saw a camera from her peripheral vision. She could gain access through the cameras she thought, realizing the cameras most likely communicated through wireless connections since it was easy to install and inexpensive.
She siphoned the information it was currently streaming then hacked into its invisible database. Information flooded onto her mind as she sorted through it, by time, when she saw herself enter with the scientists. She quickly identified the cameras that they passed then she programmed them to send out a unique signal to guide her to the lobby.
“What are you doing little girl? Are you lost?” someone asked touching her shoulder as she blinked, backing away.
“Don’t follow me,” she yelled as she turned away from him.
“Wait you can’t go running off!” he yelled chasing her when she assaulted his mind. He froze holding his head with a pained expression as she continued on, trusting in her intuition, knowing the signals would not lead her astray.
She raced across the lobby as the person at the desk rose to his feet. He yelled at her as she ran out the door into the parking lot. She rushed to the nearest auto-flyer, leaning against its smooth cold frame as she fought to catch her breath.
“Stop!” someone yelled as she ignored the weatherproof keypad forcing the door open with her authoritative thoughts. The door popped open as she hurried inside then commanded the auto pilot to raise the craft off the ground, just below a grid of powerful lasers. She disengaged the lasers then told the craft her address, as it sped away.
She pressed her face against the window, watching her breath collect on the glass as she held Snickers beside her. The building became smaller as she smiled to herself. She was going home. She would be there before she had the chance to fall asleep.
The auto-flyer stopped in front of her house, as she perked up, leaving a greasy smear on the tinted window. She hurried out of the craft then rushed to the door, which greeted her thoughts by opening wide. She rushed in looking around eagerly.
The holographs still sat on the table, displaying the events of the past, unchanged by her father’s passing. The furniture had remained in their familiar places, their cushions slightly dented with use. Lisa stood silently in the corner still bearing her mother’s face, her expression as cold and vacant as the picture on her father’s desk.
She walked over to Lisa then commanded her to return to the world that she left as power flowed through her. Her eyes grew bright as they acquired life and her limbs became animated.
“Master Maria,” she stated as she looked down at Maria, having already been reprogrammed to recognize the exchange of ownership.
“Fetch me a snack,” Maria demanded then sat on the rug, like she had done so many times in the past. She picked up one of the cogs that was left by her last project then thought about how she would go about improving her original design.
“Would you desire anything else?” Lisa asked handing her a platter of cookies.
“This will suffice,” Maria stated coldly after she took a bite out of one of the cookies, crumbs rolling down her chin. Lisa wordlessly placed a napkin beside her then left to occupy the corner until summoned.
She began to rebuild when she came across a large boot print. The caked in mud was well-grounded in the pale carpet. She backed away when she saw something glittering a few feet away. She edged over to see that it was a glass figurine, that her mother bought long ago. It was a horse made of frosted glass but its head had shattered, during its long descent as it tumbled off the table, its body had a large crack through it and its luxurious tail was completely missing. She gathered the pieces in a pile when she saw a piece of police tape laying beside her.
She backed away horrified as the memories of her father’s death returned to her in a great deluge. It was not the same. It would never be the same. Her father was gone and there is nothing that she can do that would ever bring him back.
Maybe she should have stayed with Mr. Johnson. Maybe she should have never come back to this lonely house. If only she could go back to the playroom but the children no longer trusted her, even Ebony was afraid of her capabilities. If she ever returned she would be forced to stay in her father’s room, constantly being reminded of the irretrievable past by familiar objects, as she awaited her fate, surrendering all control of her future. No, she could not allow herself to be captured. She could find a better life elsewhere without their help. She would find a new life even if she had to run from everything that she knew to search for it.
An alarm wailed as rotating lights flooded the room. Vivid red colored her vision as if a film of blood had flowed over her eyes before a wave of sharp blue snapped her mind in to action. The police must have found the stolen auto-flyer and wanted her to come with them, but she refused for she had lost too much to surrender her freedom so easily. She will not live out her life in that lab, surrounded by her father’s possessions. She could take care of herself, she was sure of it.
