AMP - Phase 1 (Cyborg Invasion) (A.M.P)

by Brian K. Larson

“What about you two?” J asked, “How you going to get through?”

  “Well, I have a little trick, right Doctor?”

  “Yes indeed...Jen showed me how to invoke a small AMP charge, it’s not much, but it’s enough to trick the computers for each of us...putting our minds together, we’ll make it past the checkpoints.”

  “Just remember there are two checkpoints before you’re out of the city,” Sly said, nodding his head at them.

  Jen took the front seat with Cal, while Rhodes climbed in the back and sat in the jump seat that faced to the rear.

  “What are these?” Rhodes smiled, lifting a canvas tarp.

  “Weapons, you know...an insurance policy, just in case. They’re rail guns, so the Vanguard might not detect them. If you scan through, you’ll be fine.”

  Rhodes looked up at Sly, “You’re alright, in spite of what J tells me.”

  Sly turned to J with his hands on his hips, “Now, what is it you’ve been tellin’?”

  “You guys be well,” Calvin said. He gunned the engine, slammed in into reverse and backed out of the parking stall.

  J and Sly gave them a farewell wave as Cal squealed his tires on the surface of the parking garage.

  J and Sly strolled down the garage, finding another exit back to the streets of Seattle.

  “Just so you know,” Sly said, “Even though we’ve formed this partnership, we’ll have to keep all appearance that we’re still rivals.”

  “I never said we were partners. You just tryin’ to get some of my market share?”

  “J...moi?” Sly said, holding his hand up to himself.

  “Yes, you...I know you all too well.”

  “You do me an injustice,” Sly smiled.

  “So why the tattoo, anyway?”

  “’Cause it’s awesome.”

  “The Eye of Ra’ is awesome.”

  “Yeah, pretty much...and it keeps people in check.”

  “In check? Hmm, I’d say it makes you look damn right freakish, but that jus’ me talkin’,” J said, their voices fading away as they strolled from where the jeep had been parked.

  Calvin flew out of the parking garage, the jeep catching air and then slammed back to the pavement. He cranked the wheel right and slammed on the gas heading toward the first of the check points.

  “Jen,” he shouted over the wind that blew over their heads, “There should be a key panel that lowers down below that GPS screen.”

  Jen fiddled with the dashboard and found the control pad, “Got it!”

  “Great! Now, find out how far we are from the first checkpoint.”

  “James Street! One mile ahead!”

  “Okay, punch in the access code for the expressway.”

  Jen punched in the access code that Sly had written on a ripped piece of paper, “Access granted, it says.”

  “Great, once we’re at the on ramp, you can bet we’ll have to stop and scan our wrists, you two get ready now.”

  Jenny unbuckled and turned to face Rhodes, “Doctor, take my hands.”

  They joined hands and closed their eyes to focus on bringing up the small AMP energy they discovered these hybrid chips could do.

  “Come on, hurry it up. We’ve just entered the expressway. I see the checkpoint: five vehicles before us, one Vanguard is doing the scanning with two standing by on the side.”

  Jenny and Rhodes opened their eyes, revealing a cool green glow about them. Then Jen turned and buckled back into her seat.

  Cal looked over and noticed her eyes, “You guys will never make it through showing those eyes of yours.”

  Jenny reached inside her purse that she wore around her neck and pulled out two pair of dark glasses, “Here Rhodes, put these on,” she smiled at Calvin, “We’ve lived in the city for several months now, we’re prepared.”

  Calvin pulled up to the Vanguard and they all held out their arms to be scanned.

  “Thank you for your cooperation, citizen,” the Vanguard said after scanning Jen’s arm first.

  Then he proceeded to scan Doctor Rhodes and, that too came back as good, he robotically repeated his thank you and then scanned Calvin’s wrist.

  The scanner blinked a few times, the Vanguard looked over at Calvin and back down to the read out, “Thank you for your cooperation, citizen,” he waved them on, “You are clear to proceed to the next checkpoint.”

  Calvin wasted no time in gunning the engine and sped up toward the next stop, “Jen? How far to the next check?”

