HIGHER TECH (Complete Novel)

Chapter 12 -Madness

      "Hey Kyle," said agent Samuels, "how are things at the launch site?"

      "Everything is normal considering they'll be launching in about an hour. Our guy, Mr. Morris tells me that people are busy scrambling around, but there is nothing out of the ordinary taking place."

      "Tell him to keep his eyes pealed."

      "Will do, sir."

      "What about you Dean. How is everything at ABB Robotics?"

      "Nothing exceptional to report sir."

      "How many construction robots do you think Mars Colony needs?"

      "My guess would be about a thousand."

      "That's a lot."

      "Yes, but they need at least that many to replace the old ones and add a few more to look after their current needs."

      "Hey guys, Morris says two guys dressed in armor just arrived at the launch site."

      "Kyle tell him to stay put and out of view. "Well gentlemen," said agent Samuels, "it looks like we need to put our armor on and get down there right away."

      "I can't believe," said Kyle, "that he already has the robots and whatever else he wants to send."

      "I know," said Dean, "he always seems to be one step ahead of us. Now, it's going to take us about twenty-five minutes just to get these suits on and be down there. He'll make short work of their flimsy security. A lot can happen in twenty-five minutes."

      "True," said agent Samuels, "but it's what we do immediately after those twenty-five minutes that will count for us. Top priority for us will be to focus on his mode of transportation. If we can disable it, then he'll be trapped here."

      When they finally arrived at the sight, they realized that the supply ship had already been launched.

      "How did he manage to get them to launch early?"

      "Never mind that, Kyle. Focus all your firepower on their ship that is about to escape! You too Dean. Hurry! Now!"

      All three of them commenced firing on the ship as it hovered about thirty feet over the site. All their shots were easily absorbed by the shields. The ship turned in their direction.

      "Take cover," said agent Samuels, "he could fire on us!"

      They all jumped behind a nearby cement wall. Mark peered around the corner and saw the PW-3 quickly ascend. With a burst of speed it disappeared from view.

      "Whew! Good thing they didn't fire on us."

      "Kyle," said Dean, "I was thinking the exact same thing, but at this point they probably want to avoid bad media coverage as much as possible. Killing an agent and a couple of police officers would not help their cause at all. Although, it's a good thing we moved out of the way. You never know what he might do. This guy is different than your average criminal. He's far more intelligent and therefore may be unpredictable at times."

      "Yes," said agent Samuels, "but I think we gave him something to be concerned about. We guessed his next target. Although, he was ahead of us he must realize that we are starting to anticipate his next move. The only problem is that he'll probably respond by being even more careful. It may be even more difficult to catch him next time. Now, let's go find out why they launched the ship early."

      When they arrived at launch control, they interviewed the men in control. They said that Arnold didn't really threaten them much. While his partner Darren Trent took charge in loading the ship with their added supplies he took control of launching operations. They just did what he told them to do. Afraid of the consequences of not cooperating with him. He had all his armor on and his weapon attached to his hip. He didn't point his weapon at anyone. There was no need to. The whole operation took place without an incident. Except for them firing on his ship. Dean cringed a little. Some people would think of them as being the bad guys. After all, these two men were simply helping the struggling Mars colony. Where was the harm in that? This was an incorrect point view, but nevertheless, some would feel this way. Arnold Hatcher, knew exactly what he was doing.

***

      "We almost," said Darren, "pulled that off without a single problem."

      "True, but I don't like the fact that we saw two familiar police officers feebly trying to stop us. It means that they guessed our next step. Darren, that is not good. They were all dressed in armor too. It's a good thing that their faces were visible through their visors. Otherwise, we wouldn't have known who they were."

      "Who do you think the other guy was?"

      "Perhaps a senior officer or more likely someone from the FBI."

      "Hmm, the FBI. I suppose that makes sense, since we have captured the attention of the whole country."

      "What we have done today will make the whole world notice."

      "What do you think we should do about these three pests?"

      "We'll be a little more careful, but we'll still move ahead as planned. We sent a positive message by not firing upon them. We may have gained a lot more popularity for not doing so as well. If there are only these three, then they won't be much of a threat. However, if there are more, as I suspect there are, then we may need to change some of our plans. Even so, with the fire power we posses and the impregnable shielding we've developed, how could they stop us? What do you think Darren?"

      "I think that I agree with you about being more careful. This Dean Roberts guy is quite a crafty man. We should not underestimate him."

      "Yes, officer Roberts has likewise impressed me. We'll need to watch him more closely."

***

      "Becka honey. I'm sorry, but this guy thinks he can do whatever he wants. He has to be stopped."

      "Yes, but why do you have to be the one to do it? He could have killed you today!"

      "I knew I shouldn't have told you about what happened today. Dean, come on buddy. Help me out."

      "Kyle, this is between you and Rebecka."

      "You are my partner. Aren't partners supposed to support one another?"

      "You know I do."

      Rebecka looked at Dean with a steel eye. Dean shrugged helplessly.

      "Thanks a lot buddy," Kyle said in frustration, "I guess you know when to back away from a losing fight."

      "Except when it's a fight with Arnold Thatcher. Then, the welfare of this world is at stake. Not just our own personal circumstances in life, which would also change drastically if we let this guy take over. I for one, will die in order to stop him if I have to."

      Susan grabbed his hand and said, "Let's hope it doesn't come down to that. I guess we all need to sacrifice something for an important cause from time to time."

      All three of them looked at Rebecka.

      "What? You expect me to just go along with that? I will for now, but you two better come back to us 'sacrificers.' Or what's the point in all this crazy madness?"