Richard Stephenson - Collapse

“I’ve got more to say, but I need to hurry. If you didn’t already know, this is Howard Beck’s house. I have no idea what happened to Howard. He managed to escape before they could get to him. I’ve contacted Howard’s son, Marshall. He loaded his family into an RV, and they’re headed to a secret underground facility Howard built north of here. Head up Interstate 25 and look in the RV-Towns for him. Marshall is the spitting image of his father, so you shouldn’t have a hard time finding him.”

Max looked out at a large pasture full of helicopters and pointed at them with huge eyes. “How are we gonna get out of here?”

Stacy smiled and shook her head, making it look like she was giving a lecture on the helicopters. “The motor pool is just up ahead. They trust the mechanics to keep an eye on everything, but they spend most of their time playing grab ass. I’m going to flirt with them as a diversion while you two slip around the side of the bay and make a break for it. Your SUV have a thumbprint key?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. I hope you have a full tank of gas.”

“Full enough.”

“Find Marshall Beck and tell him President Sterling needs to be stopped. I don’t have proof, but I’m convinced he murdered President Powers.”

“Are you serious? Powers is dead? Sterling killed him?” Max and Elizabeth both struggled to maintain their poker faces.

Stacy smiled. “Yes, I’m sure of it.”

“Son of a bitch,” said Max.

The three of them continued their cheerful facade as they walked toward the motor pool. As Stacy laid on the charm and flirted with the four mechanics, Max and Elizabeth slowly walked out of their line of sight and headed for their SUV. The quiet hybrid engine purred to life, and Max slowly pulled out, heading north. It would be some time before anyone noticed they were gone. Stacy would blame it on the incompetence of the soldiers at the detention center.

Marshall Beck stood on the roof of his RV and raised his arms high in the air. “Please, if I could have everyone’s attention! Please quiet down! This is important!”

Max and Elizabeth had no trouble finding Marshall Beck. It was simple deduction that a secret underground facility would not be close to Denver. They drove north to Fort Collins and starting looking in RV-Towns. When they got to the third one, they saw a large crowd of people gathered together like they were at a rock concert. The man standing on the roof of the RV looked exactly like Howard Beck had twenty-five years ago.

“For those of you who want to follow me, I’ll be leaving in five minutes.” Marshall Beck climbed down the ladder at the rear of the RV. Max and Elizabeth caught him before he made it to the door. “Officers, is there a problem?” asked Marshall.

“Stacy Reid sent us.”

Marshall looked surprised. “Well then, please come inside.” Marshall opened the door and ushered Max and Elizabeth inside.

“You were at my dad’s house?”

“Yes, we left there a few hours ago.”

“You actually spoke to Stacy?”

“We did. She saved us from being ‘drafted’ into President Sterling’s army.”

“I like that. What a pleasant euphemism for imprisonment.”

“She said they have hundreds locked up in a detention center. We were tracking down three doctors and a nurse who were snatched up in a small town in New Mexico. She told me to tell you that President Sterling needs to be stopped. She’s certain that he assassinated President Powers.”

“That changes everything. We know he’s locking down the major cities in a police state and snatching up people with professional skills, but if that man assassinated President Powers then he truly is a madman.”

“I couldn’t agree more. My name is Maxwell Harris, and this is Elizabeth Reed.”

Marshall leaned forward and shook his hand. “I’m Marshall Beck, and this is my Uncle Sean and Aunt Tricia. That young man over there is my cousin Jamison,” Marshall said, as he introduced the others in the RV.

As the introductions proceeded, Max looked at Tricia and could see the family resemblance; she was clearly Howard Beck’s sister.

Marshall continued, “Well, folks, I wish we could take the time to get to know each other, but we need to get moving. Beck Castle is about an hour’s drive from here, and we won’t be driving on any roads.”

“Beck Castle?” asked Max.

“It’s a secret underground bunker that my parents built. It’s massive and can hold hundreds, if not thousands of people. My father wanted to keep it a secret from me, but my mother told me all about it and even took me there when dad was overseas on business. Mom even convinced Hal to keep it a secret from dad.”

“And who is Hal?”

“Another long story. You’ll be meeting him soon enough; that is, of course, if you’re joining us”

“Sure. If you people are planning to stop Simon Sterling then I’m along for the ride.”

“Great, let’s get going. Do you need any gas? We have plenty to spare.”

“I should be good, thanks. The one thing we do need is firearms. Ours were confiscated by the military.”

Marshall turned to Jamison and nodded. The young man disappeared into the back of the RV and returned with two Glock 19s and four boxes of ammunition. He handed them to Max and Elizabeth.

“Outstanding! Thank you,” said Max.

“Don’t mention it. Got one myself.”

Sean headed toward the door. “Jamison, I want you to stay here and continue doing what your cousin has been doing. Tell the next group we’ll be back for them soon.”

“Yes, sir.”

Max and Elizabeth headed for their SUV. As Marshall Beck’s RV slowly headed out in the open field, Max pulled his vehicle behind him and followed.

“Hal, this is ridiculous. Tell my dad to come up here and talk to me.”

Howard Beck’s A.I., Hal, was standing in front of his creator’s son in the form of a robot. Transferring his primary program into a maintenance robot and controlling it was a simple enough task. The robot had the physical characteristics of a man — it had a torso, arms and legs. The one trait that greatly differed from the human form was its head, which was a flat panel computer monitor twelve inches across. When Hal extended himself into a robot, the head monitor showed the image of his namesake, the HAL-9000 from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Marshall had waited over two hours before the robot suddenly appeared from behind a hill.

“Sir, it is not necessary for your father to come up here. He is monitoring this conversation from the command center.”

“Jesus Christ, Hal! I’m not talking through you! The least he can do is show his face on your monitor!”

Ten seconds went by and the HAL-9000 image disappeared from the monitor to be replaced by Howard Beck’s face.

“Hello, son. It’s been a long time.”

“Dad, is there a reason you haven’t let me in? Are you really just going to leave me up here?”

“I would have let you in the minute you got here if you’d come alone. I’m not letting a bunch of strangers down here to cause problems.”

“Damn it, Dad! These are just everyday people looking for a safe place to stay! Families! Women and children! A lot of people up here are hungry and scared! Did you forget why you and Mom built this in the first place? This is why!” Marshall grabbed the robot and swung its head around to see the crowd of people. “You probably never imagined that the world would actually end, but it’s crumbling down all around us! Have you been ignoring everything? Do you even care about what goes on outside your little world?” Marshall couldn’t stand his father’s lack of empathy. He loved the man but had spent his entire life trying to please him. Marshall had given up trying to read his father’s emotions long ago. The cold, distant man was successful in driving his son away from him and into the arms of his mother. When his mother died, the standoff continued. The two had not spoken since Meredith’s funeral. “Dad, you haven’t seen your grandchildren since they were babies. You’ve missed out on so much of their lives. It’s time for you to change that. Open the door! Let us inside!”