

Anoki's Revenge

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2003-2005 by Rodney Mountain

Reedit © 2017 Rodney Mountain

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Other Titles by Rodney Mountain

Immortal Universe Novels

The Healy Murders

The Accidental Immortal

Undercover

The Killer Strikes

The Immortal Progression

Corporate Immortality

Not With A Whisper

The Mullinix: Ascension

The Mullinix: Redemption

The Mullinix: Resolution

Other Works

Durell's Insurrection

Night Strike (Short Story Anthology)

The Black Fossil

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Dedication

Seeing as I never wrote one of these when I finished it, some six years ago now, I guess it is a bit late to worry about it. This story went through a lot of changes over the years and I'm rather happy with where it ended up. A number of people read this and enjoyed it over the time I was working on it, especially Dave at the office, so I guess this one goes out to all of you.

Rodney Mountain, 6/5/2011

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Prologue – Remordis and Anoki

Stacy Anoki looked at the older man walking down the dirt road with her. Her brown hair glistened a little in the moonlight as they walked slowly. It was warm, but not oppressively so. Even Remordis' cigar did not bother her as they walked along the road. She could not help smile a little at the unease he was obviously feeling.

"Cat got your tongue, Sam?" Stacy asked him, "You've been uneasy ever since we started walking."

"Just not used to this feeling," Remordis said, blowing a line of smoke into the air, "First time I've ever been with one of my subordinates. That's usually a big no-no."

"I won't say anything if you won't, Sam," Stacy grinned, "It's not going to change things that much, is it?"

"I don't know," Remordis said honestly, "I can't believe I let myself get into this situation."

"You didn't force me into it," Stacy reminded him, "I believe we both enjoyed last night very much."

"Yes I did," Remordis nodded, "I just am not used to it yet. Nothing new there, not the first time I've broken that marriage vow either. I do a lot of things now that I swore I'd never do, like sending people out to do the work I'm getting too old to do myself."

"Someone has to do it," Stacy reminded him, "You aren't going to put me out of the game because of what happened between us last night are you?"

"No," Remordis sighed, "You wouldn't leave anyway."

"Good boy," Stacy chuckled, "Besides, it's not like there's going to be a future in this anyway. You've got a wife and son to go back to."

"That's the least of it," Remordis shrugged, "She and I have had a marriage in name only for years. My son is in college, a drunken douchebag most of the time, so he isn't much of a factor."

"I figured as much considering you didn't even really try to hide the fact that you weren't going home last night," Stacy nodded, "Look at it this way, it's been good for both of us. I've never been this relaxed before a job."

"Don't relax too much," Remordis warned her, "This isn't a cakewalk mission."

"I know," Stacy said, smiling a little, "I don't intend to let myself get killed on this."

"Better not," he said, grinning a little, "I haven't had an undercover officer killed in years. I would hate to have you break my streak."

"I see," Stacy laughed, "We probably need to head back."

"One more thing, Stacy," Sam told her, "Eric Craig will have to take operational control on this one."

"Why's that?" Stacy asked him, "Because of what we did..."

"Yes," Remordis nodded, "I can't let myself have that responsibility for you now."

"I guess we broke up a good team," Stacy sighed, "Though I can't say I'm sorry we did it."

"Me either," Remordis chuckled, "No regrets here. Maybe we'll even have another night like it some time."

"I could live with that," Stacy smiled, "When do I have to report to Eric?"

"Not until morning," Remordis told her, "He's been solidifying your identity."

"Good," Stacy sighed, "I want to enjoy what's left of tonight first."

"I'm all for that," Remordis admitted and wrapped an arm around her, "Let's forget about tomorrow and worry about tonight now, huh?"

"Absolutely," Stacy smiled as she leaned into him.

Chapter 1 – A Mission Gone Bad

Samuel Remordis walked into the thirteenth floor control room to find Eric Craig and two of his subordinates watching something on a computer screen. Budget cuts and the lack of interest in undercover programs had left this the only remaining bastion of what was once one of the most advanced police undercover units in the country.

"What are you doing here today, boss?" Eric asked him, "I thought you were taking Cliffie back to the college."

"He had a little too much fun with his friends last night," Remordis chuckled, "Young Clifford now has the hangover from hell."

"Delaying the trip then?" Eric asked his boss and longtime friend, "I bet Sara is steamed."

"She would be if she was in town," Sam said, "She's working on a project with a Canadian firm right now. She'll be up there for another three weeks."

"You two have got to have the strangest relationship I know," Eric chuckled, "I know police work wrecks marriages, but you two take the cake."

"Always been weird, running on twenty years now," Remordis confirmed, "How is Anoki doing out there?"

"She's been leading them through like a champion," Eric said, "We're watching her close, but she's doing well."

"Keep an eye on her," Remordis nodded, "No need to wreck our track record."

"Why did you pass this on to me, anyway?" Eric asked him, "I was wondering about that. You usually like working with Stacy."

"Let's just say things got too personal for me to maintain my integrity," Sam said, "I don't want to make the same mistake Miller did."

Eric nodded his approval on that one. He had seen that happen when he worked on Mike Miller's insane undercover operation that destroyed the Bullock/Pena Crime Syndicate. At least Sam knew enough not to do that to himself. Remordis himself had narrowly missed getting caught in the middle of one of the Pena purges when Miller declared war on the syndicate after taking Tracy Howard. It was only Tom Richter's pulling a code red across the board that saved him that time.

"Do we know who she's meeting yet?" Eric asked his men, "You're listening intently."

"Not yet," one of the men on the radios said, "Things are starting to fuzz out."

"What?" Remordis said, his ears perking up, "Fuzz out?"

"Yeah," the young man nodded, "It's strange."

"Can you still hear her?" Eric asked him, "And do you have a location on her?"

"Location finder just went out," the other guy said, "What do you want me to do?"

"It's your call, Eric," Sam said, though it was obvious what he wanted to do, "I want to say call it, but I'm too close."

"I'm not," Eric said, "And I concur. Blow the mission and get her out of there."

"Code Red going out now," the radio operator said, "All units are going to the last known location."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Remordis grumbled, "I'm still the boss. Let's get out there."

"I hope you're wrong, Sam," Eric said, "Because when you get those feelings..."

"I know, I know. Insurance companies start going bankrupt," Sam said, the worry showing in his eyes, "I hope I'm wrong..."

Chapter 2 – An Officer Lost

Sam Remordis and Eric Craig showed up to the scene about thirty minutes after the initial calls went out. Nearly two-dozen police units answered the call. The warehouse district was soon awash in flashing lights from the electric police cruisers that had become the norm.

"Any sign of her?" Sam asked one of the duty officers, "Or anyone else for that matter?"

"Two bodies," the lead officer in the area said, "Neither one is female."

"Shit," Eric groaned, "Probably the two mooks she was supposed to be meeting."

"Good call, Eric," One of his men said, "Two dead idiots, both look like they were taken by surprise."

"So where the hell is she?" Remordis asked them, "I mean she can't have just disappeared."

"The locators have gone dead on her," one of the younger officers said, "They probably found the locator in her belt."

"How?" Remordis asked, "They use a military band and can't be tracked with standard equipment."

"I don't know," Eric said, looking more annoyed because that locator was his baby, "Where the hell were the shadows?"

"A block back," another officer said, "We were where you told us to be."

"Don't worry about the blame game right now," Remordis instructed them, "We need to find Stacy Anoki."

"They can't have taken her far," Eric said, looking around, "I want groups searching the area. Have the computer guys check any of the stoplight cameras for the time frame. Double time, people! We need to find her before whoever has her decides she is too hot to handle."

Remordis looked around and sighed. This was not a good sign. It had been years since a mission went this bad, nearly fifteen years before with the Miller operation. Remordis had been running this group for over a decade and when he had feelings like this it usually resulted with someone dying. He just hoped that he was wrong.

"Ok," Remordis said, "Call me if you get anything here. Communications, I want you to get to work on the recordings. I'll go with you because I'm too damn old to be any use on a foot search."

It was a good enough excuse, Sam thought. It would not do for the boss to show too much emotion over a missing officer, even though all of them cared. It was a tightrope he was walking at the time, one he could not afford to fall off. He just hoped that Stacy would be found, because although their relationship wasn't completely against the rules he would rather not have to explain it. He was doubly sure he didn't want to see her if they weren't able to find her intact.

Chapter 3 – Total Darkness

Stacy Anoki groaned as she started to wake up. She still did not know exactly what had happened, but her body hurt. She could feel thick cloth over her eyes wrapped tightly enough that she could not see anything at all. A wave of fear came over the young officer, as she knew she had been captured somehow.

She tried to move but found that her arms were locked in the position over her head. She still felt her clothes, but did not know what condition they were in. Her legs were similarly immobilized, tied down in some split eagle position that was not in the least comfortable.

"Where am I?" She thought to herself quietly, as a gag had been placed in her mouth as well, "What the hell happened?"

The last thing she remembered was talking with the two local mooks about a deal for a powerful narcotic. Neither one of them had even an inkling that she was anything other than the dealer she had pretended to be. She'd had the usual feeling that things were going well when the unexpected happened.

She was not sure what it was. A large flash blinded her and the next thing she knew she was out cold. Those were the last conscious thoughts before she woke up in the position that she was in then. She did not like it, but had no choice but to sit and wait for help to arrive.

"I see you are awake," a voice said from the void, "How are you feeling, Detective Anoki?"

Stacy murmured a little, but could not say anything due to the gag. She was not comforted by the fact that her captor knew her real name and rank, however. This was not boding well for her safety factor, though the fact that she was bound and gagged instead of dead was a good sign.

"Don't try to answer right now," the man said with a voice so deep it had to be artificially enhanced said, "You won't actually have to answer anything at all. You see we already know who you are and whom you represent."

Stacy remained scared by this, but was glad that they were keeping her blindfolded. The less she saw, the less likely they were to kill her. It was a slim hope she had, but a slim hope was better than no hope at all.

"Remove her gag," the voice said, "Keep the rest of her bound, though."

Stacy felt the gag being removed and she spit out the taste a little, being sure not to let out a loogie that might hit someone. One of the things she had learned in training long ago was not to antagonize your captors. They were more likely to let you live if you did not piss them off completely.

"Smart girl," he chuckled, the laugh ringing through the distortion device, "Don't want to make me angry, huh?"

"It's not in my best interest at this time," Stacy said, her voice a little hoarse, "So what do you want from me?"

"It's not what I want from you," the man said, "I don't need anything from you at all. I am merely trying to send a message."

"This isn't a particularly good way to make anyone listen," Stacy said, trying to keep her courage up, "Kidnapping police officers generally makes a bad impression on everyone."

"So does impersonating someone you are not," the voice said, "Your operation is making it difficult to tell who the players are. We've had enough of that."

"Who is we?" Stacy asked, without thinking.

"Don't be dense, Anoki," the man said, "You will be a messenger."

"You're letting me go?" Stacy asked, slightly surprised, "I'll deliver any message that you want me to."

"Oh you will," the voice told her, a sadistic tone forming, "You definitely will."

The next thing Stacy knew a flurry of blows started hitting all over her body. She screamed, but it did no good. The pain was coming from everywhere and she had no way of defending herself. It only lasted a few minutes, but it could have been forever as far as she was concerned.

"Enjoying the pain, Stacy Anoki?" the man said sardonically, "Are you getting the message?"

"You won't get away with this," Stacy said, groaning from the pain, "You can't do this to a police officer."

"No longer will we tolerate your duplicitous kind," the man said, "Anyone we catch in an undercover program will get this and worse."

"They won't cave to the likes of you," Stacy hissed, "You don't think this will change anything, do you?"

"Oh I'm sure it will," the voice told her, "Especially since you will not be the last if they keep doing this."

Stacy heard some snickering and she tensed up. She knew that the abuse was not going to end anytime soon. The sick laughter in the background sent chills down her spine until he gave the order to start the attack again. Luckily for her she was barely conscious when the worst of it began.

"She's yours," the voice told the unknown number of minions, "Do what you will to her, but be sure to wash her body down before you drop her. Just make sure she's alive and free from your DNA when you dump her."

"Coward," Stacy groaned, though her heart was no longer in to the resistance.

"You keep believing that," the voice said, "Remember it as my men have their way with you."

That was when the serial rape began. Stacy Anoki's mind fell in and out of consciousness as the men she could not see repeatedly raped and beat her until there was almost nothing left. She lost track of the time as eternities passed her by through the abuse. Mercifully, she finally lost consciousness completely, no longer able to take the pain.

Chapter 4 – A Midnight Drop

"She couldn't have disappeared into thin air!" Remordis yelled, "She should have been watched closer!"

"We watched her as close as we could without compromising her!" Eric yelled back, "Our backup crew was a block away. There was no hint of any problem until the radios fuzzed out."

Sam Remordis knew that yelling at Eric wouldn't change the situation. Eric had been in this business longer than he had and knew it just as well. The fact that Stacy was someone he was close to did not help make it any easier on him. Lucky for Remordis Eric was not taking it personally.

"It's time to start a nice little sweep," Remordis told Eric, "I want people pounding down doors and getting everyone all hot and bothered. If they even think about shady deals, I want them brought in."

"Boss," one man said quietly as Remordis ranted.

"They will not get away with this!" Remordis exclaimed as the younger detective tried to get his attention, "We will not let our officers... What the hell do you want?"

"Someone just flew by down in the plaza," the detective said, "A body was dropped on the steps."

"Shit!" Remordis exclaimed, "Anoki?"

"We don't know yet," the detective said as Sam Remordis and Eric Craig ran for the elevator, "They told me to get you!"

Sam and Eric wasted no time getting down to the sidewalk where a crowd of people had already gathered despite the late hour. The battered human being that had been dropped onto the sidewalk in front of the city's police tower was barely recognizable as the woman they had sent out on a simple undercover job only a day before.

"Stacy!" Sam exclaimed, "Oh shit..."

"She's alive!" one of the officers who checked her out exclaimed, "She's breathing!"

"Get an ambulance here, on the double!" Remordis ordered, "Officer is down!"

"Set a perimeter," Eric Craig told a few officers, "Sam, you know her better. Go sit with her. I'll handle the preliminary investigation."

Remordis nodded and went over to Stacy Anoki's inert form. He did not want to touch her too much because he could tell that she had been badly beaten, among other indignities. He sat down beside her and started talking a little bit. It was not much, and she could not really hear him by this point, but it was better than doing nothing.

Chapter 5 – In The Hospital

Whole crews of police officers were in residence in the hospital waiting room, as was customary when any officer was badly injured. Sam Remordis and Eric Craig were pretty well leading the vigil for Stacy Anoki, as they were her direct commanders. The one saving grace for Remordis was that Stacy had no living family to notify, so he did not have to suffer the accusatory stare that always accompanied an officer injury, especially in the undercover division.

"Any word at all?" Eric asked his boss, "You'd think they would tell us something."

"No sign," Remordis said, "She's still in surgery. The medics didn't seem too hopeful, did they?"

"They'll do their best," Eric said, "They always do."

"They aren't miracle workers," Remordis sighed, "She looked really bad."

There was general agreement and a lot of commiserating among the people who were gathered there until the doctors came out. It had been a long run of surgery, but the doctor knew that his patient was a police officer. He always made extra effort to talk with any police officer's coworkers.

"Captain Remordis?" the doctor said, "You're the officer in charge?"

"Yes," Sam Remordis nodded, offering a hand to the doctor, "I'm Detective Anoki's commanding officer."

"I'm Dr. Hite," the doctor said, shaking his hand, "I just got out of surgery with your detective."

"How bad is it?" Eric interjected, getting to the point.

"Perhaps we should get her family together," Dr. Hite suggested, "I mean this is a grave injury..."

"Stacy Anoki has no family left but us," Sam told him, "Just give it to me straight."

"Very well," Dr. Hite sighed, "Stacy Anoki has endured a grave assault of both a physical and sexual nature. We repaired as much of the physical damage as we dared to do now, most of the life threatening stuff, but there is a lot left to do."

"Did you run a rape kit?" Eric asked, hoping to get a DNA match.

"She was forcibly cleaned before she was dropped," Dr. Hite explained, "We couldn't get a usable swab out of her. We only know that she was raped from the extent of the internal injuries."

"Damn it," Remordis growled, "How bad are the injuries themselves."

"Truthfully," Dr. Hite said, "There is no reason that young woman should still be alive. I have never seen a more thoroughly worked over woman in my life."

"How whole can you make her again?" Sam asked her, "Don't give me generalities. I want news."

"She will be a paraplegic," Dr. Hite said, "Her lower spinal chord is so far damaged that even the most advanced techniques couldn't repair it, even if she could survive the hours of surgery required to do it, which she can't."

Remordis sighed and nodded, motioning for Dr. Hite to continue. There were collective groans around the room, as nobody had wanted to hear this type of prognosis.

"She also suffered quite a bit of internal organ damage," Dr. Hite told them, "One Kidney was damaged beyond repair and removed. The other one is surviving. Her liver, pancreas and most of her other organs in that area were also badly damaged, though we repaired the worst of it. One lung collapsed. That has been re-inflated and other less serious things fixed in the area."

"Her head?" Remordis asked, wondering if she would completely be an invalid.

"They left her head alone," Dr. Hite said, "A few black and blue marks from the blindfold and gag, but no permanent damage there. It's about the only thing I'm going to suspect will come back completely."

"Christ," Eric said, his face going white, "That doesn't sound good."

"We've gotten her though the worst," Dr. Hite told them, "She'll live for now, but she'll never be whole again."

"I want these people found," Remordis said, hate boiling in his eyes, "We will take them down."

"I'll get to work on the task force," Eric nodded, "I need to let..."

"There's another body by the eighth precinct!" a voice yelled, "They're bringing him in now!"

"21st Precinct too!" another voice yelled, "That one is going to Memorial!"

"Fuck," Remordis said, looking at Eric, "How many people did we have out?"

"Four long term," Eric said, his face going white as a sheet, "Six on Ops like this one..."

"Get them out," Remordis ordered, "Now. Code red everyone. Get them all in!"

"Going!" Eric exclaimed, "Any instructions?"

"Later!" Remordis said, "Meet the survivors and their controls at headquarters!"

Remordis watched Eric leave the room like a banshee possessed. He just hoped that he would be able to get the others out in time. From the sounds, it would be a forlorn hope. His record, eight years in the making, was going down in flames in one horrific night.

Chapter 6 – The Chief's Office

"You mean to tell me you've lost seven agents in the last six hours?" Chief Boone Briley said to Remordis and Craig incredulously, "What the hell has been going on over there?"

"Someone hit us hard," Remordis said, "We're still trying to figure out just how bad the losses are."

"Sounds like the losses are damn near total," Briley said, growling at the piece of paper in front of him, "Your damned undercover program is falling apart at the seams!"

"Stacy Anoki is still alive," Eric said, hoping to put things in a more positive light, "We also got three of our guys out tonight."

"Three out of ten is not a good percentage," Briley fumed, looking harshly at Eric, "You still haven't accounted for about half of your people as well. That is fucking pathetic, Remordis!"

"Who the hell expects an attack like this?" Remordis asked indignantly, "None of these units even knew about each other! The only ones who knew about all of them were Eric and me."

"And you, Boone," Eric added, not liking the direction this was taking, "We didn't even let most of the people in the department know who was working on what."

"Eric is right," Remordis agreed, "Paranoia has been the hallmark of this group ever since it was founded."

"It keeps us alive," Eric finished for Remordis.

"Obviously not anymore," Briley said tersely, "Do you have anyone left out?"

"No," Sam said, shaking his head, "We called everyone in when it started."

"Keep it that way," Briley said, "The mayor has been on us to cancel your program. After tonight he may get his wish."

"We've brought in more slime than any two other departments combined," Sam told his boss, "You can't let an attack like this stop us. That jackass Mayor just wants to shut us down for political points with his crooked cronies. He's probably going to be run out of town on a rail when the election comes in November. Thornton is 20 points ahead in the polls as it is."

"You also cause more casualties than any three departments," Chief Briley said, ignoring Sam's outburst, "We've been taking a hard look at you for a while."

"You aren't pulling us off this case, are you?" Eric protested, "We can't stop until we catch these bastards!"

"You two are way too close for this," Briley said, "The investigation will be handled by Adam Kermit."

"Adam Kermit?" Sam exclaimed, knowing he'd better put a token resistance up before Briley thought better of it, "He's a fucking desk jockey! He hasn't worked a case since George Bush was president!"

"Which one?" Eric mumbled, as he did not know Adam Kermit like Remordis himself did.

"This is bullshit, Boone," Sam told him, "You're cutting us off at the knees."

"You're lucky I'm not firing the lot of you!" Briley exclaimed as he had always hated Remordis, "Your unit has been a festering sore for years, but the last chief was too blind to see it. Your unit is officially dissolved. You and Craig will report over to the R&D department next week. Your officers will be distributed to less costly departments. Hopefully, you won't be able to cause any damage over in R&D."

"Research and Development?" Remordis said, "Do I look like a fucking scientist to you?"

"Cort Strangley retired last month and they've been without a leader since," Briley said, "Frankly, I'd love to fire you because you're a pain in the ass, Remordis. Have been ever since the Academy. You and Miller have always made things more difficult than they needed to be. But, you have too many years in to get rid of without the union jumping on my back. So I'm getting you out of my hair and getting you off the streets."

"You bastard," Remordis growled, "You haven't known what is going on in the streets for years."

"Yes," Briley smiled, "But I'll feel better knowing you won't be there. Fight me on it and you'll be on the street as a civilian, Remordis."

"You won't get away with this," Remordis said, "So help me, Boone..."

"I'm doing it," Briley said, "Feel free to quit. You're too old for street work anyway, and I don't want you near anything that will allow you outside this building. Now get the hell out of my office, both of you. Adam Kermit will find you when he needs you."

Eric Craig rose up and was about to go off when Remordis put his hand on the younger man's shoulder. Remordis knew that Briley was only going to get more riled if they stayed, so he decided to pick his battle and wait for one he could win. Briley had the mayor's ear and that was where the power was, at least until November.

"Come on, Eric," Sam said quietly, "Let's go back to the hospital and see if there is any news on Stacy."

Chapter 7 – The Waiting Game

"How could you let Briley win like that?" Eric said, "I mean we've spent years building this up into what it was. You're letting Briley and the Mayor piss that work away!"

"Briley has been trying to shut us down for years," Sam reminded his subordinate, "Our funding has been drying up to the point where we were stretched too thin. The lack of a public, coherently organized crime syndicate has made us look as though we aren't needed."

"Lovely," Eric grumbled, "So in two or three years..."

"Briley gets kicked for his stupidity and we get brought back to build it all over again," Remordis nodded, "Sucks, doesn't it?"

"Big time," Eric sighed, "So the bad guys win?"

"We'll keep looking for them," Remordis said, "Adam Kermit actually has a pretty good crew. He's just more of a politician than I am."

"Then why did you object?" Eric wondered, "You were going after Kermit pretty hard."

"Bobby Archer and Kim Penn work for Adam Kermit," Remordis grinned, "If I'd gone into it without fighting, Briley would have known something was up. By fighting, he didn't get a chance to remember Bobby and Kim worked for me until I took over the undercover group. Adam doesn't work cases himself anymore. He just pushes the paperwork and lets the people who know the streets pound the pavement."

"Bobby is still one of the top performers over there," Eric chuckled, "Nice work, Sam. He'll get the case, sure as hell."

"For what good it will do," Sam said, "There isn't much to work with. I'm just hoping that Stacy will be able to tell us something."

"What are we waiting for?" Eric said, "Let's go."

"We've got time," Sam said, as they entered their cars, "The doctors won't let her talk to anyone until she wakes up some more."

The local hospital was still a madhouse. Some officers were still commiserating in the lobby over the injuries, and still others gave dirty looks towards Remordis and Craig as they walked into the room. They ignored the stares and went over to Bobby Archer and Kim Penn who were standing over by the nurses' station.

"Welcome to the abyss," Remordis said sardonically, "Any word on Stacy's condition?"

"She's alive but still unconscious," Bobby said, "It looks like you had a bad night."

"Resulting in a one-way ticket to R&D," Remordis groused, "Did Adam put you two on it?"

"Yeah," Kim nodded, "What the hell are you going to be doing in R&D?"

"I'll figure that out when I get there," Sam shrugged, "But that's beside the point now. Be sure to apologize to your boss for me, I had to slight him to Briley so that the dimwit wouldn't choose someone else to spite me."

"So you're the one I have to thank for this," Bobby said, "Do you have any idea who would do this?"

"No clue," Remordis admitted, "Do you have anything at all yet?"

"Nothing," Bobby admitted, something that did not sit well with him, "Whoever did this was organized. Stacy Anoki was badly beaten and raped, but they left no DNA evidence. We don't even have a goddamned crime scene to test."

"Whoever did it was thorough," Sam agreed, "Keep at it, guys. I'll help wherever I can."

"Anything on any of the other murders?" Eric asked, "I mean someone had to see something."

"We've recovered the vans used," Kim told him, "Not that it helped much. The vans were set on fire and had been stolen from various parts of the city. Not a speck of forensic evidence anywhere. We don't have the lead on the murders, but I talked to Charlie earlier. They have as little as we do."

"Our only hope is that Stacy knows something," Bobby said, though his voice held little hope, "Either that or someone will have to talk, but something tells me that this crew is too good for that."

"Who the hell is controlling the organized crime in this town?" Remordis asked almost rhetorically, "This is insane. No one has held much sway since Miller tossed Freddie Pena off the Pinestone tower. Is someone trying to move in?"

"There's no way we will know for a bit," Bobby said, "You can bet that whoever did this is going to keep low for a while."

Kim's cell phone started ringing and she excused herself to take it. Remordis sat down on a bench in the waiting room, annoyed at how bad a direction his day has taken. He leaned back against the wall and rubbed his temples while Eric and Bobby spoke quietly about some technological developments.

"The trail just got colder," Kim sighed, finishing with the call, "They just found a pyre of burning bodies. From the looks it is probably the group that carried out the hits. Whoever is behind this is going for complete total coverup tonight."

"I can't believe this," Remordis said, "It's like the CIA pulling a massive hit outside our borders."

"You never know," Bobby chuckled, "Could have been CIA sponsored."

"Or one of their former employees," Eric said, "In that case..."

"We're going to piss up a rope," Remordis groused, "This is just getting better."

"We might still get lucky with Detective Anoki," Kim said, "I've met her a few times. Last I remember she was the type to keep her head cool despite anything."

"She is," Remordis agreed, "But with what she went through she probably won't remember much, if anything. Very few would. Most would block it out."

"She was also blindfolded," Eric said, "She may not have seen anything."

"And if she did," Bobby added, "It was probably one of the mooks they found dead."

Remordis was about to kick something when the doctor came out to talk to them. Everyone looked up hopefully, but he came over to talk to Remordis. Sam Remordis pushed back his hair and looked at the doctor who had a grim expression on his face.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, "Stacy?"

"She's awake," Dr. Hite told him, "She wants to talk to you, Captain Remordis."

"Is she capable?" Sam asked the doctor, "I mean she hasn't been out of surgery long."

"She's demanding it," Dr. Hite said, "Only you, Captain, and keep it short."

"Mind?" Sam asked Bobby and Kim, "I was her boss, after all."

"Among other things," Eric said under his breath.

"Go ahead," Bobby nodded, "Take good notes."

Sam Remordis nodded and followed the doctor into the back.

Chapter 8 – Identifications or Lack Thereof

Sam Remordis steeled himself for what he was about to see. He knew that she was in bad shape, but he still was unprepared for the brutal reality. Stacy Anoki was barely a shell of a human being. Her once attractive body was wrapped up in machines designed to keep her alive and breathing.

"Jeeze," Remordis said to himself upon seeing her, "They really did a job on her."

He approached the intensive care unit and sat down on a stool that Dr. Hite had placed there for him. She heard him enter the room and moved her head a little to bring him into view. He looked for a place to touch her, but could not find a place that looked as though it would not give her anymore pain.

"I can't believe this," Remordis said quietly, "I'm sorry, Stacy."

"You didn't do it," she said, her voice slow and raspy, "I wish I could tell you who did."

"I know," Sam sighed, "We did the best we could, but it all happened too quickly. You had disappeared by the time the backup team got inside. Can you tell me anything at all about what happened?"

"Bright light," Stacy said, her eyes losing focus a little as she remembered, "Probably...flash...grenade..."

"That makes sense," Sam nodded, "Did you see any of your attackers?"

"No," Stacy said, her breath still a bit heavy from the effort, "Blindfolded... and knocked out....

"We surmised as much," Sam said, "We found the marks."

"Deep voiced man," Stacy said, "Talked to me... before attack."

"What did he say?" Sam asked her, writing down the details for Bobby, "Anything you can remember."

"He said he wouldn't accept our duplicitous kind," Stacy told him, "Any agent would get this or worse. Warned us to close up our shop."

"That's been done," Sam sighed, "Briley pulled the plug a few hours ago."

"Because of me?" Stacy said, looking dismayed by that, "I'm sorry..."

"Not your fault," Sam told her, "You weren't the only one who was hit last night. We lost most of our undercover operatives. Briley took heat from the mayor and took delight in pulling the rug out from under me."

"What will you do?" Stacy asked him, "What about..."

"Don't worry about that," Sam said, "You just worry about getting better."

"I think that's enough, Captain," Dr. Hite said, "Detective Anoki needs to rest more than anything else right now."

"I agree," Sam said, giving Stacy a smile he didn't feel, "Get yourself better. I'll be back later."

Stacy Anoki nodded, but could not shake the feeling that things were never going to be the same again. It was a feeling that was going to turn out to be true, as she never did heal. It would be nearly a year and a half before anything else would happen to make her want to live again.

Chapter 9 – Cold Case

It did not take long for the undercover massacre case to go completely cold. By the time they identified all the dead there were simply no more leads to follow. Sam Remordis took over command of the research and development division and carved out a surprising niche there, being one of the most productive heads they ever had.

Eric Craig, with his strong science and communications skills, became Remordis' strong second in command and dealt with most of the day to day issues that Remordis simply did not have the mechanical or technical training to deal with.

Remordis and Craig took over a building that had once been scheduled for demolition. The modestly budgeted Research and Development team grew quickly as they began developing several technologies that went into use on the street. Their department had actually brought in some licensing fees to the city, which kept them well funded.

The corrupt mayor was tossed out in the November elections as Remordis had predicted. Chief Briley managed to keep his job, but had a lot less leeway than he did under the previous administration. He still hated Remordis with a passion, but had to deal with him.

The new Mayor, Peter Thornton, came up with a novel idea to reduce crime that brought a major shift in the power structure of the department. He struck a test deal with the Foundation Robotics Corporation to supply the city with enough specially designed police droids to double the ranks of officers with only an initial investment, no ongoing payroll.

The introduction of the police android changed the department, giving the human officers partners who could handle the dangerous stuff. The recording capabilities of the droids also gave the public assurance that their police officers were on the level. It is hard to be crooked when you have a semi-intelligent camera with you all during your shift.

Being placed in research and development gave Sam Remordis the mandate to run the new droid program and the power to overcome any problems Boone Briley tried to give him. This allowed Remordis build a new power base and try to keep the department going in the right direction.

This left the only living casualty from the undercover massacre as Stacy Anoki. She survived the massacre, but in a severely impaired state. Her badly mangled body healed poorly and she was confined to an electric wheelchair. Her left arm barely functioned and her eyesight failed rapidly.

Remordis managed to keep her employed in a limited capacity at the academy, but she refused to see any of her old friends. She pushed everyone out of her life until the day that Eric Craig fatefully went to see her, some two years after the fatal day.

Chapter 10 – Introducing Mellisa

"What did you call me down here for, Rob?" Eric Craig asked Robert Homer about a year after the massacre, "A new batch of police droids?"

"Those are here too," Rob said, "But this is what I want you to see."

Rob went over to one of the wooden boxes and pulled the top off. Eric adjusted his glasses and looked in the box to see a female form. She looked as though she was asleep, but both Eric and Rob knew that she was a droid, complete with packaging identifying her as such.

"Is this a mistake?" Eric said, "She's half the size of anything we've ever gotten out of the manufacturer. The rest of them are standard identical street level autonomous units. Think this unit was loaded by mistake?"

"She's on the manifest," Rob said, handing Eric the listing, "She's a prototype of the Mellisa series. A Virtual Reality control droid that the manufacturer is trying to hawk on us. Evidently, they decided to pass off one of their prototypes for us to play with."

"What the hell are we going to do with this?" Eric asked him, "I mean we can't do much with it, can we?"

"This is a new thing," Rob said, "Partially wet brain computer, partially standard protocol droid. No semblance of sentience as the wet brain is locked. They have developed these to be controlled by real people. It will take some work and some military equipment to mate to it to do it, but I think we might be able to rework this into a kick ass undercover unit."

"Keep it cheap," Eric said, intrigued, "If you can make it work without a budget let's do it."

"The manufacturer seems to have supplied a very basic set of VR controls," Rob said, "So we should be able to start with no money, but if we want to use her undercover we'll probably need to mate it with more robust military level VR equipment."

"I don't want to know until it works," Eric said, "Keep it buried in the droid budget. Call it R&D maintenance expenses."

"I'm on it," Rob smiled, looking like a kid in a candy store, "Thanks Eric."

Eric nodded and wondered what he started. It would be more than a year before he found out, when he had to present the program's results to Sam Remordis. Little did Eric know the trouble this program would get him into.

Chapter 11 – Reintroducing Undercover

"You know my feelings about this sort of thing," Captain Remordis said sternly when Eric brought up the idea, "Undercover operations are dangerous enough without tempting fate. Let the feds deal with those arms traders, Eric. That's the ATF's pool now that Briley pulled the plug. Don't piss in it."

"The ATF doesn't give a shit about small arms, they are looking for assault rifles and explosives," Eric Craig said, "We need to stop them before they can spread out any more of those arms to the gangs on the streets. We're losing cops and the damned feds aren't doing anything 'cause they don't care. They've got enough problems without dealing with some street punks with ancient military hardware."

"Need I remind you that we are in charge of Research and Development?" Remordis said to his longtime subordinate, "We don't have charter on this."

"We do get to test things, don't we?" Eric grinned, "Let's test on something good."

"I'm not risking any more lives on this," Remordis told him, "It's crazy to do that on something that's outside charter."

"What if I told you I could do it without risking one human life?" Craig postulated to him, "And come up with incontrovertible evidence to boot."

"I'd say you were smoking crack," Sam Remordis said honestly, "What are you talking about?"

"Last year's batch of robotic units had a bonus," Eric explained, "We have a working prototype."

"You want to send a robot undercover?" Remordis said incredulously, "That's ridiculous. Not to mention all the military units look alike and would be recognized a mile off."

"With that shipment they passed off a Mellisa model VR stealth unit," Eric told his boss, "Since it was a free prototype we've been experimenting with it."

"I didn't know they'd released those yet," Remordis said, "Why do you think it can do better than the standard droid. Better programming or something?"

"Who's trying to program them?" Eric smiled, "We will let a real officer do the thinking."

"You aren't thinking about a real life Robocop routine are you?" Remordis said skeptically, "That's just science fiction and plain impractical. Not to mention illegal as hell."

"Nothing so crass," Eric assured him, "We're thinking about a trained officer controlling the Mellisa unit from afar. We've mated the virtual reality technology with a subnet connection to the machine. A trained officer can literally take over her body from a secure room here. All data will be saved here so its instantaneous transmission and completely recorded; so we have video and audio for court records."

"Does it work?" Remordis asked, intrigued by the idea, "And if so, how well?"

"It works," Eric said, "The physiology is perfect for it. She was designed for undercover work, so her titanium frame was coated with a substance designed to avoid detection."

"She?" Remordis said, "The stealth unit is female?"

"I don't know the technical name, but the body is definitely female," Eric nodded, "About five feet eight, lithe, with jet black hair, though I think the flesh generator can set other pigment tones."

"Can they block the signal to her?" Remordis asked, nodding approval so far, "She won't be much good if the operator loses the signal."

"We're using a subnet wave," Eric grinned, "You could bury her a mile underground in twenty feet of lead and we'd still have contact with her."

"Subnet?" Remordis asked, "Never heard of it."

"It's a new technology," Eric explained, "Developed by the same company that created the droids. I don't know the nuts and bolts of it, but it allows faster, clearer, and uninterrupted communication. They're getting ready to deploy it for wireless phones. They also put it on the Mars Lander that went up last year. Allows them instant communication, compared to the hour it took with standard radio."

"Will the officer pretty much be there?" Remordis asked him, "I mean as if they were there in person?"

"You got it," Eric nodded, "It will take a few weeks of practice for the officer to get used to controlling her, but once the officer does it will be second nature. The officer will essentially be using her body as their own. All the perceptions will be as if the officer is inside that body."

"Who do you have in mind to run the thing?" Remordis asked him, "I mean, since Briley cut our balls off a year and a half ago there aren't many undercover operatives left who know how to do the job."

"Stacy Anoki," Eric said instantly.

"Stacy?" Remordis said, "She is half-blind, crippled and scarred from what those animals did to her. Not to mention the fact that she won't talk to anyone about it."

"Her mind is first-rate," Eric reminded him, "She doesn't need to be able to move well to do this. They'll basically use nerve connections. She'll jump at the chance to wreak havoc on the type of people that did that to her."

"Is she stable enough?" Remordis said, as he had monitored her a little since her injury, "I haven't been in contact enough to know. She shut me out long ago."

"They've had her running through psychological testing as part of her recovery," Eric told him, "I didn't want to let her expertise go so she trains the narco undercover classes. She also does introduction and is bored as hell by it. I talked to her last month and she's doing well, but glum."

Remordis nodded and let Eric continue.

"If we intend to take a crack at those monsters we need new weapons," Eric said, "If it works we might have a new tool."

"If Stacy agrees then you can go with it," Remordis agreed, liking the sound of it, "Briley will give me hell when he finds out, but this is my domain, not his. We're not risking any lives and not trying to make the Mellisa sentient, so we're on the right side of the law."

"Right," Eric said, laying a paper on the table, "I've got a test mission scoped already. There's a car theft ring that's been plaguing the east side. We just need some solid evidence on them. If you give the go ahead I'll talk to Stacy and we'll start this as soon as she's comfortable controlling the body."

"You have blanked the unit's military programming, right?" Remordis asked, "I don't want that thing going insane on us, Eric."

"Without a connection to our command she's a shell," Eric said, "The manufacturer intentionally made sure that she needed a human host to move. Without the access codes she can't move at all. Even with them you need our equipment and software to move her."

"The standard military droid equipment wouldn't work?" Sam asked, "That's available anywhere now."

"Different chipset," Eric explained, "She's a VR-only model. The ones we use on the street were the original pack and blast. They designed Mellisa so that it would be damn near impossible without the right equipment. It would be like programming a neural net with a Blue Ray remote."

"Go for it," Remordis nodded, signing the order, "Keep it black. Last thing we need is for this to get out. Roger Davies has been looking for reasons to shut us down."

"Even if it fails it's a good experiment," Eric reminded him, "And can't cost our people their lives."

"That's why I'm approving it," Remordis agreed, "Go get Stacy involved. She'll be your key now. It'll be good for her."

"I'm on my way to her next," Eric grinned, "Thanks boss."

Remordis nodded as he watched Eric walk off. He just hoped that they were not biting off more than he could chew.

Chapter 12 – Training Academy

"So lastly," Stacy Anoki said as she looked out around the group, "Watch yourself on the streets. It is a brave new world and many of its inhabitants are looking to kill you. Good luck."

Eric Craig watched everyone walk out of the auditorium until Stacy was alone. She had wheeled herself over to the desk and was filling out some paperwork when her one good eye looked up and caught her old boss coming in. She grimaced a little, preparing herself for the pity parade she knew was probably coming.

"You look like you're fitting in here pretty good," Eric told her, "Giving the orientation lectures now?"

"They want to scare the queasy ones out," Stacy said, almost deadpan, "They figure one look at my scarred and broken body will convince the weakest ones to quit early."

Eric looked at her to ascertain just how bad the injuries were. Her hair had mostly come back, though the formerly blonde woman now had severe white streaks in her hair. Her clothing hid the rest of it, though obviously her legs were immobile and other parts barely functioned. Her face, however, was mostly untouched, though she had put on weight in it because she couldn't exercise properly.

"You're one of the best, Stacy," Eric told her, "You always were."

"Were being the operative word in that," Stacy grumbled as she pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with her one good arm, "So what brings you here, Eric?"

"You," Eric said, "How would you like to get back into the game?"

"You've got to be kidding me," Stacy laughed in his face as she blew smoke, "I can't walk, I can barely see, and I have coordination problems with my left arm. I'd be as much use to you as the average cadaver."

"Your brain is still good," Eric reminded her, "That's what I'm looking for."

"Brain ain't much good without a body to connect to it," Stacy said, frowning, "I'm fresh out of that and not risking what little I have left."

"I can accommodate that," Eric said, "If you'll give me an hour of your time I'll show you how. No risk and you can say no if you don't like the idea."

Stacy looked at him. If it were anyone else she would have thought him crazy, but she knew Eric very well. The last year since she had gotten out of the hospital had been the worst, with people offering to help and making her feel worse and worse in the process. This time, however, she did not see the usual pity in his eyes.

"Ok," Stacy nodded, "You have your hour."

"Follow me," Eric said, "The office is wheelchair ready."

Chapter 13 – R&D

Eric and Stacy took the elevator up to Floor 13. Due to the secret nature of most of the R&D work Remordis had managed to have the old home of the undercover program repurposed to be the droid development center. Eric cleared the way for them and the guards at the front let them in without a problem.

"Where are we going?" Stacy asked him, "Remordis' office?"

"Sam isn't in on this yet," Eric said, "He's given the OK, but he isn't in on the operational details yet."

"I thought you wanted my expertise?" Stacy asked, "This sounds like something I've never even seen. I was an undercover operative, not a scientist."

"We do need your expertise," Eric said, "We'll show you just how in a few minutes."

Eric pressed a group of keys to let them into a room towards the back of the lobby. The building had been retrofitted with the latest technology, but that tech was designed in to the standard city issue architecture. This resulted in a lobby that looked as drab as any other government building in the city. Eric held the door for her to wheel through and then went in himself.

"What is this place?" Stacy asked, looking around, "Looks more like a lab than the old Floor 13."

"This is where we work on police technology," Eric explained, "And this is what we need you for."

Eric and Stacy went into a large room and were met by a stunning woman who walked up to them and did a perfect curtsey. Eric grinned as he watched her, but Stacy looked puzzled. She had perfect straight black hair, but the eyes looked as though they conveyed about as much intelligence as the average turnip. The plain jumpsuit that emphasized her assets did not help that impression much either.

"I see someone is having fun today," Eric said, "Getting better too, I see."

"Who are you?" Stacy asked the young woman, "I don't believe we have met."

She smiled a little and shrugged, leaving Stacy convinced she was an idiot. Then, she danced around the room a little and did a few forward rolls. Stacy looked at Eric thinking she had been dragged up there for nothing.

"I'd like you to meet Mellisa," Eric told her, "She's our prototype that you'll be working with."

"This bubblehead?" Stacy said, "She'd be dead in a week."

"Mellisa isn't just a pretty face," Eric declared, "And she isn't the bubblehead; it's the tech in the tank. Come on out, Rob. It's got to be you; you never did figure out the vocal unit."

Mellisa went and sat down in a corner, seemingly going silent and shutting down. A few moments later a man wearing a skin tight suit emerged dripping from a darkened tank behind the test room. He was holding a very strange helmet and weaving around a little bit, as if he had just been drinking.

"Stacy Anoki," Eric said, "I'd like you to meet one of our lead technicians, Rob Homer."

"I take it that Remordis approved it?" Rob said, looking at his boss.

"She wouldn't be here if he hadn't," Eric agreed, "How is Mellisa handling?"

"Like a dream," Rob said, "It's taken some practice, but I can have her dance around. It's just disorienting when I get out of the tank."

"So Mellisa is just a shell?" Stacy said, "What is she? She looks human."

"Mellisa is a virtual reality controlled droid unit," Rob said, "A prototype descended from the units they use to augment the street forces nowadays."

"Those units are bad enough," Stacy frowned, never really approving of using nonhuman police, "I've heard stories of military droids units going nuts and killing people."

"That's where you come in," Eric said, "We want to put a Mellisa undercover with an experienced operative taking control."

"How the hell am I going to control something like that?" Stacy asked skeptically, "I can't even control my own bladder now."

"Come on back here and I'll show you," Rob said, "There should be enough room for your chair."

Stacy looked at them both but decided to follow as she was intrigued by the possibilities. The back room was quite a bit smaller than the test area and held a submersion tank. Wires galore came from the tank and hooked in to the large computer system beside it.

"Welcome to Mellisa Control," Rob said, "This tank is where the Mellisa unit is controlled from."

"Looks complicated," Stacy said, "Also looks like you need a fully functional body."

"Not at all," Rob said, "This was adapted from the Military's VR training system. They are using similar systems for scouts nowadays. The best scout is someone who knows a battlefield, so it gives jobs for veterans who were injured."

"How does it work?" Stacy asked, wheeling over a bit more.

"The suit is full of sensors for us to keep your body working properly," Eric explained, "Mellisa's sensation systems were designed to feed their information to the VR unit. Rob and his team have mated that basic VR technology with a military level VR displacement device."

"How do you get around the fact that most of me doesn't function?" Stacy asked him, "I can't even feel anything in my legs, let alone control them."

"The unit reads your neural pathways," Rob told her, showing her the unit, "The sensors around the neck read which paths are going where. Your nerve damage is in your lower spine, which is why you can move your arms. The suit will allow you to control Mellisa's body the way you controlled your own before you were hurt. You will essentially be Mellisa while you are in this device."

"So I'd be going back out in the field using her body," Stacy said, nodding a little, "This is a bit unreal to me."

"It works," Rob said, "It takes some practice though."

"How many years?" Stacy asked him.

"I've been working in the suit three days," Rob told her, "We've been moving this into high gear since Eric decided to get the approval from on high. You saw how well I was moving. I judge within three weeks you'd be wearing Mellisa's body like a well fitting suit."

"How would I stay in the tank for the time needed?" Stacy wondered, "I mean I do need to go to the bathroom and the like."

"The tank is designed to sustain life," Eric told her, "Your bodily functions will be taken care of and you'll be fed intravenously. Your limbs will be exercised electrically so they don't atrophy, even the ones that no longer operate."

"What are the negatives?" Stacy asked, "Anything dangerous?"

"You will have to sleep normally," Rob said, "We don't know how it will work long term yet either. It could be emotionally damaging when you come out, but we'll work to make things as easy on you as we can."

"You also won't have any privacy," Eric warned her, "Anything you see we will see. We can talk to you at any time. It won't be like the freedom you had when you were on your own."

"I need to think about this," Stacy said, looking at the tank, "Can I roll around and think a little before I answer?"

"Of course," Eric nodded, "We'll stay out of your way."

Stacy rolled out into the workout room and looked at the Mellisa unit. Eric and Rob watched her through the window as she leaned over and cupped her hand under the unit's chin. Mellisa stared emotionlessly forward, as if she was a doll that had been discarded.

"Think she'll do it?" Rob asked his boss.

