Legacy of a Mad Scientist (32 page)

Dunkirk withdrew to a corner of the kitchen and
waited, listening. He watched the reflections in the windows and
cabinets, waiting for what he knew must happen next. He relaxed his
body and opened his mouth, allowing him to hear just a fraction
better.

He heard movement upstairs, small footsteps,
hurrying.

He heard sudden movement from downstairs.

In a window, Dunkirk caught the reflection of Mrs.
Fox moving toward him, heading for the kitchen.

Fox was halfway down the stairs when Ana screamed
from the kitchen. He cleared several steps at a time, reached the
doorway and stopped. A neighbor.

Fox recognized him, Mr. Dunkirk. He stood, hiding
behind Ana.

She was in shock; she didn't seem to be
breathing.

Dunkirk had one hand behind Ana's back. In the other,
he held a knife, the sleeve of his sweatshirt wrapped around the
handle.

Fox glanced at the carving block. There were two
empty slots.

Fox rushed toward them as Dunkirk jammed the second
blade into Ana's body and pulled them both out, just as Fox reached
her.

Ana collapsed into her his arms, blood sprayed all
over the floor.

Dunkirk dropped the knives and exited through the
kitchen door.

Fox held his wife as the color drained from her face.
She couldn’t speak, but Andrew held her close.

Fox could hear them arranging themselves outside his
front door, getting ready to breach and clear.

Andrew held his wife close, protecting her from the
concussive blast that followed. They came and pried her from his
arms. The agents strapped her to a gurney and wheeled her out.

Fox followed.

Several soldiers raised their weapons at Dr. Fox, but
none fired.

Stanwood was standing at the end of the driveway.

Von Kalt was behind him and on his right.

First Sergeant King stood on Stanwood’s left.

Fox showed no recognition of King. He was focused on
Stanwood. "Joe, you have to help, Ana. Please...”

National Intelligence Director Joseph Stanwood raised
his handgun to Doctor Andrew Fox's face and fired.

Deputy Director Wolfgang Von Kalt watched Fox fall to
the ground. This was of no concern of his. The Micronix was not
here. It was no longer in the house. It was the only thing he was
interested in.

The Metachron rested in his pocket, his hands folded
behind his back. He didn’t need to hold it anymore.

Von Kalt watched Fox die. He didn’t move.

No one did.

Having escaped the house for a distant ridgeline,
Ashley noted that the sound of the shot came some time later than
the shot itself and the splash of blood.

Ashley didn't say anything to Geoff. Being older
meant being taller, and in this case, that meant being able to see
the man who shot her father. From where they were on the ridge, it
was likely that Geoff didn't see it. She was frozen in place,
staring at the scene below.

Her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

Her father had mentioned help. He’d said help would
find them.

She hoped it was soon.

Von Kalt turned and looked toward her. He saw her,
but he made no gesture nor did he tell anyone.

Ash turned and ran as fast as her feet would carry
her, focused on putting one foot in front of the other, pulling
Geoff along, deeper into the forest.

There were a couple of dozen federal agents standing
around in suits, while Von Kalt had only eight soldiers dressed in
tactical uniforms.

Before he could issue an order, Stanwood gestured to
King and waved to the bodies of Doctor and Missus Fox. “Get them
out of here.”

Stanwood turned to Von Kalt, “I want those kids
within the hour.”

Von Kalt nodded, “Bravo team, handle the bodies.
Alpha, we’re going into the forest.”

Stanwood objected, interrupting again, “You aren’t
going anywhere.” Stanwood pointed to Lt. Hernandez. “Lieutenant,
You handle it. You have all these agents at your disposal” Stanwood
waved to the suited agents.

He then turned to Von Kalt and gestured for him get
in their vehicle.

Lt. Hernandez nodded and addressed the Federal
Agents, “Gentlemen, we’re going to go out ahead of you on the
ground. Half of you will follow us on foot, the other half will
pilot your vehicles overhead and search from the air. Leave no
stone unturned.”

Hernandez signaled and Sergeants Angstrom, Di Biase
and Steinkirk set out at double-time, pursuing Ashley and Geoffrey
into the forest.

