AndroDigm Park 2067 Page 13

  The doctor handed them each a document.

  “Our resident psychologist, Doctor Friezel, will give you an interview on your return. She has asked that you complete a short questionnaire, which I can give you now. Please fill it in and leave it behind in the recovery room.”

  “This is to check we’re not some kind of nut job?” said Shelby.

  The doctor smiled at him. “Something like that… I’ll get Miss Peabody and she will take you to your vehicle.”

  Miss Peabody arrived to escort them.

  “Oh, one more thing,” said Scarlet. “Could I see my mother’s research laboratory here?”

  Miss Peabody smiled. “Of course, Mr Jeffries said you should have what ever you want.”

  She took them to her laboratory and left them there.

  “What is it you want here?” said Shelby.

  “Let’s see,” said Scarlet sitting at the main computer. “Password. That’s easy.”

  She typed in ‘3-1-4-1-5-9-2-6-5’ and the screen opened. ‘Welcome Diane,’ appeared on the screen.

  Scarlet smiled. “This is the hub of her research. There are masses of information here. Wait. The system was last accessed yesterday. How was that possible? Only mother had access to this machine.”

  An hour later, Miss Peabody returned. “Have you finished.”

  “Yes, for now,” said Scarlet. “There’s lots of information I would like to look at later in more detail. But for now, could you tell me who Diane Logan is? According to the log, she seems to have been using this terminal recently.”

  “That’s entirely normal. Diane Logan was Ms Chambers’s PA. It’s probably just housekeeping matters.”

  “Could I speak to her?”

  “Of course, but not today. She’s on vacation.”

  Scarlet smiled at her. “Then we’re finished for now.”

  Miss Peabody escorted them back to their heli-vehicle.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The following day, Shelby got a call from detective Bonny. Guardian had found Walker’s location. How? Maybe he wasn’t on the same VIP list as the other two.

  “Does Chief Anderson, know you called me.”

  “No. I’m not stupid. You weren’t to blame for Taylor’s death. Walker is hiding out on a yacht somewhere in Angel City harbour. We’ve alerted the coastguard to intercept if he tries to leave for international waters. We’re on our way to arrest him. If you want to get to him first, you’ll need to move quickly.”

  Five minutes later Shelby and Jess were in the heli-car heading towards the harbour. Shelby piloted the craft while Jess held the fifty-millimetre rifle.

  The harbour was full of multi-million credit yachts. They took two low passes over the harbour before they spotted the yacht. Immediately, the yacht’s engines went into overdrive sending it tearing through the water and heading out to sea.

  Shelby manoeuvred the heli-car onto a parallel course with the yacht, fifty feet off its port bow. Shelby used the broadcast system.

  “Walker, this is Special Marshal Shelby. Cut your engines now.”

  Walker replied with two rounds from a handgun. Shelby had no choice. They were getting close to international waters, and he needed to act.

  “Take him down,” said Shelby as he steadied the heli-car.

  Jess took aim with the fifty-millimetre rifle and then put the rifle down. “I can’t do it. It feels all wrong. He’s not an immediate threat to anyone. I can’t shoot to kill.”

  “Take the controls,” said Shelby snatching the rifle.

  Shelby took aim. He only had seconds left to take the shot before the vessel was in international waters. He had the cross-hairs centred on Walker’s head and was about to squeeze the trigger when the vessel exploded into a huge fireball. How did that happen?

  He ordered Jess to bring the heli-car around. They hovered within ten feet of the surface of the water, but could see no survivors. The debris littered the surface of the water. Nothing could have survived that kind of explosion.

  A coastguard ship was already on its way towards them.

  Shelby spoke to the coastguard. They would conduct a search for a body, but Shelby wasn’t hopeful they would find anyone.

  Shelby took back control of the vehicle. “What happened there?” said Shelby. “Why didn’t you take the shot?”

  “I couldn’t,” said Jess. “Since my upgrade, I’m different. I have to do what I feel is right. Destroying life is so wrong.”