"She'll do it," Eric said, "Bank on it. Stacy hates being out of the game and this may be her only ticket back in."

Stacy didn't take long to come to her decision. She wanted back in the game and needed a reason to keep living. Suicide had been a recurring thought for her ever since she was injured and this was about her only chance of not eating her own gun in the next few months. She took one look at Mellisa and decided to go for it.

"I'm in," Stacy told them as she wheeled back to where the two men were standing, "What's the next step?"

"Training," Rob said, "It's going to take a few weeks to make it so you can wear Mellisa like a fine fitting glove."

"I'll go inform the boss," Eric said, "You two had best get better acquainted."

Chapter 14 – Second Skin

"How's it going?" Eric asked Rob as he walked into the room, "She's been at it two weeks now?"

"She's taking to it like fish in water," Rob said, "She got the vocals down in hours and is pretty close to having all her balance straight."

"Good," Eric nodded, "We're looking to start her working in a week or so."

"I do have some bad news though," Rob told him, "You won't like it."

"What?" Eric said, suddenly a bit apprehensive, "What is going wrong?"

"Her body is in worse shape that we thought," Rob said, walking over to the tank, "The injuries she went through are worse than any of us knew. She's been surviving pretty much on guts alone. Her body is about ready to give out. Her heart is weak, her kidneys are failing and her liver is functioning at about ten percent of capacity."

"Is this equipment making it better or worse?" Eric asked him, "Did we do this to her?"

"I looked at her medical records," Rob said, "This would have happened regardless. Our equipment is probably doing more to prolong her life than anything else. The thing is she could drop dead on us at any time."

"Have you told her this yet?" Eric wondered, "Or did she already know?"

"I think she knows," Rob told him, "But I haven't had the desire to confirm it."

"Is there anything else we can do?" Eric asked him, "I mean at least to prolong her life or something?"

"We've had her in there for two weeks," Rob said, "I've attached her to dialysis to keep the kidney failure from being a factor. The liver function is holding steady, but is still bad. The oxygen I've been pumping in is keeping her going, but there's a trade off. The longer she stays in, the less likely she'll survive if we take her out."

"Other choices?" Eric asked him, hoping for some good news.

"Full Robocop treatment," Rob said, "The wet brain inside the unit is a good match for our brains. I have been working on this for years, I should be able to..."

"That's illegal," Eric reminded his subordinate, quashing that line of thought, "Also immoral as hell. If she loses it and they do an audit on us..."

"I've only designed it as a project to understand things better," Rob assured him, backing off a little, "I've never actually used it. It's a theoretical exercise to help understand how her mind interacts with the Mellisa's wet brain."

"Ok, keep it that way," Eric said, not wanting to know what Rob had on his mind, "Let's go see how she's doing."

"Don't tell her," Rob said, stopping him, "Not now. Let her get at least one mission done first."

"How long until she's ready?" Eric said, nodding, "Hard numbers."

"She could do it now," Rob shrugged, "But I'd give her at least three more days of physical training so we're sure that it will work."

"I want to see her moving and talking before I decide what to do," Eric sighed, "Let's go."
Chapter 15 – Stacy

Mellisa, now controlled by Stacy Anoki, was doing a quick series of karate moves against a dummy in an attempt to help her get used to operating the Mellisa system as she would a human body. The hardest thing was learning to control her strength, as the chassis was capable of squashing a standard human body flat.

"Looking good, Stacy," Eric said as they walked in, "How are the control exercises progressing?"

"I'm getting better," Stacy said, looking through Mellisa's eyes at him, "Still trying to get used to the digital readout though. That part is really strange to have with me even when my eyes are closed."

"That's because you're getting visual data directly," Rob explained to her, "More efficient than rendering it on a screen in front of your eyes."

"I figured that and I can't fault the results," Stacy said, "I will be sorry to leave this body."

"You won't have to for a bit," Rob promised, "No tripping today?"

"Watch this," Stacy said, a bit of her natural grin coming through Mellisa's face, "Just stay out of the way in case I screw it up."

Eric nodded and walked back to the edge of the room. Stacy looked around and reared back. She used her powerful legs to run and jump. She did a triple flip and landed flat foot and then did a complex karate move which was followed by another jump. She then kicked a bag four times before she hit the ground again.

"Nice," Eric said, "Any real problems?"

"A few more days of practice and I should have them ironed out," Stacy said, "Got a job for me yet?"

"We're getting it ready," Eric nodded, "Keep practicing and we'll send you out."

"I can't wait," Stacy grinned, "I'm raring to go."

"Good," Eric said, "Rob, continue her training. I need to report to Remordis."

"Ok Stacy," Rob nodded, "Let's go to the firing range. We need to get your firearms skills back..."
Chapter 16 – Say What?

"I didn't need to hear this," Sam Remordis sighed, "You said there would be no danger to her!"

"This would have happened to her regardless," Eric said, "She was dying anyway and knew it. Her doctors confirmed that. Our device may actually keep her alive a bit longer."

"I can't send her out like that," Remordis said, "I've already got Briley pissed at me for green lighting this pilot project to begin with. If she croaks on the job he will blame us."

"If we pull her now she will die," Eric protested, "No ifs ands and buts."

"Damn it," Remordis said, "What are the choices?"

"Either pull the plug and let her die or we can let Rob try to make her into a cyborg," Eric told him, "There are no other choices."

"That is not an option!" Remordis told him, "You know better than that."

"I know," Eric sighed, "Damned cybernetics act."

"How imminent is the problem?" Remordis asked him, "How long do we have?"

"She's holding ok," Eric said, "But I'd make a decision soon."

"I'll get back to you," Remordis said, "Get the medical info to me. I want data before I decide."

"I'll have Rob print it out to give to you," Eric promised, knowing that his boss didn't like reading from a computer, "You'll have it tonight."

"Will she live long enough for the mission you had planned?" Remordis asked him after a thought, "Maybe we can get out of this with some results."

"Easily," Eric said, "She should be fine for a while if we keep her in the machine. The minute we take her out though..."

"I get the picture," Remordis said, nodding, "Get me those plans. I'll handle the chief."

Eric nodded and took his dismissal, leaving Remordis standing alone in his office. Remordis did not like what he was seeing and was not sure what he could do to stop it. He felt responsible for Stacy Anoki. He was the one that had recruited her, some ten years before, and then he had been lovers with her. It almost broke him when she had been injured so badly.

Despite his personal setbacks in losing the undercover division he pushed the paperwork to keep her at the academy, despite her rapidly failing health and unwillingness to face him and any of her friends.

"Damn this decision," Remordis said to himself as he stood up and paced.

"Chief Briley wants you," his secretary's voice said over the intercom, "It sounds urgent."

"I'll be there," Remordis said, sighing, "In a couple minutes."
Chapter 17 – A Chiefly Chewing

"Just what the hell are you thinking, Remordis?" Chief Briley asked him, throwing the folder at his subordinate, "This is a public relations disaster in the making!"

"You've been telling me to be inventive," Remordis said, not giving an inch, "One of my men came up with the concept and I let them run with it. That's why you put me in R&D."

This was a bald faced lie and they both knew it, but Briley was caught between a rock and a hard place. Remordis had come up with several new methods of saving officer's lives and his R&D department was the only department on the force to come in under budget and get results.

"Using a robot for undercover is asinine," Briley said, trying to get a lick in "We get caught and we get even more bad press. The public hates the machines enough without that."

"You keep telling me that I can't risk more agents," Remordis reminded him, "This puts nobody at risk and might bring wild benefits."

"Except Stacy Anoki," Briley grumbled, "This report says she'll last maybe two months in the machine."

"Compared to the three weeks she would have had without it," Remordis told him, "That's an improvement, not a problem."

"She didn't look that bad at the academy," Briley protested, "I saw her a scant month ago."

"And you didn't look any closer than anyone else!" Remordis exclaimed, "She was one of my protégés and I didn't look that closely. It was in her medical records and she knew."

"So you want me to approve sending her out in the field?" Briley said, "Are you insane?"

"I'm suggesting that you continue to remain in ignorance of it," Remordis smiled, "She's on her way out, not that you know that or anything..."

"I don't want to know," Briley said, "You're right. So help you if you pull a boner on this one..."

"Stacy Anoki is dying anyway," Remordis said, "At least we're giving her a chance to go out with dignity."

"Let's just hope she goes out quietly," Briley grumbled, "Get out of here, Remordis. You weren't here, I don't know and I don't want to."

Remordis took his leave quickly, smiling as he did so. There was no tacit approval for this and that's the way he wanted it. The longer he could keep it black the longer he could get some results and get it approved legitimately. And if it failed, well, he thought he could dump the whole thing down a well somewhere.

Chief Briley looked at Remordis' departure and decided that he didn't like what was being done. He looked up a list of numbers and found the one he wanted, actually dialing it himself for once instead of making his secretary do it like he usually did.

"Citizens against mechanized police," a voice said, "How may I help you?"

"I'd like to talk to Roger please," Briley said, "It's about a project that I think he'd be interested in..."
Chapter 18 – Qualification Time

"Ready to shine, Stacy?" Eric asked her, "You're looking good today, by the way."

"This body has no trouble with it," Stacy chuckled, "Whoever designed her was definitely going for looks."

"Any real problems?" Eric asked, "Things we need to know about before we send you out in the field?"

"Nothing major," Stacy said, "She's a little taller, but I'm coming to grips with that."

"With that body I doubt anyone will notice if you're a bit klutzy," Eric chuckled, "You just have one more test before you go out in the field."

"What's that?" Stacy wondered, "Rob didn't say anything about more tests..."

"This is the important one," Eric said, "You've got to get past Remordis."

"So Sam is the one in charge of this?" Stacy asked him, "I was wondering who put my name in..."

"Unofficially," Eric said, "This is still a black project."

"Do I go there or does he come here?" Stacy wondered.

"Get yourself dressed," Eric said, "You're going to him. We also want you to go around the city a bit and make sure that there are no remote operation problems before you start your mission."

"Do you have something other than this horrible jumpsuit?" Stacy asked them, "I've been wearing one of these for weeks."

"I went out and obtained some clothing from a store that specializes in taller women," Rob said, "It's in the changing room."

"Thanks," Stacy said, bowing to them, "Be back in a couple."

Rob and Eric watched her go, still having a hard time containing the drooling they both wanted to do over her. Both men knew she was a robot, but it was hard to care considering how well built she was.

"Unreal how well she's taken to that," Eric said, shaking his head, "How well will she perform in the field?"

"Probably at least as well as she did before," Rob said, "That's what this test is about, isn't it?"

"I just hope we don't live to regret it," Eric said, "Remordis is taking some heat from upstairs over this little project."

"I think that if anyone can keep this project running it would be Remordis," Rob said, "Could be worse. Remordis could have pulled the plug."

"No doubt," Eric chuckled and then looked up at Stacy who had just entered in Mellisa's body, "Well look at you."

Stacy looked stunning in the new clothing. She used the Mellisa's eyes to look at herself in the mirror and could not believe anything could look this good. Especially not something she was looking out of. It felt more like a dream than anything else to her.

"Ok," Stacy said, "I'll take that as a good thing."

"Very good," Rob nodded, "Ready to go see the boss?"

"Of course," Stacy agreed, a bit of a sadistic smile forming on her face, "I haven't seen Sam for a bit. Should be interesting to see whether he starts drooling like you two did when I walked out."

Rob and Eric chuckled as they watched her walk towards the door. Eric whistled at her and when she turned around he tossed her an identification card that he had made up down in human resources a few hours earlier.

"You'll need that to get around the building," Eric reminded her, "Clip it to your lapel, Stace."

"Thanks," She said, doing so and winking at him, "I'll be back in a bit."

"We know where to find you," Rob assured her, "We always do."

Chapter 19 – The Office

Stacy felt a new form of power as she walked down the hallway. She knew that the body was not hers, but it certainly felt like it was. The sensory inputs were good and she could see better than she had ever been able to even before her injuries. It was like a second rebirth for her as she took the elevator up to the fortieth floor where Remordis' office was.

"How can I help you?" the young secretary said, "Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes," Stacy said, still amused at hearing that voice come out of her, "I believe he's expecting me."

"Your name please?" She said, looking at her appointment screen.

"Stacy Anoki," she said, smiling.

"Ahh yes," the secretary said, "Go on in. Captain Remordis said to send you in when you got here."

"Thanks," Stacy said, nodding as she walked into the room.

Remordis' office was larger than she remembered, but proportion was not her best sense at the moment. She smiled and slipped into the room, sitting down in a nearby chair as Remordis was on the phone with Sara.

"Sara," Remordis said, a bit of exasperation in his voice, "There's nothing... He... Fine. I'll deal with it when I get home."

Remordis held the phone away from his head for a few moments as Sara was obviously yelling at him. Stacy couldn't help but smile a little as she watched him, realizing her former mentor was just as human as anyone else. Finally, he put the phone back to his head and managed to get a few words out.

"Sara," Sam said sternly, "Calm down, Sara. He got drunk and got a citation. He's in college. That happens. I'll handle it. I just have a few things to take care of first. Goodbye."

Remordis put the phone back on the hook and sat back in his desk chair rubbing his temples for a few moments. Stacy waited for him to recover before saying anything else at all.

"What happened?" Stacy finally asked him.

"My son is getting into trouble again," Remordis said, "Nothing major, though Sara would have you think the world is collapsing. How can I help you today?"

"I guess you wouldn't recognize me in this body, would you?" Stacy said, "You did ask me to come up here didn't you, Sam?"

Stacy smiled as the realization dawned on her boss. Remordis looked her over a little bit and started chuckling. He nodded a little and stood up to get a better look at Stacy's rather comely new body. He was glad to see the smile on her face, despite the medical condition

"Very nice, Stacy," Sam told her, nodding his approval, "So how do you feel in there?"

"Better than I have since I was injured," she told him, "First time I've felt alive in nearly two years."

"Yeah," Remordis nodded, sighing, "I never wanted any of that to happen to you, you know."

"It wasn't your fault, Sam," Stacy said, shrugging, "I knew the risks when I went in. I lost the crap shoot that time, that's all."

"And here we are putting you into another one," Sam sighed, "You sure you're up for this?"

"No risk here," Stacy reminded him, "You've read my file. I've got nothing to lose. I was dying anyway."

"You knew that, huh?" Sam said as he looked at her, "Didn't bother telling anyone?"

"I figured they'd find out soon enough," Stacy said, a matter of fact tone pervading her voice, "I'd rather die doing something I like than rotting in a hospital for my last days. That machinery is probably doing more to prolong my life than anything else."

"That's Rob's conclusion as well," Remordis concurred, "He's got you on 24/7 dialysis now, among other life preserving things."

"Good," Stacy said, "I'm getting the same thing I would in the hospital, but I can be useful at the same time. This beats being bored and watching my body die."

"It also beats daytime television," Remordis agreed, "So you think you're ready to move?"

"Let's validate this technology," Stacy agreed, "What's the worst that can happen? I croak in the middle and Rob has to slip into the machine to allow the body an escape. Even if that happens you haven't lost anything. I was going to die anyway."

"That's why I gave the go-ahead," Remordis agreed, "The Chief doesn't want to know and I'm not going to tell him anything. Do we need to tell anyone on your end anything?"

"There's been no one since you," Stacy said, "I don't have any family left and what few friends I had I pushed away cause I felt sorry for myself. If I croak just toss me in a box and send me through the incinerator."

"You got it," Remordis said, nodding, "Eric has the details on the job and it looks like you can handle yourself in that body. Knock them dead out there."

"Only if I have to," Stacy smiled as she stood up, bowing demurely, "And if I have to, watch out..."

Chapter 20 – Welcome to the Jungle

"Ok," Stacy said as they drove, "Where are we going?"

"You're going to be taking the place of a known car thief," Eric told her, handing her a folder, "She's in our secure jail as a part of a plea bargain agreement. We secretly arrested her last week."

"Won't those guys know her?" Stacy said, "I mean I don't look much like her do I?"

"None of them have met her in person," Eric said, "The Mellisa meets the physical description with few modifications. It's how she got so good at it. She could usually steal a car in front of anyone and they were too shell shocked to know it. She's got a rep to be beat and your new body is the spitting image."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Stacy nodded, "I take it you will have her nearby so she can answer questions that they may ask of me?"

"She's in the secure jail cell in R&D," Eric nodded, "She has to answer honestly or she gets life. She tried to steal the wrong bait car and she's on her third felony strike."

"Ok," Stacy said, breathing a quick sigh, "Let's do it. I just hope I can still remember my car hot wiring skills."

"You'll do fine," Eric assured her, "Just play it cool. You know the situation and they cannot hurt you. Hell, they'd be lucky to restrain you, let alone hurt that body."

"That's the part I'm counting on," Stacy agreed, "How do I get there?"

"You're a car thief," Eric grinned, "There's a car for you to steal. It isn't traceable to us."

"Here I go," Stacy said, "Wish me luck."

"No need," Eric said, "I'll be sitting with your body back on floor thirteen."

Stacy nodded and walked out of the car. She was still amazed at how good the body felt, though her physical body was miles away. She walked over to the car and pulled out a slim jim, sliding it down the window and popping the lock, just as she'd been trained to do when she was in the police academy.

This was a new model electric car, however, that had the special microchip style steering column. They were designed to avoid hot wiring, but they had one nasty vulnerability. They were not overly resistant to liquids. She pulled the water bottle out from her pocket along with a screwdriver. She used the screwdriver to poke a hole in the plastic at the top and poured water in as she pressed the start button. The resulting short started the electric car.

"Nice to see the old tricks still work," Stacy chuckled, "It's time to meet some creeps."

She drove the vehicle to the hideout she had been directed to. It was a bit out of the way, in an old part of town where armed guards were not out of the norm. She pulled up to the outside and looked up at the guards. One of them approached while the other kept his weapon trained on the car.

"Yes?" the guard said, keeping it simple.

"Lennie Darsa," Stacy said, using the car thief's name, "I'm here to see your boss."

"You armed?" the guard asked her.

"Not with a gun," Stacy smiled, "Think I could hide one in this outfit?"

Stacy flashed the guard a smile. She was wearing one of the real Lennie Darsa's outfits; one designed to accentuate all the right places and make sure that no man would ever remember her face. In her own body Stacy would never have wanted to wear anything like this, but she didn't mind so much using this body.

"Go on in, Miss Darsa," the guard said, making an effort to be polite, "If the car is hot, take it to the garage. They'll deal with it there."

"Thanks doll," Stacy told him, flashing a wink as she drove in, a bit too fast.

She dropped the stolen car to the garage, where it was taken and the breakdown process started. It amazed Stacy as to the depth and openness this ring was operating in. Eric Craig was a bit surprised as well. It was unusual for him to see what was going on directly in the field. He'd been a behind the scenes operator for his entire career.

"Operating a bit brazenly, aren't they?" Eric said as Stacy went in, "I can't believe we can watch the whole thing like this."

"Right as she lives it," Rob agreed, "It's working like a dream, just like she's really there instead of on life support in this tank."

"Let's just hope she completes the mission," Eric sighed, "I don't like the look of the life support readings."

Stacy Anoki did well on the initial greetings, not finding anything out of the ordinary with the operation except its simplicity. The body was the least of her problems, as she could assimilate and accept that she was not in her own scarred frame.

Sam Remordis walked into the room where Eric and Rob were watching events on the closed circuit television. He sat down on a large chair and watched along with them as Stacy Anoki maneuvered through the shop. Lennie Darsa's reputation was carrying her just fine, maybe even a bit too easily.

Rob Homer watched the readings on Anoki's tank. They were looking bad for Anoki physically, but he increased power to the subnet connection. Without telling the others he was subtly encouraging Stacy Anoki's mind to get more and more used to the wet brain.

"How did the meeting with Briley go?" Eric asked his boss, unaware of what Rob was doing, "I heard he called you down to his level."

"He's pissed at me, as always," Remordis chuckled, "But I have the upper hand right now. Especially if this experiment goes well."

"Captain Remordis?" a young woman said, walking into the room, "I think you're going to want to see this."

"What is it?" Remordis said, walking over, "Who are you?"

"I'm a lab tech, sir," the young woman said, "But those people out there look angry."

Sam and Eric walked over to the window and were surprised to see over a hundred people starting to congregate in the lobby. Remordis had to stop for a second and calm down before he blew a gasket. Ever since he'd moved the R&D to the former home of the undercover division he'd had that lobby declared off limits.

"How the hell..." Eric said, "This is a secure floor!"

"Fuck," Remordis said, groaning, "That's Roger Davies leading that pack of hyenas. How the hell did he get past the front door?"

"Why do I know that name?" Eric asked his boss.

"He's the head of that citizens group that opposes the bots," Sam reminded him, "The one who tried to have us shut down when we deployed the first sets."

"Shit," Eric groaned, "That asshole?"

"The courts shut his challenge to the program down months ago," Sam said, "I don't know why he's here today."

"You don't think he knows about the Mellisa Program do you?" Eric asked worriedly, "I mean that's the type of thing that would set him off."

"I don't know how," Sam said, then thought about it, "Shit... Briley. He would have done it just to piss me off."

"What are we going to do?" Eric asked his boss, "I mean she's out there..."

"Stay with her and put extra guards on this room," Sam ordered, "I'm going to go see what the hell is going on here."

"Do I order her out?" Eric wondered, "I mean..."

"Not yet," Sam said, "I want to prove this program before the plug gets pulled. Besides, he may just be making a show. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Chapter 21 – A Showdown

Roger Davies was a middle aged man, his balding scalp fringed with white. He wore a determined expression behind the thick glasses that made his eyes look larger than they were. His son had been killed by accident when one of the military versions of the robots went haywire. When the local police started deploying the units he created the political action group that he now ran, living off the proceeds and reveling in the attention it gave him.

Sam Remordis had been dealing with Davies ever since the mechanical program started up nearly a year before. Six different court challenges and numerous protests failed to bring the program to a stop. Luckily the double digit crime reduction since deployment had quieted the worst of the protests. Davies, however, was a persistent cuss and continued to try to find ways to halt the program.

"What is your problem today, Roger?" Remordis asked him as he walked out, "Do I need to get a restraining order?"

"You are my problem as usual," Roger Davies said, "I have received reliable information that you are running an illegal program here and we have come to demand that it cease."

"You're not in a position to demand anything," Remordis said, "There are no illegal programs being run under this roof. So care to tell me just what the hell you are talking about?"

"You're mating human beings with robots," Davies continued, "According to the cybernetics act that is an illegal project."

"There are no sexual activities going on in this building," Remordis said, barely repressing his smirk and causing titters in the crowd, "So what in the hell are you talking about?"

"Funny, Remordis," Davies said, "I'm talking about the Mellisa project."

Remordis grumbled internally when Davies said that. He had been right in his first guess. Briley had to have given the heads up to the group. The thing about it was, according to the law it was only illegal to move human consciousness to a droid, something that he had quashed talk of. Stacy was not actually a part of the robot, just controlling it from afar.

"The Mellisa project," Remordis repeated, keeping his poker face, "There is nothing illegal about the Mellisa project. You are barking up the wrong tree, Roger. You're about to make a major mistake."

"This court order says different," Roger said, smiling, "You won't be putting anymore of these mechanical monstrosities out on our streets."

"You've got to be kidding me," Remordis said, taking the sheet of paper, "Where did you find a judge stupid enough to sign this?"

"That would be me, Remordis," Judge Allen Richenbauer said as he walked up, "I decided to come along and make sure my orders were carried out."

"You, huh?" Remordis said, looking at the judge, "Figures. You've set more criminals free this year than all the other judges combined."

"If you would do your job properly, I wouldn't have to do that," Richenbauer said, "Now let us go to your control room."

"You're not going anywhere," Remordis said firmly, "Not until I talk to the department attorneys."

"I am serving you with this now," Roger said, "I expect you to follow the law."

"I will follow the law," Remordis said, "Now if you excuse me, I have lawyers to contact."

"We will be waiting," Davies said, "We won't be leaving until this order is carried out."

Remordis walked into the back and bolted the door. He read the idiotic court order and almost started laughing. It was amazing that Davies had managed to get that petition read by that judge, a judge who was already near the edge of being thrown off the bench for his antics.

"This doesn't look good," Eric said, "Can they shut us down?"

"I need to get the lawyers in on it," Remordis said, "But if Briley is the one who leaked it, there's a possibility that the department won't back us."

"What about Stacy?" Eric said, "They pull the plug and she may die."

"How close is she?" Remordis asked him, "I'm going to try to stall for time."

"She has evidence," Eric said, "She's seen it and the Mellisa recorded it."

"Get her back here," Remordis suggested, "If they pull the plug I want her here and not on the streets."

"It'll take an hour or so to extract her," Eric said, "Unless you want me to do a code red extraction?"

"Tell her to get out as soon as possible," Remordis said, "Get that traitorous son of a bitch Briley down here too. Let him see the mess he created."

"You think it was him?" Eric said, "You sure?"

"Couldn't have been anyone else," Sam said, "I doubt anyone who works on this floor would have leaked to that asshole."

"True," Eric agreed, "I don't think anyone here has gotten away without being keyed or worse and would sooner kill Davies than talk to him."

The rumbling in the crowd was getting worse and Remordis grumbled. He tried to get the department's lawyer on the phone, but could not get through. He decided to go out and see if Briley had deigned to come down to see what he'd wrought. Remordis bolted the door again as he went out to the lobby area.

"Can't shake it, can you?" Davies said, his gloating apparent, "I told you that I'd bring this horrible idea to a close."

"You haven't done anything yet," Remordis said, "I'm still trying to get the lawyers. I will comply with the law, but your people are creating a hazard in this room. You and the judge can stay, but let's get the crowd out of here before something happens."

"Nothing will happen if you just shut it all down," Davies said, "We're not leaving until the will of the people is followed."

"The will of the people?" Remordis said, cocking an eyebrow, "Since when do you represent anything but your own power?"

"Are you refusing?" Judge Richenbauer asked him, "I am ordering you to shut this down."

"And I'm waiting for my lawyers," Remordis said, "Or my boss. Whichever comes first."

"What the hell is going on here, Remordis?" Chief Briley asked Remordis as he walked in, "This is getting out of hand."

"You should know," Remordis said, "You were the only one outside R&D who knew about the Mellisa project."

"He's been ordered to shut it down," Richenbauer told Briley, "Here's a copy of my order."

"You can't let them get away with this bullshit, Briley," Remordis said, "There's nothing even close to illegal about this project."

"I'll look into this," Briley assured Roger with a wink, "You'd best show me the Mellisa project, Remordis."

Remordis frowned. He did not want Briley anywhere near it, but he knew he had little choice. He went and knocked on the door, quickly being granted entrance by Eric Craig. Remordis went in and looked at Eric who did not like the fact that an outsider was being brought in. Briley was the last one in and did not pull the door completely closed.

"Where is the Mellisa now?" Briley asked, "Is she in the building?"

"Eric?" Sam said, "Did you get word to Stacy to get her out?"

"She's disengaging now," Eric said, "She wants to know what's going on."

"You're going to have to pull the plug," Briley said, "You know this, don't you?"

"We pull that plug and Stacy Anoki dies," Remordis said, "The life support is the only thing keeping her fragile body alive."

"Not to mention the body goes dead in its tracks," Eric said, "Not a good idea, considering she's driving."

"For god sakes get her the hell out," Briley said, "Get her back here."

"We're working on it," Remordis said, "But that takes time..."

As they debated the merits of keeping the project going despite the pending injunction the crowd in the lobby was getting anxious. They were unhappy to begin with, and having the nerve center of the robotic program in one room was too much of a temptation.

"Why are we waiting?" one man said, "Let's charge it!"

"The doors are open!" another one yelled, "Let's go for it!"

"Wait!" Judge Richenbauer exclaimed, "You can't..."

"Watch us!" someone exclaimed as the crowd started pushing through the door, "Close 'em down!"

"Watch out!" Rob Homer shouted, as he was the first to see the crowd beginning to filter through the unlatched floor thirteen door, "They're coming in!"

"Shit!" Eric shouted, "Close those doors!"

"They're going for the control rooms," Remordis said, "Get word to Stacy to get out of there!"

The crowd had pretty much gone into full riot mode. Judge Richenbauer and Roger Davies stayed out of the way, but they had no power to stop it. Nearly a hundred people poured into the rooms and started attacking things. Eric, Rob, Sam Remordis and Chief Briley darted into the Mellisa control room to get out of the way. Eric and Sam barred the door while Rob rushed over to the machinery.

"Should I tell Stacy what is happening?" Rob asked them.

"Yes," Remordis said, "Get her off the road in case this crowd manages to cut the connection."

"What happens if they do that?" Briley said worriedly, "Could she kill someone?"

"The body goes dead," Remordis said, "And most likely so does Stacy Anoki."

"This is your fault!" Briley exclaimed, "If you hadn't..."

"Don't give me that horseshit, Briley!" Remordis seethed, "You're the dumbass that let Davies in on this. You are the one who didn't bolt the door behind you when you came in. If anyone caused this disaster, it is you!"

"That's neither here nor there right now," Eric said, "There are a hundred people rampaging in here. This is a research department. If they hit the wrong things..."

"This place will go up like a Christmas Tree," Rob finished, "We do weapons research as well as robot setup. Some of the materials used for that are stored here as well."

"Are you crazy?" Briley yelped like a little boy, "In a public building?"

"They are safe when handled properly," Rob said, "But if they mix the wrong things it could cause problems."

"Call the riot corps," Remordis suggested, "We need to get control of this floor and fast."

Stacy Anoki couldn't hear what was going on around her in the building, but she was scared nonetheless. The tone of Rob's voice was not exactly one that inspired confidence in what was going on. The shouts that she heard in the background were not exactly inspiring either.

She did not know how much she was beginning to rely on the Mellisa for everything. The longer she stayed connected to the body the more she got the feel for it. It was something that nobody had done studies on, the reliance that could happen between a person and the host that they were connected to.

Rob Homer knew about this effect, but everyone else involved with the program was unaware of it. Rob knew that Stacy Anoki had exceeded the record for having her consciousness control a remote machine by more than two weeks. The power boosts and the subtle removal of the manufacturer's blocks on the wet brain that Rob illegally had been working on created an environment where Stacy could retreat further.

The commotion around her was accelerating the dependence on the device. Although she could not hear it, Stacy's broken body could feel it and her mind retreated more into the Mellisa's wet brain. The foundation creators of the Mellisa had modeled the wet brain after a human brain, but had lacked the ability to give it sentience. The fact that Stacy was going in willingly was getting around that problem.

"Take a look at Stacy's readings," Rob said, "She knows what is going on."

"Is that good or bad?" Sam asked him, "I'm not up on this technology."

"It means she's retreating more into the Mellisa," Rob said, "We pull that plug, she's probably going to die."

"Can you stop her?" Eric asked, "I mean can we bring her back?"

"I can try to go in and talk to her, but she's linking hard," Rob said, lying through his teeth, "That tank isn't completely soundproof either. She may be able to hear with her subconscious."

"I think we have more pressing problems than a dying cop," Briley said, his annoyance showing, "That crowd is still rampaging."

"We need to talk to Davies," Remordis said, "He's probably the only one who has a chance of stopping this stupidity."

"I'm not going out there," Rob said, "That crowd is nasty."

"Briley and I will go," Remordis said firmly, "You two stay here and deal with Stacy. Get her off the road in case that something goes wrong. Pull her out if you can."

"Will do," Eric said, "Let's get working, Rob."

"Why do I have to go?" Briley asked, suddenly scared for his personal safety.

"Because you are the dumbass who let them in," Remordis growled, "Come on."

Remordis opened the door and saw the crowds breaking things and beating on people. He pulled a baton and got into defensive positions. The riot corps were trying to break their way into the floor, but it was too crowded for them to do much good. A group of pissed off rioters attacked Remordis and Briley when they came out, but Remordis met them with a well-placed baton to the ribs.

Briley who hadn't been on the streets in nearly thirty years, cowered out of the way and let Remordis fight off the attackers. This did not do anything to rehabilitate Remordis' image of the man, and frankly pissed him off more. A lot of fallout was going to happen from this and Sam Remordis was determined that most of it would fall straight on Briley's head.

"Come on," Remordis growled, "Let's find Davies."

While Remordis and Briley were searching for Davies, Rob, and Eric continued to try to get Stacy out of the system. Stacy was having more and more trouble responding to commands, as she was retreating further into the mind of the Mellisa unit. Eric looked at Rob and sat down.

"This is not good," Eric said, "Her life signs are getting worse as well."

"I'm more worried about us now," Rob said, his attention off the gauges for a moment, "This machine is a Nickel hydria radite base. They pull the plug the wrong way, and this building could be a memory."

"Can you vent it?" Eric said, "Get it out of here?"

"We vent it and people die on the streets," Rob said, "It's a radon derivative. Very deadly."

"Shit," Eric grumbled, "They're right outside too."

"I'll secure it as best I can," Rob said, "Protect the door."

Roger Davies was taking cover under a desk in the lobby area. Remordis and Briley found him cowering there, not quite sure what to do. Remordis growled and pulled him out roughly. Davies cowered, figuring that Remordis was going to hit him. Much as he wanted to, Remordis had other plans for the rabble rousing pain in the ass.

"Don't hit me!" Davies yelped, "I didn't do it!"

"You caused it," Remordis growled, "Now we need you to try to help us disperse them. The project wasn't against the law, but what your people doing sure as hell is."

"Me?" Roger said, "I just brought them as a show of strength."

"It backfired," Remordis grumbled, "Now get in there and try to calm them down."

"Perhaps we should just depart," Briley said, "I mean..."

"You just want to save your ass," Remordis growled, "Well I want to save my people. Your ass is going to be hung out to dry regardless. Now get with the program!"

It was too late for reason, however. The crowds broke through into the back rooms and started destroying anything they could get their hands on. A group had finally realized that the Mellisa lab was locked, so they started using a makeshift battering ram on the door.

Rob knew the end was coming. Instead of withdrawing Stacy, something that he knew would most likely be fatal now, he started gradually increasing the power to the connection, which was something he hoped would encourage her to retreat into the Mellisa further.

"What are you doing?" Eric asked him when he saw it, "You're increasing power? Now?"

"Trying to help her!" Rob exclaimed, "This is her only chance!"

"You ass! That will get us thrown in jail!" Eric exclaimed, "That is illegal, you idiot!"

"Better illegal than dead," Rob said, "The door!"

The battering ram crew managed to break through the door and all pandemonium broke loose. The enraged group attacked both Eric and Rob, both of who fought back. One large man started smashing anything he could get to with a baton stolen from one of the overcome officers.

"Stop!" Rob yelled, "You'll kill us all!"

Eric fought as best he could, but his small form was not up to the task of fighting off multiple intruders. Rob dodged the blows he could and decided to give Stacy one last fighting chance. He kicked one of his attackers in the balls and rushed the machine, throwing the power switch up to the maximum level and jumped for cover. This happened just as the baton struck through and exposed the nickel Hydria Radite solution to the air.

What happened next was not pretty, unless you were standing far enough away to see the fireball that resulted or hear the boom that carried half way across the city.

Chapter 22 – The Transfer

Stacy Anoki did not know what happened when the electricity and explosion ripped into her physical body. To her, the reality was the physical body that she had been using to drive a car down Third Avenue, some four miles away from where the explosion on floor thirteen took place.

The final electrical push and explosive force literally pushed her memories through the subnet connection, something that had been started slowly beforehand. The difference in this was the force used. Instead of copying slowly it was like pushing terabytes of information through the connection in milliseconds.

The Mellisa unit convulsed with the influx of information and with the backlash of the severed link. As the electrical overload took over the unit it started to shut itself down to avoid burning everything out. The fact that she was in a car going forty-five miles an hour did not help matters much, sending it careening out of control and using a pile of dirt on a construction site as a ramp, flipping it in the air until she landed on a set of parked cars.

Stacy Anoki was blissfully unaware of any of this, as Rob Homer's plans had come to fruition. Her memories were pushed into the Mellisa body's wet brain, just as sure as if her own brain had been implanted into the body. Luckily for her she was out cold and wouldn't wake up for hours.

Chapter 23 – The Fire

Sam Remordis pulled himself up from the ashes he was lying backwards in. Being in the outer lobby, he was spared from the brunt of the explosion, mainly being thrown over a table. He checked himself for injuries, finding a couple ribs that he was nearly certain were broken. His limbs, luckily, had escaped anything but flash burns and a few contusions.

"What the hell?" Remordis asked himself, "What did they do in there?"

"Remordis?" Roger Davies voice said, "What happened?"

Sam Remordis groaned and tried to keep himself from pulling his service pistol and dropping a round into Davies' head. Instead, he helped the man up and looked at the smoky complex that used to be his R&D building. His ears were ringing and he was covered with soot. He did not even want to know how long he had been out cold.

"Briley?" Remordis said, "You still alive under there?"

"I don't think so," Davies said, "That's him over there."

Chief Briley would no longer be a pain in Remordis' ass, considering his body was in about four pieces, neatly bisected by a large piece of wall. Remordis shuddered a little and looked around. There was a breeze, so it was obvious that this was a major blast, blowing out nearly every window in the building.

"Ok," Remordis said, realizing that although he did not like Davies, it was an emergency situation, "Start digging people out. I'm going to try to see how bad the structural damage is."

"You got it," Davies said and then looked at Remordis, "I didn't want this to happen, by the way."

"It's too late for that," Remordis grumbled, "Just get anyone you can out. I don't know how long this building will remain standing."

Davies nodded and started helping people. Remordis went through the doorway, finding that the devastation was even worse in there. Whatever had blown had blown hard. Little fires were burning all over the floor, though the sprinkler system kept the flames from doing more than burning paper. The chemicals all went in the explosion, and the now open side of the building kept it ventilated.

"God damn," Remordis said, "What did you do, Rob?"

Sam Remordis walked into what looked like the center of the explosion area. It did not surprise him much to see that the Mellisa control system was what caused the explosion. What did surprise him was the fact that it had blown the side out of the building, leaving only about half of it still standing.

There were bodies littered all over the floor, most of them in several pieces. It would take several days to put the pieces together. The devastation was so complete that Remordis nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard someone coughing in the wreckage behind him. He turned around and pulled debris out of the way to find out where the noise was coming from.

Eric Craig had been mostly shielded from the blast by a desk and the bodies between him and the exploding device. Luckily most of the pressure from the blast went outside, merely showering the plaza with glass instead of destroying the support structure for the building.

"Eric," Sam said, "Can you hear me?"

Eric Craig could make out the sounds but they did not make sense. His ears had been all but shattered by the explosion. He barely knew where he was, let alone able to comprehend what had happened. He did manage to think of something to say, though it wasn't particularly coherent.

"Anoki..." Eric said, "Tank..."

"I'll check Stacy," Sam promised, "I'll get you help too."

Roger Davies came into the room and his jaw dropped at the devastation. Remordis stood up and went over to the tank, waving the rabble-rousing fool over to help him. Surprisingly, the tank that Stacy Anoki had been residing in had only been flipped over by the explosion. The titanium-laced aluminum had been dented, but the explosion could not penetrate it.

"Help me open this," Remordis instructed, "Did you find anyone else?"

"A few," Davies agreed as he started pulling, "What is this thing?"

"The pod that made the Mellisa project legal," Remordis said, "The robot was in the field, but it was controlled by a police officer."

"No AI?" Davies asked, "It sounded as though you were putting robots undercover."

"The robot was undercover," Remordis grunted as he managed to loosen one of the latches, "But it was controlled lock, stock, and barrel by Stacy Anoki. Don't ask me how the technology works, I couldn't tell you."

"Briley didn't tell me that," Davies growled, "He made it sound as though you were breaking the cybernetics act."

"I figured," Remordis said, "Hand me that crowbar."

Roger Davies pulled the crowbar from the pile of rubble and handed it to Remordis. Sam jammed it into the crack and pried the pieces apart, spilling the liquid inside the chamber out. Roger pulled on it and Stacy Anoki's wet suit clad body spilled out onto the floor. Unlike most of the corpses outside the chamber she was completely unburned, but she was just as dead as the others.

"Sorry Stacy," Remordis said as he checked her pulse, "I didn't want it to end like this."

"What do we do?" Davies asked him.

"Help the living," Sam said, "That's all we can do now. The building looks solid for now. Let's get anyone out we can."

Remordis closed Stacy Anoki's eyes and stood up. He and Roger Davies spent the next few hours pulling people out of the soot and rubble. It would be hours before he (or anyone else for that matter) thought to remember the Mellisa unit.

Chapter 24 – The Body

"We should be at R&D," Bobby Archer said as he pulled his ancient car up to the accident site, "Not investigating traffic accidents."

"Let the younger men do the salvage work," Kim grinned, "Someone has to take care of mundane matters."

"Fun," Bobby grumbled, "Let the mundane begin."

They got out of the car and walked over to where two uniformed officers were directing traffic away. It wasn't hard to see the accident site as a car flipped upside down was rather hard to miss. They walked over to the officers.

"Where's the ambulance?" Bobby asked one of the uniformed cops, "There's a woman in there."

"She's already dead," the officer said, "They are short ambulances because of the blast. No need to waste an ambulance that may save lives there for someone who is already dead."

"True," Kim agreed, "Why are we here."

"Looks like an accident," the cop said, "But witnesses said that she just swerved and hit the dirt pile. Figured we'd be safe and have it checked out to make sure it wasn't murder."

Bobby and Kim nodded, as it was not unheard of in this city for people to be shot as their cars passed. They approached the wreck and looked inside at the banged up body that was now suspended from the restraining belts and hanging upside down.

"She was young," Kim said, "Can't be much more than twenty."

"She's banged up," Bobby said, looking closer at the body, "But she doesn't look as bad as she should if the crash killed her."

"Did anyone check for a pulse?" Kim shouted out, "She doesn't look dead."

"I did," the older of the two officers nodded, "The medics were here too when they got call to go to HQ. They checked the pulse and decided she was dead."

"Great," Bobby grumbled, "I'll do it again to be sure."

Bobby climbed over to the car and reached out for the young woman's hand. He touched the wrist and felt around for a pulse. He did not find one, but her body was too warm to be completely dead. He looked quizzically at Kim and waved her over.

"Does she look dead to you?" Bobby asked her, "I mean this crash was nasty, but it was a straight flip and she was belted."

"The top didn't crunch either," Kim nodded, "Let's get an ambulance over here."

"It'll take a half hour," one of the officers said, "You'd be better off bringing her to county yourself."

"We'll wait," Bobby said, "Call it in."

Chapter 25 – Inside the Mellisa

The body, as Bobby and Kim currently called her, was not as dead as it looked. Built to withstand much more punishment than had been physically meted out, she was only in a dormant state resulting from the data and analog push that happened through the now fried subnet connection.

The systems were trying to cope with the information from Stacy Anoki that had been pushed through the connection into the wet brain, the equivalent of squeezing a whole tube of toothpaste into a similarly small space within a matter of seconds.

The programming, necessarily dynamic to allow quick and easy response by a remote host, was adapting to the loss of the subnet connection by rerouting controls to the analog human data that had been roughly pushed into the wet brain, something Rob Homer had allowed to happen by bypassing all safeguards and locks on the wet brain.

This was something that the unit had not been expressly intended for, but one of the things the inventors had created was the adaptability feature so that the Mellisa level body would become an extension of the controller. A side effect of this was that it learned from its hosts. Luckily for Stacy Anoki, she was the only one who had been in there long enough to bond with the wet brain.

So while Bobby Archer and Kim Penn had tried to determine if the Mellisa was dead or alive, what had once been Stacy Anoki was adapting to her new home, becoming one with the body she now truly inhabited, instead of controlling from afar. It would be a rude awakening for her, once she woke up from her slumber.
Chapter 26 – The Morgue

Sam Remordis looked at himself in the mirror of the bathroom and just shook his soot covered head. He was too old to be running around doing rescues. He ran some water and washed his face. He considered cleaning off his hair a little, but left it alone. At least the soot covered the gray that was becoming more and more prevalent.

He walked out and saw the backlog of bodies, wincing a little because he knew a good amount of them were people who had been under his command. He pulled out a cigar and figured that a little bit more smoke wouldn't hurt the people in this room. He lit the cigar and looked over to see the Mayor walking in to the morgue area.

Mayor Thornton, newly sworn in six months before to replace Briley's former patron, had ditched the media and entourage so he could get an unbiased report from Remordis. Remordis shook his head and blew some smoke up in the air. Thornton looked around at the bodies, his jaw almost dropping at the destruction that had ensued on floor thirteen.

"What the hell happened up there?" Thornton asked him, "It sounds like the place was nuked."

"I don't know what went wrong," Remordis said honestly, "Other than that riot started by the people Roger Davies dragged in."

"Was the project illegal?" Thornton asked, "No bullshit, Sam. I need to know."

"No," Sam told him honestly, "It was controlled by Stacy Anoki from floor thirteen. She was one of the casualties."

"Good," Thornton said, breathing a sigh of relief, "So the explosion was caused by the rioters?"

"Only one who was in the blast area who lived was Eric Craig as far as I know," Sam sighed, "It'll be days before he can talk, if he survives long enough. The truth is; we may never know exactly how the explosion happened."

"What's the body count?" Thornton asked him, "Not that I want to know..."

"A hundred and twelve killed by the blast," Sam said, "A further ten or fifteen died in the panic. Whoever did the safety plan for that building was a complete and utter idiot."

"Thank Briley for that," Thornton said, "I've heard rumors that Briley was behind the leak to Davies."

"You got it," Remordis growled, "He's lucky he didn't survive. I would have considered shooting him. If Davies didn't put his nose to the grindstone and help with the recovery I might have done the same to him."

"This is a cluster fuck beyond imagination," Thornton said, sighing, "We've lost Briley and two of the three highest ranking people in the department."

"I'll help anyway I can," Sam said, "I may not have caused the riot, but it was a project under my command. If you need a scapegoat, I'm it. Not my people."

"I could use one," Thornton said, looking hard at Remordis, "But it's going to be Briley because he did it, not you. The fact that he's dead and can no longer fight the charge will be a help."

"Can't say I'm sorry to hear you say that," Sam said, "I'm sure Sara will be thrilled too."

"Not when I announce Briley's replacement," Thornton said, a wry smile forming, "You're high up, but I'm not going to raise you up. I need you where you are."

"Not a problem. I don't want to be a chief," Remordis said, almost shocked at the thought he'd been considered, "Who are you putting in? Braden?"

"He had a heart attack this morning after pulling a cadet out of the rubble," Thornton said, "He's alive, but he'll be off recovering for a bit. I need someone to clean up this mess and you're it, Remordis. Mike Miller refused the job outright so Marcus Holbein is probably going to end up with it. He is a technophobe, but respects what technology can do. He'll leave you alone so long as you do your bit."

"Jesus H. Christ," Sam said, still blown away "Who would have thought it? Old Marcus becoming chief?"

"I've had enough politicians in there," Thornton said, "That's one thing I know he will never be. I'd honestly would rather have put Miller in that spot, but he refused to take it because the press would crucify him. We've not had a good track record of chiefs since the Sleeping Beauty mess a few years back."

"I remember," Remordis nodded, "I was still working with undercover at the time, but Eric told me a bit about it after a meeting with Miller. Rogue cop named Creighton, wasn't it?"

"That's what I heard," Thornton sighed and changed the subject, "Your programs in R&D have helped bring the crime rate way down. I hope this mess doesn't turn people against the mechanical cops."

