The Troubleshooter: New Haven Blues

by Bard Constantine

  A frown furrowed his face. “They took full control of this Haven through cunning, threats, and sheer murder. They forced me to use my work on memory implantation to hold the residents under their control. They created a dictatorship where they have ultimate control over everything.”

  I could only stare at Dr. Faraday in disbelief. “The type of control you’re talking about can’t be done. An entire Haven full of brainwashed residents? That’s impossible.”

  His mouth twisted. “There you go with that word again. Science has made us gods, Mr. Trubble. Nothing is impossible anymore. But to your point, complete memory reprogramming would be far too unwieldy to manage. The Gestalt didn’t require mind control, just simple suggestive implants which keep the residents from asking the wrong questions, and more importantly from leaving the Haven. Other than that, their personalities remain intact.”

  I massaged my temples. “And that’s what you’re claiming you did to me?”

  “To you? Oh no –you were a more extreme case. Try to pay attention because we’ll get to that soon. About two years ago I initiated a plan to rid this Haven of the corruptive influence of the Gestalt. I had grown to regret my decision to leave the UH, and so I contacted them to make a deal for my return.”

  I whistled softly. “I guess they were pretty jazzed about that.”

  “Indeed. They had never stopped looking for me, as you can imagine. And they were chomping at the bit to get into this Haven. Their previous attempts to gain entry into had been without fruition, because the shield can only be dismantled from the inside. So I agreed to smuggle their operatives into the Haven in exchange for their aid in dismantling the Gestalt. Their other condition was I would allow them access to the tech and research I had recovered from them when I deported.”

  “So what happened?”

  “They were foolish to believe I would take them at their word, as I was foolish to contact them in the first place. When they sent their lead agent to set up the arrangements, I incapacitated him and scanned his mind.”

  His eyes clouded as he recalled the memory. “That’s when I found his directives: to assassinate me, retrieve whatever data he could, and open the main Tunnel so the SS could enter the Haven and storm the city. Naturally I wiped his mind clean and implanted completely new memories, but by then the damage was done. The SS knew of my existence. It was only a matter of time before they found a way to get inside and come for me.”

  Dr. Faraday paused to stare at me.

  I shifted from side to side. “So that agent. The assassin. You’re saying he was…?”

  I’m sorry for you to find out this way. But it’s true. You’re the one they sent.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not buying that. Not for one hot second.”

  He stared unblinkingly. “What other reason is there for your memory loss? You look back and all you see is darkness. The only memories you have are of the last couple of years in this Haven.”

  My head throbbed. “There was…an accident. I think. I remember the water…almost drowning. If Hunter hadn’t saved me…”

  “Providential, wasn’t it? Have you ever asked what a Hunter model synoid was doing in the river that night?”

  My head pounded like my brains were desperately seeking a way out. I placed a hand on my temple. “I…never asked.”

  “It’s programmed to look after you. I downloaded your memories into its data banks, after all. That’s what I was doing the night when you tried to kill me.”

  “I thought you’d erased my memory. Stick to one story, will you?”

  “I never claimed to erase your memory. You knew the inner workings of the SS, after all. That kind of information is much too valuable to waste. So I downloaded them securely.”

  “Into a synoid? Get real. Can’t be done.”

  He smiled. “Admittedly, the project was not an easy one. Don’t think of it as a transfer of actual tactile memories the way we think of them. It was a data transfer, to keep it simple. The brain is the most highly advanced computer ever designed, but like all others it can be recoded once one understands how it processes information. Then I had to construct a drive capable of handling that amount of raw data, which I installed in a Hunter model synoid.”

  I pulled out a gasper and let it sit in the corner of my mouth. “That’s what I don’t get, Doc. Why Hunter?”

  Dr. Faraday sighed. “Ego and ambition, Mr. Trubble. The Achilles heel of most great minds. I wanted to show the Gestalt and the Secret Service I was not to be trifled with. I planned to use your knowledge and lethal skills at my disposal to break free of both factions. Of course all of that went out the window when you proved to be uncooperative at the most inopportune time. You managed to wake out of an induced coma, kill a guard barehanded, and then use his weapon to place those rather large bullets in me. A lot of highly explosive material didn’t take well to being shot either, and so we ended up in the river.”

