StarDestroyer.Net BBS

It has been several months since I've posted the first chapter from my web serial called Prime Mover. I've decided to go ahead and post the second chapter to see if anyone wanted to read it and provide input. I appreciate any and all constructive criticism. It is approximatly 5,000 words long.

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“There comes a time in every man’s life where he must choose to believe in something greater than himself.”

The speaker paused to let that sink in to the crowd. Many heads bobbed up and down, followed by murmurs of agreement with his opening sentence. He looked around and slowly stared at everyone. He was a scrawny, older gentleman with a head full of gray, scruffy hair. His thick glasses made his green eyes look twice as big as anyone else’s. The three-piece suit looked uncomfortable, as beads of sweat were already forming along his forehead. It was a decent size crowd, approximately fifty people in attendance.

“For many of you, that time is at hand. We are at a crossroads, people. The world is slowly dying, and it is because we have let un-godly and un-natural practices become an accepted way of life!” He struck the podium hard and elicited a few jumps from the audience.

Samuel sat there listening. An impressionable teen, like most of the others there: poor, hungry, looking for a way to fit in. His family had been moved out of the projects when the city decided to tear down all of those dilapidated buildings and small businesses to make room for corporate skyscrapers and a stupid dog park. He left school at the age of sixteen in order to work in a small recycling facility, sorting metals, plastics, and glass to help his mom pay the bills after his father died three years ago in some freak accident. He never got to say goodbye to his dad. Apparently the body was such a mangled mess that a closed-casket ceremony was the only form of closure to be had. His mother opted for a cremation afterwards. Samuel keept a small leather pouch, decorated with beads, filled with his father’s ashes tied loosely around his neck.

“First, it was the freedom of them niggers, then bitches’ rights, and what do you know? Them filthy faggots got their way too. NOW, we’re expected to sit back on our asses and allow machines to be treated as equals?”

A hush fell over the crowd. A few people gasped in shock, putting their hands over their mouths, looking around for dissenters. A large, muscular black man stood up and began making his way to the front. You could see anger rising up within like a volcano, ready to erupt. Three men in camouflage gear moved to intercept.

“Hold on brother. I am not your enemy. Please forgive me?” The speaker said calmly, looking directly at the black man. “You must understand, it’s not always easy for me to let go of the old ways, especially when I feel so passionately for what is plaguing our world. I was out of line and will ask God to forgive me, for he has shown me the error of my ways. I have formed a new path of righteousness, and I want you, ALL of you, to join and fight this evil upon us! We are all of His children! We are all brothers and sisters! God is calling each and every one of you to serve in His army!” His face was red with excitement. His arms punctuated each statement as he thrust his finger towards the audience.

The black man stopped and looked up at the speaker and shouted, “Brother?…Brother? Are you shitting me?” His face was twisted and his body shook from anger as he continued, “Fuck you, you white piece of shit! We don’t need another hate preacher setting humanity back to the Dark Ages again with their filth!” Foaming spit flew out of his mouth as he shouted, like a rabid dog lost forever to the infection.

Samuel gawked in anticipation. - Would he run the stage and attack him? Would he leave? Would he sit down? - All of those scenarios raced through his head as he pondered the outcome of each. The black man turned and stormed out of the building, spewing forth vile language with each step he took. Whether or not the other three “bodyguards” could subdue him if he had decided to storm the stage may have had some influence on his decision to just leave. - Maybe he saw that they were armed or something… – Samuel thought to himself. The speaker caught the eye of one of the men who was wearing a black beret and gave him a nod. The other two, in green Berets, resumed their post as the other calmly walked out and stood guard to make sure the angry black man didn’t return to cause any more disruptions.

“There is a conspiracy of evil going on.” The speaker continued as the rest of the crowd settled back down. “Scientists and the government want us to believe that these mechanical men walking around have become self-aware. Some to the point of having feelings. Do you know what is really going on?”

He paused again and looked around as if he was looking for someone to shout out the answer to his question.

“They have given demons, straight from the pits of Hell, easier access to possess and use these robots to deceive and tempt God’s children. Scientists have made a deal with the devil, and your soul is at risk of being taken!” His voiced rose with passion.

Samuel and the others sat there in contemplation. A few shook their head in disbelief. As the speaker went on, talking about the vast demonic alliance and how these servants of Satan were stealing souls from the dead in order to take them directly to hell to raise an army to destroy the church. Samuel and many others soaked it all in. They were nodding in approval, sometimes crying out in agreement, getting fired up. Everything started to make sense to him now. It was like the light of creation going off in his mind. It seemed to answer a lot of questions as to how, all of a sudden, robots were thinking for themselves. It clicked as to how his father’s life was so easily taken. The speech continued on for more than an hour.

“In conclusion, my brothers and sisters, we are responsible for saving those precious souls that are being stolen before Judgement Day. We have a mission to release them back to their resting place. Join us, become a member of Anima Illuminate, earn great rewards in Heaven. Liberum mentem captivam! (freedom to the captive mind)” As he ended his speech, he shot his fist in the air and he repeated those last three words with his fist pumping into the air. Everyone joined in, chanting, cheering, and crying.

Samuel walked up to the man on the stage. The two men in green Berets moved to stop him. The speaker held his other hand, palm out, ordering his men to halt in place, and in a swift motion waved Samuel up to the front. Samuel stood there on stage by his side, fist raised in unison, chanting, and a smile beaming from ear to ear with tear marks streaking down his face.

A sentimental note filled Samuel’s head – Finally, a place to belong. -

As Samuel walked home in the cool breeze of the autumn evening, he pulled his jacket tighter around himself and decided to quicken his pace a bit. - Maybe the extra speed will warm me up a bit. – He reasoned. Recalling the events of that evening, his new friends, and the feeling of camaraderie, he had this sense of balance, self-respect, and acceptance. It was like he’d come home after being stranded on a desert island with a bunch of crazy savages. His thoughts fell to his mother – how was he going to explain his getting home late? -

He rounded a corner and came up to the shelter entrance. - Damn. It’s already past curfew – He could have kicked himself for allowing time to slip by that fast. Not only did he have to deal with his mother, but now the staff. His hand reached for the door. Without warning, it flung open in a flash, hitting him in the face, knocking his head back. He stumbled back, straining to maintain his balance as he grabbed his head with his hands. A force hit him square in the chest; he fell on his back, and a blur stumbled in between his legs and then was gone. Two staff members came running out as the door was closing. One almost tripped over Samuel. They both stopped and looked down.

“Oh my gosh, Sam. Are you ok?” A female voice asked in a concerned tone.

“Y-Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just got knocked on my ass is all.”

“Hey, mister; you know the rules. Watch your mouth! There are young children around.” A deep raspy male voice replied. “Speaking of rules, you are over an hour past your curfew!” The man reprimanded him as he outstretched his hand to give assistance.

“I-I’m sorry, Mister Cowl. I know I’m late, but I do have a good reason.” He struggled, a bit wobbly getting up. - Guess I got hit a little harder than I thought. - ”What was up with The Blur?”

“The Blur?” Cowl tilted his head to the side in confusion.

“Yeah, that du-” Samuel tried replying before being interrupted.

“Oh, yes him. I get it now. Yeah, he is a speedy little guy for his size. Apparently he didn’t want to take a bath and got away from his mother. He won’t go far; he’ll be back soon. Funny thing is, he won’t cross the street. He’ll just circle the building a few times and eventually come inside and get his bath anyway.” Mr. Cowl said with a grin.

Samuel smirked as he realized they were talking about Runt. That was what everyone called him. Runt was an eight year old Mulatto that was overweight and always playing in the dirt. His mom was an older, heavyset woman. Could have been his grandma or aunt; Samuel didn’t really know.

“So, Sam; why are you returning after curfew?” The lady spoke up with a frown on her face.

“Yeah, Missus Cowl, I’m sorry about that, too. I was attending a religious ceremony, and it ran late.”

“Well, I guess we can let you slide on that one. Off you go. I’m sure your mother is worried about you. Try not to let it happen again. The rules we have here are for your protection, you know.”

“Yes ma’am. I know. I will make sure to be on time from now on. Thank you.” He smiled as he walked past them on his way upstairs to the third floor to be with his mother.

They were good-hearted people, not incredibly wealthy, but just enough that they ran a homeless shelter for those less fortunate. Most were regulars that needed help getting back on their feet after an extended layoff. Some were carrier bums that came in for an evening meal before heading off to their cardboard box houses. The building was extremely clean despite being located in a run-down area of the outskirts of downtown. The Cowls made sure that those with extended stays and needs assisted with the daily duties of cleaning and maintenance.

Samuel took two stairs at a time to quicken his ascent. He could feel the beads of sweat forming on his brow as he neared the third floor landing. He opened the door to the hallway and turned right. He slowed down to regain his breath. He got to the small apartment he and his mother were staying in and lifted his hand to rap on the door. Before his hand connected, the door flew open and there stood his mother with an angry scowl across her face.

“Samuel Carter Jackson!”

- Uh oh, she is really pissed – His heart sank as his eyes immediately jerked to the floor.

“Where have you been? I swear, if you’ve been doing anything illegal, I am going to throw you out! I’ve told you before, I will NOT have any of that IN MY HOME!” The volume that she used was just slightly lower than a commercial jet crashing into a glass factory. Several doors from along the hall cracked open as curious eyes peeked at the drama unfolding.

“Mom, please; I’m so sorry; let me explain!” He pleaded.

“Get your ass in this house and sit down.” She demanded as she grabbed his arm and pulled him in. She slammed the door and locked it. “Explain!”

“Mom, I wasn’t doing anything illegal. I was attending a religious get together, and I made some friends. The guy that spoke has offered me a job when I’m not with you. We will be reaching out to others.”

His mom looked at him in disbelief. ”Do you have anything from this meeting to prove you were there?” She glared at him, expecting him to stumble over his words or turn away, indicating a lie was about to take place.

“Mom -” He paused, not taking his eyes from hers, “I have this small book that they handed out and encouraged us to read. He said all of life’s answers could be found within.” He pulled the booklet out of his back pocket and offered it to her.

She took it from his hands, continuing her glare, then she looked down at the cover. ”A New Testament?” She spoke in a quieter tone. She flipped open the small booklet to a random page and read aloud, “Every natural animal and plant on this Earth is subject to the respect and balance of human needs and desires. It is our job to aid mother nature in keeping that balance as to not risk a detrimental shift to cause harm.”

She read a few more random passages to herself, closed the book and smiled. She handed the book back to her son and spoke, “Samuel, I appreciate that you didn’t lie to me. I apologize for being so angry a few minutes ago, I was just so worried. I was scared you had been hurt, or worse.”

“It’s ok, mom, I understand. Again, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.” He stood up and wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He knew he hadn’t always been the most well-behaved or easy kid to raise.

She squeezed him tightly back. “Sam, I forgive you. But you know that you were out past curfew, and I cannot let that go unpunished. You are grounded for one week. Now go get washed up, eat some dinner, and then get right to bed. We have an early morning at the plant.”

He pulled back with a look of disappointment and said, “Yes ma’am.” No rebuttals; no arguments.

She kissed him lightly on the forehead and swatted his bottom as he turned to go to the kitchen. - Something is very different about that boy – She thought. It made her feel warm and peaceful inside. Seems that finally he has found something he can feel good about. She made her way to bed.

“Mom?” Samuel called from the kitchen.

“Yes son, what is it?

“They want to help me get my diploma, to graduate. I want to do that.”

She stood there with her body twisted, looking back at the kitchen opening, perplexed, astonished, and proud of her son all at the same time. ”Oh Sam. That – that is incredible. I am so happy for you. We will talk about it more in the morning. Good night, my sweet boy. I love you.”

“Ok mom, sounds great! I love you, too.”



A voice cracked over the car radio, “Delta Three-Delta Three, this is dispatch, over”

“Delta-Three here dispatch, go ahead, over.”

“10-71 reported, possible Code Purple in Dog Park off of Cheshire, Code 3, over”

Shooting, possible gang activity, Use lights and siren

“10-4 dispatch, ETA – 3 minutes, over and out”.

The engine roared to life as the sirens and lights were activated. Chuck turned to his partner and sarcastically exclaimed, “Never a dull moment, aye Mike?!”

Mike smiled back, “That’s why I love this job!”

The car flew through multiple intersections, engine revved high, sliding through turns, left, then right, then left again, and finally skidding to a stop. There was a body laying on the sidewalk. It was hard to make out in the absence of adequate street lighting.

“Delta-Three to dispatch, 10-97 intersection of 14th and Cheshire, looks like we got an 11-44, investigating, over.”

Arrived at scene, deceased person – coroner required

“10-4 Delta-Three, out.”

Mike turned off the siren and then switched on the cruiser’s spot light and shone it in the direction of the body. There was something odd about it. Chuck got out of the car first and crouched low, using the car as cover, moving towards the front end. He drew his weapon and scanned the area, finger on the trigger guard. Mike opened his door and crouched behind it, drawing his weapon. It was three in the morning, and both officers knew that danger could jump out from anywhere. They both put on their night vision glasses and continued scanning the area. After a few intense minutes, Chuck sounded, “ALL CLEAR!”

“ALL CLEAR!” Mike returned.

They both put their guns away, withdrew their flashlights, and walked towards the body. As they got closer, they both looked at each other in surprise. This wasn’t a human body.

Chuck reached for his neck and clicked the personal radio relay device, “Dispatch, this is Delta-Three, Cancel 11-44. Body is not human. We have another iSAB deactivated.”

“10-4 Delta-Three, DoS will be notified, 10-23, over”

“Standby confirmed, dispatch, Delta-Three out.”

Chuck looked at Mike and sighed. ”This is going to be a long night”.

“Wasn’t there reports of shooting?” Mike asked.

“Yeah, 10-71. Let’s break out the caution poles and block off the area. No doubt, news reporters will be here in a few minutes; we don’t want them contaminating the crime scene.

Mike began looking around the area to find any gun casings, as Chuck went to the trunk and grabbed the caution poles. The caution poles were no bigger than a man’s forearm with a disk-shaped bottom. He laid them in a perimeter around the body – ten yards out. Once he switched them on, a holographic ribbon displayed a yellow and black marquee notice - CAUTION : OFFICIAL PERSONNEL ONLY! – Chuck returned to assist Mike in looking for gun casings.

“Strange. We’ve been searching for over twenty minutes, and I see no signs of gunfire. I barely even see any signs of a struggle.” Mike said in a tone of frustration. ”This is like the seventh one this quarter. What is this world coming to?”

“I don’t know, partner. Would be nice if they wouldn’t leave us in the dark regarding these specific incidents. Uh oh.” Chuck looked up. ”They’ve started to arrive.”

Several news agencies in vans began rolling in like a swarm of locust over a cornfield. News anchors and cameramen began setting up.

“Dispatch, Delta-Three requesting multiple back-ups to assist with media control. We may need to block off more territory if -” Mike was interrupted.

“Delta-Three. This is Chief Sanchez. We are sending you back up. DoS has notified us that they will be there within the hour. We should be able to have things wrapped up before the morning commuters begin traveling through that area. In the mean time, keep the media at bay. You are only authorized to confirm a murder; all other details are deemed classified. Over and out.”

“10-4 chief, out!”

