David Ring III - Stanley Duncan's Robot

“Huh?” said Brad.

Evan shook his head. There was a reason he kept things simple around him. Shannon, on the other hand, was too smart for her own good. If she could think less and trust more, everything would go more smoothly. “We—”

The radio burst on again, this time, giving the code for rape.

“Oh,” said Shannon. “Is that still a crime?”

Evan smirked. She would get hers.

Dan put his hands up and bent his knees, keeping himself out of Teddy’s range. Despite all the simulations he had run in his head, he had been involved in only one real fight — and that was with the demon-cat. Fighting against a human-born cyborg — and, potentially, an android — was going to be completely different. He couldn’t afford to blink with both eyes. “We don’t need to fight.”

Teddy’s limbs trembled. Grinning, he darted forward, launching a powerful kick.

Dan pulled back with plenty of time to spare. He saw an opening for a counterattack but let it slip by. No blows had been dealt. There was still a chance to end this peacefully. “I’m not your enemy! We—”

Another punch.

Dan ducked, and the fist crashed into the wall behind him. Chunks of concrete crumbled to the ground as if someone had hit it with a sledgehammer. If the punch had connected with him, his bones would have been shattered, and his insides would have been destroyed. Trying to make peace was going to cost him his life.

A short buzz sounded, followed by a female voice. “Teddy Perkins, your behavior is in violation of the hospital rules and regulations. Please cease and desist immediately, or the police will be called.”

Maple walked between them. “Teddy, your hand is injured. How may I help?”

“Get out of my way, you idiot!”

As soon as the line of sight was broken, Dan ran for it. But with the brute strength that Teddy had, Dan knew he might not make it very far. He had to weigh his options, and the only one that seemed viable was turning around and fighting him.

“You’re not getting away,” said Teddy, beaming toward him. Inhumanly fast, he caught up to Dan in seconds and lunged at him.

Dan abandoned his escape strategy, crouching to defend himself. He grabbed Teddy’s wrist and leaned back, driving the ball of his foot into his chest. Teddy hooked onto him at the last second — but it was too shallow. Back-spinning into the ground, Dan propelled him into a wall.

Maple rushed to Teddy’s side. “I’m registering multiple injuries. Shall I request medical assistance?”

“Shut up,” he screamed, throwing a piece of Dan’s shirt sleeve onto the ground.

“The police have been notified and are on their way,” said the female voice.

“Good!” hissed Teddy.

The sound echoed in Dan’s ears as he took off in the other direction. He knew he shouldn’t leave Glenda, but he had to distance himself while the maniac was preoccupied. Dan looked back at Teddy. The fury in the young man’s eyes was bewildering. If the outside world is full of volatile humans like this, no wonder Stanley is so concerned, thought Dan.

Teddy sneered. “You’re lucky, idiot.”

A man approached Teddy. “Are you all right?”

Teddy knocked him across the hall with a single shove. The man crashed into a wall and collapsed onto the ground.

“Hands up!” shouted Officer Michaels, gun drawn.

Teddy lifted his hands, walking toward him.

“Stop moving, and get on the ground.”

“Why, officer? You don’t understand. This man attacked me.”

“Get down, now.”

Teddy complied, kneeling near the broken wall. Pieces of concrete lay within arm’s reach.

Michaels approached, his gun locked on Teddy. He motioned toward Maple. “You, too. On the ground.”

That split second was all Teddy needed. He threw a baseball-sized piece of concrete at fastball speed, exploding on contact with the gun.

Michaels screamed. The gun went flying. Blood and flesh splattered across the floor. “You broke my fucking hand.”

Teddy was already running at him. “You police are all the same.” He was feet away from Michaels, who had only one hand to defend himself. Flying in from the side, Dan slammed against Teddy with a drop kick and then grabbed the gun from the floor. It was wet and grainy from blood, bone, and concrete.

“Oh, so you wanna play now, do you?” asked Teddy, unfazed by the attack.

“I don’t want to shoot you,” said Dan, putting himself in front of Michaels, protecting him from the next attack. “But I will if I have to.”

Teddy took another piece of concrete out of his pocket. “Let’s see who is faster.”

Dan aimed at him, finger on the trigger.

Teddy launched the concrete. It whizzed through the air. Dan targeted it with the gun. If he shot it, the bullet would blow right through and hit a bystander. He could pivot and void the projectile, but, in doing so, he was sure that the officer would get hit. Had the maniac calculated this? At the last second, Dan disarmed the gun and smashed the concrete with its butt.

Teddy grabbed another one.

“Stop!” yelled another police officer, running down the hall.

Realizing he was outnumbered, Teddy booked it.

“Shoot him,” yelled Michaels.

Dan reloaded the weapon but didn’t aim. “But he’s—”

Michaels grabbed the gun out of Dan’s hands, firing three shots at Teddy with his one good hand. All terrible misses. “Damn it.”

Dan looked at his destroyed shirt. If Stanley noticed it, he would never let him out again. Unbuttoning the cuffs of both sleeves, he rolled them up to his bicep. Pain shot out from his left hand — his finger was broken.

“Let’s get you and me fixed up,” said Michaels. They went and got immediate treatment.

“Tin-can scum,” said Michaels as the android nurse injected a mixture of nanites and fuse into his hand. “I thought he was pure human until he launched that attack on me at super-human speed. Had I known, I would have lit him up the moment I came in.”

Dan said nothing, watching as his hand was instantly healed. He had refused the fuse.

“Thank you for helping out back there. That was quite the move you made.”

“You’re welcome,” said Dan.

“Ever think about joining the force? We could use good men like you.” Michaels scanned Dan’s body. “Strong bodied and strong willed, not afraid to take risks. Willing to protect his fellow man.”

“I’ve thought about my role as a protector.”

“Well, if you want to make a difference, come down to the station sometime.” He put forward his healed hand. “Michaels.”

“Dan. Dan Duncan.”

Stanley stood on the blood-free carpet and watched Glenda and Dan slowly make their way upstairs. “Thank goodness you’re both safe.”

Her hand crept forward. “For crying out loud, Stanley. It was just a little scratch.”

“A little scratch? Glenda, you nearly died. You need to be more careful.”

“I’m ninety-two years old. Waking up in the morning is what surprises me.”

Dan shrugged, a sly smile creeping across his face.

Stanley dug his foot into the carpet. “I’m sorry about Boots. He was a great cat.”

“I’ll miss him.” Her eyes reddened until two streams of tears, in typical Glenda fashion, slowly ambled along the moguls of her face.

“Of course,” said Dan.

Stanley felt sick to his stomach. He needed to say something. “I’ve placed his body in my freezer — I still can’t believe he’s gone.”

Glenda stretched her bony hands forward to open the door. “His death was tragic, but he lived a good life.”