Dawn of Tomorrow

by Kevin Douglas

  Leo held a forkful of cheesecake before finishing his thought, raising an eyebrow. “She seems quite interested in one mineral in particular.”

  Anger on Mr. Sullivan’s face betrayed his inquisitive tone. “She let you see the digital copy of finite resources huh? Now it makes sense. You must admit it’s quite convenient that she had the leverage of e-Frond on you in exchange for money and a peek at her desired wares. All the while convincing you your plight was due to my greed. Giving away proprietary company information for your own gain is deplorable, especially if you’re a Sullivan.”

  Wanting to worry him further Leo said, “Yes it was the digital copy for starters. But I must admit that original text is beautiful. So, what are you proposing? That I testify for you, so you can remove Mrs. Sullivan from the company?”

  Leo’s naïve viewpoint brought Mr. Sullivan to bellied laughter. That he would need help with Mrs. Sullivan was hilarious. “Fox One was wrong you’re not a smart ass, you’re quite funny. I don’t need your help with her, she will be dealt with swiftly. As for the book, you have no idea what you’re dealing with or getting into. She’s using you. Her ‘Butler’ is nothing but a thug and a ruthless killer that will dispose of you the minute she sees fit.”

  Sarafina shifted in her seat, this was not turning out well. Mr. Sullivan had painted a grim picture. She scooted closer to Leo and put her hand on his arm.

  “Why should I believe you? I’m not the only one with concerns about you. Marty warned me about you and said he was compelled to help, giving the impression you owned him, or at least frightened him.”

  “I assure you I never threatened him. Status, confidence, and power often frighten people. He is very useful and served his purpose. All he needed to do was shut his mouth. His feeling compelled was purely out of guilt. Marty was Mrs. Sullivan’s inside man.”

  Leo felt stuck between two politicians spouting their version of truth and promising the world.

  “One last question,” Leo said. “The squirrel that loves hanging out at the cottage. It’s not really a squirrel is it?”

  “Oh, you mean the surveillance BOT. Yes, I have turned up his tenacity, given the recent threat posed to you. I had hoped he would still remain discreet, sorry if it alarmed you.”

  “A robotic squirrel?” Leo asked in surprise and disbelief.

  “Oh, it’s real, just not organic.”

  “Mr. Sullivan, I’m still not sure which side you’re on, and if either of those are one with my best interest in mind. To assure my wellbeing, I want to let you know I too, can play both sides. I was able to decode the mineral Mrs. Sullivan so desperately wants, without her knowledge. This can be used how I choose and, if all else fails, I have a kill switch for your precious data center. I’m not a violent or threatening man but I do like to protect myself.”

  Leo plunged his fork into his cheesecake just as he finished his threat. He looked at Mr. Sullivan deep in thought as he chewed the delicious treat.

  “Very instinctual Leonard, I like that move. It will come in handy later as well. I think I need to show you something. Hopefully it doesn’t ruin your dessert.”

  Mr. Sullivan turned something on his wrist and a holographic screen appeared in front of him. Sarafina had been quiet; Leo knew she trusted his knack for working things out. Leo hoped he was one move ahead of Mr. Sullivan.

  Whatever the case, Leo knew she would fight. She would not cower under the table somewhere.

  The screen displayed an image of the skeletal structure of a human. The screen zoomed in on sections of the body, and Leo realized it was not bone but metal and other parts were clearly mechanical.

  The eyes lit up red and a vein like structure of wires supplied power. The skull, the most frightening portion, lifeless eyes, sharp teeth, and snaking cables from the base of the skull fed the body instructions.

  “This is BOT 1006,” Mr. Sullivan said. “Its strength and speed are unmatched, and it’s lethal only if you want it to be. You may remember it as looking like this.”

  Mr. Sullivan pressed a button on his wrist and it transformed the skeleton into something resembling a human. As the figure rotated, Leo recognized it immediately. The Butler.

