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- TITLE:A DARK VISION OF THE FUTURE - CHAPTER 6 - By TRID. K. and MOP
- PALETTE:0333 0889 0b9a 06ac
-
- CHAPTER VI
-
-
- "My folks are HUMAN... They'll die out soon, like the dinosaurs did, and have
- no idea why."
- - J.I.
-
-
- Dr. Abraham Seydlitz was very worried as he thought about the meeting he had to
- hold with Mc. Trampler. He was thinking about the anarchistic ideals this cold
- but sharp man had. Mc. Trampler had asked him to support ARES with their
- scientists. As the elected Governor of ISAAC ASIMOV, the biggest research
- centre the humans ever created, he was expected to support Mc. Trampler. Mc.
- Trampler offered 30 Million Dollars in ca$h, so the whole population promptly
- agreed with this cooperation! On the other hand, his secret identity as leader
- of the RESISTANCE, made him refuse any support. But he also didn't want to rise
- any suspects on himself! Furthermore he knew that Mc. Trampler would surely
- find a good way to dispose of him if he would not sign the agreement.
-
- This left a bad taste in Dr. Seydlitz`s mouth. Was there no one willing to
- stop Mc. Trampler? It was very clear that Mc. Trampler wanted to CONTROL all
- the colonies. But if he, Dr. A. Seydlitz, accepted the contract, then with
- the research- base and scientists Mc. Trampler would have all the power to
- execute his plans. Mc. Trampler was a cruel man, and he would eliminate
- everybody who dares to stand in his way... Mutant or not! Otherwise he
- wouldn't have said that there are many ways to get ISAAC ASIMOV under HIS
- control.
-
- If only FISH comes back from FORTRESS in time, maybe there would be some
- possibilities to do something against this disaster. Seydlitz had left almost
- the whole Resistance organisation in FISH hands, only because of his Governor
- duties. Unfortunately Dr. Seydlitz had only two days left to think about Mc.
- Trampler's proposals.
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- In a dark corner, near the building where Mock's clinic had been installed up to
- a few days ago, a dark figure was sitting besides a hovership. He activated the
- small TransPuter he was holding in his hands. The Morning News was on,
- reporting another heavy accident on FORTRESS. Again a report about an
- explosion. "Was it really an ACCIDENT", the reporter demanded to a Firefighter?
- This topic was of no interested to him, as it seemed that he knew better. He
- threw the TransPuter against a wall, with such a power that it cracked
- immediately. Then he stood up and boarded his Hover to check his internal
- system. A round scar in his head was irritating him. He activated his
- BioGenetic regeneration Programme which also reported all the current damage.
- Only his left Cyber eye, which enabled him to sense Heat Signals, had a
- malfunction.
-
- He made a careful scan of the whole building complex. It looked as if the whole
- clinic had moved away, leaving no detectable traces behind. His enhanced
- equipment now seemed to be of no help! He grabbed his Mossberg and quickly shot
- the control panel. sparks and smoke came out. Then he picked up a small black
- backpack and went out, leaving a small grenade on the driver's seat.
-
- "These bastards became too careful! Too bad..." That made him angry! Dealing
- with a "normal" Razorguy is deadly... To deal with an angry one is...
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- A shuttle was silently drifting away from FORTRESS heading down for KEID 1. It
- was only Transporting Spare parts, tools and other supplies for the miners on
- KEID. The pilot checked the cargo bay again. A small display showed that the
- cargo hold weighted 321 tons... but the cargo weight was only 308,25 tons.
-
- "Henson", the pilot said to his navigator.
-
- "go and check the cargo, there is a weight difference"
-
- "Hey, that's not my job, Roy!", answered Henson.
-
- "THEY explicitly said that we should check out everything! maybe soon it`s no
- more your job to breath! But that will be your problem..."
