Doomsday Hunter 2, page 11
part #2 of Doomsday Hunter Series
She walked down the hallway with vigor and, as she inched forward, the beeping in my head grew louder.
Whoever this woman was, she was the Wayfarer of Dimension Fifty-Seven.
“That’s her, Natalie.” I grimaced and nodded down the hall.
“Then I shall go and speak with her,” the Scavenger decided promptly. “The sooner we get her on our side, the better.”
“Hold it!” I protested as I held out my hand to stop her. “We can’t just go giving ourselves away like that. We need to get her alone, preferably out the sightlines of any of the cameras.”
“If you insist.” Natalie shrugged and stepped back. “I would have assumed you’d want to just get it over with, like a band-aid. Well, except for the ‘making her pregnant part.’ You always take your time with that.”
“Not up here, so close to the AI,” I cleared my throat and tried not to blush at my wife’s words. “Dr. Merrick is probably already suspicious about our identities. I don’t want to give it all away quite yet.”
I turned around and tried to ignore the beeping in my head as the other group approached.
“Tracey!” Gerald exclaimed with a happy smile. “Guys, this is Tracey Blithe, one of our top Biometric Programmers here at Deltacorp!”
The brunette employee didn’t look amused. “The schedule says group C hits the fifty-eighth floor at one, Gerald. You guys are supposed to already be back in the lobby by now.”
“They wanted an extra minute to look at the scenery.” Our guide shrugged. “Who am I to pry them away from that?”
“A Deltacorp employee,” the woman, Tracey, chuckled. “An employee for a company that’s all about punctuality and logistics. I wouldn’t hang around too long, if I were you. Remember what happened to Marty?”
The smile faded from Gerald’s face.
“You--You don’t think they’d actually fire me for being a few minutes late on a tour, do you?” he gulped.
“You’re an intern at the most sought-after employer in the country,” Tracey reminded the man. “They could fire you for putting two packets of sugar into their coffee instead of three.”
“Point taken.” Gerald nodded, and then he turned back to the group. “Alright, everyone, let’s gather up and head back down to the lobby!”
Gerald’s notice was met with several groans of disappointment, but the rest of the tourists fell in line and began to follow the man back to the elevator.
Meanwhile, my head was still going crazy from the microchip.
“Karla?” I hissed into the air. “We found the Wayfarer. Could you pleaaaase turn off the tracker?”
You found her? Karla gasped. What did she say? Will she join us?
“One thing at a time,” I whispered, “I’m still trying to figure out how exactly I’m going to break the news to her. It’s not like I’m asking her to sign up for an e-mailing list, you know.”
It is a big commitment, to say the least, the voice in my head admitted, but she will need to know sooner rather than later. Especially if you plan on breaking into Deltacorp soon.
“I’m working on it,” I promised with a sigh. “Please just stop the beeping.”
Almost immediately after I got done talking, the noise inside of my head dulled down to a slow rhythm and then disappeared entirely. I let out a sigh of relief as I entered the elevator and watched Gerald press the button that would take us down to the main lobby, and once we were back on the main floor, we piled out onto the pristine white tile.
“Alright, folks,” Gerald announced with a sweeping gesture, “thank you for coming on our tour today. You’ve been a great crowd, and I hope you have a great rest of your day! Don’t forget to pick up your phones, jackets, and other personal belongings over at the dropoff. I hope to see you all again soon!”
Our group clapped for a solid minute before they began to disperse. Some of them ran off to the bathroom, while others went to gather their surrendered possessions.
Natalie and I, however, simply headed over to the benches in the faux garden. We positioned ourselves in a spot where we could watch the elevator and then waited for the Wayfarer to return.
“Something’s not sitting right with me,” the blonde Scavenger spoke up after a while. “Rick told us the security in this place is pretty tight and guarded by Dr. Merrick’s AI, right? So, why didn’t we see a single guard after we walked through the front door? And why didn’t we encounter anything to do with Dr. Merrick?”