“Stall the police when they get here. I don’t want them to follow me.” Maria told Lisa as she walked pass the robot.
“I am unable to harm or deceive the police in any manner.” she reported.
“You will protect your master,” Maria told the false replica of her mother as the robot grew still before marching over to the door without a word where it stood in preparation of dealing with the authorities.
Maria snuck out the back door when she heard the police knocking loudly, as if they were attempting to knock it down with a battering ram. She crept across the lawn thankful that the evening shadows were deep as dusk slipped away.
Maria ran, her shoes slipping on the wet grass as she hurried away from her home, never to return. Snicker’s presence was all that remained of her past, the only thing that she had left to cling to though she forced herself to focus on her escape, on the land as it unfolded before her, materializing from the darkness.
Her heart pounded against her sternum as she pressed herself against the neighbor’s house. Her chest heaved as she smiled to herself then released a sputtering laugh, for the flashing lights seemed distant and the darkness easily concealed her shadowy figure from the cops peering eyes.
White Collar Larcenists
Maria stopped in the middle of the street as she fought to master her breathing. The sound of the sirens was almost completely inaudible. Snickers hung, its dead weight pulling against her sweaty hands.
She looked out across the street feeling like she was on the brink of collapse. She stumbled forward, her legs too sore for much else. She held Snickers to her chest as the night air rushed pass her damp skin, chilling her to the bone.
She stopped to look enviously at a warm house as she shivered. Its soft side lamp glowed in the corner of the window when a shadow crept across it as a powerful beam rent the darkness. Loud shuffling could be heard before the door was opened by two men dressed in all black, laughter being emitted from their masked faces.
“Ricky was right this is a whole lot better than working in some office for the rest of my life My parents did not work this hard for me to be drowning in debt and disrespected by all of my former coworkers. I am better than that” said the one holding a large jewelry box under his arm.
“Yeah screw the bar exam, if I stay with him I will be making a lot more than my snooty colleagues.” the other agreed looking down at a diamond ring.
“Yeah but we should be careful because I don’t like it when the job …um becomes complicated.” the first continued as the second looked up at him.
“We just have to time it right,” the second told him harshly as the other nodded sadly.
“Yeah but that poor man and his daughter…” he muttered as the second rounded on him.
“That was a big hit, possibly the biggest hit since we cleared out all that fancy lab equipment from Ricky’s old job. We could not turn that down. We had no choice.” he explained as the other nodded slowly in acceptance.
“Yeah it is just a shame though. It didn’t need to end like that.” he contin
ued when a man, in an auto-flyer parked in front of the house, got out of the craft.
“Yeah hurry it up, before the cops arrive!” he yelled, he did not wear a mask but the darkness concealed his features well.
Maria spun around when she heard the sound of an auto-flyer approaching. The burglars noticed it too, when the lights around is frame began to flash in both red and blue as it neared. The burglars rushed toward the getaway craft as the robo-cop stepped out peering into the darkness.
“Maria Rivera you are hereby ordered to be placed under Mr. Johnson’s custody.” the robot announced as she stood firm for she had already made up her mind.
“No, I am not going back there.” she yelled as the machine grew eerily still then marched back to its craft without a word then sat stiffly as it stared blankly ahead of it.
She turned away, preparing to run once more when the driver, of the getaway craft, existed. His face was directed in her direction. She was sure she could not easily out run this man so she waited for him to speak.
“You stopped that cop.” he stated as he strolled over to her.
“What do you want!” she yelled unsure whether he was going to attack her, as she glanced back at the stationary cop cruiser for reassurance.
“You obviously,” he answered as he stepped into the light, which peeled away the veil of darkness as a sense of fear gripped her.
“You’re the one who…”she began when he continued to advance.
