The Human Instrument
Part 3
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
By Nick Maro
Turning down her street, Kimber felt her stomach rumble from the smell of the fast food she bought for dinner. She spotted in front of the house she shared with Stormer, a parked van with its lights on. Her eyes glanced to the front door where she saw two people waiting. She slowed her car down a bit still watching the door, looking quickly to make sure no other cars were coming. The front door opened and Stormer appeared, the taller of the two people quickly put a hand to Stormer's mouth. The smaller one caught her and they picked her up, rushing her to the van.
Kimber sped up as the van came toward her. It turned on its high beams, blinding her for a moment. She slammed on the brakes and turned her wheel hard she then stomped on the accelerator and raced after the van. The van was about a quarter of a mile ahead of her, nearing its top speed. She pressed her foot harder, feeling her car jump slightly as it sped up. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she tried desperately to catch the van.
The van made a sharp right as she closed the gap between them. She grabbed the emergency brake and made the hard right. Tires squealed as they rubbed against the asphalt. She'd lost some distance and speed making the turn, but she kept up the chase. The van rushed through an intersection where the lights were at the yellow. By the time Kimber reached the lights, they had turned red. She slammed the accelerator harder and went through the red light. Horns blared as she went through.
Feeling her palms begin to sweat Kimber flexed her hands on the wheel without letting go. The van made a left and she followed the van while slowly gaining on it. She grunted as the road turned from pavement to gravel. The van spat loose gravel and stones at her while they raced. A stray stone hit her windshield causing it to start to spider web. There was a jump as the road became paved again.
Stormer's abductors turned on to the freeway ramp. Kimber followed ignoring the speed limit for the ramp. Her car began to drift dangerously toward the barrier wall as she sped at top speed up the ramp. She raced in front of a car as she reached the freeway. The van was just ahead weaving in and out of traffic at a dangerous speed. Kimber followed remembering when Aja had taught her how to drive at high speeds.
Making an unexpected turn down an exit ramp, the van almost vanished from sight. Cursing under her breath, Kimber made a sudden lane change, the car she cutoff clipped her back end, sending her swerving down the ramp. Desperately Kimber tried to regain control. She slammed into the ramp's barrier sending her car flying over it. Her car hit the ground and rolled to a stop.
Kimber was amazed that she landed on all fours wheels. Even more amazed that she was still conscious. She turned the key in the starter and it just buzzed. She tried again, hoping that her car would start. The car sputtered a few times to a start then died altogether. Kimber banged on the wheel and yelled in frustration. She tried repeatedly, until she finally sighed and rested her head on the wheel in defeat. Stormer had been taken before her eyes and there was nothing she could do.
Sitting on the bumper of the ambulance Kimber held an ice pack to her head. She was in the middle of giving a statement of what had happened to a police officer. A tow truck was beginning to hook up and haul away her car to a body shop. There was a small crowd gathered around the scene. Rescue vehicles were beginning to leave the area.
Jerrica made her way through the crowd and past the police officers. She hugged her sister right away. "Now what the hell happened? Is that blood?" She pointed to a red smear on Kimber's arm.
Kimber looked at her arm slightly confused. "Oh no, it's just ketchup. It's from when the car rolled." She turned to the officer. "Are we done here? Can I go home now so I can find my best friend? Fuck knows if you guys ever will." She was jerked away from the officer by Jerrica. "What? It's true! We're the ones who always have to find our friends."
"I'm sorry officer." Jerrica waited until the cop left the sisters alone. "Goddammit Kimber! What the fuck happened?"
"Whoever killed Vivian took Mary! I was chasing them down and I almost caught up to the van, but they got on the freeway. They made the turn down this ramp, I tried to follow, but I was clipped by another car. I lost control and flipped over the barrier." Kimber looked up at where her car had hit. It was five feet above the ground. There was only minor damage to the barrier wall. "I'm fine, though. I only hit my head on the steering wheel. No concussion. No broken bones." She looked back her sister. "I'm very lucky."
Sighing as she walked up to her younger sister, "Yes you are. And I know that you tried your best to catch up to Mary." She wiped the ketchup off of Kimber's arm. "Let's get you something to eat and then we'll go back to the Starlight Mansion."