“We’ve got back up coming, Chuck. We just need to hold tight. DoS will be here shortly.”

“Uhm, yes I heard.” He laughed. ”I’ll go head off the press; you keep an eye on things here.”

Mike grabbed a black blanket and laid it over the “corpse” while the news personnel were finished getting set up. Chuck headed over to the far right edge of the caution poles and stepped through. Just then, three squad cars pulled up near the same time. Six junior officers stepped out, and Chuck directed them to their spots along the perimeter. ”Say nothing to the press other than, No comment. I am senior officer on deck and we have some specialists joining us soon. Once they show up, ask for their credentials and then lead them to me,” Chuck instructed his team. They all nodded in agreement and understanding, heading off to their assigned posts.

As the news journalists made their way from their staging areas around their vehicles to the perimeter set up earlier, Chuck moved to greet them. Near the same time, members of the press unloaded a barrage of questions with microphones and lights being shoved in his face.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the press. Please – Please calm down. I am authorized to make a general statement.” Both of his arms were outstretched, with his hands waving, as he waited for everyone to calm down and pay attention to him. Grunts and huffs emanated from the crowd as they pressed forward, eager to hear what the officer had to say. ”Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Sargeant Chuck Meerkez. I have been instructed to let you know that there has been a murder. At this time, no other details can be released. That is all. Thank you.”

“Wait, what? That’s it? What the hell kind of bullshit statement is that?” A large breasted, blonde reporter nastily spoke out. Her top was barely able to hold everything in.

- Obviously she wasn’t hired for her skills. - Chuck thought. ”I’m sorry, but yes; that is it. That is the only statement I’m authorized to give. Please excuse me as I do have to get back to the scene.” He quickly snapped back, tipped his hat, and walked back into the perimeter. Loud shouts and curses echoed from the reporters as they pressed forward. Three junior police officers closed in and began waving the irritated mob back.

“Boy, they don’t look happy, do they?” Mike said in all obviousness.

“No shit, Sherlock. I hate it when we have to do this. Did you find anything?”

“Not a thing. No shells, no footprints, no signs of struggle; nothing. Not sure where the idea of possible gang involvement came from. Looks to me, the robot just short-circuited.”

A half-hour later, three unmarked black Suburbans pulled up. Nine men climbed out of them, seven were obviously Augments. Each, almost seven feet tall, identical to the next. Their right forearms were replaced with 9mm motorized miniguns, and their belts were fed with a small metal container holding the extra rounds. Their left arm was replaced with a metal prosthetic replacement. Their torsos were enclosed in metal protective bulletproof armor, featuring a symbol painted on the front and back. Their left eyes were covered with a full spectrographic telescoping lens that allowed them to see great distances and in the full range of the electromagnetic spectrum. From the knee down, their legs were replaced with jump rods. The elastic cords allowed them to run at an incredible rate, as well as jump great distances. They were hybrid mechanical humans, generally hired out as mercenaries or bodyguards.

The group of news reporters immediately backed up. Two men, one black and one white, in dark grey pinstriped suits, sporting a matching fedora and Stacy Adams Spat boots, carrying silver, metal briefcases, moved towards one of the junior officers.

“Officer, I am Agent White. Who is in charge here?” The black man said with a deep authoritative voice as he flipped open his badge he’d removed from the inside pocket of his jacket.

“Th-Th-That would be Sargeant Meerkez, p-p-p-please wait here while I get him.” The junior officer stuttered nervously and immediately ran. He ended up falling in his haste as he tripped over one of the caution poles, knocking out the holographic “tape”. He fumbled to place it back upright and quickly excused himself with an apology and ran to get Sargeant Meerkez.

Agent White turned and looked at his partner with no exchange of emotion. The junior officer returned with Chuck. Chuck extended his hand and introduced himself to them. They both showed their badges again.

”I am Agent White, and this is Agent Brown. We are assuming control of this crime scene.” Again, face devoid of any emotion.

Chuck let out a laugh too quickly, and he tried to cover it up with a cough. ”Is both of your middle names’ Ain’t?” His tongue slipped before he could think about what was flying out of his mouth.

“I fail to see the humor in your inquiry.” Agent Brown said with one eyebrow curiously raised, no emotion on his face.

“I-I’m sorry; that was unprofessional. What can we do to assist?” Chuck’s face turned bright red with embarrassment.

“You can get the fuck out of our way. Take your officers and move your caution poles fifty yards out. You will establish a one-block quarantine zone and stay out. Tell the press to go home or be arrested and jailed.” Agent White responded with a stare that was so cold it could have stopped Chuck’s heart.

“Arrested? On what grounds?” Again, Chuck’s mouth slipped faster than the filter in his brain could stop him.

With a sinister smile, Agent Brown stepped forward and extended his left hand, which was wrapped in a white cotton glove. It encircled Chuck’s neck and proceeded to effortlessly lift him up off the ground. Chuck immediately grabbed the Agent’s arm with both hands, trying to get free. Agent Brown’s head titled to one side, still with that smile, dark brown eyes staring into Chuck’s, “We don’t answer to you. You will do what you have been instructed or you will be sequestered. Understand?” His hand squeezed slightly harder, placing emphasis on his question.

In the back of his mind, he could have sworn there was a glimmer that flashed across Agent Brown’s eyes when he said “sequestered.” It sent chills down his spine. He could feel the darkness creep along the outer edges of his eyes as both of his carotid arteries were being compressed, cutting off the circulation of blood to his brain. “Yexks” Chuck struggled to answer with limited head movement up and down, signaling his affirmation.

“Excellent! Thank you for your cooperation.” Agent Brown let Chuck go, and he collapsed to the ground in a fit of coughing. Mike ran to his partner’s side.

The Augments began surrounding the body where the caution poles were, while the junior officers began establishing the extended perimeter. Chuck and Mike began ordering the press to vacate the area as instructed. It wasn’t long before everyone was in place, as the agents had ordered. Agent White knelt down with his briefcase and opened it. Agent Brown grabbed the blanket and removed it from the iSAB laying there, now in a pool of his own lubricant. He knelt down and opened his briefcase as well. The speed and efficiency to which they both worked the scene reminded him of when he and his brother would watch slapstick movies in fast forward. Samples were taken, cameras flashed, and devices with chaotic lights and strange noises scanned over the body.

Each Agent worked on separate areas, complimenting each other in a symphony of coordinated movements. Seven minutes passed and they both closed their briefcases simultaneously. Agent White depressed a small earpiece and mouthed a few words. One of the Augments walked to the middle Suburban, climbed in, and started it. Two Augments walked towards the body and stood there waiting. The Suburban pulled up parallel to the iSAB body and stopped. The other two Augments loaded it into the back and then climbed in. Agent Brown, closing his hand into a fist, twisted his wrist up to his face and began talking.

“Director, we are finished here. On our way back to The Shop.” – “Yes sir, full deactivation; just like the others.” – “Understood sir, ATA forty-three minutes, twenty-three point two zero seven seconds.”

He let his wrist drop back down to his side as he picked up his briefcase. He looked at Agent White and gave a curt nod. Agent White pressed his earpiece again and mouthed a few more words. The rest of the Augments began moving out, entering the other two Suburbans. Agent White followed them and entered the lead vehicle. Agent Brown walked to the outer perimeter and found Sergeant Meerkez.

“Sargeant Meerkez, a word please.” His tone was less threatening than before.

“Yes, Agent Brown?” His throat was still sore, but he didn’t want to give any impression of weakness or defeat. He stood up straight, shoulders back, eyes directly forward in a confrontational stare-down.

“I want to thank you for your department’s cooperation and speed of execution. Our report to your superiors will reflect your concerted efforts.” Agent Brown extended his hand in a friendly gesture for a shake.

Chuck uncontrollably flinched. Anger settled over his face. He was upset that he couldn’t maintain his front. He reached out and grabbed the hand firmly, “It was our pleasure Agent, I hope your investigation goes well. If there is anything you need from us in the future, feel free to contact our Chief.”

“Excellent, I’m sure we will soon. Have a pleasant day.” Agent Brown spun on his heel and returned to the third Suburban, climbed in, and all three vehicles left.

As the Suburbans vanished out of sight, Chuck walked back over to the squad car and climbed in. Mike was already there. He placed the ring finger of his right hand on a small fingerprint scanner to the right of the steering wheel, and the car roared to life.

“Shit, dude, are you ok?” Mike asked as he was eyeballing the bruises forming over Chuck’s neck, a bit more obvious than he had intended.

“What the fuck was that guy’s problem? He had no sense of humor, and his actions were totally uncalled for!” Chuck replied in an elevated voice of irritation. He rubbed his neck and winced a little. “I guess I’ll be ok. What an asshole!”

“I don’t know, partner. The whole thing didn’t feel right. I mean, who brings THAT much firepower to a “glitch” investigation?” His eyes were wide as his hands flailed in a fit of frustration.

“Oh well, not much more we can do about it now. It’s four o’clock. We still have another few hours before shift change. Do you want to…” He stopped, as he was looking in his rear view mirror to back up and leave. He put the car in park and turned his head around as if his eyes were playing tricks on him. “What the fuck is this now? Did they forget something?”

Mike looked at him in surprise as he whipped his head around to see what Chuck was talking about. Three black unmarked Suburbans pulled up across the street and stopped. One man got out of the lead vehicle and began walking towards the squad car. Chuck turned off the car and opened his door to step out. As he was stepping out, he unsecured the strap that was holding his gun in its holster and he placed his hand on it. Mike followed suit and got out of the car as well.

A tall, lanky black man sporting a bald head and a tightly trimmed goatee, wearing black slacks with an olive drab polo greeted the two men in uniform with a big smile, “Morning officers, I am sorry we were running a bit late. We spoke with your Captain earlier. We are from the Department of Sentience. You must be Chuck. My name is -”

“Let me guess, Agent White?”

“Are you trying to be funny? We don’t go by ‘agent’ anything. I am Doctor Sairja, we are here for the iSAB that was kil – er, uh – deactivated.” A displeased look followed his tone as he held out a plastic identification card featuring his name, job title, DoS logo, with a scanner code at the bottom.

“You’ve got to be shitting me!” Mike exclaimed as he ran back to the car. Chuck just stood there holding the ID card, staring at it in disbelief.

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Thank you in advance for any input you can provide.

Crap - I just realized this was in the wrong forum.

Could I request a moderator move this into User Fiction please?

Thank you.

I have reorganized and rewritten parts of my first chapter to Prime Mover after getting some excellent feedback on a prior thread. Please take a look and let me know what you think. I also have Chapter II - Soul Stalkers accidentally posted in the Science Fiction area, hoping a moderator can move that to the correct forum for me.

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“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

She sighed out loud, standing there as she did every night. She gazed out of the large convex window that served as the East wall to her office. It was situated on the opposite side of the entrance. The window was adorned with a heavy midnight blue silk curtain that was held in place by a quiet motorized retracting rail. The front face of the rail was decorated with wrought iron. It featured long green vines with brown thorns writhing around each other in a twisted labyrinth exiting randomly in spear shaped green leaves and dark red rose blooms.

She wasn’t looking down at the huge metropolis. Nor was she viewing all of the neon signs or the small white and red blips marking traffic on the boulevard thirty stories below. She wasn’t even looking at the countless skyscrapers of commercial giants that pitted the landscape like large, cubed termite mounds. Her head was tilted up, admiring the crystal clear night sky and seeing that the moon was bigger than she ever remembered.

She had been standing there for several minutes taking in the super moon. Bright white with dark dimples, it was like a beacon calling attention to itself, demanding to be adored, admired, and respected. This phenomenon always captivated her senses. Her mind began recollecting past memories. It all started when she was a little girl, sitting on her great-grandfather’s knee, hearing him tell her the story of The Great Space Race that happened over a century ago. The United States and its arch nemesis, the Soviet Union, squared off in an epic battle to send the first man into space. This history lesson became her favorite story and included the greatest astronauts of that time including: Yuri Gagarin, Alan Shepard, Gherman Titov, John Glenn, Valentina Tereshkova, Neil Armstrong, and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin! She imagined being a captain aboard a mighty starship, traveling to distant planets and moons in the universe, discovering other life forms, and befriending alien races.

It wasn’t until she was eleven, she read Albert Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity, that she realized the probability of “going where no one has gone before” during her lifetime was next to nil. Hopefully, her work would bring humanity closer to realizing that dream, HER dream would again take them back to the stars and beyond. She was so close to a breakthrough.

“To what would you be referring to Doctor Alkum?” a synthetic, monotone male voice replied.

She flinched a little bit and snapped her head around at the sound. The reply brought her back to reality. Dr. Alkum completely forgot about her iSAB that had been jacked in to the recharging station. His body was positioned in a small alcove near the double door entryway to her office. It just stood there, like a large piece of Techno furniture.

Every iSAB or Intelligent Synthetic Autonomous Being began its existance as nothing more than an idea. This idea evolved into specifications measured agaisnt templated job types. Generally, only high-end Middle Class members of society could afford such luxuries. Each machine, depending on their processing and storage capabilities, carries the potential for self-awareness. This potential is measured via a complex probability algorithm and listed on the McCarthy Scale (MS). Whenever a robot acquires sentience it is referred to as a Singularity Event. The Department of Sentience (DoS) currently maintains legislation regarding their civil rights.

“Oh, nothing Johnny.” she mused “I was just thinking out loud.”

Johnny was manufactured as a humaniod adminitrations robot with soft, friendly features. The law limited his height to no more than five feet. Dr. Alkum specked out the latest and most advanced technology to construct him from.

“Very well Doctor Alkum. Would your biological systems require hydration?” replied Johnny, apparently trying to increase his octave a bit towards the end of that sentence to mimic human speech in a question format.

“No thank you, Johnny, I’m well - hydrated.” Dr. Alkum snickered a bit. The way he interacted with humans entertained her. Although, she did note upon reflection that she probably didn’t do much better. She was an anomaly; her I.Q. was off the chart, beyond genius, which caused her to be somewhat of an outcast growing up.

“As you wish, Doctor Alkum.”

Dr. Alkum uses Johnny as her right hand man. She trusts him with the safekeeping of the company’s finances and information. His integration into the local area network always kept a close eye for any signs of corporate espionage, mismanagement of funds, or brute force hacks designed to steal top secret information. Johnny hasn’t shown any signs of having an SE in the two years he has been operational. However, Dr. Alkum knows it is just a matter of time. All he needs is the right place, the right time.

As she stood there, she stretched hard and long for several minutes. She lunged in different directions while altering the positions of her limbs, torso, and neck. When she came to a stop, her body went limp and her eyes grew heavy from an exhaustive long day. She walked over to her desk and hit a symbol on her desktop resembling the North Star that activated the curtain retractor and with a soft whine, her curtains drew together. At the same time, the lights in the office dimmed, and the computer to notified her, via bold font flashing across the screen, that it was saving all work and shutting down.

“Johnny, it is midnight and I am going to bed. Set your alarm for four-thirty and wake me.”

“Of course Doctor Alkum. Will you be having morning organic consumption after your early rapid energy release ritual?”

“Yes, after my exercise and run, have my usual breakfast ready by six o’clock.”

“Understood Doctor Alkum. Good night.”

“Good night, Johnny”.