  “An android that’s gone all Buddhist on me; now that’s new. Walker was a vile killer. He killed Scarlet’s mother.”

  “I know and I’m sorry. But I couldn’t do it. It didn’t feel like the right thing to do.”

  “Jess, you’re no use to me unless I can rely on you to take orders.”

  “Then I’m redundant. My software doesn’t work the same way as it did before my rebuild. I will ask Scarlet to take me apart. Maybe my parts can be recycled for another android.”

  Perhaps he had been too hard on her. She had served him well and meant much more to him than just a working droid. “That won’t be necessary. If you can’t kill, then maybe we need to find a different role for you.”

  Jess smiled. “I am still proficient at sex.”

  “I was thinking of something different. Perhaps information gathering, research, that type of thing.”

  “Okay,” she said, with a disappointed tone in her voice. “That will do.”

  He called detective Bonny and let him know what happened to Walker.

  “Oh shit. You better keep away from the Police Department for a while.”

  “Don’t worry I intend to work from my office in the Justice Department from now on.”

  “Whatever you do, don’t tell the Chief I gave you the lead.”

  “Don’t worry I’m not stupid. I have your back.”

  * * *

  The following day, Shelby was heading towards the Justice Department in his heli-car when a large explosion blew out most of the windows on the top floor. He landed the heli-car at street level and raced into the building.

  Mary Doyle was at the check-in desk.

  “What happened, Mary?” said Shelby.

  “You can’t go in, Shelby. It’s unsafe and we’re in security lockdown. Someone tried to kill Chief Justice Haglon.”

  “Is she all right?”

  “Do I look like a medic? She’s alive. They’ve taken her to a secure location — standard protocol. Her secretary wasn’t so lucky.”

  “So it was an attempt on her life?”

  “It was one of those child assassin bots. How on Earth it got through security I don’t know. All you need to know is that the Chief Justice is in safe hands. The Deputy Chief is in charge. Why don’t you go home, Shelby? There’s nothing you can do here today.”

  Shelby looked around him. The building was in lockdown with all security gates activated. There was no way he could get into the building if he wanted to. The thought that the explosion might be related to the Morelli case worried him. If Morelli had targeted him and the Chief Justice in some kind of revenge attack, then Scarlet wasn’t safe. He ran back to the heli-car and headed back to the apartment.

  * * *

  “I’m all right,” said Scarlet when he got back. “You said this apartment is built like a fortress. I’m safe.”

  “I don’t even know if the attack on the Chief Justice is linked to the Morelli case,” said Shelby. “But it seems likely. What are the chances of two assassin bot attacks in such a short time period being unconnected? You need to be careful. Don’t go out of the building unless you have to.”

  “Okay.”

  “Detective Bonny found Walker on Guardian for me. He’s dead. Somebody got to him before I could arrest him. You didn’t have anything to do with Guardian, did you?”

  Scarlet paused. “No, of course not.”

  “Well, that’s all three assassins dead — killed by persons unknown. And we’re no closer to finding who’s really behind your mot
her’s murder.”

  “What about Larsen?”

  “The Chief still thinks he did it, but she can’t prove anything.”

  “But if Larsen is innocent, who’s left?”

  “Maybe we’ve been coming at this case from the wrong side,” said Shelby. “What if your mother wasn’t the main target? What if the real target was to discredit Larsen and his Action Against Androids movement? Who benefits if AAA is discredited?”

  “That’s easy, the android manufacturers, like AndroDigm.”

  “And AndroDigm is the organisation that maintains Guardian.”

  “But why would AndroDigm turn against one of their own?”

  “What if Jordan Jeffries saw it as an opportunity to get rid of a rival and take over the company?”

  “But they were lovers.”

  “We only have his word for that. Anyway lovers can fall out.”

  “That would give him a strong motive.”

  “But we will need a lot more than that. We have an invitation back to AndroDigm. Maybe we can use it to nose around and find some evidence.”

