Disclaimer: Don't own Automan—wish I did. Please don't sue. Besides ya' wouldn't get anything outta me right now, anyway. All of the disclaimer see Chapter 1.

Ch 3--Setting The Trap

Shadow roamed the streets about five blocks from The Reef Restaurant where he had recently met with Ronald Tilson mulling over their recent conversation. He was still a bit surprised that Tilson would require his services, but a job was a job.

Around ten minutes ago, he had backtracked to near The Reef Restaurant. He had covertly followed Tilson to make sure Tilson would make the payment. After seeing Tilson hack into a bank computer via the Ambassador Hotel computer and initiate a wire transfer into the account Shadow had specified, Shadow knew Tilson's deal was legit.

Now, he was contemplating where he might be able to obtain the necessary equipment to complete his job. In order to obtain the special electromagnetic scanner and electromagnetic energy field generator, he would need to visit an old business associate in charge of an electronics lab. He may also require this person's expertise in creating the electro-magnetically charged bullets he'd need to take out his targets. The easiest object for him to obtain--relatively speaking--would be the fiberglass gun needed to fire the bullets.

He headed towards a shadier part of town and entered a small corner shop with a well-kept wooden sign above the door which read: "Ed's Gun Shop". He heard bells over his head rattle as he walked through the front door. All different sizes and shapes of guns lined the shelves on either side of him. He knew these guns were mostly for show and not very valuable. He understood that the most valuable ones were always kept in the back. He walked up to a glass counter containing different boxes of differing sized ammo and waited.

An overweight, clean-shaven man in his late forties with dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail came from the back room. "Shadow! How's my favorite customer? What can I get for you this time?"

"An unusual gun and ammo, Eddie," replied Shadow.

"An unusual gun and ammo, huh?" Eddie immediately saw dollars signs in front of his brown eyes. "How unusual?"

"A fiberglass gun that can shoot electro-magnetically charged bullets."

"A fiberglass gun?" 'That is unusual. Even for Shadow,' thought Eddie. He contemplated that for a few seconds. Out loud, he said, "I know someone who might be able to create the kind of gun you require, but electro-magnetically charged bullets? Why would you need to electro-magnetically charge the bullets?"

"Never mind why. Can it be done?"

"Well, yeah, but I personally don't know anyone who would be able to charge the bullets."

"Could you get the gun and bullets that could be electro-magnetically charged?"

"I can get the gun. It's gonna take a couple of days and it's not gonna be cheap."

"And the bullets?"

Eddie considered that for some time. "Well... I could create bullets that would have the capability of holding a magnetic charge, but I wouldn't be able to charge them for you."

"That will work. I know somewhere I can get them charged. How much?"

"How soon do you need them?"

"Three days would be fine."

"$4,000."

"Agreed. Cash on delivery like usual."

"Like usual. Always nice doing business with you."

Shadow walked out of the shop and hailed a cab. He instructed the cab to take him to uptown Long Beach to "Long Beach Electronics Lab".

After a twenty minute ride, the cab pulled up to a multitude of white buildings annexed together. The sign in front of the largest building read: "Long Beach Electronics Lab". Shadow paid the cab driver, climbed out of the cab, and headed for the largest building. He entered the building heading for the "General Information" desk. A young woman with brown hair with natural red highlights sitting behind the desk looked up from the report she was preparing on the computer. "Hello. May I help you?"

"Hello." Shadow flashed her a friendly smile. "I need to speak with Dr. Slavich."

"He's a very busy man. May I ask who's asking?"

"Sure. Just tell him: 'Shadow requires his expertise.' He'll know who I am."

She picked up the receiver of a phone and dialed an internal number. After a few seconds, she said into the receiver, "Dr. Slavich? I have someone here who needs to speak to you." She waited for his response. "Yes, sir. I told him you were a very busy man. He told me to tell you: 'Shadow requires his expertise.' That you'd know who he was." A brief pause. "Yes, sir. I'll have security escort him there right away." She put down the receiver and turned to Shadow. "He says he'll meet you in his lab. He's working on a delicate project right now. Security will escort you there." She pressed the call button for security personnel. A young security guard arrived at her desk within a minute. "Please escort this person to Lab A," said the receptionist.

