A series of loud thumps turned Max’s attention back to the corner. He strained to see as far as he could. Another series of thumps issued from beyond an unseen door. “Well what in the hell…”
He heard the sound of a door clicking open. He took a step back from the bars at the sound of approaching footsteps. “It’s about time. You didn’t bring pizza by chance, did you?”
A female Synthetic appeared from around the corner. “Sorry. I don’t deliver.” She turned her eyes to the lock on the door and produced a pair of lock picking tools.
Max’s brow furrowed. “I know you. You’re that Synthetic lady from the subway! What are you doing?”
“I am attempting to get you out of here.”
“Okay… You know, I tried that earlier and I got yelled at for it.”
The Synthetic woman’s tools turned in the lock with a quiet click. “Lucky for me there’s no one conscious to call me out for it. Come on, let’s go.”
Max held up a staying hand. “Whoa there just a minute, little lady. I don’t even know your name. And in case you weren’t aware, the last Synthetics I came into contact with put me and my pal Daryl in this cell.”
“You are Detective Maxwell Kincaid. I am Serena.” She extended her hand toward Max.
The detective ignored it. “It’s Max. Nobody calls me Maxwell. Well, except my mother when she’s mad… or sometimes Sam I guess…”
Serena retracted her hand. “We don’t have time for this. Time is short.”
Max’s face darkened. “So is my patience! I am an officer of the law! I order you to tell me who you are and what your intentions are, Synthetic! Comply!”
Serena shared Max’s glowering look. “Now is not the time! You either come with me right now or I’m leaving you to fend for yourself.”
Max rolled his eyes. He turned to Daryl, who was now back to sitting on the floor. Max shrugged his shoulders and held out his hands. Daryl shrugged back.
The detective turned back to Serena. “Those other Synthetics disobeyed my lawful commands as well. Why should I trust you more than them?”
Serena did her own eye-rolling and reached behind her back. Her hand came back holding Max’s plasma pistol. She flipped it in the air and caught it barrel-first. She held it out to Max.
The detective reached out a wary hand. He took the pistol and slid it into his chest holster, never breaking eye contact. “Okay Serena, that’s a start.”
Serena stuck her hand out again. This time, Max took it. “Nice to meet you… I think.”
“Enough pleasantries.” Serena took her hand back. She nodded towards Daryl. “Is he coming?”
“Yes he’s coming! He’s technically under arrest, for gods sake.”
Daryl almost looked hurt. “But I thought we were cool…”
Max held up his hands and shook his head. “Now is not the time, Daryl. We’ll get it figured out. Just… Let’s go.”
Serena smirked. “Why the sudden sense of urgency?”
Max gave her a look. Really? He turned back to Daryl. “Let’s call it protective custody. Now let’s go!”
Daryl sighed. “Fine, alright…” He got off the ground with a groan. “I suppose I might have a better shot at eating something if I go with you.”
Max turned back to Serena. “Okay lady, your show.”
“This way, please.” Max and Daryl jumped at the shrill sound of a ringing bell. “Quickly! They’re coming back on line.”
Serena pounded back through the door she had entered through. Max and Daryl followed close behind. She led them through a series of twists and turns. “The exit is just ahead!”
Max paused as he passed an open door. “Hold on!”
Serena spun around. “What is it?”
“Just a second.” Max held up a finger before popping through the doorway. He popped back out a moment later. He slipped his fedora onto his head with a smile. “Good to go.”
Serena stared daggers at him, then continued the last few feet to the door. It was locked. “Watch my back! This is going to take a minute.” She produced her lock picking tools and set to work.
Max turned back towards the corridor they had just raced through, weapon drawn. The sound of a door booming open ricocheted down the walls. “I think we’re going to have company!”
“Hold on! I’m almost there!”
The door at the end of the corridor boomed open. A wiry black robot easily as tall as Jax ducked through the opening, red eyes illuminating the walls. Max squeezed off two shots.