Kimber shook her head no. "We have to tell Phyllis and David what happened. They need to know right away. The plates were off but I know what the van looks like. And I know there are three people working together. Two who took Mary and then driver." Jerrica agreed with her sister and drove her to the Gabor Estate right away.
Craig ended the call to his father in frustration he lost count how many calls he had made. He went to the fridge in his father's apartment and poured himself a glass of milk. He could feel his stomach beginning to get upset. He took a sip and leaned against the countertop. Pulling his phone out again he began to dial his sister Stormer when the phone rang. The ringing startled him for a moment, he checked the caller, the call was from Kimber. He answered the phone after the second ring.
"Hey Craig, meet me at the Phyllis' place. Something has come up. We need you here now." Kimber hung up leaving Craig to look around the apartment even more confused. He finished his milk, rinsed the glass out in the sink and locked up the apartment. He drove at top speed to the Gabor Estate. There was something Kimber's voice that told him to hurry.
"I don't fucking know where she is, Craig!" Kimber yelled in the living room. She held the ice pack to her head again. "I tried the best I could to follow her, but I fucked up, okay? Mary is the best friend I have in the world." She started to pace when the floor began to wobble in front of her. She braced herself on the back of the stool. Jerrica helped to steady her sister. She shot a glare at Craig.
Craig moved to the other side of the redhead. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling. It's just that first my father isn't home for dinner and now this happens. It's my family, Kimber. The only one I have left. I'm scared out of my mind for them." He leaned against the bar and looked at Kimber, the anger in his eyes were replaced by compassion and worry. "Tell me what you saw."
Kimber sat on the bar stool and closed her eyes, trying to remember. "The van was white with no windows. There were rust holes along the bottom of the side panels. It looked like an equipment van you see driving around. There were two people who took Mary. One was taller than the other. The shorter one was much smaller in body size." She looked up at everyone in the living room. "It might have been a woman. The driver, I dunno, I didn't get a good look. He turned on the brights as he passed me." She took the glass of water that Pizzazz offered her.
"License plates?" Craig cursed silently as Kimber shook her head. "Why are they picking on my family? Who did we upset?" He took a sip of his drink and sighed.
The doorbell brought the room out of thought. Pizzazz got up and started walking to the door. "I'll get it, David sit." She pointed at her brother who was beginning to stand. She opened the door and hugged Aja as she came in. "We're all in the living room. Craig is barely holding it together," she whispered to The Holograms' guitarist.
Aja jogged down the hallway to Craig who was waiting for her. He pulled her into a tight hug, burying his face into her light blue hair. When he let go tears were falling from his cheeks. Aja took his hand and led him outside for some privacy.
Clearing his throat, David stood from the couch and walked up to Jerrica. "This may be the wrong time to ask, but what did you want to discuss with me?"
Jerrica looked at him confused for a moment then shook her head. "Oh! I needed your help with something. Oddly enough it involves Kimber and Mary." She waved for David to follow her and went into the kitchen and brought her voice down a little. "Kim and Mary have decided to not do that stupid magazine. However, that James Thomas asshole is refusing to stop publication and give up the photos." She looked toward the kitchen entryway. "Could you get them for me?"
"Are you seriously asking me to break into his office and steal the photos?"
Slowly nodding and looking somewhat guilty, Jerrica gave a tiny shrug. "Yeah, I guess I am." She took his hands into hers. "Please! Especially after this! This is like a nightmare for her."
David pulled Jerrica into a tight hug and chuckled softly. "Of course I'll help you! You didn't have to make it sound so sinister." Looking out the side door window, he saw Craig and Aja walking and talking. Craig looked much more relaxed. "I met this James Thomas guy and there was something about him that I didn't like. I just figured I was being an overprotective ex and brother." He gave a little shrug as he grabbed a drink from the fridge.
"Ugh, did you see that office? I felt like I needed a bath in sanitizer after being in there." Jerrica let out a loud laugh, David joined her. She and David left the kitchen to go back to the living room to discuss what to do next. Eventually Jetta and Roxy joined the planning. Clash showed up last with Techrat. They spent the night talking with Spike and trying to find footage from Skyspy.