“It is a little weird,” I admitted, “but maybe that’s just because we’re used to Dr. Nash flaunting his face everywhere all the time. Maybe this Merrick guy is just shy or something? Obviously, they’re trying to keep his whole project on the down-low, even though they made it public when he uploaded himself. I’m pretty sure that was him watching us through the cameras, though. Even if he didn’t show his face.”
“But what about the guards?” Natalie pondered aloud. “This place doesn’t seem equipped to stop a cat burglar, let alone someone who wanted to break in and steal company secrets.”
“That’s because we only saw what they wanted us to see,” I warned her. “Remember, we just went on the tour that’s been scripted out and rehearsed by these poor interns probably a million times over. Did you see how nervous Gerald got when Tracey told him he was running late? Deltacorp isn’t a place that tolerates ambiguity, but they seem to be all about their public image. They probably just tell the guards not to be present in the area where tours are going on.”
“So, if we wanted to break into the lobby, they’d be fucked?” the blonde woman giggled.
“Completely,” I agreed as I put my arm around the Scavenger and pulled her in close.
Natalie rested her head against my shoulder, and we sat there listening to the relaxing sounds of the water for the next few minutes.
Then the elevator went off, and Tracey herself emerged.
My mind was racing with ideas about how to introduce ourselves to this woman. We could pretend we were simple tourists, and then explain ourselves further when we came back later. Or maybe we needed to just start with the stuff that was “easier” to believe, like the fact we were there to steal the company’s AI?
Whatever we did, it probably wasn’t the wisest idea to lead with “I need to impregnate you and take you back to our dimension.”
“Excuse me!” I called out as Tracey began to walk away.
She spun around so fast her lab coat twirled like a cabaret dancer’s skirt. Then the beautiful woman’s eyes locked with my own, and I found myself having to glance slightly upward to keep eye contact.
“Can I help you?” Tracey asked with a warm smile. “Did you get lost from your tour group?”
“Not exactly,” I explained. “Is there a place we can talk that’s a little more out of the way?”
Tracey raised an eyebrow curiously. “Why can’t we just talk here?”
“Because it’s… not really something I want everybody overhearing,” I tried to explain, but I could tell I wasn’t being very convincing.
“Uh, okay,” Tracey was obviously weirded out, but she pointed over to the cafeteria. “Why don’t we go over there and--”
“It needs to be somewhere outside the view of the cameras,” Natalie interjected.
Suddenly, Tracey’s entire demeanor changed. She began to fidget nervously as she stood in place, and her mouth stretched down into a frown.
“Why do we need to be away from cameras?” she questioned.
“Because we don’t want your bosses to hear,” Natalie continued. “This is very sensitive information.”
“Just, uh--Just tell me here,” Tracey demanded firmly. “You can whisper it if you want, but I don’t feel comfortable going somewhere outside of Deltacorp’s security with two complete strangers.”
That was a completely fair demand, but it didn’t help our cause at all. Still, this minor setback wasn’t going to stop Natalie.
“We are from another dimension,” the blonde Scavenger explained. “We are both Wayfarers, humans with the ability to jump between the timelines, and we’re here on a mission to save your world from Doomsday. You are a Wayfarer, as well.”
Tracey looked completely dumbfounded, and I had to admit we could have probable eased her into this a bit better.
“W-What the fuck is this?” she stammered.
“The truth.” Natalie shrugged. “The only way we can save this timeline is by eliminating Deltacorp’s AI before it takes over the world. Oh, and by having Hunter here impregnate you and bring you back to our own dimension.”
“That’s… we could have saved that for later…” I covered my face with my hand. I may have been embarrassed by Natalie’s forwardness, but at least she was getting right down to business.
Just like ripping off a band aid.
Tracey, on the other hand, looked mortified.
