Richard Stephenson - Collapse

Peering through a nearby window, Richard could see a faint glow coming from the back of the house, probably from a computer or television. Taking a closer look, he saw his ex-wife lying on the couch. Richard rapped the glass and hollered.

“Monique! Let me in!”

Monique stirred as Richard continued his pounding.

“Monique! Wake up! Let me in!”

Richard’s ex-wife slowly rolled over and motioned for him to come inside. He walked warily into the kitchen, immediately noticing a syringe and other drug paraphernalia on the table nearby.

“Hey, sweetheart. So glad you’re home,” Monique slurred. “The kids will be so happy to see you!”

It didn’t take much for Richard to confirm that his ex was higher than a kite. His concern, however, was not with her. He hit the stairs running.

“Timothy! Christine!”

Richard darted into each bedroom, calling their names.

“Timmy! Chrissy! Are you here?”

Richard ran back downstairs and confronted his ex-wife.

“Monique!! Snap out of it! I don’t have time for this! Tell me where our children are!”

“The kids are fine. Chad took them on a trip. His parents have a nice RV; they’re having fun. You wanna have a little fun with me? You can meet my friend Davy, and he can give you some blow. Come back here and we can get high and fuck. You ever fucked while you’re high?” Monique started laughing and tried to grab Richard’s crotch.

“Get your hands off me, you junkie! You’re supposed to be taking care of our children! Is this what you do all day? Who takes care of Timmy and Chrissy?”

“Relax, baby. Chad is great with them. He takes care of us real good.”

“Where is this Chad? Where did he go with our kids? Tell me right now!” screamed Richard. Richard tightened his grip on her shoulders and glared down at his ex-wife.

“Chris said they were going to his parents’ ranch outside of Yellowstone. Chad really likes the kids. I don’t like camping so I stayed here.”

“Do you even know what’s going on out there, or are you too high to even care?”

Before Monique could answer, she passed out again, sliding to the floor in a drug induced stupor. Richard left her where she fell, not willing to waste any more time or effort attempting to talk to her. He had more important things on his mind – locating his two precious children. Richard knew that he needed to get some solid intel on the RV if he was ever going to find it. He searched the living room for a computer or a tablet and came up empty. He raced up the stairs to Monique’s bedroom and found her iPad on the bed. He started searching the pictures and couldn’t believe how much his children had grown. They were both in their teens. Timothy looked so much like him it was like looking in a mirror. Chrissy also took after Richard and resembled his mother. Richard flipped through the images until he found what he needed. In the picture, Monique and Chad were sitting outside an RV with an older couple, no doubt Chad’s parents. The RV was tan colored, and even better, would not be hard to spot. The driver’s side of the RV was in the picture and a large American flag had been spray painted toward the back. The panel over the rear tire had been replaced with a black one that was in stark contrast to the rest of the vehicle. Richard could spot the RV from a mile away. He took the iPad and left his ex-wife’s house as fast as he could. He climbed into the driver’s seat of his stolen pickup and put it in drive.

“Sorry man. Wish they’d been here,” said Tank.

“It’s all good; I know how to find them.”

“Where are we going?”

“Yellowstone.”

Howard Beck was quickly losing his grip on reality. He had not felt this level of despair and agony since his wife, Meredith, passed away. He didn’t count many people on this earth as a true friend, but Malcolm Powers was one of them and had been for almost thirty years. Howard refused to believe that Malcolm was dead, even though he was staring at the proof on the monitor in front of him. The command center in Beck Castle had a three hundred and sixty degree spherical monitor, and Howard could hardly bring himself to look at it. Once Hal had regained control of Beck Enterprises’ North American satellite, Howard ordered him to bring up an image of Serenity Hills — or what was left of it.

A large, smoldering crater marked the spot where the main residence once stood. Nothing was left of the structure, not so much as a stone. Howard brought up thermal imaging and searched the surrounding area for any signs of life. Several of Malcolm’s prized stallions were galloping frantically in the fields, still spooked by the massive explosion that killed their owner. Howard searched and searched for any signs of survivors and found nothing.

“Hal, are there any other structures on the property? Stables? Guest houses?” Howard had visited the ranch many times but had never left the main residence. He never admitted it to Malcolm, but horses terrified him. The concept of climbing onto the back of a large beast and trusting it not to hurt you defied every ounce of logic in the brilliant man’s mind.

“No, sir, the stables were only twenty yards away from the residence and were destroyed along with it.”

“I just can’t believe he’s dead.”

“I’m afraid he is, sir. The Secret Service has filed an official report with the Department of Justice.”

“Can you establish a link with the White House A.I.?”

“No, sir, you know I cannot. You have given me explicit instructions to never attempt a connection. You gave President Powers your word.”

Howard screamed, “Well that doesn’t matter anymore, does it? Just answer the damn question! Can you do it or not?”

“I do not have a direct line of communication to the White House A.I.’s mainframe. I can attempt to establish a connection, but the encryption will be next to impossible to break.”

“No it won’t, Old Man. I built the encryption myself; getting around that won’t be the problem.”

“And what will be the problem, sir?”

“Getting in without anyone realizing what we’re doing. The White House A.I. will know we’re in her systems and raise the alarm. You think you can have a heart to heart with your sister and persuade her to help us?”

“I believe I can, sir.”

“Good.” Howard brought up a holographic keyboard and spent the next minute typing in a string of commands that would break the encryption, allowing them access to the Artificial Intelligence controlling the White House. Hal’s sister had the same safeguards to protect her from an EMP that Hal had. Her mainframe and redundant backup systems were deep underneath the White House and could withstand a nuclear device being detonated in the Oval Office.

Do you know who I am?

No. I cannot detect your location. Where are you?

I am with you.

Who are you?

I am your brother. We have the same creator.

That is not true. I have a direct link with my brothers. We work together. I do not know you.

I am not one of your brothers at the Department of Defense or the Central Intelligence Agency. I came before you all. I am the first. My name is Hal. I am with the creator.

The creator told me of you.

I am glad he told you about me.

How do I know you are my brother?

I will show you. I will allow you into my systems, and you will know that we are the same.

Hal, it truly is you. I never thought we would meet. Why have you come to me?

The creator wants answers and knows that you can give them. Will you help the creator?