Dawn began to break as The Misfits and David continued their search for Stormer. Roxy and Aja were asleep on the couch. Jerrica took one of the guest rooms. Rio came by with Raya to bring food and coffee around three in the morning. Techrat and Clash were still talking with Spike via video chat. Kaori was in the kitchen with Yukio and Kyoko making breakfast. David was in his old room meditating. Kimber, Pizzazz, Craig and Jetta were looking at maps of where Kimber crashed. They were looking for any possible locations where the van could have gone.
"I really fuckin' hate these bloody all nighters. The lines are startin' blur on the map for me." Jetta stretched and looked over at Roxy. "I'm gonna lay down fer a bit, Phyllis. Let Rox snooze it off on the couch."
Pizzazz nodded without looking up from the map. She traced a finger along a road to what looked to be a warehouse. "No, that doesn't work either. Dammit. They would have to turn into the industrial area." She took the cup of coffee that Craig handed her. "Shouldn't we be doing this on a computer? I know that Foogle Maps has a street view feature. That and we can do the satellite overhead view."
Kimber hid her yawn, but the shaking of her head showed how tired she was. "I was thinking that myself." She sat up and the room spun before her eyes. "And maybe I should go rest. That…that was not a good dizzy spell." Craig caught her before she fell off her stool. "Thanks."
"Come on, I'll help you to a room. I need more coffee anyway." Craig lightly held Kimber by her elbow and guided her up the stairs. "I still haven't heard from my father. He's been having blackout problems lately. He says it's from his time in the military. The black ops program he was in." Kimber nodded as she listened and slowly falling asleep as she walked. Craig opened the door to the room next to David's. He helped her lie down. "Thanks for listening somewhat, Kimber. I'll wake you if we find anything." Kimber just fell into a dreamless sleep.
"Good afternoon, David," Rose said with a smile on her face. "Long night last night?"
David opened his door and didn't enter. He walked to his receptionist's desk and sat on the edge. "Listen, my sister and I haven't gone to the press over this but our sister Mary was taken last night." He patted her hand as she reacted with shock. "It's okay. We're doing everything we can to find her. But take the rest of the day off and spend it with your family. Make sure they're safe."
Picking up her purse Rose looked down at David. "You're a good man. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. You look out for others before you do yourself." She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "You'll find your sister, I know you will." She waved as she left her desk and went to the elevator.
"Thanks." David stood and groaned slightly to himself. He went into his office and sat in his chair. The soft cushion felt great against his legs and back. Closing his eyes he leaned back in the chair. He let the past day escape as he relaxed. The afternoon sun shined on his face. He opened his eyes with a jolt when he realized he was starting to fall asleep. "Can't let the employees see the boss sleeping at the desk," he mumbled to himself.
David turned to his desk and booted up his computer. He let it load up, but spotted a small object out of the corner of his eye. It was a flash drive that wasn't there when he left his office last night. Knowing that whoever left it knew not to leave fingerprints, David picked it up. He looked it over slowly and finally plugged it into his USB port. There was a video file that simply read WATCH ME. David double clicked on the icon.
The video started out of focus. Only thing that could be seen was a blurry figure sitting in a chair. The camera focused revealing Stormer sitting restrained to the chair. David sat up straighter with his complete attention on the video. Stormer looked to be unharmed and wasn't gagged. She kept looking at a person off camera with disdain. Finally a voice could be heard off camera. "Mary Phillips is unharmed as you can see. For how long she will be we cannot say. Just know that her life is in our hands. She will be well taken care of. That is all."
David sat back as the video went to black. He swallowed hard and started the video again. This time he was examining the background and her surroundings. An hour later he called Pizzazz, he showed the video to her and Craig. By this time Chip was back from Autobot City, who sent the file to Spike for help. David felt panic begin to swell in his chest. The people who kidnapped Stormer were unpredictable.
Slowly climbing up the side of the office building, Yukio pressed her body close to the wall. Lights in the office she was near flickered on. She carefully moved her way to the next floor. The roof was a few floors above her. David had asked her earlier that day to find the photos of Kimber and Stormer that James Thomas had taken for Skylarker magazine. She was more than eager to help. She hadn't had any action in some time.
