Maxim (11 page)

“We can’t let you go by yourself. How do you even know he’ll let Alona go once he has you?” Rachel reasoned.

“He won’t let her go. I know him. He’ll keep her alive to get me there, but he’ll have no other use for her after that. He won’t allow there to be any witnesses.”

“What about the chip? Give it to us and let us see if there are any clues about where this guy might be hiding,” Trig offered.

Maxim shook his head. “I can’t. He says that the chip has a self-destruct mechanism that will be triggered if I try to remove it. I can’t even use my main system to override it.”

“That’s one sick, crazy asshole,” Rachel commented.

“He says he’s the only one that can remove it.” Maxim looked around the room with resolve. His decision was clear.

“Well, shit.” Rage ran a hand through his hair.

Chapter 15

“He’ll be here soon. I know you’ll be glad to see your lover again,” the man said to her. He was balding, with glasses and a white lab coat. He didn’t even look her way as he typed something into his computer.

“You’re a psycho and an asshole!” Alona spat as she rattled the bars of her small cage.

“Watch your mouth, bitch. You will address him as Dr. Forbes and show him proper respect.” A short chubby guy, also in a lab coat, sneered at her as he kicked the side of the cage. “You should feel right at home in this cage, since you make your living in one.” He tried to reach inside for her hair. She had already discovered that he liked to pull her hair to torment her.

“Leave her alone, Beanie Weanie,” said the man that had grabbed her. He stood across the room, hooked up to a charger.

“Shut up, Soren, you have no right to speak to me that way. My name is Dr. Deans to you,” the chubby man responded.

Alona looked over at the one called Soren. She turned away when she found him watching her too. He was always watching her. She had recognized him immediately.

This . . . Soren . . . was the guy from the dance club. He had snuck into the shop and knocked the employee unconscious, then dragged her out.

She had fought him tooth and nail. She kicked at his shin, rammed her elbow into his ribs, and twisted to get loose. But he had held her with an unnatural strength that rivaled a full Cyclops. Despite all her effort, he was able to knock her out using pressure points on her neck.

When she awoke, she found herself inside this small square cage. The lock was not easy to reach and every time she tried to shake the bars loose that prick that Soren called Beanie Weanie would hit her or taser her for fun. She couldn’t wait to get free and show him a thing or three.

“What do you want with Maxim?” She focused on the one that was in charge, Dr. Forbes.

“You’re an Arian halfsie. I once used an Arian in my droid conversion experiments. The male we used did not make it past the first stage of conversion, his bones were too brittle.”

She watched in horror as Dr. Forbes uploaded a video on the large computer screen. It showed different aliens in cages like hers, all screaming in pain. Some of their arms and legs fell off. One disintegrated altogether. She looked away, afraid she was going to throw up.

“That was the problem I found with most of these alien scum. They couldn’t handle the conversion because their alien DNA had a defense mechanism to fight off whatever disease they encountered. That is why no aliens really get sick and live slightly longer than humans. But I lucked out by getting my hands on a nearly dead human male.” He paused and uploaded a video of Maxim when he was first brought into the lab. Alona couldn’t look away.

“I had to keep him on life support so that his body didn’t die, though his brain waves barely registered. I knew I had very short timeframe to work with, so I paid the physician taking care of him to convince the parents that he was brain dead and that they needed to turn off the life support. I brought him here and began the conversion.”

Alona watched the videos as Dr. Forbes kept up a running commentary on the different procedures that he was performing. It sickened her, and this time she did throw up.

“See how weak you are. Disgusting. Deans, clean that mess up before it starts to smell,” Forbes ordered.

“Why do I have to do it? Soren is the gofer, not me. Why isn’t he doing something?” Deans whined.

“Because I need his strength at a hundred percent for when his brother arrives.”

“Brother?” Alona asked wrapping her arms around her waist.

“Maxim is the most successful of all my droid conversion experiments, the cream of the crop. I had no idea that it would even work on a human. But it was for that very reason that the conversion worked. His DNA had no way to fight off what was being done.” Forbes continued showing the video feeds.

Maxim screamed, then went completely still. He looked dead. Alona couldn’t stop the tears that trailed down her face. Oh, Maxim. Then the next videos showed Maxim after the conversion, as Forbes put him through tests.