  “This isn’t science fiction, this is real, thanks to Evelyn. You know him as the Butler, but he is called the ‘Butcher’. His name precedes him. He is no doubt on the loose and after you as well. She won’t hesitate to have BOT 1006 bring you back for her precious mineral decoding data, or if she chooses, snap your neck. I’m here to protect you. Believe me or not, I’m saving your life.”

  “You’ve just shown Sarafina and me company secrets and proprietary information. Sarafina and I are outsiders; you’re no different than Mrs. Sullivan, giving away secrets.”

  “I am most definitely different than her. Similar perhaps, but miles apart. You’re kidding yourself if you think you and I aren’t in this together. You are most definitely my partner and couldn’t be further from an outsider. We’re involved whether you like it or not. Once you entered Sullivan house your life changed forever. That includes you too, Sarafina Flaversham. Nothing can detangle you from this. But if you stay on my side you just might live to see your future.”

  Mr. Sullivan raised his hand to his ear and listened with deep concentration on his face. He lowered his hand to his side and his entire demeanor changed. His voice cold and calculated, Mr. Sullivan said, “Stratus and his men are here. Don’t leave this room for anything!” He rose from his chair and gave Leo a focused look. “Tomorrow, I will tell you everything.”

  Chapter 61

  Stratus, still unsatisfied with the answers given, had no choice but to assemble the team. They had flown on a private jet and Stratus had briefed them of the mission. The mission was viewed as top secret. The details and anything that transpired or they saw would fall under this category. Death or capture would result in disavowing all knowledge of them or their involvement.

  They would enter the cottage as quietly as possible and take and detain Leo on the perimeter. Cromwell insisted on being present despite Stratus’s objections that he stay behind in case none of them made it out. Cromwell won the argument, stating it was important for him to be present so Stratus penciled him in the mission plans. Cromwell would stay in the armored vehicle with Leonard and leave if all team members were incapacitated.

  All movement would be controlled, small five-man teams would lead any offensive and the other members would provide cover if necessary. They would advance by alternating these duties until they breached the Halaby mansion.

  Perfect on paper, Stratus felt confident about extracting Leonard. As for breaching the mansion, Stratus had the feeling quiet Halaby had something up its sleeve. Stratus deep in thought tapped his loose clip against his M16, filling the back of the armored vehicle with a loud tick. The vehicle came to a stop just outside the bridge.

  “It’s go time,” Stratus said.

  Stratus slapped his clip into his M16 and checked all their live camera feeds that fed back to the truck as well as the external vehicle cams. Everything checked out.

  Stratus leaned forward, gaining everyone’s attention. “All right, team. Silence from here on out till we make contact. It’s safe to say they may hack our comms once engaged. Not using comms isn’t an option, we need communication as we don’t know what we may encounter. We can’t kill power, so lighting may change from dark to well-lit and we need to be prepared to bail on night vision. I’ll lead the cottage extraction so let your training take over. But always remember, if I say jump you say how high. Last words, we’re dealing with BOTS. Be sure they’re out of commission before we move forward. And remember playing possum’s easy for them.”

  Stratus flipped down his night vision. His team followed suit exiting the vehicle into the night in complete silence. Stratus lead the first team across the river, they avoided the bridge for both stealth and cover. The night was cool but humid, the ground damp and the rain had slowed to a mist in the constant breeze.
r />   Entering through the archway was the easiest way to be spotted so he led the team to the wall surrounding the grounds. He was surprised the gates were not up, and the wall was not electrified. After scaling the fence his team pushed forward, the squad scanning the tree limbs as well as the ground. To Stratus, this was too easy. Something felt off but there was no turning back now. They pushed toward the cottage as the last few team members scaled the wall. Stratus’s instincts were spot on.

  Halaby was exposed and the perimeter’s electrification off. It was crucial that all of Stratus’s squad enter Halaby, every man was needed.

  Stratus led his team away from the maze and through the thick vegetation. The rhododendron surrounding the enclosure of the cottage was thick and concealed their movement from any high-spying rodents.