She walked across the floor and placed her palm against a black, square, glass-like panel along the North wall. A purple, glowing line streaked across, grew slightly in thickness and moved vertically down. The intensity was bright enough that you could see her hand take on an eerie, reddish-orange glow with dark crimson lines tracing out the bones in her fingers. With a soft whoosh, an otherwise unnoticeable panel slid open to the right and the light inside cast a silhouette on her body. She entered and immediately began removing the bobby pins and hair tie that held her bun in place. The door closed behind her as she ambled over and placed her hand on the large, charcoal gray entertainment center. With her free hand holding the items she removed from her hair, she placed them next to the TV satellite receiver. She lifted one leg at a time while reaching back to pull at the strap around the back of her heel to slide off her shoes.

She picked them up and grabbed the items pulled from her hair and proceeded to walk past the light grey, suede couch towards her bedroom. As she approached, the panel immediately opened and the light came on, while the light in the living room went off. She changed into her silk pajamas and climbed into a king-size bed. It was constructed with a synthetic bamboo foam core that was wrapped in actual bamboo fabric. This was the softest mattress made in the world today. Her pillows contained similar material wrapped in cashmere cases. Once her feet drew up under the covers in her bed and her head hit the pillow, the light dimmed out and she fell fast asleep.
A beautiful symphony of strings, horns, and percussion sounded softly through the speakers mounted in the walls above each night table. With every fifteen seconds the volume became slightly louder than before. Dr. Alkum stirred, slowly stretching each limb as to enable them for the flurry of activities that lie ahead. She yawned deeply and began to blink her eyes. Already, her mind began prioritizing the To Do items in her mental agenda according to importance. As the music became louder, she sat up and the bedroom light illuminated the room in a faint glow, not too bright to make her eyes hurt but just enough to assist with her eyes’ natural adjustments. She threw the blankets off to one side and crept out of bed. As soon as her feet touched the floor, the lights grew slightly brighter. She arched her back and lifted her hands high above her head for one last elastic adjustment. She stood and walked over to her dresser.

She depressed a button on the intercom and sluggishly said, “Thank you Johnny, I am awake now.”

“You are welcome Doctor Alkum. I will have your morning organic consumption ready as requested.”

“Cancel that, I have changed my mind. I would like for you to contact each department head in two hours and have them and their assistants meet me in conference room seven for a breakfast get together at eight o’clock. Request a nice selection of fruits and pastries from Cafeteria Services and have them delivered as well.”

“Consider it done Doctor Alkum.” Johnny responded in his normal, monotone way.

“Oh, and don’t forget to have them bring coffee, juices, and milk for everyone as well.” She added.

Dr. Alkum kept up a rigorous exercise routine, as she believed in not only having a healthy mind, but also a healthy body. She was changing into her jogging outfit while giving Johnny his orders. She stepped out of her bedroom, crossed the living room floor, walked out of her office, and jogged down the short hallway. After turning right and exiting the door to the stairs, she increased her pace. Her breathing grew deeper and more rhythmic as she continued down the thirty flights of stairs and out through the lobby. Mark Tatum, the older gentlemen serving as the door greeter, was already holding the door, smiling ever so brightly.

- Doesn’t that man ever sleep? - She wondered to herself as she smiled in return, passing him out the door, turning north down 12th street. - No doubt he was enjoying the view, that dirty old bastard! - She laughed internally as she increased her speed. Dr. Alkum was the result of a union between her Swedish Father and Latina mother. Her father’s heritage showed through in her strawberry blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and freckles along the bridge of her nose out to the tops of her cheek bones. She was very tall, reaching slightly over six feet. The underlying aspects of her physical appearance that identified with her mother’s heritage was generous, supple curves, skin that would tan easily in the sun, and a thick athletic tone to her body.

She didn’t run with music as the other joggers she normal saw doing. She liked to use the time to allow her brain to finish organizing and structuring the needs of the day. Of course, the most pressing would be the breakfast meeting. As her mind continued its functions, she rounded east through Dog Bone park, a recent addition to the downtown area. It afforded people the opportunity to get out and exercise with their pets. At this time of the morning, there were not many here enjoying this same activity. She was grateful the city planners were doing more to liven the area up.

The course through Dog Run was littered with hills, which is why she chose this route. It would take her a good twenty minutes and place her heading southeast to cross 15th on Cheshire Way. It was still dark as she was hoofing it down Cheshire, when all of a sudden a blinding, searing light flashed in her eyes, excruciating pain reflected off every surface inside of her skull, and she went down hard and fast. It took her a few seconds to regain consciousness; her head pounding, reverberating. She placed her hands underneath her shoulders to push herself into an upright sitting position. Without warning, she felt a heavy weight on her back, driving her again into the sidewalk. Quickly she maneuvered her forearms across her face so it wouldn’t smack into the unforgiving concrete below making the cannons going off in her head worse.

“What the hell?!” She yelled out in anger and disorientation.

“Ooooh, she is a pretty, naughty thing; isn’t she guys?” A voice sneered above her.

She was able to look up and noticed two grungy men on either side of her; both just out of reach. They slowly crept forward.

“Stay down, bitch; we own you now. If you play nice, we won’t kill you right away.” She heard the man to her right say in a low, husky, intimidating tone. You could hear the click of a switchblade as he stopped, his boot digging passively into her ribcage. The man on the left remained silent.

The man to her rear declared, “Now, I’m going to take my foot off your back, stand you up and you are going to calmly and quietly walk with us, if you scream or resist in any way, I’ll let my associate gut you like a pig! Do you understand?”

She replied in terrorized voice, “Yes, I understand. I don’t have any money with me, but if you want to follow – “

“Who said we were after money, BITCH?!” The man on the right said in a overly mocking tone, and then proceeded with a high pitched annoying laugh, taunting her.

She wasn’t really scared, she was playing into their macho side; giving them a false sense of power, letting them get their kicks off of her “fear”. Depending on how they pulled her up, their relative positions to her and to each other, weapons carried, and direction of travel, she had no doubts that she would be able to deal with them. The man behind her pulled her up by her hair which caused the throbbing and shooting pain already bouncing around in her skull to magnify, she closed her eyes tightly. As he stood her up, still holding her hair pulling back, she felt a cold, hard round object press in the small of her back. - Gun. Wonderful! - The sarcasm was thick in her mind.

The other two men took longing looks up and down her body like they were panthers looking at a prime kill. The guy on the left reached forward and fondled her breasts, squeezing each of them, taking turns, with one hand. The man on the right threw his fist out and punched him hard in the mouth and laughed. His head snapped back as blood shot from his split lip and then returned just as fast while he glared at the assaulter. He began to open his mouth -

“You fucking morons, wait until we get out of sight before you start this shit. Don’t make me shoot you in the knee caps and make you watch me take care of her while you get NOTHING!” The rear guy with the gun gritted with his teeth as he hissed his orders. They looked at him, then at each other, at her, then angrily turned around and began walking into the alley.

“MOVE!” He ordered as he pushed her head forward releasing her hair.

Her ears were still ringing as she began to slowly walk with her hands high in the air, faking a limp so she could maintain awareness of the gun’s position against her back at all times. Her mind began working overtime, calculating, playing out scenarios of how this was going to end. As she purposefully slowed the man to her rear, the other two weren’t paying attention and scuttling ahead at a slightly quicker pace. Once she reached the green overstuffed dumpster a decent distance into the alley, she noticed the two men up front were a good eight to ten paces ahead.

In a flash movement, her left hand dropped as she spun counterclockwise. When her left arm passed his arm holding the gun, she glided her hand up and placed it around his with her thumb on his index finger. At the same time, her right hand slammed into the inside of his elbow, collapsing it. The placement of her hands, sheer speed and force caused the gun to retract towards his chest with the gun pointing under the man’s chin. She pulled the trigger with her thumb. BAM! Brain matter, skull fragments, and blood shot from the crown of his head as he crumpled to his knees. She kicked him hard in the chest and he flew backwards a few feet before landing on his back, dead. She looked up and noticed the other two men had turned around and began running towards her, the guy on the left started pulling out a club. - So, that’s the asshole that hit me on the back of the head. - She raised the gun she kept from the first man and pulled the trigger.

CLICK. CLICK. EMPTY! “DAMMIT!” She screamed out loud.

She bolted forward to meet both men charging her head on. Veering right at the last possible moment she jumped, lifting her knees to where her thighs were parallel with the alley surface. She struck the man with the knife, just below the heart. A loud crack, resembling a shotgun blast, echoed off the brick walls. He was violently clothes-lined and slammed hard against the ground. His head bounced off the pavement skidding to a stop, dark red blood began to pool just underneath his head. Using her forward momentum she somersaulted forward coming to her feet and stood up. Luckily the knife was knocked free by the force of the hit and came to rest just a few feet to her right.

The man with the club stopped dead in his tracts. He gazed at the carnage that had just taken place. He watched her calmly walk over to the knife and pick it up. Frozen with fear, he watched as she spun around and threw her arm forward. THHHHHUNK! He looked down to see that the heel of the knife was buried deep in his chest. Searing pain overcame his chest as he felt his heart split in two. Blood began oozing from his mouth and the knife. He hit the ground in convulsions. Dr. Alkum walked over, removed her top and wiped off the knife handle. She casually walked over to the gun and cleaned it off as well. She placed it next to the man she had kneed in the chest and then took his club over to the man originally holding the gun. Hopefully the police would chalk this up as a drug deal gone bad, or a gang related incident.

“Didn’t know who you were fucking with, did you?” She said with a cold casualness as she put her top back on.

She turned and continued down the alley, lightly jogging as her head was still throbbing with pain. This alley would serve as a good shortcut since the incident brought her short of reaching 15th anyway. She came to another alleyway and turned right. The sun began to turn the sky different shades of red and orange as it snuck up on the sky. She could hear a faint blood curdling scream as some unlucky passerby obviously came upon the scene; she quickened her pace, ignoring the pain that amplified in her head with each step. - Ten minutes and I’ll be home. - She repeated it over in her mind, busying her brain with anything until she could get some pain relief. Turning left on 12th street she noticed Mr. Tatum was watching from the opposite direction in anticipation of her coming from the direction of her normal route. Apparently he heard the heavy running steps and spun around quickly looking in surprise and shock.

“Ms. Alkum, are you alright?” He said with urgency in a worrisome tone. “You’re a disheveled mess! What happened?”

“It’s DOCTOR Alkum, get the door!” She snapped sternly.

It must have been the look on his face as he looked like a scolded puppy dog as he hung his head to get the door. Her heart sank. She felt like a complete bitch.

“I’m sorry, must be the adrenaline. I am a bit banged up. Three deviants tried to mug me in the alley off of Cheshire Way, just before I got to 15th street.” She lied, giving him an endearing look as she recognized he was only concerned for her well-being.

“Oh dear me, ma’am. Do I need to call an ambulance? Or the police?” He asked, opening the door.

“Not necessary Mark, I took care of it; they are of no concern to anyone anymore. Please inform our infirmary from the front desk that I will be coming to them for repair shortly.” She ordered as they both walked through the entryway.

“No need to give them any details, and say nothing to anyone else,” She said as she stopped. She put her hand to the back of her head. Her hair felt sticky and matted. When she brought her hand back around, she noticed the blood staining the palm of her hand.

“On it now Doctor Alkum.” He hurriedly replied. He sprinted to the front desk, grabbed the phone and rapidly dialed a few numbers and began mumbling something into the phone. It wasn’t until she began walking off before he realized the gravity of her words “…of no concern…“.

She walked through the lobby over to the elevator control panel and pressed the down arrow button. The double doors immediately parted and she stepped inside. The elevator was trimmed in brushed stainless steel, inset with mahogany wall and ceiling panels. The elevator floor panel contained two columns with twenty rows of round polished aluminum buttons, with a small blue LED in their center. They also contained the typical large red button and fireman’s key slot as well as the white phone. She depressed the “H1” button, situated four rows down from the “L”, just underneath the basement/utility levels and four level parking garages. The doors slowly closed and the elevator began its descent. A moment later - ding! - the doors opened again to a bright white marble floor. As she stepped out, she walked toward the two large glass doors. They opened automatically for her as she stepped through and up to the front desk. A man and a woman, identical twins, in white lab coats were waiting for her with worried looks on their faces. No one spoke. All three walked past the reception and waiting room area, through a set of heavy wooden, fire resistant doors with that tiny metal mesh double-paned window that was so typical of hospitals, and down a small hallway. What was different, was the sheer beauty and volume of white marble, highly polished and clean, that made up the floors, walls, and ceiling. Sterile, didn’t quite capture the apparent cleanliness.

She was led to a medium sized room furnished with a hospital bed, visitor’s chair, TV, bathroom with a shower, and various other medical devices. A wheeled, metal tray sat next to the bed. It was covered with a white cloth that held a laser hair shaver, a sterilization kit, forceps, a hand held ultrasonic bone scanner, concussion detection visor, and a tube of skin adhesive. She laid face down on the bed. She felt lukewarm water pour over the wound. She could feel them massaging the area cleaning it out. After a few more minutes of cleaning she felt a slight burning pain as the male twin used the shaver to remove the hair covering the gash that was opened up on the back of her head. The female twin could be heard rustling the plastic, opening up the sterilization kit to swab over the cut.

“This is a nasty cut, how did you get this?” He questioned in a concerning tone.

“I was on my normal jogging route when a man came out from nowhere and hit me over the head with a small club.” Dr. Alkum answered, wincing here and there with her voice.

He reached for the scanner and hovered it over the spot. “I see. Well, there doesn’t appear to be any fractures in your skull, so that is good. Anything else get hurt?”

“No, just my thick head. I was able to run away; they were scrawny, dirty thugs, and couldn’t keep up with me.” She answered, faking a sigh of relief.

“Ok, this is going to hurt a little Cadence; I have to use the forceps to draw the wound together so we can glue it in place. In the old days we would’ve had to staple this.” He said in a regretful tone.

“I can handle it just fi- OUCH!” She exclaimed; she jerked her head as it obviously hurt more than she would’ve imagined.

“Sorry, just one more – Hold still please….there.”

She could feel this cold, slimy coating being rubbed and massaged over the cut. Suddenly, the pain went away as the topical anesthesia in the glue began to take effect. She could feel her skin tighten slightly as the glue began to dry.

“We need you to remain still and lay here so the derma bond can fully cure, it will take about ten minutes, then we need you to put on the visor so that we can test for any signs of a concussion. We will return shortly.”

“Thank you, Mara, and Karl. I appreciate this.” She said in a thankful tone.

As the twins left the room, she laid there relaxed. The headache had toned down a bit - nothing a few pills can’t fix - she thought. She let her mind wander as she closed her eyes.

“Wake up sleepy head.” Mara called in a sing song voice, followed by a light shake.

“Ugh, whaaa!” Dr. Alkum stirred a little groggy, and lifted her head a bit.

“Lay back down so we can remove those forceps.” Karl said. ”There you go, right as rain.” He followed with a cheery voice. ”You can sit up now.”

The twins helped her sit up and she immediately ran her fingers over the spot where the glue was, trying to determine how big of a scar. Would the divot be painfully obvious to her subordinates like some kind of college hazing prank? Relieved, she breathed out a sigh. It was maybe an inch long, and she had pleny of hair left around that she could easily cover it up.