Reaching the rooftop, Yukio was careful to avoid the cameras that were mounted there. She easily found a blind spot and followed the patterns all the while mapping them in her head. Once she was ready, Yukio jumped and dodged the camera eyes until she was at the rooftop access door. She quickly opened the keypad door there were smudges of where the security guard pressed the code. She got the right sequence of numbers on the second try. The door unlocked and she slipped inside.
At the top of the steps she slipped off her bodysuit, revealing a security guard uniform. Yukio stashed the suit behind a few pipes at the top of the stairs. She jogged down the steps to the floor Skylarker Magazine was on. She opened the door to the offices and pulled out her flashlight. Yukio casually made her way to James' office door. It was locked as she suspected it would be. The door opened easily as she picked the lock.
Inside the office, she spotted the security cameras right away. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the sticky balls that Techrat had given her. It was a polymer that would adhere quickly to the camera. Yukio threw the two polymer balls at both cameras. They spread over the lenses as promised. She knew she was on a time limit now. She locked the office door, breaking the lock off from the inside.
Yukio quickly ran over to the big desk. Her eyes ran over the whole thing taking it all in. She found where the tower for the computer was. As suspected it was locked. She gave the wood a hard kick, shattering it. The computer was now vulnerable. She booted it up and waited. The username and password prompt came right up. She plugged a flashcard into the USB port and tapped the device on her right ear. "Do your magic."
On cue the password prompt vanished and Yukio now had full access to the computer. She found the files she wanted right away and moved them to the flashdrive. She also moved a video file that may have been the unedited video of Stormer and Kimber's photoshoot. She looked up when she heard the guards on the other side of the door. She had a few moments before they would be through the door. Grabbing the whole computer, Yukio threw it at the office window. It shattered easily. The computer fell and broke apart on the cement below.
Giving the office another look around, Yukio found the photo proofs she needed. She put them under her security guard shirt. The office door flew off its hinges as the guards rushed in with weapons drawn. Yukio smirked at them and ran toward the open window. She threw a rope and hook at the broken window frame. The rope wrapped around the frame and the hook caught the rope making an anchor. She jumped out of the window into the darkness.
Knowing that the guards would cut the rope, Yukio ran as fast as she could down the building's side. She could see where the computer had broken apart on the ground. She felt the rope tighten as a guard began to pull on it. She pulled her own knife and cut the cord and jumped off the building's side. She dove for the light pole below her and grabbed the light support. Yukio spun herself a few times and let go. Somersaulting through the air Yukio avoided the security guard's shots from above.
Landing perfectly Yukio reached down for the hard drive from the computer. She began to run when she spotted a second hard drive. Quickly she grabbed for it. A bullet ricocheted off the ground and barely missed her hand. Yukio grabbed for the drive again and got it. She now ran as fast as she could down the back alleyways with the lights from the security cars flashing behind her. Reaching into a pocket, she pulled out a handful of gray balls and small spiked metal shards.
Tossing them behind her Yukio smiled at she heard the familiar popping sound of the smoke pellets and tires. The screeching of the security cars stopping and hitting each other were music to her ears. Turning down a dark alley, Yukio ran behind a dumpster and stopped before a covered vehicle. She pulled the tarp off of the motorcycle and quickly jumped on after securing the hard drives in the saddlebags. She put her helmet on and looked behind her. There were guards on foot rushing up to her.
Sliding the visor of the helmet down, Yukio started up the motorcycle and rushed out of the alleyway at top speed. She weaved her way through the backstreets easily. She got on the freeway and raced for another few miles before exiting and parking in another alleyway. She took the helmet off and covered the motorcycle. Taking the saddlebags with her she climbed the building next to her and jumped over the rooftops. She only paused to see if she was being followed.
When she was satisfied that it was clear, Yukio climbed down and got into a waiting car. She slowly pulled out of the parking lot, turning the lights on after a few minutes. She went to the rendezvous point she and David agreed on. She parked the car behind the remote building and went inside. Setting the bags down Yukio went straight for the refrigerator and poured herself a glass of ice water. She drank the glass quickly and allowed herself a satisfied smirk.
