David Robbins - Houston Run

“What about your blasted disk?” Hickok questioned.

“They can track me with that, all right,” Roger said.

Blade rose, drawing his right Bowie. “Don’t move.”

“What are you doing?” Roger inquired nervously.

Blade leaned over the pilot, examining the edge of the Orwell Disk. He found a minute crack between the disk and the flesh on the right side and gingerly inserted the tip of his Bowie. “Brace yourself.”

Roger, his knuckles white as his fingers clutched the stick, blanched.

Blade’s right arm bulged.

Roger flinched, his mouth contorting in torment.

There was a loud, squishy popping noise, and the Orwell Disk plopped from Roger’s forehead into Blade’s left palm. A trickle of blood seeped from the circular identation left in Roger’s forehead.

“Did you remove the damn thing?” Roger asked hopefully.

Blade held the disk out for Roger to see.

Hickok uttered a derisive snort. “If the blamed things are that easy to pry off, why didn’t you take it off yourself?”

“The penalty for removing an O.D. is death,” Roger replied.

Blade handed the Orwell Disk to the gunman. “You know what to do with it.”

Hickok nodded. Seconds later, the disk was sailing out a narrow opening in the cargo door.

“I’m in your debt for this,” Roger said to Blade. “I’ll do my best to get us out of here.”

“First things first,” Blade remarked.

“What do you mean?”

Blade peered out the canopy at the buildings zipping past. “Where would the Superiors take a mutant to be neutered?”

“What do you want?” Lynx asked the Superior, doing his best to imitate the floor supervisor’s voice. Tom had been the same size, but his voice had been slightly higher.

“I want to check on your new arrival,” the Superior said.

“New arrival?” Lynx repeated, wondering if the android meant him.

“His name is Lynx,” the Superior stated. “We brought him over early this morning, before you arrived. I dropped his dossier on your desk, on your Incoming tray. But with all the paperwork on your desk, I was concerned you might not see it.”

“I saw it,” Lynx lied.

“This one is a troublemaker,” the Superior mentioned. “If you require guards, I will have a detail posted.”

Lynx nodded toward his former room. “We won’t need guards. He’s locked up safe and sound.”

The Superior stared at the door to the room. “I’d like to see him.”

“You can’t!” Lynx blurted out.

Melody anxiously licked her lips.

The Superior studied the feline mutant. “Why can’t I see Lynx, Tom?”

“Because…” Lynx responded hastily. “He did give us some trouble when we tried to feed him, and he had to be sedated. He’ll be out for four, maybe six hours.”

The Superior nodded knowingly. “I knew he would be a problem. I will order a guard detail posted, and no one will be permitted in the room other than yourself and Melody.”

Lynx nodded enthusiastically. “That’s an excellent idea, now that I think of it. Don’t let anybody in his room. He’s too dangerous at that.”

“Report to me if he creates another disturbance,” the Superior ordered.

“Without delay,” Lynx responded.

The Superior wheeled and walked away.

Lynx headed for the stairwell, Melody on his right side. “Who the hell was that?” he whispered.

“WW-60,” Melody answered. “He handles administrative coordination for this section.”

“Do you think we fooled him?” Lynx queried.

“If we hadn’t,” Melody replied, “we’d be in custody right now.”

They walked to the stairwell door, deliberately conveying a casual air, but once in the stairwell they increased their pace, speeding up the steps as rapidly as their legs would carry them. They reached the door to Floor 45 without mishap.

Lynx hesitated, his left hand on the knob. “How do we play this? Won’t we be suspicious if we march on in and ask to see my buddies?”

Melody reflected for a minute. “What are their names?”

“Gremlin and Ferret,” Lynx said.

“I have an idea,” Melody stated. “Follow my lead.”

Lynx opened the door, then unexpectedly halted.

A Superior was standing not six feet away, leafing through a handful of papers. He looked up and saw them. “Hello. May I assist you?”

Melody moved past Lynx, smiling sweetly. “Sorry to bother you, but I believe you have two new arrivals here for testing. Their names are Gremlin and Ferret.”

The android nodded. “They’re in 45-C taking the written portion of the Psychological Profile Examination.”

“The Examination will need to be interrupted,” Melody said.

The Superior lowered the papers. “Why?”

“We’ve subjected their companion, the one called Lynx, to a routine medical exam,” Melody said. “WW-60 sent us up as soon as he saw the results.”

“What results?”

Melody feigned abject dismay. “We were appalled to discover Lynx has a communicable sexual disease. Syphilis.”

“Sexually transmitted diseases were eliminated from our stock decades ago,” the Superior commented.

“From our stock, yes,” Melody agreed. “But these mutants are from outside Androxia, correct?”

“What does WW-60 require?” the Superior asked.

“He wants Gremlin and Ferret tested right away,” Melody said. “We can’t have these degenerates mingling with our pure stock if they’re infected. WW-60 is preparing the proper papers, but those forms take a while to complete. He wanted to know if you would send Gremlin and Ferret down with us, and he assures you the release forms will be on your desk within the hour.”

“A reasonable request,” the Superior stated. “Wait here. I will bring them out.” He turned and moved down the corridor.

Lynx nudged Melody’s left elbow. “Syphilis?”

“It was the best I could do on the spur of the moment,” Melody said.

Lynx smiled. “I’m shocked, princess. A lady like you, comin’ up with a disease like that!” He laughed.

“It was the first thing I thought of when you kissed me,” Melody explained.

Lynx’s eyebrows tried to leave his face. “But you kissed me !”

Melody grinned mischievously. “I must be a gambler at heart.”

“I don’t have no sexual diseases!” Lynx snapped, miffed. “I’m as healthy as they come.”

“I’ll bet,” Melody said, chuckling.

The Superior emerged from one of the rooms with two mutants in tow.

“That’s them,” Lynx verified in a hushed tone.

Gremlin, walking behind the Superior, spotted Lynx and opened his mouth to yell a greeting. Before he could, however, Ferret reached up and clamped his right hand over Gremlin’s mouth. The Superior never noticed.

“I can see you’re the brains of the bunch,” Melody said softly.

Lynx puffed up his chest. “As a matter of fact, I am.”

“No wonder you’re all prisoners,” Melody whispered, and then the Superior was within hearing range.

“Here they are,” the android said. “Do you want me to accompany you?”

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary,” Melody told him.

“They might attempt to escape,” the Superior observed.

“We’ll take the evevator then,” Melody proposed. “They can’t escape from an elevator.”

“A logical alternative,” the Superior concurred, and turned. “Follow me,” he directed Gremlin and Ferret.

Lynx and Melody brought up the rear as they walked down the corridor until they reached the elevator.

“I will be expecting the release forms as promised,” the Superior said to Melody.

“WW-60 will see they reach you,” Melody affirmed. She pressed the button for the elevator.