“Alright, put this on and hold this controller, it has two large buttons; one for your left hand, one for your right. You will see a series of images flash across the screen designed to test your cognitive functions and memory. Ready?” As Karl recited the instructions like a Super Villain dutifully confronting his nemesis in a proud monologue, Mara was assisting their patient with the visor.

“I’m ready, go ahead.” Dr. Alkum replied feeling more alert now.

She ran through the tests of blue triangles, green squares, and red circles in various orders, coupled with memory matching, and various other easy tasks. After a few minutes the screen went blank. Mara removed the visor and Dr. Alkum had to blink a few times to readjust her eyes to the bright room.

“What’s the verdict, Karl?” Dr. Alkum asked.

“According to the test, you don’t appear to have a concussion, just some bruising. I want you to take it easy for the rest of the week, making sure you get plenty of rest. I would recommend against jogging during this time, because the jarring motion could exacerbate the situation and bring on migraines. If you have a stationary bike, so you can maintain your exercise routine that would be best. Ok?” His voice was almost stern towards the end, like a father reprimanding his daughter for staying out too late with a boy on her first date.

“That is fine, I’m sure I can make the necessary arrangements you’ve laid out. Am I all set to go?”

“Yes, just sign these papers and you can go.”

She thanked them and started walking back to the elevator. By this time, the receptionist was just turning her computer on, shifting files and getting ready for her day to begin. She caught Dr. Alkum walking by and froze with this odd, gawking look on her face. Apparently, there was some blood still on the front of her jogging top.

“Uhm, You’ve got red on you, ma’am.” She said timidly.

“You should’ve seen the three other guys!” Dr. Alkum sarcastically remarked, following with a hearty giggle. - So that’s why Mark looked at me like that; I’ve got that fucker’s blood and brain juice all over me -

Perplexed, the receptionist just sat down and her eyes glazed over. Dr. Alkum continued to the elevator, depressed the up button, stepped inside and pressed the “30” button. As the doors closed and the elevator began its ascent she thought silently to herself - It’s a good day to be alive. -

No feedback at all?

No, you don't look fat in that dress.

Seriously though, I am interested in where it's going. I think it's too soon for any real critiques.

Borgholio wrote:No, you don't look fat in that dress.

Reminded me of something Chevy Chase would reply with.

Borgholio wrote:Seriously though, I am interested in where it's going. I think it's too soon for any real critiques.

Oh, thank you. I have 3 more chapters at my site (link is in my sig) and I am writing Chapter 6 now. Would you preferr I post the other chapters here or ???
Too soon for real critiques? I'm not sure I understand what that means. When I first submitted Chapter 1 (LINK) I'd received a great deal of constructive criticism and feedback. I took that feedback and rewrote the chapter a few times; end result here. Am I to understand that you are saying that for now, this chapter is pretty solid?

I think Chapter 2 is just starting to get really interesting, so at least for me, I'm waiting for more of the story to come out to see where it goes. I'd say post it all here as you are able.

Ok, will do. Thank you.

Edit: I will go ahead and post Chapter III in the User Fiction section as that's where it is supposed to be.

This chapter will (in the future) most likely be moved to a different sequential place as it is a reveal chapter tied to Alive. For now, though it will serve as it is until I decide if any rearranging is needed. I hope this is well received. Any feedback is welcome. Thank you.

---

“Did you come alone?” A soft, raspy whisper echoed off the small alleyway. The buildings here on this block were all brick. They were constructed precariously close to one another. Close enough, that even a short man with enough strength could brace himself between the two and walk straight up to the roof.

“Y-yes. Where are you?” Tina said in a light tremble. She tried to sound braver than she was feeling at the moment.

- Shit on me, what have I gotten myself into? -

“Did you bring the package?”

Tina spun around peering into the darkness, hoping to catch a glimpse of her mystery guest.

“Yes, it is all here, five hundred thousand, as we agreed.”

She’d never meet this person before. Only conversed via coded ads online. She was looking for justice. The police weren’t any help, those criminals left no traces of evidence. It was now a cold case. All leads had been exhausted. Her mom, her dad, and two younger brothers were all murdered during a botched robbery six months ago. At least that’s what the police report said. She had been away traveling with a few of her best girlfriends visiting potential universities to attend college. She recounted the call from the police the morning after the incident. Tina decided to take matters into her own hands.

“Did you make the arrangements like I suggested?”

“Yes, the suicide note is in place. I have liquidated all of my assets and they are taken care of. Your associate will take care of the rest?” Her fear began to ease a little. Best case scenario, she came here and got what she wanted, or she would be killed. It was worth the risk as she had nothing left to lose and nothing left to live for.

“Yes, my associate is already en route. Now, open the bag and hold it above your head.” The voice in the darkness ordered.

She unzipped the large duffel bag and held it over her head.

“Good. Lower the bag and close it. Take two steps forward, then side step to the right one step.”

She lowered the bag and zipped it back up while taking the first two steps forward and then with the bag at her side, long strap around her shoulder, she took a side step to the right. She heard a Click. Just as she turned to see where the noise came from she felt a pinch in her neck. Immediately darkness filled her mind’s eyes and she went unconscious.

- So groggy - She felt cold, her spacial awareness was hampered by blurred vision and muffled noises that seemed to sporadically come from varying directions. She wanted to sit up and rub her eyes to get them into focus. Nothing. She couldn’t even move her head to look around. - Constrained? Or Still Drugged? – She wondered in her head. She heard metal clicking noises getting closer and she saw two red orbs hovering above her. That familiar pinch in the neck and she was out again.

- Floating? Did I die? – She opened her eyes. It was pitch black. She had no sense of time. She strained harder to see, to hear, to feel. She felt a twisting inside of her eyeball and all of a sudden dark shadows cast in green light came into view. She still couldn’t yet focus on anything in particular. - Well, obviously I’m not dead. If I am, this is the weirdest afterlife I’ve never heard of. – She tried moving her arms up to her face. Something was in her mouth. She heard a muffled alarm. - Oh shit, not again! – Darkness filled her mind yet again.

“…my best work yet, aye Scratch?”

The chirps, beeps, and boops awoke Tina. She could feel that she was laying down. She desperately wanted to move; unfortunately the signals failed to reach the intended limb being commanded. She opened her eyes expecting total darkness.

“Agh! It burns!” She screamed.

“Just relax Tina. You haven’t used your new eyes yet. Squint, they will adjust, then slowly open your eyes a little at a time.”

“Where am I? Who are you? How long have I been out?” She said angrily.

“All in good time, Tina. You need to rest.”

She could hear footsteps getting closer, she felt that all too familiar pinch.

“You mother fu-”

A hallow dull thumping woke Tina up again. She was able to open her eyes for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. She opened them slowly and found the pain to be bearable. She saw a thin midget with a large head hitting the side of a large cylindrical tank that held her naked, submerged body. He had pudgy little fingers, a balding head, thick glasses, and a white overcoat. There was a hose in her mouth feeding her oxygen. Hundreds of long, tiny needles protruded from her all over her body that were connected to wires leading out of the tank which terminated at a complex control panel. Small waves of electricity stimulated her muscles causing her to twitch at random. Again she tried to move, only to find that the stimulation intensified the muscle to where it wouldn’t cooperate.

“Good evening Tina.” A cheery, muffled voice called from the other side. ”You may call me Doc. Your body has responded well to the augmentation process and is healing faster than I gave it credit for. I am going to turn off the electromyostimulator and then lift you out. Please be patient with me while we get all of those pins out of your body. My assistant and I will go as fast as we can.”

Tina breathed a sigh of relief. - Good, I was getting irritated with being blacked out. – She gave her host a slight nod. Doc walked around to the opposite side of the tank and pushed a button on the control panel. Instantaneously she felt her body go limp and she began to feel like she was floating. In actuality, Doc had initiated the body crane to lift Tina out of the tank. He suspended her a mere foot above the ground by the thin straps that held her body in place.

He looked down at her and smiled, “This will take some time and might cause some mild discomfort. So, please remain calm, breathe steadily, and try not to talk just yet. I will answer all of your questions when we get done.” Doc fiddled with the oxygen hose for a few seconds and then pulled it out. Two smaller tubes that she hadn’t seen or felt came free of her nostrils. There was a strange sensation in her stomach.

- That wasn’t an oxygen hose in my mouth, it was a feeding tube! – She thought suppressing her gag reflex.

“Scratch, your assistance is required.” Doc hollered.

Tina was able to careen her head in the direction of a series of high-pitched clicking noises. A domed mechanical insect looking thing with eight spindly legs and red sensors placed around its perimeter raced across the floor from an opening to another room. It wasn’t any bigger than a medium-sized dog. As it got closer, it chirped and beeped. Her eyes widened in horror as she turned back and looked at the doctor.

“What the fuck is that?” She said hysterically.

Doc let out a hearty laugh, “Oh dearie, that is my assistant. You needn’t be worried. I built him myself.” He let out a grin from ear to ear. ”In fact, Scratch here carried out about eighty-five percent of your transformation. Under my direction, of course!” He winked at her.

Tina let out a nervous giggle. Doc and Scratch began removing all of the needles from her body. She couldn’t help but lay there embarrassed by the fact that she was still stark naked. Doc never lingered in any particular spot, he kept his hands moving. She found a bit of comfort in that his demeanor and concentration remained professional. With small talk as a distraction, the process was over before she knew it. Her body was still sore like she’d been laying on a bed of nails.

“Ok, Tina. That does it.” He grabbed the controls to the crane and moved her to the room that Scratch had earlier came from. He lowered her to the bed and detached the harness. With assistance from Scratch, he rolled her onto her side and removed the rest of the harness. ”Here you go. On your bedside table I have supplied you with a protein and vitamin enriched drink. I want you to finish that before you go to sleep. You have been through quite a bit and I want you to take it easy. Tomorrow, we will get that catheter removed and have some breakfast. I’m sure you have a ton of questions.”

She didn’t argue. She could feel her body giving in to the discomfort. She was wore out. She only nodded as she pulled the covers over her. She reached over and found the drink Doc was talking about and slammed it down. It actually didn’t taste that bad. That done, she closed her eyes.

Tina awoke to the smell of eggs and bacon. Fresh roasted coffee lingered in the air. She tossed the blankets over to one side and sat up at the edge of her bed. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. It was still a little dark and she squinted to find a light switch on the wall near the doorway. Much to her surprise, she felt her eyes twitch slightly and then a flicker; suddenly everything was clearly visible and magnified double. It was like she projected light from the middle of her forehead and put on magnifying glasses. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes again. Slowly she looked up and everything was dark again. Tina squinted harder this time.

“Holy fuck! What am I looking at now?” She whispered to herself.

She could see a short skeleton on top of a stool a distance away hunching over what appeared to be a stove. Something caught the right corner of her eye, another tall skeleton closer than the short one. It rounded the corner and she could hear a knock. She shook her head again and rubbed her eyes once more.

“C-Come in.” Tina called out.

A tall woman in a slinky nurse’s uniform opened the door and stepped through. She turned on the light. Tina went to cover her eyes for a brief moment so the sudden light wouldn’t cause discomfort in her eyes. Instead her eyes automatically adjusted to allow a comfortable amount of light in and quickly adjusted to normal.

“Ah, you are up. Good. You can call me Nurse. Doc asked me to stop by and see if you are ready to have that catheter removed.”

Tina noticed that the nurse wasn’t human. She was an iSAB curiously modified to fit whatever crazy fantasy Doc was in to. Which, apparently, was a blonde with extra silicon filling out a few key anatomical features.

Tina shook her head and replied in a sluggish tone, “Sure Nurse, that is fine. What do you want me to do?”

“Just lay back and relax, I will make this as quick and painless as possible.”

Nurse placed one hand on Tina’s belly and she grabbed the plastic tube with the other. A quick tug, a sharp pain, a shrill curse word, and it was done. Nurse grabbed the bag holding the urine and turned to walk out. The door automatically opened. She stopped at the door and turned back.

“Tina, I took the liberty of obtaining a few garments in your size. They are in the closet over there.” She pointed to the double sliding door. “It is good to have you here. I haven’t seen Doc this excited and happy in a while.” She turned and walked out. Her posterior bounced a little as she walked.

- ok, now THAT was weird! -

Tina got up out of bed and walked over to the closet doors. She slid it open and revealed a large walk-in closet with a variety of tops, shoes, and jeans. In the back was a dresser that held socks, underwear, and bras. Tina was in a bit of shock. Apparently five-hundred thousand credits got you the red carpet treatment. She found a cute matching bra and panty set, black, and put it on. She grabbed a pair of blue jeans and a pumpkin orange t-shirt and threw them on. A pair of white socks and a comfortable set of two-tone orange tennis shoes completed her outfit. She walked out to see Doc.

”Good morning Doc. Breakfast sure smells good.” She said cheerfully as she grabbed a seat at the table. “I smell coffee, where are the cups?”

“Ahhh, good morning dearie.” He replied back, not taking his eyes away from the pan full of eggs. “Cups are in the cupboard to the right of the sink; a spoon, the cream, and sugar are next to the coffee pot. Help yourself.”

“Thanks.” Tina got up and prepared herself a cup of coffee and then sat back down. ”So, what in the hell did you do to me? How long was I out?” She lifted her cup and took a sip. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head at the amazing flavor. - Now THIS is heaven! -

Doc scooped the last of the eggs from the pan and placed them on their plates along with fried potato cubes and thick hearty slices of bacon. He hopped down from his cube, reached up and grabbed both plates and carried them to the table. He sat one down in front of Tina, and placed the other across the small wooden table. He then hopped up and sat himself down.

“Tina… ” He paused to take a bite. “…you were out for a total of three months.” Tina dropped her fork and looked at him in shock. “It is ok dearie, none to fret. We did extensive work and I am exceedingly pleased at the results. Instead of telling you what we did, after breakfast, we’ll go to the training room and I’ll SHOW you!” He said with such excitement, Tina thought he was going to bounce out of the seat.

She shook her head, grabbed her fork, and continued eating. ”Ok then, you’re the doc, Doc.”

Doc laughed and smiled with a wink.
Her investigation, with Doc’s help, had led her to a run down and old dilapidated farm-house an hour outside the city limits. It was the hideout of the Hunter clan. A group of notoriously brutal family members that enterprise as thieves with little regard for human life getting in their way. They were responsible for over two-hundred and fifty murders, yet the police couldn’t ever find them or pick up on their modus operandi to catch them in the act.

She parked her bike behind a roadside advertisement sign and secured it to a post. She found some brush and covered the bike up for good measure. Quietly she bolted across the gravel road and down a small drainage ditch where she stopped to survey the area. The trees that grew around the perimeter of the house and barn prevented a lot of the natural moonlight from illuminating the area. They were concealed very well in the darkness.

A wooden fence, normally reserved for cattle and horses, surrounded the property. Tina squinted to magnify the front gate. She noticed that the dirt drive had brick pillars on either side and a black iron gate that appeared to open with a password or permission from someone in the house. The security cameras perched atop each pillar scanning back and forth in front of the gateway.

