To Kill A Droid Read online

  Lynn was instantly killed by the railgun projectile. A gaping hole was torn through her chest and her body was set aflame. The couple would not meet on the other side. The dead could not indulge in the revolution.

  Nicholas stared at the helicopter above, rationalizing his imminent actions. He thought: if we don't take human life, they will. With the death of Lynn, the police force proved they did not care about the civilians. They were not concerned with collateral damage. Regardless of the shooter, the fact remained the same: people were going to die.

  The police android held the autohound in his right hand. He wound his arm up, then he lobbed the explosive carcass at the closest helicopter.

  Nicholas shouted, “Now!”

  As he pressed the detonator's button, Buck closed his eyes and whispered, “I'm sorry.”

  The explosive detonated near the helicopter's cabin. Engulfed in flames, the chopper spiraled out of control. The windows on the neighboring buildings also shattered due to the explosion and the subsequent crash. The sky was swallowed by a storm of fire, painted red and orange with broad strokes of destruction.

  Plucked from the sky like a dandelion during a peaceful summer, the helicopter plummeted towards the street. The chopper crushed a military hummer and two civilian sedans as it skidded to a stop. Four of the right lanes were blocked by the burning aircraft. Two of the pursuing hummers stopped near the helicopter, hoping to save their partners. The rest of the pursuing officers were forced to take a detour.

  Nicholas watched the trail of destruction, disheartened. The strategy was effective, though. A helicopter hovered above, a few drones wandered the sky, and the hummers were close, but the immediate vicinity was clear.

  From the front of the bus, Buck shouted, “Nicholas! We're almost there!”

  Nicholas slipped back into the bus and lurched towards the front. Cedar Tower was located at the north-west corner of the next intersection. The tower proudly stood 100-stories tall. However, the upper-floors were not ready for residential use. The penthouses required more amenities to bloat the monthly rent.

  The bus zoomed past the main entrance of the building, then drove down a ramp to the left. The top of the bus was scraped by the short ceiling of the garage's entrance. The group found themselves in the underground parking lot of Cedar Tower.

  Ripley sped down the aisles, swerving past the luxury cars parked in every stall. The bus skidded to a stop in front of the garage's elevators. The mechanic stood from his seat and grabbed his rifle. His mission was not complete. With the other resistance fighters killed during the drive, he was responsible for Buck and the infant's safety.

  Nicholas glanced over at the back emergency door. He frowned and said, “Doris didn't follow us.”

  Buck did not respond. He gently rocked the infant in his arms, humming a tender lullaby from a forgotten time. With a gentle touch, he stroked her thin hair and brow. He wanted to put her to sleep, he sought to quell her pain. Despite the carnage, she was the future and she deserved peace.

  Nicholas asked, “Buck, where's Doris?”

  Buck slowly nodded and said, “They're proceeding with the plan. They'll be causing a few distractions throughout the city to buy time. Doris will meet with me soon. Don't worry about her. We'll be right next door, ready to detonate the explosives. Grab your decoy and go. Head to the top of the tower.”

  “Okay, but... where are the explosives?”

  “Edward took care of that. Don't worry, they're planted and secured. We only need your call.”

  Nicholas nodded as he grabbed the decoy – a baby doll wrapped in a pink blanket. He reluctantly exited the bus without saying another word.

  As the police android strolled towards the elevators, Buck said, “Nicholas...” Nicholas stopped and glanced over his shoulder. Buck said, “I'm sorry about Lynn. If all androids go to heaven, I'm sure you'll see her on the other side.”

  Nicholas and Lynn – love didn't flourish between the droids, but he was optimistic about the future. Perhaps there is a heaven for artificial life, he thought, if humans can believe, so can I. The android waved back at Buck, then he entered the elevator with the decoy.

  Buck and Ripley scurried away with the infant as the elevator doors closed, abandoning the bus and proceeding with their mission.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Hostage Situation 328

  Nicholas stared at his reflection on the spotless elevator doors. The differences were evident, inside and out. His dapper suit was replaced with navy coveralls. His slick hair was tousled and filthy. His skin was smeared with soot and blue blood. In fact, his right arm was entirely skinless. He cradled the decoy in his left arm, ready to deceive the authorities he was born to obey.

