The Red Phoenix 12: Strength Comes in Numbers (24 page)

“Hi ya, Bill,” said Sanders, shaking his hand.

“Well, are we all set?” Hauser asked, intrigued.

“Absolutely,” Sanders answered. “He’s all shined up for you and the paperwork is done.”

“Excellent,” Hauser replied.

“I just need you to sign a few forms for the release,” stated Sanders, placing some papers on a counter.

“No problem. Pen?” Hauser asked Steiner, extending his hand.

“Yes sir,” Steiner responded, handing him a pen from his dress shirt pocket hastily.

“I’ve got to tell you, Bill, this A.I. will do the job,” Sanders stated in a confident voice. “Let me know when you hear more about the
spy
thing.”

“Sure thing,” Hauser replied, signing the papers. “Where’s Mr. Michaels?”

“He’s no longer with the program,” Sanders answered in a quiet tone.

“That’s too bad,” said Hauser. “I wanted to thank him again.”

“I’ll tell him when I see him again for you,” said Sanders.

“Please do. As for you, c
lone
, from this moment on, you are Todd Alexander Greenfield, the President of the United States,” stated Hauser in a serious voice. “Even if the real president is in the same room as you, you’re to tell anyone you come into contact with that you’re President Greenfield, the leader of the free world. Is that clear?”

“Absolutely, Mr. Hauser. I will not fail you,” Twelve answered.

“Excellent. We’ll be doing extensive training with you regarding this after we return to D.C.,” Hauser added, handing Steiner his pen. “And now, I think it’s time to get top side.”

“I’ll escort you back to the helicopter pad, Bill,” said Sanders, leading them out of the lab.

***

Siddoway opened a door to a lab and left the lights off. He rushed across the dark room that had brilliant blue fiber optic lighting along the walls, counters and the computer workstations. Some monitor screens mounted overhead played screensaver images.

He set the duffle bag down, taking out the control box as he removed a tile from the counter top, exposing a small secret control panel. He pushed a few buttons on a numeric keypad. A hidden door on the wall laid down in front of him like an ironing board that made a quiet hydraulic sound as it came down level with Siddoway’s waistline.

“There you are,” he said in a soft voice, taking two halves of a cylindrical device from the door panel, snapping them together then placing the ends on it.

He placed the device on the counter then set his control box on top of it, fastening it into the middle of the device, causing several LED lights to come on as well as the five digital red zeros to blink on across the control box display. The shape of his nuke bomb was that of an enlarged pneumatic tube like at a bank drive-thru.

“Beautiful,” he mumbled, stashing the uncompleted bomb into his duffle bag. “Now for the plutonium combine in my lab.”

***

Sanders led Hauser and Steiner out of the lab, making small talk, joking around. Twelve walked behind them quietly as they continued their pleasant chatter.

“So, how do you guys stand working this far under the surface?” asked Hauser, entering the main corridor on level minus eighty. “Does it get to you after a while?”

“Nah, I’ve been here so long I might as well be near the main lobby,” Sanders replied as they entered the main corridor of level eighty.

Chris came out into the corridor, watching Sanders lead Hauser, Steiner and Twelve to the elevators up the hallway as a horrible feeling rumbled in his stomach.

“I’ve never been good at sucking up, but here goes,” he said in a soft voice, sighing, hurrying up the corridor to catch up with them.

“Dr. Sanders?” he said, coming up behind them. “Dr. Sanders?” he repeated in a louder voice.

“Oh Chris, I didn’t realize you were still here,” Sanders stated, bothered.

“Listen, if you don’t mind, I’d just like to get a few things out of the lab and say goodbye to the other eleven A.I.s,” said Chris, politely, nodding at Hauser.

“I suppose that would be okay,” said Sanders, hesitating.

“Thank you,” Chris replied. “Twelve? I hope to see you soon,” he added, shaking his hand. “You take care of yourself, you hear me?”

“You too, Chris,” Twelve responded sincerely.

Chris jogged back down the corridor toward the lab.

“Shall we?” asked Hauser, hinting to Sanders to continue on.

“After you,” Sanders replied, following them towards the elevators.

Chris was relieved Sanders was receptive.
I can’t believe I blew it for myself here. I should have just kept my mouth shut and minded my own business
, he thought.

He noticed a shadowy silhouette dart across the corridor at the far end of the wide hallway.
What the hell was that?
he thought, hurrying down toward it.

***

Siddoway reached his lab door, rattling the locked handle.

“Open it,” he said.

Electrical currents shot from his pouch, striking the electronic locking device on the lab door, electrifying it with a flash of pink, green and purple, opening the door.

“Thank you,” said Siddoway, softly, rushing into his old domain.

He hurried over papers that were scattered on the floor, boxes that were used to pack up his lab equipment and a few bar stools that were knocked over. After reaching the end of a long counter, he pushed a few buttons on a keypad, causing another cylindrical metallic tube to rise from the top of a metal box that sat on the counter top. He turned the round lid on top of the metal box and removed it, making a vacuum-air sound then set it down on the counter. He reached into the tube and pulled out another smaller cylindrical metallic cylinder tube that had glass around the middle and a green substance encased inside it.

