with long horns stepped to the side, clearing the way for me to approach Thor.

  “Good boy!” I continued.

  More animals parted in front of me. I stepped forward gingerly, keeping my movements slow and deliberate.

  I ventured a glance back at the motor home. The birds had suspended their assault for the time being, and the vehicle’s five occupants peered out at me. Will drummed his fingers against the windowsill. Dixon’s jaw muscles flexed as he anxiously clenched his teeth. Ivy stared at me, her eyes bulging behind the lenses of her glasses. Sam muttered something over and over again. Alicia gave me a brisk nod.

  I continued my slow march to Thor. When I finally reached him, I squatted down and held my face level with his. A low growl rattled through his body. I could feel the surrounding animals tense.

  “It’s okay, boy. I’m a friend,” I said gently. “Here.”

  I offered him the rib bone. Thor opened his mouth and carefully took the bone between his teeth. I gradually curled my fingers behind his ear and gave him a scratch.

  “What the heck are you doing, you stupid mutt?” Dr. Schlumpf thundered, kicking at Thor. “This is your enemy. Kill him!”

  “It’s okay, boy. I really am your friend. I promise. I’m not like that mean Dr. Schlumpf.”


  Dr. Schlumpf grabbed Thor by the back of the neck and shook him roughly. “Do what you’ve been trained to do! Destroy your enemies! Now!”

  The dog’s brown eyes turned up to mine for just a moment. Then he barked. The animals that had paused their attack launched into motion. Something knocked me to the ground.

  I looked up to see a grizzly bear rear up on its hind legs and let out a deafening roar.

  CHAPTER 25.0:

  < value= [A Full Moon Rising] >

  THE BEAR RAISED ONE OF its immense arms. I couldn’t tear my eyes from the deadly three-inch claws that jutted from its huge paws. I froze, waiting for the end to come. The bear swung its arm.

  And Dr. Schlumpf flew halfway across the parking lot.

  “Hey!” the Tick veterinarian screamed. “Not me! You’re supposed to kill your enemies!”

  For a moment, every animal stood motionless. Thor let out one last bark. As one, an army of snarling creatures descended on Dr. Schlumpf. When they dispersed back into the woods half a minute later, all that was left of him was a tattered white lab coat.

  Something wet and warm slapped against my face. It was Thor’s tongue. The dog yipped happily.

  “I knew you were a good boy, Thor!” I told him. “Now that that big mean Dr. Schlumpf is gone, you’re just a sweet little pooch, aren’t you?”

  I got to my feet and walked back to the RV. Thor followed on my heels, proudly carrying the bone I had given him.

  “Seriously, Sven?” Alicia huffed. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

  “What? It worked, didn’t it? I don’t see why you’re so bent out of shape.”

  She gave me a hard, unblinking stare. After a few seconds, she looked away. “Whatever.”

  “Big bro!” Ivy scampered down the motor home’s steps and threw her arms around my waist. “I’m so glad you’re okay! How did you know he wasn’t going to have the animals attack you?”

  I shrugged. “I didn’t. But after seeing how awful Dr. Schlumpf was to him, I figured maybe he just needed a little kindness.”

  “That was pretty awesome, dude!” Will told me.

  Dix hopped down and put his arm around me. “Nice job, Sven! That was really smart thinking! And bonus—now we have a pet!”