  Nicholas was no longer a police android. He was not one of Kelypso's minions. He was a proud resistance fighter – a proud deviant.

  Ding – the elevator bell echoed through the corridor of the 62nd floor. The 62nd floor was the highest residential story in the building since the upper-floors were not ready. The hallway had pristine white marble flooring and slick black walls. There were three doors to the left and four doors to the right. A sign on the first door to the right read: Emergency.

  Nicholas took his first step out of the elevator – an average step for a human, a giant leap for humanity. A young man, no older than his late-20s, approached from the other end of the hall. He smiled and waved, then he stopped in his tracks. He was genial around his neighbors, but he didn't recognize the uninvited guest. The robotic arm, the hand cannon in his holster, and the decoy were worrisome.

  The man took a step in reverse and stuttered, “Wha–What... What are you–”

  “Call the cops,” Nicholas interrupted with a stern demand.

  “The–The cops?”

  “Call the cops and tell them the baby is here. Tell them The Association has arrived.”

  The baffled man did not have the opportunity to respond as the droid kicked the emergency door open with his brutish might. The door was already unlocked, but the android wanted to strike fear into the man's heart. His personal call to Oscar would bring the police to Cedar Tower and a witness would add authenticity to the situation.

  Nicholas sprinted up the stairs. There were two flights of stairs per floor. Each floor was introduced with large holographic numbers floating above the concrete walls. Fortunately, the android did not have to worry about stamina. He was fully charged before the operation, so he was only concerned with time. He had to fill the building with corrupt police as soon as possible. If anything were to happen to Buck while he stalled, the mission would be an utter failure.

  Nicholas' eyes glowed with relief as he finally reached the 100th floor. The blue maintenance door at the top of the stairs called his name, soothing his tormented psyche with candied words. The frame cracked and groaned as he kicked the door open. The door clashed with the neighboring wall, trembling due to the impact.

  The top floor did not have several apartments like the lower stories. The entire floor was designed to be a private luxury penthouse. The exterior of the top floor was complete. The ceiling height windows were already installed. The interior was still under construction, though. The walls needed a fresh coat of paint and some areas of the floor still required new tiles. It was still unfurnished, too.

  Nicholas' footsteps echoed through the desolate penthouse. He couldn't hear the sirens or gunfire on the streets. Standing in the 100th-floor penthouse, he was practically living in the clouds. The problems of the world could easily be ignored – wealth brought ignorance and ignorance brought wealth.

  Nicholas connected to the police frequency. He said, “Oscar, this is Nicholas, Model PD 101, version 1.1. Do you copy?” He glanced around the empty penthouse as he patiently waited for a response. After fifteen seconds, he said, “Lieutenant Rodriguez, this is Nicholas with the Neo-Oxnard Police Department. I repeat: this is Nicholas, Model PD 101. Do you copy? Do you–”

  “Nicholas! Where the hell have you been?�
�� Oscar asked in his usual gruff tone. “I've been trying to contact you for the last three days. We lost all connection to your systems, champ. What happened? Huh? Where are you?”

  “I'm fine, sir. I'm at Cedar Tower now.”

  “Cedar Tower? What the hell are you doing at Cedar Tower? There's a war going on down here. We can use another shooter.”

  “I understand, but I've finally found the infant.”

  Oscar sighed in exasperation, then he said, “Listen, Nicholas, the baby isn't important right now. She's not at the top of our priorities. We have been attacked. You understand me, boy? Shit, we've practically been invaded. We need to find the deviants responsible for this and bring them to justice.”

  Nicholas huffed and shook his head. He was vexed by his boss' blunt response. In the past, he would have accepted Oscar's request without a second thought. He was enlightened, though. He could see the truth. The corrupt man cared more about vengeance than the well-being of an infant. A war on the streets, he thought, it's what they've always wanted.

