RoboCop 2
Page 15
A hand appeared before the battered vehicle: Lewis’s hand, holding a canister of NUKE.
The Cain-Creature zeroed in on it and stopped firing its weaponry.
Lewis emerged from behind the truck. “It’s NUKE, Cain. A lot of NUKE. It’s all yours. Come on. You want it, Cain?”
The Cain-Creature’s chest-emplaced feeding mechanism opened. It lurched toward Lewis.
“Yeah,” she called, holding the metal canister. “You’re really hurting. You really want it. Come on, bullet-head.”
The monster clanked toward Lewis. Within seconds, it towered over her.
“That’s right,” she encouraged. “It’s all yours.”
The monster reached for the canister. As it did so, Lewis heaved it high into the air. The Cain-Creature gasped as the canister soared into the sky, end over end. Lewis darted away from the metal monster, taking cover behind a cruiser. The monster extended its tendril, pulling the canister toward its feeding mechanism and turning its back on all concerned.
Robo leaped upon the ignored, abandoned truck. He launched himself into space.
He landed on the creature’s back.
The monster, sensing the intrusion while imbibing the drug, thrashed around. He attempted to fire his shoulder gun, but he couldn’t manage to target Robo.
Lewis watched the battle. “A monkey on his back,” she whispered. “That’s what you said would bring him down, Murphy. Christ, I hope you’re right.”
The monster tried to grasp at Robo from its shoulders. One claw sliced into Robo’s neck and fluid spurted. The Cain-Creature’s claw cut deeper.
Robo found himself screaming.
He was dying.
Robo called up his Robo Vision. On his visor read: SYSTEMS DAMAGE ALERT: EFFICIENCY 44%.
The creature sent its cutting torch toward Robo, who grabbed it with his free hand, twisting it with all his might. He ripped the torch off the monster’s body with a shower of sparks.
The monster went berserk, bucking like a bronco, Robo on its back.
Robo tugged at the protective plate on the monster’s spine.
The monster reared back, slamming Robo into the side of a streetlamp. The lamp crumbled. Robo nearly did as well. Yet he continued to hold on.
The protective plate on the monster’s back flew free. Robo forced his hand into the back of the monster’s main circuitry.
The creature dropped to all fours, bucking back and forth like a stubborn mule. Robo continued to hold on, his feet flying high into the air.
Robo pounded his fists into the circuitry.
A sudden flash erupted from the back of the Cain-Creature’s head.
Simultaneously, the creature sent a crab-claw smacking deeper into Robo’s head. Essential fluid gushed from Robo’s battered body.
Robo screamed.
The monster howled.
It was down to this, now. Brother against brother. Experiment against experiment.
Robo thought of the children.
THE CHILDREN.
THE FUTURE.
Robo emitted a howl and plunged his hand into the back of the monster’s head, yanking out wiring and circuitry and bits and pieces of a human brain and nervous tissue.
Robo felt a surge of electricity snap on his extended hand.
He tried to yell.
His voice emerged as nothing more than a gurgle. “Good-bye,” he whispered. For the children, he thought.
Robo tumbled from the monster’s back, landing in a heap and passing out. For the children was his last thought.
He raised his left hand and brought what was left of Cain’s human brain down onto the pavement with a splat.
His eyes closed as the Cain-Creature sputtered, stammered, spat, and slumped. The monster collapsed onto the street with a teeth-gnashing shriek.
A crowd of police and onlookers ran forward, ambulances screaming in the distance.
High above the scene, from a top floor, the Old Man surveyed the scene, very unhappy. Next to him stood Johnson and OCP attorney Holzgang.
Holzgang sighed. “Of course, there will be a rash of civil suits, wrongful deaths, injuries, destruction of property.”
“That’s just money,” the Old Man replied. “What about criminal proceedings?”
“I’m sure that major indictments will be raised against all parties responsible.”
“That means me!” the Old Man spat.
The lawyer remained silent. The Old Man digested that.
Johnson perked up. “What if this were all the work of one individual? A person who had her own agenda that was not in synch with the goals of our company?”