"Yes, Ma'am," replied the security guard.

"Thank you," replied Shadow to the brunette front desk assistant. The security guard gestured for Shadow to follow him, and they headed down an adjacent corridor into a connecting bridge to the second largest building on the premises. The guard knocked on a large metal door. It opened and a tall, trim blond man with slicked back hair and glasses stood in the doorway. He had a slightly perturbed look on his face at being interrupted. "Yes?" he asked before the face of his visitor fully registered. His mood brightened considerably upon recognition. "Sanders? What brings you to this neck of the woods?" Shadow and Slavich shook hands warmly. Slavich excused the guard with a nod of his head. The guard nodded and left. Slavich lead Shadow into the laboratory. After they were inside the lab without the risk of being overheard, Shadow turned to Slavich, "Like I said, Ian, I'm in need of your expertise."

"My expertise? With what?"

"I am in need of an electromagnetic energy field generator capable of covering a room and an electromagnetic scanner. I also need you to electro-magnetically charge bullets capable of holding the charge."

"That is a tall order. The scanner I could have for you within a day. I have been perfecting such a devise for a different experiment. The generator will take some time. How big will this room be?"

"I'll let you know the exact dimensions later. For now, make sure it can cover at least three walls of a conference room. What about the bullets? They won't be a problem for you, will they?"

"The bullets? No, if the design of them is sound, charging them should only take an hour at the most."

"How long until you have everything?"

"Without the precise measurements for the generator, I can give you a sample of the generator's field. I will need to modify the generator to match the exact dimensions you give me." Slavich paused. "One hour, maybe two if the dimensions are unusual."

"How long, Ian?"

"Three days."

"Price?"

"That will depend on what type of modifications I need to make to the field generator and the bullets. $9,000 roughly. Maybe more."

"Agreed. I'll be back with your dimensions." Shadow left the lab and headed for the main building. He exited the main building and premises. He hailed a cab to take him to a car rental place. Once at the car rental place, Shadow used the rental to leave Long Beach looking for the perfect building to lead his two unsuspecting targets into in LA. He soon passed an old office building about to be condemned. He noted the name and number of the business selling the property. He studied the buildings surrounding the office building. Two looked promising. One was an old apartment building. An empty room on the fourth floor of the building perfectly faced an adjacent conference room in the office building across the street. The other was another office building. Upon closer inspection, however, Shadow saw that none of the rooms in the second office building gave him a good view into any neighboring rooms in the first office building. Looked like he would be going with the apartment building.

He drove to a nearby pay phone and called the number of the business selling the office building property. He offered to lease the building for a short while. After some finagling, he got the representative to lease the building to him for one month for $500.

He drove back to the apartment complex and entered the main hall of the structure. He scanned the doors until he found one that said "Manager". He knocked on the door. An elderly man answered the door. "Can I help you?"

"Hi. I noticed you have some rooms for rent. I'd like to rent one. I'd like to have the room on the fourth floor that faces the old office building's conference room, if I may?"

The old man looked Shadow over wondering why such a spiffily dressed young man would want to rent an apartment on this side of town. 'Must have just come from a job interview. Probably lookin' for a low-rent place until he can land a job,' thought the elderly man. Out loud, he said, "The old Sandovahl place? Sure. I'll need a $100 deposit and rent's $250 per month. When do you plan on moving in?"

"Three days."

"Three days? You sure were confident you'd get that room."

"I like to think I'm optimistic." Shadow gave the seasoned man a friendly grin. He told the old man he'd be back with the security deposit and first month's rent the day he moved in. The older man agreed.

He crossed over to the office building and took the stairs up to the fourth floor. He went into the conference room. The furniture was gone and a fine layer of dust covered everything. This room would suit his purpose nicely.

Three days later, Shadow came into "Ed's Gun Shop" wearing a leather jacket over a light blue t-shirt and jeans. Eddie had the gun laying out on the counter for Shadow's inspection. The bullets were in an open foam-filled case beside the gun--36 in all. Shadow picked up the six-shooter inspecting it's design for any flaws. The design looked sound and he couldn't see any flaws. He gently laid the gun back on the counter and picked up the case containing the bullets. The design of the bullets looked sound, but he'd only be able to verify his analysis when he showed the merchandise to Slavich when he went to pick up the electromagnetic energy field generator and electromagnetic scanner. "Looks good, Eddie. Great workmanship as usual." Shadow took a white envelope out of the inside jacket pocket of his leather jacket. He slipped the envelope onto the counter.