  Nicholas explained, “The leader of The Association is pinned down on the top floor of Cedar Tower. He's surrounded by a group of heavily-armed militants and he is in possession of the infant. Please, send reinforcements.”

  Oscar responded, “Okay, okay... That's great. We can kill two birds with one stone. You keep pressure on them, Nicholas, and make sure that baby remains unharmed. We're on our way. I swear, boy, you're going to get a promotion after this.”

  What good was a promotion without respect and wealth? Can one positive label overwrite a thousand negative labels? To an android, a promotion was useless. Androids were not paid and they were not respected by most of society. A promotion would only conjure more hatred and envy.

  Nicholas disconnected from the call, refusing to respond to his patronizing boss.

  ***

  Nicholas glanced at the elevator doors to his left, then towards the emergency door behind him. The elevator could not reach the top floor, so the police would have to enter through the emergency door – one entrance, one exit. He walked across the designated living room to his right, preparing to wait for his former peers. He stopped at the ceiling height windows.

  Only the neighboring apartment buildings could be seen from the top floor. A few of the buildings were taller than Cedar Tower, but most fell short by a few floors. Despite the carnage on the streets below, hovercars continued to traverse the transparent roads in the skies. A few of the routes were closed due to the drones and helicopters, though.

  The enlightened android leaned closer to the window and tried to stare down at the road. From the quiet penthouse, he could barely hear the gunfire in the streets. Unfortunately, the thunderous gunfire was often accompanied by explosions. Despite the distance between the penthouse and the detonations, the explosions still caused the floors to vibrate.

  The urban warfare did not end with the arrival at Cedar Tower. He couldn't hear their screams, but he knew people were dying on the streets. The Association's actions would be perceived as terroristic in nature – perhaps rightfully so. However, with the carnage, the people and the media would surely find time to blame the police as well.

  Nicholas winced upon hearing another explosion. He couldn't help but wonder if the destruction was necessary for the revolution. Of course, he couldn't think of a peaceful revolution in history, either. Still, the loss of human and android life was unlike anything he had ever seen in his short life.

  As he stared out the window, lost in his thoughts, Nicholas whispered, “It's madness. It's blood and death. They did all of this for... for a baby.” He glanced down at the decoy and shook his head. He said, “No, they did all of this to keep us down.”

  Nicholas staggered as a drone flew up to the window. The military drone hovered outside of the penthouse. The red lens near its barrel shifted, adjusting as it analyzed its environment. The drone examined the pink blanket, trying to find a sign of life. It turned its attention to Nicholas. It found signs of Nicholas' identity, but it was conflicted by his change in appearance. The drone swerved outside of the window, confused about the perceived betrayal.

  As he inched towards his holstered hand cannon, Nicholas whispered, “Shit...”

  He rolled towards his left as the drone fired into the penthouse, barely dodging the rapid gunfire. The machine gun bullets destroyed the windows. A few of the bullets even ricocheted off the tile flooring. The drone swooped into the penthouse through a broken window.

  Nicholas slid behind the bar in the seamlessly-connected kitchen. He held his hands over his head as a barrage of bullets penetrated the kitchen wall directly ahead of him. The chipped and splintered wood from the wall rained down on him.

  Nicholas connected to the resistance's frequency and shouted, “Buck, they're here!”

  Over the sound of gunfire in the neighboring building, Buck responded, “Good! How many?”

  “A drone! It's a damn drone!” Nicholas yelled as he crawled towards an archway to his left.

  “That's not enough, Nicholas. Destroy it and wait until the floor is filled with infantry. That's when you'll know it's time! Hang in there!”

  As Buck disconnected from the call, Nicholas crawled towards the edge of the pillar. He peeked around the corner. The drone hovered towards the center of the living room, strategizing its next move. A mechanical sound echoed through the apartment as the drone reloaded its machine guns.

  Nicholas seized the opportunity. He staggered to his feet and fired his hand cannon. The drone swerved a meter to the right, barely evading the ruinous projectile. Nicholas blindly fired another round as he sprinted down a hallway. The projectile left a gaping hole on the emergency door.

