Chapter 9
The drive to Tennessee was long and grueling. They traveled in a small, four person vehicle. Ripple and Break took turns behind the wheel, switching every three hours, while Tron and Roll alternated on drone lookout. The constant re-routing, due to patrol sectors, made the trip that much more frustrating.
"So you buying this whole 'human android' story?" Ripple asked, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Not sure what to believe, anymore." Break replied, looking out at the night sky. "It would explain a lot though."
"Think we're walking into a trap?" Ripple added.
"Almost definitely." Break answered, honestly, "Not an intentional one, though. Maglia was frightened enough to be sincere, but I'm sure Shroud is smart enough to know what he would tell us."
"Why not hold off, then?" Tron asked, from the back.
"Because I'm not fully sure if Shroud will use that information to lay a trap, or destroy what we're looking for. Just not a risk we can afford." Break explained.
"You get anything else outta him?" Ripple asked, making conversation.
Break chuckled, "Couldn't shut the fat bastard up. Talked about Preston Light, some falling out at a Christmas party, a device that could control the androids, and on, and on, and on."
"Shit man." Ripple chuckled, "Talk about spillin the beans."
Break looked back out the window, "It's the ankle." He scratched his nose, "You can burn a man, cut him, beat him, shock him, and get lies and the 'tough guy' act. But you soften him up by snapping a finger or two, then move to the ankle, shit, he'll tell you about every time he ever smoked in a fucking non-smoking area."
Ripple grinned, shaking his head, "I don't even want to begin to know how you figured that out."
When the car pulled up to the Hermitage, the building was dead. It had been unsafe and condemned two years ago. After looking into this, Vapor had traced the paper trail back to a legal committee, funded by none other, than Curtis Wily. "So what's the play here?" Ripple asked, as they exited the car.
Break lowered his glasses, detecting no heat signatures. Pressing a small button on the frame, he looked for magnetic signatures, "There's high-powered mounted defenses, by the front entrance, and along the hallways. Other than that, it looks clear."
"Maybe we beat him here." Roll suggested.
Break nodded, "Maybe, but report exact positions regularly. Ripple, if shit gets bad, you know what to do."
Charging the pressure on his gauntlets, Ripple nodded, "Let's get this over with, be safe in there and I'll keep watch out here."
Break pulled up his lucky yellow wrap, covering his mouth and nose, and proceeded slowly across the lawn. The two guns quietly scanned back and forth, almost invisible. Creeping just out of range, with Tron and Roll lined behind him, Break lit a bright flare and lobbed it into the foyer, through the window. The guns spun, firing on the object, as the three ran up the steps. Before they could spin back, Tron had already extended the two small cylinders, containing a heat laser between them searing one in half, while Roll and Break took the more traditional approach, and blasted the other to hell with their sidearms.
No alarms, that was a new feeling to the group. The building was extremely immaculate, considering it was "condemned". "Tron and Break, heading into the cellar." Tracy commed, when Ripple acknowledged.
"Roll, moving into the Kitchen area." Gina reported.
Ripple came over the comms next, "Guys you might want to pick up the pace, we got headlights about five miles out, not sure if they're headed this way." He looked through his view enhancer, counting five large vehicles.
Roll put on her goggles, moving quickly through the dining area, avoiding the scanning sentries. Once underneath the simple machines, she would jump up, ripping the photoreceptor cable from them. "Eastern Section security disabled," she notified them, "moving into secondary position." Roll finished, ripping the cover off of the exhaust duct.
In the cellar, Tron took off her backpack, removing her portable data hub. She pulled out the extending transfer cable, hooking it into the concealed port, underneath the server. To the naked eye, the large motherboard looked like an ordinary illustrious wine rack, but to a Bonne, it was elementary. "Transfer at seven percent." Tron said.
"In position, up and running." Roll responded.
"Guys, I think we're about to have party crashers, and they're picking up speed." Ripple reported, before slowly walking to position, to meet the newcomers.
