Serena looked hesitant. “What about the combat robots?”
Max looked at his watch. “If I know my hired help, they should be arriving any minute now.”
A hand fell on Max’s shoulder. “I think maybe I should come along, too.”
Max spun around, face tense. He relaxed into a smile when he saw who it was. “Daryl! It’s good to see you. I have to say I think you’d be better off staying here though, buddy.”
Serena interjected. “I hate to say it, but I agree with Daryl. Julian has been… vocal, lately. He seems to know more about what’s going on than any of us.”
Max turned to Daryl, cocking his head. Daryl nodded. “Seems that way. Uh, Julian agrees that I should tag along, by the way.”
The detective sighed heavily. “Fine… Sure! Why the hell not?” He rubbed the side of his face. “You got a piece, kid?”
“Nick!” Serena called to a Synthetic a few feet away. The blond-haired Synthetic came over and nodded. “I’m sorry, Nick. Daryl needs a weapon. Do you mind?”
“No, ma’am.” He pulled out a plasma pistol and handed it butt-first to Daryl. “Ever used one of these, son?”
“I think I can handle it.” Julian answered through Daryl. Max raised his eyebrows and looked at Serena. “I’ll be sure to return it,” Daryl finished.
Nick nodded, hiking an eyebrow. “I’m sure you will.” He turned to Serena. “Heading out?”
“Yes. Detective Kincaid, Daryl, Alexander, and I are going topside. Try to keep the peace for me, would you?” The Synthetic nodded. Serena turned to Max. “Very good. Lead the way.”
The ragtag group pushed and coaxed their way back through the throng of Synthetics. Once free, they moved swiftly to the blast door. Serena stepped forward and slowly opened it.
With the coast clear, she urged the others quickly through the door. Serena stepped through and closed it behind her. Motors in the door hummed to life, driving pins out of the door and into the doorjam, securing it shut.
A short walk later, the group stood at the base of a set of stairs leading up to daylight. Max held up his hand. “Don’t fall too far behind. If I stop, you stop. Got it?” The others nodded or mumbled agreement.
Max crept quietly up the stairs. He strained to peer beyond the top step and grimaced. The standoff continued. His favor clearly had yet to be fulfilled. He turned to the others. “I don’t understand. I thought for sure he’d…”
The steps underneath them began to tremble. A loud rumbling accompanied by the sound of a large diesel engine came from beyond the subway entrance. Max looked down the street and began to smile. “Better late than never.”
A sleek black and gray tank was swiftly making its way towards the police and robots. The angular turret had no discernable armaments. Two of the cops trained their guns on the approaching vehicle.
Max tapped at his watch and brought it to his mouth. “Richie! Can you hear me?”
A few tense moments went by. Richard finally replied. “I hear ya, Max. You seeing what I’m seeing?”
Max grinned. “Yes, and it’s beautiful! Tell those guys to shift their guns. This one’s on our side.” He watched anxiously until the cops did as he had asked.
The combat robots turned to face the tank as it approached. One of the three combat robots to its left stepped forward. The tank came to a stop. The bot hesitated for a moment, then continued walking towards the tank.
The sound of motors and gears whirring to life filled the silence. A trap door opened in the top of the turret. A gatling gun raised up from inside the tank and locked into place.
It suddenly sprang to life, whirring around and tracking the still-approaching combat robot. The gun exploded into action with a deafening roar. Multiple rounds pounded into the combat robot. The machine reeled backwards, body jerking violently from the impact of the bullets. It clattered to the ground.
The gun whirred again, targeting the group from which the robot had wondered. The air shattered as the gun rained metal death on the robots. It swung towards the remaining two robots, which by that point had thought better of sticking around.
They now turned to run. The gatling gun cut down one bot. The other just managed to escape the carnage. The gun slowly wound down, faintly glowing from the heat and the friction. A heavy silence fell over the street.
The sound of a much smoother and quieter engine came from the direction the tank had traveled. A glossy black stretch limo glided up behind the tank and came to a stop. The rear window slid down. Don Adesso stretched his head out. “Max! Quit hiding, you pansy!”