  * * *

  The following day, Shelby returned to the Justice Department Building. From the outside, the building looked like it did on any other day. Inside they were still clearing up and cleaning the building, but in all other respects, it was business as usual. Sergeant Mary Doyle was on reception.

  “Hi Mary, how’s Chief Justice Haglon?”

  “How should I know,” she answered in her usual helpful way. “She wants to see you though. You can ask her yourself.”

  “She’s back?”

  “Of course she’s back. Nothing keeps that woman away from her work. She was in at six this morning. She’s using one of the Marshal’s on-call rooms, 1006, as hers has the builders working on it.”

  Shelby took the elevator to the tenth floor and knocked on the door of 1006.

  The door opened and he faced The Deputy Chief Justice, and in the room behind him was Chief Anderson.

  “Oh, where is the Chief Justice?” said Shelby.

  The Deputy Chief screwed up his nose. “She’s not well. I persuaded her to go home. She’s left me in charge. And Chief Anderson has been bringing me up to date on the Chambers case. I understand the three killers are now dead.”

  “That’s right. Killed by persons unknown. So we still don’t know who hired them.”

  “But that’s a job for the detectives in the Police Department. Your job was to find and arrest the identified killers. So your role is at an end.”

  “But…”

  “But nothing. Chief Anderson is adamant that the detective work in this case should be carried out by detectives in the police department. And I have to agree with her. We have to do things by the book.”

  “But my mandate from Chief Justice Haglon…”

  “The Chief Justice has given you considerable latitude before. But I am not her. And we’re doing things my way now. I understand from the Chief Justice you had requested a three-month sabbatical to follow up some cold case. She has asked me to grant you fully-paid leave for the whole period as a bonus for your work on the Morelli case. I suggest you take it.”

  Shelby looked the Deputy Chief Justice in the eyes. He wasn’t going to persuade him to change his mind. Chief Anderson stood behind him with a grin on her face. She had got her way. There was nothing he could do.

  “Then could you give something to the Chief Justice for me?” said Shelby.

  “What?”

  “This.” He handed the Deputy Chief Justice his marshal’s badge, turned and left.

  “Don’t be stupid,” shouted the Deputy Chief Justice. But Shelby was already walking down the corridor to the elevator. Maybe he was stupid. But he had made a promise and the only way of continuing the investigation was to resign from his office.

  * * *

  Scarlet had not met any of Shelby’s friends. So when she took a call from a Rosie at 2:00 a.m., it came as bit of a surprise. The message was simple: “Come and get lover boy before he drinks himself crazy.” Scarlet had thought it strange that Shelby had not returned to the apartment that evening, but assumed he was working late. Clearly it was a different kind of work he had been doing that night.

  Rosie’s Tavern was located in one of the worst neighbourhoods of Angel City, so Scarlet took Jess along for security. When she arrived she saw a ‘closed’ sign on the door. That in itself was strange. Taverns and clubs were usually open throughout the night. There was a light on inside. Scarlet knocked on the door.

  A woman answered the door. She was an attractive brunette. Scarlet felt a tinge of jealousy run through her body.

  “You Rosie?”

  “The last time I looked. You Scarlet?”

  Scarlet nodded.

  “He’s inside and very drunk.”

  Inside Scarlet saw Shelby sitting on a barstool holding a bottle of Scotch in one hand and a glass in the other. He recognised her. “You came.”

  Scarlet looked around her. “Where is everyone?”

  “Had to close early,” said Rosie. “Too many people want him dead, and I didn’t want the place shot up. He’s costing me a lot of trade. Can you take him home?”

  Scarlet sighed. “Yeah, I’ll take him.”

  She walked over to Shelby. “What happened to you?”

  “Chief Anderson got what she wanted. The Justice Department threw me off the case. So I quit.”

  “You quit? Why did you do a dumb thing like that?”

  “I made you a promise and I’m going to keep it. Now I can investigate who I like.”

  “Let’s get you home.”

  Scarlet took his arm and Jess took the other and helped him out of the bar and back to the heli-car. Twenty minutes later they had undressed him and put him to bed.