“I would still have Maxim if it wasn’t for the damn IDJ busting in. Deans and I barely had time to escape with our main files and DNA samples of my different species. I didn’t want to start from scratch again, not after I finally found the solution. But the DNA I took from Maxim was what I was most interested in. I was able to take that DNA and use cloning technology to make a copy of Maxim . . . with a few differences.”

“Cloning is outlawed specifically because it is considered too unstable. There haven’t been any successful clonings of humans.” Alona couldn’t help but look at Soren. He did resemble Maxim, but his hair and eye coloring were different.

“Yes, yes, I know of the feeble attempts made by incompetents. They didn’t possess the vast knowledge that I have acquired. I mixed some of the other alien species’ DNA with Maxim’s to ensure that the cloning procedure took. The alien species’ DNA also helped me to speed up the aging process for Soren. He was full-grown in just a few years.”

“So if you already have your droid, why do you still need Maxim?” she asked, glancing again at Soren. He was unhooking his charger.

“Well, the mixing of the DNA combined with the cloning procedure had an unexpected side effect. The same thing that helped boost Soren’s growth is now tearing him apart little by little. I can’t have all my years of hard work just fall apart.”

“What does Maxim have to do with this?”

“I can use his . . . DNA to rebuild Soren. Think of him as the glue, if you will.” Forbes ended the last video.

“How are you going to get Maxim here willingly?” Alona could see Soren slowly approaching her out of the corner of her eye.

“Ah, my dear, you are the bait. I sent a message to him saying that I will release you if he came.”

“He may not care that much for me. You might have picked the wrong bait.” She couldn’t help but taunt him.

Soren was next to her cage now and smiled at her with barely suppressed excitement. “He’ll come for you. You’re his prize that he will want back. I know I would and he’s just like me.”

Alona glared at Soren. “Maxim is nothing like you! Two reasons: One, he would never treat me like a piece of meat. I mean more to him than that. Second, he’s not a psychotic machine falling apart bolt by bolt!”

Soren shook the bars of Alona’s cage, his anger clear in his eyes. “Shut up, bitch!”

Dr. Forbes glared at Soren. “Calm yourself, Soren. I gave him extra incentive. The message I sent was on a microchip that only he could access by inserting it into his main chip adapter. I told him that it is programmed to self-destruct if he tried to remove it himself, and if he came, I would remove the chip.”

Alona felt weak and knew that she had no color in her face. “You would destroy him?”

Forbes laughed. “Of course not! That was a lie. I would not risk him when I need him to fix Soren. But he does not know that. He’ll come. I have a tracker in the chip too. He is getting closer to the location that I gave directions to. Soren will be leaving shortly to get him and bring him back.”

Suddenly Alona didn’t fear for herself, she was afraid for Maxim. She turned to look at Soren. He had no emotion in his eyes. He was so cold, so heartless. “Don’t hurt him.”

Soren smiled an evil, oily smile. “I’m going to enjoy getting to know my dear brother.”

Forbes frowned. “You will bring him back in one piece and alive, Soren. I don’t want him harmed at all.”

Soren chuckled. “Well, it will depend on whether my bro gives me a hard time.”

“Deans, go with him,” Forbes ordered.

“Fine. I get to babysit the psycho,” Deans grumbled.

Alona watched as Deans and Soren left. She felt scared. These guys were definitely crazy and sick. She looked around the lab for something she could use to help her get out of this cage. She hated feeling helpless and defenseless. She wanted to be able to help Maxim.

Maxim. The thought of him back in the hands of the madman that had done those horrible things to him made her angry. It also made her realize just how much she loved him. She was completely in love with Maxim. She just wanted a chance to tell him and show him.

She looked over at Forbes, who was completely absorbed by whatever was on his computer. She shook the bars again, rattling them, but it was useless. But then she looked down and noticed something. The bottom of the cage was a flat piece of metal. But when she shook the bars, it seemed to cause a slight separation with the bottom. Maybe she could make this work. She had to do it without drawing attention to herself. Slowly and as quietly as possible, she pulled on the bars while pushing her feet against the bottom. Push . . . pull . . . back . . . forth. This had to work.