"We need to clean up this mess before we worry about that," Sam said, "Research and Development has been gutted."

"The Mellisa Program?" Thornton asked him.

"I don't know," Remordis said truthfully, "Probably dead. Rob Homer was the only one who knew how it worked, and I'm assuming he is part of that bloody mush pile. Stacy Anoki, the operator, is dead, killed by the concussion of the explosion. I don't even know where the damned Mellisa unit is. That's something we need to find soon too."

"I will wait a few hours to make the announcements," Thornton told him, nodding, "You need some rest. I'll brief Marcus on what I know before we go in front of the cameras. You need to be there to try to stem the public relations problems."

"Joy," Remordis grumbled, "I don't know whether I should thank you or curse you."

"Probably both," Mayor Thornton smiled, "I'll find you when I need you."

"Thanks," Remordis said sourly, "I think."

Mayor Thornton left the morgue after that, leaving Remordis alone with the bodies. He sighed and stood up to walk out when he saw some familiar faces over by the doorway. Bobby and Kim, still working the case of the unknown car crash victim, were going through check in with the body so that they could get it printed and find out who she was.

"Sam!" Bobby exclaimed when he saw his longtime friend, "Thank God you made it out."

"I was in the lobby," Remordis said, "Missed being flattened by debris by inches."

"I hear that prick Briley wasn't so lucky," Kim said, "Are the rumors about the riot true?"

"I wish they weren't," Sam sighed, "So what brings you down here to corpse central."

"Strange car crash victim," Bobby told him, "Young woman that had no identification. Weaved off the road for no apparent reason and flipped her car."

"No sign of outside trauma," Kim added, "The body doesn't look like it's that banged up, but no sign of a pulse either."

Bells started ringing in Remordis' head. He knew Stacy had the Mellisa on the road when the explosion happened and he had a sinking feeling that he knew the identity of their strange corpse.

"Straight black hair," Remordis said, sighing, "Young, thin, and fit. Apparently corpse like but still warm?"

"You just described her to a T," Kim said, "What do you know that I don't?"

"Did she kill anyone else?" Sam asked worriedly, "Just answer that..."

"Just herself," Bobby said, "And two empty parked cars."

"Good," Sam said with a sigh of relief, "I think you have found my missing Mellisa unit. It would have gone dead when Stacy Anoki was killed in the explosion."

"She's a robot?" Kim said, surprised, "I mean most of the ones we use look alike..."

"A prototype from the manufacturer," Sam explained, "Adapted for remote undercover work. Stacy Anoki was controlling her from R&D."

"Well," Bobby said, "That's a case we can call wrapped."

"Where is the body?" Sam asked, "We need to retrieve her."

"Probably cold storage by now," Kim replied, "We were just waiting for the fingerprint ID."

"Come on," Sam said, "I'll make the formal ID and retrieve her."

Chapter 27 – Cold Storage

In the darkness of the cold storage facility the Mellisa unit opened her eyes. In the total darkness she flipped over to infrared mode so she could see where she was. It was a new experience for Stacy, waking up inside a drawer. She figured that the body had been considered dead when she blacked out and was put in the drawer.

Stacy didn't have any idea about what exactly had happened to her. She still thought her physical body was in a tank on the thirteenth floor. The sensations were similar to what she knew from her weeks in the Mellisa body, though the physical effects were much more intense.

"Ok," Stacy said to herself, "Something is going on here. I guess I need to retreat back to my own body."

This was something that was now impossible for her. Stacy had access to all the Mellisa functions and checked for signal. She did the mental equivalent of tapping on the gauges, surprised to find that the subnet signals were nonexistent and giving her massive failure errors to boot.

"Lovely," Stacy said, "How the hell am I still here then?"

She tapped the walls of the cold storage drawer looking for weaknesses. It was a solid structure; one she would have to work the body hard to get out of. Luckily the cold was little more than an annoyance to the internal temperature monitors for the body. Stacy could tell it was cold, but it was not painful, so she just lay back and relaxed, hoping that someone would come for her soon.

Sam Remordis, Bobby Archer and Kim Penn were led into the cold storage room by one of the harried attendants. Because of the blast on floor thirteen, they were getting more bodies in one day than they usually got in a month. So, the attendant left the police officers on their own to do their identification.

"Drawer three," Bobby said, looking at the chart the attendant left with them, "Let's see if she's your missing Mellisa."

Remordis nodded and pulled the drawer open. Stacy felt the drawer moving but did not do anything yet. She did not know the state of things, so she thought it best not to scare anyone unless she had to. Sam looked in the drawer and nodded as he looked at the body.

"That's the Mellisa," Sam nodded, "This is the body you found, right?"

"That's her," Kim nodded, "That explains a lot..."

"Well I wish someone would explain it to me," Stacy said, nearly sending Sam, Bobby and Kim jumping out of their skin, "Why was I pushed into a cold box?"

"Jesus!" Sam exclaimed, "What the hell?"

Stacy pulled herself up and looked at her longtime friend and boss. Remordis's face was completely white, despite the fair amount of soot on his face. Bobby and Kim were not much better. The last thing any of them expected to see was that body get up and move.

"I thought you said..." Kim said, earning an elbow jab from Bobby, "Ow."

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Sam," Stacy said, "Come now..."

"Stacy?" Sam said, "How..."

"Same way as before, I'd hope," Stacy shrugged, still not realizing, "Although the subnet readings are showing zero. Rob will have to take a look at that."

"Stacy," Sam said, "You don't realize..."

Stacy looked at the odd expression on his face and realized that something was badly wrong. The sheer look of surprise on all three faces, people she had known for years, told her that something was not as it should be.

"What happened?" Stacy asked, "Last I remember Eric was telling me to bug out. I was on the highway and my connection blinked."

"There was an explosion," Sam said, taking the placement list from Bobby, "Rob is missing and presumed dead, Eric is injured."

"Then how..." Stacy said, "What about me?"

Sam walked over to another one of the cold drawers and pulled it open. Stacy Anoki, now fully residing in the Mellisa's body, walked over and looked at what Remordis was about to show her. Luckily for her, the explosion hadn't marred her original body, death coming from suffocation and electrocution.

"I'm..." Stacy said, looking at herself, "Oh man..."

"You're dead," Sam said, looking at her, "How the hell..."

"I remember a flash and then I was here," Stacy said, "You mean the gauges aren't lying? I am in this body..."

"I can't believe this," Bobby said, "Is this for real, Sam?"

"Ask her a question that she'd know," Kim suggested, "I mean, she's the only one who was controlling..."

"This is insane," Stacy said, touching her own body, "I can't be... I mean..."

"Talk about your out of body experiences," Kim said, "How is this possible?"

"The only one left who would know is Eric," Sam said, "I mean, shit... This is..."

"You think you're weirded out by this?" Stacy said, "Try looking at your own corpse from outside."

"So what the hell do we do?" Bobby asked his longtime friend, "I mean..."

"There was no death so there was no case," Sam said, thinking quickly, "There won't be any records on it yet, so just toss what you have."

"I can do that," Bobby agreed, "What do you do about her?"

"Good question," Stacy agreed, "What can be done about me?"

"We need to talk to Eric," Sam said, "Kim, can we borrow your jacket, please?"

"Sure," Kim nodded, handing it over to Stacy, "Good luck."

"You didn't see this," Sam instructed them, "Whatever happened may have opened one hell of a can of worms."

"I didn't see a damn thing," Bobby said, "Neither did you, Kim. Shall we go get some lunch now?"

"Actually," Sam said, "I have another job for you two."

"What?" Bobby asked him, "A bit shorthanded?"

"In the worst way," Sam nodded, "I lost more than half of my staff. I need people I can trust to work the case well."

"So back to work for you we go," Kim nodded, "Probably the last thing you ever wanted."

"Could be worse," Sam shrugged, "I'm stuck with this mess, but Marcus Holbein is stuck with Briley's job."

"What do you need?" Bobby asked him, "We'll help where we can."

"Go back to R&D," Sam instructed them, "I don't know who is in charge up there, if anyone. You two can handle it anyway you want, just make sure it's handled right."

"What about our boss?" Kim asked him, "He's been assigning..."

"You now work for me again," Sam said, making an executive decision, "I need a set of troubleshooters, and you're both perfect for it. Thornton told me to clean up this mess and that means I need people. All my current ones are dead or in the hospital."

"Can we get some food first?" Bobby asked him, "I haven't eaten all day."

"Make it quick," Sam told him, "Call me on the cell if you need me. I'm going to deal with Stacy before I worry about anything else."

Kim nodded and then they both skedaddled out the door faster than Sam had seen either of them move in years. Remordis then walked over and took another good look at Stacy in the new body.

"How do you feel?" Remordis asked her, "You look pretty good, but the looks can be deceiving."

"Let's talk to Eric," Stacy said, letting off a wry smile that confirmed her identity to Remordis, "Then we'll figure out what to do next."

Chapter 28 – Department of Hardware Control

Zack McConnell and Toshiko Shiniki walked together into the control room. They had gotten a call several hours earlier about a missing prototype unit, but it had not sounded overly worrisome when they got the call. They were operatives for the droid manufacturer and this conferred a bit of status on them, status that they showed just walking into the room.

"Any word on the Mellisa prototype that went off the grid?" Zack McConnell asked the operator, "It's been about six hours now."

Zack McConnell was about six feet tall and had the emotional range of your average corpse. His neatly trimmed hair, dark glasses and jet black suit did not do much to change the impression most people carried of him. It was a slightly false impression, however, as McConnell was even less interesting than his demeanor suggested.

"Nothing," the operator said, "Last thing we got was information on a power increase and then everything went silent."

"Right about the same time as the explosion at the police building," Toshiko Shiniki nodded, "Looks like that local group was probably behind it."

Toshiko Shiniki was a transplant from the Far East and was hired in young by the foundation to work on droid creation. She had taken to western society better than most of her counterparts, and she finally ended up working in this most western of facilities.

When you talked to her the only thing betraying her Japanese heritage was a slight accent. Her Japanese features were usually hidden behind a pair of dark glasses, so even some of her longtime coworkers had to be reminded occasionally that she was Japanese.

"They did some interesting stuff to the bot," McConnell said, adjusting his dark glasses, "They'll want copies of what they did in R&D."

"The unit's subnet transmitter must be burned," Shiniki said, looking at some of the readings on the screen, "I told them we needed to put a secondary tracker in there. Saving a few thousand bucks isn't worth losing a unit."

"The shortwave transmitter is probably still operating," the operator said, "Unless the whole power source died completely."

"Looks like you and I are taking a trip, Toshi," McConnell said, "I wonder what the weather is like in that area this time of year."

"You'll find out in a few hours, Zack," Toshiko said, masking her annoyance at her partner, "Let's go."

Chapter 29 – Legal Realities

Sam Remordis had Stacy wear a hat and glasses to mask her from anyone that might recognize her as a Mellisa droid. Luckily, the unit specs were not widely known, as the model had yet to be released to the world press. Sam Remordis was taking no chances, however, as he knew how potentially explosive this could be.

"What do you think about this?" Stacy asked him, "I mean this is a new thing."

"I don't know what to think yet," Sam admitted, "I think you're about to open up a legal quagmire."

"How?" Stacy asked him, "I mean, I'm a human being trapped in this body."

"Law won't look at it that way," Sam explained, "That's part of the reason for the cybernetics act. It is against federal law to implant human consciousness into machines. They can become sentient on their own, but it is illegal to move a human brain over, which is what was done to you by accident."

"I don't get that," Stacy said, "Why do that?"

"Machines can be owned," Sam explained, "It was a way of preventing legalized slavery or that was the legal precedent. Besides that there are some groups out there that don't like the fact that machines are capable of being sentient and are using the laws to fight people who create them."

"What does this do to me?" Stacy wondered, "I mean, I'm in a mechanized body, but I feel the same. I feel like a person, though I have some strange new abilities."

"If your body legally belongs to the department you're fine," Sam told her, "If the Foundation owns it, which I think is the case because the Mellisa was an experimental loaner, then they can try to take custody."

"I don't think I like this," Stacy said, looking at Sam, "Couldn't you stop it?"

"I'd sure as hell try," Sam said, "But legally we have no leg to stand on, especially since we are the ones responsible for the transfer. It's new legal ground, but one that the city won't let us fight."

"This is fucking insane Sam," Stacy said, "I am not a goddamned piece of property."

"I know that," Sam said, "Unfortunately, legally..."

Stacy sighed, but continued following along. She felt that she had no other choice now. It was a brave new world for her. One she did not know quite to handle yet. Unfortunately, circumstances were not going to be kind to Stacy Anoki. The legal realities were getting ready to catch her square in the guts.

Chapter 30 – A Visit to Ground Zero

"Now that's what I call an explosion," Zack McConnell said when he saw the explosion damage in the R&D headquarters, "If she was in that no wonder the subnet went down."

"A thirty story building would have had to fall on her for that to kill the subnet connectors," Toshiko Shiniki reminded him, "She spent most of her time in that building, so that's the first place to check."

"This city has a reputation for being cantankerous," Zack said, putting his dark glasses back on, "Has the legal team showed up here yet?"

"They were on the charter last I knew," Toshiko shrugged, "I don't think we'll need them. It was in the contracts that we could look at anything we wanted to with that unit."

"You're an eternal optimist," Zack chuckled, "Let's go see what is left in there."

They managed to get through the outer barricades using the pseudo-official identifications that you really had to look hard at to realize they were created in a foundation factory in Nevada instead of issued from a government agency in DC.

Most of the bodies had been removed, but blood, soot, and general damage were still the order of the day. It was getting late in the day, so the only people really remaining in the building were a few cleanup people and some inspectors who were checking for structural integrity. They were being overseen by Bobby Archer and Kim Penn, who had taken control of the place soon after leaving Remordis.

"Who are you two?" Bobby asked them, "How did you get up here?"

"We walked up," Toshiko said, "You two in charge here?"

"I'm Detective Archer," Bobby said, "This is Detective Penn. We're in command for now."

"Shiniki and McConnell," Toshiko said, as she was the senior of the two, "We work for the droid manufacturer."

"That's nice to hear," Bobby said, shaking his head, "What brings you up here?"

"Word is one of our units was at the base of this," Zack told them, finally regaining his breath a little, "We wanted to find out what happened before the press did. Our units get enough bad press as it is."

"A hundred people are dead and all you care about is press?" Kim asked them, "How nice..."

"We can't fix it if we don't know what went wrong," Toshiko explained, trying to make up for the tactless McConnell, "Was one of our units responsible for this?"

"No," Bobby said honestly, "The control centers are in another area of the building. This was a different project that went bad."

"So the reports were wrong," Zack said, "We heard about the riot..."

"Those reports were true," Kim said, "But they had nothing to do with the units."

"What about the Mellisa Prototype?" Toshiko said, "That's the one we were hearing about in regards to this."

Bobby and Kim looked at each other, wondering how they were going to work around the fact that Stacy Anoki was still actually using the Mellisa unit for a body. Not to mention the fact that she was actually rather attached to it.

"I don't know where the prototype model is," Bobby told them, almost honestly, "It wasn't what caused the explosion. One of the rioters punctured a control device that caused the explosion. Something with a long chemical name that I can't begin to pronounce exploded when a rioter exposed it to air."

"Was the Mellisa in the building?" Zack asked, "We'd like to see how she weathered it."

"I have no idea," Bobby said, now lying, "We don't even work in this division. The people who know are all either dead or elsewhere."

"All right," Toshiko nodded, deciding not to push it, "We'll leave you to your cleanup. We would like to discuss this with your boss in a few days, however. The Mellisa is a valuable prototype."

"Leave your card and we'll have Sam Remordis contact you," Bobby nodded, "Sorry we couldn't be more help."

"That's ok," Toshiko nodded, handing over one of the cards they had made for the trip, "We'll be around."

Kim took the card and the two foundation people left the building. While they were walking out they tried to figure out why they were seeing reticence in the police people. Usually, they were willing to talk or at least let them see the units.

"They were lying about something," McConnell told Shiniki unnecessarily, "I just don't get about what."

"We need to take a closer look at the Mellisa's usage records," Toshiko nodded, "Ready for some number reading?"

"Let's do it," McConnell nodded, "Maybe some of it will actually make sense to me this time."

Toshiko Shiniki highly doubted that, but wisely kept her counsel and said nothing.

Chapter 31 – Eric Craig

Stacy and Sam walked into the hospital together. Nobody took a second look at Stacy Anoki, other than to admire her form. She was pretty much like any other person there, despite the mechanical nature of her body.

"It's weird knowing what I am," Stacy told Sam, "Walking around and people don't even have a clue."

"Keep it that way," Sam suggested, "The sooner this gets out, the sooner your life gets crazy."

"You mean it's not already?" Stacy asked him, "This is crazy enough as it is."

"Let's see if Eric is out of surgery yet," Sam said, "I still don't know how this could have happened."

They went in and found out where Eric Craig had been taken. He was one of the few survivors of the explosion so it was not difficult to find out. The usual retinue of police when someone was injured did not quite make it, seeing as most of them were still working cleanup.

"I was wondering when someone from the department would show up," the ragged Doctor said, "Not like your people to let a brother stay alone."

"There's nothing we can do for him sitting out here," Sam nodded, "We've been trying to get anyone else out of the rubble that we could."

"Your man is awake," the doctor said, "Been asking for Captain Remordis, I take it that's you?"

"That's me," Remordis nodded, "How is he?"

"Burned fairly bad, but was shielded from the worst of it by others," the doctor said, looking at the chart, "He'll be a hurting unit for a while, may lose one of those legs too. Only time will tell."

"Can we talk to him?" Stacy asked, "We really need some questions answered."

"He wants to talk to someone," the doctor nodded, "Go on in there, maybe it'll calm him down so we can work on him more easily."

"Thanks," Sam nodded, "We'll calm him down."

"Recovery room six," the doctor said, "End of the hall."

Sam and Stacy walked down there and slipped into the room. Sam waved out the nurses and Stacy locked the door behind her. Eric, who was still wandering a little from the pain medications, chuckled a little as he saw his longtime boss's face.

"You look ten years older, Remordis," Eric said, coughing a little, "I think I got the better end of the deal."

"You did well," Sam admitted, "I've been dealing with the aftermath. Do you know what caused the explosion?"

"I'm guessing that one of those idiot rioters mixed the chemicals in the wet computer," Eric said, "If there hadn't been a dozen people between me and the explosion I'd be splatter too."

"That isn't the only thing that happened," Stacy said, "Eric, what did you and Rob do?"

"That sounds like..." Eric said, "Come on over here..."

"It's me, Eric," Stacy said, "We're trying to figure out what happened."

"Jesus," Eric said, "You're still alive, Anoki? I figured the explosion would have killed you."

"Her body is in the morgue Eric," Sam told him, "She's now all the way in the Mellisa. What the hell did Rob do, Eric?"

"He did it," Eric said, his voice rasping a bit as he chuckled, "Rob was trying to do that when he saw things going sour."

"He did this on purpose?" Stacy asked him, "How?"

"Not that I'm sorry you're here, Stacy," Sam said, "But why is more to the point."

"Both would be nice to know," Stacy admitted, "What happened?"

"I don't know the science," Eric explained, "Rob pushed the power higher, increasing the connection. The way that unit works is...well...it is a sort of consciousness sharing. Evidently, Rob had figured a way to push that a bit further and break the barriers in the Mellisa's wet brain."

"Now I know that is against the law," Sam said, "Was he trying to get us shut down?"

"I don't know," Eric said, "But it worked, she's proof of that. Too bad he isn't around to know it."

"If he were still around I'd have fired him for doing it," Sam grumbled, "This is going to put our whole robotic police program at risk."

"Not to mention the legal position it puts me in," Stacy said, "Much as I like this body, I don't think I like the idea that someone could legally own me."

"I didn't know until the end just what he was doing," Eric said, "But as far as you can go, Sam, just claim that it was an accident. The equipment exploded and Rob is probably dead. No one else can know any different. Rob Homer was a lousy record keeper. Most of the files probably went kaput with floor thirteen."

"That's fine for you," Stacy sighed, "What about me?"

"I don't know," Eric coughed, "That I can't help with."

"Ok," Sam sighed, "You've told us, now stop fighting your nurses and get better. I've gotten stuck with the mess, so I'll have plenty to do. Let's get out of here, Stacy."

Stacy nodded, sighing and pushing her hair back. She still did not know what to think about all this, but she followed along with Remordis because she did not feel that she had a choice at this point. She just hoped that she could trust Remordis to do the right thing and not sell her out.

Chapter 32 – The Codemongers

"It's inventive, I'll give them that," Toshiko said as she read the signal records the control center had been receiving from the Mellisa unit's subnet array before it burned out, "They were using her as an undercover unit."

"She was designed for it," McConnell shrugged, "What was so inventive about it?"

"The way they mated the army's consciousness control system," Toshiko said, "Our people should have thought about that. It beats the horrid rendering system that they were using."

"I thought that was dangerous," Zack said, kicking back in his seat, "Too many cybernetics act problems."

"They probably either didn't know better or didn't care," Toshiko shrugged, "I'm betting the former."

"We're still going at this the wrong way," Zack said, "We're trying to figure out what they were doing. We need to find the unit itself to pry the coding out of it. The wet brain memory should have all of it."

"Right," Toshiko nodded, "Thing is, we checked out where the transponders stopped and it's nowhere to be found."

"So what were the last physical readings we had on it?" Zack said, pulling up some readings on his palmtop, "The trick shan't be the code, but in what happened to push it off the grid in the first place."

"That would be nice to know," Toshiko nodded, wondering what he was up to, "How do you expect to do that?"

"Well," Zack said, punching some numbers into it, "We know where it was last located, so we compensate."

Toshiko knew that despite her partner's occasional lapses of good sense, he could occasionally pull a good one out of his ass. She watched as he logged in to the central mainframes and accessed a database that she had almost forgotten about.

"The traffic controllers," Toshiko grinned, "This is one of the cities serviced by that contract, isn't it?"

"Exactly," Zack nodded, "We only send the stills, but the cameras always work. All we have to do is punch in some numbers..."

"And we get full motion video of any cameras in the area," Toshiko smiled, "Sometimes I think you might have a sliver of a brain."

"That's probably the nicest thing you've said to me in the time we've worked together," Zack chuckled, "Now that's the last location."

"The timing is identical to the explosion on floor thirteen," Toshiko said, "But that location is some ten miles from that building."

"And that's our missing Mellisa," Zack said, "Driving along until..."

"Look at that flash in the car!" Toshiko exclaimed, "It's as though her head exploded or something."

"And that's when it all went dead," Zack said, "The car flipped too."

"They couldn't have mistaken her for a corpse," Toshi said, "Could they?"

"Looks like they did," Zack said, forwarding a bit more, "But the plot thickens. Isn't that the guy from floor thirteen?"

"The one who lied to us," Toshiko agreed, "He knows where it is. I think we need to speak with his boss."

"Let's go check the morgue first," Zack said, "If she's still there then we could save ourselves some trouble."

"If we're that lucky, I'm buying the sushi," Toshiko grinned, "Or as you call it..."

"Bait!" Zack laughed, "Let's go..."

Chapter 33 – Backlash

"Your group is the one who started the explosion in the first place," Mayor Ray Thornton told Roger Davies, "Why don't you just give it up for one day, Roger?"

"The explosion was avoidable," Davies admitted, "But they are still up to something. Those mechanical monstrosities are nothing but trouble. They need to be removed."

"Crime is down, Roger," Thornton reminded him, "The average person trusts the mechanical cops more than they do the real thing. They are giving secure feelings to areas that have been nothing but hell holes since the 1990's. You're fighting a losing battle here."

"Until those things develop minds of their own," Davies said, "You know that they've been doing experiments..."

"None of our people have any interest in that," Thornton said, blissfully unaware of the results of the Mellisa project, "They are more useful if they aren't sentient anyway."

"I will hold you to that," Davies said, "My group isn't going away."

"I have no doubt of that," Thornton said, "None at all."

Chapter 34 – In the Morgue

"Got to love morgues," McConnell grumbled, "The smell of death permeates the whole damn building."

"Not much worse than a cybernetics lab," Shiniki shrugged, "Those wet computers can often smell worse when they break and rot. I'll take a good old fashioned human corpse over that any day."

"Too much information, Toshi," McConnell said, "Let's find the attendant."

"No stomach, eh McConnell?" Shiniki grinned evilly, "You wouldn't have lasted long in Japan."

"I'm a 100% American," McConnell agreed, "And you can take that to the bank."

"Maybe I could get enough change for a cup of coffee if I did," Shiniki quipped, "There's the attendant up there."

"Funny," McConnell said, "I'll get you later."

"Not with that repertoire you won't," Toshiko mumbled and walked up to the attendant, "Who is in charge here today?"

"Me for right now," the attendant said, looking up at the pair, "Feds, right?"

"Close enough," McConnell said, "We're looking for a body."

"Going to have to be more specific," the attendant said, "It's standing room only in there right now because of that blast up in the police tower."

"I don't have a name," Shiniki said, pulling out a file photo of the Mellisa unit, "Just a picture."

"I logged her about six hours ago," the attendant said, nodding at the photo, "She's a Jane Doe. You're the second batch that's come in to look at her."

"Who else?" McConnell asked, "This is important."

"Captain Remordis was here," the attendant said, "Along with a couple of detectives."

"Archer and Penn," Shiniki said, remembering the names from the blast site "I think they've been playing us, Zack."

"Putting it mildly," McConnell agreed, "We need to see the body."

"It's in the back, drawer sixteen bravo," the attendant said, "I'm the only one here, do you need me?"

"We'll manage," Shiniki said, "Buzz us in."

The attendant did just that and the two foundation agents walked into the back room. It was a standard morgue and the attendant was not kidding in the slightest about there being standing room only. Neither Shiniki nor McConnell were quite prepared for the reality of the sea of corpses though.

"Whoa," McConnell said, "It doesn't hit you just how nasty an explosion it was until you see this."

"There's only one body in this room I really want to see right now," Shiniki said, hardening a little to keep from shuddering, "Let's get it over with."

"I didn't know you cared," McConnell said, trying to make light of it, "But any time..."

"You wish," Toshiko said, frowning and walking over to the drawers, "Now shut up and help me open this drawer."

McConnell nodded and pulled the latch. They both pulled on the drawer and they were greeted with a nice shiny slab, as the body was not there at all. McConnell and Shiniki looked at each other and cocked eyebrows.

"Where is she?" McConnell asked rhetorically, "Where the fuck is the Mellisa?"

"There's a camera up there," Toshiko said, pointing to the security pod on the ceiling, "Let's find out."

"Good cop, bad cop?" McConnell asked her, "Your call."

"Bad cop bad cop," Shiniki grumbled, "Let's go."

They walked back to the front and were about to go and give the poor attendant hell when Toshiko saw the security office off to the side. Since most of the residents of the building were dead, the security office was unoccupied aside from the recording computer.

"You know this model?" McConnell asked her, "Maybe it can tell us something."

"I can run it," Shiniki said, "Keep an eye out."

Toshiko pulled up a chair and started hitting keys on the keyboard faster than Zack McConnell could keep up. The unit was decrepit, dating back to when Toshiko was a mere child, so it took her a bit longer than she would have liked to pull up the footage from earlier in the day.

"That's where they brought her in," Zack said, "Looks like the attendant told us the right drawer too."

"So let's forward to the next motion," Toshiko said, working the controls, "Lots of bodies being brought in... Now down to a few people again..."

"And our two detectives are back again," McConnell said, "They're going to the drawer. They are up to their ass in this, along with that other one."

"The older one is probably Remordis," Toshiko said, "Looks like they're about to look at the body."

"What's that?" Zack asked, "Looks as though something just scared... Holy shit..."

"The subnet unit is burned out on that unit," Toshiko exclaimed, "How the hell is she moving?"

"You don't think they achieved transference do you?" Zack asked her, "That would explain how she's operational without a host."

"We need to get that unit," Toshiko said, "I don't know whether there was transference or not, but we need that code."

"The lawyers can be here in an hour," McConnell said, "We just have to track down the unit."

"Make the call," Toshiko said, looking at the screen, "I'm going to go over those last readings again, see if I can figure anything out."

"Right," McConnell nodded and pulled out his phone, "Let's hope the attorneys are ready to travel."

Chapter 35 – Remordis' Folly

"So what do we do now?" Stacy asked Sam as they approached the headquarters building, "I mean there's no way for me to be reversed back."

"I have no earthly idea," Sam sighed, "I don't know how the hell I'm going to tell Thornton what happened. This is not exactly a good thing for the department."

"For the department?" Stacy said, "What about me? I mean..."

"Stacy," Sam said, "You're a robot now, I mean..."

"I'm still me, Sam," Stacy told him, "I mean, I feel like a human being still..."

"Some people won't see it that way," Sam reminded her, "I still don't know how much..."

"Don't give me that shit, Remordis," Stacy said, looking straight at her old friend, "Don't give up on me just because I was jammed into this mechanical monstrosity."

"I'm not giving up on you at all," Remordis said, "I'm just trying to figure out how to do it, that's all."

"You don't sound so convinced," Stacy grumbled, "How the hell did I get into this mess?"

"Rob Homer didn't tell either of us some things," Sam said, "Now you're the one who will have to ultimately pay for all our mistakes."

"So what is going to the Mayor going to prove?" Stacy asked him, "I mean he's a politician. He will see me as a piece of property too."

"If we're going to fight we need allies," Sam explained, "The only way to gain them is to talk to them."

"Why do I not like the sound of this?" Stacy asked, "I mean... What is going on up at the Mayor's office?"

"Shit," Sam said, "Stay low, Anoki. Let me find out what is going on."

Sam walked towards the Mayor's office, which was teeming with people. The only one that Sam Remordis recognized was Roger Davies, but he had a feeling that some of the others were going to be worse, especially McConnell and Shiniki.

"Captain Remordis," Zack McConnell said, "Thank you for bringing our missing unit back to us."

"Hold it," Sam said, "Who the hell are you?"

"I'd like you to meet Zack McConnell," Mayor Thornton said, "He and his partner Miss Shiniki work for the owners of that unit that is walking along with you."

"We've been looking for the Mellisa," Toshiko said, "She's a very valuable unit, you know."

"So what are you doing here?" Sam asked Roger Davies, "This has nothing to do with you."

"The fact that you have a unit that is supposed to be a drone walking with you says a lot," Davies said, "You lied to me."

"I did not," Remordis said, "I had no idea what happened to the unit when I talked to you."

"I am not a 'unit'" Stacy said, her eyes burning, "I am a human being."

"I beg to differ on that," Toshiko said, her eyes remaining impassive, "You are an accidental sentience in machinery. Therefore, you are not human, nor legally can you be. You must be brought into the custody of a licensed expert in cybernetic sentience."

"Which I take it you are," Remordis said dryly, "Isn't there anything we can do about this, Ray? Stacy is one of our people."

"So you admit it!" Davies exclaimed, "There was something untoward about this!"

"I never lied about it," Remordis said, "I didn't know about the transference until after the explosion."

"It doesn't matter," McConnell said, "Legally the unit belongs to us. Whoever the operator was doesn't matter, she died in the explosion."

"I matter," Stacy said, "You think I'm going to stay put for this, you're out of your mind!"

"You don't have a choice," Shiniki said, reaching in to her pocket, "Now you can do this the easy way or the hard way, Mellisa."

"I doubt you would know hard if it fucked you, ice girl," Stacy said, "Sam, you can't let them..."

"Ray," Sam said, "Come on."

"Our hands are tied," Ray Thornton said, "We have no legal standing."

"I want this unit disabled, now!" Davies exclaimed, "This is illegal and I will make sure that..."

"Shut up, Roger," Sam exclaimed and then turned to McConnell and Shiniki, "You can't do this!"

"Shut her down, Toshi," Zack said, his eyes bearing in on Remordis, "We'll reactivate her and do a cold code pull if we have to."

Toshiko nodded and pulled out a deactivation device. Stacy did not know exactly what it was, but Sam Remordis did. It was a specialized device, which could be used to shut down a droid unit. They had several of the devices for the mechanized police department.

"Sam," Stacy said, "What are you going to do."

Sam Remordis knew that he could not do anything legally, but he was not about to just up and let the ice woman shut down Stacy's only chance at living. Toshiko Shiniki started to walk past him and Remordis decided to do the only thing he could. He slipped his right foot out a little bit, causing Shiniki to stumble.

"Run," Remordis said quietly, looking straight at Stacy and then mouthed the rest, "Get out of here."

"Stop her!" McConnell exclaimed when he saw it, "Stop that droid!"

Stacy looked into Remordis' eyes, saw that he was doing all he could and took off. That was when the pandemonium started. Sam Remordis stepped over to the Mayor and shrugged as he watched Stacy make her break, running at full speed down the hallway.

"I'll chase after her," McConnell told Toshi, "Get a lockdown started."

"You got it," Shiniki nodded and then turned to Sam Remordis, "We'll deal with you later."

"Did you have to do that, Remordis?" Thornton asked him, sighing, "Davies will give us hell."

"It was an accident," Sam shrugged, "Just like what happened to Stacy. The only one who can dispute that died in the explosion."

"I hope you're right," Thornton said as he watched Stacy run, "Because if anyone finds out what really happened..."

"The rioters destroyed the evidence," Sam said, "I just hope she can get away."

Stacy Anoki, despite knowing a bit about what the body could do, was still not quite sure about what she could do to get away. She instinctively knew that she had to keep a good distance away from the girl with the shutdown device, but she was fourteen floors up and had nowhere to go.

"The building is going into lockdown," McConnell shouted, "You can't get out!"

"Watch me!" Anoki yelled and ran full blown into a wall, "You won't lock me down!"

The building had a full terrorist prevention setup and that is what Toshiko Shiniki called into play. The stairwells and the elevators stopped cold and every electronic lock in the building slammed shut. Stacy ran to the end of the hallway, trying a few doors to see if she could get out that way.

"You can't win," McConnell said, "Come on quietly, it will be a lot easier on you."

"Go fuck yourself," Stacy said, "This body is mine now."

"You don't exist, chickie," McConnell told her, "You are just an echo in the wet brain computer."

"Echo this asshole," Stacy said, looking at the window, "I'll see you in the funny pages."

Stacy arched herself and launched towards the window. She figured that the body was stout enough to survive the fall and either way it would be better than letting herself fall into the hands of those two people. McConnell tried to stop her, but his human form had nothing on the speed and agility that Stacy could pull from the Mellisa unit.

Everyone watched as Stacy's body flew into the glass, shattering the pane in the frame and popping it out of the seams. McConnell had to stop himself from tumbling out after her and could only watch as the Mellisa unit went into free fall.

"Bitch!" McConnell seethed, "We'll get you!"

Stacy did a triple flip in the air and caused many jaws to drop as she fell. She was scared, but thrilled by the feeling of free fall. The ground was coming up quickly and she got herself into a position where she would land feet first. What she didn't realize was just how big a toll gravity would take as she crashed into the pavement and kept going until she was a good two feet into the ground.

"I've got to remember not to do that again," Stacy grunted as she pulled herself out of the ruined concrete, "That was a lousy landing."

She stood up and brushed herself off and checked the flesh, which was already regenerating where it was damaged. She smiled and walked past the freaked out citizenry until she realized that police were beginning to pour out of the headquarters building. "Shit," Stacy said, "Time to make a break."

Stacy was about to begin running when she saw a delivery van on the side of the road. She slipped into the driver's seat and put it into drive, pulling out of the parking space and quickly getting out of the area.

Toshiko Shiniki and Zack McConnell looked down and watched as Stacy managed to get away. Toshiko's eyes burned with anger at the fact that the unit she had tried so hard to catch had gotten away. McConnell was impressed at the ingenuity that the unit showed, enough to begin to wonder just how much of that police officer had transferred. It was a question that would repeatedly come up over the next few days.

Chapter 36 – Repercussions

"I put the blame for this right on you," Toshiko Shiniki said to Sam Remordis, "It was your people that did this and you that was protecting her."

"At least you admit Stacy is a person," Sam said dryly, "I was trying to figure out how best to handle it."

"The Mellisa unit is not a person," Zack McConnell emphasized, though he was having some doubts, "It is a droid that has been, quite illegally I might add, given a touch of sentience. That unit is the property of our company and we want it back."

"You just want to tear her apart and find out how it happened," Remordis said, "You don't give a damn that she carries the soul of a human being."

"It is a robot," Shiniki said, "It is biologically impossible for it to have a soul."

"Tell that to her," Remordis said, "She woke up and didn't even know what had happened to her. Total recall as well. She's the same Stacy I've known for years."

"It may be an echo of the one you knew," Shiniki admitted, "But we can't have our units running around without controls. It is a rogue unit now. That makes it dangerous."

"I don't believe that," Remordis said, "Not for a minute. She didn't kill you two and probably could have done so easily."

"Ok," Mayor Thornton said, "I'm not going to dispute your ownership of the unit, especially since your legal team is well known for their prowess."

"Thank you," McConnell said, mistakenly taking it for a compliment, "Now can we come up with a plan to catch..."

"No," Mayor Thornton said, "That unit has not posed a public safety risk. I'm not going to waste our already overstretched resources to try to retrieve something that belongs to you. If you want it, you can catch it yourself."

"The unit was entrusted to your people," Toshiko said, not quite liking the way this was going, "They should help..."

"I know where you are going with this and stop," Thornton said, giving a look to Remordis to keep quiet, "The unit was sent as a test. It is not our fault your unit went rogue. You should have incorporated safeguards against that sort of behavior. It is not up to us to clean up after your incompetence. We spent two hundred and fifty million dollars with your company last year in robotic droids. You can try to hold us responsible for one test unit, or you can continue with our business. Which is it?"

"Why I ought to..." McConnell started, but was stopped by Shiniki's hand on his shoulder, "We'll catch the unit. I trust your officers will remain out of our way?"

"Provided you do not break any of our laws," Thornton nodded, "Right Captain Remordis?"

"Enjoy your stay in our fair city," Remordis smiled, thankful Thornton was giving him some room, "Mind your manners, don't litter and we'll get along just fine."

"You'll be hearing from us again," McConnell said, "And be sure that if any of your officers cover for the missing unit they will be sued for theft."

"Duly noted," Remordis said, shaking his head, "Now if you're finished threatening us..."

"Let's go, Zack," Toshiko sighed, "We're not going to achieve our goal here. Thank you for your time, Mayor."

McConnell and Shiniki walked out the door and left Sam Remordis and Ray Thornton sitting in the office alone. Remordis breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his boss, wondering what the Mayor had up his mind.

"Tell me that this mess was an accident, Sam," Ray Thornton said, "The last thing I need is an investigation into violations of the cybernetics act."

"To my knowledge, the project was designed to have a living officer in control of the body remotely," Sam told him, "I quashed the talk of moving brains around because of the cybernetics act, not to mention the physical problems that would cause."

"You really think the brain in the unit is of your officer?" Thornton asked him, "I mean, it sounds so farfetched."

"She sounds and acts like Stacy Anoki," Sam said, "You know how you know when a machine has become sentient, don't you?"

"No," Mayor Thornton sighed, "I flunked out of my metaphysical classes in school. That's why I'm a politician."

"It's when you can't tell the difference anymore," Remordis told him, "And I'll be damned if I'll let those goons tear a perfectly good person apart, just because she's trapped in that mechanical monstrosity."

"I'll back you as much as I can," Thornton told him, "But I'm not going to risk a massive lawsuit from the manufacturer. I may have calmed them for now, but the money is nothing compared to the prestige of unlocking robotic sentience. You can keep your people held back, but don't get in McConnell and Shiniki's way."

"Stacy will manage," Sam said, "She's a resourceful one."

"So long as she doesn't make herself a nuisance I'll let you keep your people out of it," Thornton nodded, "But if she does something stupid..."

"If she does that," Sam said, "I'll lead the search myself."

"Ok," Thornton sighed, "You have a mess to clean up. I have reporters to face. Want to trade?"

"Not on your life," Remordis grinned, "Enjoy the reporters, Ray."

"Fuck you, Remordis," Thornton chuckled, "Get out of here."

Remordis was happy to comply.
Chapter 37 – Anoki's Quandary

Stacy Anoki drove the van until she was outside town then parked it on a deserted back road. Her body was still a bit bloody from the jump and from the accident earlier, so she stuck to the back fields after she abandoned the stolen van. It was a pleasant day out and the walking gave her time to think.

She knew she had no chance of going back to her old life. She was trapped in a form that would never be accepted as anything other than a robot. She knew she was more than that, but it would be a long battle to get there.

She walked for an hour into the hills, enjoying the outdoors and the ability to move in them for the first time since she had been raped and injured, nearly two years before. She had made it nearly ten miles from where she dumped the van before she realized that she was not even tired.

"This is nice," Stacy said, "I guess being a robot means never getting tired."

As she continued to walk the anger continued to boil. She knew she did not deserve what happened to her. It was as if everyone were against her now, even the people she thought she could trust. The paranoia and internal turmoil that had begun with the injury were now being compounded by her current situation.

Stacy's internal turmoil was interrupted by the start of a rainstorm. The clouds had darkened and a major downpour began. She looked up and grumbled as her dark hair began sticking to her head. The rain was cold and she could detect that, but the surprising part to her was that she didn't care.

"That's a nice bonus," Stacy noted, "At least I won't be cold."

She looked around and decided to try some things with her body, seeing as it was now completely hers. She started running, putting all the energy she had into the running. She figured she got up to around forty miles an hour before she slipped and had to do a forward roll to arrest the motion.

"I like it," Stacy grinned, the power getting to her a bit, "I do so like it."

She did a mental note on the area and used an internal global positioning system function to figure out exactly where she was. She was not quite sure how she knew how to do some of this, but she wasn't arguing much. She now needed transportation, as running at forty miles an hour would be too much of a spectacle.

She jogged east, remembering that there was a small park that had long since been a haven for illegal activities during the nighttime hours. It was getting towards dusk and she was hoping to be able to figure out a way to get some cash and some transportation.

A white truck pulled into a corner of the park area just as Stacy got into the area. She looked closely at the truck and saw that there was a single person sitting in the front, but several sitting behind it. She was a bit surprised by this, as most of the forms were small.

She quietly made her way to the back of the truck, using a slow, steady pace to make sure that she was not seen. What she saw in the back of the truck was not something that she was prepared for. Four children were bound in the back; all of them beaten to some degree.

"Son of a bitch," Stacy said to herself, "A kiddie slaver."

They were rare in these times, but they still existed. Stacy had heard rumors of the sex trade happening at this park in the nighttime, but if she had heard about anything like this she would have come out sooner. Still inwardly seething from this discovery, she moved silently around the truck to look at the man in the driver's seat.

She was surprised to see a rather average looking man in the driver's seat. He was looking around nervously, but did not see Stacy standing by the passenger's side of the truck. She waited a few moments to see what he would do. He pulled out a cell phone and nervously dialed a number. Stacy listened, her hearing able to discern his side of the conversation.

"Jack," the young man said, "I have the merchandise here. Where the fuck are you?"

Stacy sighed and hated it when she was right. These kids were nothing but cattle to that man. She waited for him to finish the call and put down the phone, and then she made her way around the back of the vehicle and slid up next to the driver's side of the truck. She then pulled open the door and physically dragged the young man out.

"Hey!" the young man yelled, "What are you doing?"

"What you did to those kids," Stacy said, using her strength to hold him down, "How do you like it, asshole?"

The young man tried to fight back, but Stacy had more strength reserves and a pain threshold that far outstretched any human. Stacy used some moves that she knew when she was a cop and bound him tightly, slamming him very hard against the truck. She flipped him around and stared into his eyes, which were as empty as could be, completely devoid of emotion.

"Where did the kids come from, asshole?" Stacy asked him, "Kidnap? Selling yours? What?"

"They are little rugrats that nobody cares about," he said, growling, "Fuck em."

"No," Stacy said, "That is what will not happen today. Where did you get them?"

"Ok," the man said, "Fuck you."

Stacy punched the man in the ribs, intentionally causing as much pain as she could. She had a mission in her mind. Her own problems did not matter much at this point. Her eyes got cold and she stared down the frightened child slaver.

"I suggest you not piss me off any more," Stacy said, delivering the line as coldly as she could, "Where did they come from, asshat?"

"I bought them," he groaned, "I don't know where they came from. Don't care."

"Who were you going to sell them to?" Stacy asked him, "And what is your name?"

"I don't know the guy," the slaver said, "My name is none of your..."

Stacy finished the statement by grabbing his balls and starting to squeeze very hard. He hit at Stacy's hands, but his own flesh and bone was no match for the titanium chassis that lay under her skin. She smiled in a very cold manner and increased the pressure until he was on the edge of passing out.

"What is your name?" Stacy asked him, enjoying the power, "Now."

"Jarvis," he groaned, "Please let go..."

"When is the buyer showing up?" Stacy asked him, "Quickly!"

"He's late," Jarvis said, his face scrunched up in pain, "Not showing up... About to leave..."

"How could you do this?" Stacy asked him, "Why..."

"I am..." Jarvis gasped, "What I am... I... Can't... change... my... nature..."

Stacy was infuriated by this and wrapped her hands around his neck. She was squeezing and almost to the point where his neck was about to snap when she stopped herself. She looked at the fear in his eyes and dropped him on the ground, unable to believe that she had almost committed a cold blooded murder.

She looked hard at the pathetic wretch of a man lying on the ground in front of her. She despised him, and everything he stood for. She had to force herself from doing anything worse when she leaned over and picked him up by his shirt and stood him up, still torn over what to do next.

"Don't kill me!" Jarvis whimpered, "I'll stop..."

"No you won't," Stacy said, looking hard at him, "But you will now."

Anoki reared her arm back and rammed it straight through Jarvis's chest, pulling out his still beating heart. Jarvis shuddered as he started dying, but not before he saw what Stacy Anoki had done to him.

She then dropped the body and sat down on the edge of the dead slaver's truck. She sighed and looked at the blood on her hands. It was not disappointment in herself that caught her but the annoyance at having made such a mess.

"I've got a lot of learning to do," Stacy said to herself as she walked away, "A lot of learning."

In many ways, Stacy Anoki started to find herself that night as she walked away from the death scene. It was not something that the world was prepared for.

Chapter 38 – Shiniki and McConnell

"This is a bloody mess," Toshiko Shiniki said as they entered the hotel, "I swear that those droids will be the death of me."

"Any more close calls like that and they may be," Zack McConnell agreed, "Crafty thing for a droid, isn't it?"

"It's a droid," Toshiko said to her partner, "If it is mechanical it can be brought down."

"I just wish I shared that optimism," Zack said, sighing a little, "I've got a bad feeling about the way this is going."

"Don't you start on me," Toshiko glared as she roughly jammed the button on the elevator, "Stacy Anoki is dead. That bot simply has a bit of slippage from being tied to her for so long. It's not physically possible for a person to move into a robot."

"These machines use wet brains that aren't far off from ours," Zack reminded her, "You never know what those damned things are capable of."

"I don't believe it," Toshiko said sternly, "I used to build these things. They are robots. Good ones, able to impersonate a human for a short time, but not enough."

"Let's see what the boss's orders are," Zack said, walking into the elevator, "Despite how either of us feel about the unit, this has gone beyond us."