Bravo team. King, Washington, Johnson and Welter,
moved Dr. Fox into a white plastic body bag and then loaded he and
Mrs. Fox into one of the idling trucks.

Major Ross, Secretary Croswell and Chief Warrant
Officer Reid watched from overhead, silent for the moment.

Ross swallowed and looked over to Reid. “King, I’m
sending Reid with you. When you’re ready, he’ll help you make the
switch.”

“Copy that,” King answered.

“You want to do it?” Croswell asked, looking at
Ross.

“What’s that?”

“Light up the decanter, maybe?” Croswell smiled.

“Oh, yeah, of course, already done,” Ross
answered.

Doctor Fox tried to close his eyes and realized that
would be impossible. He'd crossed over. Those eyes had closed,
forever.

After Stanwood shot him, Ross must have flipped the
switch.

It was the ambient light and the chemicals in the
tank that caused the visual sensations. It had been awhile since
he'd experienced the changeover. Decanting would take four to six
months.

Fox never kept an imprinted clone on ice; it was too
big a risk. Even though he had created the technology, it was owned
by the government and restricted to the Three AM bodyguard
program.

In a few moments, the drugs would kick in, and Fox
would sleep until it was time. He savored these last few moments of
consciousness as the chemicals worked their way into his mind.

Focusing became difficult and then he slept.

Ash and Geoff ran down the familiar paths at full
speed. The forest was warm and inviting.

They ran, taking corners at dangerous speeds; Ashley
discovered she could almost get horizontal while ‘banking.’ And
still they ran.

All downhill, they ran at top speed, Geoff almost
flying.

They ran until she couldn't breathe anymore and
Ashley finally slowed down. She released Geoff's hand.

Ash was winded, but Geoff seemed relaxed. They walked
for a while, both reluctant to break the wordless spell of their
natural temple.

Ash could tell the reality of their situation hadn't
yet sunk in for Geoff. He walked beside her, calm and easy. There
was no point in talking about it and upsetting him. Even though her
stomach was doing somersaults and she was close to panicking, that
was no reason to provoke the same response in Geoff.

In fact, Ash noticed his calm was influencing her,
helping her to relax.

Feeling better, she glanced over to Geoff. "Want to
keep going?”

Geoff nodded. They resumed a mellow jog, hands
free.

"Where are we going?" Geoff asked.

"To the ocean," Ash answered.

"And then Mexico?" Geoff asked.

"Yeah, sure. Mexico," Ashley laughed.

"Otherwise they're going to catch us," Geoff
said.

"They're not going to catch us," Ashley said.

"Probably they are," Geoff said.

"Okay. You're right, probably they are," Ashley
answered.

"So then we won't know until it's too late," Geoff
replied.

"Right, so let's go back to being calm.”

"And Mexico?" Geoff asked. "What's wrong with
Mexico?”

"Technically, we're still at war with Mexico," Ashley
answered.

"No, we're not," Geoff said, parroting their father.
“They were at war with us, and it’s been over for seven years. Dad
said.”

Ashley shook her head. "War is war. Heading toward it
sounds stupid to me.”

"Dad says we'll be safe with them," Geoff argued.

"You don't believe that," Ashley answered. "And I
don't speak Spanish.”

"You can learn, it's easy," Geoff said, smiling.

Ashley froze, the color drained from her face. In the
distance, she could hear the soldiers closing, heavy boots and the
rattle of weapons, sounds alien to the forest.

"We have to run, now!" Ashley said. She clutched
Geoffrey's hand and hauled him along. It was all he could do to
stay upright, planting one foot after the other, catching himself
as they fell down the canyon trail.

A half-dozen turns ahead they came around a sharp
bend and found themselves face to face with Mr. Dunkirk. He was
covered in blood.

They skidded to a halt, Ashley's right hand found the
prototype in her back pocket, but she didn't pull it out. Geoff
stood behind her, right where she'd have told him to be.

Mr. Dunkirk stood still, apparently as afraid of the
children as they were of him.

Then he snapped out of it and smiled.

It was the grin of a lunatic.