“It seems that the lab equipment was not the most valuable commodity in that house though now it all makes sense. Your father was protecting you. You are the one he was referring to in his illegible notes. You are the real treasure.” he explained as she regained control over the cop.
“Kill him!” she commanded as the cop returned, rushing over to the murderer as he turned to face it. The lumbering metal contraption swing it clubbed fists as the man ducked stabbing the machine with the electric probe as he did with Lisa.
“You are going to have to try a little harder than that.” he stated as he turned to her, stuffing the probe back into his pockets. She backed away when she locked eyes on their getaway vehicle. She sent it careening toward him, intending to break his legs but he leapt onto a lawn of freshly mowed grass as the auto-flyer smashed into a light pole.
“That was close,” he admitted getting to his feet uninjured as she turned away, her legs haven been given new life by her building fear. She whimpered as she pressed Snickers to her chest. She could hear him gaining on her, his muscles practiced in the art of escape and pursuit.
His arms encircled her as she thrashed about assaulting his mind with unrestricted ferocity though he only winced, gritting his teeth, as he crushed her diaphragm, making her unable her to breathe. Her grip slipped from his mind as she gasped. Her prying hands became more feeble as Snickers fell from her slackened grip.
“Now behave,” he commanded as he released her and she fell to her knees. Her arms were forced behind her back, bound tightly. She was pulled back to her feet when she saw Snickers, laying on the pavement. She screamed for the toy until one of the men picked it up.
“You want this?” he asked as she struggled vainly against the one holding her. “Then be good,” he continued as she was led back to the damaged auto-flyer. One of them inspected the damage then announced that it had only lost the bumper.
“Good then let’s go.” the murderer commanded as she was forced into the craft along with the others. The ringleader sat across from her as she glared at him angrily. He smiled as he leaned back calmly, indifferent to her aggression.
“This is kidnapping,” she spat as he nodded.
“Only a fool would let an opportunity like this slip by and it is not like you have anywhere to go or anyone waiting for you.” he whispered tauntingly when she kicked his shin as hard as she could manage.
“You are being ill-mannered and I will not tolerate obstinate behavior.” he growled raising his hand as if he meant to smack her, but he stopped when she flinched, hiding her tear stained face from view.
“But you are reasonable, aren’t you?” he asked as she looked up at him fearfully.
“Please just let me go.” she begged as he picked up Snickers.
“I can be reasonable as well just be a good girl and do as you are told.” he said as she watched him handle Snickers rather roughly, as if looking for the cause of her attachment to the primitive toy.
The craft stopped as one of the men opened the door, then pulled her outside. Ricky, the leader stood beside her, still holding Snickers. He led the way to the door. She paused, glancing back toward the empty street when he shoved her hard in the back, causing her to stumble forward. She struggled to regain her balance as she was led through the house, to a door that led downstairs. She stared at the stairs nervously when Ricky rested his hand on her shoulder.
“Go on,” he whispered as she stepped carefully into the darkness.
The lights came on revealing a finished basement with tiled floors and a computer desk nested in the corner.
“Sit!” Ricky demanded as she sat in the rolling chair with the padded lumbar support.
“Now let’s get some things straight before you do something stupid.” Rick said, grabbing the arms of the chair as she leaned away from him.
“You work for me now! You will help disarm alarms and keep the cops away and in exchange for your life.” he stated threateningly as she spat in his face as hatred gleamed within her eyes.
“Don’t mess with me, little girl.” he growled, his voice seething with rage, after he whipped his face with the back of his hand then leaned close so that his murderous eyes filled her vision. He released her chair, causing the chair to spin a little as she released her breathe when he stopped the chair once more.
“You can’t escape. My men can easily overpower you and I can surely catch you again if you are foolish enough to run from me. And don’t think the cops are tracking you because one of my men is jamming the signal from your ACPC.” he explained calmly as she looked away defeated, spotting Snickers sitting on the desk with its round head drooping and its marble eyes downcast.