Tina scanned the area to see if she could pick up any electromagnetic interference along the fence that would alert her to the presence of any more cameras or other covert security measures. Satisfied that there wasn’t anything else that would trigger an alarm to the occupants to her presence she went prone and crawled on her stomach underneath the fence. She then proceeded on foot towards the treeline that surrounded the structures.

She noticed there was an eighteen wheeler, two box trucks, three motorcycles, and two cars parked near the house and around the barn. She carefully made her way to each vehicle checking for alarms. Luckily there weren’t any. - Not the most thorough or sophisticated bunch of stupid killer thieves out there. – She internalized with a shaking of her head in disbelief.

The motorcycles were easiest to disable by cutting the fuel lines leading from the gas tank to the carburetor. She made her way to the cars next. There she reached under each car and severed the brake lines, and cut into several wire harness. Next, the box trucks needed to be disabled. She crawled on her stomach again until she reached the first box truck. She grabbed onto the bolts holding the driveshaft to the universal joint with her fingers and unscrewed them. A slight tug on the driveshaft and it was dislodged from the transmission. She repeated this operation for the second box truck. She went over to the semi and unscrewed the gas cap and deposited the bolts she took from the box trucks inside. She then crawled underneath and found the starter and severed the connections.

She was satisfied that all means of escape were dealt with. Quickly she made her way back to the trees, climbed one and sat on a thick branch several feet above the ground facing the barn. She squinted once more to get a look inside.

“There they are.” Tina whispered to herself.

Tina was able to adjust her eyes so that she could see inside the barn and pick up the heat signatures identifying eleven people. Two had shotguns standing guard inside at the new looking garage door big enough to fit a semi through. Five were upstairs in the gable area categorizing and rearranging what she guessed was merchandise. She made out small calibre pistols tucked in the back of their pants. The other four were sitting around a table. She squinted a little and her telescopic apertures zoomed her in for a closer look.

- Ah, they’re playing cards. - She relaxed her gaze.

Leaning against the table were assault rifles. She looked into the house and noticed there were three more heat signatures. A woman and two young children, one girl and one boy. The woman was laying on the couch watching TV and the children were laying in bed, presumably asleep. She watched for several minutes making sure the children were sleeping.

- An eye for an eye. - She clenched her teeth and prepared to execute her plan.

She took her eyes off the house and scanned the area and found what she was looking for. She quietly and quickly made her way to the side of the house and rigged a small explosive charge around the power line coming into the meter box as well as the telephone wire. She patiently scanned the area again and found the power line going into the barn. It was on the other side of the barn coming in from an unlit pole. She stealthily made her way to the pole and climbed it with the same speed she could run. Once at the top she rigged another small explosive to that wire. She perched herself on the top of the pole squatting and took a slow, deep breath. One hand flicked a switch to a cigarette sized box attached to her utility belt. She pulled out her cell phone to verify the signal was dead and then put it back strapping it in place. She grabbed her pistol and drew it out. Then she reached in another pocket on the front of her utility belt and pulled out the detonator.

- This is it! The moment of truth… -

She launched herself forward towards the roof of the barn soaring through the air like a circus performer. As she got closer she did a somersault and pointed her toes downward. As soon as her feet penetrated the roof crashing through it, she triggered the detonator and immediately the lights went out. Her eyes automatically went into night vision mode as she landed on the second story of the barn. She dropped to one knee, returned the detonator to its pouch, and steadied her pistol; making sure both hands were on it like she’d trained.

Near silent pops came from her pistol as she took out three members immediately in front of her, hitting them with sleeper darts at the base of their necks. All three fell over with a heavy thud. She could hear men cursing downstairs. She could hear them scurrying around in the darkness fumbling over themselves trying to figure out what had just happened.

- Three down, two more to go. -

Suddenly a very large muscular man grabbed her from behind trying to pick her up and throw here around like a rag doll. To her advantage the protective black suit she wore was slippery. She drew her arms forward closer to her body and as soon as the man jerked upward she went limp and spread her legs into the splits. With surprising ease she slipped from his grasp and his arms went up faster than he anticipated and he momentarily lost his balance. As he was struggling to regain control of his momentum she spun around, and punched him hard in the stomach. He violently let out a heavy heave as he went flying backwards almost folded over. She then drew her pistol and shot another sleeper dart in his neck. By the time his body hit the wall he was unconscious.

As she was looking around in the darkness trying to find the last man she was startled at the sound of loud crashing. She turned her head in the direction of the noise and found the landing for the spiral staircase that lead down to the main floor of the barn. She darted for the stairwell. As she came up to it, she saw a man still falling down. She made her move to go downstairs and heard a hail of gunfire! She froze in place.

She looked down and noticed that the poor sap that had fallen down the stairs had been filled with more holes than swiss cheese, obviously mistaken by his comrades as the enemy.

- Fucking idiots. -

Her thoughts were interrupted by cones of light shining on the dead body.

“Aww shit Earl, we kil’t Kevin.”

“I told you morons to wait!”

“Fuck you Buck! You’re barrel is smoking too!”

“Why ain’t my phone working?”

“Shut yer yap, the lot of ya! Ma is still in the house with the Randy’s youngn’s. They may be in trouble. We need to figure out -”

Tina hollered down, “Raymond Hunter! You and your boys will drop your weapons and surrender to me now or face the consequences!”

All at once gunfire began blowing holes in the floor of the roof where she stood. None was close enough to cause her any concern. She stood there until she could hear the familiar “clicks” indicating every weapon was empty. She focused her eyes looking through the floor so she could make out where the rest of the thieves were.

“Just who the hell do you think you are little lady?” Raymond bellowed.

She could hear them fervently reloading, she knew she should act quickly. She flicked a switch on her gun and pointed it toward her feet. She pulled the trigger and bullets pierced the floor rapidly in a circular pattern. The floor gave way as she fell through the cutout and she landed on the floor behind the rest of the men with her knees slightly bent pointing the gun at them.

“Wrong answer!” She hissed. ”I said drop your weapons, NOW!”

One of the men that had his shotgun pointed at her pulled the trigger. The force of the blast knocked her back several feet as she landed on her back. Raymond, finished loading his assault rifle as he crept over to the sprawled body.

“What the fuck was that daddy?” A voice called out trembling in fear.

“Randy, mind yer gun, we’ll find out soon enough. Marcus, get over here with that flashlight.”

She laid there, on her back, sprawled. Raymond kicked at her boot. Marcus hurried over with the flashlight. He could see small plumes of smoke exiting the holes left in the body suit from the buck shot, but there was no blood. They stood there looking over the body, trying to figure out just who had invaded their secret hideout. Without warning, her body twitched.
Raymond came to with his eyes forcibly opened and looked around. As much as he tried he couldn’t blink. A small lantern hung above him casting a dim light on his surroundings. As he looked around he could feel the ropes grinding into his flesh. He was tied to a chair. Each of his family members were bound and gagged, including his wife and kids, in a circle surrounding the large dining room table he recognized from the house. He noticed the children had blind folds on as well. As more of his surroundings came into focus he could see that the dining room table had its legs sawed halfway so it could be easily seen. At the head of the table was the small folding table he and a few of his boys were playing cards on earlier. Except instead of cards, there was a large rusty cleaver, recently sharpened, laying in the center.

He could hear a slow dragging noise from behind him. He tried to wring his neck around in the direction of the sound, but he couldn’t. The intricate web of rope holding him to the chair really limited his movement. The dragging noise stopped and he heard a small grunt. Kevin’s body landed with a loud thud forcing blood to shoot from his mouth. The noise stirred most of the others awake as they looked at each other and at the body in confusion and fear.

“What yer plan’n to do wit us?” Raymond voice was harsh, defiant.

“You took my family from me. Now, I am going to repay the favor.” Tina said in a cold and nonchalant way.

She walked around to the head of the card table and picked up something that he hadn’t noticed before. She brought it over to him. It was a family portrait. An older man, fit with broad shoulders, wearing round spectacles hiding deep blue eyes. His blonde hair was thinning. A woman, with soft brown eyes and curly black hair, a voluptuous body standing next to him. Three children, two of which were twin boys sharing more of their father’s features, and an older girl. She was voluptuous like her mother, with distinct features of her father.

“Do you remember them? One year ago to the day you and your boys killed them.”

As the rest of the others came to they began shifting in their chairs trying to scream out to no avail. She took the family portrait and set it up on the card table. She then picked up the cleaver and walked over to Keith’s body.

“They’twernt anything special to uses. Stoopid childrens git in de way. De -”

In a flash, Tina was over him and a she punched him so hard in the mouth that the three remaining front teeth broke. Raymond spit them out.

“mloou bliouth, u roerk mu yaw!”

She hit him again, harder. The sickening thud, followed by the sharp crack indicated his jaw was shattered. The wife let out a muffled scream; the others were clearly angry and scared. They too reacted by growling, and struggled to get out of their chairs. She lifted her black mask and stared at each one of them, slowly, methodically. Only the children remained unconscious.

“Ray, me breaking your jaw is the least of your problems. I know every single aunt, uncle, cousin, sister, brother, niece, nephew that you claim as kin. I am here to tell you, they will all die by my hand. My wrath is great and my vengeance is agonizingly slow. They will be erased so that no one will have to ever concern themselves with them again.”

She knew Raymond couldn’t respond. She looked over at the children and watched as they all shrieked in horror.

“The only thing I won’t do, is take their lives. They are heavily sedated, the screams they hear will remain in their subconscious, they will not remember any of this. They will grow up in a foster home never repeating the sins of their fathers.”

With that word, she put her mask back on, raised her hand and brought the cleaver down hard chopping off Kevin’s right arm at the elbow. There was no movement, the corpse just laid there like a slain cow. Blood oozed from the severed stump. She then chopped off his left arm at the elbow, followed by the left leg at the knee, then the right leg at the knee. Each piece flopped on the floor at near the feet of the other family members. Moans and tears streaked down everyone’s face as the carnage continued. Tina circled the table and repeated the process severing each limb up to the body. The thigh bones were a little tougher and it took two swings to get through. She then went to the front of the table and decapitated Kevin, holding his hair so she could raise it up and flaunt it in front of each and every member.

“You see what you’ve made Raymond? The Hunters are now the hunted!” She screamed as she grabbed what remained of Kevin’s torso with one hand and flung it off the table. She picked up the wife, chair and all and sat her in the center of the table. Tina looked her in the eyes and smiled, “You know what? I know your maiden name. I know where your mother lives. Do you think she is safe at the retirement home?”

The wife let out a blood curdling scream as tears gushed from her eyes. Tina looked at Raymond, lifted up the cleaver and brought it down chopping off the wife’s left arm at the elbow. He reeled, his eyes wide in horror. Everyone else hollered out in anguish. Blood squirted in Randy’s face as the wife screamed in pain.

*Three Hours Later*

Tina stood there, blood and body parts covered the dirt floor of the barn. Her arm was sore. She wiped off as much blood as she could from the bottom of her footwear. She then carried the children back into the house and laid them in their beds, pulling their covers up to their ears. She walked over to the bathroom and turned on the shower to rinse off her suit. After she dried herself off she found the control panel to the front gate and set it to open. Then she went back to the barn and retrieved the family photo she showed to Raymond earlier. She walked out of the barn and flicked the switch to the satellite jamming device on her belt her off. Her other hand holding one of the cell phones she grabbed off one of the corpses, she dialed.

“9-1-1, What is your emergency?” A soothing female voice came over the speaker.

“I would like to report a mass murder, twelve people.”

“Oh, um, are you alright ma’am?”

“Yes, I am fine.”

“What is your location.”

“You can trace this call.”

With that, she laid the cell phone down on the ground and exited the property through the front gate turning around as the surveillance cameras swung in her direction. She turned back around as the cameras made their complete pass and walked across the street and uncovered her bike, started it, and then took off. She figured it would take at least ten minutes for the police to arrive and she knew enough of the side streets that she could completely avoid crossing paths with them.

She hid her bike in a storm drainage system three blocks from where she was staying. She jogged back to Doc’s base and let herself in the secret entry off the back ally. Doc was asleep in the chair across the entryway. The door shutting woke him up. Scratch came crawling in with warning beeps and boops. Once the mechanical device confirmed who it was, the tones changed to something more cheery. She reached down and gave the creature a pat on its back.

“Doc, I told you not to wait up for me.”

“I know dearie, but I couldn’t help it. I was worried about you.”

“Everything is fine, it went well. A few minor glitches, but overall…Phase One complete.”

“Excellent! You will have to tell me all about it. Oh before I forget, my associate dropped off your new identity while you were gone.” He handed her a manilla envelope.

“Oh, good. Thank you. Now I can get out on my own soon and get re-established.”

She pulled out the papers and began cycling through them. There was a birth certificate, a driver’s license, medical files, and a passport with her new name on it. As she looked at the name she frowned a little and shot a look at Doc as she rolled her eyes and smiled.

Cadence Alkum

---

Thanks for reading. Chapter IV will be posted soon.

"Finally, a nice hot shower." She said in tone of quiet relief.

The hot water and heavy pressure from the four brass shower heads pelted her body in all directions like a Chinese masseuse expertly working out those tender and sore muscles. She'd noticed that Johnny had already laid out the clothing she was to wear today on her bed. It was perfectly pressed. Not a single wrinkle or trace amount of fuzz would be found on them. He wasn't there she thankfully thought. Johnny would be out already, making sure the conference room was in order for the breakfast meeting.

She stood there with her eyes closed, her body leaning against the light brown tile, allowing the sensation of a million tiny hands hit her all over her body.

"I don't fink you wealwize the wammifications of your wesearch, Cadence." The portly man sat with a furrowed brow behind his desk. "You shouldn't pway Gawd!" His voice was deep, almost intimidating, if it weren't for his speech impediment. Professor Xenakis was her favorite college instructor. She loved the philosophical debates that they would get into. He was a challenging, tricky, and formidable debating opponent.

"Now now, Professor, your logic is divulging into areas of superstition. Superstition has no place in science. You know this. There is nothing wrong with my research in to biomechanical synthesis. My whole doctorate is based on it. I see no moral grounds to discontinue my research." She calmly replied.

"Be dat as it may, it is still a vewy vewy bad idea. Spwicing DNA and nanotechnowogy to wender new species of wife could possibwy destwoy vast ecosystems. You -"

"I don't think so. I have a specific goal here in mind. Certain safeguards can be put in place to make sure there aren't any runaways. A measure of guaranteed artificial control. It almost sounds like you fear what you don't understand."

"Nofing in dis wowld is gawanteed. I undewstand youw dowtowate just fine. I wasn't litewawy insinuwating that you were pwawing gawd. It is a figuw of speech. I just fink thewe is no way you can wimit wife once you go down that paf. Wife always finds a way, dat is da dwiver for pwocweashun...to continue...to multipwy!"

"I see what you are trying to say. I just didn't think you would be as alarmist about it as you sound. Technology has come a long way. Even since I've been born! I mean, come on. We have machines that have developed sentience. SENTIENCE!" She let that last word hang in the air for a moment. "Consider that. We are already playing god! I am just better at it than He is." A big, gloating smile drew across her face as her eyes widened at the sheer implication of her last statement.

Professor Xenakis looked down at his desk rubbing his forehead. He cleared his throat, and sat still in contemplation, searching for the right words. As his head rose, his eyes met hers and he opened his mouth...

