F_Cubed Ch. 01

With a briefcase on the side of his walker, Harry moves towards the waiting taxicab. Jenny is watching and realizes that there is something terribly wrong. Dora, having made remedial repairs exits from room 314 via a fire escape. Gena makes her call to 911. Bob and Stan struggle in room 314. The police have been directed to room 310. Moving to the waiting cab, Harry tosses the cell phones, Bob's, Stan's, Dora's, and his own into a sewer. As Harry boards the cab, Jenny exits from the black sedan and joins him on the front seat.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asks.

"No questions," Jenny answers. "You have no idea what you are up against. You need help and I am the only chance you have."

"What is going on?" Harry asks again.

"Look," Jenny remarks, "how you got this far, I have no idea. But old and crippled and unused to corporate power and influence, you will soon be a corpse."

"In less than two years I'll be ashes anyway," Harry retorts. "You are young and gorgeous. I am old and shaky. Surely you would be better off with your job."

"The F-Cubed has scheduled you for 'termination with extreme prejudice.' They have unlimited resources and money." Jenny relates.

"Where to, Mister," the cabbie asks.

"Motel 6(tm) on I-Five," Jenny orders. As they pull out a "black-and-white" police cruiser pulls up. Gena is out front directing them to room 310. Around the back of the complex Dora the Gynoid makes her way to a robot repair facility.

"Is that right, Mister?" The cabbie inquires.

"Drive," Harry orders. Away they go. At the motel Harry pulls a large denomination bill from one of the wads of cash he took from Bob and Stan.

"This bill is too large to change," the cabbie protests.

"Keep the change," Harry orders. The cabbie checks the large denomination bill---it is genuine.

"There's no need to log this trip, is there?" Jenny requests.

"None whatsoever, guys," the taxicab driver states. "You two have a nice day."

Once in their motel room they begin to take score. They have two wallets, a substantial sum of cash, and two weapons, one of which was recently fired. Jenny points out the obvious: "We can hole up here for a week, no more. Even with cash only and no electronic trail, they will locate us. And they won't be so easily thwarted this time."

"We need to think," Harry observes. "I don't want to pass before I'm 80. I'm supposed to have two more years under Social Security and pension before becoming a subsister or a pile of ashes."

"I wouldn't have gotten involved had I not known the evil of F-cubed," Jenny added.

Chapter Eight: The Police Arrive

The police arrive and go directly to room 310. The door is ajar. They enter and find nothing. "Didn't you say that two men entered? Is there another entrance?" one of the uniformed officers asks.

"They should be here somewhere," Gena volunteered. A noise is heard from room 314. The police officers draw their weapons and move to the door. Gena uses her master key card to open the door. Bob an Stan are trying to get free.

The police question them: "What is going on here?"

"We were attacked by a rogue android," Robert relates. "I shot her twice, it was self defense. Had she not heard your approach, we would be goners!"

"You have permits for concealed weapons?" The second officer asks.

"We are security for the F-Cubed Conglomerate. The android and Harry Sloan stole our pistols, wallets, cash, and cell phones." Stan states.

"Some security you are," laughed the police. One officer pulled out a standard handcuff key and released the cuffs. "Oh, you have a parking ticket for your black sedan."

"Jenny! Oh my god," Bob interjects. "She was waiting in the sedan for us."

"Let's get her description out," the police suggest. "This sounds like robbery and kidnapping. You said that you shot the android. How serious was the injury"

"She was leaking fluids," Bob volunteered.

"We will post a search order on her. Meanwhile, you two need to fill out some paperwork. This sounds like a terrorist activity," one police officer remarks.

17 Oct 2011