  From the main room they could hear him snoring.

  “He’s going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow. And we’ve got to go to AndroDigm,” said Scarlet.

  “He’s quite resilient when it comes to alcohol. But I’ve never seen him quite so drunk.”

  “Why did he do it, Jess? Why did he quit?”

  “He’s not the kind of person that will be told what to do by anyone. And he likes you a lot.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “When he sees you, pupils grow, pulse rate increases, breathing deepens. I know what these mean, and I don’t mind.”

  “You’re saying he likes me?”

  “More than like. Why are you so surprised?”

  “He’s never shown any interest in me like that.”

  “He’s a man. They don’t know what they want.”

  “Thank you, Jess.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The next day, Scarlet and Shelby flew to AndroDigm in the heli-car. They arrived in the evening and were met by Miss Peabody and Sirena, who took them to the Initialisation Centre.

  “You’re going to so enjoy this place,” said Sirena. The fantasies are amazing. And the guests we’ve got staying with you are like — wow. You’ll meet them tonight at dinner. We’ve got Mitch Hathaway, on our table.

  “Who?” said Scarlet.

  “You must have heard of him. He starred in ‘Android Love’. The guy with a six-pack that went full frontal on set. Everyone was talking about the size of his man bits.”

  “I think I vaguely remember the movie,” said Scarlet.

  “The other star on our table is Meg Rawlings. She starred in ‘Confessions of a Porn Star’, and…”

  Shelby had no interest in Sirena’s ramblings or learning about the film star guests. He was still getting over a blazing hangover and his thoughts were elsewhere. The Initialisation Centre seemed huge given it had to cater for so few guests. As they got into the elevator, he noted that there were ten floors and five sub-floors. Why so many? As the elevator went up Sirena continued to ramble.

  “And I’ve arranged for you lucky two to have the honeymoon suite while you’re here.”

  “That’s great,
” said Scarlet, looking for support from Shelby.

  Shelby forced a smile. “I’m not complaining.”

  The lift reached the tenth floor and Miss Peabody took them to the honeymoon suite.

  “Make yourself at home,” she handed them the electronic key. “I’m sure you will. But please be down on the third floor in two hours’ time for briefing. Jordan Jeffries will brief you in person.”

  Miss Peabody left them. Sirena followed her until Shelby caught her attention.

  “Sirena, you haven’t explained what you’re doing here.”

  Sirena laughed. “That’s right, I haven’t. One benefit that AndroDigm provides to all its guests is lifetime medical cover. My company provides it for them. I have a medical research centre here with one of the largest gene research centres in the world. I’ll tell you more about it later.”

  Sirena left them alone. The suite was huge with a circular bed in the centre of the apartment and a mirrored ceiling. A smell of jasmine filled the room.

  Scarlet walked around the room. “Such a beautiful bed in such a romantic room.” She took a deep breath. “What a lovely smell.”

  “Eros,” said Shelby.

  “I know, I’m used to it from working in the club. Don’t worry I won’t jump you,” she said.

  “So you don’t mind sharing a bed again?”

  “I don’t see we have any other choice. Anyway, it’s not like we haven’t done it before… What about you?”

  “It’s not a problem.”

  “Problem? You could be a little more enthusiastic about it. I quite like sleeping with you.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes. You make me feel safe.”

  “Safe?”

  “Like having a school friend for a stop-over.”

  “Oh. I’ve never been called ‘safe’ before.”

  He walked over to a glass door that led out onto the balcony and opened the door. Outside he had a bird's-eye view of the park. Scarlet came out to join him.

  “What’s that?” said Scarlet pointing to a dark grey mountain that rose out of the plain.

  “I think that’s Dragon Mountain. It’s part of Fantasy World,” said Shelby, consulting a map Miss Peabody had given him. “See over there, they have a medieval castle. And over to the right of the mountain are Pirates Cove and Mermaid Lagoon. For all Jordan Jeffries’s bluster about this place, it’s still just a glorified theme park, even if it’s aimed at the super rich.”