Copy Cats – Chapter 8 – Revised #2

“Preliminary Analysis Has Been Completed. Prototype Aegis Ready for Activation.”
As the computer voice announced the completion of its testing, and with everyone focused on the enormous mechanical suit hanging above them, Micheal and LaNiya moved along the perimeter of the room. While sticking to the shadows and ducking behind scattered crates, they aimed to get closer to their teacher.
“So, what’s the plan?” Micheal whispered.
“Find Asante and get out of here,” LaNiya answered, “If we circle the room, we’re bound to find him, eventually.”
“But what about Dr. Reed?” Micheal asked, “We have to help him too.”
“And just what exactly do you think we can do?”
“We can–”
“Wrong answer. Nothing. We’re getting Asante and heading back upstairs.”
LaNiya grabbed his wrist, dragging him behind another pile of stacked boxes. She crouched low to the ground, her eyes constantly darting around as she scanned their surroundings. Her black clothes even helped her blend into the shadows. Every action was quick, sharp, and deliberate. She had obviously done this before.
“Hurry up,” she whispered.
Micheal tried to mimic her movements, but he wasn’t as skilled in stealth. While LaNiya seemed to gracefully glide across the floor, Micheal’s movements felt slow and heavy. He lingered a bit too long before moving, earning him many scowls from LaNiya hurrying him along. He was also less aware of his surroundings, as he had bumped into a couple boxes. LaNiya would whip her head back to glare at him. All he could do was hold his hands up in apology.
“Sir, the prototype is ready for testing,” a lab technician said.
“Excellent. Assess its mobility,” the Boss said.
Nodding her head, the lab technician began rapidly inputting commands into the computer. Suddenly, the spider-like, robotic arms holding the mechanical suit creaked to life; they sounded as though they hadn’t been lubricated in years. More arms sprang from the ceiling, gripping on to the suit’s arms and legs.
“Examining mobility in the right lower limb,” the technician said.
As the robotic arms moved, a low groan emanated like an old, rusty door hinge. The sound was so loud that everyone rushed to cover their ears. Even Micheal and LaNiya paused to shield their ear drums against the noise. Micheal squinted his eyes shut and pressed his palms harder against his ears. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fully block it out.
His nose soon twitched from a familiar smell; it was the same horrid smell of gasoline and smoke that he smelled during the fire drill earlier. Micheal’s eyes widened as he peeked over the boxes towards the machine. As the test continued, sparks started to fly from the suit’s body. Smoke soon followed, seeping out from its joins. If they didn’t stop, he feared these guys would set the lab on fire.
“That’s enough,” the Boss screamed, “Shut it down!”
The technician typed something into the computer; the robotic arms ceased all movement and lowered the suit to the ground. Micheal finally lowered his hands. He had been pressing into his ears so hard that they popped from the pressure. LaNiya quickly pulled him back down behind the boxes. She motioned for them to continue.
“Status report,” the Boss shouted.
“Its mobility seems limited due to its overall weight,” the technician said.
“Anything else?”
“There are many complications that were retained from the prior project, resulting in a number of test failures during the preliminary analysis.”
“Such as?”
“Ability to sustain functionality under high pressure, extremely high and extremely low temperatures, and penetration of the outer shell have all failed.”
“Five years and hundreds of thousands of dollars, and this is all you’ve managed?”
The boss snapped his fingers; the two guards holding Dr. Reed dragged him over to the Boss. He didn’t even seem capable of carrying his own weight. Even while being held up, his head still hung in front of him.
“Well, doctor, is this the culmination of your research?”
There was no response. The Boss grabbed a fistfull of their teacher’s shirt, forcing their teacher to face him. Still, Dr. Reed remained silent.
“What’s the matter, Reed? Aren’t you proud of your creation?”
The Boss jerked Dr. Reed by the collar, turning him to face the enormous suit hanging above them. But he averted his eyes.
“So Dr. Reed made that thing?” Micheal whispered.
“How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of sight?” LaNiya asked.
“Sir!” another guard yelled, “There are others.”
LaNiya turned her phone’s camera towards the guard. He pointed towards a side room, blocked by a dingy-looking curtain. Another guard walked out the room, pushing another mechanical suit to the center of the room. Except, this one was a miniature version. It was about the size of an adult, and it looked more like a mechanical skin than a full-blown mech suit.
“Wait,” Dr. Reed shouted, “those aren’t meant to be–”
“Haha! You were really working on my patience, Reed. But it seems you’ve already begun working on the solution.”