  “Five miles down the expressway, there’s the final checkpoint.”

  “They’re stopping traffic right in the middle of the damn freeway?” Rhodes asked.

  “It sure looks like it.”

  “We made it through one, what’s our time now?”

  “19:05!” Doctor Rhodes yelled.

  “How’s your little charge doing? You gonna make it okay?”

  “Yeah, we’ll be to the checkpoint in a minute,” Jen confidently said.

  “Okay, we’re running out of time. I’m way past my seven hours for the hologram,” Cal again yelled over the noise of the open air ride. He down-shifted the jeep and slowed for the line in front of him.

  Once again, they held their arms to be scanned. Jenny passed, then Rhodes. Calvin had sweat beading up on his forehead.

  The Vanguard took notice, “Citizen, you seem distressed and your heart rate is elevated. Are you hiding anything in the jeep?”

  “No sir. Here scan me.”

  “Citizen, what is your name?”

  “Mark Phillips.”

  The Vanguard soldier scanned his wrist. The scanner flashed yellow as it searched its database, but instead of the scanner indicator changing to green, it flashed red and set off an alarm.

  “Citizen, pull over to the shoulder and step out of the vehicle.”

  “Is there a problem, officer?”

  “Yes, a scan of Mark Phillips was just recorded exiting the airport terminal, five minutes ago. We think someone has hacked your ID. We will run a retina scan to clear you to proceed to your destination.”

  Calvin nodded and slowly pulled the jeep forward, but instead of steering to the shoulder, he gunned it and sped off down the expressway.

  The two Vanguard standing on each side, took a stance as if they were mounting a motorcycle. Then parts of their armor extended down and formed into aerodynamic shaped cycles that became part of them. The two Vanguard sped off down the highway after their suspects.

  “We’ve got Company,” Rhodes shouted. He flipped the tarp off the weapons, sending it sailing into one of the bikes.

  The tarpped Vanguard, unable to see, slammed into the Jersey barrier and went head first into the oncoming lanes where he was killed by a semi-truck.

  The truck swerved, tipping over to its side and slid down the freeway, shooting sparks along the way.

  “This is Unit thirty-seven, in pursuit of three suspects on North I-5...now crossing the ship canal bridge...officer down...send additional units,” the Vanguard officer reported.

  As the officer was reporting to his commander, another bike sped up to him on his left side.

  Rhodes grabbed one of the rail guns and began sending rounds at the officers chasing them.

  “They’re just bouncing off!”

  “Keep shooting, Doctor!” Jen shouted, “keep them distracted!”

  She turned in her seat and closed her eyes, but before she could find any AMP’d strength, the new bike that joined in the pursuit looked over at his partner, and then jumped off her bike at the other rider, taking him down to the pavement.

  Rhodes shouted with glee, “It’s Trudy! She’s taking this one down.”

  The two cyborgs hit the ground, sliding along the freeway on top of the bike. She held her hands on the other’s head and pressed him down to the sliding pavement, pulling him under the bike, killing the clone instantly.

  Trudy rolled on the ground, growing armor to protect her body as she slid to a stop. Then she got up and waved them on
as they sped down the road.

  Five more Vanguard zipped passed Trudy on the side of the freeway, toward the jeep.

  Trudy panicked and tried to grow another cycle, but had to wait several seconds to repair the damage to her circuits from the fall.

  “We got more in coming!” Rhodes shouted, “Can’t this thing go any faster than this?”

  “I’m giving it all she’s got, just isn’t anything more!”

  Calvin handed Jenny the pen in his pocket, “Here, divide this up between you two, and get them off us before they call in more!”

  Jenny took the pen and gave herself a smaller dose since she could rely on her emotions to do the rest, “I got this!” she turned toward the approaching bikes and raised her arms to them.

  The first three Vanguard began shooting rounds from their arm mounted weapons. They steered between shots as they each took turns trying to disable the jeep.

  Jenny was able to deflect the approaching rounds from her slight AMP charge, but knew that this would drain her pretty fast.

