by Ike Hamill
Kevin braced himself against the dashboard.
Maco turned down a side street and gained even more speed.
He pulled over in front of a church and killed the engine.
“Now what?”
“Back on foot,” Maco said. “Now that she has everyone looking for a speeding car. The bike path is right over there. It goes near Ed’s house.”
Maco left the car keys on top of the vehicle. They jogged through the playground behind the church and found themselves on the bike path. A person on rollerblades slid past them and they slowed to a walk. Maco wiped his arm across his forehead.
“This is the most exercise I’ve had in years,” Maco said.
“Come on. It’s not that much farther. Maybe another mile,” Kevin said.
They alternated between jogging and walking. Kevin let Maco set the pace. Both men were sweating when they turned off the path and walked up the street towards Ed’s house. Everything looked quiet, but they turned when they were more than a block away.
“We can cut through the yard behind his house and try to get to his back door, in case anyone is watching the house,” Maco said.
“I don’t think we have to,” Kevin said.
Maco was about to ask what he meant, but he stopped when he saw what Kevin pointed to. A man was crossing the street.
“Come on,” Kevin said. He jogged away. Maco shuffled after him.
# # # # #
Ed1();
/*****
Ed propped his television against the wall of his dining room and turned it on. There was no sound, but the picture showed helicopter view of Arlington. It was hard to recognize landmarks from this angle. Ed determined that the view was a little north and west of his house. He shut off the TV. Pushing apart the blinds on his front window, he looked to the street. Everything was quiet out there.
Ed paced in his living room. Something was happening. The net was at a virtual standstill, just like it had been on the day that Jim died.
Ed grabbed his keys and a baseball cap from his closet. He left through the basement door and hunched along the privacy fence to the back. After squeezing through the busted panel, he cut through Ms. Hull’s yard and crossed Taylor Street.
A pair of men were running towards him. Ed turned to run.
“Hey!” one of the men yelled.
Ed looked back over his shoulder. The man was Kevin. Ed stopped, still panting.
“You scared the hell out of me,” Ed said.
“Sorry,” Kevin said.
They watched Maco approach. When he had joined the triangle, he spoke.
“We have to get in to GDC,” Maco said.
“What?”
“Gibbons Data Center,” Maco said. “That’s where Jim started Fyre.”
“I know what GDC is,” Ed said. “I put Jim in touch with them. But why do you have to get in there?”
“Jim left us a killswitch for Fyre. We’re going to shut her down,” Kevin said. He pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. “We have instructions from Jim.”
“How did you get those?” Ed asked. “Never mind. Does it say how we’re supposed to get in there?”
“No,” Maco said. “That’s why we came to find you.”
“It’s a secure data center. You can’t just walk in there. You need a photo ID, key card, and a code,” Ed said.
“One problem at a time,” Kevin said. “How do we get there?”
“How’s traffic?” Ed asked.
“It’s getting better,” Kevin said.
“But she’ll have the police looking for your car,” Maco said.
“I figured,” Ed said. “That’s why I ran out the back. There’s another way though. I borrow my neighbor’s car sometimes. Come one.”
Ed led them through Ms. Hull’s back yard and through the loose panel to his yard. They used the side gate to the driveway and then jumped the fence to get to the back door of the neighbor’s garage. Ed pulled out a key and they squeezed into the garage. The car was a tight fit in the small space.
“Careful with the doors,” Ed said.
The car was so close to the walls that Maco barely had enough room to squeeze into the backseat of the Volvo. Kevin and Ed got in the front.
“Whose car is this?” Kevin asked.
“Leo Wallace,” Ed said. He hit the remote clipped to the visor and the garage door began to trundle up. “He’s an old friend.”
“Nice of him to let you use his car,” Kevin said.
“He owes me,” Ed said. He adjusted the mirror. “Shit.”
“What?” Maco asked, looking over his shoulder.
“Someone left a trashcan in the driveway.”
“I’ll get it,” Kevin said. He opened his door and squeezed through the gap.
“Where is the data center, anyway?” Maco asked.
“It’s in McLean,” Ed said.
“You mean over near Tysons Corner?”
“No, in McLean. It’s in one of those fancy housing developments. They built more houses than they could move so GDC bought one of the big houses and turned it into a data center. It still looks like a house from the outside,” Ed said. He adjusted his mirror again. “What’s he doing?”
# # # # #
Kevin1();
/*****
Kevin squeezed through the door and stepped carefully through the garage. It was clean, but packed with stuff. He tripped on a bucket that was placed in the corner near the door. He knelt down and shoved it back in place, getting a face full of exhaust from the Volvo. The trash can was right in the middle of the driveway. It was one of those rectangular cans that you could lean back and roll on its wheels.
When Kevin grabbed the handle, the lid popped open a few inches. He jumped back. He had only met his grandfather on his mother’s side once. The man had flown in from Florida to meet his grandson and give him a gift. It was a black box with a little slot. If you perched a coin in the slot, a little mechanical hand would come from under the lid and snatch the coin back into the box. This is what Kevin was thinking about when he circled the can. He knelt to see inside the gap in the lid.
