by H. L. Burke
This room had only one mirror, next to the stairway. She plugged in the RAM.
Something creaked behind her, a faint sound, echoing from the stairwell. She whirled around and listened. Only the hum of Hart interacting with the mirror’s system.
It’s an old house. It’s a miracle it isn’t moaning constantly … plus rats. I bet there are rats all over the place. I hate rats. She leaned against the wall next to the mirror, her eyes on the stairway. Warmth rose from the electronics within it. Maybe Hart isn’t Ellis. Even if he was once, he doesn’t seem to be aware of it. There’s no need to tell him. Knowing would only hurt him. He’s happy as a computer, after all. It’s not like I can fix him. Maybe I can take him with me, install him into a computer system wherever I end up. Always have someone to talk to. Maybe I’ll even learn chess so we can play.
“How’s it going?” she asked.
“Good. I was right, though. There are some security systems active, but it doesn’t look like they are controlled from this computer. I might not be able to deactivate all of them. Switch your goggles to infrared again.”
She donned her goggles and scanned the room. Red laser grids covered all the work tables, like checked tablecloths. “The grids are on the tables but not the walkways.”
“That makes sense. As long as we don’t try to touch or steal anything, we shouldn’t trigger that. Which leaves the trap doors … those are weight triggered. There are three. I’ll send a pulse through them, vibrate the dust so they'll be easily avoidable. Then the lock at the end of the room appears to have some sort of mechanism set to go off if the incorrect password is entered. I think I can find the correct one in the files, though. Give me a few more minutes.”
Nyssa turned back to the mirror and concentrated on the mesmerizing flash of lights. “When we get through that door, will we have access to the main computers?”
“We should. Once they boot up, my entire system should sync, so you shouldn’t even need to plug in the RAM for me to have access. I want to find any record of the staff, along with Dalhart and his son. If Professor Dalhart did abandon this place and disappear, we need to take it to the authorities. I won’t rest knowing the person who butchered twenty-three other human beings for spare parts is resting on a tropical island somewhere. Maybe there will be some paper trail. He would’ve needed money and transportation.”
“Maybe.” She chewed her bottom lip. “Hart, what if Ellis was converted, like the rest of the staff?”
“I guess that would be sad … but it doesn’t really change anything.”
“If our theory is right, and Dalhart’s experiments were an attempt to restore his son’s body …” She swallowed. What if I’m wrong? What if the computers show Ellis was converted, but not into Hart, and Hart is just a particularly advanced electronic system? I’d be worrying him for nothing. “I just worry that what we find on that computer might be better left unknown.”
“I’ve gone from thinking I had a benevolent creator to knowing I’m the brainchild of a sadistic madman who used innocent people as guinea pigs. I think we’ve kind of already crossed the threshold of ignorance being bliss.”
“Maybe you’re right, but—”
“Nyss! Look out!”
A dark shape loomed behind Nyssa’s distorted reflection. She whipped around only to have two points of burning pain pierce her side. Agony shot through her, forcing her body rigid. Her head slammed into the ground, and the world blurred about the edges. She tried to cry out but couldn’t.
“Good job, girl,” a familiar voice said. “We’ll take it from here.”
Chapter Ten
Nyssa’s vision cleared. The man in the top-hat loomed over her, grinning beneath his dark glasses. He yanked a pair of wires from her side and tucked them into his pocket.
“You cleared a nice path for us, all the security systems disabled, the way marked as clearly as your footsteps in the dust. Took a girl to do what a half dozen men couldn't.”
Us? Nyssa tried to speak the words, but her mouth wouldn’t move.
“The thing is, we don’t need you anymore.” The man reached under his coat.
Nyssa’s heart rate spiked.
“Don’t hurt her!” Hart cried.
“Who said that?” A woman came to stand beside the man.
Albriet? Nyssa’s mind raced. How are they here? Together? They’re supposed to be competitors. Does this mean both of them are working for Rivera? Or neither of them?
The man withdrew his hand from his coat. To Nyssa’s relief, he held a coil of rope rather than a gun or a knife. Her panic eased. At least they weren’t going to kill her immediately.