The Boss excitedly circled the smaller prototype, pointing at all the adjustments. Micheal thought he looked like an excited kid on Christmas morning; impatiently waiting to play with his toys.
“You’ve reduced its size and weight. And this one is more skin-tight, which would help with stealth and ease of mobility,” the Boss said.
“It’s not even a completed idea, and it hasn’t been tested against the prior failures,” Dr. Reed cried.
“Then we’ll test it.”
“It may prove fatal.”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s already an improved model to work with. Now, your colleagues will not have all died in vain. Project Vanguard can finally proceed to phase two,” the Boss continued. You should feel proud.”
“Proud?” Dr. Reed said, “Are you kidding? You seriously haven’t changed. Still as selfish as ever. That thing should’ve been burned to ashes, along with everything and everyone else that was lost in Project Aegis. ”
“And yet, here it still stands,” the Boss said, “I guess it shows just how much you agree with our plan, doctor.”
“I don’t!” Dr. Reed shouted, “Not anymore.”
“How unfortunate. Then may this be our final goodbye, old friend.”
The Boss walked away and approached the technician.
“Shall I have another subject brought for testing, sir?” the technician asked.
“No need,” the Boss said, “we have the perfect test subject right here.”
“But sir, Dr. Reed stated that the test could prove fatal to the subject. Is he not a valuable asset?”
“Our dear friend, Dr. Reed has strayed from our mission. Regardless of his value, the confidentiality of the project takes priority.”
The technician hesitates for a moment, before nodding to the Boss. He snaps his fingers, and the guards bring Dr. Reed closer to the suit. Micheal nearly jumped out from their hiding spot. But LaNiya grabs him.
“Are you kidding me?” Micheal said.
“I know, but we can’t–”
“I’m going to try to do something, LaNiya. I’m not going to just sit around and watch someone die right in front of me.”
“I know, okay,” she said, “just give me a second.”
Micheal didn’t want to wait for her to come up with a plan. Dr. Reed needed their help right now. He noticed that one of the crates they were hiding behind was opened. Inside were boxes of screws, nuts, and bolts. He got an idea. Micheal tore open one of the boxes and grabbed a handful. He then poked his head over the top of the crate.
“What are you doing?” LaNiya asked.
“You’ll see,” Micheal said, “Just keep a lookout.”
LaNiya kept watch on the camera, while Micheal peered over their hiding spot. He saw the men were trying to open the suit. Taking one of the screws, he reared his hands back as far as he could. Then, he flung it as hard as he could across the room. Everyone quieted down as the screw collided with something metallic. One of the guards went to check in the direction of the screw, but the Boss stopped him.
“Over there,” he said, pointing to the boxes where Micheal and LaNiya were hiding.
LaNiya saw one of the guards approaching on the camera.
“You idiot,” she said, “Now look at what you’ve done.”
“Why didn’t they check where I threw the screw?”
“Because you threw it with so much force, that just by the sound, it was obviously thrown. No listen to me, when I tell you to, I want you to throw all the screws by those crates.”
“What’s th–”
“Just do it!”
LaNiya grabbed one of the screws, and focused on her camera; she waited until the guard was closer to their hiding spot. Then, she tossed out her screw on the floor. It bounced on the hard floor. The sudden sound was enough to draw the guard’s attention. She quickly motioned to Micheal, who rolled the rest of the screws on the floor towards the other stack of crates. The guard and everyone else turned their attention to the louder sound. And in that moment, LaNiya yanked Micheal away to another hiding spot; pressing their back against the walls, they stuck to the shadows and out of sight.The guard finally rounded the corner of the crates, but found nothing there.
“What is it?” the Boss yelled impatiently.
“Just an opened crate, and an open box of screws. Oh, wait a moment, here’s the culprit.”
Micheal and LaNiya eyed each other, confused. Using the camera, they watched as the guard dragged Asante out from behind the crates Micheal had tossed the screws towards. He pulled the boy towards the center of the room.
“Ah, one of your student’s?” the Boss asked.
“N-no. He must be one of the kids assigned to the after school club that meets just upstairs,” Dr. Reed said.
“The ones responsible for the cafeteria squabble earlier?”
“Umm, yes, I believe so.”
Micheal felt his muscles tense. His teacher was obviously lying.
“I think we should leave now,” LaNiya said, “We won’t be able to get Asante out now.”
She had started to put away her phone, when they heard a loud SLAP echo through the room. The boss had slapped Asante across the face.
“Let that be a lesson to you, son, to keep your jealousy in check.”