“Wha--Who put you up to this?” she laughed, though it was obvious she was also a bit angry. “Was it Daryl in accounting? Or Martha over in HR? I’ll admit, this is a really creative prank.”
“It’s not a prank,” I finally spoke up. “My name is Hunter Bragg, and this is my partner and mate, Natalie Carr. We’re Doomsday Hunters, and we need your help to save your dimension from certain destruction.”
Tracey’s jaw dropped as she looked back and forth between us.
“What the fuck is this?” The Deltacorp employee shook her head. “Like, seriously, what the fuck is this?”
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” I admitted, “but Natalie here just wanted to get it all out in the open before we asked you this next part--”
Tracey stepped back, fumbled around in her pocket, and then came up with a small walkie-talkie.
“Who are you people?” she hissed. “Take one more step toward me, and I’ll call security.”
My stomach fell into my knees. That was the absolute last thing we needed right now.
“Hey, heyyyyy.” I held up my hands to show I wasn’t a threat. “My name really is Hunter Bragg, and as hard as this is to believe, we are here to save your world. But we’ll need your help.”
“Oh, so you need my help?” Tracey scoffed. “And then you’re gonna take me home and impregnate me, right? Who uses a fucking pick-up line like that? Weird ass swingers.”
“Please, Tracey…” Natalie pleaded. “We’re not lying to you. Your knowledge of this place could really help us out. In order to save your dimension, we have to destroy Dr. Merrick’s program.”
Terror spread up the woman’s face.
“So, that’s what you really want,” she growled. “Who sent you? A foreign government? A rival company?”
“It’s not like that,” I promised. “We just--”
“Want to save the world,” Tracy scoffed. “Yeah, right. And I’m an Olympic athlete.”
This woman obviously wasn’t buying it.
“What’s it going to take to make you believe us?” I questioned. “Please, Tracey… We’re here to help.”
“Please leave,” the brunette demanded. “I’m not sure what kind of drugs you’re on, but I’m sure they’re not the legal kind. I’ll give you one chance to get out of this building, or I’m calling security.”
Natalie and I both looked at each other with a helpless stare.
“Fine,” I conceded with my hands still up. “We’ll leave you alone.”
I began to back away slowly, and my partner followed my lead. Once we were out of arm’s reach, Tracey turned around and dashed off to the elevator.
“Well,” Natalie sighed, “that could have gone better.”
“Way better,” I admitted. “Let’s get out of here before she changes her mind and calls security.”
The Scavenger and I hustled out of the Deltacorp building and back onto the streets of Utopolis. There were still hundreds of people out in the parking lot, eagerly awaiting their tour of the conglomerate, and we had to push through them to get to the street corner.
“What do we do now?” Natalie asked once we were out of harm’s way. “We can’t go back to Dimension One without the Wayfarer. If we do that, the chances of this dimension’s survival drops down immensely.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I promised. “Tracey’s just a tough nut to crack, but I’m sure we can get her to come around. I don’t know how, and I’m not sure how long it’ll take… but I’ll figure something out.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t agree the second I told her you needed to impregnate her,” Natalie mused. “You are both attractive humans in your late twenties. In my world, any two people would jump at that opportunity.”
“This world works a little differently than yours, remember?” I chuckled. “Here, we have plenty of options in choosing a mate. In fact, we even do this little ritual called ‘dating,’ where we try to figure out if we like each other or not before we make love or choose to partner up for life.”
“That sounds dreadful,” the Scavenger gagged. “And overly complicated. It’s like… You’re an attractive male, and she’s an attractive female. Babies are needed for the human race to survive. What more is there to it?”
“A lot, my dear.” I shook my head and clicked my tongue. “There’s actually a lot more to it. Trust me, I kinda like how it went down in your dimension a lot better. If not for those rules, we wouldn’t have ended up together.”