Two electrodes shot out from the trash can and hit Kevin in the chest. He stumbled backwards, falling down the little sloped hill next to the driveway.
The can turned itself on its little wheels and began rolling towards the Volvo.
# # # # #
Ed2();
/*****
“Oh shit,” Ed said. He dragged the gear shift into reverse and gunned the engine. The car lurched and Maco raised his hand to catch himself from slamming into the back of the seat in front of him.
The Volvo’s rear bumper hit the can and drove it backwards.
The trashcan exploded, raising the rear of the Volvo several feet. The trunk blew open and the car’s plastic gas tank ruptured. The Volvo bounced back down to the pavement and rolled forward as Ed’s foot slipped from the pedal.
Maco pushed open his door and stepped into the puddle of gas. Ed’s door banged against the frame of the garage door. He didn’t have enough room to get out. Maco reached in through the rear door and grabbed at Ed’s shirt. He pulled as Ed wriggled between the seats. When he got his torso into the rear of the car, Maco got a grip under his armpits and pulled Ed backwards. The gas under the Volvo caught fire.
Flames shot across the driveway and caught Maco’s pants as he dragged Ed from the car. The two spilled backwards and rolled down the hill towards where Kevin lay.
Maco rolled in the grass and beat at his legs to put out the flames.
“Get back, Maco,” Ed said. Ed dragged Kevin away from the fire.
Maco’s pants were smoking as he joined Ed in dragging Kevin’s limp body towards the street. They set Kevin down on the sidewalk and Maco tore an electrode from Kevin’s chest. He tossed it to the side.
Ed looked up at the fire. The vapor from the gas was burning the underside of the Volvo and beginning to lick at the sides of the garage. Ed ran to his own garage and
kept an eye on the fire as he typed the code into the keypad there. The door was only halfway up when he reached in and pulled out a fire extinguisher. He approached cautiously, pulling the pin on the extinguisher as he walked up the hill.
Ed kept his distance from the exploded trashcan as he hit the flames with the white fog from the fire extinguisher. The flames went out fast. He stood by with his finger on the trigger, waiting to see if they would start again. Under the white film, he saw the contents of the trashcan. It was all circuit boards and motors in there.
He set down the red fire extinguisher and returned to Maco and Kevin.
Maco was executing chest compressions on Kevin.
Ed knelt next to him.
“It knocked him out?” Ed asked.
“His heart’s not beating,” Maco said.
“What?”
Across the street, a woman came out onto her porch. She had a phone pressed to her ear. She walked across her yard and looked carefully up and down the road before crossing. Ed felt on Kevin’s wrist as Maco continued to pump his chest.
“I feel something,” Ed said.
“That might be from me,” Maco said.
“I called for an ambulance,” the woman said, covering the phone with her hand. “They want to know if you’re qualified to do CPR.”
“Yeah,” Maco said. He looked up as he heard the sound of distant sirens.
“I took a class, but it was years and years ago,” the woman said. “It looks like you’re doing it right.”
Ed put his face down near Kevin’s mouth, listening for any signs of life.
“Look out, Ed,” Maco said.
“What is that?” the woman asked.
“What?” Ed asked.
“That,” she said, pointing up the street.
The thing was red and about the same size as a riding lawnmower, but it was moving much faster. It was coming up the sidewalk towards them.
“Is that some sort of new ambulance or something?” she asked.
Ed looked around for a weapon—something to defend against the approaching machine. He could see it’s big knobby tires chewing up a lawn as it swerved around a mailbox.
“We’ve got to get him out of here,” Ed said to Maco.
Maco didn’t look up from his work. “No.”
The sirens grew louder.
“We’ve only got a few seconds, Maco,” Ed said.
“I have to keep doing my compressions,” Maco said.
The woman backed into the street, beginning to sense the looming danger. A car screeched to a honking stop behind her as she nearly stumbled and then ran back to her own yard.
“Maco, you’re going to have to move,” Ed said.
Maco finally looked up as he counted off his compressions. His eyes grew wide, seeing the red automaton approaching, but he didn’t stop his hands. Ed moved forward, positioning himself between the red thing and his friends.
The car that had nearly hit the neighbor woman suddenly accelerated. It lurched forward, bouncing up over the curb right in front of Ed. Startled, Ed fell backwards and watched the car bolt up the sidewalk. It clipped through several ornamental trees and laid down big muddy tracks through the yards as it raced away from Ed.
He saw the red vehicle try to swerve away from the car. The smashed red frame skidded to a stop on its side in the street. The wheels were still turning. The car bounced again as it rolled over the curb and back into the street. It was a rust old Chevy and its dark grill turned towards Ed. He couldn’t see past the glare of the windshield.
The tires of the car squealed as it backed savagely over the red vehicle. Ed could hear the transmission thunk as the vehicle moved forward again, coming towards him. He looked down at Maco. The sirens grew deafening as the ambulance turned the corner.
The Chevy rolled to a stop a few feet from Ed.
The window rolled down.
