Eye Candy (60 page)

“Yes!” Isaac and Nik shouted.

Nik dropped to the floor and began to slide under the door. But in a matter of seconds he was scrambling backward, away from it. He began pushing Rory and his mom and dad away from the door.

Dozens of armed Pagaz units waited on the other side. The front line advanced into the factory, guns drawn.

A shot rang out.

Blood and tissue erupted from Nik’s stomach. He spun and returned fire, unloading his magazine at the oncoming Pagaz.

Isaac stood beside his brother, firing everything he had at the Pagaz, while Tim dragged Maggie away and found cover behind a towering yellow robotic arm.

Nik’s clip ran dry. He expelled it and slammed in another. All the while, round after round struck his body, punching through his body armor and ripping him apart.

“Armor-piercing rounds,” said Les, glancing over his shoulder to Candy and Danny. “Top of the line. Right, Senator?”

“The American taxpayers spare no expense when it comes to defending the nation,” said Senator Stein.

Isaac and Nik stood side by side, guns blazing while round after round found its mark. Nik sank to his knees and fell forward, dead. Bullets struck Isaac and he fell on his back, dead.

“No!” Maggie screamed. She emerged from behind the robotic arm and fired her rifle, unloading on the Pagaz that shot Nik and Isaac. The Pagaz targeted Maggie, and they advanced on each other, firing as they went, each of them taking damage.

The Pagaz fell sideways, twitching and smoking.

Maggie’s eyes rolled back in her head. Her rifle slipped from her hand and clattered to the factory floor. Tim caught her from behind as she collapsed.

“Maggie! Mags!”

Maggie’s head lolled. Her arms hung limp at her sides.

A round struck Tim in the forehead. He fell to the floor with his wife’s body in his arms.

Blackie, Whitey, VanCat, and Kong charged toward the door and the oncoming Pagaz. Kong led the charge, unleashing the gatling gun.

Within two strides, a round struck Kong in the forehead. He dropped.

Blackie hefted the gatling gun from where it lay beside Kong’s lifeless body. Blackie squeezed the trigger just as multiple rounds impacted his body armor. He sprayed the Pagaz with a rain of bullets and bright-orange tracer rounds, fighting through the pain even as a volley of bullets struck his chest and neck, tearing him apart. He dropped the gatling gun, and was dead before his body hit the floor.

“Priority targeting,” said Senator Stein.

“Genius,” said Les. “When I’m President, if I get assassinated, you’re going to make one helluva Commander in Chief.”

Les and the senator slapped a sharp high-five.

In the clean room, the entire team was assembling around the roll-up door and the Pagaz units.

A bullet ripped open Atom’s neck. He looked at Blendo, eyes wide. Blendo pressed his hand to Atom’s neck even as bright red arterial blood pumped out of the wound. A peppering of bullets sprayed over Atom and Blendo. They fell and lay still.

Rony, Bella, and Rukara concentrated their fire on the Pagaz that killed Atom and Blendo, dropping the unit to the floor.

Nearby Pagaz units targeted them in turn.

Bullets tore across Rony’s chest. She fell and writhed on the floor, reaching for Poo, then twitched and did not move.

“No!” Poo screamed. He charged and tackled the Pagaz to the floor, firing as he went. He shot the robot repeatedly in the side of the head, never realizing that the Pagaz had plunged a serrated knife through his abdomen and out his back. Poo collapsed atop the headless Pagaz.

A bullet hit Rukara in the face, shattering his sunglasses and spraying brain matter over Bella, Zammy, Delilah, and Bernard.

Bella got off two rounds, hitting in the eye the Pagaz that shot Rukara, dropping it before he and Zammy and Delilah and Bernard were gunned down.

Whitey and VanCat took cover behind the nearest robotic arm. They aimed, fired, and reloaded, dropping robot after robot. Behind them, an unseen Pagaz emerged through the titanium alloy door.

“Don’t forget to watch your six,” said Les.

The Pagaz drew two katanas as it approached Whitey and VanCat. The blades flashed, severing all four of VanCat’s forearms. The four Uzi’s fell to the floor with VanCat’s four index fingers still on the triggers, guns blazing.