“Thank God you’re still here,” he muttered, sighing in relief.

Chris crept up to Siddoway’s open lab door, entering quietly, hearing somebody at the far end of the closed-down lab near the workstations. He snuck around the corner, ducking down beneath the long counter tops, and made his way to the rear of the lab where the sounds were coming from. He came to another corner, peeked around, and watched Siddoway insert the cylindrical tube containing the green substance into one side of the nuke then seal the end.

What the hell is he doing? Is that a freaking bomb?
Chris thought, watching in terror.

“Now, it’s time to make them pay,” Siddoway growled, supposing he was by himself, loading his nuke into the duffle bag.

Chris backed up and knocked a mug off the counter. It shattered on the tile floor, alarming Siddoway.

“Who’s there?” asked Siddoway, standing.

“Oh shit,” Chris blurted, trying to run for the door.

“Stop him!” Siddoway yelled, throwing his hand up, causing the lightning streaks to fly around the corner of the lab, taking an electrifying grip of Chris then lifting him into the air.

Chris made achy-moaning sounds as the narrow lightning streaks kept him six-feet above the floor. Siddoway walked up to him, his face stern, glaring at him.

“Alex?” Chris asked in a pained voice. “What the hell is going on? What is all this?”

“A new sophisticated form of energy, Chris,” Siddoway replied in an eerie tone, showing no empathy for his old friend. “Operates like lightning.”

“Get me down from here,” Chris pled, trying to muscle through the electric current.

“What are you doing here?” asked Siddoway in a fuming tone.

“I just heard noises in your lab,” Chris gasped.

“I think you were spying on me,” Siddoway answered. “What did you hear?”

“Nothing. I didn’t hear anything. I swear it,” Chris pleaded.

“Liar!” Siddoway yelled, whipping his hand towards the lab wall, causing Chris to be thrown harshly across the room, bouncing off the counter top then crashing violently into a wall with glass cabinets, before collapsing to the floor as jagged pieces of glass and broken cabinet fell on top of him.

“I have no tolerance for lies as I have no need of this occupation, this facility, this nation of ours or existence in life for that matter,” stated Siddoway, sounding as though mental illness was setting in. “Do you understand me?”

Chris wiped off the broken pieces of wood and glass from his clothing, noticing an XD Three-Thousand leaning against the end of a counter.

“Look, Alex, I only heard you say
somebody was going to pay
,” stated Chris.

“We’re you in on it too, Chris? Did you help them destroy me and turn me into a monster?” asked Siddoway in an angry tone, aiming his XD at him.

“No, no, no,” Chris replied, scooting carefully toward the XD. “Alex, I’ve known you a long time. I wouldn’t screw you over like that.”

“Scott did. I trusted him, Chris. He was like a younger brother to me,” Siddoway continued, his voice frazzled. “I was going to teach him everything I knew, just to be a friend, and look what I got for it. A DESTROYED LIFE!”

“Well, Scott’s gone now, Alex,” Chris stated, breathing heavily. “He can’t trouble you anymore.”

“My troubles go way beyond him, Chris,” Siddoway declared. “I’ve been to places I don’t even want to think about.”

“I know, I heard. Mueller and his guys. Just turn yourself in, Alex,” Chris advised, scooting closer towards the XD. “It’s the best chance you’ve got.”

Siddoway lowered his defenses, staring at the floor, finding reason in Chris’ voice, trying to hold back tears.

“Hand me the XD and that duffle bag, Alex,” Chris stated. “C’mon, you don’t want to do all this. This is madness!”

“I’m not going to prison, Chris,” Siddoway replied.

“Maybe they’ll be lenient,” Chris suggested, almost within reach of the XD.

Siddoway burst into laughter.

“Leniency would be me getting the death penalty several times over, old friend,” said Siddoway, aiming his XD at Chris again, glaring. “Sorry, chap. That’s not going to happen. Not today.”

“Oh, come on. You don’t know what they’d say,” said Chris, reaching for the XD.

“I know that… Wait! What are you doing?”

Chris grabbed the XD leaning against the counter quickly and fired at Siddoway, missing him as the blast flew across the lab and struck a wide screen monitor, making it disappear in a vaporous cloud. Siddoway fired back as Chris rolled out of the way. Siddoway ran out of the lab. Chris stood, aiming his weapon towards the door, panting.

“Oh boy,” Chris mumbled, nervous, rushing out the lab after slapping an alarm button on the wall, sounding off a consistent screeching noise throughout the facility as red lights flashed on the corridor walls.

He headed down the corridor. The face of Reese Johnson appeared on the wall and moved along with Chris as he ran up the long hallway.

“Michaels? You set off the alarm. What the hell is going on?” asked Reese, sounding concerned.