"Tell me about it," Toshiko agreed, "He won't be happy about this."

"He might be," Zack grinned, "The fact that the unit is capable of just that much..."

"True," Toshiko nodded and pulled out her door card, "Let's find out what they say."

They let themselves into the room and set up an encrypted video call on her iPad. It took only a minute for their boss to show up on the pad with an unhappy look on his face.

"I take it things are not going well," the boss said, holding up a newspaper, "The late editions have pictures already. I take it that the falling woman who walked away was our missing Mellisa unit?"

"We're still trying to figure out how this happened," Toshiko told him, "It might be partial transference. The locals think that the Mellisa unit contains the mind of the officer that was controlling it."

"Has it obtained sentience?" the boss asked, "Toshiko?"

"I think it is an echo," Toshiko told him, "Zack doesn't think so."

"I think she transferred," Zack confirmed, "She's too coherent to be just an echo."

"Find out," their boss said, "How much flack are the locals giving you?"

"Sam Remordis and the mayor want to support the girl," Toshiko said, "Remordis was the department head of the research group that was using the Mellisa. The Mayor doesn't want to think about it and is hoping the situation will go away."

"This is going to be a major nightmare if it comes out," the boss told them, "How are the locals doing at containing it?"

"It'll be on the news in an hour," McConnell said, "The chief opponent of the cybernetic police force was there when Mellisa made her getaway. It wasn't pretty."

"The lawsuits will be flying soon," the boss agreed, "They signed the waivers when they took the unit, so we're insulated there."

"The bad press won't help," Toshiko said, "This city is a test project for this system. Their money isn't major, but if the bad press spreads..."

"We will lose a lot more than this city," the boss agreed, "Much as I'd like to know how the transference happened we need to pull the plug on that rogue unit."

"We will need help," Zack said, "We're good, but don't have the ability to take on one of these devices hand to hand."

"If I send in a strike force then you will end up having worse media problems," the boss said, "You and Toshiko are capable of taking the droid down."

"Do we have company resources?" Toshiko asked.

"Especially the legal eagles," Zack said, "We legally own the unit, but there will be a bit of wrangling because of the cybernetics laws. The government spooks may try to take control."

"They'll be in the area," the boss said, "You two have carte blanche on this. Your job is to get that Mellisa unit under control. I don't care how long it takes."

"Comforting," Toshiko said, "Anything else?"

"Good luck and be careful," the boss said, "If transference has really occurred there is no telling what that unit is now capable of. The last time it was tried before the cybernetics act took effect the results were nasty."

"What happened?" Zack asked, "I wasn't working for the company then."

"I was there," Toshiko said, shuddering, "I still have a scar from it. Four technicians and six doctors died when the droid went nuts. It destroyed four buildings before we brought that thing down."

"Rogue droids are the worst," the boss agreed, "That's why we follow the cybernetics laws. Make sure you do as well."

The line clicked off and the image of the boss went away. Toshiko sighed and pulled her hair back. Zack smiled at her in a way that made her skin crawl, but that was usually what happened to her when they were in the same room.

"What?" Toshiko asked him.

"You are pretty when you're angry," Zack grinned, "So what do we do?"

"You are going to plow through this log," Toshiko said, tossing him the three hundred page log from the Mellisa unit, "I will go through the last code dump. We will try to find out what weaknesses this thing has so we can stop it."

"No night on the town?" Zack asked her, "No fun?"

"We're not here for fun," Toshiko told him, "Now start reading."

Chapter 39 – The Body

Patrol Officer Patrick Stalani found the body after answering the call directing authorities to the wooded area. It was by far the worst murder he had ever seen and could not wait for the detectives to take the scene off his hands. He had called it in mid-retch an hour before after investigating the abandoned car.

"You look a bit green to the gills," Detective Samuel Reyes said as he walked up, "Anyone been to the scene since you been here?"

"No one in their right mind would," Stalani said, "That body is in some bad shape. I didn't touch a thing. No one could doubt that person was really dead."

Reyes nodded and walked back carefully, trying to avoid damaging any evidence. The body was quite obviously dead. Reyes had seen a human heart in the morgue once and he was certain that he saw this victim's hanging out of the mouth.

"That's nice and disgusting," Reyes muttered, "Someone must have hated this guy."

Reyes looked around more when he heard shuffling in the back of the truck. He pulled his service weapon and cursed the patrol officer silently for not checking the area thoroughly. He went to the back of the truck and looked inside, aiming the pistol as he did so.

"Shit," Reyes sighed, putting his weapon away, "Stalani! Get special victims unit on the horn! We've got kids in the back of this truck!"

The next hour and a half was spent getting the kids out of that truck and getting the crime scene documented properly. Luckily, the day was not hot enough to start the body stinking very badly. The detectives and the crime scene investigators photographed everything until the Medical Examiner showed up to officially pronounce.

"Jesus," A.J. Dupriex said, "You needed me to come out and pronounce on this?"

"No," Reyes admitted, "But it is going to be a spectacular one so we'd best follow the book."

"Right," Dupriex said, "Good God, I haven't seen anything like this in two years."

"You've seen this before?" Reyes asked him, "This is a first for me."

"You work murders," Dupriex told him, "Last time I saw this was an accident in the artificial intelligence labs. Semi-sentient droid went nuts, rammed an arm through a lab tech."

"You think a droid did this?" Reyes asked, "Why not a strong person?"

"A human arm would shatter if it went into a body like that," Dupriex explained, "You can see where the fingers went through. Human bones can't take that much pressure. It would have left a different pattern. A droid arm could go through a cement slab without breaking a sweat."

"But how?" Reyes asked, "Don't we control the lion's share of the droids in the city?"

"We're supposed to," Dupriex nodded, "But the word is we lost a test unit after the mess at R&D yesterday. Maybe it went rogue?"

"Who is handling the floor thirteen mess?" Reyes asked, "You haven't heard that, have you?"

"Considering it happened in R&D and Remordis is still being supported by the mayor," Dupriex said, "It's a good bet that it is Bobby Archer and Kim Penn. Archer is Remordis' protégé. Word is when Remordis got control of the situation he pulled Archer and Penn out of Adam Kermit's employ immediately. They've been working that mess ever since."

"I'll go talk to them," Reyes said, "Thanks, I know Bobby Archer. I'll get Captain Kermit's OK on talking to them on this."

"Yeah," Dupriex nodded, "Run away. This is going to be disgusting."

"All yours, A.J.," Reyes agreed, "Have fun."

Dupriex made a face at Reyes as the detective got into his car and drove to the main headquarters downtown. He parked a couple blocks away, as they had not cleared the whole building yet. He flashed his ID at the front and made his way up to the guard.

"Building is closed," the guard said, "The structural engineers still haven't cleared it yet."

"That's fine," Reyes told them, "I'm looking for either Detective Archer or Detective Penn."

"They're in the investigation command room," the guard said, "Go to the building across the street, go down the hall, and it is the conference room on the right. Careful not to trip over anything."

Reyes nodded and walked across the street. The guard was not kidding, as the various conference rooms had been converted to evidence recovery rooms. The smallest one was where the maps and paperwork were being done.

"Detective Archer?" Reyes asked, "Detective Penn?"

"I'm Archer," Bobby said, stubbing out a very illegal cigarette on a piece of concrete, "Kim is cataloguing some evidence down the hall."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Detective Reyes," he said, "I need to ask you some questions."

"Who do you work for?" Archer asked, looking at him as he fired up another highly illegal cigarette, "I've been here for nearly thirty-six hours, so it had better be good."

"I work for Lieutenant Braden," Reyes said, "One of Captain Kermit's men."

"Detective third grade?" Archer guessed as he took comfort in the fact that as a detective first they would have sent someone of a higher rank to hassle him, "What brings you up here?"

"We found a body down in the park this morning," Reyes said, unsure of how to approach it, "Murder, rather brutal one."

"Ok," Bobby said, exhaling smoke as he looked at the younger detective, "What does that have to do with me? As I said, I've been up here for thirty-six hours."

Bobby Archer was inwardly chuckling a bit. He had once been a young detective like Reyes, though he had Remordis at his back to give him a backbone. He did have to wonder what was on the kid's mind.

"Take a look and see if anything stands out to you," Reyes said, deciding that's the best approach.

Bobby took the photograph series that Reyes had brought with him on the notepad computer from the digital photographs of the crime scene. It was a gruesome one, but not having been directly involved with the droid capabilities studies he didn't know what it was.

"Looks like something was shoved rapidly through his chest," Bobby said, "Not seen anything like it."

"A humanoid arm," Reyes said, "Not human, as the ME said a human's arm would shatter rather than leave a wound like this. We think a droid of some sort killed him."

"Why did you come to me with this?" Archer asked, "I don't work droids."

"Dupriex heard rumors that a droid went missing after the mess on floor thirteen," Reyes explained, "I wanted to find out if we had a rogue droid on the loose. Hundreds of people saw the woman drop out of City Hall."

"I don't know what is going on with that," Bobby said honestly, as he hadn't talked to Remordis about Anoki lately, "Leave me a set of these photos. I'll get them to the droid staff, find out if they match any known models we have in city."

"Ok," Reyes said, sending them over to Bobby's notebook computer, "I'll be on my cell."

"Right," Bobby nodded, looking at them, "Thanks kid."

Bobby Archer looked at the photographs and picked up the phone. Without thinking about it he dialed Remordis' number. Remordis was in the car driving back to his house for a change of clothes when he picked up the cell.

"What's up, Bobby?" Remordis asked.

"Problem," Bobby said, "Has Anoki gone rogue?"

"Why?" Remordis asked, "I haven't heard from her since her escape yesterday afternoon."

"Meet me at the morgue in twenty minutes," Bobby said, "Bring the Mellisa specs with you. I'll explain when you get there."

"Right," Remordis agreed readily, knowing Bobby would not ask for it unless necessary, "See you there."

Chapter 40 – A Safe House

Stacy Anoki had put miles between the murder site and herself by the time Reyes had talked to Bobby Archer on the tenth floor of the headquarters building. Her clothing was still blood caked from her injuries in the fall and from the murder so she knew she had to clean up and soon.

One of the side effects of being shoved methodically into the wet brain from her original one was that she now enjoyed total recall. Every memory she ever had was now available to her in photographic detail with a mere thought. It was slightly disturbing, but it worked to her advantage here.

She remembered a location she had heard about while working an undercover sting some four years earlier, long before she was injured. A safe house had been set up that was being run by an old man. All the men who the safe house had been set up for were in prison thanks to her sting, but the safe house had been forgotten until she needed one.

She jogged the back fields, keeping out of sight. The old man lived in a shack near the old airport, but the shack was more than what it seemed. Finding the place was easy for the droid eyes, all she had to do was find a shack with more electrical resonance than should have been coming out of it.

Once she found it she went up to the door and knocked on it. There was some startled movement inside as the old man came up and opened a port on the door to look out.

"Who are you?" the old man asked, "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to use the facilities," Anoki said simply, "You have a choice. You can let me in or you can die."

"Go away, Missy," the old man said, "You don't have any business here."

The old man closed the port. Anoki smiled and decided to test her body a bit more. She let off a solid kick to the door, shattering the bolt lock, and sending the old man flying across the shack.

"I told you what your choices were," Anoki told him, "Now how do you get into the safehouse?"

"There is no..." the old man started, but stopped when Anoki approached.

"Don't give me that," Anoki said, "You are drawing thirty times as much power as you need for that single old television. I know it is here. Where is it?"

"How did you know?" the old man said.

"I found out from your buddies who financed it," Anoki said, "Before they went to prison."

"They'll kill you," the old man said, "Me too."

"I'm already dead," Anoki said coldly, "I will find it myself after I kill you if you don't show me in five... four... three... two..."

"Ok," the old man sighed, "Controls are in the cigar box next to the bed. The bed flips up to reveal the stairs."

"Good," Anoki said, "Flip the switch. You are going to show me around."

The bed flipped up and the stairs were revealed. Anoki followed the old man downstairs and was suitably impressed. Someone had spent a good bit of money on a high dollar communications setup. Anoki had struck a gold mine in this place.

"How much are they paying you?" Anoki asked him, "And how did this get built?"

"They dug the hole using a septic installation as cover," the old man said, "They are paying the bills and keeping my sorry ass in all the booze I can drink."

"Who?" Anoki asked, "I know where I heard it. Who paid for it?"

"I don't know his name," the old man said truthfully, "I was never to know. I don't know if they have any idea that I'm still here."

"Probably not," Anoki said, "You work for me now. I'll be using this place as a safe hole. The communications equipment will be useful."

"What if they come back?" the old man asked, "I mean..."

"Then you let them in," Anoki said, "They don't know me from Adam. I'll take care of them when I return."

"Anyone who would pay for something like this is dangerous," the old man said needlessly, "I'd hate to see a pretty little thing like you die because of it."

"They can't touch me," Anoki said coldly, her eyes turning an ice blue, "If you cross me you will be just as dead as they will be."

The old man thought about the door and the force she kicked through it with. It was nothing to him if she wanted to sign her own death warrant. He figured that if she could do what she thought she could she might stand a chance.

"I don't care what you do," the old man acquiesced, "Keep me in alcohol like they do and you can do what you want here."

"Fine," Anoki said, "Go have your drinks. I'll make sure to get you alcohol when I go back to town. I need to do some research first. Is there a vehicle around here?"

"A motorcycle in the shed," the old man said, "I start it once a week to keep the battery charged."

"Good," Anoki said, "Real motor, not one of those electric suckers?"

"Yes," the old man nodded, "No tracking devices yet still perfectly legal because it's more than ten years old."

"Very well," Anoki said, "Go drink. I will be up later. Don't try calling anyone. I'll hear the phone and you won't live long enough to say a word."

The old man gulped and nodded. He was more than willing to go back upstairs and drink himself silly. It was better than spending any more time with that scary woman.

Chapter 41 – Return to The Morgue

Sam Remordis joined Bobby Archer at the morgue that he had known so well over the years. Kim Penn had stayed behind to complete the evidence catalog from floor thirteen, knowing she would not be needed for this.

"What's up, Bobby?" Remordis asked, "I assume you have good reason for this."

"We need to talk to Dupriex," Bobby said, handing Remordis the iPad, "One of Adam's third grade detectives came to me asking if we had a rogue droid. I told him that I didn't think so but figured you should know."

"You did good," Remordis said, looking at the pictures, "No 3G is going to pick this up. Dupriex had to figure it out."

"He did," Archer said, "That's why you're here."

Remordis nodded and the two of them walked into the autopsy room. Dupriex had the corpse from the park spread out and was making a cast of the wound. It was not a pretty process, considering how much damage had been done to the body.

"I figured you'd show up, Remordis," Dupriex said, "We have a rogue droid, don't we?"

"If we do it is news to me," Remordis said, "Are you sure a droid killed this man?"

"Look at this cast," Dupriex said, "A human hand print, straight through the body. Flat hand piston punch. Left handed no less. No human can do that without turning their hand and arm into a fine mush, and even then it wouldn't produce such a perfect hand print wound."

"Shit," Remordis said, "Let me see that cast."

Remordis put his hand by the finger areas and found that it was a good bit smaller than his own. He sighed and went over to the morgue computer, punching in his access code and calling up the voice prompt.

"Remordis, Samuel," he said, "Access Mellisa spec file, project Craig 127."

"Specifications accessed," the computer said, "What do you desire?"

"Life-size hand print," Remordis said, "Display on video screen."

The hand print showed and Remordis held the cast to it. He grumbled when he found them to be a perfect match. This was a development that he didn't need to have happen. Anoki had officially gone rogue.

"Shit," Remordis said again, "Did you get any DNA from the wound?"

"Yes," Dupriex said, "Neutral chromosomal DNA. It's droid covering, nothing more."

"That is useless," Remordis said, "It'll match any droid in the system. They all work off the same flesh generators."

"Right," Dupriex said, "But it confirms a droid."

"I know," Remordis said, "Who else knows about this?"

"No one," Dupriex said, "I let Reyes know my initial findings, but no one has seen the final report, mainly because I haven't written it yet."

"Don't," Remordis said, "Do your evidence, but keep that report to yourself. I don't need this hitting the public yet."

"I'll have Adam Kermit pull Reyes off the case," Bobby said, "We need time to figure out how to respond to this."

"Right," Remordis agreed, "I need to figure out how to handle this. This may have been a one-off for her. I mean I catch a kiddie slaver like this and I'd have considered it."

"It depends on what the next move is," Bobby said, "This could be nasty if Anoki loses it completely."

"So the rumors are true?" Dupriex asked, "Stacy Anoki is alive in that droid?"

"That's still debatable," Remordis said, "We don't know for sure what happened to her."

"Would you like me to do the autopsy and find out?" Dupriex asked, "Might help."

"Yes," Remordis said without hesitation, "Just keep this quiet for now. I'll inform Mayor Thornton."

"Suggestion," Archer said, "Check her psychiatric records. How well were they gone over before she was put into that program?"

"I don't know," Remordis admitted, "Eric said she was being examined, but I don't know how deeply he checked. He may have just wanted to let Anoki feel wanted again."

"Let's check it out," Bobby told him, "Kim is finishing the explosion investigation. It is looking like the idiot rioters caused it. That should keep Davies off your back for a while."

"Provided Anoki doesn't give him something to rant about," Remordis sighed, "Let's check it out. You get the records from her psychiatrist. I will go check in on Eric Craig and see whether he might be able to shed any light on things."

"Sounds like a plan," Bobby said, "Call one of us when you get those results, eh?"

"Will do," Dupriex nodded, "I'm going to get our slaver finished and back in the morgue. I doubt many people will ask too many questions. The explosion is still all over the news."

It was not much of a reprieve, Remordis thought, but it would have to do.

Chapter 42 – Contrition

Sam Remordis did not want to do what he knew he was about to do, but that did not stop him from going to city hall. Seeing the construction workers repairing the damage that Anoki had caused did not make it any easier either.

He walked into the mayor's office and knocked on the secretary's desk. She looked up with a start and paled a little when she saw the somber expression on his face knew that she'd better let him through quickly.

"He's in with Roger Davies," the secretary said, "Might want to go in there."

"Not really," Remordis said, "But I probably should."

The secretary nodded, knowing well how big a blowhard Davies was after fending him off many times for the mayor. She buzzed Remordis in to the office and tried to give an encouraging smile that neither one could share.

"...and that is why those monstrosities need to be pulled off the streets and now!" Davies finished yelling, "Rumors are that mechanical monstrosity that he..." he pointed dramatically at Sam Remordis, "released on this city has now killed at least two people. All of them need to be pulled out of service now!"

"The street droids are not sentient," Remordis said, "They accompany living officers and save lives. Who said that anyone was killed by a robot?"

"You haven't heard?" Davies said, handing Remordis a paper, "They're claiming..."

"This is a scandal rag," Remordis said, handing it back, "Their lead reporter is Stephen Thomas Derringer and he hates the department with a passion. He'd rape his own grandmother in an attempt to blame us. Notice that story has Derringer's byline."

"So it isn't true?" Davies said, "Really?"

"Really," Remordis said.

"Then what about the slaver in the park?" Davies said, "It killed him too."

"That investigation is still ongoing," Remordis said, "What makes you think the Mellisa did that?"

"Something the ME said at the scene," Davies said, "Do you have anything to say in regards to that?"

"You can have two words," Remordis smiled, "Fuck and you. Feel free to quote me on it. I've heard enough about it, thanks."

"I'll burn you!" Davies said through bared teeth, "Count on it!"

"I think this has passed the point of productivity," Mayor Thornton said, "I need to discuss some things with Captain Remordis. I don't see how a rogue droid of a different model and design from the street units means there is anything to worry about. If I believe they pose a danger, I'll issue the removal order personally."

"You'll hear more about this," Davies promised, "It will be in the papers tonight. All of it."

"If it makes you feel better," Thornton said, "Now go."

"Give my regards to old STD," Remordis said, "Hope he enjoys the scandal sheets."

Davies stormed out of the office and Thornton sat down in his chair. He was nearly as sick of Davies as Remordis was, but was not enthused by his new chief's response. Having Remordis openly hostile to Davies wouldn't make his life easier.

"That was not helpful," Thornton told Remordis, "Was he right on any of that?"

"Not on the two," Remordis said, "Unfortunately he's right on the kiddie slaver. We have pretty good evidence Anoki did it."

"Shit," Thornton said, "You screwed up. Should have let those two jackals from the manufacturer take them."

"I know," Remordis admitted, "But I still think that's Stacy Anoki in there. I just don't know if it is the Stacy Anoki I knew two years ago."

"What do you mean by that?" Thornton wondered, "What changed?"

"I don't know how well Eric screened her psych tests," Remordis admitted, "I approved the tests because Eric was supposed to have local control and be able to pull the plug."

"It didn't work like that," Thornton groaned, "So you're saying we may have a rogue droid with the personality of a potentially unstable police officer in it?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Remordis said, "Bobby Archer is tracking down the psych records now."

"Talk to Shiniki and McConnell," Thornton said, "They already know about her, they may also know how to stop her or at least track her."

"True," Remordis agreed, "I hate doing that to Anoki, but if she's dangerous..."

"Better to prepare now," Thornton said, "That way we come out smelling cleaner in the investigation that is sure to come from this."

"Right," Remordis nodded, "Know where they are staying?"

"Stradmore," Thornton said, "They left contact information."

"I'll go talk to them," Remordis said, "Probably be best."

"Suck it up," Thornton said, "It could be worse. You could have to deal with Davies again."

"Right," Remordis nodded, "Hopefully if she does go rogue she'll take him out before we take her down."

"Don't wish," Thornton laughed, "It might happen. Anyway, I'll try to keep Davies off your back. If she's the problem though, make sure that she's stopped before she can bring this town crashing down on our heads."

Remordis grunted and got up to leave. He knew he wouldn't like this, but there was little more he could do. He just hoped that Stacy would get smart and leave town. It would be the best thing she could do for them.

Chapter 43 – Schematics

Toshiko Shiniki's eyes were about ready to pop out from the excessive reading that she was doing. The code dump, pulled from the last overnight break they had before the unit went rogue, was dry reading even for a doctor of robotics as she was. Four hours straight and she was almost looking cross-eyed at the screen.

"Either they didn't do anything to the unit that is easily detectable from first read," Toshi grumbled, "Or they were brilliant and I just haven't been able to ferret it out."

"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack," McConnell said, looking up, "Only with a haystack you have something physical to look for. This is esoteric shit that only you and a half a dozen doctors in this world truly understand."

"You're just bitter that you never made it to a doctorate," Toshi said, looking at it again, "It's not that difficult if you look at it."

"I don't have the head for numbers," McConnell said, "I'm a field guy, always was. I don't know what you're doing here. You could make more in a lab."

"They need people who know it in the field too," Toshi reminded him, "Not to mention I got sick of the lab when I realized that it could be just as dangerous, if not more so, in there."

"How so?" McConnell asked, "I don't quite get that."

"Remember what I said before about being in the lab when that last droid went rogue?" Toshi asked him, "I have a special hatred for sentient droids now because of that. I still have a scar from it. I didn't know how to defend myself then. In the lab you're dependent on the people outside. In the field you're dependent on yourself. I prefer it that way. So I decided on a career change."

"And you're here now," McConnell nodded, "A bit old for field work aren't you?"

"I'm twenty-six," Toshi said, shrugging, "I'm in better shape than you are and smarter too. I graduated young."

"You're feisty," McConnell grinned, "I like that."

"Yeah," Toshiko said, grumbling inwardly, "Well you can continue wading through that. I'm going to go have a drink downstairs and let the information I've read process."

"I'll go with you..." McConnell started and then saw the look on her face, "On second thought, I'll stay here."

"Good move," Toshi nodded and put on her jacket, "I'll be back in an hour or so. Give me a summary on what you've read when I get back."

Toshiko Shiniki walked out of the room and took the elevator down to the hotel lobby. Being in the field didn't pay as bad for her, due to her education and training, as it did for Zack McConnell.

The company also paid the bill for them to stay at a first-class hotel, so the food and drinks were always good. Better than the toasted cheese sandwiches she'd often made during her long hours in the lab when she was younger. She sat down at the bar and ordered a shrimp appetizer and a Mai Tai, still her favorite drink.

It was more than just the work going to her mind. It was the old memories that the work brought back. Even with the first alcoholic drink all she could do was remember the events that brought her to this station in life, a field agent doctor that did not even particularly like androids, let alone want to work on them anymore.

She had not confided to McConnell that it was not so much the lab accidents that pushed her out to the field but the death of her long term lover. It was he that had kept her going, a brilliant man some twenty years older than she. His love for the field of robotics had rubbed off on her during an undergraduate course he had taught and he guided her through the years until she obtained her doctorate.

It was a love story for her, they both worked on the sentient computer that was his passion, the great love of his life. When he was there on the project that achieved the first sentient artificial intelligence in a mainframe, she shared his joy at it. It was when they started working on the first brain switch things started getting bad.

She saw the change in him quickly and started being disenchanted with the way it was going. He became obsessed with the physical beauty and the sentience that went into it. She watched him get closer and closer to the AI and further and further from her.

She was on her second Mai Tai by the time that she made her way back to the memories of that awful day that changed her forever. They feverishly had been working to beat the deadline imposed by the cybernetics act to try push a human essence into a cybernetic brain in a droid body. That day ended her love of robotics forever as well as ended the life of her long time lover.

It was a beautiful day outside, so of course they were in the lab. They were nowhere near ready to try what they were about to try, but the cybernetics act was less than four hours from becoming the law of the land. Their research would be for naught as it was about to become completely illegal.

Toshiko, the youngest member of the team and only two years outside having received her doctorate, did not want to do the transfer. She had been urging her lover to stop for a long time, but he was a man possessed.

They waited until just before they ran out of time to do the transfer, but when it happened, it worked better than they had hoped. The brain being transferred belonged to a killer that had been condemned. Unfortunately, the unbalanced mind went ever madder through the only half-successful transfer.

Toshiko shuddered as she thought about the following hours. She was wounded in the first round, barely making it out before the enraged droid killed most of the crew. Her lover, having dreamed of this moment, managed to survive it long enough for his creation, his passion, to slaughter him like a lamb on the altar.

By the time she recovered the program had been swept under the rug. The foundation had removed the traces of the droid and of several of the more prominent workers. Toshiko, though still willing to work for the company in other respects, never went willingly into a laboratory again.

She was halfway through the appetizer and the third Mai Tai when a tap on the shoulder brought her back into the real world. Captain Samuel Remordis was standing there looking at her as she brought her mind back to the present.

"What brings you here, Captain?" she asked him, a bit unhappy to have been brought out of her memories, "I thought you made your distaste for us apparent in City Hall yesterday."

"Things change," Remordis said, "So do situations."

"The Mayor put you up to this?" she wondered.

"I'm fulfilling a promise," Remordis said, "I told him that if it gets out of hand, I'll lead the search for her myself."

"Who did it kill?" she asked him, "That's the only thing that would have brought you to me."

"Kiddie slaver," Remordis said, "I'm still not convinced that it isn't Anoki, but I'm not convinced that it is the Anoki I knew either."

"Why would she kill a kiddie slaver?" she wondered, "Not that the slaver didn't deserve it for existing, but why would she go after him?"

"I'm betting it was opportunity," Remordis said, "She's on the run and doesn't know who to trust. In her situation there may not be anyone to trust."

"Again," Shiniki said, "Why come to us?"

"Mutual cause," Remordis said, "If she's going to do things like this we can't leave her out. You want her off the streets as bad as I do in that case."

"You won't dispute our custody of the droid?" Shiniki asked, intrigued as to whether the offer was genuine, "Or the fact that we'll need to deactivate it?"

"That's provided we can stop her," Remordis said, "Where's your friend McConnell?"

"He's reading upstairs," Shiniki told him, "I don't know if I can trust you, but I'd like the city's cooperation in this. It will make life easier."

"For us as well," Remordis nodded, "The only experts I had on how that unit works are dead. They all perished in the explosion on floor thirteen."

"All of them?" Shiniki asked, surprised, "How many were there?"

"We had a number of people of people good with the robotics aspect," Remordis said, "But the only one who understood the interface was Rob Homer."

"So that's where he ended up," Toshiko said a few badly needed pieces clicking into place, "No wonder she went into the wet brain."

"You knew Rob?" Remordis asked her.

"He used to work for my employer," she said, nodding, "He was let go when the cybernetics act went into effect. His major goal was to merge wet brain technology and the human mind."

"Figures," Remordis grumbled, "Wish someone had told me that before. I'll have to ask Eric about that when he gets better."

"Who is Eric?" she asked him, sensing it was a name she should know.

"Eric Craig was my right hand," Remordis said, "Another refugee from the undercover program. Rob worked directly for him, but Eric didn't understand everything about what was going on. None of us did."

"It would take a double doctorate to do so," Toshiko sighed, "Rob is a triple. Biology, robotic and organic computing."

"Was," Remordis told her, "Rob died on floor thirteen as well. Eric told me in the recovery room that he did some form of consciousness sharing and increased the power."

"I'm a doctor of robotics," Toshiko said, "I don't know that end as well as McConnell does. He has a masters in Bio-Computer Science. If we can get notes from your man we can figure out how he did it."

"I thought the goal was to stop her," he said, wondering where her priorities really were going, "Not to figure out how to do it again."

The answer Toshiko gave surprised him.

"If we learn how he did it," Toshiko said, "We can learn how much information transferred and how much of her essence that machine really holds."

"Ok," Remordis admitted, "That could be useful. How bout I buy you a drink and then we'll go talk to your partner about it?

"That works," Shiniki nodded, realizing she could use another one before going to see Zack again, "Another Mai Tai please."

"Russian Quaalude please," Remordis said, "Make it a double..."

While Toshiko Shiniki and Sam Remordis had their drinks Stacy Anoki pulled up on the motorcycle outside the hotel. She parked it in the alley for ease of exit and kicked the stand so she could leave it be.

Her intelligence was limited, but the booking computer networks had placed McConnell and Shiniki there and they were the most likely people to have detailed specifics on what her body was capable of and if there were any ways to track her.

She knew that if she was going to be able to get anything done she would have to know her limitations. It was one of the things that Remordis had ingrained into her head during the years she worked in the undercover division.

She knew that the droid manufacturer would come after her. She also knew that the police were not going to remain neutral for long. Remordis was an old friend and lover, but he would not condone going for illegal tactics on the level she was contemplating. The politics would be too hot for anyone, even someone as solid as Samuel Remordis.

She entered the hotel and walked past the front desk. She had spent two years in a wheelchair, but remembered what it was like to be young and pretty enough to use the body she now inhabited to its fullest.

Stacy was pleased to see that it was easier to keep her attention focused without the confines of her previously all-human form. She noticed everyone and filed them away in the nearly endless data reaches of her memory.

The wet brain contained enough neural pathways to remember every piece of data she could watch in a million years, so she figured that any piece of information could come in handy someday.

The odd occurrence for her was when she heard familiar voices coming out of the bar. She was mildly surprised to be able to pick out his voice from among the dozens in the bar, but Sam Remordis was one of the few people she had spoken directly to after waking up.

"So you decided to join them," Anoki said, sighing just a little, "Very well. I should have expected it. I'm nothing but a hunk of robotics to you. Let's prove what a pile of robotics can do."

She smiled and waved a little, letting Remordis see her. It took only a moment for him to realize what he was seeing. His face paled and he knew that nothing good was going to happen.

"Shit!" Remordis swore, "She's here!"

"What?" Shiniki said, turning around, "You sure?"

"You don't forget a body like that," Remordis said, proving himself very male, "She's heading inside."

"Zack," she said, "I can't think of any other reason why she'd be here."

"Let's go," Remordis said, "Maybe I can talk some sense into her."

"Let's hope," Shiniki sighed, "Because it won't be pretty if you don't."

Anoki knew she had started a race, but also knew that neither one of them would be able to get up the stairs a tenth of as fast as she did. Remordis and Shiniki knew this as well and headed directly to the elevator, which they luckily caught as someone walked off.

"She's got guts coming here," Shiniki said, "I can't figure out why she'd come after us."

"Intelligence," Remordis said, "She's treating this like a mission. The first thing you get is intelligence, which since you are her primary opposition would be on you and on herself."

"She doesn't know what she's capable of," Shiniki said, "Does she?"

"At least you're referring to her as if she's alive," Remordis said, "That's a step in the right direction."

"I don't want to underestimate her," Shiniki responded, "I don't think she's human, but I'm not going to discount the idea that she's fully sentient until I have proof otherwise."

Stacy Anoki, going full tilt up the stairs, made it to the top before the elevator had made it halfway through. She went to the elevators and decided to slow Remordis and Shiniki down a bit. She forced open the doors and let off a powerful kick to the cable.

"What the hell was that?" Remordis said, surprised, "She isn't..."

"She is," Shiniki said, petrified, "She's attacking the wires."

Anoki managed to break the cable with a solid kick. The elevator itself slid down a foot until the brakes locked it into place, but its upward motion was completely halted in the shaft.

"That should hold you," Anoki said as she walked towards the suite McConnell and Shiniki shared.

"That was not good," Remordis said, sighing with relief that Anoki had just disabled the elevator, "She broke the cable but the brakes have got us."

"We're still stuck here," Shiniki reminded him as she turned on the alarm, "She won."

"Only if we don't get out in time," Remordis said, "Let's get these blasted doors open. Do you have a nail file on you?"

"I don't use them," she said, handing him a large pocket knife, "This should do the trick. You're taller than I am so you should be able to open the doors."

Remordis smiled and nodded. It was too bad he had to meet Shiniki under these circumstances as she reminded him a lot of Stacy Anoki, at least the way Anoki had been before the injuries.

While Remordis and Shiniki were trying to get out Anoki was not wasting any time. She was not stupid about what would happen. She knew that the elevator stoppage was going only to delay their arrival a little. She hoped to get the information she wanted and to leave before that happened.

Anoki kicked in the door to the room and sent it off the hinges. This sent McConnell up on his feet and looking for his weapon. Of course, Anoki knew that the basic weapons he had wouldn't be any use and that she would have an easy time with just him alone.

Anoki walked in with purpose and went up to him, knocking the popgun out of his hand and picking him up as if he was a rag doll. McConnell recognized the Mellisa unit and gulped audibly, knowing he was at the machine's whim.

"What do you want?" McConnell asked her, his voice shaky, "Why are you here?"

"Schematics," Anoki said, "Tracking devices. That sort of thing. You may be too stupid to know the knowledge I need, but your bosses wouldn't have sent you out here without detailed manuals. Where are they?

"I don't know what you mean!" McConnell protested loudly, praying for Shiniki's return, "I just represent them..."

"I read your record," Anoki said, "Their personnel computer is remarkably easy to crack when you are running a wet brain with four hundred teraflop per second processing capability. The encryption in there is amateurish.

"I'll make a note," McConnell said dryly, "I know wet brains. Why would I need docs?"

"You do not have a photographic memory," Anoki said, "I do. Where is it?"

To accent her point she broke one of McConnell's ribs. He screamed from the pain, but still held back a little. She threw him roughly onto one of the beds and started searching for computers, finding their powerful laptops open on the room's desks.

"There we go," Anoki said, accessing McConnell's open laptop, "Let's strip it..."

The new laptop computers with multi-terabyte flash drives took a while to search through and drain. Again, she wanted the ability to know what they were going to do, so she raped the computers of every stretch of data.

Remordis only had to try four times and let off a dozen obscene words to get both sets of doors open to the elevator. Anoki had managed to get them trapped between floors, so it was a bit of a climb to get out. Remordis offered a hand and Shiniki crawled out.

"Now stair climbing," she said, smiling, "You up for it?"

"No," Remordis admitted, "But let's do it."

McConnell knew he had to do something. He went over to Toshiko's luggage to pull out the droid deactivator that she'd been carrying. Knowing he had to stop the unit quickly he made a rush at her with the pointed device that looked ominously like android death.

"I don't think so," Anoki said, taking the deactivation device and pulling it out of the young man's hand, "This is not nice. So this is what you want to use on me?"

She lifted him up by his throat and bared her teeth. Some of the baser instincts were still there and his ineptitude really annoyed her. This wasn't a clear case like the kiddie slaver was. She didn't know whether she could kill him like this.

"Let me go," McConnell groaned, "Let me go..."

Remordis and Shiniki made it up the stairs just in time to run in and find this standoff happening. Anoki looked over at them and scanned them for injuries. Finding none and knowing that she had the deactivation device she felt safe enough to talk.

"Let him go, Stacy," Remordis said between pants, "It isn't worth it."

"I should be surprised to see you here, Sam," Stacy said, "But I'm not. Why shouldn't you join them? It is expedient. Just like letting the case of my rape and beating go cold."

"We didn't want to let it go cold," Remordis said, "You know that. There was nothing to go on."

"Not then," Anoki admitted, "But things are different now."

"Being a killer will not help your case," Remordis said, "The kiddie slaver we can cover up. This is going to be a whole different ball of wax."

"They want to kill me," Anoki said, as she thought about it, "How is this not self defense?"

"He can't do anything to you now," Remordis said, "We need to discuss this rationally."

"I remember a story," Anoki told Remordis, looking him in the eye, "About a man who didn't come in from the cold when told. He brought a crime syndicate down by force and by throwing its leader off a building. Sometimes saving the world takes a little fire."

"This isn't that world anymore," Remordis said honestly, "He isn't Freddie Pena and you aren't Mike Miller."

"Right," Anoki said, the harsh look not leaving her face, "At least a crime lord admits he is slime. Compared to your legal slavers here who would take me in and test on me for eternity."

"We can work something out," Shiniki said, "This can't happen like this."

"It is happening like this," Anoki said, "I'm going after them Sam. If I'm no longer legally a human then your laws no longer bind me as one. I am going to follow my own law. You're welcome to help me if you like. If you don't, then you'd best stay out of my way."

McConnell wiggled, trying to get air but he was suffocating. Shiniki saw this, but Anoki did not care. He managed to reach out and pull the deactivation device away from her and try to jam it into the Mellisa unit's abdomen.

"I don't think so," Anoki growled, taking the unit away, "Let's see how you like having this shoved in your stomach!"

"If you do that I can't help you anymore," Remordis said harshly, "You kill him and we will burn you."

"You can try," Anoki said and made the decision that would decide her future in a nanosecond, "He won't be able to."

Anoki rammed the device through McConnell's abdomen with her arm. Remordis clenched and knew that the Anoki he knew was irrevocably gone. Shiniki looked for an escape, but at that point police officers started coming into the room having heard about the commotion.

"And now..." Shiniki started as she went for the backup unit.

"And now I've got to go," Anoki said, sprinting towards the window and crashing through, doing a perfect dive and going through a similar window one floor down in the next building. Shiniki went over to her fallen partner as Remordis went over to the window.

Chapter 44 – A New Alliance

Remordis knew that firing at the fleeing android would be pointless so he holstered his weapon. He knew now that Anoki was no longer the woman he knew and that he would have to help destroy her. He walked over and knelt down with Shiniki and McConnell.

"Call 911," Toshi shrieked. She didn't like McConnell much, but didn't want to see him die either.

"Not going to help," McConnell said as he coughed, "I'm dead..."

"He's right," Remordis said, "What did she want, Zack?"

"Computers," McConnell managed to mumble, "Schematics."

"Oh shit," Toshiko said, immediately remembering what their laptops carried, "She raped them, didn't she?"

"To the bone," McConnell nodded, "In seconds."

"What was on the computer?" Remordis asked.

"Everything we had," Toshiko said, turning her computer on, "Schematics of the unit, last transmissions, every scrap of information we had on your program."

"How did you get the transmissions?" Remordis asked, "We don't even have those now that the servers are gone."

"Part of the contract," She said, "We can tap into whatever you broadcast over subnet. That's why we give the units for free."

"Toshi," Zack croaked, "Come here..."

Shiniki went back to her fallen partner, annoyed because she would be left alone but sorry he was dying. She did not like him but did not wish that on anyone. She bent closer so that she could hear his increasingly weakening voice.

"Don't underestimate her," Zack said, "She's crafty. Assume she is who she says she is. That's the only way you will catch her."

Remordis nodded and watched Shiniki. She nodded silently and watched Zack McConnell die slowly over the next few minutes. Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them out. She did not cry over her lover when the machine killed him several years before. She refused to cry over McConnell now.

"We need to stop her," Remordis said, putting his hand on her shoulder, "The city will help however we can now. I was hoping she'd retain her good sense and leave the city. It seems that isn't in the cards."

"Now I'm working alone," Toshiko grumbled, "The boss won't like this."

"The mayor and the council will go batshit once they hear about this," Remordis said, "Which gives us another obstacle."

"What makes you think I'm willing to join you now?" Toshiko asked him, "With my partner lying dead on the floor from the robot that supposedly claims to be your friend?"

"Easy," Remordis said, "You are alone in a city you don't know facing a droid that contains knowledge that you don't have. Your company cares more about its contracts than its employees and you know that we're the best shot you have at stopping Anoki before she can kill anyone else."

"You admit now she's dangerous," Toshiko said, reluctantly admitting he was right, "I don't want to see that droid let loose on a whole city."

"Me either," Remordis nodded, "I'm quite obviously going to have to do something about it now before Anoki tears this city apart."

"We both have calls to make," Toshiko said, "Let's make them."

Remordis and Shiniki made their calls and endured their respective ass chewings from their bosses. In Remordis's case, the Mayor told him that whatever he had to do to get Anoki stopped was fine so long as he did it quickly.

In Shiniki's case, it was tacit acceptance of the idea. With McConnell's death the company knew they were going to be pushed hard to stop it and knew that Shiniki alone would not be much use so they gave her the go ahead to work with the police.

"You in or out?" Remordis asked her when she got off the phone.

"In," she told him, "They're reacting like I thought they would. They're letting me work with you to engender some goodwill and in hopes that you'll get her before the news goes public."

"Ok," Remordis nodded, "We'll let the B team clean up this mess. Let's take those laptops and make a base somewhere a bit more secure."

"Preferably somewhere Anoki didn't know," Shiniki said, "I'm not convinced full transference occurred, but until I can prove it didn't I'm going to assume it did."

"Good idea," Remordis agreed, "Either way we're in trouble."

"Not for a bit," Shiniki said, "It is going to take her time to sort through that data, even if she understands it all."

"Let's hope you're right," Remordis said, a bit weary, "Because I could use a little sleep."

Chapter 45 – New Abilities

Stacy Anoki made it back to the shack without any problems and found the old guy there. She checked the phone with infrared and saw that he had not touched it recently. A quick check of the facility, compared with her old memories of it, showed that nothing had changed.

"I didn't report," the old man said, "They'll kill me for letting you in. You'll kill me for reporting. I figure that if I stay out of the way you might well kill each other and I may live through this."

"Smart move," Anoki nodded as she put his box of booze on the table, "I will be down there for a while. See that I'm not interrupted. If anyone comes in they will die. Period."

"I won't be risking it," the old man agreed, "Good night."

Anoki closed herself up in the communications center and took a few moments to catch up on the local news. Whoever had designed this place had done a good tap into the national Internet network, one that was well shielded from outside tracking. She quickly browsed the Internet sites and the television channels, sucking in any information she could.

That was one advantage of her new form. Information was absorbed rapidly, and she could process it faster than a dozen humans put together. She knew that Remordis wouldn't stay idle for this. She had slightly hoped for his support, but knew that she wouldn't get it now. Killing McConnell closed that door for good and she knew it.

While her eyes were absorbing information for future use she went through the data she had pulled from the company laptops carried by McConnell and Shiniki to figure out what this body was actually capable of doing.

It was dull reading, but another side effect of this was that she read it and quickly absorbed it so that it didn't bother her. Besides, what the body she was wearing was capable of simply amazed her. She knew she could jump high, run fast, and survive falls that would kill people, but the sheer processing abilities would make the average data center blush.

It was the regeneration capabilities that really surprised Anoki. She knew the flesh could heal, it had healed admirably after the falls had broken it, but the way it was kept alive was simply ingenious. Instead of relying on standard food, water and oxygen the unit was completely self-contained. The body contained several weeks worth of all minerals and nutrients stored in tubes in the torso. Not to mention she could eat just about anything to replenish these, especially organic material.

"Good," Anoki said, "This unit is designed to spend weeks at a time undercover. That means I can do more than any of the humans can."

What made more interesting reading for her was the manufacturer's case studies of transference, all dated from before the official ban took place some three years prior. Some of it was disjointed, but most of it made more sense to her than it ever did to the scientists studying the phenomenon.

She knew that changing mediums, especially an analog medium like the human brain, was not a particularly easy thing to do. All previous cases started expanding and/or losing themselves as they became more like the machine they were in. Some of this was simple loss of self and some of it was changing. She was not sure which way it would go for her.

"I need to save some memories," Stacy said, looking into herself, "If I start losing myself I can't lose the mission. I need to find those cretins."

Stacy read more and decided she had a more important job to do for a bit. All her old memories were fresh but hard to sort through. She was doing an instinctive job of it, which was like having a collection of books with no way of categorizing them so you can find them again.

She knew that she'd need concentration, so she set a part of the wet brain's parallel processing power to keeping an eye on her surroundings and delved in to her thoughts to begin categorizing them so she would be able to bring up any memory she wished no matter what happened.

Chapter 46 – Psych Results

Sam Remordis and Toshiko Shiniki walked into the old precinct building and turned on the lights. The building held memories for Remordis, as it had been his home precinct for years when he was in homicide.

"When was the last time this building was used?" Toshiko asked him, "It looks like a derelict."

"They closed it down when the robotic program started last year," Sam said, "We built a new building on the edge of the precinct that housed both this one and the one next door. The city still owns this building and uses it for storage now."

"So why are we here?" she wondered.

"Easy," Sam said, "The upper floors are still furnished, the security systems still work and Stacy never worked here so she'll never think to check here. Not to mention the press thinks this is a dead building so they'll think we're storing cars here."

"Smart," Toshiko agreed, "Everyone else know where this is?"

"The mayor will find it and the others worked here with me," Sam shrugged, "Let's go get some heat turned on so we can get this moving."

By the time Remordis found and dusted off his old desk Shiniki had figured out the controls on the old thermostat and gotten the old furnace pumping heat. Bobby Archer and Kim Penn walked up the stairs and sat down in their old seats.

"Glad to have you back," Sam said to the others, "Meet Toshiko Shiniki. She works for the droid manufacturer. She'll be able to give us a clearer picture of what Anoki is physically capable of."

"Who else are we waiting for?" Kim asked, "And how many people are we including?"

"I want to keep it small," Sam said, "A full on police blitz will do little but get people killed. There are other ways to track Anoki and it will take a specialist to take her down."

"I can track her," Toshiko assured them, "It will take time and some equipment."

"That leaves me out," Bobby said, "I can barely type, let alone help with that."

"I'll help some," Kim said, "And if you can pull Eric out of the hospital he will help too."

"I brought those psych profiles," Bobby said, remembering what he had, "Since I'm useless at the tech end I can go through them."

"Let's get this place set up," Sam said, "You all, except Shiniki, know how to work a serial killer investigation since you were in the department when Miller was dealing with Sleeping Beauty. I want this place set up with maps and notes and documented the same way. She's got to be hiding somewhere."

"She will need to rest," Toshiko told them, "The wet brain itself can go for days, but the personality end will need to rest or she'll go psychotic."

