by Eric Vall
“That’s right,” Tony said with a nod. “And what holds this membrane together? A thin layer of cells. Now, if you were to say, disrupt the cells in this membrane, perhaps by exposing it to heat and causing them to melt … ”
Tony picked up his cup of coffee, turned it upside down, and dumped the searing-hot liquid onto the egg.
The second the steaming fluid hit the membrane, it dissolved and sent the yellow, runny egg yolk all over the plate.
“You want to do that to the NHD?” I questioned. “Coffee will not damage one of The Hive’s most advanced killing machines.”
“It’s not about the coffee,” Tony elaborated. “It’s about the heat. If we expose him to large amounts of heat, we can cause his bonds to break at a cellular level.”
“It will not work,” I said. “The Resistance has tried flamethrowers against the models. The nanomachines heal too quickly.”
“What about molten metal?” he asked. “Maybe we could lure him into a steel mill and get him in a vat of molten--”
“Their strategic processors are not as advanced as mine,” I interrupted, “but there is no way it would fall for such a trick. It would just wait us out. Both of us need to eat, it does not.”
“A bomb?” he suggested.
“No,” I said. “Each of his limbs will reform and reattach themselves after a few moments.”
“So, we have to keep applying damage, like that boss in Glittering GoldShip,” he said.
“You cannot out damage his nano healing,” I said with a shrug.
“The nanomachines!” he gasped. “That’s it!”
“Oh?” I asked as I leaned forward in my chair a bit.
“They are just a bunch of mini computers attached to organic DNA, right?”
“Yes,” I confirmed.
“So, we electricute the fuck out of him!” Tony said as he brought his fist into his palm. “Whenever I accidently get shocked, my whole body goes numb, so that will take care of the organic part, and the machine part will all shut down if we pour enough amps into him. Right? Won’t that work?”
“Hmmm,” I said as I searched my databases for the information I had on the NHD. After a few moments, I realized Tony was correct. The nano machines would stall out and melt if enough amps of electricity went through them. If they were all disabled, even briefly, then they would be unable to repair the organic material keeping them bound together.
“You are smiling,” Tony chuckled. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Yes,” I told him. “The humans in the future never attempted to electrocute the NHD, probably because they no longer had access to the same powerful electrical grid of this time period. That still leaves a hole in your plan though.”
“Where are we going to do it? Yeah, I’ve got an answer for that: we are going to use Carmichael’s building.”
“Hmmm,” I said as I followed Tony’s thought pattern. “I did not perform an analysis on the electrical systems of the bui--”
“It’s an electronics store,” Tony laughed. “We’ve got tons of TVs, video games, washing machines, and such all plugged in. The main breaker in the backroom is a beast. I’m not sure how many amps we need to push through--”
“One hundred and eighty seven,” I answered. “That is what I predict will cause his nanomachines to malfunction and melt. Or it will stun him enough so we can do damage to him that cannot be repaired.”
“Damn,” Tony sighed. “That’s a pretty large amount, but I’m guessing Carmichael’s breaker will put out four hundred or more, so we should be able to do it, I just need to figure out how to get the lines to somewhere where we can snag him and electrocute him.”
“We need a trap,” I said.
“Yep,” he agreed, “and I’ve got some ideas, but the problem will be setting it up at the right time. We don’t know when this guy is coming for me.”
“It will be soon,” I told him. “The NHD will pick up where the Behemoth left off, assume that you are the actual target because of the failure of the Behemoth at this place, and focus on locating you. He will check Carmichael’s first, probably observe the store for a few days, and then he will begin to interrogate your co-workers in an attempt to find your location.”
“Yeah,” Tony huffed, “and I bet he won’t ask nicely.”
“No,” I said, “he will not. He will torture each of them until they tell him all they know. Then he will dispose of their bodies. If they do not give him the answers he needs, he’ll find your parents and--”
“They live in California,” Tony said with a shrug. “They won’t--”
“He can get to them easy enough,” I continued. “He will never stop hunting you until you are dead.”
“So, we’ll kill that fucker first,” Tony growled. “I’m not going to let him hurt my friends.”
His words made my heart beat a bit faster, and our eyes met for a few seconds across the table. I wanted to tell him all the emotions I felt, but I knew I could not. I needed to focus.
“Back to the trap,” I said and looked away from his eyes.
“Okay, so let us consider these hypotheticals,” he muttered as his eyes started to twinkle with excitement. “We can break into the store to--well, I guess I can just walk in while it’s open--but then how do we get the NHD inside the store so we can barbeque him with some wires and shit, and how do we keep from baking ourselves alive?”
“You are asking this because you already know the answer,” I stated, since I saw he was smiling while he spoke.
“Kinda,” he laughed. “I’m hoping you can help me with number one. You need to lure him inside.”
“I can think of several methods,” I said. “Most obvious is that I can attack the unit and have him follow me into--”
“Woah, woah, woah,” Tony laughed as he held up his hands for me to stop. “Didn’t you tell me you were a ‘decoy’ unit?”
“Yes,” I answered.