Eddie took the envelope and packed the merchandise in a black bag. "Nice doing business with you, Shadow."

Shadow took the bag, walked out of the shop and hailed a cab. He instructed the cab to take him to uptown Long Beach to "Long Beach Electronics Lab".

After a twenty minute ride, the cab pulled up to the familiar multitude of white buildings annexed together with the sign in front of the largest building reading: "Long Beach Electronics Lab". Shadow paid the cab driver, climbed out with the black bag in his hand, and headed for the largest building. He entered the building heading for the "General Information" desk. The same brunette who had greeted him three days ago was behind the desk. When she looked up, she instantly recognized him.

"I need to see Dr. Slavich," said Shadow.

"He's expecting you. Let me get someone to escort you to his lab," replied the receptionist. She pressed the call button for security personnel.

The same young security guard that had escorted him arrived at her desk within a minute. He recognized Shadow. "Dr. Slavich's lab?" he asked.

"Yes," said the young lady. Shadow nodded.

The security guard gestured for Shadow to follow him, and they headed down an adjacent corridor into a connecting bridge to the second largest building on the premises. The guard knocked on the large metal door. It opened and Dr. Slavich stood in the doorway. "Ah, Sanders, you're here. Good. Come in." Slavich excused the guard, who headed back to the main building. Slavich noticed the black bag in Shadow's hand. "Is that the bullets?"

"And a fiberglass gun to shoot them from."

"A fiberglass gun. Good. No metal to interfere with the magnetic field. Wise choice, Sanders."

"Thank my client. Now about the merchandise?"

"Ah, yes." Slavich lead Shadow further into the lab. He pointed to a specially modified scope to be installed on any standard six-shooter. "Let me see the gun. I want to make sure I don't need to make any last minute adjustments to the electromagnetic scanner."

"Sure." Shadow reached into the black bag and took out the fiberglass gun. He handed the sidearm over to Slavich.

"Good craftsmanship, but I may be able to modify it to strengthen and stabilize the magnetic field of the bullets before and after firing," said Slavich as he inspected the gun.

"By all means, but you might want to charge the bullets as well." Shadow took the bullet case out of the bag. He handed the case to Slavich.

Slavich inspected the design of the bullets before saying, "These were professionally made. I won't need to make any modifications to them. Just charge them. They look like they'll hold the charge for a couple of days. I'll give you the case to recharge them." He went to a different section of the lab and placed the bullets in individual compartments in a small case with wires going around it hooked up to a wall socket. He flipped a switch on the case, and Shadow could hear a faint hum coming from the case.

"The generator?" asked Shadow.

"Yes, I am still modifying that. I assume you need the generator to cover a wide area and yet still be inconspicuous?"

"Of course."

Slavich went to another section of the lab and pointed to what looked like a slightly modified, small, black security camera set on a stand. It was facing a medium-sized room bare of equipment or furniture. Slavich reached over to a nearby table and picked up the electromagnetic scanner. He handed it to Shadow. "Here."

"But don't you need to install this on the gun, yet?"

"Yes, but you're going to need it for this little demonstration first."

Shadow took the scanner unsure what Slavich had in mind.

"Step into the room," requested Slavich, pointing to the empty room. Shadow did. Slavich flipped a switch and a hum could be heard.

Shadow saw no change in the room. "Nothing's changed."

"Look through the electromagnetic scanner," instructed Slavich.

Shadow put the scanner to his eye and peered through it. He saw a hazy white almost as if a curtain had been drawn across three of the walls of the room he was standing in. "Impressive. Will the field harm me or the scanner if I try to step through it?"

"No. The field would only affect objects created by electromagnetic energy. The human body gives off a weak electromagnetic aura unaffected by the field. The scanner is not made of electromagnetic energy; it only detects electromagnetic energy."

"Excellent," said Shadow imagining how effective this will be against one of his targets. He stepped through the field unaffected and laid the scanner on the table Slavich had originally had it on.