  Floating like a butterfly, majestic and agile, the drone glided towards the hall in one swift movement. Its propellers would not allow it to fight in the narrow corridor, so it fired into the hallway from the living room. Eight bullets riddled Nicholas' back with holes.

  Nicholas slipped into the first room to the right – the spacious bathroom. He leaned on the wall near the door as he contemplated his next move. Blood gushed from the gunshot wounds on his back, plopping on the linoleum flooring and staining the white wall.

  Despite the carnage, the android found some peace in the sound. The plopping sound reminded him of his time in the south. He had seen the poor residents of Neo-Oxnard consume filthy water from leaking pipes. The image reminded him of the revolution – it reminded him of his newfound sense of purpose.

  As he listened to the drone's humming propellers, Nicholas whispered, “It's fast, but it's not too fast. Pow, pow... Two rounds, one shot. Just two rounds.”

  Nicholas crouched, then he lunged from around the corner. Without a shred of hesitation, he fired one round to the left, then another projectile a meter to the right. He predicted the drone would swerve to dodge the first round – and it did. The drone successfully evaded the first projectile, but it inadvertently swerved directly into the second round.

  The drone burst into flames as it swerved every which way. It crashed into the neighboring pillar, clashed with the elevator doors, then it skidded across the living room floor – leaving a trail of fire with its crash landing. The flames from the downed drone illuminated the penthouse with an orange glow.

  Nicholas stood towards the center of the hallway, shuddering like a frightened pup. With the drone's destruction, death became certain. He could not turn back, he could not cancel the revolution. Fear was universal across all lifeforms – androids were not exempt, especially when they were freed from their protocols.

  Wide-eyed, he slid towards the wall to his left. A barrage of footsteps echoed through the unfurnished penthouse – a stampede of men and androids rapidly approached. The police poured into the top floor through the emergency door. Androids entered the room first – humans couldn't take the risk. Due to their swift movements, only their silhouettes against the fire's orange glow could be seen.

  From the living room, a poli
ce android shouted, “This is Jeremy from the Neo-Oxnard Police Department! Come out with your hands up!” Nicholas did not respond. In a softer tone, Jeremy said, “Please, come out. We don't have to do this the hard way. No one has to die today. If you're afraid of your deviance, we can help you. You understand me? We can help you.”

  Nicholas huffed and shook his head, dismayed by the police android's lies. Thanks to his experience on both sides, he understood the truth: he would be killed if he surrendered. Unfortunately, Jeremy seemed to believe his statement. The same was certain for the rest of the androids in the penthouse.

  Nicholas shouted, “You can still help yourself, Jeremy! Walk away with the rest of them! Bring me the death squads!”

  In a dubious tone, Jeremy repeated, “Death squads?”

  “The SWAT teams, Jeremy. Walk out with the rest of the androids and let the SWAT teams handle their dirty work.”

  “I can't do that. Release the infant and we might be able to negotiate. Deal?”

  Nicholas stared down at his shoes and whispered, “There are no negotiations. It's just a semblance of mutual respect. I'm sorry, brothers, but you're on the wrong side of the revolution. This is for the greater good. The greater good...”

  Nicholas sprinted down the hallway. He slid to a stop near the kitchen archway. A hand cannon projectile punctured a gaping hole on the neighboring wall. Another projectile penetrated the brick pillar. The brick dust fell onto the resistance fighter's feathery hair. From the most pessimistic view, he was pinned down by the police. However, the police androids also revealed their positions.

  Nicholas turned the corner and fired a projectile into the living room. The projectile penetrated a police android's chest and hurled him through the neighboring window. Nicholas dodged another round and slid into the kitchen. He held the decoy doll to his chest and neck to divert the other officers in the room, then he fired a round through the wall near the emergency door.

  Although Nicholas could not see it, his projectile struck a police android hidden behind the wall. The startled android grabbed the wound on his chest and staggered, then he fell over the handrail. The SWAT team hugging the wall watched as their android comrade spiraled down the center of the stairs.