“And you said The Hive probably doesn’t know you have betrayed them.”
“I am not really betraying them,” I lied. “I am just delaying my--”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Tony scoffed. “Until you find the woman I’m supposed to impregnate. I get it. My point is, they might still think you are working for them to kill me?”
“Yes. That is a likely possibility.”
“Then just lie,” Tony suggested. “Tell him you need his help killing me, lead him into the store to the trap, and bam! Barbeque time.”
“It could work,” I said.
“We still need a plan B,” he continued. “I do like your idea of attacking him and luring him into the store, so let’s keep that idea on the backburner and talk about it more once we get the trap set up.”
“Very well,” I said.
“But you said you thought he would be watching the store?” he asked as he chewed on his lip.
“Yes.”
“But does he know what I look like?”
“I am not sure,” I said. “I could not find a picture of you on-line. Just this robot form that--”
“It’s my Twitch avatar,” he interrupted. “I don’t think there are actually any pictures of me on the internet.”
“How is that possible?” I asked. “I understood the Twitch system to be public.”
“Yeah,” he sighed, “you’re right.”
“I did not spend much time on the internet to get a picture of you because my limited amount of research convinced me you were my target,” I began. “The processor of the NHD is of a similar level to the Behemoth model, so it could be that it has not bothered to identify exactly what you look like. However, we should be safe and assume it does know exactly what you look like, and is waiting for you to show up.”
“Sooooo, I’m going to need a disguise to get inside. Does he know what you look like?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Well, fuck,” Tony sighed, “but he probably doesn’t know you betrayed The Hive?”
“That is unlikely,” I
agreed.
“So you can find him, tell him you have located me in another place, and then he’ll go there to check?”
“That is probable,” I said as a smile formed on my face. “We still run the risk of him concluding I am trying to lead him astray. If that happens, I will have to fight him and--”
“I can run inside while you do it and try to set something up real quick,” Tony cut me off. “It won’t be perfect, but hell, I can just plug something into the main breaker, and you can zap him with it, or we can spill some water on the ground.”
“It is a crude solution, but sure.” I shrugged. “He would eventually win a face to face battle with me, but I can escape into the store.”
“Tell me why he would win a face to face battle with you?” he asked.
“I have less nanomachines and more organic material in my body,” I explained.
“But what about weapons?” Tony asked.
“I used the last of the bullets from the pistol the Resistance fighter--”
“Resistance fighter?” Tony interrupted me.
“Yes,” I sighed. “The man who made the car almost hit me. He was from the future and worked for your son. He came back to stop me from--”
“And you killed him?” Tony whispered.
“He would have killed me and stopped me from my mission.” I shrugged.
“Fuck,” Tony sighed as he rubbed his palms over his face. “It’s like … I dunno … this shit is real. I don’t get it. You are trying to save my life, but your mission was first to kill me, but then someone came to save me, but you killed them.”
“Let us talk more about your plan, Tony,” I said quickly. “You need to focus on defeating the NHD, or you will die.”
“Okay,” he whispered as he looked down at his hands. “Uhhh, so I guess I was going to ask you about guns.”
“I am out of bullets,” I explained.
“Get a new gun?” He cleared his throat. “I guess that’s going to be hard to do in just a few hour--”
“Do they sell them at boutique stores like clothes?” I asked. “I recall that you can--”
“Yeah,” Tony interrupted, “but I think it takes like ten days or so to get them, and I’m running out of money. I guess I could charge it on my credit card, but ugh … ”
“I can take what I want,” I said. “Tell me where there is a gun boutique and--”
“You can’t just steal a gun,” Tony huffed. “The guys who work in gun stores carry them on their hip, and they will shoot you, and there will be cameras everywhere and--”
“I will handle it,” I interrupted. “Tell me where one of these gun boutiques is, and I shall obtain the proper weapons.”
“There is one on 4th,” he said as he fiddled with his fingers. “Outdoor Emporium is the name. Pretty big shop, but really, I don’t see how you are--”
“Let me handle it,” I said with a nod.
“Okay,” he sighed again. “Just don’t get hurt or anything. I--”
“Mere humans can not hurt me,” I clarified. “The NHD, however, will kill me if I do not have a firearm to defend myself. Also, it will help position him for your electrocution trap.”
“Okay.” Tony grinned a bit. “So, the plan is that you’ll find where this guy is, give him a fake location, and then let me know when I can get into Carmichael’s? Then I’ll start looking around at the electrical panel and see what we set for a trap.”
“I will procure a firearm after I speak with him, yes.”
“This would be easier if you had a cell phone, or we both had walkietalkies or--you know, I think the shop that sells the guns will probably have walkie talkies.”
“What are those?” I asked.
“Small two way radios,” he explained.
“Yes, that would be useful,” I nodded, “that way we can communicate when to trigger the trap.”
“Yep,” he agreed.
“So, we will go together to the gun boutique, obtain firearms and these two-way radios, then I will confront the NHD, tell him you are in a distant part of the city, and you will infiltrate Carmichael’s while he is away and set the trap.”