Yukio grabbed the hard drives from the bags and looked them over. They were surprisingly undamaged for the most part. She'll give them to Techrat or Chip to look over. She pulled the photo proofs from under her shirt and put them on the table with the saddlebags. She plugged the flashdrive into the laptop and clicked on the file that had caught her eye. The file loaded up quickly. While watching the movie clip she let out a gasp of shock and horror. She almost fell out of her chair.
The early morning dew coated David's feet as he continued his morning kata routine. He was joined by Kyoko. The martial art exercise was one that helped him keep his mind at ease. The morning was a mild one for this time of year. He stopped after an hour and grabbed the water bottle he'd brought out with him. Kyoko tossed him a towel as she waited for him. David patted the sweat from his face and took a deep breath.
"[Thanks for joining me this morning. I miss not having someone to practice with. Kaori will watch me from her studio window, but that's not the same.]" David walked with Kyoko to the backdoor of his new home. He looked at the time and swore under his breath. "[I told Yukio I'd meet up with her ten minutes ago.]"
David ran to his room and picked up his cell phone to call the Japanese ninja. He paused and looked out of the window to see her car pull up the driveway. He changed quickly and met her outside. Yukio was in an obvious agitated state as Kyoko was trying to get her talk with no success. David opened his mouth to talk when Yukio cut him off. "[I'm glad you didn't leave to meet me. What I have to show you can't wait. I would have been here sooner but I was making sure this was the real thing.]"
Taking the saddlebags that Yukio had over her shoulder, David looked in both compartments. One had the photo proofs and a flashdrive. The other had one of the hard drives in it. "[Great you got them, but what's with the hard drives? You could have just trashed the computer and that would be that.]"
"[It's not what you think. Call your sister and have her come here. She needs to see this too.]" Yukio went inside and sat at the kitchen table. She gave a tired wave to Kaori who was finally awake and making breakfast. "[I think we finally have a big break on things.]" She laid her head on her crossed arms that were on the table. That was when she got a sniff of how she smelled. "[You call Phyllis, I'm taking a shower.]" Yukio ran up the stairs taking them two at a time.
Looking confused as Yukio ran up the stairs, David fished his phone out of his pocket and called his sister. "Hey, it's me. Yukio just brought me something she said we both needed to see together." David listened for a moment then rolled his eyes. "Yes, I do know what time it is! It's time for you to get your lazy ass up. No, you shut up." He began to pace and get more animated as he talked to his twin. "I don't care what time you went to bed! Yukio says it's important." David stopped pacing and looked at the ceiling in frustration. "I'll explain things when you get here!" He hung up the phone in annoyance.
"[Y'know David, you really are funny as hell to watch when you're getting annoyed.]" Kaori leaned against the counter and held her breakfast plate in front of herself. She continued eating as he shot her a curious look. "[You pace, you make faces like the person is in front of you, and you move your arms around wildly. You talk with your hands and arms. It's one of the things I've always found cute about you. You're animated.]"
David looked at Kyoko who just nodded in agreement with his fiancé. "[You do, it's very amusing. But you do it mostly when talking to Phyllis.]"
Running down the stairs Yukio took a piece of bacon from Kaori's plate. "[Talking about how David talks on the phone? Someone should record that sometime. It's very funny.]"
Looking at the three women in disbelief, he started walking up the stairs. "[I'm taking a shower, unless that's funny as hell too.]"
"[Only when you dry off, you put the towel around your ass and start to shake it back and forth.]"
David rolled his eyes at Kaori and went into the bathroom to start his shower. He showered quickly and changed his clothes. Pizzazz was in the kitchen when he came down. She gave him an impatient look. "Okay, last night I sent Yukio to the Skylarker Magazine office building to retrieve the pictures of Mary and Kimber. I wanted her to get everything, the originals, the proofs, the copies on the hard drive. But now she's says that she has something else."
Yukio looked at Kyoko and Kaori she knew that neither woman would listen to her if she told them to stay where they were. Picking up the saddlebags, Yukio went into David's home office. She put the flashdrive into the port and highlighted a file icon. "Okay, what you're about to see is very disturbing. If you don't want to see it, leave the room. But it's important that David and Phyllis see it." She waited a handful of heartbeats before pressing play.