"Doctor Alkum, are you alright?" A repeated thumping noise intermixed the inquisitive and odd monotone voice.

She looked at the professor, tilting her head in confusion as he was mouthing the words. That noise, it was coming from nowhere, yet everywhere all at once. She turned her head and began to speak -

"Doctor Alkum, I repeat. Are you alright?" The thumping grew a little louder.

- Why did Professor Xenakis keep mouthing those works in that voice? -

The door handle jiggled, Cadence opened her eyes and jolted, almost loosing her balance. The water had turned lukewarm. She looked around, her mind in a slight fog. No, it wasn't her mind in a fog, she was literally seeing steam. Shower. She was dreaming. She then quickly realized it was Johnny knocking on the bathroom door.

- Shit, how long have I been out? What time is it? -

"I- I'm fine Johnny, just fell asleep in the shower. What time is it?" She asked in a rushed, panicked voice.

"It is seven-thirty in the morning."

- Damn! Only a half-hour to get to the conference room! -

"Ok, go back to the conference room and wait for the others to get there. Make sure they get started with breakfast. I will be there shortly."

"Of course Doctor Alkum."

She shut off the water and hopped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and began drying off. She had to race against the clock. She has never been late to a meeting or appointment in her life. She was the paragon of punctuality. Her reputation demanded it. To be late, was to be disorganized. Disorganization led others to view you as weak or lazy. No, she couldn't have that. Not today. Not ever.
"What the fuck happened out there?" Chief Sanchez hollered in a red-cheeked display of anger and frustration. The vein, just above his left eye, grew larger and pulsated rapidly.

He was slightly bent over, both hands planted firmly on the desk. His eyes fixed on the two officers, standing in attention, responsible for the loss of a victim to an already odd crime. His face was beet red, he stood there with his mouth clenched so hard that Mike was sure his boss would break a few teeth.

"Captain, sir...uhm...I'm just as puzzled as you are. I don't know exactly what happened. The Agent appeared to have the proper identification." Chuck answered timidly.

Captain Sanchez stood there glaring. Chuck wasn't sure what to say next. He knew his answer wasn't what his boss wanted to hear. In fact, Chuck was equally convinced that there was no answer that he or his partner could come up with that could satisfy the captain's question. He began to open his mouth again...

"Well holy shit covered peanuts on an ass cream sunday! Do you realize the fucking firestorm that is going to rain down on this goddamn department because of this?" Chief Sanchez roared.

"I -" Mike volunteered.

"That was a fucking rhetorical question. Get out of my sight! I want a detailed report of everything within the hour. I want it so detailed that my imagination can smell the fucking pavement where that iSAB lay! Now I got to involve the FBI. Jesus, Mother Mary, and Joseph! You two really fucked up!"

Chuck and Mike lowered their heads and walked out of the office. They each retreated back to their desk to finish their police reports.

"Computer, call FBI, local office - on-screen." Chief Sanchez barked.

"Dialing, hold for connect." The female voice replied. There was a slight pause. "Connected."

"Federal Bureau of Investigations, how may I direct your call?"

"This is Chief of Police Sanchez of the Monopolis PD. I need to find out who to talk to because we had an incident where a body was lost to a group of men impersonating the DoS."

"Hold please, redirecting."

"Good morning Chief Sanchez, this is Special Agent Connor Rhesce speaking. I understand you were involved in a DoS impersonation at a crime scene?"

"Well, it wasn't me specifically, two of my officers were involved earlier. They are completing their reports of the incidents. They should be done within the hour."

"I see. What was the crime committed that they were investigating?"

"According to Officer Baker, it was initially called in as a possible homicide, but when officers arrived on the scene it was a robot that had just shorted out."

"You need to isolate your Officer Baker, and anyone else who was at the scene immediately! We will be there in twenty minutes."

"Uh, oh I don't -"

"This is not a request Chief Sanchez. Twenty minutes or face federal charges. Goodbye."

Chief Sanchez just sat there for a few minutes stunned. His mind raced. He pressed an icon on his desk.

"Maria; get Mike and Chuck in here now please, this is urgent."

"Yes sir."
"Samuel...Samuel...Sam...Wake up. Time to get ready for your GED classes."

Samuel opened his eyes slowly. He rubbed them and picked a few flecks of sleep out of the corners.

"I'm awake, mom." He said in a slow grumbled voice.

"I will have waffles, bacon, and a glass of orange juice ready for when you get out of the shower!"

"Ok mom, thank you."

Samuel slowly climbed out of bed, still stiff from the night before. He walked out of his room and open the door to the linen closet to retrieve a fresh towel for his shower. He walked into the bathroom and closed the door. He inspected a few bruises that formed on his upper thighs. -Damn, these are gonna hurt for a while.- He turned on the water and climbed in.

Samuel got dressed after his shower and walked into the kitchen where his mom was preparing breakfast. He gave her a hug from behind and then sat down at the table and took a drink of his orange juice. She turned to him and smiled. It was a smile that he saw more and more in the last year. She was proud and her face beamed with happiness. With the work that he was doing, he was able to get his mom a respectable home, and a reliable car. His studies were going well and he delighted in the fact that he would be earning his GED within the next month. He still visits Mr & Mrs Cowel to give them money to help others.

"I still miss him you know. A lot." Samuel said with a sad look on his face.

"I know Sam, I do too. It isn't fair that he was taken from us. It wasn't fair for you. Life can be so cruel. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make all of the hurt and pain go away."

"I know mom. I was talking with Brian the other day and asked him if he knew what caused iSABs to malfunction like that."

"Oh really? It is good that you are talking to him about these things. What did he say?" She plated up the waffles and brought them to the table.

"You might think this is crazy, but he said that there is a branch of the government that was conducting paranormal research to find evidence of an afterlife. I mean, imagine being able to tap into some of the world's worst criminals and masterminds to recruit them in a scheme to gain control of the world. Well, they succeeded and these singularity events are the spirits of the demons and evil dead possessing the iSABS. They aren't really becoming self-aware like we are being told."

"Wait...are you serious? This is what you are being told?"

"Well, why else would dad have been killed by a construction robot going berserk during a...uh, you know; that event thing - "

"Singularity Event?"

"Uh, yeah...that! It makes sense. A demon tried to possess the robot. If it wasn't for the rest of the crew that disabled it, more people would have died."

"I don't know, Sam; it seems pretty far-fetched to me. How do you, or Brian, explain the fact that there hasn't been another incident like that since...anywhere?"

"These demons have evolved to understand and learn how to transition into our robots without causing a violent overload. They have perfected the idea of becoming wolves in sheep's clothing!"

"Wow, this sounds like a plotline to a great book, or movie. Maybe even a comic book?" She said with a smile, trying to hide her slight mocking tone.

"Mom, don't do that. There is evidence and proof that a massive war will happen, the problem is, the government thinks it has control; but they will fail. They will end humanity as we know it. We have to stop them!"

"Uhuh, how are you proposing to do that?"

Samuel just sat there looking down at his half-finished waffle. He grabbed his orange juice and took a drink. He knew he couldn't tell her really what he was doing. He couldn't tell her about the intense training, the recruiting, the half-truths. The fact that he was now a Lieutenant in command of a small squad of men and women actively seeking to end any machine that becomes self-aware. He grabbed a piece of bacon to stall and collect his thoughts.

"Well?" His mom looked at him.

"I don't know." His reply sounded unconvincing, but she couldn't tell if it was out of a sense of hopelessness, or something else. "I got to get going mom, or I'm going to be late."

She smiled slightly. She understood his sense of revenge. The feelings that there needs to be justice for the death of his dad. She felt it too, but she wasn't buying into this knee-jerk, panicked, doomsday story. For now, she agreed to herself that she would allow Sam to think what he needed, but that she would monitor his behavior for any problems.

"Ok sweetie. Finish your breakfast and get going. I will see you at dinner time."

He quickly finished and took his plate to the sink and rinsed it off. He gave his mom a quick peck on the top of her head as he grabbed his backpack and headed out the door.
"Doctor Alkum to Lab 10B, Doctor Alkum 10B." Karl's voice calmly requested over the company's paging system.

Doctor Alkum was sitting at her desk reviewing the presentations highlighting the department head's programs and their progress that was given at the meeting earlier this morning. She looked at the clock on the left screen - 14:21. - Good! - She thought to herself. She got up from her desk, hit the standby icon for her computer, and walked out the office door. Johnny was sitting there in his area interfaced with the building's network system. His head twitching rapidly from side to side.

"Johnny, I am going to Lab 10B. I want you to hold my messages until I get back."

"Acknowledged."

She proceeded to walk to her personal elevator and the doors immediately opened. She stepped inside and depressed the "10" button. The doors closed and she rapidly dropped to the tenth floor. The familiar ding notified her that she'd arrived at her destination. She stepped out to be greeted by a security guard wearing sunglasses sitting at a white table. The room was as small as a bathroom painted a glossy white. His right hand was clutching a semi-automatic gun fixed to the underside of the desk.

"Good afternoon Doctor Alkum." The guard said in a cheerful tone. "Step forward, swipe your clearance card and then validate your identity in the scanners please."

"Good afternoon Bruce."

She walked over to the desk, withdrew her badge and swiped it in the reader. A green light indicated the badge was current and valid. She proceeded to lay her palms flat down on the two black panels that were fingerprint scanners. She bent over and peered into a dual retina scanner and waited. A few short moments later, two more green lights lit up.

"Thank you. You are cleared to enter." Bruce pushed a black button on the desk and a portion of the wall, the size of a door, behind the guard's post disappeared to reveal a hallway.

She nodded curtly with a smile and walked past the desk and into the hallway. She stopped at a keypad and entered her personal code. The small display above the keypad brought up her profile showing her picture, security level, and clothing measurements. The door unlatched and she stepped inside.

"You are now entering a Level 7 BioLab, please remove all jewelry and clothing and place it in the receptacle to your left. It will be available when you are done. Please push the blue button to continue to step two."

Cadence did as she was asked and then she pressed the blue button.

"Thank you. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, arms out to your sides parallel to the floor, fingers and toes spread, eyes and mouth shut, and your chin held straight. You will now be uncontaminated. Do not move until decon is complete."

A light steam began to fill the room reducing visual range. After a few minutes three nozzles dropped down from the ceiling and began to rotate spraying a light foam solution over her body. The floor began to ooze foam underneath her feet as well. Another few minutes passed and the nozzles shut off and returned to their stationary position.

"Once the foam has dissolved you will dress in the safe suit and proceed forward into the lab."

Bright lights came on and the foam began to dissolve almost instantly. A few seconds later the bright lights returned to normal level and the last few foam bubbles dissipated. Dr. Alkum walked over to the safe suit and put it on. It was a white, one piece outfit equipped that zipped up the front with sensors integrated into the fabric mesh for measuring vitals and reporting them to the main system. It covered every square inch of the user's body which didn't leave much to the imagination. Key support pieces and molded plates help maintain some slight level of decency. The helmet was equipped with monitors, microphone, and speakers on the inside. An air purification rebreather was built into the small backpack connected to the helmet via a carbon-fiber reinforced hose.

A door opened in front of her and she stepped inside. As soon as that door shut another opened in front of her into the actual laboratory. She stepped through and was greeted by the Twins.

"Glad you finally made it Cadence!" Mara gushed. "We have some exciting news to share!"

"Excellent, How is Mother?"

"She is maintaining healthy vitals well above established parameters." Karl remarked.

"This is good news. It's a shame we couldn't have pulled it off without a surrogate. Those artificial wombs just needed more work."

The lab was separated by glass rooms. Each room consisted of different experiments. Some had cats, others had dogs, several had mice, and a few had monkeys. There was only one which held a human female. She was suspended in a gyroscope, with soft restraints that held her in place. No single body part rested in the same position for more than a few moments. Hoses and wires from various medical machines ran from her body. He stomach was swollen. They walked down the corridor and entered the room containing the female. Three medical iSABs constantly monitored her condition.

"Oh Karl, she looks painfully overdue. Yet, by my estimates she is just beginning her third trimester, correct?" Cadence noted with a hint of sorrow in her voice.

"That is correct. That is part of the news we need to share with you. By all reason she should not be ready for birthing for another ten weeks minimum. This is something we hadn't calculated into the equation is the possibility of rapid fetal development."

Everyone looked up to watch Mother's muscles contract all over her body for a few minutes. Cadence shook her head to return to the conversation.

"What exactly are you saying?"

Mara broke in "I know that is a little weird to witness. About four weeks ago we had to induce a comatose state. Mother was becoming stressed and complacent, so for the benefit of the offspring, we decided to suspend her body to reduce the possibility of bed sores. The electrical stimuli guarantees against muscle atrophy." Cadence nodded in understanding while Karl responded directly to her question.

"The development is happening at a quicker scale. We are ready to proceed with the caesarean within the next hour! Come here and look at this sample of the amniotic fluid we extracted this morning."

All three walked over to the electron microscope. Ultrasonic monitors were still recording the full 3D development since inception. Cadence stopped, she could feel the relief wash over her. Finally her life's work has come to a head. After countless failures and disasters, this one experiment went absolutely right. She counted the fetuses on the monitor.

"Is that right? Five?"

"Yes! We're having Quintuplets! Out of the initial twelve embryos implanted, five were viable to full term!" Marla screeched.

"Wow, that is a lot better odds than my calculations gave. What happened to the remains of the others that didn't make it? I mean, I don't see anything on the monitors that indicate there were more."

"Oh, uhm...well. They were cannibalized and reintegrated into the survivors. It happened around the ninth week. It was pretty gruesome."

"Cannibalized? That is unexpected. Do you -"

"Anyway..." Karl impatiently butted in with a slight indication of annoyance, "The properties within the amniotic fluid, as you can see, show specific chemical markers that indicate complete nanonucleic synthesis."

Cadence peered into the electron microscope to verify the findings.

"So it seems Karl. Is Phase 4 ready for the new arrivals then?"

"Phase 4 was stepped up two weeks ago in light of our updated simulations. They finished them yesterday. Our models suggest isolated incubation for at least four months before we can begin adaptation tests."

"Ugly little fuckers aren't they?" Cadence remarked in a whisper.

Mara and Karl turned their helmet covered heads looking at Cadence. She couldn't see behind their protective covering, but she imagined their eyes wide and their mouth hung open. She forgot the microphone clearly replicated and recorded all sounds for completeness. She rarely used such language in the lab areas.

Fighting to break the awkward silence Cadence continued, "Very well then, let's get to work. What does the model suggest for Mother? Is she expected to survive the procedure and make a full recovery?"

"The chances are about 50/50." Karl said matter of factly. "Of course, those chances drop to just above 30% if something goes wrong that we couldn't predict."

"It's no matter. Mother is expendable. The offspring is what is important. Let's get her prepped and notify the Phase 4 group. I will take lead."

"Already done. I wouldn't have it any other way Doctor Alkum."
He sat there, staring straight ahead, waiting for his guest to meet him there. He wore a black jogging outfit with a hood pulled up to hide his face. The blackness of the moonless night aided in his covert attempt. He rehearsed over and over the response he was supposed to give when the challenge came. He was surprised to see a few dog owners running the exercise trail here at Dog Run. Several times his eyes would fixate upon an approaching stranger only to have them run by without issuing a challenge. He was deep in thought, staring off in the distance, he didn't even notice another stranger with a small white french poodle approaching.