One yellow starburst dug into the robot’s chest, the other between the eyes. It shook its skull-like head as if trying to clear it. The robot started plodding down the hallway, booming with each step. Max grimaced. “Get there quicker, please!”
“I’m trying! Can’t you stop it?”
“What do you think I’m trying to do, here?” Max cranked the plasma pistol to max setting. A red light flashed on the weapon. He held it back up and shot twice more at the behemoth.
Two bright-red rounds tore into the chest of the robot. A rain of sparks and fire poured out as the shots drilled in. Max shot another round. The shot hit the robot’s shoulder. Its arm broke free and fell to the floor with a bang.
The robot’s red eyes flickered. It faltered on its feet and fell to the ground with a tremendous crash. “I think I got it.”
“About time. I almost have it…”
Max looked over his shoulder and mumbled. “You’re welcome.”
The door clicked. Serena hammered it open. “Okay. Let’s go!” She ran at a full sprint towards her car, a sleek silver sedan. She quickly outpaced her human companions, leaving them scrambling to catch up.
A loud boom followed by the sound of crumpling metal came from behind them. Max slowed and looked over his shoulder. Another giant black robot walked over the twisted remains of the metal door they had just passed through a moment before.
“We’ve got more company!” The robot hunched over and began galloping towards them with a gorilla-like gate.
Max stopped and spun around. He dropped to one knee and leveled his gun. He started firing as the robot quickly closed the gap between them. The shots slowed the robot but didn’t seem to injure it. “It’s armored!”
Serena stepped up behind Max and leveled a rifle-like plasma gun at the lumbering robot. The concussion from the weapon’s blast nearly pushed Max over. Blue-white bolts of searing-hot plasma rocketed into the bot.
The first shot halted the robot. The second one sent it tumbling over backwards. It writhed as the holes from the blasts glowed yellow and slowly expanded. Fire flickered and glowed inside the holes. The bot released a single unholy scream and finally lay still.
“Holy shit.” Daryl looked from the robot to Serena and back.
Max stood up and dusted off his trench coat. “By god, the lady’s starting to grow on me.”
Serena smirked. “Get in.” She tossed the rifle into the open trunk of the vehicle. Max and Daryl scrambled into the back. Serena jumped in the front and got the car rolling.
She slowed things down after a few blocks. “We should be clear… For now.”
Max didn’t look completely convinced. “How can you be so sure?”
“The people responsible for kidnapping you have a vested interest in maintaining a low profile. We just made that a lot harder. It would be nearly impossible if they decided to lead us on a chase through the heart of the city.”
Max peered out through the windshield, trying to deduce just what part of the city they were traveling through. He wasn’t having much luck. “You wouldn’t happen to be interested in telling me exactly who ‘they’ are, would you?”
The sky was quickly darkening. Lights from the dashboard cast a faint green glow on Serena’s face. “Believe it or not, I am interested. However, now is not the time. We must hurry if we are to stop you from killing the experiment.”
“The experiment?” Daryl leaned forward, suddenly curious.
“Th
ere’s no time to explain. The replicant of Max Kincaid is meeting with Synthetics at a predetermined location. An experimental replicant is supposed to be there, and it is supposed to be terminated.”
“I can call for backup. Do you have a phone?”
“I cannot allow that, detective. There’s too much at stake.”
Max sighed deeply. “I suppose I can’t change your mind… or order you to.” Serena simply shook her head. “Can you at least explain that?”
“In time.” The green glow on Serena’s face was replaced by alternating hues of blue and red. “Shit. Friends of yours?”
Max smirked. “We’re all friends. I can’t tell you what precinct they’re from, if that’s what you’re asking.” The patrol car behind them whooped its siren. “I’d pull over, if I were you.”
Serena reluctantly pulled the silver sedan into a parking spot along the side of the street. Max rolled his window down. “I’ve got this one.” Serena turned her head slightly and nodded.
Max watched as the officer’s flashlight clicked on and trailed up the side of the sedan. “Good evening, officer!” He slowly held his badge up and outside of the window so that the officer wouldn’t be startled. “Detective Max Kincaid, NWPD.”