  She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment, and then a wave of energy shot down her arms, exiting her fingers. The powerful wave hit the first Vanguard, sending them hurling twenty feet into the air and then slammed into the pavement.

  The two remaining Vanguard opened fire on the jeep and began closing the gap.

  Rhodes yelled as he continued with his barrage of rail gun projectiles, “AMP me Jenny! All of it!” then he handed her his silver case, “Take this and make sure Bennie gets one of these!”

  Jenny instinctively jabbed the rod to Rhodes’s plug, sending the rest of the gamma waves into his chip and took the case from his grip.

  His eyes fired a brilliant green glow as he gritted his teeth. He tossed his weapon after it had emptied, then stood and took a stance at the rear of the jeep.

  “Rhodes! What’re you doing?” Jen shouted.

  Rhodes wasted no time in explaining, he leaped off the end of the jeep into the air, spreading his arms wide, he made contact with the Vanguard, taking them off their bikes and crashing onto the road below.

  The jeep sped away as Jenny screamed, “RHODES! NOOOO!”

  Dr. Rhodes and the two Vanguard faded away in size to Jenny as the jeep continued speeding away.

  Sorry, Jen. You have to understand, I did this to save us all, was all that Jenny heard in her mind from the doctor.

  Tears welled up and ran down her face as she wept over on Calvin’s shoulder. He put one arm around her to comfort Jenny as he drove away from the city, “It’s going to be okay, Jen. He sacrificed himself for us...I think a part of him would never rest knowing that he was the cause of all this.”

  “It’s not fair...”

  “I know he thinks that this was the only way he could make atonement for his sins.”

  “I know, but...but it’s just not fair!”

  “Come on, Jenny. We’re not out of the woods yet. We need to ditch this and get a new set of wheels. Bennie needs you, so just hold it together for a little longer, okay?”

  “I’m trying, Calvin,” Jen sobbed, “I’m trying.”

  Calvin navigated off the expressway to a dark parking lot and exited the jeep. Then they got out and walked over to a motorcycle that was parked, all by itself.

  “Hey, lookie here,” Calvin smiled. “You got any of that AMP juice left in ya?”

  “Why yes, Cal. I do.”

  “Would you do the honors and give her a jump?”

  She rested her hands on the bike and shot another smaller wave of energy into the cycle, causing it to spark to life.

  “Come on, my dear.”

  “After you, Uncle.”

  “Uncle?”

  “Well, as soon as I marry Bennie,” Jen said, drying her tears.

  “Marry?”

  “Yes, he did propose to me...I just never answered.”

  “And your answer is going to be?”

  “A resounding yes!”

  “He’s going to be one lucky dude.”

  “Na, I’m the lucky one here.”

  She held on to his waist as they sped off into the night, headed back to Fort Casey, undetected by any additional Vanguard.

  * * *

  EPILOGUE

  Seattle, WA

  North City Parking

  September 27th 2067 19:35

  Nadine paced behind the abandoned jeep talking with a Vanguard. Major Preston accompanied her at the scene. Both carried a worried look about them.

  “You’re saying that this was Calvin Jones and Jenny Rubinstein? They’re actually still alive!?” Nadine spat.

  “Yes, Ma’am, the Vanguard answered.”

  “You let them get away? What happened!”

  “They cleared the first checkpoint. There was also a Doctor Rhodes that scanned. However, they tricked the computer into displaying another ID. Calvin’s scanned as Mark Petersen.”

  “Both check points?”

  “Yes. However, between the two checkpoints, the real Mark Petersen scanned out of the airport terminal. We thought someone had taken Mr. Petersen’s ID coming into the country. Further checking revealed that Calvin’s ID signature was masked by a stolen ID.”

  “I’ve seen the video feeds from the fallen Vanguard. The Keepers have already begun to fight against us,” Nadine said, shaking her head.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Preston answered, “We’re getting reports all over the city that Keeper agents were popping up. Once the fugitives got away, they stopped.”

  “This is not good news,” Nadine scowled, “Not good at all...” she paused for a moment, “do whatever you can to beef up the Vanguard. Find a way to identify Vanguard from Keeper, that’s the only way we’re going to win this.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Preston answered.