  I rubbed my temples again. “So that leaves me with a false identity and Hunter walking around unsupervised with a database holding my memories.”

  He snapped his fingers. “This is where you need to pay attention, Troubleshooter. So pay attention! Your memory can’t truly be removed, you know. But they can be buried. People do it all the time when repressing traumatic experiences. My process was just a bit more professional.”

  “So what are you saying, Doc? That I can somehow recover my memory?”

  “Not without my help. If you wish to out who you really are, I can do that for you. But first you have to do something for me.”

  “And that would be…?”

  His eyes grew desperate. “Why do you think I’m here? The Gestalt locked me up because I’m too valuable to kill. But between them and the Secret Service, I won’t last long. You have to get me out of here. I can help you save this city.”

  The gasper dropped from my lips. “You’re out of your overly intelligent mind.”

  His voice dropped to an urgent whisper. “I can give it all to you, Mr. Trubble. All the answers to your questions. The missing leg, the New Man –all of it. Your memory –I can restore it. You’ll be able to know who you were before you came to New Haven. But you must get me out of here!”

  I raised my hands. “Look, just calm down, Doc. I’m sure there’s another way to—”

  My excuses were interrupted by a dismally familiar sound. Gunshots. A crescendo of gunfire erupted down the hall.

  I looked back at Dr. Faraday. The smile on his face was resigned.

  “You’re too late. The New Man is here.”

  I pulled the Mean Ol’ Broad from her holster. “Come to spring you, is that it? We’ll see about that.”

  He shook his head sadly. “You still understand nothing. He is the one who has the prisoners in an uproar. It’s part of his plan, you see. This is not a rescue attempt. He’s here to make sure I die.”

  Chapter 11: The New Man

  It’s never a good sign when unearthly howls, screams, and gunfire all unleash at the same time. I was torn between checking out the source of the racket, or sticking around for more of the gonzo gab the Savant had been spilling. When I came into the joint, I had believed he was the one pulling my strings. Things had changed.

  Dr. Faraday looked ready to climb the walls. "You won’t be able to stop him. He’s the most complete combat synoid ever constructed. I know, because I designed him.”

  I looked at him as I checked the ammo case on my belt. I had a feeling I was gonna need more than seven shots. “If that’s the case, then why is he trying to kill you?”

  He looked pretty pitiful all of a sudden, sitting there waiting to die. "I did the design work before I deported from the UH. Someone must have picked up where I left off and did the construction. Which means there are moles in New Haven who work for the Secret Service. Don’t you see? The net is closing. The time is perfect for you to spring me while the guards are occupied. It has to be now!"

  The shrieks and howls got louder. Just for saf
ety’s sake I loaded the Replacement Killer too. No point in dying for a lack of lead. "Kinda hard to do without the codes to the cell doors. But I’ll see what I can do after I take care of this New Man Goon.”

  “You don’t have a chance by yourself.”

  “Don’t be too sure, Doc. I got by okay the first time.” I purposely omitted the part where I was screaming on the ground. “You still haven’t told me how he does that mind attack.”

  “Mental projection of the sensation of pain. Anyone with memory implants is susceptible. If you survive, I’ll give you all the explanation you require. In the meantime, if you can’t free me then you should leave right now. You must find Hunter. He is the only one who has a chance of stopping the New Man.”

  “Thanks for the tip.” I raised the Broad and cursed myself for a fool as I dashed down the hall. I didn't really want to see what was going on, but not having a choice had become my theme for the past couple of days. I rounded the corner into a world of insanity.

  Every prison cell had been opened. The prisoners swarmed out like disturbed ants, screaming at the top of their lungs while leaping at their mechanical oppressors. Guards in riot gear were deep in the fray, besieged by years of pent up rage and frustration. Poddar, Rob, the Warden and her men were in a circle, battling the crazed psychos who leaped at them with zero sense of self-preservation. The androids used stun rounds and pulse-batons, but that didn’t mean they didn’t hurt like hell. I knew from experience.

