Collapse (New America)

by Richard Stephenson

  "I'd like to see you try, you stupid grunt! Old Man!! Lock down the estate! Deny everyone but me access to your systems and deploy security measures immed..."

  When Howard gave the lock down command, the room dimmed and bright lights flashed and flickered in front of the windows. A shimmering curtain appeared in front of each window, clearly some kind of force field. A loud alarm wailed throughout the mansion. Captain Butler immediately forgot about his friendship with the man - his mission was all that mattered. The fate of countless millions was resting on the occupation of Beck Estates. He had no choice. He drew his sidearm faster than a gunslinger, aimed at Howard's head and pulled the trigger.

  A thousandth of a second before the firing pin struck the round, he was knocked off his feet by a force that came from out of nowhere. He had no doubt that Hal had somehow intervened. From his prone position, Butler looked over at Top. First Sergeant Bankhead had drawn his sidearm as well; however, the gray-haired NCO quickly suffered the same fate as Butler. Top landed with a thud behind him and groaned.

  Captain Butler blinked his eyes several times and let the shock wear off. "Top! You alright?"

  "Roger that, sir. What in the blazes was that? Where's Howard?"

  Both men got to their feet; Howard was nowhere to be found. First Sergeant Bankhead walked over to the double doors of the library.

  "Sir, we're locked in."

  Captain Butler knew Hal was watching them. First Sergeant Bankhead nodded in understanding and walked back over to the middle of the room where they had previously been laying. Both men moved towards their weapons. As First Sergeant Bankhead reached down for his weapon, a puff of air sounded, and Top was sent flying backwards. For a second time, he found himself flat on his back.

  "Son of a bitch!" the old man growled as he looked up at the ceiling.

  Captain Butler looked up. "Hal! Listen to me! You have to stop this, now! Will you please just hear me out?"

  Silence.

  "Hal, I know you can hear me, so just listen! Please! This is very important. Millions of lives depend on what we do here today!"

  Silence.

  "Hal, please! Let me talk to Howard and try to explain this. I know he’s furious with me, and I'm not going to deny that I tried to kill him. That was the last thing I wanted to do! Howard is my friend! I know that if I could just have the chance to talk with him I could make him understand."

  Silence.

  First Sergeant Bankhead looked at his CO. "Captain, I think it's safe to say that Howard is somewhere watching us right now."

  Captain Butler nodded in agreement. "Howard, please! I can't tell you how sorry I am that things got so out of control. I couldn't allow you to lock this place down. Howard, a lot of very, very powerful people have big plans for this place. Stopping us will accomplish nothing. Keeping us prisoner in this library will only make things worse for you. If you cooperate with us, I promise no one will ever know what happened here today. If you keep us prisoner in here, you will be tried for treason and executed. Think about it. You are, without a doubt, the smartest person I have ever met. You know I'm right."

  Silence.

  "Jackson, we have to get out of here.” Top said, “Colonel Rutherford is expecting a status report from you in twenty-five minutes. In thirty minutes I'm supposed to be meeting with First Sergeant Moore and his platoon sergeants. If we don't show up, we got maybe ten minutes at best before they start looking for us."

  "You hear that, Howard? Whatever you're gonna do, you got about a half hour to figure it out!! The clock's ticking!"

  Silence.

  "What are your orders, sir?"

  "We wait. We give Howard a few minutes and after that we figure out our next move." Captain Butler's eyes quickly shot around the room.

  First Sergeant Bankhead nodded in understanding. “You think he'll let us out?"

  "I honestly don't know. I'm betting he's having a lot of fun right now, aren't you, Howard? He's probably just waiting to see what we’ll do when his time is up."

  "He's got a minute and some change."

  "Top, you remember what I told you after that little girl died at our checkpoint?"

  "Sir?"

  Captain Butler raised his eyebrows hoping that the man sitting across from him would get the hint.

  "Ready when you are, Captain."

  "What's it going to be, Howard? Time's up! Shit or get off the pot!"

  Silence.

  Both men wandered over to the table Howard had toppled and began picking up the books that were scattered across the floor.

  "You know, Howard, it’s a real shame that you would treat such amazing books like this." He picked up a worn, leather bound book. His Last Bow: A Reminiscence of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Wow! This must be worth a small fortune. Real shame you tore the dust cover when you had your little temper tantrum. You reminded me of my toddler. He acts like that when his brother takes his toys away from him. Is that it, Howard? You don't want to share your toys with us?"

  First Sergeant Bankhead laughed. "Yeah! I thought he was gonna start crying like a baby. I'm not surprised he ran off like that."

  Silence.