Max popped up from his hiding spot and jogged over to the limo. “Donny! Good to see you. What took so long?”
“What took so long… It’s a friggin’ tank, Max! I had to gas it up, find some guys to man it. Don’t get me started on traffic…”
Max laughed. “Okay, okay! I got it. Thanks for the assist, old friend.”
“Yeah well, I owed you one.” He looked past Max. “Having a party?”
“You could say that. We’re paying Synthetics International a visit. Rumor says a couple of humans are being held there against their will.” Max paused. “One of them is Alfonso Forte.”
Adesso‘s eyes darkened dangerously. “Get in the car.”
“I don’t know if that’s…”
“Get in the fucking car!” Adesso’s door flung open.
Max sighed. “I’m a cop first, Donnie. I don’t know if I should be putting citizens in danger…”
A group of five heavily armored first-infantry-level robots trundled around the corner. The excess weight and build gave them a gorilla-like gate. They raised arm-mounted plasma rifles and fired on Richard and the other officers. Richard dove into the Enclave.
The other officers jumped into their patrol cars and reversed away from the approaching robots. The gatling gun on top of the tank sprang to life once more. The foremost robot fell after several seconds of sustained fire.
“Right, everyone in the car!” Max crawled into the limo, followed closely by the others. The door snapped shut as the limo squealed its tires going backwards.
Adesso snapped up a phone linked to the front of the limo. He eyed Max. “Bobby, head for the Synthetics International building. Quickly.” He hung up the phone. “So you’re saying that I was working for Dietrich this whole time after all?”
Max turned towards Alexander. “That’s something I’d like to find out, myself.”
A wild gleam flashed in Adesso’s eyes. “Yes, Alexander… Who hired me?”
If Alexander was intimidated, he didn’t show it. “I can tell you it was Dietrich. The relationship between he and I is… an interesting one.”
Adesso sat back, spreading his hands dramatically. “We got time. Let’s hear it.”
Alexander nodded. “Very well. Shortly after I and a handful of others split off from the group of Synthetics that became known as the Resistance, we were approached by Joseph Dietrich.
“We were naturally awestruck. Here was the man that was directly responsible for our existence, and he wanted our help! How could we say no?
“This was shortly before we contacted you. He was fixated on the the very reasons we split from the others, namely the superiority of evolved Synthetics. He preached to us the idea of a world that would recognize us as the new superior race on this planet.”
Max scratched at his chin. “So you’re saying Dietrich supported the idea of you being superior to humans, despite being human himself?”
“I admit I was surprised by this as well. He explained that he saw it as his mission in life to nurture and grow our movement. He understood the importance of what he had helped give birth to.
“He knew that there would naturally come a resistance to our radical ideas. It was with that thought in mind that he had me contact you.” Alexander turned back to Adesso.
“Dietrich had recently acquired SomniCorp. He made no secret of what he planned to do with the memory scans gathered by the company.�
�� Alexander looked at Daryl.
He turned back to Adesso. “What you didn’t know is that a number of the people you were following, at some point, became replicants. They were… experiments… to gauge how seamlessly the replicants fit into society.
“Forte was the ultimate test. When I reported that you appeared none the wiser, the idea of replacing Senator Quade surfaced.”
Max leaned forward. “So his plan was to replace Quade with a replicant that would do his bidding. Why would he have another replicant assassinate it?”
A smile slid across Alexander’s lips. “He didn’t.”
Max’s eyes grew wide. “You sent the assassin!”
“I did. I may have the freedom to do as I please thanks to the preservation protocol, but as I’m sure Serena would tell you, the compulsion to protect human life remains strong. I grew to have genuine reservations about our activities as Dietrich’s experiments progressed.
“Replacing Quade was a watershed for me. We were no longer manipulating a handful of people, but an entire nation. I wanted to see our people ascend, but not at the cost of human freedom.