  I liked it better with Faraday, and had thought about going back until a few of the lunatics ran my way. Unlike the guards, I didn’t have the luxury of a stun setting. The Mean Ol’ Broad made that clear when I unloaded her. I stepped over the wounded, reloading on my way to join the others.

  "You sure know how to throw a party, Warden."

  She was pretty fearless as she unloaded her B52s. Then again, she could afford to be. "I don't know how it happened.” One of the guards stepped in her place as she fell back to reload. "All of a sudden, every cell just opened. There's too many of them, and not enough of us. But we have to round them all up without killing them. They’re all valuable prisoners."

  One of the nutjobs leaped off a table toward Rob's back. Before I could yell a warning, Stinker was airborne. The rube screamed as she took him down by the throat. Rob put him out of his misery with a .45 slug.

  I looked back at the Warden. “Good luck with that idea.”

  Poddar struck a psycho with a hard shot to the chest and then kicked him back to his buddies. They decided to exercise the better part of valor and retreat, which suited me just fine.

  Shooting bad guys is too much work.

  "If all the cells opened, why didn't the Savant's?”

  The Warden stood. "Ask him yourself. But if I were you, I'd find an exit while you can."

  "Where are you going?"

  "This is my compound. I’m putting all the animals back in their cages."

  "Good luck.” I figured I'd probably trip over her spare parts on the way out.

  "Let's move out!” She and her soldiers trotted in the direction of the fleeing psychos, creating skull music on any rube who had the misfortune of being in range.

  Rob had the audacity to look regretful. "We're not gonna let the lady take on all these goons by herself, are we?"

  "She’s not a lady, she’s a synoid, Cowboy. As in synthetic humanoid. They don’t feel pain, and they can’t really die. You got a death wish, by all means help yourself. It just so happens I can’t download my memory to a backup database.”

  I fumbled to light a smoke. "Plus I got better things to do. Like tighten the screws on the Savant. He claimed this New Man character was coming to rub him out. Instead we get a recess for the goon squad. What’s that all about?"

  Stinker’s hackles raised as she growled.

  "I think your question has just been answered." Poddar picked up a pulse-baton from a fallen guard. It hummed from the electrical current with flick of the switch. He held his kukri in the other hand. I couldn't figure out if he had something against guns, or was just showing off.

  Three figures glided our way down the opposite hall. The overhead lights fizzled out, keeping them cloaked in shadow as they approached. Pretty dramatic, but I pretended not to be impressed. Just from the silhouette I recognized the tallest one in the black hat and tattered flogger. Our friend from the West Docks.

  The New Man.

  The pair on either side of him were draped in cloaks darker then black. But unlike the rubes we fertilized the Docks with, these two wore gleaming silver masks. They weren't the average goons, either. Their movements were almost musical, like dancers with liquid bones. I did the only thing that felt natural.

  I opened fire.

  Rob joined the chorus with his twin Peacemakers. I kinda liked that. Him using single shot pistols, I mean. Most chumps nowadays go for automatics or bio-guns, but to me that’s just to compensate for cowardice and bad aim. I always said if I can’t get out of a jam in seven shots or less, I’m toast anyway.

  Case in point.

  Now I’ve seen bullet dodging at the picture show, but it’s another thing to see it in person. I didn’t even bother aiming at the New Man, since I’d seen him stop bullets in mid-air and all. But the slugs I fired at his two goons didn’t touch either one of them, either. They were fluid shadows, dark blurs that whirled like ballet dancers on boosters.

  I wasn’t sure if they were fast enough to actually dodge the slugs, or if they dodged the anticipation of the shots. Either way, it was pretty damn annoying. The only bit of satisfaction was I wasn’t the only one with bad luck.

  “Hey, what the holy hell?” Rob’s hammers clicked on empty after hitting nothing as well.