  The two men locked eyes for a brief second and then flipped the table into the air, sending it flying towards the middle of the room. The table landed on its side and slid across the hardwood floor, stopping exactly where they had planned. Before the last book hit the floor, the two men each grabbed a chair and ran towards their pistols. They could hear puffs of air sending rubber bullets towards them. A bullet hit First Sergeant Bankhead in the lower back, causing him to collapse onto his commanding officer. The human shield was all Captain Butler needed. Grabbing both pistols, he aimed one at the computer console on the wall, firing three shots as the console sparked and died. At the same time, with his other hand, he fired at the red, glowing circle on the wall directly in front of him.

  "Top, you still with me?"

  First Sergeant Bankhead rolled over onto the floor and screamed, "FUCK YOU, HOWARD!"

  "I'll take that as a yes. You’re one tough bastard. How many hits you take since we walked in this room?"

  "Four. I'm gonna choke that old geezer when I get my hands on him."

  They were both on their backs behind the table. "Sir, is it safe to get up?"

  "I believe so."

  They stood up and scanned the room. "How in the hell did you manage that? How did you know?"

  "You ever see 2001: A Space Odyssey?"

  "Can't say that I have. What's that got to do with anything?"

  "Famous sci-fi movie. The computer is named the HAL-9000. They're flying in a spaceship to investigate an alien object in space. The computer goes crazy and tries to kill the crew. Howard named his computer after it. In the movie, the computer can see all over the ship through a glowing red fish eye lens. That same red lens is in every room in this house, at least the rooms I've been in. I gambled on that being how Hal can see and hear everything. I shot it out and for good measure destroyed the computer console just to be safe."

  "Best shooting I've ever seen, Captain. Looks like your gamble paid off."

  "I'm just as surprised as you are, Top. I'm just glad you caught on to my plan."

  After the little girl died at the checkpoint, Captain Butler knew it wouldn't be long before riots broke out. When he saw that the video had gone viral, he prepared for the worst. In a vid-con, he told his lieutenants that if the mobs started to crowd the checkpoints, they would need a distraction to draw the crowds away. When the mob turned to see what was going on, they would hit them with tear gas. All he needed was for Top to help him provide a distraction.

  "So what's the plan now, sir?"

  "I have no idea. I spent everything on the stunt we just pulled. All I wanted was for Hal to stop monitoring our every move so we could come up with a plan. I had hoped that the force fields in front of the windows would drop, but we aren't that lucky. I have no id
ea how they operate. Certainly not going to touch it and find out. We need to figure it out before we proceed."

  "Sir, I've had my ass torn apart by rubber bullets."

  Captain Butler smiled. "Top, you’ve done more than enough. I was thinking about the other occupant of this room."

  Top laughed. "Howard's cat?"

  "Let's find her."

  **********

  Howard Beck was laughing hysterically in the secure sub-basement of the residence.

  "Sir, I hardly think this is funny."

  "Relax, Old Man! You should know they're never going to catch your cat!"

  "Sir, they better not hurt my sweet little Nala."

  Nala was about the meanest cat Howard had ever seen in his life. Meredith was the only person she would respond to; after she died, Nala warmed up to Hal for some reason. Howard was more than amused that his A.I. had grown fond of an animal. The love affair reminded him of Koko the gorilla and her pet kitten.

  Captain Butler and First Sergeant Bankhead were throwing books at the cat. Nala was on top of a high bookshelf, hissing at the two soldiers. Howard laughed heartily as the two men tried to wrangle the mean, old cat. He was certain they would eventually throw in the towel, but they appeared dedicated to the task at hand.

  "Sir, please put a stop to this."

  "You're no fun Hal! OK, fine. You win."

  Howard was absolutely thrilled that he was finally able to test his security system. The two soldiers were the perfect test subjects.

  Howard clicked a button and began to speak to the men for the first time since he departed the room.

  "Gentlemen! Bravo! Bravo! An excellent performance indeed! You should both be very proud. Fine job disabling Hal’s reach into the library, but you should know I still have cameras all over the place. Captain Butler, do you perform in sharp-shooting competitions, perhaps? You would be very entertaining in a Wild West show."

  "Shut up, Howard!" Captain Butler flipped Howard the bird.

  "Oh come now, Captain! No need to be rude! I meant that as a compliment!"

  "Time to stop playing games, Howard! This has gone on long enough! You should know the kind of trouble you’re gonna be in if you don't let us out of here!"

  "My dear Captain, you have no idea what’s going on. It is you that will be in trouble, not me. I've contacted the White House, and the president and his staff are in lock down from a terrorist attack. Once I am able to speak with him, I am going to expose you and whomever is behind this foolishness. If you're lucky, you’ll only be busted down to a buck private. I haven't decided if I'm going to go to bat for you. I hope, for your sake, you were truly only following orders."

  "Howard, think about it! This is coming directly from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff! You really think the president is in the dark?"

  "I intend to find out just that."

  "Howard, I'm not lying to you. I have great respect for you. I didn't want any of this to happen!"