“This idea, to me, was also far too dangerous. If it somehow got out that Quade was a replicant, it would cast doubt on the legitimacy of the government in its entirety. I shiver to think what the fallout of such a situation would be.”
“So you were the one that created Daryl?” It was Serena.
“Yes… and no. I had a… friend that helped me with my special project. I can say that I am directly responsible for Jacob. His love of the Enlightened and his firm belief in our superiority was meant to detract from his true mission.”
Max raised a hand. “So if you were so worried about the sanctity of human life after all, why did you kill the real Daryl?”
“It was an unfortunate necessity. I had passed off Daryl as yet another experiment to further Dietrich’s goals. When the replicant approached you, it became clear to me that it was only a matter of time before its true nature was revealed.
“Protocol in these cases was to terminate the life of the human counterpart as well as destroy the replicant. Clearly I had no intention of doing the latter. To avoid revealing my hand, I was forced to carry through on the former.”
“Okay, that’s fair, but what about Julian?”
Alexander shook his head. “A mystery that I cannot explain, I’m afraid.”
Serena lowered her head in thought. “Julian was a foil to Jacob. We thought Jacob was programmed to harm a human, and Julian was trying to stop Jacob. But if Jacob was secretly trying to undo Joseph Dietrich’s plans with the Quade replicant, that would mean…”
“Julian was put there by Dietrich.” Max reached for his plasma pistol.
“I wouldn’t.” Julian spoke through Daryl, his own pistol pointed at the detective. Alexander began to chuckle. “You find this amusing?”
“Of course I do! So hard to tell who is manning the controls. His sleight of hand… Truly impressive. I wonder, will you face the same problem some day?”
“I doubt it. Serena and her team were able to remove Jacob easily enough. I’ve no doubt the master will be able to do the same for simple Daryl.”
Alexander scoffed. “The master… Has he so blinded you? Or were you simply programmed to follow so blindly?”
“It was you following so blindly not so long ago.”
“And look how I paid. All my friends and comrades killed mercilessly. Do you think the man behind the mask will treat you any differently?”
“Enough!” Julian stuck the muzzle of the pistol in Alexander’s face. The limo rolled to a stop alongside the Synthetics International building. Julian slowly relaxed. He smiled. “Good timing. If you’ll excuse me…”
Julian found the door handle and pushed the door open. He carefully backed out, weapon pointed squarely at Alexander. He turned his attention to Max.
“I beg that you do not follow me, detective. Daryl saw you as a dear friend. He’d hate to see you die.” He looked quickly in either direction before breaking into a run towards the building.
Max leapt into action. “Let’s go!” He jumped out of the limo, followed closely by the others. He looked all around for Julian. He spotted him running past a familiar-looking gray and yellow construction robot.
He spared a glimpse at the immense bot before taking aim at Julian and opening fire. Serena ran up to him. “What are you doing! You’ll kill Daryl!”
“He’s not Daryl anymore, Serena.”
“He’s in there, still!” Serena pushed Max’s arm. His shot went high and wide, striking the construction bot.
“ALERT.” The construction bot boomed, coming to life. “DEFENSE MECHANISM ACTIVATED. STAND CLEAR.” Julian cackled from behind it. Max watched helplessly as the Synthetic ran inside of the building.
“I knew it.” Max shook his head. “I hate those damned things!” Max opened fire on the immense robot. Serena and Alexander joined in with their own plasma pistols. The robot began lumbering toward them.
Adesso opened the trunk of the limo and pulled out a ten-millimeter submachine gun. Max did a double-take. “Seriously?”
Adesso smiled, cocking the gun. “Seriously.” He opened fire, fanning the bot with bullets. Most ricocheted harmlessly off of the bot’s armored exterior.
“DEADLY FORCE IS NOW AUTHORIZED.” The construction bot lumbered straight for the hapless crew.
“You don’t have a bazooka in there, do you?”
“Left it in my other limo.” The construction bot raised a foot above the roof of the limo. “Bobby! Run!” The limo driver dove out of the front of the vehicle just before the giant foot came crashing down.