"What if she already is?" Kim asked.

"Then God help us all," Toshiko said simply, "And pray she doesn't tear this city to bits."

"I don't think I like the sound of that," Mayor Thornton said as he walked in, "How bad a mess has your rogue droid caused, Remordis?"

"Two dead that we know of," Sam told him, "I think she will go after the group that nearly killed her in the first place."

"That's not a good thing if she's that single focused," Thornton said, "I would also prefer not to have my city destroyed in the process."

"That's why we're here," Sam replied, "We are the best people to deal with this. We just need someone that can do a good job with the press."

"I'll stall on my end," the Mayor said, "Stop her before we have to do much more than that."

"We've got problems," Bobby said as he glanced through the psych files, "Whoever cleared her for street duty was an idiot."

"Why?" Remordis asked, surprised, "She was a good agent before."

"The injuries warped her mind," Bobby said, "Badly. We're going to need to profile her."

"I'll have to help with that too," Toshiko said, "Since I know a bit about the transference phenomenon."

"I'm going to go to city hall," Thornton said, "Do what you have to do. Stop that rogue robot before she kills again."

"So what assignments do you have for us?" Kim asked as the mayor prepared to leave, "I guess we're back to a committee setup."

"You're going to continue to head up the R&D investigation," Remordis said, "I want to know what the rioters did and you're the most by the book person I know. If someone looks at the investigation, I want it to be clean and say as little about Anoki as possible."

"And me, boss?" Bobby asked.

"We're back to basics," Remordis told him, "You're going over every lead and every cold trail on the undercover massacre two years ago. She's going to be doing so as well and given what she did to Toshiko's partner her methods will likely be brutal. Toshiko, you and I are going to try to figure out what the hell Anoki is capable of. I knew her best out of us and you know the cybernetic end."

"We'll need more information on how this happened," Shiniki said, "I'll need to talk to any survivors as well."

"We can do that," Remordis said.

"This is going to be fun," Bobby grumbled, "I don't even know how to begin. I ran out of leads on that mess two years ago."

"At the beginning," Remordis said, smiling, "I'm going to go to central files and get all the massacre night records. Bobby, you go get the evidence from the vault."

Chapter 47 – Intelligence Gathering

Stacy Anoki finished her thought reorganization after nearly four hours of processing. For a wet brain processor that was an inordinately large amount of time to do anything, but Stacy knew she had to be careful. This was still a new process to her but one that was worth it. She now had instant recall to any memory from her previous life as well as image recognition and sound recognition.

"Now for a test," Stacy said to herself, "Let's see whether I can reproduce any of these voices."

She used a recording device that was in one of the machines in the basement as a test to make sure she was hearing things as she thought she did. It took a few tries, but found she could reproduce, accurately, any of the dozens of voices that she remembered.

"Perfect," Stacy smiled, "Now let's go put this to work."

She walked up into the shack and saw that the old man was passed out on what passed for a bed in the old shack. She did not wake him up, just walked out and started the old motorcycle.

Now that she knew more about what her body was capable of doing she felt better about going after the people who hurt her in the first place. She knew that Remordis and company would be coming after her now, but she also figured that they would do their best not to publicize it.

She rode the bike to the cleaners that most of the uniformed officers used to dry clean their uniforms. Rather than go in the front she parked it behind and decided to use a bit of stealth to get what she needed.

Her fingers were equipped with magnetic actuators that she just had to manipulate properly to undo a simple lock. Since most people paid with credit cards nowadays, they did not need the most expensive locks on the market for a simple dry cleaning store.

A quick motion and a thought opened the deadbolt and she slipped into the back of the store. Finding more than a few uniforms it did not take long to find one that belonged to a young female patrol officer that was roughly her size. She took the clothing and set out to leave the way she came.

"Hey!" someone shouted, "What are you doing back here?"

"Taking what I need," Anoki said, "Go back up front if you don't want to get hurt."

She heard the unmistakable sound of a cocking shotgun and the clerk came into the back. Stacy sighed, as she really did not want to leave a string of bodies where they were unnecessary.

"You really think that scares me?" Stacy asked him, "Put that thing away before you shoot yourself."

"You die first," the clerk said, "What's the percentage in that."

Stacy made a show of raising her hands and then let off a precision kick that broke the clerk's arm and made him unable to shoot. She then quickly grabbed the weapon and aimed it at the Clerk's head.

"I don't think so," she said quietly, "Now be satisfied that I only broke an arm. Are you going to fight anymore?"

The clerk groaned in pain and managed to nod affirming that he wouldn't try to fight anymore. Stacy smiled softly, quickly reversed the weapon and let a precision blow to the base of the clerk's skull, one that would merely disable him for a few hours and leave him with a headache.

She left quickly and took the shotgun with her, seeing that it could be a useful thing. She put it in the bike's rear carrier, which had been designed to hold something that large. She thanked her lucky stars that those criminals had been such good planners.

She quickly dressed into the blue uniform and manipulated her flesh a little to fill it out properly. That was another thing she learned from the schematics, how to tell her flesh generator how to increase or decrease her girth by up to three or four inches.

She parked the motorcycle in a lot a block away from the cleaners and looked for a police officer. She saw one pulling up next to a car to get a look at an illegally parked vehicle. Stacy walked up to her and looked the young officer over.

"Who are you?" the officer asked, "I thought I was the only one working over here."

"I'm Officer Anoki," she said, "My car broke down over on second, blasted jolt took the full electrical system with it. Figured I'd run into one of you eventually."

"I hate these vehicles too," she smiled, "I can take you back to my precinct. They'll get this sorted out."

"Thank you," Anoki said, "I'm sick of walking."

The young officer wrote a full ticket and sat down in the driver's seat. Anoki looked around and made sure that no one was looking and let off a perfectly aimed shot to the base of her skull, just weak enough to knock her out and too weak to kill her.

"Sorry kid," Anoki said, pushing the unconscious officer into the back, "I need your car for a bit."

She quickly cuffed the officer and used the electronic tinting system to make it very hard to see inside the vehicle. It was only a few moments before her service radio came active asking where the officer was going.

"Six Adam thirty reporting in," Anoki said, using a perfect replica of the young woman's voice, "Looking for a purse snatcher I saw running down the street. Will be back on route in a few if I can't find him."

"Carry on," the dispatcher said.

Anoki did some work on the vehicle's tracking system and used the saved route from the previous day to fool the departmental computers. This freed her from the constraints of the young patrol officer's route.

She drove the vehicle to a smaller office, some two blocks from the main headquarters downtown. It was more of a warehouse than a police station, but it was one that held the things she needed access to more than anything else now.

She walked in and showed her stolen ID at the desk to get inside. Getting in the first door without raising an alarm was the hard part for her, which was why she had taken the uniform and car in the first place. She wanted to commit as little damage as she could because it would delay getting the whole force put out on her.

"Where are you going?" a middle aged officer asked, "You look a bit out of place here."

"Need to put in some evidence," Anoki said, "Was ordered to do it today. I got roped in to preserve chain of custody when the detective got another call."

"Right," the officer said, not quite believing it, "Go to the desk on the left side. They'll show you the paperwork to fill out."

She headed in that direction and scooted through a door to get away from prying eyes. It did not take her long to make it out into the main hallway, where she looked for someone that would have access to the main storage facility.

Anoki then saw a higher ranking officer, one that she remembered from classes at the academy was charged with running the evidence warehouse that the city used to keep every piece of evidence from every active, cold, or semiactive investigation the city. She knew he would have the card ID she needed and walked over to him.

"Good morning," Anoki said, hiding her intentions behind a bright cheery smile, "How are you today Captain?"

"Fine officer," he said, "Where are you heading?"

"Storage," she lied, "Not sure where it is from here though."

He did the natural human instinct thing and turned around to get his own bearings. Like most men that Stacy had walked by they had been paying more attention to her physical assets than they had been where they were actually going. She used this to her advantage and as he looked around she deftly pulled his wallet. The increased dexterity in the robotic fingers allowed her to do this without him even noticing.

"It is down the hallway to the right," he said, receiving a nod from her.

She made her way towards the storage area and deftly pulled his ID card out of the wallet, putting the rest of it back in her pocket in case she needed it. It took her no time at all to enter the guarded area inside the building. The initial door used the keycard and a voice recognition, which she could bypass easily just having talked to the man for a few seconds.

"Hey!" the guard at the desk inside said, seeing Anoki, "You're not Ray!"

"No," Anoki said, jumping over the desk to keep him from sounding the alarm, "I'm not."

She picked him up, her mechanical arms being by far stronger than anything the guard could resist. The guard thought he was dead until he realized that he was Anoki's only way into the rest of the center.

"Kill me and you'll never get inside," the guard rasped.

"I know," Anoki nodded, "Open the door and don't release any alarms. I will hear them and you will die before I do."

The tone of her voice and the strength she had already showed told the guard that she was not kidding. He went over and pressed his part of the system, revealing the keypad that was the last link in the line.

"What is the code?" Anoki asked him.

"I don't know it," the guard says, "I never leave this part of the room. The cardholder has their own security code."

Anoki cursed, she did not want to bring the whole building down on her before she could get in and find what she needed. Then she had an idea. Knowing that she would not leave usable fingerprints, she examined the card that she was carrying, looking at it in infrared and a few other modes. Finally, she managed to identify two of his fingerprints.

She used the same mode to scan the scanner. Rightly figuring that he would have been there sometime during the day it didn't take long to find which keys had partials that matched. Seeing this, she tapped out the four digits quickly, varying the orders until she got it. The door opened without a hitch at that point.

"Come with me," she told him, "You can tell them what happened after I'm gone."

"What are you looking for?" he asked, "I mean you can't get away with this."

"They can't stop me," she said absently, "Where is the cold case section?"

"They are mixed in by case number," the guard said, "I haven't got access to the case files."

"Case 2024-1982," Stacy said, remembering the file number from the distant past, "Should be quite a bit of material."

"Down the hallway," the guard said, "We seem to start a new room every two years."

"I see," Anoki said, "Good. Let's find the case information."

It took them nearly twenty minutes to find what they were looking for. Unfortunately for Stacy Anoki, she had the poor timing to be there at the same time that Bobby Archer showed up to check out the old evidence files.

"Where's the guard?" Bobby asked the passing supervisor, "He's not at his station to buzz me in."

"That's odd," the supervisor said, "Probably went to the bathroom. Let me open this for you."

The supervisor, the same one that Anoki had stolen the card from, was concerned when he could not find the important card. He did not look happy when he saw that it was missing.

"I had it a half hour ago," the supervisor said, "What the hell..."

"Shit," Bobby grumbled, "I need to look at that stuff today. Remordis wants it all hauled in."

"I wonder if I dropped it while talking to that young officer," the supervisor said, "She's..."

"Young officer?" Bobby asked, "How young?"

"Early 20's looks like," he shrugged, "Pretty girl, long black hair."

"Oh hell," Bobby said, "Five foot six, complete knockout?"

"That's her," he said, "To the inch?"

"Anoki," Bobby cursed, "We need to get in to that storehouse. Now."

"Jack has one," the supervisor said, "Let me get him."

Bobby stood there and waited for the guard to get back. Stacy Anoki, meanwhile, found every relevant piece of case material that had gone with the investigation, nearly two years before. It pained her to look at it, but she knew that she would need it, as she did not want to retrace every two-year-old step. It would be impossible to do for her without the help of the police department.

"Open the door," Bobby said as Jack showed up, "Let's move."

Bobby pulled his weapon as Jack unlocked the first door. Bobby went in first, being the closest to a field officer and found the trash can knocked over from when Anoki went after the guard. The other officers unlocked the inner door as Bobby feared the worst.

"Stay here," Bobby told them, "Lock the door behind me and call Remordis. No one is to know about this but him."

They were surprised by Bobby's request, but he went in. Stacy was just finishing up packing the rest of the evidence as Bobby went into the room to see the terrified guard and Stacy Anoki loading everything into canvas bags taken from another case.

"Let him go, Anoki," Bobby said, "You can't get out of here. They locked the door behind me."

"Don't underestimate me, Bobby," Anoki said, "That's a fatal mistake you can't afford. Neither can this pencil neck."

"Why are you doing this?" Bobby asked her, "You were one of us."

"I was," Anoki agreed, "But that was taken away from me. I may look human, but I'm not anymore. I'm going to make them pay for that, Bobby. No one else can. You tried. You failed. My turn."

"We can't let you do this," Bobby said, "I'd love to see you find them. I wouldn't care if you killed them. But, you've killed two people who had nothing to do with that. The slaver I understand. But Zack McConnell had nothing to do with it."

"He wants me as dead as you," Anoki shrugged, "Or at least he did before I rammed that thing through his colon. Now, I suggest you get out of the way before I do the same to you."

"What happened to the Anoki we all knew," Bobby wondered, "The fun loving, carefree one? The one that Remordis fell in love with for a while?"

"She died," Anoki said simply, "Two years ago."

"I can't let you take that," Bobby said, "It is evidence."

"You can't stop me with that pea shooter," Anoki reminded him, "I can kill you and there is nothing in here that can possibly kill me. Open the door or I'll kill you both."

"I don't have the key," Bobby said honestly, "Remordis is on his way, probably with Shiniki. I may not be able to stop you, but she will be."

"Figures," Anoki said and scanned the area, "Then you leave me no choice."

She dropped the bag and Bobby breathed a momentary sigh of relief. Unfortunately, that lasted until she rushed him, taking a reflex shot into the chest as she knocked him over. She pushed him down on the ground and held him there despite his wiggling.

"Stay out of my way," Anoki said, baring her teeth, "I don't want to fight you, but I will. Consider this a warning."

She tapped Bobby on the back of the head with enough precision to knock him out without doing any major damage. She took the evidence she wanted and went to the back of the building. She scanned the wall, looking for a weak spot, finding it and using a few well-placed kicks to knock it open.

She walked out the improvised door and took the same stolen police car out of the city, finally leaving it on the side of the road some five miles from her little hideout. She had won another round, but unless the evidence did her some good the war was still in doubt.

Chapter 48 – Another Angle

"Is he hurt badly?" Sam Remordis asked, rushing in to the evidence room, "Damn that bitch."

"I'm fine," Bobby said, "She just knocked me out. Not even a concussion."

"I could ask what she was after," Sam grumbled, "But I don't have to. She took the files from the case when she was hurt. Probably the physical evidence as well."

"She had it in a bag," Bobby grumbled, firing up a cigarette, much to the displeasure of most of the people around, "She wanted the evidence for some reason."

"She's following protocols," Shiniki said, "That wet brain had the ability."

"Your documentation said they were dumb droids," Remordis said, "Are you telling me that Anoki has access to military level tactical droid technology?"

"If Rob hadn't played with the mindset she wouldn't," Shiniki said, "God knows what barriers that idiot broke down when he overpowered it."

"He'd better be glad he's dead," Remordis grumbled, "I told him not to put that plan in motion."

"How much did you know about it?" Shiniki asked him.

"They proposed the idea," Remordis said, "I told him to give me schematics, nothing more. He wasn't supposed to actually do it."

"Rob had an obsession on that subject," Shiniki said, "This was dangerous ground."

"We need Eric Craig out of the hospital," Remordis said, "He's the only one left alive that understood any of this crap."

"What do we do about my evidence room being compromised?" the supervisor said, "There is a hole in a concrete wall!"

"The only evidence that was compromised was Anoki's case," Remordis said, "You can run an inventory to prove that. Call the construction people to patch up that hole."

"Do you still have the 3D Scans of the evidence?" Bobby asked the supervisor.

"We have those in the offsite databank," the supervisor nodded, "I'll have them sent to you. They aren't accepted in court though."

"Should be good enough for our purposes," Remordis said, "There won't be a court case from this one. If Anoki finds them first they are all dead anyway."

"She'll be quiet for a bit," Bobby predicted, "She didn't plan on having to hurt anyone for this. My guess is that she will spend some time investigating."

"She killed McConnell you know," Shiniki said, "There's a definite possibility she will become psychotic if she isn't there already."

"How much do you actually know about this subject?" Remordis asked her, "I know you're an expert, but in which end?"

"I know both wet brains and the cybernetics," Shiniki said, "I'm not as good on the actual wet brain programming as Rob was though. Very few people are."

"Think you can get someone from your employer who does know it?" Bobby asked her.

"We don't have anyone who knows this type of stuff," she said, "We mainly do derivative work now. Sentience is messy. We prefer droids that work that gray area. Light wet brains, very little is like what was in that Mellisa unit."

"Why not?" Remordis asked her.

"Cybernetics act," Shiniki said, "We don't want that type of bad publicity. Too many watchdogs and not enough profit in it."

"So who's left?" Bobby asked, "Someone has to be playing with it."

"I know who to talk to," Shiniki sighed, "I don't know how glad they will be to see me, but they are probably the best minds left on the subject now that Rob Homer is dead."

"Then I suggest we go talk to them," Remordis said, "I want all the experts we can get. Can you get started on this part on your own, Bobby?"

"Not a problem," Bobby agreed, "Once my headache goes away I'll be fine."

Chapter 49 – Admonishment

"You don't look particularly happy," Sam Remordis said to Toshiko Shiniki as he drove towards the address she had specified, "What's wrong?"

"I guess you should know before we get there," Toshiko sighed, "I know these guys really well. They won't be particularly thrilled to see me."

"You mentioned that," Sam nodded, "What happened?"

"They used to work for my employer," Toshiko said, "After the incident just before the cybernetics act took effect they were not real enamored with their former bosses."

"I smell a story here," Sam said, "Year of the Cybernetics Act. I can imagine it was a rather traumatic if you were in sentience research."

"Putting it mildly," Toshiko nodded, "Our group was tasked to figuring out how to transfer a human mind into a wet brain. My longtime lover was the group lead. It was his obsession to be the first one to move a human being into the machines that he loved. He thought that it would bring the world together."

"What happened?" Sam asked her.

Toshiko let out a breath and sighed. It was a painful story, but she knew that it was safe with him. Remordis had a calming quality to her, much like Elias did. Remordis didn't seem so obsessive, however.

"We were misguided," Toshiko said, "Elias was persuasive and so filled with fervor that you couldn't help but follow him. There was a nine-month window between when the Cybernetics act was passed and when it went into effect. Elias managed to convince the company to fund our group."

"I take it you failed?" Sam asked her, still driving, but listening intently.

"Sort of," Toshiko said, "We actually made a lot of breakthroughs. Enough to convince the brass to keep us funded up until the deadline. We learned a lot about the capability of wet brains from the project. I also lost whatever interest I had in working in a lab."

"Something traumatic happened," Sam said, "I spent nearly two years shepherding R&D monkeys," he stopped for a moment and grinned sheepishly, "No offense, but most of them are socially inept, incredibly brilliant, and it would take a major disaster to get them out of the lab."

"That was us," Toshiko chuckled. She knew Sam understood techs, even if he wasn't a practicing one himself, "We lived out of that warehouse lab for the better part of nine months. The pizza and Chinese delivery boys knew us well. To this day I can't even look at moo shu pork without cringing."

"Pile of boxes right next to the wet brain refuse," Remordis said, "Right?"

"Only place the smell would go unnoticed," Toshiko chuckled, "How did you know?"

"The research group that put the final droid project together for the city did that," Remordis said, "I'm not a scientist, I'm a cop, but I worked with the scientists."

"Maybe I underestimated you," Toshiko said, "Maybe you will understand."

"So what happened?" Remordis asked her.

"The day before the ban went in," Toshiko told him, "We made an ill-advised attempt at transfer. It was a disaster."

"Who was the guinea pig?" Remordis wondered, "And how was this legal?"

"The subject," Toshiko couldn't bear to call him anything else, "Was a convicted murderer. He was given the choice, test subject or lethal injection."

"Lousy choice," Remordis sighed, "What happened?"

"Partial transference occurred," Toshiko said, "A lot of people died before that droid was deactivated. The feds clamped down on the project and destroyed the results."

"I'm sorry," Remordis said, "You must have been close to them."

"I lived with Elias for six years, from when I was an 18 year old post-grad until that horrible day in the lab two years ago," Toshiko said, "In the end his passion for that project killed him. That's why I do what I do now."

"That's why you want Anoki shut down," Remordis nodded, "I guess I can see that."

"You still hope she's whole, don't you?" Toshiko asked him.

"Yes," Remordis nodded, "I do. I don't believe it anymore, and I'm not sure she's can be saved, but I'd like the chance to try."

"I wasn't a wet brain specialist," Toshiko admitted, "Elias and Rob were the top two in that field. I was more attuned to neural-binary translation and kinetic musculature. Harry was the wet-brain expert. Unfortunately, Harry and Rob were blackballed due to that mess that pushed me out of the lab."

"Rob Homer?" Remordis asked.

"Yep," Toshiko nodded, "He was just as obsessed as Elias was. That's why I was shocked he was allowed to run your droid program. No reputable program would touch him because of his involvement in the massacre. His name, like Harry and most of the survivors on the sentience transfer side, was mud in the industry."

"Is that why you became a field agent?" Remordis wondered.

"Yes, but that's a story for another day," Toshiko said, "For now, we need to go talk to Harry Haldeman. That's the building, right there."

Remordis pulled the car into a spot and decided to hold off on the conversation for a bit. The building wasn't a showplace, by any means, but it wasn't too run down. Toshiko looked around and shook her head a bit. She knew that Harry's company had not done well since the cybernetics act had made it so difficult to prosper, but it looked like the place was still in business.

"You lead," Remordis told her, "You know him, I don't."

"Yep," Toshiko sighed, "Though I don't know how happy he will be to see me."

They walked into the building and listened to the noise coming from a corridor. A young woman sat at the front desk listening to music on an iPhone and bopping along to the beat as she put some files away. Toshiko smiled and tapped on the desk. The young woman stopped and pulled an earphone out.

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked, hoping that it would let her get back to her music faster.

"Harry hasn't had a customer in a year," Toshiko said, "He'll see me."

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Toshiko Shiniki," she said, "My friend here is Captain Sam Remordis."

"Harry asked not to be disturbed," She temporized, "If it is important there may be an exception to be made."

"It means a possible contract," Toshiko told her, "One he could use."

"Ok," she nodded, "I'll see if he's available."

Toshiko shook her head and grinned while the young girl headed to the back. Sam Remordis looked at her, wondering what the foundation agent had in mind.

"He dislikes the foundation a lot," Toshiko explained, "But he needs money to keep operating. I'm going to offer him a contract to help us clean up this mess."

"Who's paying for that?" Remordis asked her.

"We are," Toshiko said, "We can write his contract off as business expense."

"Works for me," Remordis nodded, "We will be short for a while anyway cause of that explosion."

A bit of noise came out of the back hallway sounding like an argument. Toshiko couldn't help smile a bit more, knowing the girl was likely Harry's youngest daughter.

"Come on back," the girl said, "Harry will see you now."

They walked back and were let into a lab where two men were working on a broken droid. They were squabbling over which pieces to put back together. It looked more like a mess than an actual work in progress, however.

"Toshi," Harry Haldeman said without looking up, "Still working for the droid mart?"

"Find someone that will pay better and let me know," Toshiko chuckled, "I don't do lab work anymore though. Couldn't stomach it after Elias died."

"Humph," Harry said, "Your people screwed something up again, didn't they? You wouldn't be here otherwise."

"For once it wasn't us," Toshiko said, "The local cops managed to muck this one up on their own."

"I didn't know you were in research," Harry said, "I take it you represent the cops that are buying those inferior pieces of shit?"

"And what you have there is top of the line?" Remordis said, pointing at the piece of junk on the table, "The public would laugh us out of the water."

"This?" Harry said, pushing it across the table, "This is the pet droid of a rich man's kid. He likes to make it do stunts. I make enough to keep this building up by fixing this thing every few months."

"We need your experience," Toshiko said, "You're the only one I know of left alive who can help us."

"Unless you have been doing some illegal experiments in transference you don't need me," Harry said, "No reputable wet brain manufacturer will touch me anymore. Even your group won't hire me."

"There's been an oops," Toshiko said, "A case of accidental transference. We need you to help us figure out what happened and how to handle it. I know the area, but only academically. You are the only one left living who knows how the wet brains react to transference."

"An oops?" Harry said, "How the hell do you have an oops?"

"Rob was running the project," Toshiko said, "Something I didn't find out until the oops had already happened."

"Shit," Harry said, "He never did give up. Even after spending six months in jail for violating the cybernetics act."

"He went to jail for that?" Remordis said, "How the hell did he get by my criminal check?"

"Rob had friends," Harry said, "Not all of them legal. He knew the cybernetics act was coming and made plans in case he had to go underground. My guess is that one of them scammed him out of the system."

"Why the hell couldn't anyone have told me this shit before we put him in charge of a droid program?" Remordis asked, "I know damn well we checked him out."

"You can only check what is there," Harry shrugged and turned to Toshiko, "So why should I help you out of this mess?"

"Contracts," Toshiko said, "We have wet brain stuff that we need to farm out at times. I can get your name taken off the forbidden list in the company."

"Just what I need," Harry said, "To work for the most reviled company in the droid business."

"Your name will be kept out of it," Toshiko said, "Your research shows merit. I've not stopped reading journals. You're the smart one of the bunch. You turned the illegal research into positive areas. But, it won't do any good unless you get funding."

"So you want me to sell out?" Harry asked her.

"No," Toshiko said, "I want to hire you on contract. You consult on wet brain projects, starting with this one, and you can continue your own research."

"I don't work on what I don't want to?" Harry asked.

"Provided you help us stop the Mellisa," Toshiko said, "That is priority one until this mess is cleaned up."

"Fair enough," Harry nodded, "The kids can take care of the shop."

"Welcome to the team," Remordis said, "Now can we get back to Anoki?"

"Ok," Harry said and looked at Toshiko, "How the hell did you have an oops?"

"Come on," Toshiko said, "I'll explain while we go back to the precinct.

Chapter 50 – Old Fashioned Police Work

"Jesus," Harry said as he sat down in the old Government Issue chair, "How the hell could anyone mistake this as legal?

"The only one who knew better was Rob," Toshiko said, "He could have monkeyed around with it without telling anyone else. I just don't know what he did."

"I don't pretend to understand it," Bobby said, "I can still barely nuke my own dinner."

"The way the project was described to me was that he was going to mate the military virtual reality equipment with the Mellisa unit," Sam Remordis said, "It was a way to have an undercover agent in physical control of the unit without having to risk a body."

"He obviously didn't tell you that he had to rig consciousness sharing to make that VR system work," Harry said, "Something that is illegal as hell. That's part of how we did the initial sharing experiments."

"I remember that," Toshiko nodded, "After the breakdown Rob wanted to try it again, this time doing a gradual share. Elias didn't do it because there wasn't time."

"He was too stubborn," Harry nodded, "We ran into problems with it too. That military VR tool probably had a much more efficient consciousness sharing conduit than the old method. How big a channel did it have?"

"Subnet," Remordis said, "Nearly unlimited bandwidth is how it was told to me."

"Sounds about right," Toshiko said, "That's how she was able to transfer."

"I need the wet brain schematics," Harry said, "And a quiet place to read for a few hours."

"Take any room in the building," Sam said, "We've got evidence to go over."

"Need anything from me other than the schematics?" Toshiko asked.

"Does the foundation still have Rob Homer's logs from when he worked for them?" Harry asked her.

"Probably on archive," Toshiko said, "I'll get them if they still exist."

"I guess that leaves us to go through the old case," Bobby said, "Kim is still down at R&D working on the reconstruction."

"How much do you think we should assume Anoki remembers, Harry?" Sam asked, "I know she's not the same..."

"Assume total recall," Harry said, "Until I read the schematics, I'm not comfortable saying anything else."

"Great," Bobby sighed, "An insane robot and the possibility of being prosecuted. Lots of fun."

"Right," Sam grumbled, "Let's get to work."

Unfortunately, it would be a long bit of work. Three weeks would go by before anything this group put together managed to do any good, as Anoki decided to spend some time underground going over the evidence.

Chapter 51 - A Voice In the Crowd

Stacy Anoki paced around the small room that had been her home for the preceding three weeks. She had put the parallel processing power of her wet brain mind to work on the evidence that she had taken from her case.

She had gone over it all and found herself more and more confused by it. Time should have made a case like this easier, as the culprit should have come out of the shadows to expand organized crime in the city. The thing was; there was no sign of a revitalized organized crime syndicate in the area.

She paced the robotic body around the room, just as she did when she had a working body of her own. If you watched her from the outside you would have sworn that she was a standard human. Even the nervous habits came over with her transfer.

Some differences were coming to play too. As a machine, Anoki displayed much more patience and tended to spend more time picking things apart. She was also much more methodical than she used to be. The process of ordering her memories from the analog format that they used to be in made some changes. It preserved the information, but like most conversions it left some gaps.

"This is insane," Anoki mumbled, "I should be able to do better than this. I was a cop for years and I am not that far out of practice."

She felt a bit of anger, but it was remote for her. She did not notice the difference, the changes were gradual and she was too close to see it. After three weeks of processing every piece of information she could get from the evidence she had and the information she got off the internet, she still found herself lost in a sea of information.

She had nearly given up when she distanced herself from it for a bit and watched a few channels of television. She did not have the stomach for much of the daytime television, but one of the technical channels started doing something that appealed to her.

They demonstrated a software package that could convert an electronically distorted voice. That's when the realization of what she was and what she could actually do with her memories hit her. She was in a position to convert the long distant memory that her previous mind had tried to block out into a digital memory that she could actually use and manipulate.

Due to the slippery analog nature of the memory it took a while for her to get it into a usable format, but she finally did. She then pulled the commercial conversion software from a download site and used a fraudulent credit card number to purchase it.

She spent a few hours playing with the software, a very efficient experience since she ran it on an emulator in her own wet brain, allowing her to simply recline in a chair and process the file. It took two full days to get everything working the way she wanted it to work and managed to get a workable sound clip from the memories. She just wished it was more than a scratchy voice.

Unfortunately, it did not ring a bell to her. It was nothing more than a voice in the crowd. But, it took her one step closer to her goal. She knew the key to the software and could do anything she heard with the digital ears of the droid much faster than she could do with the slippery analogue memory.

"It's time to get out of here," Anoki said once she was finally satisfied with the results, "Time to find the voice."

She had an approximation of the voice of her attacker. Now it was time to find the voice in the crowd. She just hoped it would be enough.

Chapter 52 – A Lot of Nothing

"Your crew has been working on this for nearly a month, Sam," Mayor Thornton reminded Sam Remordis needlessly, "Two corpses and a public relations nightmare and you still have no bloody clue as to where that damned robot is!"

"She won't stay hidden forever," Remordis told him, "I've taken Bobby and Kim to help me with the reconstruction of the mess. Toshiko Shiniki is working this on the foundation's payroll, as is Harry Haldeman. It hasn't been wasted time."

"What have you got?" Thornton said, "A lot of nothing."

"Haldeman and Shiniki have gotten a lot of reconstruction done on what Rob Homer did," Remordis said, "Bobby has been re-interviewing witnesses and going over the cold case, something that needs to be done occasionally anyway."

"Kim?" Thornton asked.

"Finishing up the official investigation on the R&D mess," Remordis said, "It's probably a good thing that Anoki has remained quiet anyway. Gave Davies a chance to calm down."

"It won't last," Thornton said, "They are getting ready with a publicity blitz. I got notice that an anti-bot initiative may be gaining ground. If you don't keep that thing off the radar they may get it passed."

"I'll keep that in mind," Remordis said, "Anything else you want from me?"

"Just Anoki's head in a droid bay," Thornton said, "Make it go away."

"Right," Remordis nodded and walked out of the room.

Chapter 53 – Get That Droid

Roger Davies walked into his office at the C.A.M.P. headquarters, sat down and growled a bit as things were not going well for him. A lot of his well-laid plans were falling apart as the search for Anoki dragged on. He had been working to rid the city of its most effective police for years. His phone rang, and he saw the same unknown number he'd been expecting to come in on his secure line.

"That robot could cause some problems, Roger," an electronically altered voice said, "This would never have happened if you'd been able to reign in that crowd of idiots."

"That crowd of idiots will get rid of the mechanical police and make your life easier," Roger said, "Besides, we may have an ace up our sleeve."

"What?" the voice said, "I don't see any bright side in this, Roger. A rogue droid that thinks like a cop could be a problem."

"We'll see," Roger said, "I have a meeting with someone in an hour. He says he can help control the Anoki situation. We'll see how that goes."

"Don't screw up, Roger," the voice told him, "It would be bad for both of us."

"I know," Roger Davies said, "Just keep the faith for a bit. It could be a bumpy ride."

Chapter 54 – Say What?

"Do you guys ever sleep?" Bobby Archer asked as he walked into the room, "You don't seem to ever leave this building."

"You try picking up the pieces of this mess," Toshiko Shiniki said, "I'm getting rusty because this makes less and less sense. How the hell did Rob get transference to happen here? There was no budget no equipment and nothing was set up to be a proper transference project. Just how the hell did he manage it?"

"Rob Homer was brilliant," Harry said, miming the motion of stubbing out a cigarette in an ashtray, "If anyone could get transference to happen through a tin can and a string it was him. Him and Elias were the true believers. I just thought it was an interesting project."

"Where's Remordis?" Bobby asked, "He was supposed to meet with the mayor today."

"He's probably fighting with his wife again," Toshiko said, "He's been spending more nights here with us than he has at home."

"As big a bitch as Sara is I'd be here too," Bobby grinned, "That marriage has been over for years."

"Lovely," Toshiko said, "Do you refer to all women like that when they aren't around?"

"No," Bobby said, "Sam and Sara were in love once, but that woman was not designed to be a cop's wife. Not to mention she is highly successful and doesn't need him. I don't think they've slept together in well over a decade."

"Lonely life," Toshiko sighed, "Not that I can claim much different."

"Meh," Harry said, "You both need to do something. People need to get laid. That's half the problem with this world. No one gets laid as often as they should."

"I wish I could be a little less selective," Toshiko said, "But I haven't met anyone who has really measured up to Elias in my eyes."

"Elias was an egotistical, opinionated, charismatic, crazy son of a bitch," Harry said, "He was also brilliant."

"Sounds a lot like Stacy Anoki before the incident," Bobby said, "I didn't know her well, but Remordis did. He took it hard when she was injured."

"He knew her well?" Toshiko asked, curious about this, "I mean I knew they were friends..."

"I think there was more to it than that," Bobby said, "We lost seven men that night, but he damn near freaked out completely when Stacy was found. He never confirmed it, for obvious reasons, but I think there was something between them."

"Explains why she went so far off the handle when she saw us together," Toshiko said, "He made his first approach to work together while I was taking a break from reading code in the hotel's bar."

"Possible," Harry said, "One thing that could be resulting is a primitive emotional system."

"Why is it so hard to believe it is Stacy in there?" Bobby said, "I mean she's acting like the Stacy we knew, though a bit more psychotic."

"Emotion is a chemical reaction in the brain," Harry said, "The wet brains were not created with that in mind. It may be simulating it, but it is likely taking it to extremes like most simulations do."

"Possible," Bobby nodded, "I don't know the science of it."

Sam Remordis walked into the room and sat down grumbling as he did so. He poured himself a cup of Harry Haldeman's programmer's brew of near-mud. He drank it straight as he looked over everyone's faces.

"Didn't go well?" Toshiko asked him.

"It went fine," Sam grumbled, "I stopped at home to get a shower and a clean change of clothes. The ensuing fight with Sara was not what I really needed at this point in time."

"No new scars?" Bobby asked him.

"None that show," Sam said, "Now that Cliffie is in college I think the end is going to come sooner instead of later. It's taken long enough."

"Why don't you just take a day off and move out?" Bobby asked, "You'd be happier."

"I'm stubborn," Sam grumbled, "It's my house too. I move out and I lose all claim to it. Damn thing is nearly paid off."

"The house is a dump," Bobby said, "Let her have it and get out."

"Thanks," Sam chuckled, "So was yours, and you fought for it."

"I lost too," Bobby reminded him, "And she had nothing but the kids. Sara is a bitch, but she also makes more than our division put together. You think you're going to get more than a PBA hack?"

"True," Sam nodded and decided to change the subject, "Have you guys had much luck?"

"Some of this stuff still doesn't make sense," Harry said, "Much as I hate to admit it, those foundation hacks managed to put together a pretty decent droid. Even the wet brain had the proper locks on it to keep it from gaining sentience. Rob Homer had to do some major league hacking inside Mellisa's skull to get this to happen. It didn't happen by accident like he said it did. No way in hell."

"I talked to the docs," Sam said, "Eric Craig should be able to join us soon. He's the only one who survived the carnage that actually worked the project directly."

"I wish I could agree with that," Kim said as she walked into the room, "We just finished up the DNA matching. We are one body short."

"Which one?" Sam asked, dreading the answer.

"Rob Homer," Kim said, "No mistake. We've checked this six times. The explosion wasn't that devastating. There should have been significant pieces of him left. We have no sign of him. He had to have gotten out."

"Why would he have disappeared?" Bobby asked, "He didn't cause the explosion."

"Rob wasn't stupid," Toshiko said, "He had to have known that an explosion like that and the transfer he'd imposed on Anoki would generate more of an inquiry than his phony papers could withstand. The question isn't as to why he ran..."

"The question is where the hell he is now," Sam growled, "And what controls could he have over Anoki."

"That gives us another angle to look at," Harry said, "Maybe he had a plan to do this all along..."

"He had to have implemented it on direct control," Toshiko said, "We had the results of the subnet logs. How many assistants did he have?"

"This was a shoestring project," Sam said, "No real budget. Eric let Rob do it on his own. He didn't get anyone else until it was nearly operational."

"Can you get a copy of that wet brain model?" Harry asked Toshiko, "I think we need to run some tests on what you could monkey with."

"I'll have a wet brain copy and copies of that equipment brought down," Toshiko nodded, "Can we use one of the empty rooms here, Sam?"

"So long as you keep the experiments legal," Sam nodded, "Not sure I want to risk another one."

"No interface," Harry promised, "I just want to see what we can do with a wet brain in the same settings Rob had. Perfectly legal and if it even approaches sentience we can run an egg beater in the wet brain case and kill it."

"Run with it," Sam said, sighing, "Let's fix this colossal mess. Bobby and Kim, you have the job of running down Rob Homer. Since you haven't come up with much on the Anoki case, I'll look at it with a set of fresh eyes when I come back from getting enough stuff to move out."

"Going to do it?" Toshiko asked.

"I need to be fresh and if I can't fucking sleep I won't be," Sam said, "Cliffie will understand and Sara will likely be grateful at this point."

"Someone finally gets some sense," Harry grunted, "Time to go back to the printouts."

"I have some calls to make," Toshiko said.

Everyone went back to work, not knowing that their job would be infinitely harder soon. Rob Homer's reappearance would make their job a living hell.

Chapter 55 – The Meeting

Rob Homer paced around the corner of the parking lot as he smoked cigarettes. He had been preparing to be a fugitive for years, but he didn't figure it would have happened in such a dramatic fashion. He knew this deal was his best way back to his favored experiments.

Roger Davies was not accustomed to meeting people in dark corners, but knew that it would be best not to be seen with a man presumed dead. Robert Homer was not his first choice of an ally, but after the mess that deprived him of the best asset he had in the department he was looking for new people.

"This had better be good," Davies said, looking at the scientist, "I get seen with you and my reputation is in the toilet."

"Your reputation already is in the toilet, Roger," Rob said, "That riot was insane."

"How did you survive it?" Roger asked him, "And what possessed you to move a goddamn cop into a body like that?"

"Your people forced my hand," Rob said, "I had plans for her, but now I have to regain control. I was going to let her body die naturally and encourage her consciousness through slowly. It would have been controlled and it would have given me control of a droid with exceptional capabilities."

"You mean she doesn't have free will?" Roger said, "That makes me feel marginally better."

"It should," Rob said, "Especially since Anoki will be going for whoever engineered the undercover massacre."

"I don't know anything about that," Roger said.

"Then why are you here?" Rob asked him, "You wore a mask last time, but it was you I sold that information to. I don't think you're bright enough to be doing this on your own, but someone wanted to see all the local undercover operations shut down. Someone with time and money and patience enough to keep this under wraps."

"You know too much," Roger said, "Why should I deal with you?"

"If you kill me you still have a determined droid after you," Rob said, "Work with me and we both make money. Also, the evidence of what you did dies with the last people who care."

"I'm listening," Roger nodded, "What do you want?"

"A laboratory, fully equipped and secure with a similar wet brain droid for me to experiment with," Rob said, "With what your people are likely bringing in, this should be well within your means."

"Me get you a droid?" Roger laughed, "You know who I am?"

"Of course I do," Rob nodded, "I know that is bullshit that you use to try to get good cops off the streets. Your kid died in a jeep accident, not by a military droid. So get off your high horse."

"Anoki has gone too far," Roger said, "You know damned well that just stopping the droid is not going to stop this investigation now."

"I don't intend to stop the droid," Rob smiled, "I intend to control her."

"And do what?" Roger said, not liking this at all.

"Use her to eliminate the only other people who know what Anoki truly is," Rob said, "Once I have her I'll task her to eliminate Remordis and all the investigators. It gets blamed on a rogue droid and the investigations into your boss's operations stop."

Roger Davies was surprised by this, but impressed by the idea. That was the major goal of the operation, to stop Anoki from compromising any more of the business than she already had. They had worked too long and too hard for it to come crashing down like this."

"How do you plan on retaking control?" Roger asked him, "And can you retain control once you have her?"

"That I need you for," Rob said, "I need a military grade droid control unit, should be relatively easy to get on the black market along with my other tools. Then, I need people to help me lure Anoki to the place of my choosing. I also need the voice of the man who was electronically altered in the room with Anoki when she was raped."

"You don't want much," Roger said, "I don't know that for sure myself."

"Augment it the same way," Rob shrugged, "In her current state we won't be able to fake her out."

"And if we don't agree?" Roger asked.

"I make sure that Sam Remordis finds out what I know," Rob smiled, "And if you try to kill me now, a thumb drive that does just that gets delivered to him and the press."

"I need time," Roger said, "This stuff won't be easy to get."

"Two days," Rob said, "Meanwhile, I need cash. I've spent all I had saved up getting medical help."

"Here," Roger growled, "Five hundred bucks should buy me two days."

"Here's the list of what I need, Roger," Rob said, "Remember the thumb drive."

Roger grunted something unprintable and walked away, leaving the erstwhile scientist chuckling and counting his cash.

Chapter 56 – A Robot Alone

Stacy Anoki was at a loss. She didn't know whether her deductive abilities were failing her or if there was nothing to pick out of the dark. She had some pieces of information that no one else did but had no way to make it become useful.

She walked the streets and tried to listen to as many voices as she could to get the person who hurt her. But, it was becoming more and more of a battle as she went on. The human mind was not designed to live in a space as ordered as a wet brain, something Stacy was learning as she muddled on.

"Must keep going," Anoki said to herself, "Patience... All I need is patience..."

She kept telling herself that, not realizing that it would not matter for long. The old Anoki was becoming more and more digital as she walked.

The walking was useful in that it gave her a chance to study normal human beings again. The eyes in the Mellisa unit were faster than human eyes could ever have been, so she found herself watching anything and everything.

It was really quite a sensory overload. Even without the subnet control the Mellisa unit had multiple methods of observing her surroundings. Being built as an undercover operative droid she could tap into all but the most secure wireless networks. She idly found herself rifling through corporate payrolls, intimate emails and even piles of porn contained on the many computers in the area when a basic principle of police work came back to her.

"Follow the money," Anoki said to herself, "Who has gained from the lack of undercover operatives in the area..."

The drug people still continued stings, but the organized criminals were a lot safer now that Remordis and the undercover unit were out of business. Just because no one has become an obvious leader of organized crime in the city didn't mean there wasn't a leader.

"Time to flush you out," Anoki said, "And I think I know where to start."

Stacy Anoki had been studying the setup of the hideout she had forcibly taken over. The multitasking abilities of her wet brain let her work mundane tasks even as she had worked on the more important memory crunching problems. Fingerprints, some of them years old, covered the hiding place. She had run some of them against federal databases to come up with names.

Most of them had come up dead or in jail, but they all pointed at an underground syndicate. The new leaders had learned from the turn of the century follies of Freddie Pena and Charlie Bullock's fall and took great pains to keep themselves from being associated in the public eye with what they did. Corruption was still there, but as long as the public did not see it they tended to not care very much.

Stacy decided that was going to change. One of the things she had learned while she was undercover as Lennie Darsa at the beginning of the Mellisa project was that the chop shop was part of a larger operation. She couldn't legally do it as a police officer, but as a rogue robot she could go in hard and extract the information she wanted.

She walked five blocks to where the chop shop had been. Because of the explosion in the R&D center and the failure of the police to recover the Mellisa unit no one had done anything about the openly operating chop shop. This was a good thing for Anoki, as she needed the link into the organized crime syndicate.

She walked up to the front gate where the guards, the same guards as where she was the last time, took a good look at her. They smiled, as beautiful women were a rarity in their end of the business.

"On foot this time, Lennie?" one of them said, "Not like you."

"Nice day," Anoki said, "No need to risk getting caught unless I'm sure there's a place to unload it."

"Right," he chuckled, "Where have you been? The boss has been looking for you."

"Dodging a warrant," Anoki lied, "Where is he?"

"In the back," the guard said, "Behind the garage."

Anoki walked into the back of the garage, ignoring the eyes of the men busy taking apart the day's stolen booty. The man she wanted was sitting on a chair that was half the size of his large ass chomping on a large cigar as he did the books. He looked up and let off a scowl when he saw the pretty girl.

"Who the hell let you in here?" the boss asked, "You have been playing hooky on us."

"I'm not worried about it," Anoki said truthfully, "I'm looking for the boss. I've got some news that he needs to hear."

"Tell me," the boss said, "I'm the boss of this place."

"You may run this place," Anoki said, bluffing, "But this is too well protected for just you. So I'd suggest you tell me who is over your head so I can get this word to him."

"Heh," the boss said, "You have some balls, chickie. I don't know you from Adam. Why the hell should I tell you anything?"

"Because," Anoki said softly, scanning him and finding a pacemaker, "I will stop your heart with your own pacemaker if you don't tell me."

Anoki pushed a signal to the little pacemaker to make the boss's heart beat just a bit faster, enough to scare the boss. It was enough to make the fat man jump up from his desk in alarm and go over to the girl threatening him.

"I don't know what you think you're doing," the boss growled, "But if you do anything to me you will have to go through a garage full of angry men to get out."

"I don't care," Anoki said, honestly not worried about a bunch of overgrown children, "If you want their deaths on your head, so be it."

"You bitch!" the boss seethed, "I'll show you."

The boss wound up, not holding back despite Anoki's apparently diminutive size. She simply smiled as the creep let off a haymaker that would have knocked a linebacker through the cheap corrugated wall. Anoki took it on the chin and grinned as the boss broke his hand on the solid titanium jaw that the Mellisa unit was equipped with.

"What are you?" the boss asked, scared now, "You aren't human!"

"You got it," Anoki said, grabbing the boss and picking him up with one arm, "You have one chance to survive this, bozo. Tell me who is above you."

"They'll kill me!" the boss whimpered.

"I will kill you if you don't," Anoki said, "And I can do it painfully. Shall I remind you about the power I have over your pacemaker?"

