The first reptiloid through the door came to a complete stop as the nearest howler advanced. It raised the electric weapon just as the howler released a blast of sonic energy. Rene had just enough time to cover his ears as the noise knocked the overseer back through the door and onto the catwalk. Connor had flattened himself to the wall near the blasted-out hole and had his own hands covering his ears. As the howlers shambled out into the catwalk, Rene could hear and feel the vibrations caused by the robotic creatures. Jakes waved him over as the last of the howlers left the room.
“We have to wait here for a minute,” Jakes shouted as Rene came closer. “I set them on automatic so they’ll just keep moving until they fall off the catwalk or get turned down the stairs.”
“You reprogrammed them?” Rene asked. “How did you do that?”
“The twins gave us a pretty good schematic and wiring diagram,” Jakes said, releasing his hands and smiling. “They actually aren’t that hard to control. I set them on low, though; otherwise we’d be dead about now.”
“Is this why you were in such a hurry?” Rene asked. “Why you brought Phase One up? How did you know we’d be ready? What if we couldn’t get here in time?”
“It’d be a helluva mess and I wouldn’t have been able to watch,” Jakes explained. “Now, let’s get these people outta here and into some of those ships.”
Jakes moved back over to the hole, waving the people inside to come out. Rene moved to the doorway and watched the howlers as they swept through the reptiloid overseers. It was chaos as the smaller guards were simply swatted over the catwalk by the robots. The larger ones tried to fire their weapons into the attackers, but the creatures seemed unfazed. As the first slaves began to work their way to the catwalk, Rene moved out into the open doorway.
“Lizards versus robots,” Rene said to himself as Jakes ran past him into the catwalk. “And I am following him. Oh well, C’est la vie.”
8
“Humans discovered a long time ago what other races are just learning. Despite the lower labor costs, slavery is too expensive. In the end, freedom is the only real economic solution.”
Ronald Chang
Memoirs
The alarm shattered the silence between father and son. Holcombe, despite his bluster, was not a soldier and so instantly crouched and looked up as the ear-splitting tone sounded. Bric, on the other hand, had drawn enough memories from Rene to react instantly. As Holcombe’s head was moving upwards, looking at the speaker installed in the office ceiling, Bric lashed out with his long-fingered hand, slapping the small pistol away. Holcombe had no time to react before the boy moved inside his reach and pushed an elbow into his father’s sternum.
Holcombe let out a rush of air as Bric grabbed an arm and flipped the larger man over his shoulder. The boy, frightened at the action, stepped back for a moment and tried to take a breath. Holcombe’s face contorted in rage as he wobbled on the floor. The gun, still in his hand, finally went off, shattering the glass-top desk and disrupting the hologram image. This noise made Bric move again by reflex. He leapt, and came down on his father’s arm. Although Bric was lighter than Holcombe, Holcombe released the weapon and yelped in agony. In one motion, Bric rolled off his father and onto the floor, levering himself back to one knee, facing Holcombe.
“Father!” yelled the boy, again frightened by his own movements. “Please stop. I only wanted to—”
“I don’t care what you wanted, boy,” Holcombe cried, raising his own bulk from the floor to face the boy. “I own you, and you have proven to be defective merchandise.”
“Father, please don’t make me—”
“Like so many of the toys you broke while I was trying to find value in you, I think it’s time to throw you away like the trash you are.”
Holcombe pushed himself up onto his thick legs, squaring his shoulders to face off against the boy. Bric felt his body tense. The sense memories he had taken from Rene were powerful, drilled into the man for years. Bric had no experience in overcoming the urge to fight. When Holcombe charged, Bric again reacted with violence. He grabbed his father’s arm as the big man passed by, twisting upwards and hearing the man cry. As the momentum of the movement carried the man further, Bric yanked hard, dislocating his father’s arm with a snap. Holcombe cried out in pain, stumbling into a small indigo sofa near the shattered desk.
“Bric!”
A new voice broke the boy’s concentration, making him turn and tense again. In the doorway, Melaina was covered in fake fur and wearing a snouted mask over her lovely features, standing with one of the secretaries from below. The boy had believed the pretty females had all been from a large family until he had touched his father’s mind. The android near his friend looked different, though, as if programmed with a different personality.
“Bric, just grab him and let’s go,” the woman said, pulling the artificial head from her furred body in a gruesome display of self-mutilation and transformation. “We’re about to have company.”
Bric turned back to see his father stepping away from the couch. The man had recovered enough presence of mind to reach for the lost gun, but a shot from Melaina stopped him. Instead, Holcombe backed away from the desk and held up both hands in supplication, a look of terror on his face. Bric had a nagging feeling he was missing something. He searched the memory he had drawn from his father and found only the shadow of a suggestion.
“He’s going to—”
Holcombe seemed to disappear before their eyes. In a flash of deep red fabric, the fat man seemed to slide into the floor, vanishing completely before Melaina could fire another shot. Bric ran to the spot but could find no trace. The filigree pattern of the carpet hid the seams of the trap door perfectly. He felt along the floor, but could not find an edge to pull against. Melaina came to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“We need to get moving,” the woman said. “The twins have found us a way to get straight to the shipyards, but we need to go now. I’m sure we’ll find him soon.”