  They arrived at the back of the cottage, still concealed. The back door in the kitchen was to be their entry point and Stratus waited until the rest of the team setup position around the front and sides. The cottage remained dark and motionless, as it should be at this hour. Stratus readied for Leonard’s extraction but had a bad feeling. He had hoped for an extraction this smooth but knew better. The image of the squirrel he had killed yesterday played in his mind. It was full of rage, relentless, determined. This house’s creatures would revel itself tonight.

  “Ready yourselves for a fight men.”

  Chapter 62

  Fox One received updates from a squirrel BOT 111. It spotted the Ghost Squad shortly after they entered the grounds. The BOTs emitted very low heat to avoid thermal detection and remained motionless in an observational mode. This slow migration of Stratus’s teams allowed Fox One to do two things;

  First, once out of visual range of the perimeter wall’s electrification activated, virtually sealing them in, eliminating their quick escape. Second, it allowed him to move into position outside of the armored vehicle. Fox One had been outside the grounds when Ghost squad arrived and now that they had left, Cromwell was like a sitting duck.

  With the gates now glowing, Cromwell’s attention had now shifted to the cameras pointed in the archways direction. This allowed Fox One to rise from his position among the shrubs and sprint over to the vehicle. He made a smooth roll under the truck, extracted a small strip of C4 from his vest pocket and took a breath in preparation. As he lay underneath the vehicle, he saw movement toward the front of the truck.

  It was quick, brief, its stride nonhuman, and it was headed to the opposite side of Halaby and away from the showdown at the cottage. It disappeared into the brush just outside the perimeter wall.

  “Damnit!” he whispered. I didn’t expect to have him in the mix tonight. Fox One would not risk breaking radio silence to warn Mr. Sullivan until after Cromwell was taken out.

  Fox One pressed a button on his wrist communicator and the gate under the archway rose up out of the ground, providing the Phantom his final distraction.

  He rolled out on the other side of the vehicle, attached the C4 strip on the breech door and pushed in the electrical leads. He rolled back under the vehicle for cover and flipped off the safety on the trigger.

  Chapter 63

  Stratus readied his team as a host of pets crept in around them. He gave the go order by hand signal and two of his men led the charge followed by Stratus and two others behind him. An explosion boomed in the direction of their armored vehicle and several cats strolled out of the bushes near the kitchen door, presumably BOT’s as well. Shit! These are new. Stratus may have lost his eyes with the explosion but there was no turning back now.

  Two of the felines darted at them full speed. Stratus raised his weapon while still running and was the first to open fire, his M16 spitting out a volley of rounds. His shots littered the ground in front of one of the cats, hitting its left front leg blowing off its paw. The injured cat sprinted on hobbling, barely slowing its speed.

  The two team members in front opened fire, spraying the ground attempting to hit the zigzagging felines. Several rounds pierced their backs, ripping away flesh but only minimally slowing them. The injured cat headed straight at Stratus as if it held a vendetta. He fired as the cat approached, bullets tearing the cat to pieces. He ducked just in time as the cat sailed over his head. It rolled lifelessly across the ground, pieces splintering away from the limp animal.

  The man to Stratus’s right had not ducked in time and while he did put rounds into the other feline it was able to leap at his neck and face, its mouth and claws ripping into the man’s shoulder, spinning him around. It began to tear open his vest, sinking its teeth near the man’s clavicle.

  He dropped his weapon and pulled on the cat with one hand while drawing his knife with the other and driving it into the animal’s skull, cutting its head clean off. He tore off the carcass still clutching his flesh but not before its foaming fluids entered his torn skin. He screamed out as the acid ate away his flesh and covered his chest with red tinged foam.

  Stratus knew there was nothing he could do for the man. As the foam detonated, it exploded open the man’s shoulder, his arm dangled from his body, collapsing to his knees, falling face down.