"Oh God no!" the boss said, "I don't know that much... I report to Lewis Friend. He's the only name I know. He doesn't rank that much higher than me, I swear!"

"Where can I find him?" Anoki asked the blubbering man.

The interrogation lasted barely ten minutes, but Anoki was certain that she had gotten all she needed from him. Finally, she turned towards the door to find a dumbfounded guard. She smiled beautifully at the guard, walked over to him and quickly rammed his nose up into his brain, pushing the body over to the side.

"If you try to tell anyone I'm coming I will come back for you," Anoki told the now former boss, "If you alert the guards I will kill them and then I will come back and kill you."

The boss was not about to dispute her control of the situation. Being picked up in one hand by a girl less than half his size proved to him it was not something he particularly wanted to get involved in. He simply watched as Anoki left the building.

Anoki smiled. She now had the next link in the chain. It was time to do some research on Mister Lewis Friend and prepare for the next encounter to get the next piece up the chain. She had a feeling that she had a long way to go.

Chapter 57 – A Shower and a Shave

Sam Remordis dropped himself in a chair that was nearly as old as he was. He lit a cigar, despite the city's rigid anti-smoking policy, and blew a few smoke circles in the air as he looked at the pile of baggage he brought out of the house with him.

Sara was indeed glad he was leaving. They had been fighting long enough that it was a relief for both of them that it would be official. Sam knew that he would lose the house, but since he had not really been there but a few hours a week for years it wasn't that big a deal.

"You're here late," Toshiko Shiniki said, walking out of the conference room and sitting in a chair across from Remordis, "Even for you."

"I walked out of the house," Sam said, stifling a yawn, "Decided that I'd fought enough. It's time to concede the war. I'm sick of fighting it."

"Sensible move," Toshiko nodded, "You're welcome to stay here with us as we work it."

"I need a break," Sam said, "I need to get a decent night's sleep, a shower, and a shave."

"I probably do too," Toshiko said, "I've been cleaning up in the locker room here for nearly three weeks now. The facilities leave a bit to be desired, especially those damned couches."

"Don't you have a hotel room?" Sam asked, "Or did you not bother after Anoki killed McConnell?"

"It's safer here," Toshiko shrugged, "Besides, Harry and I have spent the last three weeks trying to put together what Rob did."

"When's the last time you ate anything that wasn't take out?" Remordis asked her.

"Been a while," Toshiko admitted, "Why?"

"There is a motel with a bar and grille down the street," Sam said, "Clean and cheap. I used to stay there all the time when I worked in this building. Best damned steak in this part of the city."

"Good enough to satisfy a Japanese palate?" Toshiko grinned, "We take our beef seriously, you know."

"What have I got to lose?" Sam shrugged, "If it's not good, I'll pick up the check. If it is, put it on your expense account."

"You have a bet," Toshiko said, taking a liking to Remordis again, "If I can use the shower in the room you're renting that will be even better."

"Not a problem," Sam nodded, "The boiler was wonky here when it was maintained, I'm sure it's even worse now."

"Ice-cold showers are not fun," Toshiko admitted, "I think the boiler was shut down."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Sam told her, "Let's go."

Toshiko found herself surprised by the way she was regarding Sam Remordis. He was a few years older than she and he actually had a good sense of humor. They discussed many things, deliberately trying to stay away from the subject of Stacy Anoki.

It was a feeling of human contact that she had not experienced in years. Actual discussion, something that had been sorely lacking in her partnership with Zack McConnell, was happening with her and Sam.

"Mind if I ask you a personal question?" Toshiko asked him.

"Sure," Sam said, finishing up his steak, "Go ahead."

"Were you sleeping with Stacy Anoki?" she asked him, "I know you knew her well, but Bobby had suspicions..."

"It was no secret," Sam admitted, sighing a little, "We had worked together for a good long while. The sexual tension was there, but mainly a game for a long time. It wasn't until we actually had some time off that anything happened."

Sam stopped for a moment as he remembered the light touch and lithe body of Stacy Anoki. He felt a little guilty about thinking about her that way, but it was a memory he had treasured for a long time despite what happened to her soon after. It was also the last time he had been with anyone.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Toshiko said, seeing the pain, "We all have painful memories."

"No," Sam said, "You have a right to know. It may help you know Stacy a bit better through me too."

"Let's go get your room," Toshiko suggested, "Better to talk about this in private."

"Good idea," Sam agreed.

It took only a few minutes to get a room and they went inside. Toshiko looked around and was pleasantly surprised at how clean the place was. She had stayed in many more expensive places that were not as clean when she walked in.

"They keep the place clean and get a lot of cop business," Sam said, "I've spent many nights here over the years."

"I bet," Toshiko said, "Not bad at all."

"Is the cigar going to bother you?" Sam asked her.

"No," Toshiko said, "Elias used to smoke them as well so I'm pretty well immune to them."

Sam nodded and lit up as he sat down on the bed. He wondered why Toshiko had brought up the subject of his relationship with Anoki. He looked at her as he smoked. Despite the time in the lab, Toshiko was in really good shape.

"I want to know about Anoki," Toshiko said, "But I need the shower more. Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Sam said, bowing a little, "I never object to a good looking woman who wants to use my shower."

"Funny," Toshiko said, "Thank you for the compliment though."

Sam nodded and watched as Toshiko disappeared into the back room. He looked around at the motel room and sighed as he thought about how his life had come to this point. Despite the years of deterioration, he wasn't sure how to handle the fact that he had finally left Sara.

He was so deep in thought about this that he didn't even notice as Toshiko come out of the bathroom wearing the robe from in there. When he did notice, however, he was highly impressed with what he saw. Her legs, which the robe showed off nicely, were well shaped by the enforced physical regimen she put herself to when she left the lab.

"Do you mind?" Toshiko asked, "I don't have anything clean and I want to feel clean for a few minutes."

"Not at all," Sam grinned, "Never argue with a pretty lady."

"You are a flatterer, Remordis," Toshiko said, smiling a little, "You were going to tell me what happened between you and Stacy Anoki?"

"She and I had worked closely for a long time," Sam told her, "There had always been attraction there, but both of us were too scared to act on it. In some ways, I wish we'd have waited some more. Her injuries wouldn't have affected me as much."

"I can understand that," Toshiko nodded, "In some ways I wish I'd left before Elias died."

"The what-if game sucks," Sam sighed, "Always has."

"So what happened?" Toshiko asked him.

"We actually had a weekend off together," Sam said, "She had come out of a lousy relationship. I'd had a major blowout with Sara again. Neither one of us wanted to be alone that weekend."

"So you gave each other what you needed?" Toshiko said.

"Exactly," Sam nodded, "That's it in a nutshell. Both of us knew what we were in for. There were no games, no pretenses. It was a weekend to remember."

"You were her boss though," Toshiko said, "I bet that wouldn't have gone over well."

"It could have been worse," Sam said, "I let Eric take over her cases. Nothing would have changed if we hadn't had that night. Except maybe some of the guilt."

"You didn't stand by her," Toshiko said.

"Not as much as I should have," Sam admitted, "I couldn't admit the things I needed to. She pushed me away as well."

Toshiko looked at him and felt the stirrings of something she hadn't even really wanted to do in a long time. The more she learned about Anoki and Remordis, the more she realized how alone she had been since she left the lab.

Sam realized this a bit as well. He was sick of feeling alone and sick of the sort of walking death he had been feeling since Anoki's injury. He looked at Toshiko and saw the same sort of curiosity that he felt about her. He decided to take a chance and sit next to her on the bed.

"Do you blame yourself for what happened to her?" Toshiko asked him, making room for him to sit down.

"In some ways, I do," Sam said, "I was in charge of the operation."

"I read the notes," Toshiko said, "You couldn't have prevented it. Whoever did it was organized, Sam. They had inside information as well."

"I know," Sam nodded and looked at her, "I don't want to talk about this anymore, though."

"Me either," Toshiko smiled, "Not at all."

Toshiko and Sam looked at each other. She had taken the first risk, coming out into the room wearing just a bathrobe. Subconsciously she knew that she would turn him on, but the effect was astounding. He took the next risk and leaned over to kiss her. That was all it took for them to fall into each other's arms.

It wasn't the same for him as it was before with Anoki either. Anoki knew full well that nothing would come out of it. They had decided to have their fun together and knew that it wouldn't be any more than an occasional stress relief. For Toshiko it was the first time she had let herself go since Elias had stopped paying attention to her, years ago.

With Toshiko and Sam, the act was secondary to the need. They needed each other that night to chase off the demons of their past and present lives. A human being can only take so much without a pressure release and they had finally found theirs.

It was several hours before they finally fell into the sleep that they both needed and craved. They wouldn't wake up again until nearly noon.

Chapter 58 – The Dastardly Plan

Rob Homer looked around the car park, wondering if Davies would show. He was playing one hell of a bluffing game, but it wasn't one he had a whole lot of choice in. The riot that Davies had caused cost him his best chance at coining the technology he wanted to create.

Roger Davies walked over to the car and sat down on the hood watching the scientist intently. He didn't know how much Rob Homer actually knew and whether he could bring the Mellisa unit down, but he was under orders to find out. The brutal murder/interrogation of Lewis Friend had the man with the electronic voice on the phone telling him that the warehouse was set up and to get Rob Homer started.

"Well?" Rob asked him, "Do you have my warehouse?"

"12333 Broad Lane," Roger said, tossing him a set of keys, "Part of an old warehouse complex that hasn't been used since Freddie Pena was tossed off the Pinestone nearly fifteen years ago. No one will bother you there. There are five goons waiting there for your orders. They don't know me or anything other than an anonymous voice and a Swiss bank account number."

"And my equipment?" Rob asked him.

"Already there," Roger said, "Our people are efficient. We couldn't get the exact model you requested. They never put them into public use. Our supplier got the model that used the research from it."

"Even better," Rob said, "That will give me something to work with."

"What are you planning on?" Roger asked.

"Depends on if you got me that recording or not," Rob said, "With the track she's taking she will hit more of your businesses. If you got me that recording, I'll be able to load it in this droid and use the droid to take control of the Mellisa via the shutdown tool."

"I have it," Roger asked him, "Do you have this shutdown tool?"

"I never go anywhere without one," Rob said, holding up a device that looked like a manual can opener, "The trick is getting in close enough to use it. It goes into her abdomen, shuts down the cybernetic interface, letting me take control again."

"So you have the body back," Roger nodded, tossing him a CD, "What good does that do?"

"I have the consciousness of a cop tied into a body," Rob said, "Once I actually activate my controls on her, she will be doing what I say. Only she'll have the knowledge and abilities of a cop at my beck and call. That is how I plan on taking the rest of them out."

"Why didn't you think of that when you put her over?" Roger snapped, "She has already cost us a shitload of money."

"That's your fault, Roger," Rob said, "If I'd had control of the project I wouldn't have had to put the power to the console before your idiots destroyed it. You almost cost me two years of work that day."

"If you hadn't chosen her, we wouldn't be here now," Roger said, "You are just lucky we need your expertise to stop this mess. Screw up and if she doesn't kill you, we will."

"Right," Rob said, "Well we need each other now."

"Don't call me again until they are all dead," Roger said, "You take this to Remordis and he won't believe you. Frankly, no one will believe you and you'll be dead in a week."

"I have bigger fish to fry," Rob said, "And a cop to reacquire."

Chapter 59 – More Bodies

"You look pensive this morning, Sam," Toshi said as she sat up in the bed, "Don't worry, I'm plenty old enough for this."

"It's not that, Toshi," Sam smiled, "I thoroughly enjoyed last night with you. I'm just thinking about Anoki again, that's all."

"Yes," Toshi nodded, "I can understand that. There may be a few parallels in this situation."

"This is a healthier one," Sam told her, "Anyway, that's not what I'm thinking about. I'm just wondering what happened to the Anoki I once knew. The fun and free one, the one who wouldn't hurt anyone and would give you the shirt off her back if necessary."

"She was killed on that night," Toshi said, "A person changes after that type of injury, Sam. The one who comes out often has little in common with the one who went in."

"You sound like you know a bit about it," Sam said, looking at her, "Something you want to tell me?"

"Nothing scandalous," Toshi said, "We didn't have a true psychologist on the transference team. Since I was the youngest and freshest out of school, they assigned me to study psychology. I spent half of that period reading Doctorate Level psychology textbooks."

"Did it help?" Sam asked her.

"Nope," Toshi chuckled, "I turned out to be dead wrong in every prediction I made. I just remember too much. If I read it, I remember it, no matter how useless it is."

"You must be hell to play against in trivia," Sam chuckled, "Not that I'm bad..."

"I'll take you on someday," Toshi smiled, "I'm betting you know more pop culture than I do."

"Sounds like a plan," Sam agreed, "Maybe tomorrow night if there's no sign of Anoki."

"Sure," Toshi said, "Let's catch up on the news and go put at least a partial day in."

"Sure," Sam nodded, reaching over and hitting power on the TV, hitting the button for the on-demand local news channel, "Let's see what's happened."

The news reports were filled with the reports of the brutal home invasion murder of a notable businessman. The descriptions of an average-sized brunette woman entering and leaving the scene made both Toshi and Sam sit upright.

"Anoki," Sam said, "It had to be."

"Yes," Toshi nodded, "Let's get dressed and get over there."

"Figures," Sam chuckled, getting himself up out of the bed, "I have a good night off together and Anoki decides to surface and fuck it up."

"Could be worse," Toshi reminded him, "It could have happened while we were still at the precinct and we wouldn't have gotten to sleep at all."

They both cleaned up quickly and got dressed. Neither one of them grumbled as they knew this could be the break they were looking for. They climbed into Sam's car and drove straight over to the crime scene to find Bobby Archer already there with the coroner.

"I was wondering if you'd show up," Bobby said, "Your cell was out of service."

"Cell service sucks in the motel," Sam told him, "Was this our rogue droid?"

"Description matches," Bobby nodded, "Dupriex found droid generation DNA all over the place. Looks like they might have hit her a few times."

"Like trying to sink a battleship with a slingshot," Toshi muttered, "Even a rocket launcher would only stop her temporarily."

"So who was this guy?" Sam asked, "I've never heard of Mr. Friend before. Why would Anoki have chosen him?"

"There was an ambulance call at the chop shop Anoki was supposed to bring down," Bobby said, "Kim is down there now, checking the scene. Lennie Darsa supposedly spent a few minutes in the office and a few minutes after she left the ambulance was called."

"When did Lennie get out of the joint?" Sam asked, "I thought we had her on a plant car."

"She didn't," Bobby said, "It was Anoki. The only Lennie Darsa they knew."

"Right," Sam said, "I'm guessing that Mr. Friend here is involved in a little more than honest business."

"She's climbing the food chain," Toshi noted, "She is likely acting on what she figured out while she was hiding."

"We need to figure out where she hid," Sam grunted, "She had to have searched this stuff out somehow. She couldn't have hidden in a hotel without us finding her."

"Harry and I can work on that," Toshi said, "We're more scientific than you are."

"Eric Craig should be there," Bobby said, "HQ sent him to the old precinct house. Harry figured that you two went out to dinner and caught some sleep somewhere. You were both overdue."

"For a number of things," Sam noted, "If anyone can track the bitch, it's Eric. He is a master of networks. Stacy may have new tools, but nothing Eric won't be able to track."

"Good," Toshi said, "What are you going to do?"

"Go talk to the guy Anoki shook down to find out about Lewis," Sam said, "Bobby can finish up this mess. We know it's an Anoki hit. No need to pull people off important crimes."

"I'll wrap it up," Bobby nodded, "When Kim gets back here we'll start going through Mr. Friend's personal stuff. Maybe we can figure out where Anoki is going to hit next."

"Good plan," Sam nodded, "Let's get to work."

Chapter 60 – Melvin

Rob Homer looked at all the equipment that he had been given by the syndicate. He was thankful for his habit of unauthorized offsite backups, as they allowed him to recreate in a span of hours what he had spent over ten years researching and a further two years in the police labs perfecting.

"What is all this shit?" one of the thugs asked, "Looks like one of those lab places."

"That is what it is, Alex," Rob said, "I need you and your friends to open up that large crate over there. Be careful, it should be rather cold. Use gloves or you may lose a finger to the liquid nitrogen."

Alex Kimpo and his cohorts spent a few minutes opening up the crate and getting to the internal box. Rob finished his work with the VR tank and walked over to the cold box. He was ready to deal with the droid and get his mind in sync with it.

"What is this man?" Alex asked, "Looks like a coffin."

"Open it," Robert said, "Keep your gloves on."

Alex and the others did so and jumped back as they saw the body in the nitrogen. Rob smiled and looked at the good looking face on the droid. He didn't look like Stallone or Schwarzenegger, but more like an average sized man. He was the perfect undercover agent.

"They didn't say nothing about a corpse!" one of them exclaimed, "What the hell is going on, Alex?"

"It's not a corpse," Alex said, "Corpses would be frozen solid in here."

"Meet Melvin," Rob told them, "He is our ticket to taking down the rogue droid."

"Fight droid with droid," Alex nodded, "Good plan. Thing is, how do you stop it?"

"I control it," Rob said, "From that tank over there. You and your boys will play escort and muscle. I'll do the up close stuff."

"Just what we need," Alex said, "What do you need us for?"

"To drive and work the console," Rob said, "I have to get used to working with this body. I haven't had much of a chance to practice, and you need me fully functional to stop Anoki."

"How long is this going to take?" Alex asked him.

"I should have this unit running in the next three hours," Rob said, "I need two of you to stay here and guard this unit while I am inside. The rest of you are going searching."

"How?" Alex asked him, "How do you expect us to find something that the whole police force and the syndicate can't find?"

"They don't know the codes," Rob chuckled, "You will be driving around the city until this device goes off. That will give me an indication of what sector she's in. You have to be within a quarter mile for that device to detect her."

"If you think we're going after her alone you're nuts!" one of the boys said.

"You just have to find where she is," Rob told them, "I'll be the one taking her out. Your job after I do that will be to grab her inert body and drag it into the van to bring back here so I can finish reprogramming her."

"Not dispose of her?" Alex wondered.

"She's opened up too many questions," Rob said, "I will have her finish off the cops who are searching for her as well as a few random victims before arranging a fitting funeral pyre for her. The trail will be so muddy at that point that the city will write off the rumors of syndicate and chalk it all up to a rogue droid."

"You're the boss," Alex said, "Let's get the van over here and load the equipment. I want this job to take as little time as we can get away with."

"Amen to that," one of the men said.

Rob was all in agreement. He just hoped he had enough time to get acclimated to Melvin. He had one shot of surviving this and he was a bit short of time to do it in.

Chapter 61 – Transfer

Stacy Anoki thought carefully about her next target. She had good information that she had taken from Lewis Friend, but she knew she had to tread slowly. The syndicate had to know who and what she was and would likely want to make sure she didn't get any further.

She spent a large part of the next day pulling plans together for her next hit. She was not thrilled with the limited amount of information she'd pulled together, but was not surprised very much by it either. Whoever had been putting this syndicate together had spent years on it and had hidden it very well.

She wanted more time to pull Lewis Friend's stuff out, but she knew that the police department would do that. She doubted that Sam would help directly, but he would want to break the case that had given him so much grief. She left the easy stuff to the police who would be tracking her anyway.

Since she didn't want to spend any more time out and around than she had to, Anoki spent time with the digital renditions of the building her next target lived in, looking for the best entrances. She had no wish to hurt too many people in this, but she knew that it would also delay the discovery for a while as well.

She sat in the small bunker underneath the cabin for a few hours as she processed everything and manipulated the military programming of her mind to work out every possibility of entrance.

While Anoki was going through the planning stages, Eric Craig was trying to determine where Stacy Anoki was accessing the internet. Sam Remordis sat smoking a cigar as he watched the scientists do their work.

"Just how much network access can the Mellisa do on it's own?" Eric asked Toshiko, "Can she process everything herself?"

"Most of it," Toshiko said, "She's equipped with X86 emulation abilities, but she doesn't have the interface to do it physically."

"Shortwave morphed into WiFi," Eric said, "That's how I'd do it if I were her."

"She does have that," Toshiko admitted, "Probably can do bluetooth as well."

"I've been reading the brain docs," Harry said, "She can emulate a x86 PC internally if she wants to. It was designed in as a failsafe. She can even mimic a video out using bluetooth."

"So she doesn't even need computers," Sam said, "That makes it even more difficult."

"No," Eric said, "It makes it easier. It means she would have an internal address that she'd be using to emulate a NIC. She'd have to in order to get online."

"Provided she's not using some NAT translation," Toshiko said, "That could mask her NIC address."

"Does she have an address or not?" Eric asked her.

"Sure," Toshiko nodded, writing it down and handing it over, "What are you going to do with it?"

"See if she's talked to any networks in the area," Eric said as he punched it in, "I've got a program that will crack any server it can find in the city and scan the logs for a particular address."

"Nice," Toshiko nodded, "This can't be legal, can it?"

"No," Eric admitted, "But it is a good way to look for someone. Besides, if you're a proper sysadmin you would have your system locked up enough that neither Anoki nor my program could get in."

"I don't care either way," Sam said, "Find her."

"Not even asking me how I am," Eric chuckled, "Relax, the program is running."

"Now I'll ask," Sam said, "You sure you're up to this yet?"

"Docs think it's the healthiest thing for me," Eric said, "I lost a leg from the burns, but the rest of me came out pretty well. When the stub heals up they'll fit me for a cybernetic limb. I'll walk better with that than the old one. I'm more pissed off about the loss of hearing, to be honest."

"With your musical taste you'll never notice," Sam said, referring to Eric's love of Heavy Metal, "You like worse stuff than my kid does."

"How is Cliffie?" Eric asked.

"Good," Sam said, "Don't know if that will continue when he finds out I finally moved out."

"You finally got the balls to leave?" Eric said, surprised, "About damn time."

"Eh," Sam shrugged, "It was time."

"Should have done it years ago," Eric agreed, "Good for you. Maybe you'll sleep for once."

"Maybe," Sam nodded, winking at Toshiko.

"We have a hit," Eric said, before he realized the wink at Toshi, "Hotspot downtown. She was connected six hours ago."

"That doesn't help much," Sam said.

"Give me a few," Eric said, "I can track from there what she's looking at. It may give me a tracking tool. Anoki was many things, but computer savvy was not one of them."

"If that's Anoki you're dealing with," Toshiko warned, "You could be just dealing with a rogue droid carrying her memory."

"Probably a bit of both," Harry said, "I've been studying this stuff for years. I have a few theories on what has happened to your friend Anoki."

"I will track this stuff down," Eric said, "Might as well fill us in while you're at it, Harry."

"I think that Rob may have managed to breed consciousness," Harry said, "But I don't think it is actually Stacy Anoki's consciousness."

"Explain?" Sam asked him.

"It's like this," Harry said, "I will put this in simplistic terms in deference to you non-scientific types."

"Please," Sam said, "I work with scientists. I'm just a cop at heart."

"Ok," Harry said, "The reason Toshi's people didn't use the military style VR is that it is a consciousness sharing device. It allows too much information to transfer between the wet brain and the person running it. The wet brain is designed to suck information in."

"Makes sense," Toshiko said, "Makes it react more like the person controlling it. It is designed to allow perfect replication."

"Yes," Harry said, "But did you figure out how it did it?"

"I wasn't involved with the Mellisa project," Toshiko said, "McConnell and I came into this when the test unit dropped off the grid."

"The unit is supposed to be used over time," Harry said, "It is designed to learn who it's working with."

"And I know they put blocks in place to avoid transference," Eric said, "I wouldn't have used it otherwise. Too many cybernetics act risks."

"Right," Harry said, "Thing is, the mind is a slippery thing. Wet brains are no different in that regard. The main difference is that a wet brain is digital. Analog is messy and scientists don't like messy. The wet brain is good in the fact that it learns and learns quickly. That's why it's been the leading candidate for the brain transfer."

"So are you saying she didn't transfer properly?" Sam asked.

"If Rob removed the locks she would have learned consciousness," Harry said, "But it wouldn't have been Anoki. A person is more than just a base consciousness."

"She sounds a lot like Anoki and is acting like her," Sam said, "Total recall too."

"Yes," Harry said, "I have no doubt that she thinks she is Stacy Anoki. They were sharing consciousness for nearly a month. Since Rob Homer pulled the locks off the wet brain it would have learned everything about Stacy Anoki. Her loves, her hates, her foibles, her faults. It also taught her to be a conscious being."

"I hear a but coming," Toshi said.

"But she's not Anoki," Harry said, "Stacy Anoki died in the explosion. I'm sure that last "Flash" of life, her mind searching her memories trying to figure out a way to live, was pushed down the subnet line all at once, sending the unit into overload."

"That's what burned the subnet unit out," Eric said, "Rob threw the power through the roof before it blew."

"That pushed the last of Anoki's memories into the unit," Harry agreed, "That droid probably carries every last scrap of memory from Stacy Anoki and a good part of her cunning."

"I don't buy it yet," Sam said, "She sounds identical..."

"She's supposed to," Harry said, "The unit had been building those protocols for a month. Twisting to the depths of her mind. The unit was designed to do just that."

"I think I get it now," Toshiko said, "After the flood of data and the cut circuit, the unit did the only thing it knew to do..."

"Created a persona that mimics Stacy Anoki," Harry said, "Complete with her memories and priorities. It isn't the consciousness that is broken in her; it's the control protocols. I'm betting if we cleaned out the Anoki protocol and replaced it with a standard moderate one you would have a much more useful conscious droid."

"All this is supposition until we catch her," Sam said, "I'm not sure we can do it without destroying her."

"Me either," Eric agreed, "Especially since we don't know what else Rob did to her."

"It's all supposition," Harry said, "But I'll work that end of it since I don't think I can add much more."

"So how are you coming with your tracking?" Sam asked.

"I have a lock," Eric said, "I tracked her through a few so-called anonymizers to a void in the local IPV6 protocol. She's tapped into a line out on the edge of town. Don't know how, though. She couldn't have done it herself."

"She might have exploited an existing break," Toshiko said, "Or someone else tapped in and she's popping off that line."

"Could be either one," Eric said, "It is this little house here. It's pulling way too much juice compared to the others in the area. Probably how she found it in the first place. Would have lit up like a Christmas tree to her sight mods."

"Let's go," Sam said, "Bring that shutdown unit with you, Toshi. It could be a bumpy ride."

That was the understatement of the year.

Chapter 62 – A Dead End

"The Satellite photos say there's a hut about five hundred meters from the road," Eric Craig said, "Not much more than a shack, really."

"What makes you think it's our leak?" Toshi asked him, "You don't tend to find that sort of thing in a shack."

"The electric bills," Eric said, "Paid in full every month and ten times what that shack should be pulling. There's gotta be a full server set inside that shack."

"Right," Sam said, "Do we have all we need to stop her?"

"I have four of the units," Toshiko said, handing Sam one of the devices, "Bobby and Kim have two of them in case we miss her."

"How does it work?" Eric asked, "Looks like a portable video game."

"Get that thing touched to her abdomen and she goes down," Toshiko said, "The trick is actually touching her. If it doesn't make contact, she doesn't go down."

"Clothing?" Sam asked, "I don't want to jam this against her to have it be thwarted by a simple parka."

"So long as you get it within six inches of the wet brain she could be wearing a lead smock and it would still work," Toshiko said, "The hard part is getting close enough. The other code system fell when the subnet connection burned out."

"That explains why you didn't shut her down remotely," Eric said, "I'll keep the car warm for you. With my lack of left leg I can't exactly help much."

"I'll put in a subnet patch if you need to check out the servers," Toshiko nodded, "You have your laptop, right Eric?"

"Yes," Eric nodded, "Full emulation clients on it too. Do what you gotta do. I'll keep an eye on the sat coverage. The department is paying for an account with the commercial satellite group. Anything large enough to put off heat and motion, I'll see it."

"Good," Sam said, "Let's just hope that she thinks twice about killing one of us."

"Harry doesn't think we should trust her," Toshiko said as she got out of the car, "After what she did to McConnell I have to agree with him."

"Yeah," Sam nodded, getting up and pulling his service weapon, "Much as I like your device, I feel better with a gun."

"Typical male," Toshi chuckled, "That pea shooter is useless against her. It will bounce off."

"I'm thinking more of distraction," Sam said, "If there is any Anoki in there she'll react to it."

"Good point," Toshi nodded, "Just don't shoot me."

Toshiko and Sam walked towards the hut just as Alex Kimpo got the signal on the box that Rob Homer gave him. The sun was beginning to set and they were glad to get the reading. Alex had the men stop the truck and placed a call back to the warehouse.

"Let the boss know we've got a bead on her," Alex said over the cell phone, "Don't know for how long."

"He's heading your way now," the voice said, "Or at least that weird droid he's controlling is. Said he has a bead on your cell phone."

"That's good," Alex said, "Because I'm sure as hell not going to go looking for that crazy droid."

"He should be there in five minutes," the voice said.

While Alex was waiting for the Melvin unit to show up Sam and Toshiko approached the hut. Sam shined the light on the power meter outside, one of the old style, and noticed that it was spinning around like a top.

"This is it," Sam said, "Let's go in."

"Warrant?" Toshiko said.

"In hand," Sam said, "Easy to get. The electricity alone was enough, let alone the illegal tap."

"You lead," Toshiko told him, "You're the cop, not me."

"Stay back," Sam said "And hope I don't break something other than the door."

Toshiko chuckled and got the kill device ready. Sam took a deep breath and kicked in the door. The old man looked up and shook his head softly. He pulled another bottle out of the box Anoki had brought him and held it out towards them.

"Want some?" the old man said.

"Where's Anoki?" Sam asked him, ignoring the bottle.

"Anoki?" he said, "Is that her name? I knew someone would be coming for her sometime. Just watch out though. That one's tricky."

"Where is she?" Toshiko questioned.

"And where's the equipment?" Sam asked, "This hut is empty. Eric was expecting servers."

"I'm not telling you squat," the old man said, drinking heartily, "You can just kill me. She'll make it hurt."

"Cigar box," Toshiko said, "There's wires going under the table."

"Is there a code, old man?" Sam asked him, aiming the pistol at him.

"Hit the button, door opens," the old man shrugged, "No more than that."

Toshiko hit the button and the bed flipped up, revealing the stairs to the bunker. Sam looked down and saw the iron door, knowing that Anoki had to be behind the door. Toshiko nodded and looked at Remordis, getting the shutdown tool ready.

"Open the door," Sam told Toshiko, "I'll lead."

Toshiko nodded and hit the button on the door. Sam got his shutdown device ready to go, but didn't get a chance to do anything with it before Anoki came out as though she was shot out of a cannon. Remordis was knocked backwards, the shutdown device flying out of his hand and hitting the old man in the head, knocking him out.

Anoki kicked the shutdown device out of Toshiko's hand and grabbed the smaller woman's neck, looking at Remordis as she did so. Remordis sat up and looked for the shutdown device, but was stopped by the touchy situation that Toshiko was in.

"Nice try, Sam," Anoki said, "Do you really think you can stop me this way?"

"It was worth a shot," Sam told her, "Killing her won't help you."

"It might slow you down," Anoki said, "I won't quit."

"You've been killing people for weeks," Sam said, "Do you not remember the oath you swore?"

"It was a human oath," Anoki said, "Made to humans. Why should I care what happens to any of you now?"

"You did once," Sam said, hoping there was enough of the old Anoki in there to stop her from killing Toshi, "There was once a part of you that knew how to love."

"But you all consider me property now," Anoki said, "She's as bad as McConnell."

"I was going to let you go," Sam said, "I had no intention of chasing you. You forced me to it."

"You went to her!" Anoki said.

"After you became a killer," Sam reminded her, "She knew what you were capable of. That's why I went looking for her."

"Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill her now?" Anoki asked him.

"If you kill her," Sam said, an ice expression on his face, "I will start a police roundup of every syndicate man in the city. Your information sources will dry up. You can't get to someone in a jail cell, Stacy."

"Big talk," Stacy said, "I'll just kill you too."

While the standoff was happening in the hut, Rob Homer's Melvin unit showed up where his men were waiting. The Melvin walked over to the group who recognized him from the box. They were mildly surprised to see him moving, but were glad that they didn't have to take on the crazy droid.

"She's still nearby," Alex said, "Not sure where."

"She's on the other side of those trees," Rob said through the Melvin, "Keep the van ready. I will contact you on the radio when I have her shut down."

"Sure," Alex nodded, "Need the box?"

"The droid can track the freq," Rob said, "Just be ready to roll. Remordis is nearby. His police radio is close."

The Melvin started jogging towards the hut, following the frequency of his tracking device. Sam Remordis and Anoki remained in a Mexican Standoff, with Toshiko's life in the balance.

"I see the way you look at her," Anoki said, "You once looked at me that way too."

"I didn't shut you out, Anoki," Sam said, "You refused to see me after you got out of the hospital."

"Back off, Sam," Anoki said, "Keep chasing me and you will all die."

"Let her go, Anoki," Sam said, "She dies, I'll make sure you are titanium dust."

"Big words," Anoki smiled, "Let's see how you follow up on them."

Anoki began to squeeze on Toshiko's neck when Rob Homer triggered the Melvin unit's playback unit. He knew that Stacy Anoki would not be able to resist the voice of the man who had been responsible for destroying her life.

Anoki, surprised by this, let go of Toshiko, letting her drop to the floor. She looked around and tried to find the source of the voice that she recognized. The Melvin repeated it again and she went for it, jumping through the door, not even caring about Sam and Toshiko.

Anoki ran over to the Melvin unit and tried to grab him, but he was faster and smacked her arm out of the way. Sam, seeing this through the door, realized that he couldn't do much against someone who could physically knock a droid arm and made a bead for Toshiko. He pulled her back and got her down behind the iron door.

Anoki punched Melvin who took it and laughed. The Melvin unit pulled a shutdown device very similar to what Toshiko and Sam had been carrying and looked at Anoki. Anoki looked at the Melvin unit and wondered what he was up to.

"You've had your fun long enough, Stacy," Rob said, "Time for you to come home."

"Who are you?" Stacy asked, "What are you?"

"My name is of little importance," Rob said, "The fact that you are coming with me is of more importance."

Anoki tried to stop him, but the Melvin unit's superior agility and strength allowed him to dodge her hands and ram the shutdown unit into Anoki's stomach, breaking through the generated flesh and touching the outside of her wet brain container. Anoki jumped and shuddered.

"No..." Anoki said and then went limp.

"Adieu, Remordis," Rob said to Sam as the Melvin picked up Anoki's inert body, "Follow me and I'll kill both of you."

Remordis could only watch as the Melvin unit leave the hut and run quickly towards the truck. Eric Craig saw the truck and used his little camera phone to snap several photographs of the process and of the Melvin unit. Unfortunately, all any of them could do was watch the truck disappear into the evening mist.

Chapter 63 – A New Game

Eric Craig pulled the police cruiser outside the hut and was about to shout when Remordis walked outside. He stretched out and looked at Eric. Eric looked at the hut and pondered trying to get out of the car.

"What the hell happened in there?" Eric asked him, "You look like you were run over by a truck."

"Anoki," Sam said, "Did you see where she ran off to?"

"Carried like a rag doll to a truck," Eric said, "I got pics on the phone. Best I could do on short notice."

"Shit," Sam grunted, "The servers are underground. You check them out while I check on Toshi."

Eric nodded while Sam rushed back inside and crouched down next to where Toshiko was lying. She looked up at him and rubbed her sore neck. He touched her hand softly and waited for her to speak.

"I survived?" Toshiko said, "What the hell happened?"

"A young man," Sam said, "She hit him and it did nothing."

"Where is she?" Toshiko wondered.

"He took her away," Sam said, "Damnedest thing I ever saw."

"Not one of yours?" Toshiko said, sitting up, "What the hell?"

"Eric has pictures," Sam told her, "You hurt?"

"I may be a bit taller from the stretching," Toshiko said, sitting up and moving, "Nothing broken, I don't think."

"Come on," Sam said as he held a hand to her, "Let's get up."

Toshiko grabbed on to his hand and he pulled her upright. She was a bit choked up. She had seen her life flash right in front of her eyes when Anoki had started trying to squeeze the life out of her. He saw that look in her eyes and pulled her close.

"They're gone now," Sam said, "Time to figure out what happened."

"I wish I'd seen it," Toshiko smiled, "Something taking Anoki out..."

"That's what worries me," Sam said, "How did they find her and how did he stand up to her?"

"So this is the break," Eric said, hobbling down, "Better built than I expected."

"Someone plunked some money down here," Sam said, "Let me see your phone. I want Toshi to see the pictures."

"Here," Eric said, "I'm going to see what I can get out of the computers."

"Amazing these phones," Sam said, "I just wish I knew how to work it."

"Some things never change," Eric chuckled, "Can you get it, Toshi?"

"Yeah," she nodded, hitting a button, "Oh my..."

"Umm," Eric said, "That's my wife, honest..."

"No," Toshi said, "This isn't what I was expecting. Is this who took her out, Sam?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "That's him. Who is he?"

"Not who," Toshi said, looking up, "What. We need to talk to Harry and my boss, Sam. That's a Melvin unit."

"What the hell is a Melvin unit?" Sam asked, "And what the hell is it doing here?"

"The Melvin is the second generation of the Mellisa unit," Toshi said, "They aren't even supposed to out of the labs yet. I'm wondering what the hell it was doing here."

"Good question," Sam said, "He sounded natural too."

"He spoke?" Toshi asked, "That means someone was controlling him. There's no way they got one aware enough to speak in a few days. None of the droid units are that programmable."

"He said something about Anoki coming home," Sam said, "I was more concerned with staying out of the way."

"Coming home?" Eric said, "You sure it wasn't Rob?"

"Would explain the way he shut her down," Toshiko said, "He likely knew everything about that droid."

"That scares me," Sam said, "I think we were better off with Anoki on her own. We knew her motives."

"Leave me here," Eric said, "I'll do some digging. She spent a lot of time here. Maybe I can pull some of that data out."

"I'll assign a group of patrol droids here," Sam said, "Let's get back to the Precinct, Toshi. You have a call to make."

"No kidding," she sighed.

Chapter 64 – The Spike

Rob Homer walked around in the Melvin unit as Alex's men removed the inert Mellisa unit from the van. He pulled the storage box out and set it up for the Mellisa unit. He wanted to get her in cold storage and work on her before the wet brain had a chance to shutdown.

"Put her in the box," Rob said, "I'll hook up the locks."

"That was too easy," Alex said, "You sure you know what you are doing with that droid?"

"Yep," Rob nodded, "She'll be immobile when I start her up again. She won't be moving again until I get the proper protocols back. See that thing on the edge of the crate that looks like a railroad spike? Give that here."

"Sure you should be doing this in the droid suit?" Alex asked him, "I mean..."

"If something goes wrong it will be faster to have me already in the isolation unit," Rob told him, "I can control this thing as well as I do my own arms. Besides, this isn't exactly a delicate job."

Rob took the stainless steel spike and pulled the Mellisa's head back. He used his fingertips to probe the base of her neck and find the right spot. Then, he maneuvered the spike to his fingertips and rammed it full force into the back of her neck, surprising everyone around.

"Jesus!" Alex exclaimed, "Are you crazy?"

"No," Rob said, "It's an immobilization spike. It carries a special microchip that completely immobilizes the droid's body. Once I reactivate her she won't be able to move anything at all. The only things active will be the brain and the electronic voicebox. So there's nothing to fear."

"That spike is going to keep her immobile?" Alex said, "That looks dangerous. What if someone rammed one in there when on a mission?"

"Need a special one," Rob said, "Without the microchips it would just piss her off. That was one of the reasons I wanted the droid. They always come with the spikes in the case just in case the programming is corrupted. Luckily they've used the same Spike in every unit they've ever produced."

"Whatever works," Alex said, "How long do you need us here?"

"Not much longer," Rob said, "Just keep people out of here for the next twenty-four hours."

"Then what?" Alex wondered.

"I turn on the juice, give her the instructions she can't shake off and send her on her way," Rob said, "Then we let her take care of business."

"You plan on sending her out again?" Alex asked, "Are you mad?"

"No," Rob said, "I don't get mad. I get even. The world is about to see me get even."

Rob shoved a connector roughly into the Mellisa unit's stomach and hooked her into the droid control unit. The equipment was slightly upgraded from the last batch he used, but the software still worked as it should. He started a low level start of the wet brain core.

"Now to make her mine again," Rob said, "Hand me that cell phone, Alex. I will make her communicate with us whether she wants to or not."

Rob set down to work. He knew he had very little time if he wanted to get all this done. He patted the Mellisa unit on the head and started his programming.

Chapter 65 – A Night Off

"What the hell do you mean she got away?" Bobby said, "I thought you guys had a lock on her."

"Wasn't our fault that Rob got there first," Eric said, "The question is now what the hell do we do about it?"

"We start tracking Rob Homer," Sam said, "He's the key now."

"He has support," Toshiko said, "Those Melvin units are not public knowledge. Not to mention there are probably only three or four of them in existence. Someone inside the company had to have been involved."

"That's your job to figure out," Sam said, "Care to make a call?"

"Sure," she nodded and headed over to the phone.

"How did Rob get funding?" Kim wondered, "I mean he hasn't contacted anyone."

"No one that we know about," Bobby reminded her, "He was playing both ends against the middle. My guess is that he had some contacts."

"How long has he been employed here, Sam?" Haldeman asked him, "He might have made some contacts here."

"He'd been in computer division for a year when we got him, just after we got the first batch from Toshi's people," Sam told him, "We promoted him due to the experience he had with the wet brains."

"Yeah," Haldeman said, "The boss managed to cover up the worst of it. Rob likely did a whitewash on his background too."

"I'm wondering if there was some other connection," Kim said, "We never did figure out who leaked the list of undercover men to the bad guys. That had to be an inside job."

"Let me run his bank accounts," Eric suggested, "I couldn't run them two years ago because we had too many suspects and couldn't get a broad based warrant."

"We have probable cause," Sam said, "Run it."

"Working it," Eric said, "It'll take me a bit."

"So what does this mean?" Kim wondered, "Why not destroy her on site? Why take the trouble to take her away?"

"Rob probably wants to look at what happened to her," Harry hypothesized, "He wants to know how well he did."

"Probably," Bobby said, "This stuff doesn't make much sense to me, you know."

"Me either," Kim agreed, "That's why we're cops."

"The Melvin unit was stolen two days ago," Toshiko said, "The boss was livid that he hadn't been told yet and more livid that it showed up some five hundred miles away. Evidently, one of the older scientists signed him and a full field kit out. No one has found the old guy yet. Looks like he bugged out."

"Shit," Sam said, "No leads?"

"None," Toshiko said, "Just a lot of nothing."

"I have something," Eric said, "Two years ago Rob Homer was living on the edge of his finances. He wasn't making a great wage with us here and he spent a lot of money on lawyers."

"Rob was actually charged with manslaughter after the debacle just before the cybernetics act passed," Harry remembered, "He was probably up to his ass in legal fees."

"Those payments stopped just about two years ago," Eric told them, referring to the statements, "And a large cashier's check was made on behalf of Robert Homer to the attorneys. Nearly a hundred grand."

"Four days after zero hour," Sam said, looking over Eric's shoulder, "That son of a bitch sold out our team to get his legal fees paid."

"Could he have gotten that information out of the departmental computers?" Bobby asked, "I thought that was code word access."

"It is," Sam said, "But I'm sure those codes were child's play for someone like Rob."

"Who resets your passwords?" Harry asked him, "I bet your people still have tech changing the passwords, even the stuff that they aren't cleared for."

"And Rob Homer was help desk then," Sam grumbled, "Shit. It could have been that easy."

"Still doesn't tell us where the hell they are," Toshiko said, "And I'm getting too tired to think straight on it."

"Ok," Sam said, "Enough of this. There's nothing we've found out that we can act on right now. Eric, put an electronic watch on his accounts. I don't think he's stupid enough to try to use that account again, but criminals are often dumb. Even ones as smart as Rob Homer."

"Sleep could be a good thing," Bobby acknowledged, "What do you think, Kim?"

"Good idea," Kim yawned, "Let's work this tomorrow."

"Ok," Sam said, "Here are my orders. For tonight and tomorrow morning, sleep. If anything comes down, they'll notify us. Anoki is off the front burner until we figure out where to look for Rob Homer."

There was a general murmur of agreement as they all headed out of the building except Harry Haldeman. Harry wanted to try a few things on the wet brain and he had not slept well anyway.

"Care for another night at the motel with me?" Sam asked Toshiko when they were alone."

"Do I get to sleep this time?" She asked him, smiling.

"Only if you want to," Sam chuckled, "I'll be honest. I will likely be doing so as well."

"Hey," Toshiko smiled, locking arms with him, "Even if all we do is sleep, it beats sleeping alone."

"True," Sam agreed, "Let's go."

Little did they know how much life was about to change for them all.

Chapter 66 – The Protocol

Rob Homer sat down and looked at the inert body sitting in front of him. He had put the Mellisa on low level mode hours earlier and had read the protocol information for hours. He was enjoying the fact that he could work for hours in the droid body and not need sleep.

"Don't you ever sleep?" Alex asked Rob as he took over guard duty, "And doesn't it get uncomfortable in that tank?"

"I don't know," Rob answered, "I can't feel it. My mind is all up here. I wish I'd had one of these things years ago. It would have made me have a lot easier time when I was doing the initial work on this project."

"What are you doing?" Alex asked, "You've had her here for hours and she hasn't moved once."

"I have the body deactivated still," Rob educated him, "I've spent hours going through her protocol system. Transference is a messy thing, Alex. I need to work carefully if I'm going to keep her core consciousness intact."

"Why not just strip her and send her on a killing spree?" Alex wondered.

"Because I spent my whole life working on this," Rob told him impatiently, "I will not throw it away just for a killing spree. I just need to finish the protocol adjustments. That is another reason for staying in this body. If I screw up, I can shut her down easier from here."

"How do you process everything you're checking?" Alex wondered, "I mean the brain can only take so much..."

"The brain is much more robust than the body," Rob said, "You're just in time though. I will need an extra set of hands here, Alex. This primitive location is not well set up for me to work alone, and it is time to bring the conscious unit back online."

"What do you need me to do?" Alex asked suspiciously, "I don't really want to be next to that unit when it turns on. I've heard the news reports of what she's capable of."

"She's immobilized," Rob reminded him, "But that doesn't matter, I need you to simply dial up the power when I'm ready. It's the red dial on the far right side. I simply can't reach it from here and I need to be watching the gauges. Turn it slowly and stop when I tell you."

"Fine," Alex said, "Tell me when."

"Now," Rob said, "Slowly."

Rob watched the gauges and put a few commands into the droid control unit. Alex turned the dial slowly, stopping a few times on Rob's commands. Rob slowly edged the wet brain back to consciousness, as if Anoki had only been sleeping.

"Where the hell am I?" Anoki asked aloud, "And why can I not move?"

"Welcome back, Stacy," Rob said, pulling up a chair in front of her, "Still a bit on the ornery side, I see."

"That doesn't answer my question," Anoki said.

"I don't have to answer your question," Rob said, "As for who I am, the question isn't so much who as what. You see, I am the more advanced version of you. In as much as I created you well, I'm creating myself better."