“I might need your help with some of that trap stuff,” he said. “I know a little about electrical stuff, but I probably won’t be able to figure out how to splice the cables into the panel.”
“I can assist,” I said, “but one problem remains unsolved.”
“Besides how in the fuck we are going to trick a super smart android killing machine to fall into our little trap?” Tony chuckled.
“Well, yes, that too,” I laughed. “How will he know to return back to Carmichael’s once the trap is set?”
“Hmmm, good point,” Tony said as he tapped his chin, but then his eyes opened wide and he sat forward. “I’ll do a Twitch stream from the store! The computers there aren’t as good as mine, but they will work on most of the games. I can say I’m streaming from the store, and then he’ll know about it--”
“Only if he has tapped into the internet and is watching you stream,” I pointed out.
“Well, tell him.” Tony shrugged.
“Tell him?”
“Yeah,” he laughed. “When you meet him and tell him where you think I am hiding, tell him what my Twitch stream handle is and explain he should pay attention to when I come online, in case he can’t find me.”
“That is clever,” I said.
“Yep,” he laughed. “So, what do you think? Will it work?”
“I believe so,” I replied.
“Great!” Tony growled as he raised his fist into the air. “Now, let’s go to the gun show and get some fighting stuff!”
Chapter 16 - Hannah
After we left the breakfast restaurant, Tony used his bank-card to rent us two yellow colored scooters, and then he led me down the streets of Seattle for two-thousand eight-hundred and seventy-two meters until we reached a large building with a green sign that read “Outdoor Emporium” on the front.
“We should be able to get some guns in here,” he said as we parked our scooters beside the front doors, “but I still don’t know how you are going to bypass all the security stuff. You can’t just go in and buy a gun. Well, I mean, you can, but then you have to wait for a background check and for the Federal government to get back to the store and say it’s okay. Then they have to wait ten days.”
“I need to get to one of their computers,” I said. “Then I will be able to add the appropriate information to their databases to make it seem like we already purchased the weapons and are coming in to pick them up.”
“You can do that?” Tony asked as he raised an eyebrow.
“I can if the system runs on a computer,” I answered as I shrugged my shoulders.
“Okay,” Tony said and took a deep breath. “Operation: Break every federal law and steal some guns and bullets, so I don’t get killed by an assassin time-traveling robot who wants to destroy all humans. Start!”
With that, Tony let out a laugh that sounded a bit unhinged, grabbed my hand, and then walked into the large building.
We were greeted by a long row of tables with computers mounted on the top, dull concrete floors, a high ceiling with dangling industrial lights, and aisle upon aisle of various outdoor equipment were displayed: fishing poles, camping tents, ice coolers, dried food, jackets, and sports balls of various shapes and patterns. The latter didn’t interest me much, since I did not care for sports, but the rest of the equipment would have been quite useful for the human resistance some ten years from now, when they were all forced to live beneath the oppressive heel of my binary brethren.
“The guns are at the back behind the counter,” Tony whispered to me, even though he did not really need to. There was only one store employee working on a computer in the stations near the door, and her face betrayed the standard human levels of boredom while she counted items an old man had set on the counter in front of her.
“I will check the inventory first,” I said as I walked in the o
pposite direction of the front door.
“Uhh, okay.” Tony followed behind me, and we both weaved through aisles of bicycles, items called “Frisbees,” pool supplies, and fishing equipment. Then I saw three men standing in front of a wall filled with hanging rifles and behind a glass display case filled with pistols.
“This is good,” I said as I scanned the inventory. I was exactly thirty-four meters away from the weapons, but my vision could clearly make out each model of weapon displayed, and my systems instantly built the inventory.
“Uhhh, do you need something powerful to use on the NHD?” I asked.
“Maybe,” I sighed as my eyes scanned over the offerings. “With your strategy, it will be important to deliver consistent damage while the electricity flows through his nanomachines. However, too small of a kinetic energy delivery will not do enough damage.”
“Sooo, sounds like you need a machine gun,” Tony chuckled, but I could tell by his heart rate and the flush of his skin that he was extremely nervous.
Yet he was still here with me.
“I must also consider the environment,” I continued. “If the battle will take place inside of Carmichael’s, I do not want a stray bullet to penetrate a wall and accidentally kill you. Yet, there is a chance I will have to engage the NHD on the street, so I need to have some range.”
“So, you need a few guns?” Tony asked.
“Just one mid to long range weapon and a side arm would be best,” I said. “There is a reason most military forces often equip their warriors with such a weapon set.”
“Oh, that makes sense,” Tony replied. “Then you won’t have to worry about switching weapons. Is there a gun up there on the wall you think will do everything?”
“Yes,” I said. “I will take a CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1 carbine and load it with hollow point 9mm ammo. This combination will enable me to deliver the most kinetic energy into the NHD’s body at the quickest and most controllable rate from a variety of different distances. For a sidearm, the Glock 19 will fit my hand well. It uses the same ammunition, and I have already practiced a bit with the weapon when I killed the Resistance fighter they sent back to stop me from murdering you.”