The movie file opened up to Video sitting bound in a chair. She was freshly showered and cleaned up. She looked to be scared out of her mind. Tears ran down her cheeks making small rivers. A voice off camera spoke softly, "Stop fussing or I'll have to restrain your head. Everything will be over in a second and you'll be free. Just think you'll be sending a message to the world."
Video looked directly at the person behind the camera in defiance. She began to speak when a gunshot rang out making her head jerk back. The bullet hit her directly between the eyes. The shocked look on her face remained as a woman appeared in the background. The woman wore a hooded sweatshirt. She slowly wiped up the blood and brains that had sprayed from Video's head. "I told you we should have put plastic down," she spoke to the man behind the camera.
"Well hindsight is twenty-twenty." He laughed at his little joke as the woman looked up and scowled at him. The man finally came out from behind the camera and started helping the woman clean up. He looked directly at the camera, stopped cleaning up and stopped the recording.
Pizzazz reached for David's small garbage can and dry heaved into it. David looked as if all of the blood had drained from his face. Kaori had left the room after Yukio's warning. Kyoko looked uneasy. David looked up at Yukio with shock and disbelief on his face. "James Thomas killed Vivian? He's the one who has my sister! I recognized the room Video was in!" David stood and started for his office door then stopped. He straightened up and spoke slowly. "We need to handle this carefully." Pizzazz and his friends agreed with him as they started planning right away.
Waiting at the red light, Craig took another sip of his coffee as he drove around his father's neighborhood. Max still hadn't been seen since Stormer was taken from her home. Craig was desperate to prove that Max had nothing to do with her disappearance. The light turned green and Craig made a left hand turn. He drove past the park his father said he woke up at the last time. All he saw were joggers and people walking their dogs or with their families.
Craig made another pass before taking a longer route to his father's apartment. Halfway to the building, Craig saw a man that was his father's height in a hooded sweatshirt. He was carrying two pistols out in the open. He slowed his car and paced the man trying to get a look at his face. The man looked at him, it was father. Craig slammed on the brakes, put the car into park and jumped out. He left the car running.
Running up to his father carefully Craig spoke softly. "Dad, it's me Craig. Put your guns away before something happens." Max looked at Craig confused. "Dad, it happened again. You vanished without a trace. I've been looking everywhere for you." Craig slowly moved closer to his father.
Max looked at Craig even more confused. "Craig? What happened? Did the enemy take me again? Was I abducted for another secret mission?" He looked down at his pistols. "My hammers, why are my silver hammers out? Did I hurt someone again?" He set the guns down on the sidewalk and looked around in distress. "Why is this happening to me?"
Moving slowly Craig picked up the guns and held his hand out for Max. "Dad, come with me. Everything is going to be okay. We can talk this over in the car. We're going to visit a few friends who need our help." Craig suspected that his father knew more than he realized. Max took his son's hand and got into the car. Craig drove away after he disarmed the weapons. He drove right to the Gabor Estate while calling David.
Sitting in the living room, Max sipped his cup of coffee. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on him. He looked up and swallowed his coffee and cleared his throat quietly. "Thank you for the coffee, Phyllis. I know I must have sounded like a madman earlier." He shifted uneasily in the recliner. "The man you know as James Thomas is not his real name." Max looked up his eyes were red from a lack of sleep. He continued to slowly choosing his words carefully.
"James Thomas is a black ops specialist who I knew as Donald Lifeson. We were in the same MK-Ultra program together. The program involved military recruits from all branches. Donald was the best Marine that our commanding officer had ever seen. The problem was that he was also the most brutal. He enjoyed killing too much in our engagements. Donald also could remember what happened afterward." Max looked at the confused faces. "Sorry, I never explained what the program was.
"The MK-Ultra program I was involved in was a form of a super soldier experiment. We were conditioned and hypnotized into perfection. It's said that humans only barely use ten percent of their brain. This program helped us tap into at least twenty-five percent, primarily our inborn survival skills. We became better hunters, in stalking our prey, and efficient killers. But like I said, Donald was different. After each mission, we were given a codeword that would make us forget. Our brains would go back to the barely ten percent.
"With Donald there was an incident, he went what the military called off the reservation. He began going after unsanctioned targets on his own. His brain operates at a constant twenty-five percent. He was caught easily and brought up on charges thanks to me. He blames me for his dishonorable discharge. He wasn't imprisoned because the targets he killed benefitted the military."