"The generator is not complete, however," said Slavich.

"Not completed? Looks fine to me."

"Yes, for this size room. You never gave me the exact dimensions of the room you plan to trap your quarry in. I need to modify the generator to cover that area."

"Fair enough. 15 feet by 14 feet by 7 feet." Shadow waited a few seconds as he saw Slavich jot down the dimensions he had given him before continuing, "How long will it take you to modify both the gun and the generator?"

"Two hours."

"I also need a silencer on the gun."

"Of course. I already have a silencer modification in mind that won't drastically affect the magnetic charge of the bullets and still give you decent distance and aim."

"Fine, Ian. I'm going to get something to eat while I wait, if you don't mind? I'll be back in two hours for the merchandise. Want anything?"

"No. I want to get started right away. They will be ready by the time you get back in two hours."

"Great." Shadow walked out of the lab and headed for the main building. He exited the building and walked off the lab's premises strolling down a nearby boulevard looking for a decent restaurant. Most of the restaurants he passed were sidewalk cafes. He wanted a restaurant that would afford him a modicum of privacy. He saw a relatively decent Italian restaurant and stepped inside. He took his time ordering and eating his meal.

Two hours later, Shadow was back in Slavich's lab inspecting the modifications Slavich had made to the gun. "Nice workmanship, Ian."

"Thought you would approve. I know you probably want to test it as well."

"Yes, if you have a way for me to safely test it without damaging any of your expensive equipment."

Slavich pointed to a dummy in a corner with a wall behind it covered with bullet proof padding. "I've electro-magnetically charged that dummy. I assume one of your targets consists of electromagnetic energy?"

"Yes."

"Well, I've loaded the first chamber in the gun. You can use the scope to see the damage done to the magnetic field of the dummy. This dummy will also show you the affect of the bullet itself on the equivalent to a human body."

Shadow took careful aim and fired. He heard a soft pop sound. The bullet impacted on the dummy right where it's heart would have been if it were human. He still had the gun aimed at the dummy as he carefully looked through the scope inspecting the damage done to the magnetic field of the dummy. He saw a sizeable disruption in the field where the bullet passed through. He approached the dummy and saw a two inch hole where the bullet had impacted. 'Excellent,' thought he. Out loud, he asked, "How do I work the generator from a distance?"

Slavich handed Shadow a remote. "This will activate the generator from up to 500 feet away nearly instantly."

"Excellent work as always, Ian." Shadow took an off-white envelope out of the inside jacket pocket of his leather jacket. He handed the envelope to Slavich. "$9,000 as agreed."

Slavich took the envelope. "Always great to do business with you, Sanders."

Shadow left the lab with the black bag in hand with the devices inside and headed for the main building. He exited the main building and premises. He hailed a cab to take him to a car rental place. Once at the car rental place, Shadow used the rental to head to his apartment in Long Beach. He gathered enough items from his apartment to make it appear he was moving into the LA apartment he had set up. Using the rental, he headed to LA and the apartment complex.

He started bringing the belongings from his Long Beach apartment into his LA apartment. He had only managed to carry in half of the items he had brought with him when he encountered the old man outside.

"Hello again, young man. I see you're already moving in. Is this all your possessions?"

Shadow put down the item he had in his hand. "No, sir. Some of my friends promised me they'd be helping me move the rest of my things from my other place in a few days. I should be all moved in by the end of the week." He dug into his inside jacket pocket. "Oh, I almost forgot." He took out a light blue envelope. "Here's the deposit and first month's rent." He handed the envelope to the old man.

"Thank you. Well, I hope your move goes well."

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me, I'd really like to get this stuff into the apartment. I have another errand I need to run."

"Of course." The old man went into the apartment complex. Shadow quickly finished unloading the items he had brought with him.

Shadow took his black bag and went into the office building across the street. He went up to the fourth floor and entered the conference room. He quickly set up the camera in a corner as far in the shadows as he could. He knew he would need to be able to lock his targets in the room and he studied the locks on the door and window. He figured out a way to wire the locks to the generator. When he triggered the generator, the locks clicked secure as well. When he turned the generator off, they released. 'Excellent. Everything's set. Now time to invite the guests of honor,' thought Shadow.