Bric took an extra second to stare at the floor. He had come close to killing his father and could have had he not held back. The memories of death and violence were so strong in Rene. Bric remembered the feeling of twisting his own father’s arm and hearing the pop as the joint released. It was an experience he never wanted to have again. He stood and followed Melaina from the room to the nearest lift. The sales executive paused to access a terminal near the secretary’s desk. Both women had the same expression on their faces, and as he watched, the secretary began to mimic the actions of the other android. The effect lasted a few moments before the executive moved away and into the lift with them. The secretary waved as the lift doors closed, a strange smile on her lips.
“What have you done to her?” Bric asked, looking at the female android.
“The twins have taken over your father’s computer networks,” Melaina replied, looking nervous about the ride. “They ordered a train to meet us in the sub-basement station below the building.”
The ride was silent as Bric thought about the exchange with his father. Melaina continuously paced back and forth across the small lift car, expecting they would be stopped any second. The twins stayed still, watching everything through artificial eyes. Melaina pulled her pistol again as the lift doors open, ready for anything, but what Bric saw was not anything he had expected.
Gleaming white walls and floor caused the young alien to blink rapidly and hold up his hand to the light. There were two android attendants standing nearby, smiling at the trio as they exited. They held out soft blankets and warm drinks as Melaina brushed past. The twins were smiling back, looking at the artificial doppelgangers as they swarmed around the lift doors. Bric began to feel uneasy. He moved through the females without speaking, trying not to touch them.
The trio approached the spotless tube car and climbed the short steps. Two more attendants stood to either side of the door, smiling and holding a drink to each of them. Bric waved off the drink and steppe
d into the bullet shaped car. Again, the twins approached a control panel as they passed. It took only a few seconds, but the attendants seemed to shudder and then resumed their smile. The executive stepped up to the car and entered. The attendants waved as the door irised close. The executive tapped a control on the car and the whole assembly began to rise.
The tube car was resting on a magnetic rail. The rail was brought up to the tube suspended above the floor. Once locked into place, there was a hissing surrounding the car as air was pumped out. The lights dimmed for a moment while the car was placed on internal power. The hum quieted, then the floor began to vibrate, the car rising on a cushion of magnetic power. A portal opened like an iris ahead of them and the car bolted down the tube into darkness. As soon as the tube began moving, Melaina shed the furred disguise, leaving it in a heap on the floor and rubbing her calves where the straps had bit in. Bric had not seated himself and nearly went tumbling over a rail before holding himself still.
“I have news, Doctor Petros,” said the twins from the mouth of the executive. “I have gained partial control of the shipyard mainframe.”
“That’s great,” Melaina replied without emotion. “Can you unlock the launch doors from here?”
“There is some sort of disturbance in the shipyard. The doors are on security lockdown. I am rerouting power through the Veles network. I can have the doors open by the time we arrive.”
“You said there was a disturbance?” Melaina asked. “Is he okay?”
“I have no data on Captain Jakes,” replied the android. “I do have information on some prototype robotic weapons. I can take control of those and see what they see.”
“Thank you,” replied Melaina, still looking out the window into the darkness.
“Melaina,” Bric began, “I don’t think I understand what’s happening. How are you controlling the androids?”
“Bric,” Melaina said, finally turning to see the boy. “Meet the twins. They have been hiding in the Veles mainframe since Connor was captured. They are an electrokinetic protoform creature that can control computer systems like we control our bodies. They’ve been steadily taking over your father’s empire.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Bric replied, looking to the android. “Where did you—”
“Why didn’t you kill him?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why didn’t you kill Holcombe when you had the chance?” Melaina repeated. “You could have snapped his neck or taken the gun and shot him. Instead, you walked away. Why?”
“He’s my father,” Bric replied. “I couldn’t just kill him like that.”
“He’s not your father!” Melaina said, rising from the seat and coming to Bric. “He’s been using you. You had an ability he needed. People like Holcombe do that, Bric. They use other people to make themselves stronger.”
“He raised me,” Bric said, trying to crawl back from Melaina’s anger. “He never used me for—”
“Did he ever introduce you to a business partner?” Melaina asked suddenly. “Or ask you to shake hands with a rival?”
“Yes, but—”
“After the meeting, I’ll bet he asked you what you thought of them, didn’t he?”
“Yes, but—”
“Did you share what you knew?” Melaina asked, now very close to the boy.
Bric looked back at Melaina, realization now dawning on his face. Even before he knew he was doing it, he had been drawing memories from other people and passing the information to his father. It had just seemed like his father was teaching him the essentials of business at the time, but now he saw the truth. As Melaina moved back to her own seat, Bric pinched his face up, weeping in his own way.
The car began to slow and the executive tapped a few more keys on the control panel. Red lights were flashing on the panel as the android turned back to the passengers.
“Things may be disordered when we arrive,” the twins said. “I would prepare if I were you.”