  Furious Stratus turned and focused his gunfire on the remaining cats and his group of four pushed forward toward the cottage. Several felines were destroyed by rounds and lay still near the home, the others scattered into the bushes. Stratus knew they needed to gain entry to the cottage quickly. The chances of extracting Leo were diminishing, and the team was exposed on the back lawn. What concerned him most, other than the ravaging robotic cats was the lights were still off in the cottage. He heard gun shots ring out in the direction of their command vehicle.

  He knew it felt too easy.

  Halaby’s owner had known they were coming.

  Chapter 64

  Back at the armored vehicle, Fox One waited for the noxious gases from the C4 to clear before rolling out and springing up. The door’s locking mechanism had been blown away with part of the door, leaving it open but tweaked at the hinges. He raised his weapon and pried open the bent door with his free hand.

  Before rushing in, Mr. Sullivan’s request to bring Cromwell in alive crossed his mind. He hoped for the best and entered the vehicle with speed, turning sideways to scan the length of the truck. His first glimpse was that of computer screens showing live feeds of operatives. He scanned the cabin for Cromwell and was taken by surprise, the sight of a pistol pointed at him.

  Fox One slammed himself against the opposing wall as a shot from Cromwell’s gun whizzed by, narrowly missing his face. Fox One had fired off a scatter of rounds to deter Cromwell. His shots sprayed the lower half of Cromwell who had been sitting on the floor. Wounds on his stomach and thighs gaped open, seething with blood. Cromwell yelled out in pain as he fell back onto his elbows.

  “Christ, Cromwell. Look what you made me do!” Fox One said.

  Cromwell stared in surprise, followed by shock. He leveled his handgun as he gritted, then said. “Max?”

  Fox One anticipated Cromwell’s move and dodged left, as the round hit the wall beside him narrowly missing his head.

  Fox One simultaneously let off a round of his own that found its mark. It hit Cromwell dead between the eyes, whipping his head back violently before his torso thudded to the floor.

  “Stupid fool,” Fox One said to the deceased Cromwell. He wondered how Cromwell knew his name and tried to recall if he had encountered him when he was a Navy Seal. Other matters were more important, and he worked on disabling their network of head cams. After unsuccessfully shutting them down via computer, he fired rounds into everything and all the screens went black.

  He broke radio silence and warned Mr. Sullivan. “Sir, this is Fox One. We have another unwanted visitor. The Butler is here. I spotted him heading to the east side of the property. I’ll follow him as long as your pets can handle the others.”

  “Negative. Follow your plan to contain Stratus and his men. The Butler’s coming for Leo. That bastard’s all mine.”

  Fox One pa
used in confused and shook his head. The Butler was a killer. What would Mr. Sullivan do to stop him from entering the home? Fox One pushed aside his concern and followed orders, making his way back toward the cottage. He had the feeling he would end up helping with taking down the Butler as well. Fox One wanted to be the one to put the cocky Butler in his place. Oh well. Time to meet this Stratus.

  I’m coming for you Special Agent.

  Chapter 65

  Leo tried to enjoy what was left of his dessert with Sarafina. Through the thick mansion walls, he heard a faint tap, tap, tap. At first sporadic, the sounds became more consistent and Leo identified it as gunfire. The seriousness of their predicament validated, each forkful lost its allure. Leo looked over to Sarafina, her terrified face seeking him for comfort.

  There was only one guard in the room and he was not close enough to hear them. Leo began to think of a plan. Not knowing anything about the layout of the house made it difficult for a viable escape. Having a gun would improve their odds but the only weapon in the room was on the guard, and he was not handing it over.

  “I could sure go for an umbrella right about now,” Leo joked, trying to distract Sarafina from her fears.

  Leo figured he might as well give their plan a shot. He winked at Sarafina and stood up from the table.

  “Sit back down, sir,” said the guard.

  “Relax. I need to use the bathroom. Could you please point the way?”

  The man did not acknowledge him but instead held his hand to his mouth and spoke. Seconds later a door on the far side of the large room popped open.