-
- Henson stood up, and was off. He thought about his current job, but there was
- no other job for him. He tried his best to get back his former job in the
- fleet. But his mother was not a NORM. Life is hard sometimes... Henson opened
- the door and went into the cargo bay. He walked along the cargo boxes and
- checked them carefully. Five minutes later he reached an opened but empty Cargo
- Box. As he was going to turn around a sweet voice said, "Keep quite, or I kill
- you!". He stared at a fair haired girl with that dark and brutal gun in her
- right hand. Behind him he sensed another person, but he didn't dare to look.
- The next thing he remembered was a fast shock wave running through his head
- followed by silence and deep darkness.
-
- "Well done LADY!", said Sven softly.
-
- Joy promptly signalled to Sven to shut up. He then moved quietly towards the
- cargo bay door, and stepped into the pilot cabin. He went near the pilot, and
- peeped from behind him, at the navigation status on the main pilot board. The
- automatic route mode was on.
-
- "Is everything in order, Henson?" Roy slowly turned round, and as he saw that
- intruder standing behind him, he promptly tried to reach for his gun. But Joy
- was too fast and with a sharp blow, knocked him down.
-
- Moments later Sven and LADY came into the pilot cabin. Joy was messing around
- with the controls. He was checking the alert status at the KEID docks. The
- little display on the right hand side started to flash. A red alert was in
- course. It seemed that the guardians were after 2 fugitive mutants.
-
- "Shit! They're already after us", screamed Joy.
-
- "Check out the other docks, Joy!", replied LADY.
-
- It was now clear that Mc. Trampler was after them again. All Docks were in Red
- Alert. But the three mutants looked at each other and smiled.
-
- "We shouldn't have any major troubles, unless we carry any weapons. We have
- clear passes and we are in three!", said Sven.
-
- They could now safely drift to KEID 1, where they would pass unnoticed through
- all the security. Then it would be just a matter of contacting the rest of the
- resistance, and start the main physical assault to the HUMANIS HQ on the MOON.
- Meanwhile Mock should have already set up his Net, and start the final rundown
- on all HUNANIS nets.
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- People went in and out the Spaceport Terminal hall on FORTRESS. Heavily armed
- Security Guardians were everywhere. But this time they were not here to protect
- the citizens from another bomb alert, but to find two fugitive mutants. The
- directives indicated that the mutants had stolen some expensive CyberWare. They
- had also destroyed some hoverships in their escape. Mr. Jenkins went towards
- one of the desks to get a pass to SISTER ONE. Sweat ran down his neck when he
- passed near the guardians, but they didn't even look at him, because they were
- after MUTANTS. Indeed he was a Mutant too, or he has BEEN one, a long time ago.
- But then he met Dr. Stooner who also recruited him for the RESISTANCE. Now he
- looks like a human NORM again. Mr. Jenkins had to reach ISAAC ASIMOV, but
- before he had to visit SISTER ONE because there were no direct flights to ISAAC.
-
- At the research station he had to meet with DR. SEYDLITZ. Thinking of
- Seydlitz, old memories came back. SEYDLITZ was not his real name. Jenkins
- remembered again the time when Mc. Trampler was very near to the point to
- almost wipe out the whole resistance organisation. Many years ago, just
- sometime after Jenkins joined the resistance, Mc. Trampler had arranged an
- assault. It remained a mystery how Mc. Trampler got the information where to
- attack. Unfortunately, one of the resistance Deckers was captured and tortured
- to death. Mc. Trampler managed to get some vital information from this
- Decker's CyberDeck, and so found out the identity of the RESISTANCE leader.
- Now, Dr. Stooner had to hide his identity, so a fake deadly accident was
- arranged. Mc. Trampler must have been very happy to hear the news of a
- hovership that ran directly into a cargo truck, which was carrying a lethal acid
- container. From the remaining body parts the Identification Squad said that the
- hover driver was surely Dr. Stooner.