Whitey whirled around and fired several shots into the Pagaz’s breastplate before the blades flashed again. Whitey’s head rolled off his neck and to the floor as his body collapsed.

VanCat looked at his four arms all pumping out blood. Bullets ripped across him and he fell to the floor.

“They forgot to watch their six,” said Les.

Moshe, Tikva, Howard, and Sparky stood in a line, forming a wall behind which Helen, Floyd, Susannah, Canary, and Laura all took cover, emerging to sight, fire, and withdraw quickly. They succeeded in dropping several Pagaz before their success drew scrutiny. Half a dozen Pagaz ran forward. Moshe, Howard, and Sparky charged forward to meet them, firing as they went.

Bullets ricocheted with showers of sparks.

The charging robots collided. They fought hand to hand. Moshe tore the head off a Pagaz just as Sparky tore out another’s eyes and Howard fired a pistol under the Pagaz’s chin. A rainbow spray of glittering positrons filled the air and hovered like shimmering dust.

Then Moshe, Howard, and Sparky were overwhelmed. They fought and struggled but three Pagaz descended upon each of them.

Moshe’s head was torn off. Tikva screamed and ran toward Moshe, firing at and dropping the Pagaz that had beheaded him. Bullets tore her shining robotic body to shreds before she could reach him.

Howard lashed out at three different Pagaz, keeping them at bay until two of them grabbed him from behind while the third shoved a katana through Howard’s pewter cranium, dropping him.

Sparky had two knives driven through his eyes. He struggled valiantly with the hilts protruding from his head. A Pagaz fired a single round into his forehead, spraying blue and pink and green positrons over the white factory floor.

Helen dropped her gun and stood motionless with her hands over her mouth, eyes fixed on Sparky. Floyd and Susannah pulled her behind a robotic arm as a shot rang out. Helen collapsed to the floor, a single entry wound between her lifeless eyes.

Canary knelt beside Floyd and Susannah. He ejected his spent magazine and inserted a full one. “We’ve got to get out of here!”

Laura stood above them, feet planted, jaw fixed and teeth bared, laying down cover fire. The muzzle flashes from her automatic rifle lit up her face.

“How?” Floyd yelled.

“I’ll draw their fire,” said Canary. “You guys run for the door.”

The side of Canary’s head exploded. He collapsed in a heap.

“Get ready to move!” Laura cried.

No one answered. Laura looked down at Canary, into his empty eyes.

She raised her weapon. “Son of a–” A barrage of bullets knocked her off her feet. She landed hard on her back, her mouth and lungs trying desperately to draw breath. Blood poured from a dozen holes in her body. She lay still.

Oberon and Romeo stood back to back, firing and turning, covering one another’s blind spots. Until several rounds punched through Romeo’s electronic face. His body quivered and he toppled against Oberon. Oberon turned and caught Romeo as he fell. Bullets ripped into Oberon’s back. He stiffened and sank to the ground beside Romeo.

A dozen Pagaz converged on Rory, Floyd, and Susannah, who knelt behind a tall yellow robotic arm.

The Pagaz formed a circle around the three lone survivors.

Rory, Floyd, and Susannah readied themselves, rifles raised.

The Pagaz circled.

“Why don’t they shoot?” Rory asked. “Get this over with.”

“Sadistic fuckers, aren’t they?” Floyd replied. “Suze?”

“Yeah?”

“Is it too late to say I love you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then . . . I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Floyd and Susannah kissed.

The Pagaz opened fire.

Bullets riddled Rory, Floyd, and Susannah.

Danny could only watch as the last of his team, the last of his friends, were killed.

~

Les switched off the monitor. “Tough day for Team Olivaw.” Les turned to Senator Stein and Harley. “I think I’d call that a successful field test. Wouldn’t you?”

“That was a test?” Danny cried. “Those were my friends, you son of a bitch.” Danny yanked his arm out of the drone’s hand and grabbed its other arm. He wrenched it forward, forcing the drone to somersault hard onto its back. Danny dropped a knee on its face and crushed its head.