Melaina pulled her pistol and stood, grabbing the rail as the car came to a stop. The tube closed off and the car settled back onto the magnetic rail. As the rail and car were lowered to the floor, Melaina could see the chaos around the shipyard spreading, a combination of people, reptiloids, and some other creature rampaging across the landing platform. Bric joined her as she stepped closer to the door.
“Stay close, kid,” Melaina said, her tone softening slightly. “Thing are about to get ugly.”
The doors hissed open, admitting the sound of chaos into the calm of the car. Melaina tried to find a target amid the mass of moving creatures, but humans kept getting in the way. The twins stepped out ahead of her, snapping their head left and right to scan for certain bio-signatures. After a frenzied few seconds, they pointed upwards towards a series of catwalks over thirty meters above the floor. Melaina strained to see through the rising steam and sound to where the android arm was pointing. In a second, she had him.
Connor Jakes was standing on a rail, balancing precariously between two catwalks, firing a reptiloid lightning weapon at the overseers below. Melaina could just make out the wide grin on his face as she stepped out of the car and into the shipyard landing bay. A stream of slaves ran behind him in each direction, both groups moving swiftly towards the lowest level. Throngs of people were running around the bay, some led by children who seemed to know what they were doing, and others aimless. One group ran headlong into a team of overseers and were electrocuted, their bodies tumbling forward in death. A quick shot from above and Connor killed the lead reptiloid of the pack just as another group of freed slaves descended on the others. The savagery with which the humans dealt with their former masters frightened Melaina as she watched the cloned beasts torn apart by the angry mob. Knowing he would never hear her above the sound of battle, she looked back up at Connor and fired a shot past his left leg. He turned to her, raising the weapon but holding his fire as he saw who the shooter was.
For a moment, Melaina was sure he recognized her. The smile she had seen fell away, though, as he leapt off the rail and onto one of the staircases. She lost sight of him as he disappeared into the crowd. Fearing for him, she pushed ahead into the chaos, firing as she moved past the overseer teams and pushing away slaves who were fleeing into her. There was a thick layer of water covering the floor, which told her Phase One had already been initiated. The plan was coming together as they had discussed, but she still could not find Connor. As she pushed through another group of humans, she saw a circle of overseers forming around someone nearby. The stairs where Connor had been moving ended nearby, and her heart sank. She was held up as another group of slaves, seeing her weapon, gathered around her for direction. She shooed them off and pushed to a nearby support stanchion where she lifted herself up to see into the ring of reptiloids.
Connor had squared off and was standing in the center of the circle. He had lost his weapon, but had both hands up in defense as the first overseer moved in. Connor struck out, using his longer reach to punch the reptiloid in the chest and knock him back. Even as he finished his attack , a second guard moved in from his left. Connor raised both hands and kicked out. The creature doubled over as he grabbed it by the shoulders and spun it around and into another guard who had pulled a lightning weapon. The weapon clattered away as the follow-through of the spin launched the creature away. The now weaponless attacker had only a second before Connor dropped to his knees and slammed into it, knocking its legs out from beneath it. A grab at the creature’s head brought Jakes up again in a roundhouse kick to the next guard. A quick punch to the creature in his arms brought Connor up in time to take a whip to the face by a nearby tail. He staggered to one knee, but recovered fast, bringing his fists up to the creature’s undefended back. Another of the overseers moved closer, drawing a jagged blade from a belt pouch and swinging it up to meet Connor’s back. Melaina felled the overseer before it could plunge the knife in.
The shot scattered the remaining team. Jakes was winded and b
ruised, but looked up to see Melaina and smiled. She jumped down from the stanchion, noticing Bric and the android holding the humans back as she made her way to Connor. The two lovers threw arms around each other as they met in a firm embrace. Melaina brought her lips up to meet Connors and they stayed there, not caring about the chaos for the time it took for the kiss to part.
“Hey there, precious,” Jakes said as they pulled apart. “Did ya miss me?”
“I’m not sure, Connor,” she replied, looking away as she pulled further from him. “I’m not sure who I was supposed to miss, Connor or Jon.”
The two stared for a long moment before Bric was forced to let the humans through. Despite the pushing throng, Connor held Melaina’s gaze. She saw something in his eyes she had never seen before. He had been hurt by Holcombe and the overseers, but now she saw the hurt he had inflicted on himself. She had meant to tell him she knew of his secret, but saw it had torn away something deep inside him. He looked away as the crowd began to pull at him. A quick look around and he saw Bric and the android.
“Alright,” he shouted above the voices of the crowd. “Alright, we gotta get outta here now. Everyone get into the nearest completed freighter. I saw two of them at the end of the ramp. The doors are open now, so we can all get out that way.”
“The freighters?” asked Bric. “Why not the military ships? They will be waiting in orbit for us. We could use the weapons to blast our way through.”
“They don’t install the plasma converters for those ships until they’re in the orbital docks. The passenger ships don’t have any shields until they’re moved out and completed on the southern continent. The best bet is the freighters. They’ve got shields and enough open space to load everyone.”
The Adventures of Connor Jakes: Masks (The War for Terra Book 1) Page 23