Chapter 16

Maxim walked into the abandoned building, an old hotel that had been shut down years ago. It was dusty and dark. He scanned the area but he didn’t detect any life forms inside the building except for himself. He tapped his wrist where the IDJ had inserted a tracking and communications device.

“There is no one here,” Maxim reported.

“Sit tight. We’ll scan the area to see if we can find anyone matching the size and shape of this guy,” Rachel told him.

“Don’t come anywhere near the hotel. If he sees you . . .” Maxim warned.

“Don’t worry, we’re miles away. The scanning is being done by an IDJ secured satellite. So far we see foot traffic out front but nothing else,” Rachel reassured him.

“I’m going to check the back for signs or clues. They may have left me another message. Keep silence unless I contact you.” Maxim hit the button on his wrist again and turned off communications.

He slowly made his way down a hallway he assumed would lead to the back of the hotel. He noted an exit door up ahead. He headed towards it and reached out to open it. The moment his hand made contact with the doorknob, he received an electrical shock.

Maxim fell to his knees. His hands were partly raised in defense, but they were shaking. He couldn’t really move. The door opened. He looked up and stared into the deadened eyes of the man that had taken his Alona.

“What . . .” Maxim’s systems were messing up. He couldn’t form the words he wanted to.

“Oh, that’s just a minor shockwave to shut down that tracker the IDJ gave you. Give it a minute, then you’ll be able to stand and walk with me to the shuttle I have waiting.”

“Who . . .”

“Who am I?” The man walked around Maxim and looked him over. “My name is Soren. I chose it once I reached maturity. Up until then I was called number eighty-nine by Dr. Forbes, our creator.”

“Forbes?”

“Yeah, our dear creator was never caught. He managed to save as much of his work as possible, including your DNA sample, which he used to create me. I’m the better version, if you ask me, with a few glitches.”

“How?” Maxim could feel his limbs starting to respond to him. Soon he would be able to move and stand.

“How did he make me from you? One word, cloning. He used your DNA to clone a copy of your human body, then he mixed different alien species’ DNA to help speed up my growth.” He bent down and looked Maxim in the eyes. “I think you can stand now.” He moved a few feet away.

Maxim slowly got to his feet. He clenched his fists at his sides. He had to control himself. He wanted nothing more than to tear Soren apart for having touched Alona, but if he killed the man, he would never find her.

“Where’s Alona?”

“Now, now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. We’re having such a touching family reunion, brother to brother.”

“You’re not my brother,” Maxim growled.

Soren laughed. “I’m as close to a brother as you’ll ever have. But I agree with you, you aren’t my brother. But it is funny how we both want the same female.”

“Alona is mine. Don’t touch her!” Maxim found his hand around Soren’s throat.

Soren chuckled. “You didn’t protect her very well,
brother
. She needs a real man to care for her and show her what she’s been missing.”

Maxim squeezed tighter. It wouldn’t take much to twist Soren’s neck. He wanted to more than anything at that moment. Images of Soren touching Alona played through his mind, overriding all sense of reason.

“You kill me, you’ll never find her. Dr. Forbes won’t keep her alive forever,” Soren taunted him.

Maxim released him and stepped back. “Take me to her.”

Soren breathed deeply, rubbing his neck. “Now you’re getting it. Follow me.”

Maxim rubbed his wrist but couldn’t detect the tracker that the IDJ had given him. Soren noticed. “It’s not going to work now, the electrical shock fried it. Your friends and the IDJ won’t be able to find you.”

“What about the microchip? The shock could have activated the self-destruct . . .” Maxim glared at Soren. “There is no self-destruct in the microchip, is there?”

Soren just chucked and pointed to the alley behind the hotel. “Time’s a’wastin’, no telling what Dr. Forbes is doing to our beautiful Alona.”

“She’s not yours!” Maxim growled as he followed Soren into the darkness. If even one hair on her head had been hurt he was going to rip the place apart. His priority was to get Alona free, then he would make sure that Forbes and Soren never hurt anyone ever again. He was on his own.

*****

“Captain Rey, what the hell just happened?!” Rachel yelled at the captain of the IDJ. They had been monitoring Maxim but all of a sudden he just disappeared from their tracking system. They hadn’t been able to make contact with him.