Aster leaned out. He winced as the pink cast on his arm hit the door.
“Mr. Statler,” Aster said. “You better come with us. There’s something trying to kill us, and by the looks of that thing over there, it’s trying to kill you too.”
“No shit,” Ed said.
Ploss got out from behind the wheel and limped over to where Maco was performing CPR. He checked Kevin’s pulse as the paramedics spilled from the ambulance and ran to take over.
They hit Maco with a flurry of questions as Ed walked over to the side of the Chevy.
Ed leaned down to Aster’s window.
“We think it might be that Organization thing you were talking about,” Aster said. “We found one of their manufacturing plants and they tried to run us down in the street.”
“It’s her,” Ed said. “She tried to kill us too. These guys have instructions on how to shut her down, but she tried to blow us up before we could get out of the garage.”
Ploss came back and leaned on the corner of the hood.
“I’m not sure what they can do for your friend, but he’s in good hands,” Ploss said.
“What do you mean, her?” Aster asked. “Are you saying there’s a woman behind this?”
“In a manner of speaking,” Ed said. “Can you drive me to McLean so we can shut this down?”
Aster looked at Ploss.
Ploss shrugged. “Should we try to call it in again?”
“Let’s check it out first and see if it’s anything,” Aster said.
“Good. I’ll explain on the way,” Ed said. “Let me go talk to my friend.”
Ed caught up with Maco as the paramedics were helping him into the back of the ambulance.
“Maco,” Ed said. “Do you have those instructions? I’m going to go with the police over to the data center.”
Maco handed Ed a folded sheet of paper. Maco looked down at his own leg. His pants were a mess of burn holes showing through to his red flesh. He looked to Kevin. The paramedics were completing their final preparations for departure.
“I’m going with you,” Maco said. He jumped down from the ambulance just as the driver moved to close the door. Maco turned to the driver and asked, “Which hospital?”
“VHC Arlington,” the driver said as he closed the doors.
“I’ll meet you over there,” Maco said.
Ed led the way back to Aster and Ploss. They got in the back seat.
“Take 66 to the Dulles Toll Road,” Ed told Ploss. “We’re going to McLean.”
Ploss followed the ambulance as it pulled down Ed’s street and turned onto the main road. Traffic cleared for the flashing lights and Ploss followed close, taking advantage of the gap. They got to the entrance of the highway quickly—Ed and Maco had only begun relating what they had discovered about Fyre.
“I can’t believe it,” Maco said when Ed described his last conversation with Lister. “How could he work with her after what she did to Jim?”
Ed shook his head.
Aster described what he and Ploss had seen in North Carolina, and how they had nearly been killed by the driverless cars.
“I don’t understand,” Maco said. “She clearly feels threatened enough to kill. She electrocuted Kevin, tried to blow us up, and tried to run down the detectives. Why is she letting us drive down the highway right now?”
“I borrowed this car from a long-term lot at the hospital in North Carolina,” Ploss said. “Based on Mr. Statler’s paranoia, we didn’t bring anything electronic with us. Perhaps she doesn’t know where we are.”
“She knows,” Ed said. “That little red thing you ran over must have captured you on camera.
“And the traffic cameras on this road would have matched the vehicle,” Maco said. “She could put the cops on us, or shut down the toll road, or attack us with another drone. Why isn’t she?” He ducked down to look out his window towards the sky. “We have to be just as much of a threat as we were before.”
“If, for once, we’ve outsmarted your Organization, then let’s not curse our own luck,” Ploss said. He signaled and used the ramp to enter t
he Toll Road. Ploss pulled towards the booths. “Anybody got any change?”
“Who cares,” Aster said. “Just go through the E-ZPass lane. What are they going to do, send us a bill?”
“Not open,” Ploss said. “They only have two lanes open and they’re manned by people.”
“Wait,” Maco said. “It’s a trap. You see how everyone’s merging over? Those other lanes must have been open until just a few minutes ago. She’s funnelling everyone down into those two lanes—she’s trying to trap us.”
“Easy fix for that,” Ploss said. He nosed between two cars and then pulled out to the left.
“What are you doing?” Ed asked.
Ploss pulled in front of a cone at one of the closed lanes. He opened the driver’s door and got halfway out when an attendant appeared. Ploss flashed his badge and got back in the car while the attendant moved the cone for them. After he had pulled through, the attendant put the cone back in place.
“Easy as that,” Ploss said.
Maco looked behind them.
“I wonder what she had in store,” he said.
On the other side of the toll booth, Ploss accelerated quickly and merged back into traffic.
“What are these instructions you said you have?” Aster asked.
“It’s a set of commands I have to execute on the main server,” Maco said. “Apparently, there’s one machine that controls the whole army of computers. If I get in and execute these commands, the whole thing tears itself apart. It’s called a killswitch.”
“And you think this machine is in McLean?” Aster asked.
“Yes,” Maco said. “The instructions have an address and directions from the highway.”
“And these instructions were given to you by James Owens?” Aster asked.
“In a way,” Maco said. “He left them where we’d find them.”