The Asshole App

27. LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE

If they can make you believe absurdities, they can make you create atrocities. -Voltaire.

With one final twist, Vince solved the Rubik Cube. It came apart revealing a small pedometer-like device.

"That's it, let the App scan your retina, Mr. Lear." Vince tossed the unit to Evie so she could hold the device up to Lear's face, just as she'd seen Ray do in the Tesla. Nothing happened. "I don't know how to activate it." She fiddled with the silver ICARUS device, pressing buttons first on the side, then on top. A bluish-white prompt came on. After a minute, the infrared light scanned Lear's eyes, and the ICARUS winged icon loaded onto the screen. They heard a whirring sound as BIG DOG's rotating tongue ground through the door. His muzzle punched into the room.

"Oh, Jeezus, that monster's drilling through the door," Lear shouted.

There was a burst of static in their headsets. The scratchy noise stopped, and Ray's voice came back online as he, Deedee, and Thanatos entered the lobby. "We're on the first floor. We're coming up." Ray said, triumphantly.

In the background, they heard the inexperienced young security guard yelling as he bolted for the exit. "I never believed you killed anyone, Mr. Sinclair!"

With a screech of metal, the rest of BIG DOG's body crashed through the door. Menacingly, his Goliath head tracked each person in the room like a large, black anaconda. "It can't decide who to attack first." Vince declared.

"No, it's hesitating because its tongue is broken." Lear announced.

BIG DOG made broken garbage disposal sounds as it tried to retract its silver telephone cord tongue. "Let's hope its crotch is broken too." Vince cried.

"We have to split up and distract it." If they come up with BIG DOG waiting, broken tongue or not, they'll be sitting ducks." Taking the activated ICARUS device with her, Evie flew past the dog and into the hallway. Just like a real hound, the DARPA dog's programmed prey instinct kicked in. He gave chase, his broken metallic tongue hanging out of his mouth and dragging after him like a silver leash. She rushed to the stairwell, then ducked down as BIG DOG sailed over her head. Bouncing off the railing as if he was doing moguls, he landed beneath her.

Damn, he's fast. His eyes look dimmer, as if he's losing energy.

Slamming the stairwell door, Evie retraced her steps as BIG DOG scampered up the stairs after her. Like a real, flesh-and-blood dog, he ran out of steam, his legs beginning to slow. When he reached the landing, he raised his leg, preparing to shoot the terrified intern with his crotch. Instead, he fell over sideways, his backup battery dead.

"Finally." Evie cried. Exhausted, she sank down on the floor, breathing heavily, her back propped up against the wall. The elevator door opened and the rescue team spilled out into the hallway, guns raised.

"I'm over here, Ray." She called. Raising her hand, she triumphantly showed him the ICARUS device. "I have the app."

~~~~~~~~~

Thirty floors below, Jamison and the double agent, Darrow, observed the action through security cameras.

"That dog don't hunt no more." Darrow leaned away from the monitor.

Jamison laughed. "I don't care if we have to destroy this building and the whole block. I want Sinclair dead before he uses that second app on us."

"What do you mean?" Darrow asked. "We still haven't extracted the original ICARUS app out of its casing."

"They die or we go to jail. We'll have Station Earl techs in Jersey extract the software. Meanwhile, we'll take them out the old fashioned way."

Jamison pulled out his phone and called Casper on a secure line. "We have a situation, Casp. Sinclair has the backup ICARUS app. He's on CENTIEN's fiftieth floor. I need you to shake the tree!" Looking at the computer screen, he gave Casper the floor coordinates for a kinetic strike.

Jamison narrowed his eyes at Darrow. "We have about fifteen minutes before they disintegrate this building. Let's go." Taking the original ICARUS app with them, they headed for the stolen Tesla SUV. As they ran to the parking garage, the banking cartel magnate gloated, "Luckily, I doubled the insurance for terrorist attacks on this building. I don't care if they demolish the whole thing if it kills Sinclair. We make money either way."