Danny leaped at Senator Stein.

The senator fired his rifle just as Danny knocked it aside. A burst of bullets hit the other drone and sprayed the wall of the study.

Danny wrested the assault rifle from the senator’s hands and plowed the butt of the stock into Senator Stein’s forehead.

Senator Stein fell to the floor, unconscious.

“Oh, shit,” said Les.

Danny whirled on Les Grossman and found him with an arm around Candy’s neck and a large pistol pointed at her head.

Danny raised the rifle. “Hiding behind women, you piece of shit?”

Les tightened his grip on the handgun. “Just doing what’s necessary to win, fuckstick.”

“There are no winners here.”

“There’s always a winner,” said Les. “You just helped annihilate my competition. With the great Canary Cherrolet out of the way, Harley will be free to take over the company ahead of schedule. Two-thirds of the global robotics industry will be mine. I’ll pump out millions of robots and dispatch them all over the world. My private army of drones will put an end to the petty infighting and scrabbling for scraps. Finally there will be world peace. Just in time for next year’s election. The entire world will be begging me to wear the Nobel Peace Prize medal around my neck during my inauguration. Millions of people will turn out to watch. Billions will watch live from all around the world. I’ll be the greatest man to have ever lived. And, not that anyone will ever know it, I’ll have the great Daniel Olivaw to thank.”

“Les. . . .”

Les kept his eyes fixed on Danny. “What is it, Harley?”

Harley made a choking sound. “Les, I’m shot.”

Harley lay on the floor beside the fireplace. Her white silk blouse was a mess of blood oozing from a wound in her abdomen.

Les shoved Candy at Danny and ran to Harley. “It’s going to be all right.” Les pressed one hand to Harley’s as she applied pressure to the wound.

“No, it’s not going to be all right,” said Harley. “This is wrong.”

“Harley–”

“No, Les, listen to me.” Harley choked and coughed. Blood poured out of her mouth. Tears overflowed her eyes. “We never should have done this.”

“We had a plan. . . .”

Harley’s eyes shifted to Danny and Candy. “I’m sorry.”

Harley’s eyes glazed over and her hand slid to the floor.

Les looked at the blood on his hands.

Then he looked at Danny.

Les stood and advanced on Danny, making large strides, firing his pistol as he went. “Get ready to die, fuckface!”

Danny spun in place and turned his back on Les. He held Candy tightly in his arms, using his own body to shield her from the gunfire.

The bullets hit Danny’s body armor, pounding his ribs but not penetrating his body.

Les’s clip ran dry.

He stood in the center of the study, feet apart, seething, with spittle covering his bearded face, and an empty gun in his hand.

Danny tried to ignore the intense pain in his back. He turned to Les and raised his rifle.

“You think you can shoot me?!” Les screamed. “I’m Les Grossman, you puny fuck. You can’t shoot me. You can’t hurt me. No one can hurt me. Go on and try. Do it! Shoot me! I dare you!”

Danny stepped toward Les. He pointed the assault rifle at Les’s bald, shiny head.

“Do it!” Les screamed. His pudgy body shook with rage. “I dare you! Do it! I’ll FedEx you a hobo’s dick cheese from hell you gutless fuck. Do it!”

Les leaned forward. He pressed his forehead against the barrel of Danny’s rifle. His body shook and his teeth clenched. “Do it!”

Danny lowered the rifle. “No. There’s been enough killing today.” He took the empty pistol from Les’s hand and tossed it to the floor. “Candy, untie the girls.”

“You’re really not going to kill me?” Les gaped at Danny.

Candy carefully removed the tape from the girls’ mouths and untied their wrists and ankles.

“But I killed everyone,” said Les. “It was all my fault. I deserve to die.”

“Maybe,” said Danny. “But two wrongs don’t make a right.”

“Bullshit.” Les grabbed the barrel of Danny’s rifle and pressed it against his chest. “Do it. I’m no sore loser. I’m not afraid to die. Come on, do it. I deserve it.” Les held out his arms. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. “Let me have it. Put me out of my fucking misery. I deserve it.”