"Destination?"
"One moment," Vega replied, staring at the coin.
"Before we do this," he said to the boy beside him. "We all need to be on the same page."
Greg could felt the change in Vega's mood. In the last few hours, the other man had been carefree; jumping through time like it was a walk in the park. Now though, Vega was jumpy, as if in some way connected to the time and place of their next jump. Greg realized they were getting ready for real action. This time, their task would involve more than slipping in and out of deserted places like ghosts.
"Envy, you will take the lead." Vega said. "You were brought along for more reasons than just to disable the security; we are going to need you for door breaches, to cover us in case we come under fire, and early detection of electronic warfare. If you see any dropped weapons along the way, feel free to use them in intimidation or defense. Anyone who sees you will probably get quite a shock, since the memory of your involvement in the war is fresh in these peoples' minds."
"Wait, door breaching?" Greg questioned. "Why are we going to need to breach doors? Can't we just pop back to the lab?"
"Unfortunately, I can't say that would be a sound idea. You see, the captive clones didn't just escape and cause confusion. Two did escape and they gathered a rag-tag army to help free their brothers and sisters. There will be a full-on assault against the north side of the complex. The clones seemed, from what I could tell, to have a low-grade psychic connection amongst themselves. Like I said, not much is understood about what happens to the brain in development with all that time spent dreaming." Vega paused, then added, "But between the first two escaping and the attack, security was increased. I anticipate armed security everywhere. I believe most will have abandoned their posts to help counter the assault, but there will be some of the more disciplined, or cowardly, security troops left all over the building." Vega gazed around, then said, "Greg, you must be very careful. Stay low and behind me. If you freeze up, just find a place to hide. But if I call for you, you must come! We need the option to be able to jump away. Do your best."
Greg nodded, feeling insulted. He was not going to freeze up!
I will not freeze up, Greg assured himself.
"You were here at this attack, weren’t you?" Greg asked. "You were part of the group helping the first two escapees. You knew them?"
"In a way, I was there. And also in a way, I knew them. It is how I know about this place and why I came up with our present plan. It fits seamlessly. Now," Vega said, as he swung his green cloak over his shoulders and flipped up the hood. "Our insertion point will be three hundred meters to the west of our last position, May 16th, 2069, at 6:35 AM, local time. Be ready to move lads!"
"Placing you in five seconds."
Greg's heart jumped and he shivered, waiting to be inserted.
Greg kept his eyes open during the jump, and nearly came out of his skin when he suddenly sunk a few inches into the melting snow. The morning air was cold. A small explosion punctuated the still forest, far off to his left. Vega and Envy began to move swiftly through the treed terrain, toward the concrete structure before them.
Envy lowered his profile for the dash, holding his mechanical arms out at a slight angle, like a hawk coming in for a fast landing.
Vega was a phantom floating along, green cloak fluttering behind him.
Greg ran in the tracks of the heavy robot, pumping his knees high, moving in a much less graceful fashion than his companions. Gunfire peppered the morning calm, but not directed at Greg. Again, it was off to the left. The assault that Vega predicted had just begun.
Greg pumped his arms, puffing hard as they neared the building, not used to breathing the frigid air. Why did Vega have to place us so far away? his exhausted mind thought.
Greg saw the guard standing by the closest exterior door at almost the same instant the green cloak went into action. The guard had craned his neck in the direction of the gunfire, poorly securing his post when the war robot swept upon him.
Before the startled man could react to the sudden arrivals, Vega launched himself at the man. Gripping the guards' shoulders as he nearly went past, Vega spun the man down onto the ground in a dominant grip.
Greg had just arrived at the edge of the building when Vega took the guard to the ground. Envy stood over them, head scanning as Vega produced a small spray cylinder. A puff of aerosolized vapor misted the man's face. The guard struggled for a brief moment and then went limp.
Vega leapt up from the ground. With a spin of his cloak, he glanced at Greg as he headed towards the exterior door.
The old man can still move, Greg thought with astonishment. It had been a smooth takedown, unlike anything he had ever seen. Envy relieved the sleeping guard of his battle rifle and joined Vega at the door.
Greg felt odd, having no job, standing aside to let the adults do the bulk of the work.
"Breach," Vega commanded the robot.
Envy took no time to execute the request, bending sideways at his midsection, drawing both of his arms back to ninety degree angles, palms down. Metal arms blasted forward, one landing above, and one below the knob. The sound of snapping metal was herald to the door flying open on its hinges, banging open on the inside wall. Without pause, Envy moved into the building, Vega following close on his snake-tread heals.
Greg scampered after them.
"Straight back to the cloning chamber," Vega said. He clapped Envy's metal shoulder.
Envy straightened up from his swift moving attack position, and held the battle rifle in one hand. Conversely, it was Vega who was hunched over while following their robot, cloak brushing the floor. Greg followed his lead, figuring it was smart to use Envy as a bulletproof shield. Feeling like he should be doing something more, Greg kept an eye out behind the group, should someone stumble on their trail.
The lights in the building were out. Only emergency firelights lit the way down the long hallway. Greg could not read any of the signs outside the heavy sliding doors that they passed along the long hallway, but he had faith that all the work they had put into rescuing and revamping Envy was not in vein. They skated into the darkness until they came to a half-glass door leading into the lab.
"Breach," Vega commanded once again in a low voice.
"Unnecessary," Envy replied in a matching volume of clear, synthesized speech.
The robot's flat pentagon face turned towards the holo-projector pad next to the door. He shot a visible red laser at the pad, connecting to the port. A moment later, the door slid open.
"I gave myself access to science rooms the last time we were here. It is doubtful my hidden clearance would have been erased, unless the security system had been overhauled. It seems there have been no major upgrades."