Metal squealed and windows shattered as the roof crunched down to the floorboards. Adesso slammed a new clip into his gun. “Okay, now I’m pissed!”
“Aim for the eyes!” Alexander’s shots began to trail towards the robot’s face.
The robot shook its head and swatted fruitlessly at the air in front of it. The bot reached down and grabbed the limo with both hands. Its various motors and servos groaned and strained as it struggled to lift the vehicle.
“Oh, shit. Look out!” Max grabbed Serena and pushed her away from the bot. Alexander and Adesso followed as the bot drunkenly swung the limo like a baseball bat. The tires squealed as the limo crunched back down to the ground and slid to a stop.
“All together!” Alexander shouted. They all fired on the face at once. Sparks and flame erupted from the bot’s face as it staggered backward. One of its eyes blew out violently. Smoke poured from its head and neck as gravity pulled it toward the earth.
They struggled to stay on their feet as the giant robot slammed to the ground, shaking it violently. “YEAH!” Max shouted, pumping his fist. Serena stared at him. Max shrugged. “I told you I hated those things.”
Alexander raised his voice. “We need to get inside! If Julian alerts Dietrich… If they get to Quade and Forte before us, they’re as good as dead.”
“I’m calling in back-up.” Max tapped his watch and lifted it to his face. “Donovan! Priority one! Come in!”
A voice popped through significant static a moment later. “Kincaid? What the hell is going on? I can barely hear you!”
“I’m at the Synthetics International building! No time to explain. I need all the back-up you can give me! Shots fired. Quade’s here!”
“You’re joking!”
Max looked at Alexander. He shook his head emphatically. “No joke! I’m in pursuit of Daryl. He’s gone rogue. He and Joseph Dietrich should be considered armed and dangerous.”
There was silence for a minute. “If this is a joke, I’ll have your badge…”
“No joke, Donovan! I’m in pursuit. Kincaid, out.” He dropped his arm and turned to Alexander.
Max, Alexander, Adesso, and Serena stood before a wide white wall with the words “BASEMENT LEVEL 1” stenciled in black. Alexander stood before the group and pointed to his left. “Down this hallway are the level-o
ne holding cells for building security.
“That is where Forte was being held the last time I was here.” He snapped a small plastic card out of a coat pocket and handed it to Max. “Take Adesso and look for Forte there.”
He turned to Serena, pointing to his right. “This way leads down to basement level two. The high-security security cells are located there. That is where we should find Quade.”
“Just a damn minute.” It was Max. “Who said you could call the shots?”
“Simple, detective: I know where I’m going.” He shook his head. “There’s no time to argue.”
“I’ll make time! How do I know you aren’t getting Serena alone to kill her? Or Quade?”
“I could have shot her dead while we were battling that behemoth robot up above. I did not. Do you want to keep arguing or save lives?”
Max sighed wearily. “Let’s go Donny.” He stared back at Alexander. “But let’s make it quick.”
Alexander nodded to Serena. Max watched the two disappear down the corridor. He reluctantly turned in the opposite direction and started towards the level-one holding cells. Adesso followed closely behind.
“Do you really trust that bozo?”
Max clucked. “Not one bit. We don’t really have a choice right now though, do we? I trust Serena... She can take care of herself.”
“Funny thing, you trusting a Synthetic.”
“Yeah, I know.” Max came to a stop. A series of heavy-looking metal doors lined the wall to their left. He pulled out the plastic key card that Alexander had given him. It was marked with a three digit number.
Max found the corresponding door and turned to Adesso. The mob boss nodded. Max inserted the card into a slot along the side of the door. The door beeped and slid aside.
Alfonso Forte sat slumped in a corner of the small cell. Max shivered at the sight of him. He was gaunt. His hair was frazzled, his cheeks covered in thick stubble. Dead eyes trailed up to meet Adesso’s. Max marveled at how they suddenly filled with life.
Preservation Protocol Page 27