Death Drive

Chapter 29

After the harrowing death gauntlet that getting away from the factory had proved to be, the journey to the Ampere headquarters was comparatively uneventful, the few vehicles that came barreling at them easily outran. That gave Thomas time to wind down from the trial by fire he had passed by the skin of his teeth, yet he still found himself unusually hyperreactive and twitchy. But even in the most desperate situations, facing overwhelming numbers of opponents in the dark and forsaken city, his emotional state had been one of uninterrupted flow not hindered by fear or desperation.

But now he would have to face his enemy on their home turf where his skills would not be much help. Once they got in it would be up to the kid in the back seat to handle the rest. He considered the youth via the rearview mirror. Could he be counted on if the going got rough? He was pale and wiry, but the mirroring lenses only showed reflections of the passing street lights, making it difficult to read his expression. At least he wasn't trembling and jumping at the slightest surprise anymore.

They found the large gate surrounding the Ampere lot wide open with no human or vehicular guards posted in sight, although little cameras could be seen everywhere. He scanned in every direction carefully before continuing, half expecting the gate to close with an ominous screech to lock them inside, but nothing of the sort happened. He parked in front of the entrance to the skyscraper and got out. The glass doors permitted him to check the lobby before entering. It seemed abandoned.

"Keep an eye out," he told Lucas in a low voice, pulling out his gun. "Last time we tried something like this it didn't go so good."

"I've got a feeling this time will be different," the kid answered. "But sure."

They entered the lobby and he took cover behind an info screen. There were cigarette butts and crumpled carton cups at the foot of the screen, indicating someone had been stationed at the very spot. None of the trash was still warm so he guessed the person had been gone for some time.

"You're not supposed to be in here."

He jumped, spinning around with his weapon drawn but did not see whoever had spoken.

"It would be best if you took your own life or wait outside until so your unwanted qualities can be negated from the equation by one of the Amperetm Autonomous Automobilestm."

Only then did he realize it was the info screen talking to him.

"Won't be that easy to subtract me. Where's Routh?"

"It is better you don't have that information."

"His headquarters are at the top of the building," Lucas interjected. "We'll probably find him there."

"What if we don't?"

"We'll just have to try to crack the system without him. But this is the center of his power, so I'd be here if I were him."

"Every moment you live takes up oxygen that would be better used someplace else," the synthetic guide informed neutrally.

"I guess you're right," Thomas said, before ramming his shoulder into the display with his full weight behind it, toppling the touch screen to the ground where it went dark and mute. "I really am more trouble than I am worth."

They tried to take the elevator to the top floor but the bold red text on a monitor informed them a security lockdown prevented them from doing that. The same went for the lower level where Lucas told him the mainframe was located. The doors to the stairwell were locked and considerably sturdier than most other doors in the building and he didn't have the time to go looking for a sledgehammer. After a moment's exchange they headed for the security department, concluding that was their best bet at overriding the lockdown. The closest they could get was one floor above Security as that was the lowest level not sequestered off. Stating that made Lucas snort.