The officer let out a small laugh. “Detective Kincaid, huh? That’s interesting. Care to tell me where you’re coming from, detective?”
“I’m afraid there’s no time for that. I’ve been held against my will. This lady is escorting me to the scene of a potential crime in progress. We could use the backup, if you can accompany us.” Serena shot him a dirty look from the rear-view mirror.
“That’s very interesting, Detective Kincaid. We’re responding as backup to a potential crime in progress ourselves. One of the suspects… is you.” The officer pointed his plasma pistol at Max. “I’m going to have to ask you to step out of the car.”
Max shook his head. “This is a misunderstanding, officer. The Kincaid you want is a replicant. We need to stop him before…”
The officer shook his head, smiling. “A replicant… Get out of the car, detective.”
“I understand where you‘re coming from, but you could be responsible for the death of an innocent person.”
“I’ll take that chance. Get out of the car.”
Max sighed. “Alright, alright. Give me a second.” He slipped his badge back in his coat. The officer raised his pistol. “Easy! I’m just putting away my badge.”
A flash of yellow light streaked past Max’s face and into the officer’s chest. The officer fired his pistol wildly. The shot went uselessly into the night sky. Max whipped around towards Serena. “What in the hell are you doing!”
“You are right. We don’t have time for this.” More yellow plasma shots came from behind them. The officer’s partner blew out the sedan’s rear window. All three ducked, somehow avoiding the rounds.
Serena opened her door and stuck her weapon out. She fired three shots wildly. The other officer fired again. She tracked the streaks of light to their source and returned fire. There were no more shots fired back.
She pulled herself back into the car and slammed the door shut. She started the car, checked the rear-mirror and froze. “Is there a problem, detective?”
Max had his plasma pistol trained on the back of Serena’s head. “You’re damn-right there’s a problem. So far, it’s seemed like you were on the level, but now… You can’t just go shooting law enforcement.”
“They were not mortally wounded…”
“They weren’t… That’s not the point! They were doing their job! If you had just let me do mine…”
“There was no time, detective. Lives are at stake, right now. Will you let them be taken so easily?”
Max’s hands were shaking. He grimaced, his mind torn in two different directions. “Fine. But if you fire on any more peace officers, I will disable you, permanently if necessary.”
A moment passed. “Understood.”
Max lowered his pistol. “Drive.”
Serena squealed the tires as she steered the vehicle back onto the street. Daryl brushed broken pieces of glass off of his lap as he cautiously sat back up. “Yeah, um, I’m fine by the way. I uh… Thanks for asking. That was pretty intense, huh?”
Several tense minutes passed as Serena took a series of left and right turns, delving ever deeper into the slums of the city. More than once, Max came within a hair’s breadth of warning her to slow down for fear of attracting more unwanted attention. Serena slowed down each time, as if picking up on Max’s cues.
The vehicle pulled into a parking spot an eternity later. Serena turned the car off and eyed Max in the mirror. “We’re here. Stay close to me. Don’t fire unless you’re given no other choice. I want to take you -- the other you -- alive, if possible.”
Max said nothing, but nodded. He turned to Daryl. “You stay here. You’ll be safe.”
Daryl raised an eyebrow. “Yeah um, I’m not so sure about that. I think I’d rather stick close to the people with the guns, if you don’t mind.”
Max stared at Daryl for a moment. He smiled. Daryl looked unnerved. “Yeah! Sure. Why not? We’ll all have fun, right?”
“Are you done, detective?” Serena asked.
“Oh, I’m just getting started.” Max threw open his door and started for the alley just ahead of where they parked.
Serena threw open her own door, hissing. “I told you to stay close!
Max stood at the entrance to the alley, mouth agape. He was staring at Richard O’Connor and… himself. Richard was reaching for a door, the other Max appeared to be reaching for something else. “Hold it right there!”
