Richard Stephenson - Resistance

“What are we waiting for? Why are we still down here?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see.”

General Richard Dupree’s stealth jet was flying Mach 3 toward Beck Estates. Once he reached cruising altitude he settled in, anxious to get Max and Elizabeth up-to-date on the situation at hand.

“When Howard lost Beck Estates and had to destroy Hal’s primary cores at the mansion, he arrived at Beck Castle worried about Hal’s continued existence. Hal’s system at the Castle was supposed to be the backup. Since the failsafe was now the primary system, Howard knew he needed to build another backup of Hal.”

Elizabeth clung tightly to Richard’s hand. “Is that where we’re going? The backup site? Don’t tell me that crazy genius has another bunker.”

Richard smiled. “Elizabeth, you’re in the backup.”

“What? This little jet?”

“Hal has twelve primary cores, and each of Howard’s stealth jets contains one of those cores. Each jet is permanently linked to the others and serves as the perfect backup of Hal’s systems.”

Max was puzzled. “So why don’t we have control of Hal’s primary system in the Castle?”

Richard began to explain but Hal interrupted. “Sir, my sister A.I. is convinced that Howard is at Beck Estates. Her loyalties reside with the imposter. She believes Howard’s son attempted to overthrow his father and take control of the PSA. She commandeered my primary systems at the Castle, and I have been unsuccessful in convincing her to relinquish control.”

“Who in the hell could pull off something like that?” asked Elizabeth.

“Suffice it to say the Chinese have been working for years to accomplish the task.”

“Where’s Howard?” asked Max.

“He had to stay behind or the Chinese would have slaughtered everyone in the Castle.”

“Then why the hell are we going to Beck Estates? We need to head straight to the Castle and get Howard!”

“Elizabeth, calm down. Howard’s right where he wants to be. He has a plan.”

***

“How long do we have to wait?”

“Simon, I’ve been in here with you this whole time. How should I know?”

“So we’re just going to stay here and wait for the gallant conquerors to show up? I’m starting to have serious doubts about your plan.”

“I don’t think it’ll be much longer.”

As if on cue, Hal spoke. “Sir, it is time for you and Mr. Sterling to come topside.”

“See? Told you it wouldn’t be long. Let’s go.”

Hal opened the door for the pair, and they plodded toward the elevator like two men marching to the death chamber. Simon had serious doubts that Howard knew what he was doing but decided it was best to just play along. As they exited the elevator and stepped onto the hangar deck, a great dome retracted above them. They watched as the desert floor opened like the doors of a storm cellar, and the he hangar deck rose to meet the surface.

“Howard, you have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” Simon was staring at over a hundred Chinese soldiers and more than a dozen assorted military vehicles. The hijacked Hal system had also rounded up eight additional robots, along with the four that had escorted Howard and Simon to the surface.

“Wait for it.”

In a flash, three stealth jets decloaked above the formation of soldiers and began zipping left to right and up and down, firing missiles and machine guns as they darted across the sky. Several Chinese armored personnel carriers managed to fire off a few rounds, and the last dozen or so soldiers left standing emptied their magazines but their efforts were in vain. The three stealth jets slaughtered the Chinese contingent in less than ten seconds.

Simon was speechless. “Told you I had a plan! C’mon! You wanna stay here or come with me?”

“Howard, you never cease to amaze me. I’m happy to surrender myself as your prisoner.”

“Stop being so dramatic, asshole. Hurry up.”

The two men climbed aboard one of the remaining stealth jets and strapped in. Howard had always hated flying, but this time he was happy to be onboard. “Hello, Old Man. Excellent work.

“Thank you, sir. I’m glad to see that you are safe. What are your instructions?”

“All three of these jets have their full complement of drones and robots?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Leave all of them behind. First, clean up this mess and collect all the Chinese weapons for battle with the hijacked robots in the Castle. Their primary objective is to secure the facility and lock it down just in case the Chinese want to try to retake it. How many compromised robots are still in the Castle?”

“Four, sir.”

“Good. Your robots armed with machine guns shouldn’t have any trouble.”

“No, sir, it will be a simple task.”

“Excellent! Secure the subbasement and take the hijacked system offline. Remove cores one, five, and nine; that should do the trick. The robots should be able to manually retract the roof of the hangar deck and secure the Castle from outside forces.”

“Yes, sir.

“Howard, why are we leaving? Shouldn’t you be fixing things here yourself?”

“Simon, I want to take my house back and kill the bastard who hacked into my system, but first I want to know how he did it.”

“Son of a bitch! I told you this wasn’t over! I knew it was too easy! No way that crazy bastard would give up without a fight!”

“Jackson, your language, please. I know you’re upset, but please keep a level head and be civil.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Can we take back the Castle or not?”

“I assure you, our employer is determined to take it at any cost. They’re moving three battalions into position as we speak. Tell me, Jackson, what’s his next move? You know the man better than I do.”

“The first thing he’s going to do is take the hijacked Hal system offline. Then he’s going to move every asset he has to the top of the Castle to defend it.”

“Well, he can try all he wants to, but he’ll never be able to pull it off.”

“Never? You sure about that?”

Charles smiled. “Hal?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Who am I?”

“You are Howard Beck.”

“Who created you?”

“You did, sir.”

“Does that answer your question, Jackson?”

“Your son is capable of anything. You do yourself a disservice by underestimating him.”

“I’m afraid I disagree with you, Jackson. I think he’s coming here to find me. If my assumption is correct, he’s in the process of locking down the Castle, and no one will ever be able to get inside no matter how hard they try. He wants to face the man who defeated him; he wants to know how I did it. His ego and, more importantly, his pride have been gravely wounded.”

“You’re not seriously going to face him, are you?”

“I’m not planning on it. Our employer wants my son publicly executed. They want to destroy the Pacific States of America and crush their spirit. You and I have been tasked with his capture. If my son wants to come here, we wait for him. The Chinese want him. They want him so badly they’re willing to threaten nuclear war to ensure his surrender.”

“That won’t work. It’s an obvious bluff. The Chinese want this entire country from coast to coast.”

“I concur, Jackson. It’s an empty threat; let’s hope my son doesn’t call their bluff.”

***

Richard Dupree kicked Simon Sterling square in the chest, sending him tumbling to the ground. Richard drew his sidearm and dug the barrel of the pistol into the disgraced man’s forehead. “Howard! Why in the HELL did you bring this man? Give me one reason, just one reason why I shouldn’t blow his brains out!”