A.I.

Chapter 3

        "They're just sitting there at a table talking," Doug whispered to Brad, as they concealed themselves behind a large tree.

"It's risky, but I'm going to approach them," Brad said, "If I can get within two metres of the A.I. I can activate this box," he patted his jacket pocket. "It should disrupt its operation system. Cover me. You know what to do, take out Dr Stevens."

Doug watched as Brad walked towards the man and the woman at the table. Brad had said the human was the more dangerous out of the two of them. He was ready with his stun gun, but he needed to get within five metres of his target for it to be effective.

As Brad approached the table the man stood up with a surprised look on his face, "Brad? What are you doing here?"

"You know why I'm here," Brad replied grimly, "Both of you please hand over your weapons. You're coming back with us."

The woman continued to sit silently at the table watching what was going on.

"No, I don't think so." The man took a threatening step towards Brad as the woman jumped to her feet.

"Now," Brad yelled as he dived to one side.

Doug ran towards them and fired his gun at the man.

Nothing happened. Why didn't he fall? Too late he realised his mistake.

The woman held her hand out pointing a small cylinder in Doug's direction. A moment later he felt a searing pain in his right shoulder. He dropped his stun gun and sank to the ground clutching his shoulder. Through a haze of pain he watched the woman fall to the ground as Brad fired his own stun gun at her. "Ryan!" she screamed as she fell.

The man, Ryan, moved with surprising speed as he rushed at Brad, striking him with his fist in the side of his face. Brad also fell to the ground, lying there without moving.

Ryan turned back to the woman. "No, Anna, no," he moaned. There was blood on her face. She must have hit her head on the edge of the table as she fell.

Doug watched as Ryan tenderly picked her up along with a suitcase, and then jogged off through the park without looking back.

It was too painful for Doug to move. He lay on the ground thinking about the stupid mistake he had made. The woman wasn't the robot, it was the man! And what had the woman shot him with? It didn't look like a regular gun." 

A minute later he passed out. When he regained consciousness he was lying in a hospital bed.

Brad was sitting in a chair next to him. "Back with us?" he said with a smile, "Don't worry, you're going to be fine. That bitch shot you with a compact laser. Lucky it only got you in the shoulder."

"What about you," Doug managed to croak, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bruise on my face. That A.I. sure packs a punch. I think I was out to it for at least five minutes before I came to, saw what had happened to you, and called an ambulance."

"What happens now?"

"Dr Hammond just called me. She's coming out here herself on the company jet with reinforcements, whatever that means. They'll be here in less than two hours. You'll need to stay here in the hospital for the next day or two until we wrap things up, then you'll come back with us."

"I'm sorry I got it wrong and fired at the wrong one."

"Don't worry about it. It all happened at once, and that damned A.I. sure looks like the real thing."

*****