"That's why you are along," Vega said and entered the lab.
The equipment and layout of the science workstations had changed since the few minutes the three intruders had last been in the room. It took Greg a moment to orient himself before he recognized the wall that protected the clone growth chamber. He ran over to the sealed, cold glass while Envy followed Vega, who took his time examining the lab.
"Open it," Vega commanded, joining Greg at the glass wall. "Start the awakening cycle for chamber twenty-three. The attack will be over soon and we need to be on our way as well."
The movable section of glass rose and the blue lights of the chamber came on. This time, Envy accompanied his masters down the rows of sleeping clones. The amber light from the twenty-third pod changed to a deeper color. Gears and motors hummed as fluid was drained and the lid to the birth pod unlocked.
Greg peered into the small port and watched with fascination. A duplicate of himself lay supine, eyes moving beneath closed lids. There was a look of stress on the face, one he quite familiar with. Hair color was a light shade, skewed by the red light, and a thin coating of wispy facial hair coated the clones face and neck. To the teen, it was like looking at a wax sculpture of himself, now coming to
life.
"Stand back!" Vega said to his captivated companion.
"Proximity alert!" Envy boomed, startling the other two. The robot turned on his mid-section before his tracks could adjust. Envy raised the rifle, but the oncoming attacker was too fast.
He was wearing a white coat.
Doctor Hertmaad was tall and thin, short cropped blonde hair that reseeded from the temples, and a full grey goatee. He held in his hand a black box, attached to a pistol grip that resembled a RC car remote control. Envy suddenly shut down, before the doctor could get within three steps of his mechanical body.
Greg had no idea what was going on, except that they were being attacked. Their attacker thrust forward his weapon, triggering a high-pitched, sharp noise. But Envy had frozen up before the pulse! Greg shouted to himself.
The pod lid opened, separating in the middle. The furious doctor dodged around the metal statue. He pointed his device at Vega, who was much shorter and had to fight to hold the taller man off. Both sets of arms now struggled for control of the gun as the Swede shouted in his native tongue.
Greg stepped back, too scared to leap into action.
What should I do? Is this what he meant by freezing up? The very introduction of that thought sprung him into action. He would not be branded with that shame. Greg refused to be remembered as one who hesitated when he was needed most.
Vega put all his effort into controlling the taller man, but the struggle was fast and evenly balanced; greater size versus experienced physicality. Vega attempted upset the balance, gaining a foothold on top of a pod. But before he could upset the balance, Greg definitively intervened. The doctor fell to the floor clutching his arm, the pulse weapon flew out of his hands. The doctor screamed in agony. Greg stood over the wilted man with an apologetic grimace. The wounded doctor pulled the stiletto from his soft tissue and tossed it aside.
Greg was stunned by the bright red blood he had caused. A soft click grabbed his attention. As if on instinct, he glanced over at the opened pod. Sitting up, covered in goo, half of a face lit in red light, the other in blue, Greg's clone looked on with frightened eyes. He was awake.
As Vega kicked the pulse gun to the side, Envy came back to life and rolled up on the downed doctor, aiming the rifle at him.
Greg picked up the discarded knife and reseated it. He went to his clone. The two boys, nearly identical in age, regarded each other for a moment.
"I am sorry for my emergency shutdown. When the EM pulse weapon was identified, I shut all systems down for ten seconds. If I had not, all my electronics would have been totally destroyed," Envy apologized to Vega.
"It's alright," Vega said, also going over to the newly awaken clone. "I am well aware of that tactic. Continue to pull security. Come on Greg, let's get him out of there and rinsed off."
As the two helped the clone from the pod, Vega added softly, "You did good back there. You really saved me."
Greg nodded and took the lead helping his clone over to one of the shower heads. The clone was slow and cautious on his feet, but was able to walk on his own. It appeared that his muscle tone was normal and would soon be as mobile as any person. The doctor continued to wail at the intruders as they cleaned off the clone.
"What was that gun anyway? Just an electronic scrambler?" Greg asked Vega.
"I'm pretty sure it had a microwave stunner as well. Non-lethal weapons that avoid the use of bullets are all the rage. My brain just might have ended up a pile of soup. Where did you get that knife?"
"When I went for money in my closet, I picked this out of the bag as well. Thought it might come in handy," Greg said.
"Good thinking. Give him your coat, Greg," Vega said and turned to their war robot.
"What has he been saying, Envy?"
"He is quite upset at us for taking this clone out of the tank. He says we are evil men for stealing his children," the robot answered.
"You deserve far worse than what this boy has done to your arm! I know all you have done here, you sick Tratthora! Fjolla!" Vega spat at the man.
The doctor spoke back in a lower voice after this scolding. Envy translated directly.
"I knew another team would be assaulting. Attacking the barracks was just a diversion, yes? You will pay for this. My children will not be stolen from me!"
Vega spoke very clear and slow, using his hands to reinforce the point he was about to make to the doctor. "Leave and take your losses. Your children have grown and hate you for what you have done. Forget them! Your work is not vile, just the way you go about it."
Envy spoke the words. The doctor had no choice but to hear, clutching his bleeding arm.
"Go, now! I mean it!" Vega shouted when the man did not immediately move. This required no translation, as the doctor got to his feet, eyed the others and retreated from the chamber.
"Alright, should we get out of here now?" Greg asked, breaking the brief silence.
"That, we should. Envy, you know the drill."
The robot rolled up on the toes of the two clothed men and Greg took the hand of his double. As he fished the coin from his pocket, Envy cried another proximity alert. He began firing his rifle to the far end of the room, where security guards rushed in. The doctor had not left completely humbled...
The suppressed rifle barked in the war robot's hands, but was thrown to the floor a moment before the coin reached its zenith.
CHAPTER 20