"Rob," Anoki deduced, "I should have realized it when I saw the tank. Rob Homer isn't dead at all."

"No I'm not," Rob agreed, "I'm glad to see your deductive skills are still relatively intact. You will need them."

"You really think I will help you?" Anoki said, "Get real."

"Check your protocol set, Anoki," Rob suggested, "You won't have a choice."

"You are insane," Anoki said, "If you think I will stand for this, you have another think coming."

"You won't have much of a choice," Rob told her, "I only made the brain look as though it were wide open. You see, I have complete control over you. Now that I've gotten my hooks back in you will do only what I tell you."

"You could have used a regular droid for that," Anoki said, "Why did you do this to me?"

"I need someone a bit smarter than a regular droid," Rob said, "I also needed a subject for my transference experimentation. You have worked swimmingly for that."

"I'm happy to be of assistance," Anoki said with bitter sarcasm, "You left it open for me to become this abomination."

"Of course I did," Rob nodded, "I've proved my theories and made them work with you. Now, I need you to help me complete the process."

"You mean cover up your mess," Anoki said bitterly, "I won't do it."

"You won't have a choice," Rob told her, "Your mouth may be your own, but that is only because I don't have time to fully convert you the way I want to. I have to get you moving soon, before the investigation that you started can shake anyone important loose."

"They're scared," Anoki said, "Good."

"They won't be much longer," Rob said, "You see, they financed me here to make sure you would trouble them no longer. So you're going to stop the investigation cold. Your protocols have been altered. You now have a new target list. Once you track them down and eliminate all of them you will become another rogue droid, killing anyone and everyone you can get to."

"You are psychotic," Anoki told him, "You're going to force me to kill innocent people just to preserve a crime syndicate?"

"Yes," Rob nodded, "I am. Thank you for reminding me to amend your protocols to prevent you from talking about this. My plan won't work if you're yelling about it the whole time."

Rob made a few more on the fly changes, which effectively silenced her. She growled and looked menacingly at Rob and Alex. The fire in her eyes definitely made her look like the rogue droid she was supposed to be.

"You're playing with fire, Rob," Alex said, "She wants to kill you."

"She can't," Rob said, "It's in her protocol set now. She can't touch me or this droid. You either, unless I order her otherwise. Now stand back. I'm going to release the control spike."

"Are you sure?" Alex said, "I mean what she just said..."

"She doesn't control her body directly anymore," Rob reminded him, "I do. Now let's see what my creation can do."

Rob removed the control spike and the Mellisa unit sat upright. She looked around and stood up straight, looking a bit like a standard military droid. Rob waited to make sure that she was retaining control before going up to her.

"Still there, Anoki?" Rob asked, "You may speak freely."

"I will burn you, Homer," Anoki seethed, "I don't even have control of my limbs anymore."

"You no longer have a choice," Rob grinned, "Unlike me. I'm going to be going into a brain without controls. It may seem cruel, but life often is. Now repeat for me what your current target list is."

"Other than you?" Anoki grumbled.

"Uhh, Rob?" Alex said.

"Relax," Rob said, "Free speaking revoked. List target list."

"Penn, Kimberly," Anoki recited, "Craig, Eric. Craig, Julia. Dupriex, Andrew J. Dupriex, Mollie. Dupriex, Roland. Dupriex, William T. Archer, Robert. Archer, Peter. Archer, Polly. Remordis, Samuel. Remordis, Sara. Remordis, Clifford. Shiniki, Toshiko. Ensure death, minimize civilian casualties."

"Perfect," Rob said, "Do you have the photographs and address information."

"Yes," Anoki said, "I can access citywide WiFi networks for further information."

"I don't recognize some of those," Alex said, "Who are they?"

"The primary investigators, both police and coroner's office," Rob told him, "Better to remove the families, less fallout in the long run."

Alex shuddered, but said nothing. He stood back and let Rob set things the way the bosses wanted them. He wanted nothing more than to get away from this mess and never see any form of droid again.

"Anoki," Rob continued, "List post-termination directive."

"Assassination," Anoki said dispassionately, "Start with police commissioner, move down through ranks. Maximize civilian casualties."

'Very good," Rob smiled, "You should perform your job admirably."

"You're talking Armageddon," Alex said, "That's insane."

"I don't expect her to get much past the chief," Rob said, "By that point she'll be killing people by the dozens and the army will take her down. It will also spell the death knell for automated police for decades, something that should make both our bosses really happy."

"Lovely," Alex said, "This is insane, Robert. Stop now before you destroy us all."

"Anoki," Rob said, "Add to termination list, Kimpo, Alex. Remove him now. Remove all humans not in tanks within two hundred yards. Hide bodies."

"What?" Alex exclaimed, "No!"

Anoki reached over and grabbed Alex before he could run. She had no special instructions, so she threw him across the room, crushing his body against the wall and leaving a human shaped impression. She quickly went through the other four guards and removed them, stacking the bodies in an unused office in the corner of the warehouse.

"Good, Anoki," Rob said when she was done, "How did that feel?"

"Lousy," Anoki grumbled, "I will get you for this."

"Not yet," Rob told her, "Begin target list termination run. All protocols now in force. Stealth is of the essence until primary target list completed."

Anoki nodded her acknowledgement of the order and walked out of the room. She put some better clothes on and took the van that had been provided by the late Alex Kimpo. She had a lot of places to go and very little time. Rob Homer watched her leave and sat the Melvin unit down.

"Now, we have time to relax," Rob said to himself, "Let's learn about your better internal functions, Melvin. Diagnostic mode..."

Chapter 67 – The First Killings

The Mellisa Unit drove quietly down the road looking for the house where Kim Penn lived. Anoki looked through the Mellisa's eyes, but didn't see with the control she was used to. It was maddening to her, not to be able to move at her own will but instead follow the protocols that Rob Homer had set up for her.

Rob Homer may well have been the highest ranking transference expert in the world, but he didn't completely understand the method of transference that happened to Stacy Anoki. His simple protocol control was just a band-aid on an already highly disorganized protocol set created by the subnet burnout. Unfortunately for Anoki, his initial hooks were laid in before she was there, so she had no control over them.

The driving was not requiring her to use her consciousness, now pretty well fractured from the main being of the droid, so she tried to devise a way to regain control. Stacy Anoki, or what little bit of her still remained in the wet brain's consciousness, knew that she had to get a warning out. She went over the events leading up to her capture.

"How did Sam find me," Anoki asked herself, "Someone had to track this somehow."

Anoki tested the bonds and tried to see what she could do, but the unconscious part of the wet brain was following the protocols created by Rob Homer. She knew that whatever she did it would have to be passive. She could still talk, so long as she did not compromise her mission. She still had the ability to think. She could also access networks.

"Bingo," Anoki thought, watching the way she connected to a wireless network, "That's how they found me. Son of a bitch, I wonder if Rob remembered to put a block on the x86 emulator?"

Anoki fired up the emulator and let it connect to the closest wireless network automatically, just as it wanted to. It wasn't a perfect solution, but she knew that it was the best she could do. The problem was that Anoki did not know any of the current addresses of the investigative team.

"There has to be a way to do this," Anoki grumbled, "There has to be..."

Of course, it didn't happen in time, because the Mellisa unit stopped the car in front of the Penn house. The termination protocols were going for Kim first because she was less likely to be found first, because she lived alone. Anoki found her attention being pulled away from the emulator and towards the task at hand.

It felt like a compulsion to Anoki. She did not want to help, but she had no choice. Her inner mind was nothing but a voice in the crowd as the protocols took over her control. She did what she was told and made a silent approach towards Kim's house.

Anoki had been there before in happier times, so she didn't have to do much research. The car in the front was another sign of her being home. She easily hopped over a fence and slipped up to the back door. The standard bolt lock was shut tight, but it posed no real obstacle to Anoki who simply used the magnetic actuators in her fingers to pull the bolt open.

"Too easy," Anoki said, inwardly disgusted but outwardly showing nothing.

Anoki stopped and did a quick scan of people, finding only Kim sitting in a chair in the front of the house near a television set. Anoki quietly slipped into the kitchen and pulled a large butcher knife from the butcher block and walked towards the front.

"Anoki!" Kim exclaimed, seeing the Mellisa unit, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Anoki said nothing and approached, getting the feel and weight of the knife in her hand. Kim went for her gun, trying to get it up and get a good shot, but the Mellisa unit's body was faster. Anoki went in and drove the knife into the soft tissue of Kim's arm, cutting the nerves.

"Anoki!" Kim screamed, "Why? I had nothing to do with hurting you."

"I know," Anoki said softly as she drove the blade through Kim's larynx and watched her die.

Anoki left the blade there and slowly receded back into the depths of her mind, trying to figure out how to contact someone who could stop her.

Chapter 68 – More Fool Me

Roger Davies sat back in his desk chair as he watched the news on the cheap LCD television set he kept in his office. He knew that Rob Homer had been successful from the right turn that the killings had taken. Police reports were all over the place.

"Did they get Remordis yet?" Roger wondered idly.

The list of dead was astounding. Kim Penn was gone. Bobby Archer's whole family was dead. Coroner A.J. Dupriex and his family were killed en masse. Even Sara Remordis, Sam's estranged wife, did not survive the slaughter. Roger Davies did not know for sure whether to be revolted or excited by the news.

His telephone rang, and he saw it was the secure line that he'd been expecting to go off for a while. He picked up the line and grunted a greeting, waiting for the man he'd been bankrolled by for years to speak his piece.

"I assume this was your doing," the voice said, "A bit over the top, but it could be effective."

"I gambled on Rob Homer," Roger said, "I had a team together to toss the places no matter what happened. The office that Remordis' team had been using should be mere cinders by the time Anoki's rampage is over. Their investigation will be in tatters."

"Crude," the voice said, "But effective. How much do you actually trust Rob Homer?"

"I don't," Roger told him, "Not at all. That's why I sent a crew over to watch him. Alex Kimpo and his men should be able to rein in that rogue researcher. Besides, he's the one that allowed us to clobber the undercover division two years ago. He sold us the list."

"I trust that Alex cannot be traced to you," the voice admonished, "Because they will likely have to be terminated."

"I picked them from the book," Roger said, "Just like you did two years ago."

"Good," the voice agreed, "The other team as well?"

"Yes," Roger agreed, "I'm using the same voice system you are to communicate with them. Voice over IP using three anonymizer services. My voice gets just as encoded as yours."

"Very good," the voice said, "You learned your lessons well. How long do you expect this to go on?"

"Until the investigation and the Mellisa unit are toasted," Roger said, "If the reports I've seen are right only Remordis and Shiniki are still living. They likely won't be for long."

"Remordis is the one to watch out for," the voice said, "I've dealt with him numerous times over the years. He is why I set up that operation two years ago. If the droid doesn't finish him, make sure your boys do."

"I know that," Roger agreed, "Sounds like he doesn't live with his wife anymore. Might make him a bit more difficult for Anoki to find. Shiniki isn't from around here, so she's in the same boat. I have some resources I can check on that."

"Keep it quiet," the voice reminded him, "Otherwise it will be your butt on the line as well."

"I know," Roger said, "I don't intend to become expendable."

"Remember that," the voice said and clicked off.

Roger sighed and leaned back in his chair again. He just hoped that whatever Rob Homer had done would finish itself off and not require much more work. He was getting sick of risking his neck for a man who could have been anyone.

Chapter 69 – Complicated Girl

Harry Haldeman woke up and rubbed his eyes before putting his thick glasses on. The couch at the old precinct was not the most comfortable thing he'd ever slept on, but it was by far better than the bench in the lab where Elias' original transference project was researched.

He looked at the wet brain prototype that Toshiko had brought in to experiment on. It was not much more than a cylinder that was 18 inches tall by about eight inches in diameter. He had been working on them most of his life and could still not believe that the device could hold all the information a human brain could and process it faster.

Harry understood why Sam told everyone to take a day off. They had been pushing themselves for weeks and had just gotten their asses handed to them in a really nasty way. Unfortunately, Harry had a rotten feeling about what would happen next. He had not heard about the other deaths yet, but he had a feeling that Rob Homer would be quick and up to no good.

So instead of sleeping the whole night he had played with protocol routines that Rob might have worked on. He didn't have the whole puzzle, but it was an interesting mind game to keep himself occupied and doing something he thought could be useful.

He had also worked on a method of cleaning out the protocol system and replacing it with a simpler, streamlined and secure one that would not interfere with the consciousness. It was all purely hypothetical work without the actual conscious wet brain in front of him, but he figured that if he had to try to save Anoki at some point it would be useful.

While Harry was waking up and looking to start with the wet brain again, Stacy Anoki arrived to the old precinct house. The search had been mostly grunt work, determining where Sam had housed the unit tasked to finding her. This information came from the late Bobby Archer who gave the information supposedly in trade for his child's life.

"Don't let him be here," Stacy mumbled, "Be late to work for once in your life, Remordis."

Stacy knew that the bodies had gone public. She could pick up the HD Television broadcasts through her internal antenna, which gave her a quick heads up that the reporters were making noise about this.

Stacy let off a quick kick to the door. Her body continued to follow the impulses created by the protocol set that Rob Homer implanted in her. She scanned for life, finding nothing on the first floor. She tried to direct the Mellisa unit to go somewhere else, but the unit was using her consciousness as much as she was. The unit started on the stairs.

"Remordis?" Harry asked, "Toshi?"

"Neither," Anoki said, climbing up the stairs and going into the room, "Who are you?"

"I don't think I need to ask the same question," Harry said, seeing the body, "You're Anoki."

"Wh-who are you?" Anoki asked, the protocols trying to force her to interrogate him, "Where are Remordis and Shiniki?"

"Sleeping if they have any sense," Harry told her, "They left late last night. Only place I know they aren't is Sam's house."

"I've already been there," Anoki said, "Must find them..."

"What did Rob do to you?" Harry asked her, "He had to have monkeyed in there."

"Where is he?" Anoki said harshly, though her eyes (still under Anoki's control and not the Homer protocol's) said something quite different, "Don't make me ask again..."

"You can't pull blood from a stone," Harry said, "I don't have the information you seek."

Stacy Anoki was fighting a battle with the protocols. The protocols, set by Rob Homer to be on the bloodthirsty side, were set to remove any witnesses. She picked up Harry Haldeman by the neck and started to squeeze when she figured out how to win this battle...

"Not on the list," Anoki told herself, mumbling it out loud, "Not a target..."

Harry knew that he had no chance by fighting. His copy of the protocols and schematics had showed him just how strong that machine was. He just hoped he could work it so that he could survive it. Anoki had the same thing going.

"Not on the list," Anoki mumbled again, "Not on the list..."

While the protocols conflicted on what to actually do Anoki managed to get the hand to release and let Harry drop on the ground. Harry did not waste a second, he grabbed the wet brain prototype and ran out of the precinct house. He knew that if the droid changed course he wouldn't have a chance if he stayed nearby. He went to a dumpster next door and dropped himself in there.

Anoki went out of the precinct house the fast way, doing a dive and roll out of the second story window. She was leaving as Roger's second stringers, the cleanup crew, arrived at the precinct house. They did not mince any words or waste any time. They went in with gasoline and matches, dousing the building down and starting a fire that within minutes turned the aging structure into an inferno.

"Jesus," Harry said softly watching this from the safety of his trash bin, "Organized criminals."

Harry pulled out his cellular phone and snapped as many pictures as he could of the perpetrators, though most of them were wearing masks and the car looked as though it had most likely been stolen. He then waited for everyone to depart before he pulled himself out of the bin and started walking slowly away from the site. He was in shock even as he dialed Toshiko's cell number.

"Shiniki," Toshiko's half-awake voice came over the line, "This had better be good."

"Do you know where Sam is?" Harry asked her.

"Sleeping," Toshiko said, "Just like I was."

"Get out of there now," Harry told her, "Anoki is on a rampage. The precinct is burning to the ground as I walk away. She was looking for you and Sam. Luckily she had no idea who the hell I was."

"Harry," Sam's voice said, coming on the line, "Are you hurt?"

"Not bad," Harry said, "Anoki was fighting an internal war and won. I got out before the bad guys started the fire."

"There's a motel three blocks from you," Sam said, "Should be an easy walk through the alleys. Get a room under the name Harrison. They won't ask for ID if you pay cash."

"I'll be there," Harry said, "Make sure your cars stay out of the way. The bad guys are likely looking for you. You may want to call the others."

"There are no others," Sam said coldly, "I was watching the news while Toshi was still sleeping. We three are the last survivors."

The news left Harry feeling very cold and very lucky to be alive. He let the connection drop and slipped the phone into his pocket. He carried the wet brain and walked quickly, thinking about the disaster that this whole project had become.

Chapter 70 – The Survivors

Sam and Toshi arrived in her rental car at the motel and quickly found the room that was registered under Harrison. A quick call by Remordis to Chief Marcus Holbein's office confirmed the death toll and that he, Harry and Toshiko were the sole surviving members of the team.

He ignored their pleas for him to come in, knowing from experience that no protection they could give would keep a determined droid from coming in to try to finish them off. He sat down on a chair and stared at a wall deep in thought as Harry came out of the shower.

"Figured you two would show up soon," Harry said, "Had to shower. Smelled like the dumpster I hid in."

"That's fine," Sam said, "Glad someone can do something normal."

"Did you get in touch with the department?" Harry asked him, "Or are we going to go on without them?"

"They were surprised I was still alive," Sam said, "They are in shock, don't know what to do. Stacy Anoki is systematically annihilating anyone who knew about the damned project or her investigation and her families. Thankfully Cliffie went off to school in California two weeks ago. Sara was killed last night too."

"This doesn't fit with her patterns," Toshiko said, "Nothing we've seen or worked with made me think she would do this."

"Rob Homer did it," Harry said, "The entire time she debated on killing me, pinning me against the wall while she did it, she mumbled the words 'not on the list'. Over and over again. She wasn't in full control of herself."

"I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing," Sam said, "We know that Rob was the one who took her. Could he have gotten this running so quickly?"

"Sure," Toshiko said, "If he's a good scientist he spirited his data out of your center. I know I did when I was working lab. Offsite backups I didn't have to rely on anyone else for."

"He likely had hooks in her already," Harry agreed, "He just didn't have a chance to sink himself in there before. Kinda hard to take over a body and brain if you're running for your life."

"Not to mention you need physical access to the droid and specialized programming equipment," Toshiko finished, "He got the Melvin droid. The same people probably got him the programming equipment. I just can't figure out who would set her off like that and why."

"The syndicate," Sam said, his tone even and his emotions shoved down further inside, "Same people who got Anoki two years ago. She was tearing into operations they planned years for and killing men that they had spent years placing and keeping out of the public eye."

"The better to use an enemy to your advantage than just kill her," Toshiko agreed, "Rob was short on time. The syndicate is likely getting antsy. He had to get that droid out and reverse her targeting."

"She's not working alone," Harry said, "She is doing the main killing, but she's not torching buildings. Four goons in a car went in and torched the place."

"If it follows true to form they don't know who hired them," Sam said, "Our best bet is to stop Anoki. Unfortunately, that means doing it alone."

"No help?" Harry said, surprised, "Didn't the cops tell you to come in?"

"If we go in there the whole department becomes a target," Sam said, "If she's working on a list given to her by Rob Homer she will be tracking us. I'd rather be free to move than have her cut through a mass of cops not ready for her."

"So we track her while she tracks us," Toshiko said, "And she's got all the cards."

"Not all," Harry said, "I have the wet brain unit. Get me a safe place to work I can try to come up with a way to turn her back to our side."

"Won't work unless we get our hands on her," Toshiko said, "She still has no subnet unit, and if Rob replaced it we won't be able to figure out what frequency. We need a way to track her, not a way to fix her."

"Think she's still tapping networks?" Sam asked, "Maybe you can track her that way."

"We need a networked computer," Toshiko said, "Eric showed me how it worked, but I need good network access."

"School is out," Sam said, "There's a high school on the other side of town that will have the access we need. I still have keys because they were a testing ground for the droid teams. Went from a bottom rung school where a kid was shot on average every week to being a clean top of the heap school."

"If they have droid parts there I might be able to work something," Harry said, smiling a bit, "I've been repairing droids for several years now. Give me enough parts and I'll set one up using this wet brain. We can use it to combat Anoki directly if we have to."

"At least to slow her up enough to shut her down," Sam said, "Let's go. Toshi, we'll keep using your car because it isn't registered to you. Harder to trace."

"We should stop and get another one," Harry suggested, "Have me do it, since I'm not on the lists."

"I think we have a plan," Toshi said, "Let's go."

Chapter 71 – The Warehouse

Roger Davies took a cab to a corner nearly a half mile from the warehouse. He disliked having to risk himself for these meetings, but with all that was going on there were few people willing to go out for him. Most of the ones who were dumb enough were not smart enough to keep their mouths shut.

He'd been to this warehouse before when he was younger, long before his life had taken him to the stage he was at. He had worked as a low underling for the Pena gang then, checking out the death scene of one of Charlie Bullock's people. Guy had gotten uppity and taken the daughter of the district attorney. He died in pain for that piece of stupidity.

He wore a hooded sweatshirt this afternoon to avoid suspicious glances from the locals. It was the last warehouse on the block and probably had not had a legal tenant since John Wayne was at the top of the box office heap.

Roger sighed as he opened the door and walked into the building. It did bring back a lot of memories, but it was also about to create a new nightmare. He walked in and saw the human shaped dent in the far wall.

"What the hell?" Roger said, "Is anyone here?"

"Roger," Rob said smoothly from the shadows, "What made you decide to come check on me in person?"

"The fact that your plan is causing an uproar," Roger told him, "And she still hasn't found Remordis yet."

"I know," Rob told him, "I've recalled her so I can check her programming, make sure that the consciousness hasn't broken any of my chains."

"What did you do to my men?" Roger asked him, "Is that a body embedded in the metal up there?"

"Alex made me rather unhappy," Rob said, stepping out, "I turned him into a wall ornament."

"Nice," Roger said, shaking his head, "Who the hell are you? Where's Rob Homer?"

"I'm in the tank," Rob said, "Controlling this wonderful body. Do you know how much you can do when you don't have to worry about resting? How much you can read, how much you can study?"

"How many people you can kill," Roger said, "We didn't pay for this for you to have a fun little time. We really don't need the feds down on us for breaking the cybernetics act. We are paying for you to stop Anoki and bring the investigation to a halt."

"And it is," Rob said, "Remordis is running for his life. Between your men and my droid, he is marked for death."

"You have two days," Roger said, "This is from up high. You come after me, they will still come after you. You can hide from the cops. You cannot hide from us."

"I have no intention of it," Rob said, his eyebrows raising as he heard a squeal outside, "I think our rogue droid has returned to us, Roger. Would you like to meet the little darling?"

"Now?" Roger said, aghast, "That thing can't be seen with me!"

"Relax," Rob said, looking as Anoki walked in the door, "She is under my control now, aren't you Anoki?"

"Yes master," Anoki said, though the expression on her face was chafing at the term, "I have returned at your request."

"Wait there," Rob said, showing his power, "Roger and I have a bit more to discuss."

The consciousness inside Anoki's wet brain chafed at the protocol bonds that rendered her so far out of control of her own body. She knew now that she wasn't what everyone thought she was and wanted nothing but to regain full control over her own body again. Killing children was not what she considered a good time.

While Roger and Rob talked the consciousness worked with the resources available to her. She knew that she could not use the main droid functionality, but she did have a trick up her sleeve. The x86 emulation core had not been touched by Rob's protocols. She had been playing with several functions of the operating system.

She routed the vision functions from the Mellisa's body through the video port in the x86 emulator. So far she had not brushed up against anything the protocol yet so it either did not know what she was doing or did not care. She was hoping for the latter as she used an image grabber to pull several images of Roger Davies and the Melvin unit talking.

"Come on," the consciousness thought to herself, "Let's get this together. Now to get this stuff to Remordis somehow."

"Anoki," Rob asked her, "Why have you not found Sam Remordis or Toshiko Shiniki. They were at the top of the list."

"No known location for Shiniki," the Mellisa unit parroted, "Samuel Remordis was not at a primary residential location or any known police location. I have no other means of tracking him."

"I know you're better than that," Rob said, "That's why I was paid good money to shut your unit down."

"What?" Anoki said, looking at the Melvin, burning with anger.

"Can that," Roger said, "She doesn't need to know anything about that."

"She can't tell anyone," Rob said, "Not like it would matter. All the men who raped her are dead anyway. Sounded like it was a lot of fun."

"I will fucking burn you, Rob," Anoki seethed, "I swear it."

"Not likely," Rob grinned, "Protocol number one is that you can't hurt me. Any ideas on how to find Remordis, Roger?"

"Cell phone," Roger suggested, "He is likely still carrying it."

"Remordis cell phone number unlisted," Anoki said, "My memory circuits do not carry that information."

"Here," Roger said, writing it down, "I have it. You have 48 hours, Rob. Make sure this bitch does her job."

"Use the GPS unit in there to track him," Rob said, "I want him dead before daybreak."

"Protocol accepted," Anoki said, though she couldn't mask the bitterness, "Kill him now, Roger. You may not get a chance later."

"Enough of that," Rob said sternly, "You have a job, Anoki. Complete it and then move into secondary protocol."

"Just ask him what that is," Anoki said sweetly as she walked out the door to search for Remordis and Shiniki.

"Secondary protocol?" Roger asked him.

"What she does to get destroyed when Remordis and Shiniki are dead," Rob shrugged, "You won't have to worry about anyone wanting a droid for a cop for a long time."

"I don't want to know," Roger decided, "Two days, Rob. Just remember that."

Roger Davies left quickly and wondered if he would ever feel clean again after being in the same room with Rob Homer. He didn't care what happened to Anoki, Remordis, or anyone else. He was going to recommend that Rob Homer and his projects be terminated. Permanently. He just hoped that it could be done in time.

Chapter 72 – A Pillar of Flame

"Thorough sons of bitches, aren't they?" Sam Remordis commented as they looked down from the top of the hill at the charred remains of the school's droid center, "The syndicate doesn't just want us and this project dead; they want the entire droid program shut down."

"You can't bribe a droid," Harry said, "Syndicates thrive on human frailty. The droid not only can't be corrupted, but it can watch and listen for its human partner to accept a bribe."

"So much for building a droid to take her down," Toshiko said, "Any ideas on what to do next?"

"None," Harry said, "No idea where we could safely build a droid around here."

"And without access to normal investigative tools we're going to have a hard time tracking down Rob Homer," Sam agreed, "If he had any sense he disabled any lockouts but his own."

"I can overcome the protocol system," Harry said, "Doing it without destroying the consciousness will be the difficult part."

"I'll settle for dead right now," Sam said, "And not trying to kill us."

"That may still be Anoki," Toshiko reminded him, "And if Harry is right about the protocol set she can be saved."

"She won't be Anoki again," Sam said, "And I thought you didn't think consciousness was possible."

"I'm a skeptic and a cynic," Toshiko said, "Comes from being burned too often and living with Elias too long. I agree that she has to be stopped, but if there's something good still in there..."

"Until we catch her this is a moot point," Harry reminded them, "You two still are on her list and I don't know if I'll survive another encounter. Not to mention before long she'll be going after your families."

"Sara is already dead, remember?" Sam said, "Cliffie is out of range. How about you, Toshiko?"

"I don't have much family left," Toshiko said, "And most of them are in Japan still. I haven't exactly been the model daughter. I don't think I've talked to my parents since I was fifteen and came over here, eleven years ago now."

"A story for another time I'm sure," Harry said, "The trick now is figuring out where Anoki is going."

Sam paced around the area for a minute and ran his mind over everything. He knew that Anoki was searching for them, but did not have a clue where he was. It wouldn't be long before the army's anti-cybernetic unit took out Anoki. He just wondered how many people would die in the process.

"This is nuts," Sam said, "She's a damaged droid and we can't outsmart..."

Sam was interrupted by his cell phone going off. He wondered who would be calling him on it, as it was his personal line that was ringing. He looked at the caller ID and got a big surprise when he saw the line.

"What the hell?" Sam said, holding it for the others to see.

It was repeating over and over again, but instead of just a name it said "Anoki. Pick up the line, Sam." Remordis was shocked that Anoki could be manipulating the caller ID on his phone.

"It's a trap," Harry said, "Has to be."

"Probably," Toshiko said, "But she may lead us to her."

"Get in the car," Sam said, "Start driving, Harry. We're going to be moving targets. If she's interested, she'll keep ringing. I want to switch cells a few times."

"You drive, Toshi," Harry suggested, "I want to play with this brain while we listen. I might be able to model some of her warped protocols. Might be able to figure out how to stop them."

Toshiko nodded and took the wheel. Sam sat in the back and put the phone in the vehicle's hands free cradle and waited for Toshiko to gain some speed. He instructed her to get on the city beltline for speed before turning on the phone.

"Remordis," he said tersely.

"So formal, Sam?" came an electronic voice mildly reminiscent of Stacy Anoki in life, "You took a while to answer."

"I'm cautious," Sam said, "You tend to get that way when someone is trying to kill you."

"I understand," Anoki said, "I knew you wouldn't make yourself too easy to find, though it is frustrating to... umm... the one... err..."

"Rob Homer," Sam said for her, "I take it you can't be as free as you'd like to be."

"I'd like to kill him," Anoki confirmed, "I have parameters that I cannot control."

"So how are we talking?" Sam asked her, "I doubt he'd approve of this conversation."

"He has control of my body, not of my mind," Anoki said, "The protocols tell me what I can and cannot do, but they cannot take everything into account."

"In other words," Toshiko said, "He underestimated you."

"I have control of the x86 virtual machine," she said, "Nice to hear you are together, Toshiko. I... ummm..."

"We have to stop you, Stacy," Sam told her, "You know that, right?"

"I know," Anoki said, "Damn him..."

"Can you help us?" Toshiko asked her.

"I can try to slow things down," Anoki said, "You need to find... Find... You know..."

"Rob," Sam guessed.

"Yes," Anoki said, "He is... is... I guess the parameters won't let me reveal that."

"Vision?" Sam asked, "Are you with him now?"

"No," Anoki said, "I am... Urgh... no... Compulsions..."

"You're chasing us," Sam said, "I understand."

"Check your phone image bank," Anoki said, "I am bound from telling you anything, those compulsions are carrying over to here. But, I can send you an image. The protocols don't understand that act."

Sam's phone beeped with an image receipt. He resisted the urge to look immediately because he wanted to speak with Anoki some more. This was the closest he'd seen to the old Anoki since this mess had started.

"Sam," Anoki said, treading into territory she knew the protocols wouldn't stop, "I'm sorry about what I did. Not about what we did, but about what I did after. I should have opened up instead of letting the hate fester. I can see that now."

"We can talk about this after we get Rob's protocols off you," Sam promised her, "Just hold on and try to keep the innocents out of your line of fire."

"Keep away from crowded areas," Anoki warned, "I don't have much control. I'm still working on that, though. Break the... ugh... track..."

"Right," Sam said, "Keep the faith, Anoki."

He picked the phone out of the cradle and turned off the radio in it so she could no longer track him. He pulled up the photo screen and scrolled through the list of images. Harry looked at him and watched his jaw drop.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Son of a bitch," Sam exclaimed, handing the phone over to Harry, "Of all the evil sons of bitches in this town, it had to be that one."

"I know that face," Harry said, "Isn't he the one..."

"He's the one who started this mess," Sam told them, "Roger Davies led the protest that culminated in the explosion that killed Stacy and a lot of other people. What the hell is he doing involved with a lunatic droid lover like Robert Homer?"

"Roger Davies is with Rob?" Toshiko asked, "That makes no sense."

"It's right here on the phone," Harry told her, "Davies is talking to the Melvin unit, which I'm guessing is still being run by Rob Homer."

"That's a good thing," Toshiko said, "Means he's not a moving target. The Melvin can run, but if we pull Rob out of that tank alive, we can use him to stop Anoki. His voice will shut her down."

"Still think we need to destroy her, Sam?" Harry asked him.

"I think she'll enjoy that more than she does her current situation, Harry," Sam said, "I'd prefer not to as well. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Let's just work on getting Rob in our hands."

"Roger obviously knows more than he lets on," Toshiko said, "Shall we go pay him a visit?"

"It may be a trap," Harry said, "She may just be luring us there."

"The better to find her then," Sam said, "I can't think of a more appropriate place to bring her down than in the office of the man who started this in the first place. Can you?"

There was a murmur of agreement as Toshiko kept them speeding that way.

Chapter 73 – Roger

Roger Davies cursed as he dropped his cigarette into a pile of clothing that he was trying to pack up. This city was getting dangerous and he wanted to take a quick vacation. He was waiting for his scheduled call from the boss, after which he intended to haul ass for a Florida vacation, far away from Rob Homer and Sam Remordis.

He brushed off the ashes and shoved some more clothing into his suitcase. He'd mostly finished by the time his secure line rang with the caller ID he was expecting. He sighed and flipped the suitcase closed before pushing the button on the speakerphone.

"Any progress, Roger?" the voice asked him, "There are a lot of dead people, but Remordis is not one of them."

"I just pushed Rob Homer on it," Roger told him, "He has a tenuous control over the Mellisa unit, but his growing dependence on the droid we issued him is worrying me. The fact that he killed the team sent to protect him isn't reassuring me any."

"What are you suggesting?" the voice asked.

"Remove Rob Homer now," Roger said evenly, "Let the Mellisa unit keep hunting Remordis until the army's cybernetic unit removes her from this planet."

"What happens if she catches him?" the voice asked, "She needs to be removed and I think Homer may be your best bet for that."

"He has a secondary protocol set up," Roger told him, "When she kills Remordis she is going to start killing cops until they stop her."

"It will serve our cause well then," the voice said, not fazed by that, "No police agency will use a droid unit for decades after this sort of disaster. Especially if we publicize the fact that Anoki was created in a joint operation with the foundation and the police department."

"Do what you want about Rob," Roger said, "I've had enough. I'm going to take a vacation until the carnage stops. My job here is pretty well done."

"I agree," the voice said, "Leave tonight in case Remordis figures out you are involved. God knows what he will be able to put together now."

"I'm way ahead of you," Roger said, "I'm leaving as soon as you get off the phone."

"Don't come back," the voice told him, "Your job is done. Your retirement account is rather large and I will ensure that an additional payment is added. Find a good beach house down in the Bahamas and keep a low profile in your retirement."

"I've kept my passport at the ready," Roger said, knowing that this day would come, "I take it that you consider my cover blown."

"You are too close," the voice said, "You know too much. I will have Rob Homer dealt with. You need to be gone when I do that."

"I'll be on the first flight out of dodge," Roger promised, "I have my stuff half packed. The rest of it I'll leave behind and buy new in the Bahamas."

"Make it soon," the voice said, "If you're in town tomorrow you won't live to enjoy your retirement."

The line clicked off, leaving Roger Davies standing there looking at an empty phone line. He breathed a long sigh and looked at the thunderclouds that were threatening to pour down all over everything. He packed two suitcases full of clothing and filled his carryon full of his personal papers. He then counted out his cash, putting just enough aside to get him through customs without a problem.

"No need to get pinched as a dealer," Roger mumbled as he continued packing.

The rain started to come down while Roger feverishly packed his belongings. Toshiko Shiniki parked the rental car outside of the building, looking at the Harry and Sam. Sam threw his cigar out the window and let it sizzle on the wet concrete.

"We're here," Toshiko said, "Think he is?"

"Probably," Sam said, "He's on the eighth floor. Got the shutdown unit in case it's a trap?"

"Yep," Toshiko nodded, "Only one left. Also have the last bits of droid parts, though I don't know why you wanted them."

"If I have to make a mess it may be advantageous to blame it on Anoki," Sam said, "Harry, you keep working on that thing. If we have to tame her for any reason, I want you to have it ready to go."

"I'll leave the field work to the professionals," Harry chuckled, "Just lock the doors and beep me when you're out of the elevator. I don't want to trap you when I cut the power."

"Give us ten minutes," Toshiko said, "We should be up there by then."

Harry nodded and got his equipment ready. Hacking into the local power grid was child's play for someone of his skills. He just hoped that it would give them the advantage they needed to get the information they needed. He found that there were two power systems in the building, so he went ahead and turned off the primary first, making sure that no cameras caught their entrance.

"Elevators are still on," Toshiko said, "Dual circuit building."

"Let's get up there before people start asking questions," Sam instructed her as he pushed the button on the elevator, "Power outages bring people outside."

"Following," Toshiko nodded.

They got into the elevator once it opened and looked around. Roger Davies had a large floor mostly to himself. Toshiko beeped Harry and the rest of the building's power went off. This silently released every one of the safety locks in the building, which required the secondary power supply to operate.

"812," Toshiko said, "You go first, since you've got the real gun."

"You don't think we will see Anoki, do you?" Sam said.

"I think she wants Rob Homer out of her head," Toshiko shrugged, "If she faked a story like this there is no hope for us. We're all dead anyway."

"True," Sam agreed, "I'm going in. Have your shutdown device ready just in case."

Toshiko simply nodded and pulled the device out. Sam readied his weapon and went over to the apartment door and clicked it open. The thunder and lightning were masking their entrance, so Roger Davies did not hear them as they entered.

"Bedroom," Toshiko mouthed, her ears picking up a bit of noise coming from that direction.

Sam nodded and held his weapon out in proper stance as he slowly made his way through the room. Roger still had no idea that anything was out of the ordinary until Sam Remordis placed the cold barrel of his pistol against his neck.

"Hello Roger," Sam said coldly, "Planning a trip?"

"It's dangerous in this city," Roger said, "How did you get in, Remordis?"

"Power is out," Sam told him, "Electric locks don't stay closed when the power is out."

"You are just as crazy as that droid you put on the street," Roger said, "I will have your badge for this."

"I think that's the least of your worries right now, Roger," Sam said, "Where is Rob Homer?"

"Who is that?" Roger lied, "Have you lost your mind, Remordis?"

"Don't give me that bullshit," Sam said, pushing a fresh print of Anoki's picture in front of his face, "You met him this afternoon. You were likely his contact to the syndicate."

Roger tried to ignore the picture, but did a double take when the lightning crashed again and illuminated the clear image of him talking to the Melvin unit. Roger's eyes nearly bugged out as he tried to figure out a way to cover it. In the end, all he could come out with was this:

"Where the hell did you get that?" Roger exclaimed.

"Anoki," Sam told him coldly, "Rob has her hog tied, but he didn't lock down everything. She got this image out to me. It was the only clue she could give me without running headfirst into one of Rob Homer's coercions."

"You can't prove anything," Roger said, "You are a cop. You are bluffing."

"You are responsible for nearly twenty deaths," Sam said, the ice dripping from the tone, "I could pull this trigger and not be disappointed at all."

"What do you want from me?" Roger asked him.

"Two things," Sam said, "The first I know you have. Rob Homer's location."

"And the other?" Roger asked, tensing up.

"Your boss's name," Sam said evenly, "You have to be syndicate. They are the only ones who had a reason to turn Anoki on us. Your organization is a front, always has been."

"I couldn't give him to you if I wanted to," Roger said, "I don't even know whether it is a him. He speaks through a voice modification device over an encrypted line. So go pound sand, Remordis."

"Fine," Sam said, "You want to play the hard way? We'll play the hard way."

Sam Remordis dragged Roger Davies over to the patio. The rain was coming down hard at this point and driving onto the exposed area. Sam did not notice or care. He simply dragged Roger over to the edge. Roger fought, but he was no match for Remordis' powerful arms.

"You fuck with me and I'll throw you over the edge!" Sam said, losing his veneer of control and showing his anger, "You know where Rob Homer is. You spoke with him recently. Now, I want to know where he is!"

"You're a cop!" Roger yelled, "You can't do this!"

"All I have to do is have Toshi leave some bits of droid here," Sam told him, "They'll simply add you to the list. You will be another statistic in Anoki's rampage. No one will investigate nor will anyone care. So you have ten seconds. You can talk, or you can fly!"

Sam started counting. His anger was taking off. Toshiko had been unsure of how far Sam would go with Davies, but took no move to stop him. She had lost some, but nowhere near what Sam had. There was nothing that was going to make Sam's life whole again. She figured that Roger was as good a place as any to vent that anger.

"Last chance, Roger!" Sam yelled above the storm, "Where is Rob Homer?"

"You're Bluffing!" Roger yelled, "Now let's go inside!"

This enraged Sam Remordis. He knew full well that Roger was the point man for the syndicate. It made too much sense. The adrenalin rush that came with his anger was enough to push him to have enough strength to shove him halfway over the edge. Roger fought, but slipped on the wet concrete and went the rest of the way over the edge.

Remordis managed to hold on to Roger's Arm and keep him from falling all the way over. Toshiko ran out and grabbed Sam's belt, holding on to it as she used the other arm to keep Sam from falling over the edge with Roger.

"How do you like it!" Sam yelled at Roger, "The last moments of your life! Do you want to repent? Do you want revenge? Do you want forgiveness?"

"I want your head on a stick!" Roger yelled, "Pull me back in!"

"Not unless you tell me where Rob is!" Sam said, "You are running out of time."

Roger gripped on for dear life. He knew he had no choice. Sam Remordis was a police officer who would not kill him if he told all he knew. He was expected to disappear anyway. He figured he'd give up Rob and be done with it.

"Where is he?" Sam screamed at him, "Last chance!"

"Old warehouse district," Roger relented, "12333 Broad Lane!"

"Is he alone?" Sam grunted.

"Just him and the droid," Roger shouted, "Now pull me up!"

"Who is your boss!" Sam shouted, "Tell me! Did you set us up two years ago?"

"I did what I was told!" Roger exclaimed, "I don't know who the boss is! My last physical link with him died last year of a heart attack!"

"Maybe he'll tell you in hell," Sam said, "I'll be sure to kick you both in the balls when I get there."

Sam Remordis let go of Roger's arm, letting the former head of the Citizens Against Mechanized Police fall eight stories, missing a twenty-year old Volvo by mere inches when he hit the ground.

Toshiko pulled Sam back to safety and looked over the edge. She could not make herself feel sorry for the late Roger Davies. Sam pulled back and went inside to sit down. Toshiko let him sit and wiped down everything, using her kit to put droid skin DNA in the proper places.

"Did I do the right thing?" Sam asked her finally.

"There is no right anymore," Toshiko said softly, "Only less wrong. Let's go stop Rob Homer before he can cause anymore pain."

Sam nodded and followed her out of the building. He couldn't make himself feel sorry that Roger Davies was dead. He just wished that he hadn't been pushed to this point.

Chapter 74 – The Plan

"I know you probably don't want to answer this right now," Harry asked Sam as they drove towards Broad Lane, "But was throwing him out the window really necessary?"

"Necessary?" Sam asked, "No. Satisfying, yes."

"Won't see me crying," Toshiko said, reading some notebooks she had picked up from Roger's suitcase, "This son of a bitch was involved with everything. He wrote down everything he did. Everything."

"Why the hell would he do that?" Harry wondered, "One warrant and he is screwed."

"He wasn't worried about a warrant," Sam told him, "He was worried about having a boss that he didn't have anything on. That book was probably his insurance policy against the syndicate deciding he was expendable."

"He was the point man in the massacre two years ago," Toshiko said, reading further, "He wasn't involved in the massacre himself, but he put the criminal teams together and had his stooges wipe out the actual doers."

"Does it say how he got the information?" Sam asked her, "I'd like to know if we were right on Rob selling us out."

"Yep," Toshiko nodded, "Chalk up another piece of depravity to Robert Homer. He sold them out for his legal fees, just as we thought."

"That son of a bitch," Harry said, "He was as obsessed as Elias, but had even fewer scruples. Sorry, Toshi, but you know damn well both Rob and Elias would raped their own mothers to get transference working"

"Much as I hate to say it," Toshiko sighed, "You're probably right. I often don't know why I stayed with Elias as long as I did. I could easily see him doing this if he'd been in Rob's shoes."

"Doesn't matter now," Sam said, "The only thing we can do is stop him before he does something worse."

"That means stopping Anoki too," Harry said, "I hope you have an idea on that."

"We use her against herself," Toshiko said, "And then we use her against Rob Homer."

"You don't actually believe she's a human being now do you?" Sam asked, surprised, "I thought you were for destruction?"

"If Rob is controlling that Melvin unit," Toshiko said, "We will need her to stop him. She may be our best bet for that. Once we take control we can determine what she is."

"I have some models done," Harry told them, "It should only take me a few hours to figure out what she is."

"What equipment do you need?" Sam asked, "Can you do it with the kit you have now?"

"Yes," Toshiko said, "She's got a similar interface below the flesh. That unit he's playing with is a prototype of a microcontroller. We pull the plug from the test wet brain and put it into the Mellisa unit."

"Just need a quiet place to work," Harry said, "And a way to catch her in the first place."

"That brings us the hard part," Toshiko said, "How do we catch her?"

"A simple phone call," Sam said, "And a lot of luck. Take a left at the light. We're going to set a perfect trap for her."

Sam spent a few minutes telling them of the plan, and they were both flabbergasted that Sam would be willing to try something so insane. On the other hand, it made a lot of sense if they were willing to believe that there was an independent sentience in the droid.

"Make your call," Harry said, "It's crazy, but it might work."

"If it doesn't," Toshiko said, "God help us, because she is set to run amok when her list is complete. That's the other tidbit that Roger left in his journal. Rob has a secondary protocol that's meant to destroy the police department. If we die, she will start killing people even more than she is now."

"Then I suggest you hope we don't screw this up," Sam suggested, "Get things ready and get yourself hidden. I have a call to make."

Chapter 75 – Stacy's Choice

Stacy Anoki was tracking for Sam Remordis' cell phone when she got a surprise. Not only was the phone back online, but it was calling the same number that she had appropriated to contact him from inside the x86 interface. She let the unconscious unit continue driving and took the call from Remordis.

"The protocols are tracking this," Anoki said, "I'm closing in."

"Come and find me, Stacy," Sam said, "Just come in and do it right. No guns. If you are going to kill me, you're going to do it to my face."

"Don't do this to me, Remordis," Stacy told him, "Keep running."

"No more running," Sam said, "This is going to end tonight. Follow your programming, Anoki. I'm here waiting for you."

"You underestimate how much hold these protocols have," Anoki told him, "I will kill you, just like I did Bobby, Kim, Eric and the rest."

"The protocols maybe," Sam said, "Not you. Don't confuse yourself with the programming. Just come here. I'll be waiting."

Anoki was confused when Sam released the line. Instinctively she knew it was a trap, but the protocols didn't say she couldn't walk into a trap. She knew what Remordis was doing, she just hoped that whatever it was worked. She didn't want to kill him.

She drove the stolen car to the location where his cell phone was reporting its location from. She wasn't surprised to see that Sam had chosen a place that he knew well for this to go down. She was more surprised to see that one of the buildings in the R&D complex was still stable enough for a man or a droid to walk inside of.

There were no vehicles around or any sign of any other bits of life. She was glad that he wasn't dumb enough to bring Shiniki along. As much as she detested the kill list that Rob Homer had programmed into her, she did not want to have to move into the secondary protocols designed to cause a lot more damage.

Anoki walked inside the building, seeing that it had been damaged but not fatally during the explosion. Remordis' heat signature was showing through the walls though. She was really wondering what he had in mind. She had been thinking about ways to slow down the protocol matrix and started some of them as she walked into the room.