Break pulled his guns, getting ready to cover the cellar door. "Alright Tron, keep that current flowing, then we can go home." He said nervously.
"Isn't that cute." A voice said, "You think you're leaving here." Shroud stepped around, from the adjacent cellar. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and pants, with a grey combat vest. The pistols were steadily aimed on each ones' forehead. He slowly walked over and kicked Tron in the chest, knocking her from her crouched position. Break started to move toward him, when Shroud leveled both guns upon him, shooting him in the shoulder. "Don't be a hot-head, Mr. Bonne. It can end your little fit, faster than you may hope." The detective said, snatching the cable from the server.
Outside, the convoy of trucks was brought to a screeching halt, by the hulking figure standing in their path. They didn't dare try and run him down, they had seen how that plan worked out, before. The men stepped out, followed by security droids, guns drawn. "Damon Perkins, remove your weapons, and put your hands above your head! This is your only warning!" The man in front yelled. Ripple grinned, raising his arms. "Remove the gauntlets!" The soldier screamed.
His reinforced riot visor came down, as did his hands, slapping the ground. The pavement cracked, as the men in close vicinity felt their legs, from the knees down, shatter. The other guards opened fire. Flat plates extended from the sides of the gloves' forearms, as he walked toward them, deflecting their bolts. As he got closer, the security droids rushed him, swinging bladed arms and laying rapid fire. Ripple knocked the blows aside, grabbing the droid to his left, using it as a weapon against the others.
He swung the machine like a battleaxe, crushing the skulls and rib cages of the humans, while knocking back the other robots. "What's going on in there?!" He yelled over comms, "Guys, we need to leave!" Before he realized it, there were less humans, and more machines. He crushed the droid he held, swinging back-forearm blows, dismantling others.
In the cellar, Break stood, rubbing the aching shoulder. "I see you didn't bring the full staff." Shroud said, "You're smarter than I gave you credit for."
Scott scoffed, "We can't all be programmed to be smart, detective. Some of us have to learn from experience."
Shroud laughed, "So you finally solved your big mystery." He clapped, sarcastically, "But as witty as you are, Mr. Bonne, that doesn't make you any less inferior."
Scott smirked, "That's my point exactly, Mr. Shroud. How do you think I got over on you the first time we met? How do you think I walked myself into your headquarters, back in Richmond, then walked myself out?" He could see Shroud's anger rising. "You're programmed to think you're superior, so you assume you will see every trick up my sleeve, detective."
From the exhaust port above the cellar, Roll commed, "We're clear." Shroud, in a moment of surprise, raised his guns, as he was snatched backward, through the air. The high-powered magnets yanked him against the wall, where Tron had planted them, along with every piece of metal in the room. The two bolted for the stairwell.
"Roll, did you get everything?!" Break asked, running through the Court area.
"Right here!" She replied, meeting them, from the side hallway. She held up the wireless transceiver, handing it to Tron.
"Ripple, we're coming in hot!" Break yelled, as he saw the brute, smashing away at the droids up the road. "C'mon man, wrap it up, closing time!" He added, jumping into the car.
Ripple made his way through the straggling machines, when he got the message. "Workin' on it." He replied. The last of the droids stood defiantly, to face him head on. When they closed in, he punched the first, sending it at least twenty yards, while he smashed the other two against the truck. The paneling ripped when the droids impacted, and the blinking red light caught Ripple's eye.
The explosion rocked the car, as the three approached. The girls screamed out as Break squealed up to the debris. He jumped out, calling for Ripple, but he already knew there would be no response. He dropped to his knees, pulling his scarf down. His first instinct was to go back to the building and make Shroud pay. In his rage, the hand lay onto his shoulder, as he looked back at Tron.
She looked down at him, with tears in her eyes, "We have to go, Scott." She whispered, "Those magnets won't hold much longer, and we have to get this to Vapor." She continued, holding the transceiver.
No one spoke on the drive home, and the beautiful view of the sunrise was forever ruined for them. All Scott could think of, was killing Shroud, android or not, he swore to watch him die.