Ashley grabbed Geoff's hand, and they were gone, down
a branching trail. They heard no sounds of pursuit, but the
soldiers had to be getting closer.

Ashley and Geoff had no idea they were supposed to be
invisible. It certainly seemed like Mr. Dunkirk had seen them.

Before they got much further, the brother and sister
came upon Bobby Dunkirk. He was standing on the path with his hand
in his pocket. Ash slowed to a walk, Geoff beside her.

Bobby looked stunned stupid, much as his father
had.

Suddenly, Ashley knew. She knew what it was.

She pulled out the rectangle. She watched Bobby's
eyes fixate on the dark metal obscured by her thin fingers.

"Bobby, Bobby? Are you all right?" Ash whispered.

His eyes were glued to her fist. She put the
prototype back in her pocket. Once it vanished, Bobby seemed to
come to his senses. His gaze snapped up to her face, as if he
hadn't recognized them until that moment.

Ash ignored the fact that they had just come upon
Bobby’s father, covered in blood, and treated him as she would any
of the neighboring children, in an emergency situation.

"Bobby, There are soldiers coming. We have to run
right now. You should come with us.”

Ashley grabbed Bobby's free hand and moved down the
trail. He didn't resist. Ash moved downhill as fast as she could
pull Bobby and Geoff.

After a few minutes, Bobby began to struggle against
her. "No. No, it's okay. They're not coming for me. He's going to
get them.”

"What?" Ashley slowed, but kept moving.

"We don't have to run. Once he gets them, we can sit.
I want to sit on the rock.”

Ashley looked at Bobby as if he'd lost his mind, but
she kept moving, slowing to a walk.

"He'll get them, watch." Bobby was getting loud, and
pulling away from Ash.

Ashley was afraid the approaching killers would hear
him, and stopped. She let go of his hand.

From the trails behind them, near where they'd run
into Mr. Dunkirk, there came a heavy crash with a yelp. The cry was
cut short.

Then came the sounds of wild gunfire.

Ashley took both Geoff and Bobby's hands and ran for
all she was worth. The cries and gunfire continued until they were
extinguished, one at a time. With the forest quiet behind them,
Bobby began to drag his feet.

Ashley had no choice but to stop and let him go.

"He stopped them." Bobby looked out into the
forest.

Ashley wasn't sure Bobby was playing with a full
deck, but then again, those soldiers should have caught them
already. If someone did stop them, it made sense that it was Mr.
Dunkirk; he’d been covered in blood.

Ashley knew her father's work could put the family in
danger.

Seven years ago, during the Battle of San Diego, her
Uncle Geoff had been killed. She knew her father had engineered a
dangerous weapon that had won the war. She knew he was still
involved in military projects.

It wasn't too shocking that soldiers had come for
them. This very predicament had long been a Fox family 'worst case
scenario.'

What had now happened to the soldiers seemed even
more menacing.

Bobby backed away from Ashley, as if she were
dangerous to him. "Soldiers were chasing you,” he said. “They want
what you have. You have the power.”

"They want to take us," Ashley answered.

"They want your power, but he got them. He got them
all. They don't have the power. Not like you do.”

Bobby turned away from Ash and Geoff and began to
walk back uphill. He paused to look back over his shoulder. "He got
them. He got them all." Then he was gone, vanished into the
trees.

Captain Analynn Snow hung above the earth, skimming
the treetops of the little mountainside neighborhood. The
phase-camouflage kept her invisible to the dog-walkers and their
leashed companions. With the scanning suite provided by the
Micronix, following people was easy enough. She registered the heat
signatures of the children, as well as those in their immediate
path.

When curious about the details, she raised her long
bore rifle to her shoulder and peered through the scope. It had
been easy for her to double check Ashley’s Micronix and make sure
its phase-cam was functioning, allowing the children to more though
the canyon, invisible to prying eyes.

There was an adult ahead, in their path. They
wouldn’t know they were invisible to him, and Ana hoped they
wouldn’t give themselves away.

She watched as Ashley and Geoff found themselves face
to face with Mr. Dunkirk. They only faced him for a moment, and
then Ashley led Geoff down a separate trail, avoiding the
adult.