The Old Man glanced at Johnson as the young executive went on. “A woman who was not a team player? Who violated our trust?”
The Old Man nodded, considering this. “Of course,” he offered, “we’d need evidence to support that.”
“Sir,” said Johnson, beaming, “whether it exists or not, I know we can find it.”
The Old Man returned the smile. “I’m sure you can. I’m sure you will, Johnson.”
“Yessir.”
At that moment, Dr. Faxx staggered into the room, staring imploringly at the Old Man. She ran to him, embracing him.
“Oh, God!” she said. “It was so horrible. I thought it was going to kill me.”
The Old Man stared over her head. “Yes, but it’s over now, Juliette. All over.”
He looked at Johnson. “You have work to do. Better get to it right away.”
Johnson nodded and, grinning, left the room. “Yessir.”
On the streets below, the cleanup was winding down. Robo sat stunned in a corner, shaking his head from side to side. Lewis brought him his pistol.
“Some kid saw it on the sidewalk and tried to steal it.”
Robo grasped the pistol and glanced upward.
Mayor Kuzak stood above him.
“This is a great day for the Motor City, Robo,” the mayor chirped.
Robo got to his feet to face Kuzak and a gaggle of reporters. Kuzak rushed to his side, wrapping an arm around him. “Thanks to the finest police officer this city has ever seen, the corruption of corporate greed has been thwarted.”
Robo scanned the crowd before him. There, behind the reporters, was Ellen Murphy, with little Jimmy trying to get a good look at Robo.
Robo locked eyes with Jimmy.
He twirled his gun, just like Jimmy’s TV hero, T. J. Lazer.
He twirled it a second time, adding a flourish to the move, before he slammed the gun back into his holster.
He saw Jimmy applaud.
The boy knew.
Jimmy knew.
He nodded his head toward the boy, before becoming aware of a tired Lewis leaning her body against his. She smiled at him. His hand silently slipped down to hers and squeezed it. Robo eyed the mayor, still jabbering away. “Detroit belongs to the people again. To us!”
Robo casually slipped his arm around Lewis’s waist. She stared up at him, smiling but startled.
The mayor babbled ever onward. “And this guy here? He’s a symbol! . . .”
Lewis began to chuckle at her own feelings as Robo’s hand easily slid the pair of handcuffs off the belt around her waist.
“You idiot,” she whispered.
Robo raised the handcuffs.
“Yes,” the mayor intoned, “he’s a symbol!”
“Nope,” Robo said, smashing the handcuffs down upon the startled mayor’s wrists.
He faced them both.
“I’m just a cop.”
Lewis beamed at him. “A good cop.”
Robo managed a grin.
That’s all he ever wanted to be.
[ EPILOGUE ]
RoboCop sat silently in his TurboCruiser, looking at the dank, gray, night sky above him.
He tilted his head back.
He should be back at the stationhouse by now. He knew that. He should’ve been strapped into his throne with two robotics experts monitoring his impulses.
Tonight, however, he didn’t feel like it.
He stared at the sky and wondered.
Wondered what would happen to Ellen and Jimmy.
Wondered if Ellen really knew that Alex J. Murphy was alive and moderately well and living in an Olympian body made of metal and human tissue.
He wondered about Anne Lewis.
His partner.
Would she ever become more than just his partner?
Most of all, he wondered about himself.
Was he a man or a machine? If he was a man, he was a pretty darned hard one. If he was a machine, he was a pretty flawed one, brimming with emotions and shortcomings.
He flicked on the transmission and pressed his large foot to the accelerator.
He took a deep breath, sending his computerized innards whirring. Forget it, he thought. Let his insides blow a gasket or two. He managed to discern the scent of fresh night air.
He gunned the engine, sending the cruiser heading deep into the night.
Hell, he didn’t care what he was.
He knew who he was.
Alex J. Murphy. A cop. The son of a cop.
And maybe, some day, the father of a cop.
Table of Contents
Back Cover
Movie
Titlepage
Copyright
Dedication
PART 1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
PART 2
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
PART 3
27
28
29
30
31
EPILOGUE