  “Vanguard, they couldn’t have gone very far. Is there any clue as to where they were headed?”

  “We are searching a wide perimeter, but we have not seen anything, nor have we recovered any of the fugitives.”

  “What about the Doctor?”

  “We did not recover any bodies.”

  “Too bad, he appeared to have one of his Hybrid chips.”

  A black limo entered the dark parking lot, “Oh great,” Nadine said, under her breath, “It’s my boss...guess I have some explaining to do. Keep searching for the fugitives and let me know as soon as you find anything,” then she walked across the lot to the limo.

  The rear window lowered slightly as she approached, “Evening, Sir.”

  “It doesn’t seem to be too pleasant of an evening from my angle,” the man said.

  “I never said it was good.”

  “Give me the run down.”

  “I’ll be submitting my report this evening...by the way, how’s the knee?”

  “It’s as good as new, thanks to my new clone body.”

  “That’s good to hear, Kurtis.”

  “Madam, must I remind you not to call me that? I’m your employer! You need to call me Mr. Daniels...or do I need to send you to recycling?”

  “Very well, Mr. Daniels.”

  “I’ll expect your full report on my data pad before the morning,” then he rolled up the window and had the driver leave.

  “Shmuck,” she said under her breath, “too bad you weren’t killed on 253 Mathilde.”

  “What was that, Ma’am?” Preston asked, walking up to Nadine.

  “Nothing, Major. Just have your team go over this jeep with a fine toothed comb.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. We’re on it...by the way, what did our CEO have to say?”

  “Not too much, just wanted to see how we were progressing. We need to come up with something to show him.”

  “Maybe something like this?” Preston said, holding up a short six inch rod.

  “What’s that?

  “We found it on the floor of the jeep, it looks to be a small portable AMP unit.”

  “Excellent, Major. I think you just saved me from being recycled.”

&
nbsp; “Just doing my job, Ma’am.”

  “Give that to me. I’ll take it back to the lab for analysis.”

  Preston handed over the device with a smile, “I’m going to stay and oversee the search.”

  “Thank you, Major. You did real good, but not good enough for another promotion,” then she turned and walked over to the car she came in, and left.

  * * *

  Coupeville, WA

  Condemned 1900’s Military Instillation

  Fort Casey Switchboard

  September 28 2067 08:00

  “He’s still sedated,” Bev said to Calvin, standing over Bennie’s cot, “Doctor Rhodes showed me how much to give to wake him.”

  “Go ahead, Bev. Dr. Rhodes gave us the two last remaining Hybrid chips and the injector. I’ll inject him with one as soon as he’s awake. I think he’ll want to see someone first.”

  Beverly administered the drugs Doctor Rhodes had prepared with a list of written instructions. Ben’s eyes fluttered and then blinked open.

  He had trouble seeing at first, but then as the person leaning over him came closer, she came into focus, “Jen?”

  “Hi Bennie...yes, I’m right here,” she said with a soft voice.

  Bennie gasped at the sight of his true love. Tears welled under his eyes and she held her smooth hand up to catch it on her finger. She lifted the tear up to her lips and kissed it, which made him smile even wider.

  “Jenny, I’ve tried to reach you for nearly two years...I’m so sorry...it’s all my fault that this has all happened.”

  “Shhh, shhh, shhh,” Jenny said, pressing her finger on his lips, “You don’t need to worry about that anymore now that I’m here. We’re together at long last.”

  “Doctor Rhodes? Uncle Cal?”

  “Uncle Calvin is here...”

  “Where’s the doctor? I need him to fix me up...I’m kind of...”

  “I know,” Jen interrupted, “Dr. Rhodes sacrificed himself. He stopped them from taking us. He also gave me this,” she said, holding up a small silver case, “You get one of these little babies...it’s one of his special Hybrid chips...You’ll be just like me now...”

  Calvin stepped closer to view, now that Bennie was fully awake, “Just enough too, cause I need one to have in order to replicate it.”