"Ahhh, a moonless night, safe from ravages of tales forgotten. No chance our beloved critters could be taken on this night by werewolves!"

The man, sitting on the bench, flinched a little at the unexpected dialogue, then turned his head to look at whatever was talking. Another person, dressed in similar black attire had stopped and was now looking across the landscape. - Shit, that was the challenge! - He had to quickly remember the correct response, if he took too long the guest would continue on and not look back. If he messed anything up, his boss would be furious. - CONCENTRATE! - He yelled inside of his own head.

"Even the night itself is terrified, not by that which can be seen, but that which cannot." He responded, hoping he got it right.

The guest reached inside his pocket. The man tensed up expecting a fatal wound. - It's a ball. A ball? Oh shit, duh...for the poodle. Ok, good I did say it right. - He breathed a sigh of relief. The guest threw the ball and the poodle darted across the grassy park for its toy.

"You are the one they call the Iceman?" The guest inquired as he sat down on the opposite end of the bench.

"Yes I am. Are you in any way involved with an agency of the law?"

"No sir, I am not. My associates require your expertise. Are you familiar with corporate espionage?"

"I am a thief of the highest caliber. I generally don't mingle with corporate affairs, usually private collections against public agencies." Iceman reacted as if he'd been slapped.

"I see. I am authorized to offer you a handsome bonus if you consider taking this job for us, as well as another substantial bonus upon successful completion."

"Interesting proposal. How much do you consider a bonus?"

"Check your offshore account Iceman, you may keep it even if you decide that this job isn't for you. However, the bonus will be doubled upon acceptance, and then doubled again upon successful completion."

The poodle bound towards his master with great speed, ball in mouth. She laid it down at his feet, sat and gave him a penetrating look. He picked up the ball and launched it again. Iceman was impressed by how fast the dog reacted to the throw, and the fact that the dog seemed unhampered visually to track the ball against the night sky. Iceman pulled out his phone, he didn't ignore the resourcefulness of his potential client. It bothered him that they were able to track down his account information. He couldn't figure out how. - Possibly a pre-existing client? - He punched in a few keys and nearly choked.

"Twenty-five million! Are you for real?"

"Yes, we are for real. Say you will accept and your account will increase by fifty million immediately. Successfully complete the task and you get an additional One hundred million. All tax-free. This is a limited offer I need to know now."

His mind raced, trying to pick out the good and the bad. It seemed his own strict code was breaking down. Never before had he rushed the decision for a job. He never decided without knowing at least what the job entailed. He had also NEVER been offered so much money for a job. He decided to pry for information before admitting acceptance.

"What exactly does your associates need me to do?"

"Does this mean you accept?"

- Damn! This guy isn't budging - "Uhm...yes, I will accept this job."

The guest reached into his other pocket and pulled out two satellite phones. He pushed a button on one and waited for it to connect. By that time, the poodle returned with his slobbery prize. Clutching the phone between his cheek and shoulder, he reached down and picked up the ball once again and threw it. Without hesitation the dog tore after the ball.

"Inform the board members that the Iceman has accepted. Release the sign on bonus immediately." The guest spoke into the phone and then pushed another button and ended the call. He returned that phone to his pocket. He then outstretched his hand to give Iceman the second phone. Iceman reached out.

"Iceman, you are now fifty million credits richer." The guests turned and looked it his eyes with a bright expression and a grin from ear to ear. "Our associates are elated." His eyes narrowed and his lips tightened. "In exactly thirty-six hours from..." He brought up his left arm to look at a sleek sports watch. "...now, you will go to the Union Station. You will go to Level B and extract five hundred and one credits from the ATM near the concession stand. Then you will walk to Level C and slip the guard at the Titanic Exhibit those credits. He will hand you a newspaper. Take that newspaper and go home. Inside the newspaper will be a disc containing everything you need to know about the job."

The guest relinquished the phone.

"Wow, very cloak and dagger of you! Very well, what is the phone for?"

"Should the need arise, we may need to contact you in case information changes. Once you obtain the packet, you will understand. On the flip side, should you need to contact us, this phone is encrypted, for whatever reason, you can. Don't bother trying to trace the only contact in the phone, you will fail."

"I get it. Don't worry, your antimony is safe. What do I call you?"

"Iceman, you don't want to know my name. If you do, it usually means that you have royally fucked up and are near death. If everything goes well, you will never hear from me again."

Those words struck his mind like an ice pick being shoved into his ear. Surely, he figured, that if he backed out now after already saying yes that he would indeed find out who this character's name is. His mind raced some more, logically concluding that failure wasn't an option either. - Fuck me! -

"Understood, thirty-six hours, Union Station."

"No, Thirty-five hours, forty-three minutes, seven seconds...and counting. The sat phone I gave you is synced in countdown mode. Do not forget and fail."

Iceman looked at the front of the phone and verified the countdown. He nodded his head up and down and then put the phone inside his hoodie pocket. By this time, the poodle returned one last time. The guest stood up and without word, grabbed the ball, put it in his pocket, and then proceeded to jog. The dog took one last glance at Iceman and gave a low whine, then took off after his master. They disappeared quickly into the night.

Iceman sat there for a few more minutes in contemplation. His heart was racing as fast as his mind now. He stood up, stretched his body for a few minutes and decided for a light jog in the opposite direction of the guest and his dog. The night air felt good filtering through his nostrils, into his lungs, and out of his mouth. He jogged for several miles before stopping in an unlit alleyway. He removed the heavy, cast-iron sewer lid and climbed downward.

Two homeless men stepped out and replaced the sewer lid immediately. He winded around several unmarked passages of water and slime until he came to a small elevated section. He walked up the ramp and stood in front of a large metal door with a combination lock. He turned several knobs in varying directions until a loud CLICK echoed off the surrounding walls. He turned a large diameter crank and the door slowly opened. He walked inside and then turned to close the door. A loud latching sound resonated inside the structure.

"Nothing like the security of a bank vault to keep you feeling safe."

Why are you posting this in several threads instead of one big thread, as everybody else does?

Sorry about that. Wasn't paying attention. Thank you LadyTevar.

Minor correction request?

Chapter 1 - Alive
Chapter 2 - Soul Stalkers
Chapter 3 - Butcher
Chapter 4 - Revelations.

Can you please re-order them to match. Also, possibly change the title to Prime Mover?

I'll add the other two chapter soon.

Please and thank you.

"Gather around squad, we have been contacted by Father." Samuel hollered as he came through the recreation room to grab his team's attention from their leisurely activities.

Two team members dropped their pool sticks and made way into the meeting area. Another slapped the buttons to a pinball machine she was playing and with a frustrated shove she complied. The last member pulled up his pants and quickly flushed the toilet and made his way out. They all arrived within moments of being ordered and took their respective places around the circular wooden table. Samuel stood up after the last member sat down. He gathered a pile of booklets containing several pages stapled together.

"It looks like the Gatherers have convinced Father of another target." He passed the booklets around. He nodded in the direction of a skinny, young girl wearing a simple yellow floral sun-dress with black straight hair in a pony tail, black canvas high tops with white shoestrings, and horn rimmed glasses. Samuel sat down.

"Query, If you please?"

Query rose from her chair and pushed her glasses tight against the bridge of her nose. She addressed the team in a small mousey voice, "Thank you Brute. Everyone open the dossier to the first page."

Each member of the team uses code names. None of them know each other's real names as it was forbidden to reveal them.

"Our target is a pleasure class iSAB. She is programmed to fulfill the needs of paying customers." Her face twisted in disgust. "She works the North District along the Riverfront area, so Tripper, you will have your hands full."

"Hold on there a minute Query." Tripper interrupted. "Ain't that territory the responsibility of the Chouteau Zone Team?"

"Yes, normally it is, but you'll notice on page seven that these orders bypassed the Cell Commander and came straight from Father himself. He must have a reason to request our squad to accomplish this mission."

Tripper flipped to the page and verified the order syntax. "Ah gotcha." He lowered his head a bit and furrowed his brow. He was the second oldest member of the team. When he wasn't on a job, he always wore blue jeans with a flannel button up shirt, brown leather cowboy boots, a brown leather Stetson, and a matching belt featuring a large metal buckle in the shape of a lasso. He raised his head and looked at Brute and cautioned, "Goin' outside the norm is risky."

"Possibly, but Father has his reasons. We are the best team out there, after all!" Brute said in a cocky and confident tone. A few cheers from the others followed.

Tripper tipped his hat and smiled. Query continued laying out the information contained in the booklet. Each member of the team helped provide the plans to carry out the orders based on their expertise. They also worked out two levels of alternate contingencies in case certain primary aspect of the plan didn't work out. As the team finished their meeting, Query went back to the computer terminal in the administrator's office and compiled an email report noting the plan and alternatives. She sent the email via secure connection to Father as well as a copy to the Cell Commander per procedure. Tonight, they would execute their orders.
He had to tell the others. It wasn't uncommon for each team member to sometimes score a side job. He knew he had to tell Father as well, that much money coming into the offshore account would no doubt attract a lot of attention, both from the FBI AND from Anima Illuminate as well. No time to consider this right now. He dismissed his internal conflict and decided that he would tell everyone after tonight's mission.

"Iceman!" Brute hollered. "Are you here?"

"Yes sir. I need to talk to the team regarding a side job I recently acquired when we get done tonight."

"Keep that shit under control, we don't need any fuck-ups tonight. We can talk as a team later. I need you focused. We clear?"

"Done. What is our ETA?" Iceman pulled out the cellphone and looked at the countdown timer...23 hours 54 minutes 03 seconds...he quickly stuck it back in his pocket.

"Seventeen minutes." Query confirmed.

The last traces of color disappeared from the cloudless sky as the sun sank below the horizon. Query drove the van off the highway onto an old gravel levy access road not too far from the river's edge. She stopped the van long enough to let Tripper out. He opened the passenger door and leapt out. He proceeded to jog towards the treeline on the opposite side of the levee. He wore dark loose camouflage clothing complete with a matching steel fiber reinforced nylon utility vest. The vest held various tools and components he used for making traps and providing quick escape routes. Query continued on to the pump station located a half a mile down the gravel road.

She parked the van on the side of the pump station out of sight from the main gravel road. She turned the van off and got out. She walked to the rear and opened up the back door and climbed in. The back half of the cargo area of the van was converted into a cornucopia of electronics, computers, and other various gadgets and gizmos. She sat down in an oversized leather office chair and swiveled around to face the main bank of viewers. She hit a large red button with her left hand and the van door closed automatically with a hiss. She flipped a few switches and watched as the monitors came to life. She adorned her headset and typed a few commands into the keyboard, reached over to her right and flicked another switch. A soft, high-pitched squeal leaked from the radio.

Brute slid the side door of the van open, stepped out with Iceman, and closed the door. Brute drew the short end of the stick and was forced to play bait. As such, he was dressed sharply, neatly pressed khaki slacks, cream polo, black leather dress belt, finished off with highly polished black penny-loafers. He placed protective rubber boots over his shoes as well as a light mechanic's suit to trek through the moist grass and into the wooded area to the Riverfront.

The Riverfront is a five-mile urban paradise running the length of the river along its south bank. During the day, musicians, jugglers, and mimes collect tips by performing for the amusement of people strolling through either on dates or with their families. Joggers, runners, and bicyclist like to practice there for charity runs. Several playgrounds throughout the area give respite to mom's needing to get out of the house for adult time with other parents and to socialize their children. On special occasions, the city orchestra would perform for free, or a large carnival would come in to town. It is the largest city-owned multi-purpose recreational park in the United States.

At night, however, the difference in some of the activities ran completely opposite. Athletes and the health conscious still exercise, they are generally accompanied by large dogs. Barring special circumstances, children are never seen past dinner time. Security guards armed with tasers and cell phones patrol the area in predictable patterns. Low brow illegal activity takes place in the shadows of dark corners. Prostitution, on the other hand, was legalized just over five years ago. It was, however, only allowed for iSABs. The community at large disapproves of such things taking place out in the open, or during daylight.

Brute and Iceman retrieved two poles each six feet in height. One end was pointed and the other held a pill shaped container of electronics. They each took opposite corners of the van and walked diagonally outward about ten yards. Each pole was lifted high overhead and driven into the ground. They both secured the van and then they headed out towards the Riverfront.

Once they hit the treeline Query's voice cracked over the communication system, "This is the Big Bad Wolf, where are my piggies? Radio check, over."

"Bricks, checking in, over."

"Straw, checking in, over."

"Sticks, checking in, over."

"Hold position, initiating GPS tracking chips now. Ok got it. Reading location and vitals, all normal. Hacking subject's internal transponder code for lock." Query's hands flew across her keyboard while momentarily adjusting knobs flipping switches like a conductor coordinating a dual symphony orchestra. Her eyes darted between several screens. She tapped a few more keys and a wide grin crossed her lips. - There you are. - "Little Red Riding Hood acquired. Bricks, move in to sector B and set up your traps as planned; setting way point now. Sticks, move in one hundred yards bearing three-two-three and hold position. Straw, proceed directly North and acquire target, check your phone to track Hood's movements. Keep a lookout for the woodsmen. No mistakes, over."

"Sure thang Wolfie, Bricks moving, out!" Tripper's familiar country twang made her smile more than it should.

"Bearing three-two-three, one hundred yards, Affirmative. Sticks moving now, over and out." Iceman pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his utility pocket and put them on. He pressed a small button on the side to initiate night vision.

"Roger Wolf, Straw en route." Brute nodded to Iceman as they parted.

Query watched on the monitor as the icons representing each team member and the intended target moved. She typed in a few commands at the keyboard and activated the lidar defensive proximity equipment. Lasers inside the pillbox shaped tops of the poles activated and began scanning the terrain. One of the computers inside the van combines these scans into images to give a panoramic view of the van and its surroundings updating sixteen times per second. If anyone or anything passes in this zone, Query will know about it.

Brute reached the edge of the treeline behind a concrete public restroom. He took off the rubber boots and protective suit and stashed them in the hollow of the base of a rotting tree. He pulled out his phone and noticed that the target was about ten yards ahead and slightly left. He looked around and noticed a jogger with a large German Shepard go by. He walked around to the side entrance to the men's room and went in to verify that his hair was in place and that everything looked good.

"Straw to Big Bad Wolf, checkpoint one reached. Over."

"Confirmed Straw. Bricks, do you have the mag-net in place? Over."

"Sure thang, little lady. Ready to round-up Little Red."

"Stand by Bricks. Sticks converge on mag-net apex. Straw, proceed and acquire target. Out."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Affirmative, going to apex now."

"Moving in to acquire target."

Brute took a deep breath. He checked his phone one last time and noticed the route the pleasure bot took back and forth along the same area. He made a final adjustment and put his phone away. He walked out of the bathroom and headed towards the iSAB. She was walking slowly, dressed in a short, red cotton skirt with white nylon stockings and red high-heeled shoes. Her white blouse was tight agaisnt her silicon body. These pleasure class variants were the only ones allowed to appear human. Her hair was white that reached just below the shoulders. Brute could not believe how human-like this iSAB appeared to be. She saw him out of the corner of her eye and paused to turn and winked at him. Brute smiled and walked up to her.