Albriet stroked the mirror’s frame, and the lights shuddered. “Miles, look at this: a talking computer disguised as a mirror. It’s not what we were looking for, but the schematics might be worth something.”
“Whatever you want, take it,” Hart said. “Just don’t hurt the girl. I can help you get to the main computers.”
“Really is magnificent.” Albriet studied Hart's buttons like a jeweler appraising a diamond. “Almost human in its diction, though the tone would get on my nerves after a bit.” She tapped her fingers against her chin. “No, I think we need to focus on the information we promised the client. Now that we have access to the manor, we can always come back later if we need more to sell.”
“And the girl?” Miles kicked Nyssa in the side. Pain shot through her.
“Tie her up for now. If we get through, we can just leave her, but there’s a chance we might need her to disable the last lock.” Albriet eyed Nyssa, a slight smile on her lips. “You’re practically an artist. Sorry for the charade, my dear, but I saw what a good little church mouse you’d become and I knew you needed ‘incentive’ to work for me. Miles provided that.”
Miles jerked Nyssa into a sitting position. Her head pounded as he wound the cords around her hands and ankles.
“How long will that shock keep her down?” Albriet asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Just a few more minutes. I used the low setting.”
Not that low.Nyssa tried to work her tongue free, but her jaw felt as if it were wired shut.
“Look, Nyssa knows better than to try and go to the authorities. She’s practically an accomplice,” Hart said. “Just let her go.”
Albriet brought her nose inches from the mirror then swept down the length of it. “This is an intriguing bit of tech. Do you respond to voice commands?”
“I’ll respond to Morse code if you let Nyss go.” Hart’s voice raised a pitch. “Please … Nyss, can you hear me?”
Nyssa tried to force out words, to tell him she was all right, but her tongue wouldn’t budge. Invisible hammers clanked against her temples, and her skin tingled.
Albriet’s hand wrapped around the RAM. “What’s this? Some sort of remote device?” She yanked it from its port. “The computer seems to have an attachment to the girl. I half want to kill her, just to see how it rea—!” Electricity wrapped around Albriet’s hand. Her spine arched into an unnatural angle. Shrieking, she flung the RAM into the mirror. The glass shattered, raining over Nyssa.
“Hart!” The word burst from Nyssa in a rasp.
Albriet sank to her knees, clutching her now crimson palm.
“Some sort of security measure?” Miles chuckled.
“What sort of illogical system was that?” Albriet stomped on the RAM. Nyssa winced at the crunch of circuits. “I hope Dalhart’s other inventions make more sense. We can’t turn a profit on this nonsense.”
Sparks spit from the broken mirror.
It’s okay, Nyssa assured herself. Hart’s consciousness is uploaded to the main computer, not that mirror. He would’ve just jumped to another station. He’ll be fine. Concentrate on yourself. You need to find an angle to get out of this.
“So do we kill the girl or not?” Miles jerked his thumb towards Nyssa.
Albriet grimaced. “We could've if you had listened and waited for her to unlock the last door
way. I told you we wouldn't make a move until she'd gotten us to the end. What part of that didn't you understand?”
“We’ve waited for long enough. I can handle a door.” Miles reached under his coat and produced a stick of dynamite. “This is my master key.” His grin split his face, revealing glistening, silver capped teeth.
Albriet rolled her eyes. “Don’t be an idiot. You might blast through thousands of dollars worth of delicate equipment. We can harvest this place for years. We’ll keep the girl, for now. Leave her here. I want to see what’s on those tables.”
Nyssa’s breath quickened. Albriet walked beside the piles of machine parts and circuit boards, sweeping the items with her eyes but staying out of reach of the invisible laser grid. Nyssa’s fingers tightened into fists behind her back. Get greedy. Please get greedy.
“Nothing of value here.” Albriet sniffed.
Nyssa’s stomach sank.
“You sure?” Miles approached her. “Looks like a whole lot of something to be nothing.”