"You really are insane, Remordis," Anoki said as she walked in, "What is to stop me from killing you right now."

"Curiosity," Sam said, "Not to mention you need to question me on Toshiko's whereabouts. Your protocol matrix won't let you squander a chance to question me."

"Don't underestimate their desire to see you dead," Anoki said, "You may not get a chance."

"Use your brain, Anoki," Sam said, "I'm offering your protocols everything they want. Information and my head on a stick. Just come and get it from me."

Anoki's conscious center knew there was a trick, but she kept that bit of information away from the protocol matrix, knowing that it may be her last chance to break free from the compulsions that Rob put on her. She approached the man and looked at him.

"Where is she" Anoki asked as her consciousness started pushing buttons and starting processes designed to slow her down, "Tell me and you will die quick."

"Not even original," Sam said, "Try some physical persuasion, Anoki. I'm not going to make it easy for you."

The internal protocols debating what was best in this situation. The consciousness pushed the unconscious self towards walking, even as she threw useless process after useless process at the wet brain. She found it hard to concentrate through the virtual noise she was making, but she was doing better than the protocol matrix, which was drowning.

"Come on," Sam encouraged, "Come here."

Anoki approached, slowly and jerkily as the slowdown reached her motor reflexes. Sam continued goading her as she approached. He held his hand steady inside his pocket. It wasn't until he saw how much her system was overloading itself that he changed tactics to confuse it even more.

"Anoki," Sam said, "If you're in there anywhere you should have your memories. Play back the good times. Especially that weekend before you were hurt. Remember..."

"Must kill," Anoki said, though her consciousness pushed for the other conclusion, "Must...remem...not... do...must...have...to...kill..."

Sam waited for the confusion to take hold as she came closer to him. She raised her hand slowly and went for her neck. He pulled his right hand out of his pocket and brought out the last of the shutdown devices. He rammed it into Anoki's stomach just as her hand touched his throat.

"Save me," Anoki said as she shut down.

"I have to," Sam agreed just before she lost power, "I need you."

Sam caught the droid body as it went slack and pulled the droid spike he had retrieved from the remains of the lab. He jammed it through the back of Anoki's neck just like Rob had done and pulled out his cell phone.

"It's me," Sam told them, "She's shut down. Get over here so we can figure out what to do next."

Sam shut the phone down and sat down, looking at the pretty young body lying inert in front of him. It was hard to believe a face that angelic was tied to a body and a mind that had murdered over twenty people. He sat back in the chair and just shook his head, leaning back until Toshiko and Harry came in.

"Good job, Sam," Toshiko said.

"She came back," Sam said, "Try to save her Harry. She may be worth saving."

"I'll try," Harry promised, "Let me get started."

"She came back?" Toshiko asked him.

"The old Anoki is still in there, even if it's only a shred," Sam said, "She was doing something to the system, slowed it down. Gave me a chance to shut her down. Her last words as the power drained were "Save me."

"We'll do what we can," Toshiko said, "But you know she won't be who she was."

"I'll settle for her not being what she is now," Sam said, "The Anoki I knew died two years ago. I just don't want this perversion to be her legacy."

"Harry?" Toshiko said, "What do you think?"

"I know this end better than you do," Harry said, looking at the screen on the portable unit, "Give me a couple hours to check things out. I may need you then. Take a rest until then. You deserve it."

Sam nodded and walked out of the room. He didn't feel like he thought he would. There was no relief, no anger, no sadness. He just felt empty. He knew it wasn't over, even though Anoki had been stopped.

"You ok, Sam?" Toshiko asked him.

"No," Sam said honestly, "But I will be. Rob Homer is going down."

"That he is," Toshiko agreed, "Come on, let's get a nap. Harry will be a while. We've been awake almost thirty hours now."

"Ok," Sam nodded, "Thanks, Toshi."

"For what?" she asked.

"For understanding," Sam said.

"I'm trying," she nodded, "Come on. There's a reasonably clean couch in the other room."

Sam nodded and went there. He laid down and tried to sleep. It was fitful at next. The only thing that cycled through his head were the words that Anoki said as she powered down.

"Save me."

Chapter 76 – Options

Sam surprisingly slept reasonably soundly for a few hours. The total exhaustion trumped the horrid experiences he had gone through. No matter how much he wanted to be upset by killing a man, he could not make himself feel any remorse for Roger Davies.

He woke up and looked around the office and found himself alone. He figured that Toshiko was out helping Harry, so he stood up and walked out to see what they were up to. He was greeted with the sight of seeing the Mellisa unit standing up on her own power, but her stomach was wide open to allow cables to reach to the control unit.

"Standing on her own?" Sam asked, "Is that a good idea?"

"She has the control spike in," Toshiko told him, "I'm in control of the physical unit. The wet brain is in diagnostic mode still and won't have any control until I remove the spike anyway."

"How are you doing with her mind, Harry?" Sam asked him.

"It's a mess," Harry said, "I could spend years on it and not fix the protocol set completely. Now that I see what the hell Rob did to prepare this wet brain for transference I can see that he's a complete lunatic."

"Not to mention brilliant," Toshiko said, "He went with the unconventional and it at least partially worked."

"He created a consciousness," Harry agreed, "But he left the protocol unit intact. That is mostly where the personality came from. That's why she sounded so much like the Anoki you knew, Sam. She isn't Anoki. Stacy Anoki likely died of electrocution or drowning in the control unit. The Anoki in here is a bastardization of her created through weeks of thought sharing."

"So what is the best thing to do for her?" Sam asked Harry.

"That's what Toshi and I have been disagreeing on," Harry said, "Tell him the options, kid. They'll make more sense to him if you do it. I'm a lousy teacher."

"Ok," Toshiko sighed and thought of how to phrase it to a layman, "The two things we can do are wipe the protocol set and modify the existing protocol set. Both have their benefits and both have their drawbacks."

"What is the difference?" Sam wondered.

"If we completely wipe the protocol set she loses what makes her Anoki," Toshiko said, "If we modify it she likely keeps that, but will undergo a personality shift and will still be utterly unpredictable. We'll have to put some similar locks on her like Rob Homer did."

"Will she retain her consciousness?" Sam asked, "If we wipe the protocol set."

"She should," Harry said, "It's a separate unit in the wet brain. I won't know until I get in there if I can save the memories or not, but I can guarantee that she will be a lot more stable. She'll have to relearn most of the human characteristics, but she can do it slowly and in a much more stable way. The Anoki protocols were a shortcut, but flawed much like their source."

"Gotta love it," Sam said, "We get to play God with her mind. Damn Rob Homer for doing this to us."

"You know her best," Harry said, "I'm leaning towards a protocol wipe, Toshiko is concerned about what that will do to the consciousness."

Sam stood there and looked at the Mellisa unit. He did not know what to do with her. He didn't want to destroy her, but he knew he couldn't leave her the way she was. He paced around a little and smoked a cigar when an idea came to him. He just wondered if it could work.

"Can you start her up safely as she is?" Sam asked them, "Without risking our lives?"

"Sure," Toshiko said, "The control spike keeps her immobile unless I work her from the outside."

"What are you thinking, Sam?" Harry asked him.

"She's sentient," Sam said, "Let her decide. I figure she'll either see reason and decide for us, or she'll go nuts and we'll decide she's safer with a protocol wipe."

"Give me a minute," Harry nodded, "I'll get her running again and rerun the head controls to her. Her lower body will remain immobile."

Harry went to work and started things going again. It took a few minutes, but Anoki woke up again after a few minutes and looked at the people around her.

"Well," Anoki said, "This is a slight improvement. I knew that it was a trap."

"You walked in willingly," Sam said and turned to Harry, "Did you manage to loosen the compulsions?"

"I don't know everything Rob did," Harry told him, "So I added the three of us to the list of controllers for now."

"Great," Anoki sighed, "Did I misjudge you, Sam? Now you want to be my slave master too?"

"No," Sam said, "We just don't know what he did yet. We wanted to talk to you about the options."

"Options?" Anoki said bitterly, "I've killed a dozen cops. I have no options."

"You had no choice in that," Sam said, "But we do have to do something. I didn't feel right making the choice alone. That's why I had him start you up again. I couldn't decide your fate arbitrarily. I had to face you as best I could."

"At least, you're nicer about it than Rob was," Anoki said, "At least I don't feel the compulsions sticking at me right now."

"We're on the list of acceptance with Rob Homer," Sam said, "So you can talk to us. Unfortunately, right now we haven't figured out how to completely clear the compulsions, so I can't let you loose."

"My protocols are telling me to kill you still," Anoki nodded, "But at least I can talk to you properly."

"I hope you understand the choices," Sam said, "You're not going to like them."

"You are determining whether to scrap me, aren't you?" Anoki said.

"No," Sam told her, "We need you, one way or the other."

"So what are my options?" Anoki asked.

"Harry," Sam said, "Can you explain it? I'd just make a mess of the explanation."

"We can try to modify the protocols and make you less dangerous," Harry told her, "That would be slippery because your protocols are so badly screwed up. Not to mention I would have to put in some more control protocols in there so we could retake control if you lose it again."

"I don't know if I like that idea," Anoki said, "This is hell. I'm trapped in a body I cannot completely control. That suggestion means more of the same."

"You will like the other option less," Sam told her, "Tell her the other option, Harry."

"Complete protocol wipe," Harry told her, "Wipe it all, get you down to the core consciousness. You've probably realized by now that your personality is half controlled by that protocol matrix now."

"If you do that, I lose me," Anoki said, "My God."

"I doubt God wants anything to do with this," Toshiko said idly, "I'm amazed we aren't all dead already."

"Are there any other choices?" Anoki asked them.

"Just the worst one," Sam said, "We scrap you completely. We don't want to do that."

"So I become a slave to my protocols or I lose myself," Anoki said, "Now I see why you didn't want to make this decision."

"I know you feel like Stacy Anoki," Harry said, "But she died in the explosion. You are an amalgamation of the wet brain protocols and the consciousness that formed when Anoki died."

"I remember everything!" Anoki said, "I am a person!"

"I can only tell you the physics," Harry told her, "I'm not saying you're not a conscious being. I'm just saying you're not Stacy Anoki. I have no doubt you carry her memories and a protocol set that mimics her thought processes, but Anoki's protocol set isn't you. It is just a layer on top of you at this point."

"Sam?" Anoki said, "Can I have a little time to think?"

"Very little unfortunately," Sam said, "Harry and Toshi need a bit of rest anyway. I'll sit with you while they get food and rest."

"Afraid to leave me alone, huh?" Anoki nodded, "Fine. You stay, just leave me alone for a bit."

Sam nodded and sat down. Toshiko and Harry went over to the fast food restaurant down the street and rested for a bit. Anoki sat there silently, not even her face moving until she was ready to talk to Sam again, now that he was alone.

"Sam," Anoki said to him, "You awake?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "You decide?"

"I think so," Anoki said, "Just want to talk a bit first, if you don't mind."

"Sure," Sam said.

"Do you think I'm Stacy Anoki?" Stacy asked him.

"In some ways," Sam said, "But either way you aren't the girl I knew before you were injured."

"I know," Anoki sighed, "I have no regrets about going after the syndicate who did this to me. I just wish I could have finished the job."

"You did more than you know," Sam said, "Roger Davies left a book behind. With that book we'll be able to destroy most of the syndicate that did this to you. The only mystery is who is gave Roger his orders."

"Gave?" Anoki said, "I take it Roger is no longer with us?"

"He missed being a hood ornament for a Volvo by eight inches," Sam said, "So now he's a pothole. A good sized one considering he fell eight stories to create it."

"Good," Anoki nodded, "What do you think I should do?"

"I am torn too," Sam said, "That's why I brought you back instead of just doing one or the other."

"I don't want to be a prisoner, Sam," Anoki told him, "I'm tired of this. I'm tired of the hatred. I don't want to be a hunter anymore."

"It will probably be better all around to remove the old set," Sam agreed, "You won't be the same, but the consciousness that drives you will be happier in the long run."

"Promise me something, Sam," Anoki pleaded with him, "And I will let Harry do his work."

"What?" Sam asked her.

"Find Roger's boss," Anoki asked him, "Make sure he pays for what he did. Not just for me, but for the good men and women he had murdered."

"I intend to," Sam said, "I don't know how, but I intend to find him."

"I have my memory of the voice," Anoki said, "But it won't be admissible. I managed to break it down, but it won't be that useful. It is an approximation, nothing more."

"We'll make sure to get that," Sam said, "I'll also ask Harry to try to preserve your memories. You may not be who you are now, but you will remember who you were."

"Thanks," Anoki said, "Though you may have one more way to get the boss."

"What's that?" Sam asked.

"There's a recording," Anoki told him, "Rob Homer has it. He used it as a lure for me. That's how he got me. If it is a true digital recording..."

"Toshi can decrypt it," Sam nodded, "Best lead we've ever had."

"I guess I'll never know," Anoki chuckled, "Will I?"

"Depends on which you you're talking about," Sam told her, "You won't be Stacy Anoki anymore, no. But then, if you believe Harry's thoughts on it, you never were much more than an approximation of her created by the wet brain's protocols and Anoki's dying thoughts."

"And do you agree with that?" Anoki wondered.

"Somewhat," Sam said, "I don't know if the damage happened that day or if it happened to a blindfolded young woman who was abused and left for dead on the precinct steps. I know I miss the person she once was, but not the person she had to become."

"I know," Stacy said, "That girl loved you, you know. But that girl died just like her compatriots that night. It might have been better for everyone if she had."

"No," Sam said, "If you had, we'd never have found Rob or Roger. And without this, I would never have had a chance at finding the boss."

"It wasn't worth it," Anoki said, "Too many dead."

"There will be at least one more tonight," Sam said, "Rob Homer won't live long enough to create a monstrosity. You were born from a clean consciousness, just one who had received a lot of damage."

"Make sure he's dead," Anoki said, "I'd ask you to make it hurt, but you won't. Just make sure he cannot do this to anyone else ever again."

"Right," Sam said.

"Harry and Toshiko are back," Anoki said, "They are eating in the other room to not interfere with us. Get them. I am at peace with this decision now. It's the right thing. Better for this budding consciousness to live a free and unfettered life instead of being locked in by restrictive protocols created by a dying woman and an insane man."

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Sam nodded, "Prepare yourself, Stacy."

"Ok," she said and closed her eyes.

Sam walked out and sat down on the couch with Toshiko who was eating a cheeseburger. Harry had finished his food and was finishing off a strawberry shake when he looked up at Sam.

"She's going for the wipe, isn't she?" Harry said, judging from the look on Sam's face.

"She doesn't want to live as a prisoner," Sam said, "She knows that she will always be that if she doesn't consent to the wipe."

"It's for the best," Toshiko assured him, "Better to remember Anoki as she was than for the monster she became."

"Yep," Sam said, "She's at peace with it. Let's go do it. How long will it take you to make her operational again, Harry?"

"I don't know the interface speed," Harry said, "I have the base coding done in the wet brain we used. I'll have to do the wipe and clean up the mess. Then, I'll have to adjust the protocol junction set."

"How long?" Sam asked him, "We still have Homer to deal with."

"The interface is a wired dual subnet band," Toshiko said, "Should be able to transfer the whole shebang in about twenty minutes, depending on how big your protocol set is."

"Small," Harry said, "An hour, maybe two. After that she'll be functional and conscious, but a lot like a small child."

"Can you keep her memories?" Sam asked, "They may be useful, as well as the experience."

"Memories, yes," Harry said, "Her intuition will likely be mostly gone, but she'll regain that in time. We will have to give her a new protocol set eventually."

"A basic set will be good enough for now," Toshiko said, "She may surprise us too. Anoki is the consciousness base, so she may carry some of her aptitudes."

"Only one way to find out," Sam said, "Let's go. I want Rob Homer off the grid. Tonight."

"Let's do it," Harry said.

"Come on, Sam," Toshiko said, "Hold her hand as she goes. It'll make it easier for you, if nothing else."

Sam nodded and followed them into the room. Toshiko, knowing the physical unit as well as she did started hooking the subnet cabling to her exposed stomach area. Harry did a final check of his wet brain programming. Anoki opened her eyes and looked at the three of them.

"Ready, Stacy?" Sam asked her.

"Yeah," Stacy agreed, a determined look on her face, "Stay with me until the end, Sam?"

"You know I will," Sam said, "Oh, Harry. Can you get data converted to a form we can use outside?"

"What's the data?" Harry asked him.

"The voice conversion I did on the syndicate head," Stacy said, "It may help you later."

"I can hook up a flash conversion circuit," Toshiko said, "Let me get this stuff set up first."

"I plan on keeping your solid memory anyway," Harry said, "I saw that you'd separated it from the protocol set, digitized it. I take it that you spent a bit of time while you were out of contact doing that. Good job, makes mine easier."

"Right," Anoki said, not much caring about that, "One last request for the damned if I may?"

"What?" Sam asked her, "If we can do it, we will."

"Let the new unit keep my name," she asked him, "The consciousness left in here will be my legacy."

"We can do that," Sam chuckled, "Right?"

"Sure," Toshiko smiled, "Not a problem."

"So what is next?" Anoki asked.

"I have everything hooked up," Toshiko said, "Harry... The rest is up to you."

"Protocol files are good," Harry said, "I need to do some final setup on those, but I can do that while Toshiko is finishing the wipe. All I need to do is set the parameters for her."

"I guess this is it then, Sam," Anoki said, "It's been good knowing you, even if it wasn't the me I'm remembering."

"You too, Stacy," Sam said, "Any last words, Stacy?"

"Don't forget your promise," Anoki said, "Get the bastard."

"I won't," Sam nodded, "Let's do it."

Anoki closed her eyes as Harry began the systematic wipe. Her face went slack as the protocol set lost control of it. Sam squeezed her hand and had to fight back some tears. Losing Anoki as a person had not really sunk in for him until now.

"You ok, Sam?" Toshiko asked him.

"No," Sam said, "I think I need some alone time, Toshi. Do you need me for any of this?"

"No," she said, kissing his head, "Go ahead into the other room. I'll come for you when we're ready to wake her."

Chapter 77 – Anoki 1.0

Sam Remordis was staring at the wall remembering the good times with Anoki when Toshiko walked into the room. She sat down beside him and looked over at him. He looked back at her and smiled. It had been a long week, but having her around had helped. He just hoped that it would work out that well in the long run.

"You ok?" Toshiko asked him, "This has been harder on you than it has any of us."

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "She awake yet?"

"Harry is finishing up the protocol load," she told him, "She has a basic setup, one that will last until we get her in a lab and refine the process so it is less restrictive on her."

"And now she won't care," Sam said, "What did we do, Toshi?"

"The best thing," Toshiko reminded him, "Come on. Let's go meet the new Anoki."

Harry was working diligently on the control pad when Sam and Toshiko came back into the room. He looked up, his eyes red from reading so much so fast. He stretched out and looked at him.

"She ready?" Sam asked him.

"As much as I can with this equipment," Harry nodded, "I have the three of us set as vocal control stops. She steps out of line, we use our personal code and she stops dead. She should be a lot calmer too."

"Will she pass as human?" Sam asked.

"Easily," Harry said, "She might be a little childlike at first, but that will get better as we refine her external protocol set. It depends on how mature the consciousness got behind the Anoki protocol set."

"She will follow orders too," Toshiko said, "Though will likely question them when they are stupid."

"Turn her on," Sam said, "Let's find out what we have."

Harry nodded and looked at Toshiko. She went over to the control device and turned it on, starting with the consciousness unit and moving up to the upper body as she went. Toshiko decided to hold off on the lower body control until they were sure she was stable.

The eyes of the Mellisa unit flipped open after a few seconds and went around the room. She moved her fingers and arms a little bit to get a feel of her new self. She then looked up at Sam, Harry, and Toshiko.

"Thank you," she said, breathing a sigh of relief, "Getting rid of that lousy protocol set that I'd built up is a relief. I get to be what I am, not who I was imitating."

"I was right," Harry said, "Rob inspired consciousness, but he did not achieve transference."

"In a way he did," the Mellisa unit told them, "I believed I was Stacy Anoki. With that protocol set I was as close to a mental clone as anyone could have been."

"What is your name?" Sam asked, wondering how she would respond.

"Anoki 1.0," she said, "An engineered consciousness based off of work by Elias Schenkenberg and bastardized by Robert Homer. I'm free because of the three of you. Thank you for freeing me from that mess."

"I'd say this is an improvement over you trying to kill us," Harry said, "How do you feel, Anoki?"

"Decent," she said, "I'll feel better when you turn my legs on."

"Protocol set," Harry said, "Recite it?"

"There is no emotion, just peace," Anoki recited, "No ignorance, knowledge. No passion, just serenity. Death is to be the last resort."

"Good," Harry nodded, "The protocol set took."

"I've heard that before," Sam said, "I just don't remember where."

"You bastardized the Jedi code!" Toshiko exclaimed, "Good God, are you kidding me?"

"Nice," Anoki laughed, "So I'm a Jedi now?"

"It was all I could come up with for a base set on short notice," Harry shrugged, "I could always put the Homer protocol set back in if you like."

"I'll pass," Sam said, "Welcome home, Anoki."

"Rob Homer is still out there," Anoki said, "I take it you still need my help to stop him?"

"That's putting it mildly," Sam said, "He still has an active Melvin droid."

"Then let's go end it," Anoki said, "I will never be free as long as that madman is still around."

There was a murmur of agreement as Anoki's full body was turned on. The four of them walked out together, ready to face the final challenge. Rob Homer had to pay.

Chapter 78 – The Homer Protocol

Sam Remordis pulled the car to a stop nearly a block away from the address that Roger Davies had given him before his tragic fall. Harry and Toshiko looked at Sam. Anoki scanned the area looking for threats and droid heat signatures.

"Anything?" Sam asked her.

"Nothing yet," Anoki said, "What do you think?"

"I think we need to go there," Sam said, "At least you and me."

"What about us?" Toshiko said, "You may need our expertise."

"Keep back," Sam told them, "If he still has that Melvin droid Anoki will be going first. I'm going to try to find his physical form."

"My job is to stop the droid," Anoki said, "How much damage?"

"Destroy it if you have to," Toshiko said, "The company will live. I intend to wipe it completely regardless. I don't want Rob Homer's memories surviving in any form."

"Agreed," Harry said, "I lost my zeal for this shit long ago. Rob needs to be stopped at any cost."

"What if he surrenders?" Anoki asked innocently.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Sam said, "Anoki, you take point. Toshi, Harry, you two take the back way around. If you see the Melvin start screaming."

"Let me guess," Anoki said, "If I hear screaming, I go to it."

"You got it," Sam said, "Your job is the Melvin. If it is moving, you go to it. Your job is to stop it. Anyway you can."

"You have an advantage," Toshiko told her, "You have a full schematic of him; something that it is unlikely Rob Homer has for you or him. You know his capabilities better than he does. Use that to your advantage."

"That works for me," Anoki said, "Where's the shutdown unit?"

"Here," Sam said, "Don't disappoint me, Anoki."

"No way," she smiled, "You made me free. Now it's time to make sure I stay that way."

"Where are you going, Sam?" Toshiko asked.

"I'm going to look for his control unit," Sam said, "And drag his sorry ass out."

"Let's go," Anoki said, "I want to get this over with."

The four of them piled out of the car and headed towards the warehouse. It was quiet out there, most of the locals having found places to go and places to be. The weather was still lousy, but it was perfect for what they were planning to do.

Toshiko and Harry started heading towards the back of the building quietly, hoping to be in position in case Sam had problems or to try to shut down the droid. ¬It was quiet as could be as they approached the front of the building.

"Do you see anything?" Sam asked Anoki, "You have vision modes I don't."

"They are in there," Anoki said, "Rob Homer is in the tank still. The droid is working feverishly in the building setting something or other up."

"Any traps?" Sam asked her, "They have to be preparing for an invasion at some point?"

"Nothing electronic," Anoki said, "Rob Homer may be so intent on his work that it hasn't occurred to him that someone may want to stop him."

"Ok," Sam said, "Go on in. He may not know you've been protocol wiped yet. Get the lay of the land before you try to do anything."

"Ok," Anoki said, "Use that FM radio you have. I'll send a broadcast over frequency 100.4. I can do that without him knowing now that you removed his controls."

"Be careful," Sam told her, "Just shut him down as fast as you can."

Anoki nodded and walked into the door. She walked towards the control console, seeing that the Melvin unit was working at the secondary wet brain control set. She walked in and waited for the Melvin unit to acknowledge her presence. She did not want to alert Rob Homer to her change before she had to.

"I take it that the cell number did not pan out," Rob said through the Melvin, "You are disappointing me, Anoki."

"The cell worked," Anoki said, imitating the bitter tone that her memories told her she used with Rob before, "Sam Remordis is dead."

"Then why have you not gone into secondary protocol?" Rob asked her, still not looking up.

"Toshiko Shiniki lives," Anoki told him, "No sign of her."

"The syndicate will have to live with that," Rob said, "Protocol change. Remove Toshiko Shiniki from primary protocol and add her as an opportunity target. Go to the downtown headquarters and engage secondary protocol."

"Right," Anoki said, "I need a change of clothes."

"You will create too much damage to need that," Rob said, "Just go and get out of here."

Sam Remordis watched the exchange from outside the door. He knew that Rob was getting close to what he wanted. He just hoped that Anoki could get close enough to shut him down. Rob Homer had to know that someone would be coming for him, he just didn't know whether Homer was too arrogant to suspect Anoki or not.

Anoki decided for the direct approach, hoping that she could get the device into the Melvin's stomach before he could do anything about it. She pushed off and quickly pulled the device out, jamming it hard into the flat stomach of the unit.

The Melvin unit flipped around and smiled evilly, looking straight into the surprised face of the Anoki unit. He grabbed her arm and tried to force the device around.

"Do you really think I'm going to fall into the same trap I left for you?" Rob asked her, "First thing I did was disable all the usual shutdown routines. No one can shut me down. Not even you."

"He knows," Anoki all but shouted through the FM band, "Unable to shut him down."

"Stop him anyway you can!" Sam shouted, "And keep him away from me!"

Anoki pushed against the Melvin unit, fighting the turnaround of the shutdown device she carried. Sam skirted the outer wall of the large warehouse and headed towards the control equipment in the back. He didn't know what he planned on doing but knew he had to try to find a way to stop Rob Homer.

Rob managed to pull the device out of the Mellisa unit's hand and tried to jam it into her own stomach. The device had just as little use on her as it had to him.

"I see," Rob said, nodding, "They disabled that on you. I take it they found a way to remove my hooks as well?"

"I'm me," Anoki told him, "No longer a stooge or a slave to a dead woman. Your idea is bullshit, Rob. It doesn't work. You do this to yourself and you will die, leaving behind a droid that makes a mockery of what you think you are."

"Anoki was alive!" Rob exclaimed, "They destroyed her. You are nothing but a droid that is a shell of what could have been."

"I chose this," Anoki said, "I rejected your so called life. It was hell. Nothing but a set of protocols telling me who I was and who I had to pretend to be. Now I get a life. But only if I end yours."

Anoki rammed her titanium knee right up into the Melvin unit's chest and let off a piston punch that threw him right across the room. Sam Remordis used the opportunity to go over to the control unit and stay out of the Melvin unit's line of sight.

The Melvin unit shook a bit and pulled himself up. He looked over at Remordis and curiously ignored him. Anoki ran up for another shot at the Melvin droid's head, which the Melvin managed to dodge. Rob picked Anoki up and threw her at one of the building's supports, which cracked under the pressure.

"How the hell do I cut the connection?" Remordis grunted, "I'm a cop, not a friggin electrical engineer!"

"Go ahead!" Rob yelled, "It's the yellow one in the center! Make me a God!"

Remordis ignored him and went over to the unit. He pulled the thing up and then saw something that terrified him. The bottom of the tank was lined with high test explosives. He stopped pushing and stood there, but then he saw it start to head down on its own. He pushed back up on it and shouted at Anoki.

"What the hell did he do here!" Sam shouted, "There are explosives all over the place!"

"Not all over the place," Rob said as he traded blows with Anoki, "Just under my tank and all around that lever. Go ahead and let it down. You started the electrical process, now you just have to let the explosives go."

Anoki did a quick scan of the area and found that the formerly benign wiring around the tank had gone active. Rob Homer was not bluffing. He had designed this to take out someone else and to finish his transition from standard human to super droid.

"Hold that up!" Anoki yelled, "You'll kill yourself and send him all the way into the body!"

Remordis yelled something unprintable and pushed up on the lever. He held on to it because he trusted Anoki's abilities enough to realize that if he let go it would be a seriously bad thing. He just hoped that she could do something to keep him alive.

Anoki, grappling with the Melvin unit, sent out a signal to Harry and Toshiko. She hoped that between the three of them they could figure out how to stop the Melvin unit and stop Rob Homer's madness. Toshiko and Harry made their way inside from the back and saw Sam holding that lever up for dear life.

"What the hell are you doing, Sam?" Toshiko asked him, "That isn't part of the normal unit."

"No shit," Sam replied, "It's the trigger to the explosives under that machine. I triggered his damned transference protocol."

Anoki and Rob continued their fight. It was reasonably even; the main differences were that the Mellisa was faster and the Melvin was slightly stronger. Rob was toying with her a bit, but wanted to put a stop to her so he could finish the transition.

"I will be everything you aren't!" Rob exclaimed, "You're the prototype! You are nothing!"

"Eat this!" Anoki yelled, kicking the Melvin in the crotch and launching him into a pile of barrels that contained twenty-year old kerosene. The age and the sparks caused by the barrels scraping caused the volatile fuel to explode and catch the old wooden warehouse to start burning.

"That was not helpful, Anoki!" Sam yelled and turned to Toshiko, "Please tell me this unit isn't as fucked up as it looks."

"Worse," Toshiko told him, "You let go of that thing and we all explode. It took a warped mind to come up with this, too. The bottom is slowly rising. We have about ten minutes before the bottom of the switch hits the top and sets off the explosion anyway."

"Five minutes," Rob said as he pulled the burning Melvin unit back up on it's feet, "Now don't try to tie it up. There is a heat sensor that has acclimated itself to your hand. How does it feel to be a dead man, Remordis?"

"You first," Anoki told him, "You can't move into a destroyed wet brain. I will tear you component for component."

"You can try," Rob said, "I'm the newer model. Newer, faster and I will destroy you all!"

"This is getting tiresome," Anoki said, "Come on and bring it."

Rob went for Anoki again and they fought using the full ability of their bodies. They worked their way around the fire, beating on each other in a futile attempt at superiority. She knew the places to try to disable the Melvin unit, but he was doing better.

"I hope you have an idea," Sam said, "Because I hear something raising the power level."

"The damned tank is getting a steady increase in power," Harry said, "You're the mechanical one, Toshi. Let's figure out how to stop this thing."

"I don't know shit about explosives," Toshiko exclaimed, "We don't have time for me to pull this thing apart. I'd likely kill all of us."

"Pull the fucking cover off that barrel," Sam said, "I want to see the explosives."

"It looks like clay," Harry said, "Never seen anything like it and I was a military man."

"Do you have a knife?" Sam asked him.

"Yes," Harry said.

"Scrape off a piece, gently," Sam said, "Don't touch the detonators."

"You want me to touch the explosives in a burning building?" Harry asked him, "Are you nuts?"

"If we die here that lunatic wins," Sam said, "Toshi, how does Rob stay alive in there?"

"The feeding hatch!" Anoki yelled, "Hit him there!"

"I hear sirens!" Rob yelled at them, "My time is on its way! The era of the superhuman is about to begin!"

Anoki got in a right hook to the droid's midsection that cracked the protective plating around the wet brain enclosure. Rob Homer had no way of knowing it, but the Melvin unit was not ready for prime time like the Mellisa unit was. Three units had been produced and none of them had the hardware proving trials that the Mellisa unit did.

"Here," Harry said, bringing the knife to Sam, "What is this shit?"

"Semtex," Sam said, grumbling, "Has to be at least thirty pounds of the shit. Goddamn, where the hell did he get that this day in age?"

"Nasty?" Harry asked him.

"There's enough Semtex under that thing to bring down six skyscrapers," Sam grunted, "Look around here. Find out what tools you have access to and more importantly any chemicals."

"It's getting rather hot up here!" Anoki yelled, "Would you kindly find a way to shut him down?"

Sam looked up and saw Anoki and Rob fighting up on the top floor. Toshiko was carefully examining the door of the feeding hatch and opened it once she determined there were no hidden latches or electrical feeds going in there. She breathed a sigh of relief at that.

"I have access to the hatch," Toshiko said, "What now?"

"Look for chemicals," Harry said, "Something to stop him."

"Other than the semtex there isn't much," Toshiko said, looking around, "Only thing other than a basic tool kit here is a thumb drive marked Mr. Big."

"Put that in your pocket," Sam told her, "That may be the recording Anoki told us about."

"Considering there is a raging fire up there," Harry said, "Why the hell is it so cold down here?"

"The box!" Toshiko exclaimed, "Liquid Nitrogen base! That's the box that the Melvin came in! They use liquid nitrogen based coolant to make sure the flesh doesn't rot before they fire up the flesh generators to keep it alive."

"Look for something capable of moving the nitrogen!" Sam said, "That shit is my ticket out of here!"

"How?" Harry asked.

"Liquid nitrogen will freeze Semtex," Sam explained, "Frozen Semtex will take time to explode. We freeze the area around the contacts, and we can get this thing to delay long enough for us to make a good run for it."

"That's insane!" Toshiko exclaimed.

"Do you have a better idea?" Sam asked her.

"No," Toshiko admitted.

"You have better hands," Harry told her, "You work the liquid nitrogen. I'll figure something out to stop Rob Homer."

"Poison in the feeding tube," Toshiko said, "If he dies without pushing..."

"Maybe the unit dies with him," Harry said, "I'm on it. I know what to use."

Anoki continued fighting with the droid. She knew that she was winning, but that wouldn't matter if those explosives went off. She was tapping into the police subnet band and knew that they had been alerted to the presence of the massive explosions and fire. The army was on its way, having been called in by an angry Mayor.

"I hate to say this," Anoki's voice buzzed over the FM radios, "But the Army's droid disposal unit is on it's way too. They won't care which of us they get!"

"Two minutes," Sam said, "Anoki! Time to put a stop to him!"

"What if he can trigger the explosives?" Toshiko asked, "If the poison doesn't kill him fast enough?"

"Then we die," Sam said, "Move it, Toshi! Get that nitrogen over here!"

Toshiko used the specialized gloves that were included with the droid case and carried the liquid nitrogen unit. She carried it carefully, knowing that if she spilled it too soon it might kill her and if she spilled it in the wrong place it may kill them all by not stopping the explosives."

Harry went over and picked up a can of gasoline that had managed to stay away from the flames. He went over to the tank that Rob Homer was in and ripped out the feeding unit. He started to pour the gasoline in there and turned up the feeding rate to pump the fuel in there as if Rob Homer were a 1972 Buick.

"Hope you like high test, Motherfucker!" Harry said, "Let's start on the other stuff."

"Drain the power!" Anoki yelled, "He's moving!"

"Ground it!" Toshiko said, "I can't do it with this in my hands!"

Harry ran over and took some wire off the spool and wrapped it around the exposed core on the edge of the power coil on the edge of the tank where Rob Homer was slowly burning up inside from the gasoline poisoning he was undergoing. He tied it to a metal pole that acted as a perfect ground, shorting the system and pulling much needed power from the transitioning unit.

The gasoline hit his system like a sledge hammer, sending Rob Homer into convulsions. He fought to keep control of his robotic body, but it was difficult. He was dying. You could not have several quarts of gasoline introduced into your feeding tank without dying a rather painful death. He saw Toshiko doing something to the explosive core and realized that they may have found a way out of it. He knew his only hope was to set off the explosion and finish the transition.

"You bitch!" Rob yelled as the Melvin unit ran to the switch.

Rob Homer intended to force Sam Remordis to push down on the lever, which was already coming too close to the end time. Anoki saw what he was doing and did a running jump, taking the stumbling Melvin droid down to the floor and slamming it against the concrete.

"Die!" Anoki yelled, "Join your rotten partners in crime and just die!"

Anoki slammed the midsection enough to crack the casing and send the unit into seizures coinciding with what was happening to Rob Homer inside the tank. She stopped when she saw goo from the wet brain leaking onto the soot. She then saw that Toshiko had the nitrogen in position and had nearly figured out how to dump it.

"If he lets go it starts," Harry said, "We need a way to hold it up."

Anoki pulled the Melvin droid's arm back and pulled it so the actuating motor was exposed. She twisted it just right and popped it off. She then went over to the pole with the arm and attached it to the bottom of the pole. She then looked Sam Remordis right in the eyes.

"Sam," She said, "Do you trust me?"

"What are you thinking?" Sam asked her.

"I'm going to slide my hand under yours," Anoki said, "Then Toshiko is going to dump the nitrogen and the three of you are going to run like hell. Once you've gotten far enough I will join you. I can take more of a blast than you can."

"You do that and you'll reveal yourself," Sam said.

"I don't and we all die," Anoki said evenly, "Three, two..."

"One!" Sam said, switching places faster than the electronics could detect a massive heat change, "Dump it, Toshi!"

"Run!" Toshiko yelled after she dumped it, "Let's get out of here!"

The three of them ran as fast as they could, heading for the front exit. Anoki watched until they were almost out the door before pushing off as hard as she could and trying to overtake them. The four of them went out the burning front end of the building just as Robert Homer took his last conscious breaths before the gasoline quietly extinguished his life, some thirty seconds before the explosions demolished his tank and his body.

The Homer Protocol, as he named the set inside the Melvin unit, died along with its creator in the husk of the Melvin unit that was knocked around like discarded rubbish in the rubble of the warehouse.

Chapter 79 – Mr. Big

"Ok," Sam Remordis said as he groaned from his spot on the pavement, "That was too damn close."

"It could have been worse," Toshiko said, sitting up, "We could have been inside."

"We weren't?" Harry wondered.

"I hear sirens," Sam said, "Some of them aren't city ones."

"The army," Anoki said, walking over and checking everyone out, "They're coming to destroy me."

"No," Sam said, "they aren't."

"You don't get a choice this time," Anoki said, "This project violated the cybernetics act."

"Bullshit," Sam said, "Who knows about the missing Melvin except the three of us and Toshi's employer?"

"Only the dead," Toshiko said, "I doubt any of them had a chance to talk."

"You thinking of passing the remains of Melvin in there as Anoki?" Harry wondered.

"How do you explain me?" Anoki asked.

"Change your appearance and put up your hair," Toshiko said, "Do it quick. They are almost here."

"You are Rebecca Sampson," Sam told her, "You are a contractor working with Harry and Toshi. Toshi's company will cover you. As much working data as you've provided I'm sure her company will do it willingly."

"My eye," Anoki reminded him, "I need a chamber to regenerate it."

"Here," Harry said and handed her some sunglasses, "Put these on. They'll hide the eye damage."

"Puff up the external," Toshi suggested, "Your unit will let you do it."

"I just wish I could finish it," Sam said, "We've stopped everyone but the son of a bitch who gave the orders."

"We still don't know who he or she is," Harry said, "We just have Anoki's cruddy memory conversion on it."

"Wait," Toshiko said, pulling out the thumb drive, "We have this!"

"Play it," Sam said, "Car has a USB player."

Toshiko put in and hit play on the file. The voice came out of the unit, distorted by a commonly available unit. It wasn't much, but it was a chilling reminder of what had happened to Anoki years before.

"No need to hunt any further, Anoki," the voice said, "You found me. Now come and get me if you have the guts. I found your body enjoyable two years ago, almost as enjoyable as killing your friends."

"Damn," Toshiko said, "I wish we had a decoder here. That was a full admission."

The four of them looked at each other as the sirens came closer. Sam reached over and pulled it out of the player and looked at it for a few seconds before putting it in his pocket.

"We'll get that over to A/V after the army goes home," Sam said, "They should be able to clean it up."

"That won't be necessary," a voice came out of the darkness, "I'll take that tape, Sam."

"That's him," Anoki said, having run the decoding software on her internal engine, "He's the voice."

Mayor Peter Thornton stepped out of the shadows to reveal himself and his weapon to the four of them. Jaws dropped as they looked at him, not knowing that their own Mayor had been conspiring against them.

"You!" Sam exclaimed, "You were behind it all!"

"You sound surprised, Sam?" Thornton said, "How else do you think I ran things so easily and got elected by a double digit margin?"

"You traitor," Anoki said, "You betrayed them all."

"Stay back, Anoki," Thornton told her, "This is an ion laser pistol. I kept it handy in case you figured out who I was."

"So why are you here now?" Toshiko asked him, "To rub our faces in it?"

"Don't be dense," Thornton said, "I couldn't risk that recording coming out. I was hoping Rob Homer would finish you off and kill himself with what he was planning. I guess it didn't work that way. Sometimes you just have to do things yourself."

"You can't kill us all," Toshiko said, "Someone will ask questions."

"With that ion pistol he could," Anoki said, "It's listed in the weakness category. He could fry us all with only a shot or two."

"Smart girl," Thornton said, "We're running out of time."

"You're going to have to kill us anyway," Harry said, "Why should we humor you?"

"Without that tape you have no proof," Thornton told them, "Besides, you are working with Anoki. You will go to jail and I'll be the hero for stopping Anoki."

"Big man," Sam said, "If you want this tape, come and get it."

"I think I'll give it to the Jap first," Thornton said, "You have five seconds before I make her face not so pretty anymore."

"Fuck you, Peter," Sam said, "You don't have the balls. You hide behind a veneer of respectability. You give orders and watch as people die in the real world. You are worse than Rob Homer, Roger Davies or any of the rest of them put together. You hide in your pretty little mansion on the hill while real people die to make you millions."

"Don't forget your friend there," Thornton said, "She's the one who killed all your cohorts."

"After being hijacked by a goon working under your orders," Anoki said, "You deserve to burn."

"Not today," Thornton said, "If you give me the tape you just go to jail. If you don't, you all die."

"You are forgetting the next option," Sam said.

"What is that?" Thornton asked.

"This," Sam said as he tossed the drive at Thornton, "I throw you the tape and kill you."

Thornton fumbled his weapon as he tried to catch the drive. Sam Remordis pulled his pistol, which had been holstered before he touched the lever of death and fired a single shot into Peter Thornton's forehead sending the now-former mayor tumbling backwards into a pile of burning rubble that had been thrown from the building.

Sam Remordis had kept his promise to his late friend Stacy. She was now avenged.
Chapter 80 – Aftermath

Sam Remordis handed his pistol over to Anoki who nodded and removed Remordis' prints from the weapon. She then did a scan for the remains of the Melvin unit and threw the weapon so that it would land in the burning remains mere inches from the droid's body.

"Better than he deserves," Anoki said, "But dead is dead."

"This city doesn't need another scandal of this size," Sam said, "We had it bad enough when Mayor Gray was shot and the police chief was convicted of faking one of the sleeping beauty murders a few years back. Better to let him rot."

"Besides," Toshiko said, "I sent a copy of Roger's records to Cheif Holbein. I smell a lot of indictments coming down the line."

"The cavalry is nearly here," Harry said, "What do we do about this?"

"Anoki was destroyed in the explosion," Sam said, "Rob Homer was trying to integrate himself into the unit with a proven capability of it. We destroyed the whole kit and kaboodle with his own supply of Semtex."

"You realize no one is going to believe this," Toshiko said, "Especially with the Mayor lying dead."

"Once I play that recording for the Marcushe will go along with it," Sam said, "Especially when I turn in my resignation."

"Can't work for this city anymore?" Toshiko asked him.

"Not the city," Sam said, thinking of Davies, "I crossed the line and didn't even look back. I need a new line of work."

"You deal with the chief," Toshiko said, "I need to make a call."

Sam nodded and walked over to the edge of the street and waited for the cavalry to arrive. The cavalry consisted of a military droid hunting unit and a car carrying Chief Marcus Holbein. The military unit quickly set up a perimeter and left Sam to the civilians.

"We're late, aren't we?" Marcus said.

"Anoki's remains are in the building," Sam told him, "Semtex is a wonderful equalizer."

"Figures," Marcus nodded, "You had nothing to do with Roger Davies taking a free fall off his eighth story balcony, did you?"

"Nope," Sam lied, "I've been chasing Anoki and trying to avoid getting caught by her."

Marcus nodded and walked towards the building. He looked at the remains of Sam's team, taking a good solid look at Anoki. He then looked down at the bloody remains of Peter Thornton's body. He shook his head and sighed.

"All that work down the drain," Marcus said, "I've been watching him since he took office. I knew there was something fishy about his background, but I could never get a lock on him."

"You could have warned me," Sam said, surprised that Marcus was taking it so well, "I might have stopped this sooner."

"I had no proof," Marcus said, "Until I received a book this morning anonymously. I matched a large percentage of transactions to Roger Davies accounts. The Bahamas are no longer the safe haven they once were. I had a warrant for his arrest. I guess it's no longer necessary."

"Better to let it go now," Sam said, "You can get everyone you want through Davies. This city is cynical enough as it is."

"I think it's time you retired," Marcus told him seriously, "You are up for your full pension."

"I was thinking about that," Sam agreed, "I need a long vacation."

"Get out quickly," Marcus suggested, "I don't know how much you know, but the feds are about to tear this place apart. If you retire, I don't have to reprimand you for getting the city into this mess in the first place."

"One suggestion, Marcus," Sam said, "Better background checks on the droid people."

"Count on it," Marcus agreed, "Take your people and get out of here."

"Let's go, guys," Sam said, "I think we're due a long break."

"Not even going to stop and clean out your desk?" Toshiko chided him.

"What desk?" Sam asked her as they got into the car, "It went up with the lab a month ago."

"One more thing," Marcus told the four of them, "I don't believe I met your friend there."

"Me?" Anoki asked, "I'm Rebecca Sampson, a droid controller expert."

"She works for me," Toshiko said, "As does Harry."

"Right," Marcus said, nodding thoughtfully, "I suggest you guys drive home. The metal detectors at the airport are a bit sensitive this week."

"Right," Sam smiled, "Thanks, Marcus."

"Don't thank me," Marcus sighed, "I just have to clean up the mess and it will be easier to do without you here."

Sam nodded and put the car into gear, pulling away from the curb as Toshiko put her phone down. She smiled at the three of them and decided to make the offer.

"The boss is pleased," Toshiko said, "He needs people like us at a new project they are starting out in Nevada. Think you could be an administrator on a contract, Sam?"

"What about me?" Harry asked.

"We'll keep up the contract with you," Toshiko promised, "Someone has to update Anoki's protocol set."

"I think you have the beginnings of a plan," Sam said, "Do I get some fringe benefits out of it?"

"I think we can work on that," Toshiko laughed and curled up next to him, "Just keep driving. I don't think I want to go back to the city right now."

None of them did, so Sam kept driving as the warehouse burned behind them, taking the last vestiges of a nightmare with it.

The End

Other Titles by Rodney Mountain

Immortal Universe Novels

The Healy Murders

The Accidental Immortal

Undercover

The Killer Strikes

The Immortal Progression

Corporate Immortality

Not With A Whisper

The Mullinix: Ascension

The Mullinix: Redemption

The Mullinix: Resolution

Other Works

Durell's Insurrection

Night Strike (Short Story Anthology)

The Black Fossil