Micheal was ready to make a move. He was ready to shout at the Boss for attacking someone when he didn’t have all the facts straight. He opened his mouth, ready to belt out profanities, but LaNiya covered his mouth. She put her phone away as she motioned for him to follow her. Micheal gave her a questioning look, but followed her. She seemed to be headed closer to Asante.
“What is wrong with you?! You just slapped an innocent student,” Dr. Reed shouted, struggling to get away from his captors. “Asa-a-are you okay, kid?”
Asante managed a nod, but said nothing more. He just continued staring at the Boss.
“Innocent? Not according to what I heard,” the Boss said.
“Let him go. He must have wandered down here looking for his club. He’s not a part of this,” Dr. Reed pleaded.
Box after box, Micheal followed LaNiya. Finally, he tapped LaNiya on her shoulder. Realizing they were now closer to these people, and that any attempt to speak could alert their present location. He made a shrugging motion with his shoulders. LaNiya seemed to pick up on the unspoken question and pointed to something on the wall ahead of them. A switch? Perhaps a light switch, but how was that going to help them. There were numerous guards nearby. They would have to get them away from the wall in order to reach the switch.
“How could that be? There are guards posted outside the classroom door, not to mention two codes needed to access the locked office and the stairwell. I’d say this student must be quite familiar with this basement.” the Boss continued.
Dr. Reed’s face dropped slightly, as though realizing he didn’t have an answer ready.
“He doesn’t know anything. Just send him back upstairs.”
“As I said before, doctor, confidentiality take priority over all matters.”
The Boss snapped his fingers. The guard, with his hand still on Asante’s shoulders, lifted him up over his shoulder.
“Hey, put me down!” Asante shouted.
“Take the both to the Warehouse,” the Boss ordered.
“No! He doesn’t know anything! I swear!” Dr. Reed shouted.
“Bring the doctor and the kid to the truck out back, and pack up the prototype. Then, radio Carl and Ryan and tell them to ready the spare van and meet us in the back. I’m quite tired of this stuffy basement.”
The guard turned around and moved towards the stairs with ease, ignoring Asante’s squirming. Dr. Reed was kicking and screaming all sorts of profanities towards the Boss and the guards. Another two guards and the technician began packing up the suit. The guards near the light switch left to assist them. LaNiya quickly ran towards and hit the switch. Darkness engulfed the basement as the machines and computers around the room audibly powered down. And for a moment there was nothing but silence.
“More intruders? Get those lights back on. Now!” the boss screamed.
The sounds of stumbling guards made Micheal smile. They tripped over boxes, desks, and each other. He was sure he heard someone trip and fall over a chair. He thought about how two kids were responsible for putting them in this situation.
“More students of your’s?” the Boss asked.
“Impossible. No one else knows about this basement.”
Micheal could barely see anything. But this was the best opportunity. Without hesitating, he rushed toward where he last saw Asante and the guard.
“Hhaaaa!” he shouted.
However, while he had planned on tackling him, he was met with a strong resistance. The man didn’t seem to budge from the impact. In fact, Micheal felt his head hurt from the collision.
“Ow!” he cried.
“Huh? Boss, here’s another one,” The guard said, lifting Micheal up with one arm.
“What was that you said? ‘No one else knows about this basement’?” the Boss asked, “Bring him along too.”
Micheal wiggled and squirmed about, trying his best to release himself from the grip.
“Hey, chill out,” the guard complained.
He punched and kicked with all his might. No matter what happened, he swore he would make it difficult for them to take him. But soon enough another sound echoed through the room.
WACK!
“What was tha–?” the guard asked.
WACK WACK! WACK!
The guard’s grip loosened as he screamed in pain.
“YYAAA! What the hell was that?!” the guard screamed, “Something cut me.”
“Where the hell are those lights?” the Boss shouted.
After escaping from his grip, Micheal kicked the guard hard in his leg. The man lowered Asante to the ground. Micheal quickly moved away from the reached around for Asante, but it was difficult since he couldn’t see clearly. He hoped LaNiya had moved away from the group by now.
“Run! Get out, now!” Dr. Reed shouted.
“But what about you? Where are you?” Micheal called out.
Micheal continued searching, each person he touched wasn’t who he was looking for. Until he finally found a hand about the same size as his.
“Asante?” he asked.
“Micheal? Where’s LaNiya?”
“Go! Get out of here! Run!” Dr. Reed repeated.
“Bring me those kids!” the Boss shouted.
“Come on!” LaNiya’s voice rang out.
Micheal felt himself being yanked and dragged towards the stairs. Just as they started ascending the stairs, the lights flipped back on.
“Get them!” the Boss screamed.