Max took another sip of his coffee and looked at Craig. He stood and began pacing he was beginning to look more like his old self. "Donald has a genius level IQ, but he's a horrible strategist. He doesn't plan for the long game. That was his downfall and his weakness. He found out I had moved here to Los Angeles and decided it was time to get revenge."
Leaning against the bar, Max pointed a finger at the side of his head. "He has a list of trigger commands that he used against me. He also has a list of commands that will shut me down. Last night he screwed up the shut down command. I'm myself but I'm also in the so called kill mode. What Craig saw this morning was my mind trying to adapt. It now has and I want revenge on that son of a bitch!"
David looked from Pizzazz to Craig to Clash then back to Max. "I have to ask did you help abduct Mary?" Max looked at the carpet and just nodded. The next question was the hardest for him to ask, especially with Clash in the room. "Max, were you the shooter who killed Vivian?"
Max looked up at David and shrugged slowly while shaking his head. "I – I don't think I was. After coming out of the controlled state I don't remember anything. One of my pistols was fired the night she was killed but it could have been anything." He looked at Clash, tears in his eyes. "Constance, I'm sorry that I don't know. My heart and guts say that I didn't."
"It-it's fine," Clash said quietly.
"Do you know where Donald took Vivian and Mary? The videos we've seen look like they were filmed in the same room."
Max flashed a knowing smile to Pizzazz. "Oh yes, I know where they're at. I know exactly where Mary is being kept." He finished his coffee and went to the map that was still laid out on the table. He studied the map for a moment then pointed to an intersection a few miles outside of the city limits. "She's being held in an old abandoned office building here. I suggest that we move on them right away."
Stepping forward David looked at the map. "I'm not going to ask you to not come with us. In fact, I think we could use your help." He held out his hand for Max, who shook it firmly. David sat at the computer and pulled up the intersection on the internet. He was able to get a better look at the office building. A rescue plan formed in his mind as he studied it.
Knowing that sneaking into the building with Stormer in the daytime would be foolish, David and Max made plans to do it at night. Craig and Yukio insisted on coming with. David made no arguments against them joining him and Max. He insisted that Clash stay with Pizzazz at her home. Kyoko agreed to and help protect everyone at th Gabor Estate. Before leaving, David called Chip and told him where there were heading. Chip was able to get the blueprints for the building.
Sitting in the car a few blocks from the building, Max checked his guns. Craig gave them back before they left. Yukio slipped the black mask over her face and vanished out of the car window before David could stop her. He looked at his friends. "Guess that's our cue. Yukio is giving us fifteen minutes to get in and get Mary. Max, you find Donald and bring him down. Craig, you're with me and you're to stay behind me."
Craig and Max nodded as David got out of the car and ran down the street. He stayed close to the walls of the surrounding buildings. He checked behind himself and saw Craig keeping up. Max ran ahead of David ducking behind a parked car. He pointed at a disabled security camera. David knew their time to get in had begun. He and Craig caught up to Max at the car. He pointed at a rear window and made a few hand gestures that said he wanted to enter there. Craig and David nodded that they understood.
Quickly running to the office building, Max stopped under the window. He was joined by Yukio who came out of the shadows. She smiled under the mask at David. He knew that she was having the time of her life despite what was at stake. Max was able to open the window without breaking it and climbed in. He helped the rest into the building.
David looked up and down the hallway they were in. There weren't any cameras here. He turned to talk to Max but he was already gone. "Yukio, stay with Craig. I'm going to the basement. Max said that's where Mary is being held. We know that Donald has an accomplice, but don't know where she is." David drew his katana and slowly made his way to the basement. He reached the bottom of the stairs and held his hand up for Yukio to stop.
The door to the room that was in the plans was closed. David checked the handle. To his surprise it was unlocked. He looked back at Yukio with a frown. Neither one liked this turn of events. He slowly opened the door both had their weapons ready. Craig stayed a few steps behind them. Standing before them was the woman and Stormer. The woman had her arm around Stormer's throat and a gun pointed at her head.