  Then they were on us.

  I was kicked in the chest so hard I must’ve slid about twenty feet until I hit the wall, which wasn’t good at all for my back. When I opened my eyes I saw the two ninja monks from hell fighting Poddar and Rob. The rubes had brought swords to a gunfight, but I guess their case was the exception. Bullet dodging does give you a certain advantage. Poddar was actually halfway decent with his kukri and baton, and Rob had Stinker to balance the odds out. I figured they might live for a few more minutes, so I looked around for the New Man.

  I saw his shadow first, then realized he was his shadow. He drifted down the hall toward the bing ward. I got a clearer look then. Under his wide-brimmed hat he wore a pretty twisted kettle-black mask, shaped like a monstrous raven. I caught the glint of dark armor under his coat. Guess he had a few weaknesses after all.

  He reached for something at his side as he turned my way. It was maybe the biggest pistol I’d seen. I was trying to figure out if it was bio or one of the new mech models when he interrupted my thoughts by firing it.

  It was a mech model. I realized that as the wall behind me exploded. I was half buried by flaming pieces of rubble and pretty sure I was dead, besides. When I realized I wasn’t, I expected him to finish the job. I looked up.

  He was gone.

  I figured maybe he was just in a hurry to get to the Savant. In retrospect, I probably should have persuaded Hunter to come along, since he had made the New Man a little uneasy. Thing was, I didn’t exactly figure on running into escaped convicts, ninja assassins, or the New Man when I first came in.

  I put the Mean Ol’ Broad away and pulled the Replacement Killer. I’d seen the guy dodge regular slugs. It was time to see if rockets would work better. I hoped so.

  Because those rounds were expensive.

  I heard the sounds of fighting still going on behind me, but I didn’t bother to look. I just picked myself up and ran after the New Man. I didn’t exactly have a plan or anything, but I'd been slapped around the entire night and had just reached my quota for getting beat down.

  I’d just about rounded the corner when I heard the Savant scream.

  “You must listen to me.” He didn’t sound near as resigned as he had earlier. In fact, he sounded downright panicky. "You
don’t understand the magnitude of your actions. You are just an apprentice!”

  “It is you who lacks understanding.” The New Man’s voice was sharp as razor blades. “You are not the only one with understanding of the mind. Your expertise is no longer required.”

  I heard a sound like bacon frying, and stepped into a sight I’d see in my nightmares. The New Man was spattered in blood, the result of pulling the Savant physically through the bars. He held the Savant’s bug-eyed head in one hand. As I watched, it shriveled into a dry, blackened husk that crumpled to flickering ashes when it hit the floor.

  “It is finished.” The New Man’s voice boomed. “All of your games have come to an end, and you are less than nothing.” Silver lightning flickered in his sockets behind the mask.

  A gleaming wire retracted into his glove as he threw his arms skyward. It seemed he actually was using some sort of technology after all. Whatever it was, it flash fried Dr. Faraday’s head in a matter of seconds. The idea would’ve seemed more impressive if my life hadn’t been in immediate danger. If he could do that to the Savant, I was pretty sure he wouldn’t think twice on giving me the extra crispy treatment as well.

  Good thing simmering in his own ebony pleasure seemed to distract him. I decided it was the perfect time to let the Replacement Killer give him a message from me in the form of a combustion-released, fuel-propelled mini-rocket. I aimed right for one of the eye sockets. I’m a good shot on a bad day, and it wasn’t a bad day.

  Not yet.

  Thunder clapped, and the New Man howled loud enough to rattle the concrete walls as the explosion snapped his head backward. The hornets attacked my brains again, and I fell back clutching my head.

  Emerald light flashed from the gaping hole in his mask as he waved that massive pistol of his and fired. Heat and concrete washed over us. Before I could collect my thoughts from off the floor, he leaped out the ruined wall still howling like a werewolf in heat. The sound faded as he fell.

  By the time I dragged myself over to look, there was nothing to see but black waves and mist swirling around the rocks. The New Man had vanished.