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- The scanner started a wild bleeping. It seemed that he had finally found his
- long fetched for target! A brutal smile ran across his lips. He slowly moved
- his hover towards the parking area. As soon as he popped out of his hover, he
- hurriedly moved towards the hotel. He stood still near the main entrance and
- looked up. Then, he entered, ordered a single room and moved to the 12th floor,
- although his just ordered room was not situated on that floor. Moving closer to
- one of the rooms, he carefully scanned that little area for any possible
- firearms. The scanner reported a living presence and a small Taser... nothing
- to care about.
-
- It seemed that the one he had just found in that lousy hotel was one of those
- Mutants who had shot him. It would be a very quick and silent job. Furthermore
- the Hotel manager would never talk to anyone about his short visit simply
- because dead people don't talk too much. looking carefully at both ends of the
- long corridor, he grabbed his Mossberg. Then he crashed the door with his
- massive body. He looked around this small room and could only see the Heat
- trace of a Human-like body, sitting or kneeling on the bed.
-
- Hearing all that noise, Slicer jumped out of his bed. "Hey who the hell are
- you?". It was very clear that the boy had some sight problems!
-
- "I've come to send you into the dead lands of nowhere, sucker!"
-
- Slicer was irritated! That voice, he had already heard that voice before!
- Anywhere he had heard that voice, it was so Familiar... famili... family!
-
- "Father?", Slicer asked slowly. But how could it be? He couldn't believe that
- his father was still alive. He was there when they killed him! But that voice!
- If only he could see that figure, who was standing before him.
-
- The Razorguy stood there, motionless. Father? A long time ago there was a
- small thing calling him FATHER. It now seemed that something had clicked inside
- him. That must have been before the deep darkness and pain. A pain lasting for
- 10 years now. Father? His enhancements had blocked all his emotions. Or did
- someone try to block them on purpose? He now remembered how they had filled him
- up with aggressive drugs, so as to try to erase all his human feelings.
- Everything was getting so damned clear now. They were using him to kill his own
- race! He was a Human, and not a machine. But in the same time he wasn't so
- sure about this any more. All the Steel and Plastic they had built into his
- body, really made him believe that he was just a machine.
-
- Again the target cried, "Father... Father! Can't you hear me?"
-
- The Razorguy was still shocked! His human emotions tried to break free, but the
- drugs had done a very good job. He felt all his chips getting hotter, and it
- looked as if they would slowly burn out! For the first time in his life as a
- machine, he was totally confused. These irresistible emotions... all the
- TARGETs he had killed... all his ideals. He was now wondering if they had
- really been his OWN ideals.
-
- "Yes... my son?", the man replied.
-
- "Where have you been all the years? I can't see any more dad!", the boy cried
- again.
-
- "I'm sure you wouldn't be happy if you could see... me", the man answered
- again.
-
- Slicer stood up slowly. He took out a dirty Grenade from his jacket.
-
- "Father, you... seem to be no longer... you...". The boy started to cry
- softly. Now he knew that all that LADY used to tell him about ARES methods was
- the plain truth. But IT was his father, not her`s.
-
- "No boy! There is only one way to end it up now. If they know that I missed
- you, they will come and get you alive. They will reprogramme me, and use
- stronger drugs to wash away all my emotions. There will be no hope! You know
- it? We must precede them and wipe them out ourselves!"
-
- "Yes, but why couldn't we live in peace? Why... please tell me... what have i
- done? Dad, when did they kill you?"
-
- "I can't remember. They cut off some of my memories, or locked them up with
- heavy Cyberware. I don't know. You know that all this chrome kills your
- humanity. But time is running out real fast! And if they manage to get you
- alive, they will surely gather some important information from you."
-
- "Dad... I love you..." The Razorguy moved towards Slicer and held him tight
- between his hands. They both cried.
-
- "Now boy, we don't have any time to waste. My hovership is not very far away
- from here, so we would better move out immediately. We can then use my Net
- system and operate from there."
-
- "Yes dad, you may be right, but I cannot see any more"
-
- "But I can..."
-
- Two figures were seen running out of the hotel. A few moments later, an alert
- burst out. Another explosion was reported on the 12th floor...
-
-
-