10
The Present
Richard stepped out of the car and stretched with a groan. He shut his door and shook his head. “I think it’s safe to say you’re the winner for who had the roughest twenty-four hours, Max.”
Daryl held his hand up. “I think I fit in there somewhere.”
Richard smirked. “Granted.”
Max had a serious look on his face. “You didn’t really think that thing was me, did you?”
Richard smiled back. “It was hard to say for a time, but it kept making one fundamental mistake.”
“Oh? What was that?”
“It kept calling me Richard. You’ve always called me Richie.” Max’s face softened.
The group approached the entrance to the precinct. Jax was standing watch as always. He reacted happily when he saw Richard, but cooled at the sight of Max. “Good evening, officer O’Connor, Detective Kincaid.”
Max made a face. “Jax! What did I tell you about calling me that? Call me Max, would ya? Jeez…”
Jax’s LED mouth formed a small, thin line. “The way you reacted to me earlier led me to conclude that you no longer wished to consider me a friend.”
Max stared at Richard, realization dawning on his face. “That son of a bitch.” He turned back to Jax. “You got duped by a replicant, Jax. That wasn’t me, buddy.”
Jax grew arched LED brows over his eyes. Max couldn’t help but smile. “A replicant! I did not detect a Synthetic signature from the impostor Max…”
Serena stepped forward. “You wouldn’t have. Replicants are designed to emit signals that trick robotic sensors into detecting human vital signs.”
“I was not aware of this.” Jax smiled. “This brings me great peace of mind. Thank you, Miss?”
“You may call me Serena. You are Jax? It is nice to meet you.”
“The feeling is mutual. I like your new friend, Max!”
Max chuckled. “I’m not quite ready to call her a friend, Jax. But yeah, she’s pretty alright.”
Richard cleared his throat. “I think we probably shouldn’t keep the chief waiting, Max.”
“Of course.” Max tipped his fedora to Jax. “It’s good to see you again, buddy. We’ll talk again soon.”
“Have a good evening friend Max, officer O’Connor! It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Serena.”
Jax held the door open as the four filed through. Daryl caught up with Max once they were inside. “Not that I’m overly concerned, but… Why didn’t Jax acknowledge me?”
Max smirked. “Hurt your feelings, did he? It wasn’t personal. You’re still registered as wanted by the police. Bots that work in law enforcement are programmed to avoid idle conversation with suspects.”
“Oh…” Daryl dropped his head as if scorned. “I guess I forgot about that… the suspect thing.”
Max clapped him on the back. “We’ll get things figured out, son.”
Hanlon’s door was open. He stood at the sight of Max and the others. “Max! It’s good to see you, son. It is you… Isn’t it?”
Max shrugged noncommittally. “As far as I can tell, boss.” Hanlon gave Richard a worried look.
Richard grinned. “It’s him, boss. I promise.”
Hanlon still didn’t look totally convinced, but gestured for them to come in. “Alright, well… Have a seat, gentlemen…” He raised an eyebrow. “And lady…”
“I am Serena. I was responsible for freeing Detective Kincaid and the one known as Daryl Marston.”
“Ah! I see. Well… Let’s get me up to speed, shall we? We’ll start with you, Rich.” Richard recounted everything that happened after he had last talked to Hanlon on the phone.
Max jumped in as soon as Richard was finished. “Wait, he said that Sam was in trouble?”
Hanlon laughed. Max looked at him incredulously. Hanlon held up a staying hand. “Your lady-friend called earlier in the evening asking after you, Max. She’s fine. Her biggest concern was why her best customer hadn’t bothered to come in today.”
Max’s cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink. “Oh… Well, that’s good to know, then. I’m sure I’ll catch up with her tomorrow.” He cleared his throat. “Guess it’s my turn.”
Hanlon listened intently as Max recounted the story of his and Daryl’s capture, incarceration, and eventual rescue by Serena. His face soured considerably when he got to the encounter with Richard’s would-be police backup. He sighed and leaned back after Max finished his tale.
Preservation Protocol Page 12