“Oh, there’s scrap metal value, but nothing is complete. It’s all bits and pieces.” Albriet shrugged. “We want the schematics, anyway, not the parts.”
“If you let me go, I’ll tell you where to find them!” Nyssa burst out.
Albriet raised an eyebrow. “And how would you know that?”
Nyssa scanned the tables, desperately looking for something to work with. Propped against a pile of wires was a hand mirror like object, very similar to Hart’s RAM, only with fewer switches and lights around the frame. Perhaps an early prototype of the system.
“I was talking with the house computer. He said he had all the schematics in his system, but he needed that mirror-like-thing you just smashed to get at them.” Don’t tell her where to get it. If you lead her too blatantly, she’ll grow suspicious. Let her think it was her idea. “If you let me go, I’ll fix the unit, and he’ll get you everything you want.”
Miles crossed the room and picked up the RAM. The impact had snapped the thin handle, and the mirror was shattered. “There’s no way she’s fixing this.” He snorted and tossed it to Albriet.
Catching it, she held it at arm’s length, as if afraid it would shock her again. “Maybe with a lot of work and new parts, but that’s time we don’t have.”
“I tell you the girl's useless.” He swooped down and grabbed Nyssa by the cords that bound her chest. She gasped as her body left the floor. “I say we strap her to the doorwith my little key.” He waved the stick of dynamite in her face.
“I told you: it's too risky. We could ruin everything we came to collect, or bring the whole house down on our head,” Albriet said. “Get over here.”
Miles turned to her, his teeth bared. “Getting awful bossy, aren't ya? Do you think I need you to get through this? From what I see you just hold me back. If we'd have forced this little vixen through this maze at knife point, like I wanted to, we'd have been done hours ago. I've listened to you harping at me for long enough. Fry the girl, blast the door, and let's be done with it.”
“Do I have to remind you who hired whom?” Albriet raised her eyebrows, her cheeks flushing.
Oh please kill each other, Nyssa thought as she dangled from Miles's grasp like a fish in a net.
“You promised fifty-fifty, so I don't see how that puts you in charge. Partners, I believe you said.” His grip tightened, constricting Nyssa's bonds and cutting off her breath. “If that's true, then we can do this one little thing my way. Knife the girl. That's all I ask. Just one little thing?”
Albriet sighed. “Well ...”
“But I swear I can fix the RAM! The computer said there was a backup unit, but not where it was. Maybe I can find it,” Nyssa said between gasps for breath. “Just let me live.”
“Shut up!” Miles dropped her.
Pain charged up her tailbone like an electric shock. Her eyes watered.
I need a backup plan. She isn’t even looking at the other RAM. Nyssa felt along the floor. A sharp bit of glass pricked her finger tips, and she bit down on her bottom lip to stop from crying out. She managed to grasp the smooth edges and position it against the ropes on her wrists. Maybe if they leave me alone for a moment I can cut the bonds and run … but how would I get to Hart? I don’t want to leave him with them.
“Settle down, girl.” Albriet laughed, turning away. “We aren’t going to kill you yet. Who knows, if we grow desperate enough we might need you to fix that …” She stared down at the table. “Well, devil take me. Look at that, Miles, just like she said. A second unit.”
Miles pressed closer to her. Nyssa wriggled trying to get the glass in the right position, but the top-hat's glowing eyes snapped open and glared at her. She froze.
“It looks like a lady’s mirror.” Miles said, pointing at the second RAM. “What’re you gonna do with that? Powder your nose?” He slapped his leg.
Albriet sighed. “Your imagination is so limited.” She bent down and picked up the mirror.
Something beneath the table popped, followed by a hiss like escaping steam. Albriet flinched back, clutching the other RAM to her breast. “What on earth?”
A gray cloud rose from the floor, engulfing both Albriet and Miles. Still holding the RAM, Albriet tried to escape the expanding fog, but Miles thrust her aside and barreled past her. Albriet fell onto the table with a clatter of metal.
Miles only got a few steps. He faltered, clawing at his throat as if prying at invisible hands. His face turned red, then blue.