She needed help or better yet a distraction she thought as she cut the power to the entire house, plunging everything into to complete darkness. She amplified the signal of her Artificial Cerebral Processing Chip, using it as a beacon to call forth her saviors. Ricky cursed as his men scrambled to restore the lights. The lights returned within a few minutes when Ricky turned on her, furious.
“What did you do? Answer me.” he yelled as Maria watched him fearfully hoping the cops were still in the neighborhood and would arrive soon enough.
“I really don’t want to hurt you so don’t tempt me.” he sneered as he pulled out a small laser cutter, then raised it to her neck. She could feel the heat radiating off the blade of focused light.
“Please don’t” she whined as tears gathered in her eyes and she tried to squirm away.
“Then stop it.” he commanded as tears leaked from her eyes.
“I am sorry,” she whispered when there were the sound of police cruisers coming from outside. Ricky turned away as his men watched the bands of lights flash through the windows.
“Make them leave,” he commanded turning back to Maria, who had freed her small hands from her cloth restraints and had cut the power once more.
“Maria!” Ricky yelled angrily pulling the chair closer to himself as he held the laser cutter firmly in his hand.
The cops rushed in, spreading out, as the rest stormed the basement where the signal originated. Their powerful flashlights illuminated the dark room then fell on the empty chair as Ricky grew silent then kicked it away from him, causing it to topple over.
“This isn’t over!” he yelled when the cops converged on him pinning him on the ground before pulling him back onto his feet, after they managed to handcuff him. His men surrendered without much of a fight. They led the kidnappers outside to their large cruiser when another group of cops
rushed into their auto-flyers.
“Maria stole another auto-flyer. She is heading toward the city.” one of the cops announced, before speeding into the night with his blinding lights flashing. They mustn’t let her get away. She mustn’t be allowed to run rampant. She must be dealt with.
A Desirable Commodity
Maria sat braced on her knees as she peered out the window, steering the auto-flyer manually after overpowering the craft’s auto pilot. She clutched onto the back of the seat as she pressed her face against the tinted glass. Darkness swirled about the headlights illuminating light post and towering buildings when she was nearly upon them. She veered on the brink of colliding with another auto-flyer as she sped aside the relatively slow moving stream of traffic.
Suddenly all the craft came to a stop, including Maria’s, when the cops’ cruiser come within sight with its blinding lights stunning the pedestrians below in stupor. She overpowered the cop’s signal then drifted into the crowded stream of auto-flyers finding a clear lane, that was to be used for emergency vehicles, then sped pass the frozen crafts as the cops rushed after her. The flow of the auto-flyers picked up as the cop’s signal weakened, allowing traffic to continue on, the craft only adjusting their speed when they neared.
She commanded her craft upwards in an effort to evade the cops. She blindly shot up, knocking into another craft that responded too slowly to her sudden ascent. The craft rocked violently before growing steady once more. She accelerated to meet the craft’s bumper, pleased to be in the fast lane, when the cops attempted to follow her. She slipped out of the invisible lane as she rushed down to the ground as people on the wide walkway fled. She stopped the craft, so it was hovering only a few yards above the ground then sped around a sharp corner hoping that the cops lost sight of her, still being high above traffic.
Spectators ducked as she glided over them before she guided the craft into a narrow darkened lane. She cut the engine and made sure her ACPC was not sending any signals to allow her to be easily located. She picked up Snickers as she looked out the shaded windows. She was exhausted but she could not sleep in a stolen auto-flyer, the police would track it in a matter of minutes.
She exited the craft slowly then snuck down the alley. She paused before she hurried down the open walkway, racing down the block, keeping to the shadows crated by the towering apartment buildings. She entered one of the apartments, buzzing herself in with her mind, when her legs would carry her no farther. She stumbled up the stairs unsure where she was going until she saw a woman pass her on her way to work. She glanced out a window to realize that the sky was darkened will the early phases of dawn rather than night. She moaned wanting to collapse on the stairs but she had to do a better job of