  "Is that why you tried to shoot me in the head? Is that how you show respect?"

  "Damn it, Howard! I had to stop you! I have a sworn duty to protect this country! Millions of lives depend on this! You want to be branded as a traitor?"

  "I'm a traitor? What about you? You violated my Third Amendment rights and tried to kill me! You’re the traitor, not me!"

  "Howard, that’s not the point here. What matters is that right about now, people are looking for me and Top. Things are just going to get worse and worse for you if you don't let us out."

  "Oh, you need not worry about that, Captain Butler. I have no intention of letting you continue to tear up my library."

  The door to the library opened and four security robots entered.

  "This is what's going to happen. The two of you will drop your weapons and place your hands on your head. Each of my friends here has a taser in one hand and a gun in the other. I'm sure your first sergeant has had his share of rubber bullets today."

  "Fuck you, Howard."

  The lead robot raised his right arm and fired a rubber bullet into First Sergeant Bankhead's stomach. Top vomited on the floor and then fell in it.

  "I've had about enough of your vulgarity, First Sergeant. Captain Butler, if you would be so kind as to help up your comrade and kindly leave my house. If either of you gets within ten feet of one of my friends, you will regret it."

  Captain Butler collected his top NCO and the two left the library. Once they were outside, they were greeted by a dozen of their men.

  "Captain! Top! There you are!" Staff Sergeant Willis looked at the two of them in confusion. "What the hell happened in there? What's going on?"

  "Doc, is my XO in there?

  “No, sir, Lieutenant Christopher is recovering in the guest house; none of our people are in the residence.”

  "Good! Time for us to flush out that crazy, old man and take his house away from him."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Inmate Richard Dupree was trying not to cough his lungs out. His eyes were stinging and the sweat pouring over his body was mixing with ash, covering him in a black slime. Along with Tank, Spider, and Head, the four inmates were mixing in with the others headed towards Cellblock A. Up towards the front of the group, four utilities foremen were pushing two carts into the unit to begin work on the air handlers.

  "Killer, mind telling us what your plan is?" asked Head.

  "Yeah, we kinda need to know what to do before you want us to do it," said Spider.

  "We beatin' the shit out of those hacks and takin' their keys?" Tank would have been smiling if his eye didn’t hurt him so damn bad.

  Richard knew Tank's first thought would be towards violence. "No, wouldn't do us much good just having their keys. We would have a hard time making it up to the Control Center. The guards in there have to roll gates and pop doors open for us to get out. At the last gate you have to show your ID. Not thinking any of us look like those guys."

  "Yeah, the swastika on Tank's forehead would be a dead giveaway," said Spider with a sheepish grin.

  "Shut up, you little dickhead," Tank exclaimed, pushing Spider aside. “I don't know what good going into A-Block will do us."

  The four inmates made it up to the front entrance of Cellblock A. In the chaotic throng of frightened and angry inmates, the four convicts managed to walk right in without the guard even noticing them. Inmates were running all over the place, frantically scrambling from cell to cell preparing for inevitable lockdown. Inmates were calling in debts and favors from each other. If you owed the guy in the next cell a bag of chips or coffee, it was time to pay up. If you had four books in your cell and you’d read two of them, time to loan those two out to a friend. Inmates always prepared for a lockdown, no matter how much time was available. They had no idea if they would be locked in their cell for a few hours or a few days.

  "Let's go! Get in your cells! Time to rack up! NOW!” The guard locked the front door of the unit and walked to the center of the common room. "Hurry up! Get a move on! IN YOUR CELLS!"

  "Find somewhere to hide - laundry room, shower, mop closet - just get out of sight. Don't come out until you see me." Richard was hoping that the guard in this cellblock intended to lock down the unit and leave like everyone else. Hopefully, the guard would move quickly and not search around the unit for stragglers. Richard was also hoping the utilities foremen wouldn’t stay for long.

  Richard and his three partners in crime found places in the unit to hide. Slowly, the inmates in the block relented and went into their cells. Once the guard had locked down his unit, he walked over to the foremen. Richard had chosen a hiding spot that would allow him to overhear what the guards were saying.

  "What are you guys doing?" asked the guard.

  "We're rigging two of these air handlers to come on now so the smoke doesn't get too thick in here."

  Fifteen feet off the floor and built into the wall, four massive fans were spaced a few feet apart. The fans
were designed to pull smoke from the unit to the outside. The fans were tied into the fire alarm system. Once smoke was detected, the fans kicked on and did their job. The motors were on the outside of the wall, filling with ash. If the fans weren't turned on soon, they would either malfunction and not come on, or they would catch on fire.

  One of the utilities foremen walked towards the back hallway. "Hey, can you let me back here?" Next to the front entrance was a doorway that led back to several offices. A utilities closet containing tools, ladders, and other equipment could be found next to the offices.