“Something has deactivated his tracker.” Captain Rey shook his head. “We’ve lost him. There’s a chance that it will come back online in time.”

Rachel slammed her fist into the table. She looked at Trig. “What about Alona’s tracker?”

“It’s giving us mixed signals, like something is interfering. One minute it gives us one location then the next it gives an entirely different location.” Trig ran a frustrated hand through his dark hair.

Captain Rey stepped forward. “Give us the locations you have so far and I’ll call other IDJ stations to assist us in the search. Perhaps the closer we get, the stronger the signal will be.”

Rachel looked at Trig before she answered. “Thanks. Trig will send you the locations we have so far.” She hoped they would be able to find them in time.

*****

“Keep up, brother. You are falling behind. Maybe that shock affected your systems more than Dr. Forbes expected,” Soren called over his shoulder.

Maxim frowned. He had no idea what part of the city they were in. They had changed shuttles three times, taken two underground transports, and traveled between half-destroyed buildings in a deserted part of town on foot. “I’m not your brother. How much further?”

“Aw . . . anxious to be reunited with your love? She will be mine soon. Dr. Forbes promised me. After he gets what he needs from you to fix my . . . small issues, he will give the girl to me. I have earned her.”

Hearing the other man talk about Alona like she was nothing but a prize to win made him realize that his own behavior lately had shown similar tendencies. He finally understood what Alona was trying to make him see. “She is not a prize to be won. She is a person with feelings, who deserves respect, and she will
never
be yours.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“How do you know that Forbes will uphold his end of the bargain? He surely won’t let you go on your own.”

“Oh, I don’t plan on staying with the good Dr. Forbes forever, just long enough to fix my problems. Then I will go my own way.”

Maxim didn’t say anything else. He thought about what Soren had revealed. He might be able to use that information to help him get Alona out.

“We’re here,” Soren announced as he walked inside a half-fallen down building.

Maxim followed, taking care to look around, but he couldn’t see how anyone would come to a place like that. He followed Soren to a doorway with a security panel. Soren entered a code, not attempting to hide it from Maxim, which was telling. Maxim wasn’t expected to ever leave this place. That was fine, as long as he got Alona out. She was all he cared about.

He followed Soren down several flights of metal stairs to what he assumed was the basement of the building. At the bottom was a dim circular room with glass cases built into the wall, but they were all dark.

“What is this place?” Maxim asked.

“This is Dr. Forbes’ viewing room. Where he likes to display his progress step by step, his evolution so to speak,” a short chubby man said as he came down the stairs.

Maxim recognized his face, but he didn’t know his name. “Who are you?”

“I am Dr. Deans. Dr. Forbes and I partnered together in the Droid conversion program. I must say, I am thrilled to have you back with us.”

“You took your sweet time, Beanie Weanie,” Soren growled at him.

“I trailed you to make sure no one was following. Turn the lights on, Soren, so we can show Maxim his true origins. I’m sure he’s interested in that,” Dr. Deans said.

Maxim blinked as the lights in the cases suddenly came on. He looked around the room and felt nauseated. Inside the glass cases were different alien species, or at least pieces of them. Each case had a different species and different section. As he walked by each case, there were more and more pieces of the specimens remaining until he got to the last case, which held an almost complete specimen except for the half of his face that was missing.

“That one was where we hit on the idea of using a full human. Number eighty-seven was a human and Beastial halfsie. He lasted longer than all the rest, before half his face and skull collapsed. We were about to give up completely, but Dr. Forbes, the genius that he is, decided to try one more experiment, this time with a full human. With you, eighty-eight.” Deans had begun to spit with excitement as he talked.

Maxim growled. “My name is Maxim.”

Deans turned red. Soren chuckled. “They don’t like that we took names. They will always think of us in terms of numbers. We’re their pets.”

Maxim glared at his clone. “And you allow this? Why don’t you leave?”

Deans snorted. “Oh, eighty-nine isn’t going anywhere. He and you are here to stay. Shall we? Dr. Forbes is getting impatient and wants to see you, eighty-eight.” He pointed down the hallway on the left.

Maxim followed. He wanted to run to get to Alona, but he kept his pace non-threatening. He would free Alona, and then he would take this lab down once and for all.