“That would have been a fate worse than Doomsday,” Natalie purred, and then she suddenly jumped to attention like a lightbulb had gone off in her head. “Wait… Is that why you and Karla have not had a baby yet? You’re both still trying to figure out if you are, what do you say… compatible?”
My face turned as red as a beet at the suggestion.
“There’s nothing there between Karla and me,” I promised the Scavenger. “Trust me on this one.”
“Mhmm,” Natalie snickered. “We’ll see about that one.”
“I’m serious!” I protested. “My heart and mind are only on you for now, Natalie.”
“But they should be on Tracey, too.” The Scavenger winked. “We just need to do a little persuading to get her to come around.”
“That’s an understatement,” I sighed. “But I guess for now, we play it by ear. That fire escape is going to be our ticket into Deltacorp once the sun goes down and all the employees go home.”
“Ohhhhh.” Natalie shuddered with glee. “You know I love stealthy night missions!”
“I remember,” I chuckled as I raised my hand to hail a taxi.
We still had a lot of challenges ahead of us, but for now we needed to focus on the task at hand.
Sneaking into Deltacorp and stealing its prized possession.
Chapter 8
After leaving the Deltacorp headquarters, Natalie and I went off to buy some new clothes for the mission at hand. We stopped by a small boutique store somewhere near our hotel, where we then searched for clothes that looked casual, but also helped our silhouettes to blend in with the night.
Most importantly, we went with items that didn’t make us look like middle-aged tourists.
Finally, I found a black turtleneck sweater with dark gray combat pants and a pair of boots. Meanwhile, Natalie snagged a skintight leather jumpsuit that showed off all of her curves and then some.
The clothes had cost us a pretty penny, but we were still well within our budget. In fact, after everything we’d been through, we still had about one-thousand dollars left over, and I was more than sure that would be enough to get us through the rest of the mission.
Once we had the new duds in our possession, we headed back to The Lofts, rested up for a bit, and then headed out into the city once darkness fell over the landscape.
“Tell me honestly, Natalie…” I mused as we approached the city center of Utopolis in our cab. “Do I look as ridiculous as I feel?”
“For the last time,” the blonde Scavenger groaned and rolled her eyes, “no. I actually think you look sexy in a turtleneck.”
We were dressed to kill, though we were hoping we could get out of this without having to.
Our Sig Sauers were holstered inside of our waistbands, and we had our two extra magazines tucked away inside of our pockets.
“Let’s go over this one more time,” Natalie whispered as we rode in the back of the taxi. “We get to Deltacorp, sneak up to the fiftieth floor via the fire escape, and then use the elevator to go up to the Computer Engineering area?”
“Right.” I nodded. “And then once we get up there, we knock out one of the scientists, steal his key card, and get into the room with the AI.”
“All without alerting the guards or killing anybody?” the Scavenger reaffirmed.
“If all goes as planned, yes,” I replied.
I said this with such confidence, but it was going to be a lot harder than it sounded. We were going to have to climb up fifty stories of ladder, with nothing in between us and the ground whatsoever.
And, even if we accomplished that, we would then have to find an employee with a keycard at this hour, steal it, and sneak up to the room with Dr. Merrick’s AI inside.
All without tripping an alarm or alerting security.
Yeah… This was going to be tricky.
We had our driver let us off about two blocks away from the Deltacorp building, and then we walked from there. As we came up to the parking lot of the structure, we could clearly see security had been beefed up.
There were four guards positioned at the main doors, just like there had been earlier today. However, now there were men in dark blue uniforms patrolling all around the parking lot, as well as on the perimeters of the building.
“Well, fuck,” Natalie growled. “We need to get over to the north side of the structure.”
“And then we’ll need to climb up fifty stories,” I sighed. “All without being noticed by these guards. How on Earth are we going to do that?”
“I mean, the simple way would be to take out as many guards as we can.” The Scavenger shrugged. “But that would sound the alarms reaaaall quick.”
“Let’s see what we’re working with, first.”