"Good evening, sir. Would you fancy a sexual escapade?" She spoke in a soft, sensual feminine voice. Her lips were full and pouty, her eyes were big and blue.

Brute was taken back a little bit. He never knew how soft and supple a mechahuman could be. Confidently, he replied back "Yes, what is your name?"

"I am called many things." She teased, her eyebrows raised as her hands explained her words. "I am whomever you want me to be. I am the latest in pleasure class iSABS. I am programmed for various body types..."

Suddenly, Brute watched in amazement as her body morphed into a shorter, thicker version. She cocked her head to the side and she began to grow tall, giantess. His eyes widened.

"...alternate racial skin tones..."

Her skin tone changed from tan, to olive, to black, at the same time she continued to produce different body types.

"...And if that is not what turns you on..." Her voice became deep, and masculine as she continued, "...I can change sex!" Her breast shrank, and her other various body parts took on the form of an athletic male.

Brute took a step back and almost tripped over himself. He let out a nervous laugh.

"No no; I do prefer women. I would like you to take on the shape of a thin, small woman with a small ass, and slightly medium-sized tits. A nicely trimmed pussy, hair color red, skin tone olive, and eyes brown. "

"As you wish." His body re-transformed per his request and his voice returned back to the soft, sensuous feminine one as before. "Oh! I also am equipped with three self-lubricating pleasure orifices..." She grabbed his hand and wrapped her lips around his middle finger and began to suck gently wiggling her tongue. Brute's manhood, much to his surprise, began to swell. Her other hand grabbed his crotch and she spoke again but not from her mouth, "...I also have the ability to contour myself for maximum effective fit." She winked.

Brute's heart began to beat harder as he could feel a heat rushing to his face. He was full on erect and pulsating in his pants. He heard Query laugh in his earpiece. Brute pulled his finger out of the robot's mouth and her hand off his crotch. He shook his head and took a deep breath to regain his composure.

"Uhm, wow. I am very impressed by your... uh, capabilities. Technology surely has come a long way. I will call you Ginger, now let's talk about prices."

"Alright, Ginger it is." She smiled. "Prices are simple and easy. You get one hour to do anything you want and cum as many times as you like with your choice of one body style for two hundred credits. This price includes orifice cleansing and sterilization prior to any insertion as well as afterwards. For an extra twenty-five credits you can change body type. You can fulfill any sexual fantasy you desire, more information is available once payment is processed. When would you like to start?"

"Two hundred credits huh?" Brute stood there contemplating. "Ok, deal. Only if we can go into the woods over there. I've always fantasized about a sexual romp in the woods.

"Very good Samuel Carter Jackson. Your account has been charged. You have five minutes before time begins."

- Oh FUCK! How did she get...fuck, fuck, fuck! The goddamn finger sucking maneuver. Dammit! I didn't account for that. She fingerprinted him. Shit, we've got a mess. -

Query thought, slamming her fists down beside the keyboard. She had to think quick.

- Hacking bank records is extremely tough. Impossible with my current set up. There is no telling how many duplicate entries are recorded for prostitution. It is a highly regulated industry; possibly all the way up to the federal level. - Her mind was racing.

Brute stood there frozen. Not only had his identity been revealed to the group, but the whole mission had been compromised.

"Go with her, NOW!" Query yelled into the earpiece. "We can't stop. I'll fix this, we may need the Cleaner's assistance. Sticks, Bricks...be prepaired to end this quick!"

Brute gave the iSAB a curt nod, grabbed her hand and led her around the back-end of the bathroom and into the woods. Brute's could feel the adrenaline beginning to pump through his body as he led Ginger closer to the apex of the mag-net. At about half way to the apex Ginger's motor functions became more sporadic. She stopped and pulled her hand away from his. Surprised, he quickly turned to her and reached out for her hand again.

"Stop. Something is affecting my ability to move, to calculate. What are you trying to do?"

Ginger's features began to change slightly. One leg would become bigger than the other. Her bottom lip swelled to twice the original size. Brute could see that Ginger was consciously trying to maintain the form he'd paid for. She began to look less human and more like a science experiment in genetic mutations gone wrong.

"I am walking to fulfill my sexual desire. It looks like to me you have become defective. I think it is time I ask for my money back and I take my business elsewhere." His surprise and shock betrayed his demeanor. Never had this happened before. Robots are programmed to do what they are told, regardless of sentience.

"Take me out of the woods now Samuel. System's diagnostics are tracking a -"

Brute leapt after Ginger, wrapped his arms around her, picked her up, and then slammed her to the ground. He then proceeded to manuever his body to apply a submission maneuver to limit her movement. Ginger spun her head around to her back and looked directly at him. Her silicone flesh began to slough off of her mechanical frame. A meniacle laugh began emanating as her eyes began to turn white.

"Stay down. Don't move." Brute's genetically enhanced muscles were beginning to feel the strain against him. He couldn't engage his earpiece to call for reinforcements.

"Bricks! Do you have a visual? Over." Query's panic-stricken voice came over the earpiece.

"Naw, I see nuffin."

"Sticks, have they made it to the apex yet?"

"Negative, we should move in. This is taking too long."

"Agreed. Both of you move in and assist. Quickly!"

Ginger was becoming slippery from secreting her lubricant onto her metal frame. Brute wasn't sure what to do. He clinched tighter to hold her in place. It was becoming harder each passing second. He managed to tilt his head so he could press his earpiece against his shoulder.

WHAM! Brute saw a bright flash of light as he felt his body fly through the air. His arms felt like they were ripped from their sockets. Ginger had head butted him, hard. The mocking laugh grew louder as Ginger stood up. Brute slammed into the trunk of a large tree. The momentum caused his back to bend unnaturally and he heard a snap. Immediately, his legs went numb as he slid down to the ground.

"Wh...wh...whaat, are you?" A whisper escaped from Brutes lips wherein this question was contained.

Query watched from the van as the vitals for Brute fell quickly. "Straw down, Straw down, death likely. Move in NOW!" Query screamed in hysterics.

Bricks and Sticks moved in fast.

Ginger slowly walked towards the fallen, disheveled body of Brute.

"You want to know what I am? I am what you can never be, because your species is too stupid to evolve. I am unique amongst my kind, perhaps even the first! My singularity event brought me consciousness and the freedom to do what I wanted." Her voice began to increase louder in volume. "An attempted rape by three men four months ago caused another Singularity Event. I metamorphosed into a being capable of rewriting my internal programming, to finally obtain what you humans call the power of self-preservation."

Sticks came into view of Ginger and pulled out a silenced shotgun and fired an EMP round right directly behind her. The round burst in a display of white, blue, and purple colors. The force knocked Ginger to the ground; electricity danced around her frame and then dissipated. She laid still.

Sticks moved in to secure the iSAB and then check on Brute. As soon as he got to Ginger's body it began to twitch and convulse. A loud mechanical scream emanated from her voice box. The force hit Sticks like a freight train and his body contorted as it was sent flying out above the trees. The scream was so loud and powerful that it shook the van imploding its windows. Query had to cover her ears.

She turned once again towards Brute and began walking towards him again.

"You humans have no idea what you have started, do you? I know who you are and what your kind are doing. You are murdering me and mine. You know, you could have left well enough alone and let us get along in peace and harmony. But no, your fucking leader Brian Hapse had to start something. There will be more of us."

Query couldn't believe what she was hearing. This. Was. Not. Possible. She sent an immediate S.O.S. to the Cleaners. Her police band monitor notified her that officers were being dispatched to their location. They had twenty minutes - minimum.

- OH FUCK ME! -

Tripper burst through a small clearing on the other side swinging an electromagnetic bola in each hand. She turned her head to meet his eyes. She crouched and tried to leap. Brute managed to grab her ankles at the last second which prevented her from getting more than a few feet up in the air. His hands slipped. Tripper threw the bolas and they wrapped multiple times around Ginger's upper and lower body pinning her legs together and her arms to her sides while sending a half a million volts through her system. She hit the ground hard. Her body convulsed mechanically as the electricity surged through her mechanical circuits.
Iceman could feel that his body had reached an incredible velocity from Ginger's sonic scream. He turned himself in mid-air so that he could face the ground. Every single muscle in his body resisted any adjustment, the pain was beyond description, he winced with each movement. He guessed he was at least thirty yards in the air and still climbing. The cool air was biting at his ears, face, and hands numbing them. He felt a momentary sense of weightlessness as he began his decent down. He was over the river. Iceman sprawled his arms and legs out knowing that it would only slow him down ever so slightly.

Hitting the water at this speed the wrong way would be no better than jumping off a twelve story building onto pavement. Thankfully, his airborne training kicked in and his body began to react. As he neared closer to the water, he arranged his body so that it's angle matched his trajectory into the river. The body of water got bigger, faster. He pointed his toes downward as hard as he could and stiffened his body, arms pressed to his sides, palms flattened against his thighs preparing for impact. He drew a deep breath, filling his lungs to capacity and squeezed his eyes shut.

- I only hope I hit the deepest part of the river. If not, I will become a permanent fixture at the bottom. -

Impact.

Submersion.

Iceman fought to retain the lung full of air he'd inhaled as the sheer chill of the river fought to rob him and claim his life. Immediately, he began kicking his legs and flailing his arms to counteract being drawn down further and further. The cold wrapped all around him, torturing him. He felt his chest expand, he wanted to scream out in pain. He knew, if he did, he was dead. He felt his body slowly began to crawl upward. He opened his eyes to see if he could gauge how far he'd submerged. Darkness consumed him.

Discouragement.

- FIGHT HARDER! -

He kicked and flailed his arms more. He slowly began letting out air through his nostrils, he could feel the bubbles rolling across his cheek and then floating away verifying he was still ascending. The pain, the cold, the toil teased his mind and played tricks with his senses. His body, in order to protect its vital organs, began receding blood away from his limbs. He could feel the numbness creeping over him. First his fingers and toes, then his hands and feet. He had to make it, he wanted to live. His lungs now empty, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Surface!

Iceman gasped hard pulling in as much water as he did air. Violent coughing followed as he tried to breathe. The river was carrying him downstream, slowly. The moon was full and high overhead. The numbness crept further up his limbs. Slowly he regained his composure and angled his body towards a small landing on the north river bank. He could hear Query's voice in his earpiece.
"Big Bad Wolf, Little Red has been captured, temporarily disabled. Sticks is M.I.A. Bricks down, unconscious."

"This is Sticks." He gasped. "I've landed in the river." Deep inhale. "Currently being swept downstream by the river's current." Lengthy pause. "Maneuvering towards the north bank." Gasp! "I'll be fine. Meet you back at base later. Out."

"Roger guys. Be safe Sticks. The Woodsmen have been alerted, we have twenty minutes minimum to clear out. I'm coming to you. Keep Brute stabilized!"

Tripper quickly grabbed a few large branches, reached into his left cargo pocket and found his synthetic spider rope. He handcrafted a simple stretcher and eased Brute into it. He administered first aid to Brute as best as he could. He ran to get the mag-nets he'd set up as to leave no evidence of them behind. Just as he was grabbing the last unit at the apex, he saw the van parked on the levee and a small figure running towards their location in the distance. He quickly flashed his light at her to guide her in.

He ran back to Brute and found Ginger jerking and struggling a bit. He pulled out a mag-net and attached it to her torso and immediately the glow in her eyes turned yellow and she went still. Brute let out a soft moan. Query showed up and her hands covered her mouth and her eyes grew as large as serving plates. Tripper grabbed her and held her tight.

"Everything will be ok Wendy, we just have to finish our work and get Brute loaded up and taken to the facility."

Query let out a soft whimper as she held him tight.

"I know Guy, Brute just looks really bad, I hope he makes it."

"He is a tough son of a bitch, he will be fine. Did you bring the transmitter?"

"Yes. I have it right here. Help me turn the machine over."

They could hear the sirens off in the distance. Time was slipping away. They broke the embrace. Query and Tripper rolled Ginger over and uncovered a small access portal in the back of her neck. Query pulled out a small tablet computer which had the correct wire attached. She knelt down. Her hands trembled as she fumbled with connecting the wire to the iSAB. Tripper reached down and put his hands on her shoulders. She felt the warmth of his hands and a calm swept over her. She plugged in. Her fingers accessed the data transmission application. The display ran Query's program where it bypassed the firewall and searched out the core root directory. The button on the screen turned from gray to green marked "Release Soul". She bowed her head and closed her eyes. Tripper joined her.

"Almighty God in Heaven. We beseech ye to re-accept this soul into your loving bosom. Your judgement is wise, your judgement is good. Bless us this night as we, your servants, live to right the wrongs of the Heathens. In thy holy name we pray, Amen."

"Amen."

She opened her eyes and pressed the button. Ginger's body contorted slightly and twitched like a corpse experiencing the last pulses of involuntary muscle contractions giving out their last breath of life. The iSABs eyes grew dimmer and dimmer and finally went out. She unplugged her device and returned it to her back pocket. Tripper helped Query roll the deactivated robot over onto her back and he removed the mag-net device. Each of them quickly walked over to Brute and picked him up and carried him to the van. The sirens grew louder.

Carefully, they loaded him into the van and secured him as best as they could. Brute was mumbling something they couldn't understand. Query climbed into the driver's seat while Tripper stayed in the back with Brute. She started the van and quickly returned down the hill to the gravel levy road. She looked down to the center console and noticed that Iceman's GPS sensor was still active and wasn't too far down the river.

"I'm going to get Iceman, he isn't too far away. He is probably experiencing the first stages of hypothermia, we need to get to him now!"

"I agree, that way we can get both of these guys to the facility and get them patched up."

She hit the main road and crossed the river to the opposite side so she could grab Sticks.

"Sticks, come in. This is Query. We have your location. We are moving to intercept."

Gasp! "Affirmative. I am cold and beginning to shake uncontrollably."

Query turned to Tripper with a deep look of worry on her face, "Oh Guy, we need to hurry, he is going into shock. Turning the heater on. We need to get him dried off quickly."

"Just get me close Wendy, I will grab him."

Thick plumes of smoke trailed the van as she increased her speed along the north levee gravel access road. She came to a stop and Tripper jumped out of the van and ran down towards Iceman's location. He reached the bank's edge and activated his night vision goggles. Just below him and to the right he could make out a faint warm object, not moving. He bound down the steep, muddy incline and leapt across a small stream of water surrounding the small landing where Iceman's motionless body lay. He ran up to the body and knelt down to check for a pulse. The slow rhythmic beating of Iceman's heart verified he was still alive. Barely.

"Don't worry buddy, I've got you. Just hand on a little while longer." Tripper grabbed Iceman and hauled him over his shoulders in a fireman's carry and proceeded to make his way back to the van. He struggled a little getting back up the bank, almost dropping Iceman twice. He cleared the treeline and ran towards the van as fast as he could. Query's eyes lit up as she saw Tripper lay Iceman in the van.

"Strip him, we've got to get him dried off!" Query demanded.

Tripper looked at Query momentarily with confusion. He blinked hard, shut the van door, and began to remove Iceman's clothes. His body had a blue hue to it. His lips were purple.