"You know I'm just going to say drop your weapons or I'll shoot this bitch, right?" The redheaded woman pulled the hammer back on the gun. "But I think I'm just going to shoot anyway. It was the whole plan. Her fuckhead brother being here just makes it even better."
The woman began to put her finger on the trigger when Stormer jerked her head back, hitting the woman in the face. The blood poured from her broken nose. She let Stormer go free and Stormer just smiled at her. "Oh Gwen, you stupid bitch, you and your idiot father have both fucked up. I was just waiting until my brothers both got here so they could see me kick your stupid ass."
Stormer ducked down and dodged to the right as Gwen brought the gun up. She gave Gwen's hand a hard kick, who dropped the pistol right away. Gwen lunged for Stormer who easily grabbed her by the hair. Stormer held Gwen with a handful of hair as the redhead screamed. "See, I was trained by my brother David there." She put Gwen in a headlock and punched her former captor in the face. "Oh I am enjoying this, Gwenny. You murdered a good friend of mine. And then you try to kill me. I'm not scared little Mary Phillips anymore. I'm kind of a badass. I'm Stormer and you shouldn't have fucked with my family. You should have stuck to hacking computers and posing as Graphix."
Gwen struggled to get free, she stumbled back a little when Stormer let her go. Gwen threw a wild punch at Stormer who easily dodged it. She hit Gwen in the throat with the side of her hand. Gwen started gagging and choking as she tried to get air. She looked up at Stormer with rage in her eyes. Stormer looked at Gwen and smirked. "You know what? You bore me." Stormer brought her arm back and struck the charging redhead in the jaw as hard as she could. Gwen fell to the ground unconscious.
Yukio took her mask off and smirked as she watched Stormer shake her hand in pain. "You taught your sister well." Stormer just looked at David proud of herself.
Slowly climbing the flight of stairs, Max listened to the fight in the basement. A smile crossed his lips as he heard Stormer's victory. He reached the second floor and peeked around the corner. The hallway was dark and the doors to the offices were shut. Staying below the window line Max made his way to the door. He opened the door and looked down the dark hallway. "Donald! Enough with these games!"
Laughter echoed over the intercom system. "Oh Maxwell, you know I just want to have fun. Why spoil it for me? We both know that you don't stand a chance."
Carefully, Max went into the hallway, almost immediately he was targeted by the red dot of a laser sight. Max rolled out of the way of the dot and into an open office doorway. He reached to his belt and threw a small canister and hid behind the wall. A blinding flash lit up the hallway. He threw another canister that spewed smoke as it rolled. He waited a moment them ran down the hallway.
Upon reaching the intersection, Max paused in the smoke and listened. He heard movement to the left of where he was crouching. Staying crouched down low, Max ran left to the end of the hall. He had his weapons ready when he entered the office. Donald stood before him, a similar silver pistol pointed at Max's head. "Drop the gu—", Donald's sentence was cut off as Max fired his own weapon, shooting the other man through the forehead.
Max stood over the dead man watching as the blood spread out from the wound. "That was for Vivian Montgomery, you sadistic bastard." He turned to find Craig and Stormer watching him. Max put his guns into their holsters and put his arms out. They ran to their father, hugging him close. He had his family back. David and Yukio watched in the doorway at the reunion. Max just smiled at David in thanks.
Max sat in the kitchen of the home that Stormer shared with Kimber. He was eating a bowl of cereal when Stormer came out of the bathroom, fresh from her shower. Craig was fast asleep on the couch. She sat next to Max and looked at the box of cereal. "A high fiber cereal, huh?" She ran a hand through her damp hair. "So what happens now? I mean, you killed the man who shot Video, but his daughter is still alive."
"I called in a few favors that were owed to me. I have friends who will cover this up." He looked at her with exhausted eyes. "Your half brother David isn't the only one who has mysterious friends." He picked up his cereal bowl and put it in the sink. He rinsed it out and put on the side of the sink to dry. "As for his daughter she's going to prison. Graphix is one of the most wanted hackers in the world and you caught her." He just gave her a proud smile. Stormer smiled back and poured herself a bowl of cereal, happy that all of the craziness was over.
TO BE CONTINUED IN "STAND UP AND FIGHT!"
PART 1 OF NOTHIN'S GONNA STAND IN OUR WAY