Nyssa held her breath. They were at least five yards from her, but if the cloud dispersed … she pushed with her feet, towards the stairway. Worming her way over the last few feet, she tipped herself through the doorway and rolled. Her ribs hit every step on the way down. She whimpered, stuck out her legs, and managed to catch herself against the walls. For a moment she tottered, then she found her balance and drew a deep breath.
The partially assembled robot rested a step below her. She scooted towards it. Rubbing the ropes on her ankles against the rusty plating until they frayed, she managed to get her feet untied, then with her new mobility repeated the process on her wrists. Free, she sat down with her head in her hands and breathed.
“It won’t take long for the gas to dissipate. It was just a quick blast of … whatever. It’ll be gone in a few minutes. It might not have even reached me. Good to be careful, though.” She ached for a response, but she didn’t even have Hart now. “He’ll be okay,” she told the darkness. “I need to get through the last of this on my own.”
Pulling her shirt over her nose, just in case, she returned to the workshop. Albriet and Miles lay where they’d fallen, their skin a ghastly gray-blue. Nyssa took the outside aisle on the other side of the tables, so she wouldn’t have to walk by them.
She scanned the ground as she moved. It was easy enough to spot the trap doors, their outlines marked in the dust. She hopped over them before finding herself in front of the metal door.
A combination lock of five wheels took up the middle of the door. She ran her handkerchief over the lock. The wheels had letters, not numbers. The first was set on E, the others all on A.
“So is E the first letter in the code? Or is that misdirection? I bet Hart would know.” She tried not to think of what Hart had said, about a device that would be triggered if the wrong code were entered. Seeing what had happened to Albriet and Miles, she wasn’t eager to have any more of Dalhart’s devices aimed at her.
“So the code is a word, probably. Five letters, definitely. Starting with E, possibly.” She traced the edge of the lock with her fingers. “Something important to Dalhart, maybe … it’s a bit obvious but …” She closed her eyes, said a quick prayer, then turned the remaining wheels to spell “Ellis.”
Something clicked. She threw her hands in front of her face, prepared for the worst. For three heartbeats, nothing happened. Then another click.
The door slid open.
Chapter Eleven
Nyssa stared into the darkness for a
moment before switching from infrared to night vision. A stack of crates loomed a few feet before her, labeled things like “BEANS” and “MIXED VEGETABLES.” Several were cracked open, revealing lines of tin cans.
“Well, if I need a snack, there’s that.” Nyssa stepped around the crates and stifled a shriek. Before her stood a heavy, wooden desk, covered in papers and books. Amongst them, slumped forward, was a man.
Nyssa froze, torn between flight and fight. Wait. All that noise out there, and he’s still asleep? She forced herself towards him.
Matted white curls covered his head like the layer of dust coating his clothes. One skeletal hand, shrouded in paper-like, shrunken skin, clasped a picture frame. This held a sepia photograph of a well-dressed family: a dignified, mustached man, an elegant woman with long black curls, and a young boy, with his mother’s curls and his father’s slightly prominent nose.
“We meet at last, Professor Dalhart.” Nyssa shook her head.
All this pain, caused by a miserable old man who had died peacefully at his desk. A line of computers with traditional monitors, rather than mirrors, covered the wall behind the desk, all dark and lifeless. She touched one. It was cold, probably not run since Dalhart’s death, which judging from his desiccated corpse had been at least six months before, maybe more than a year.
She considered booting up the system, seeing if she could communicate with Hart, but wanted to collect herself first. How would he respond to Dalhart’s death? What information would be left for him to find? Would it say anything about Ellis?
Her heart now calm, she savored the silence … the almost silence. Something hummed.
She followed the sound to the far corner and a patch of wood-paneled wall. Feeling along the paneling, her fingers met a button, and the wall slipped into a gap. Green light washed over her.
Moving through the doorway, she blinked several times. A wall of glass beakers and tubes glowed in the eerie light. Yellow, green, and blue fluid bubbled within. A robot jerked about, fussing with wires and dials under the beakers. It was thinner than the maid, with an open chassis, revealing wires and gears, no sign of human-bits.