Crook Q Part 38

Smyrna went to the door into the apartment. He found it open and Dr. Nic sitting on the floor working on the door mainframe.

"What's going on, Nic?"

Nic turned one more screw and re-affixed the plate that hid the control panel. "You'll find out. Just go make things look normal out there."

Smyrna turned to leave, then whipped around again, "And Nic, Ephesus found how to unlock all the doors, at least temporarily. He can trip off the buildings emergency settings. That could buy us a few moments of confusion."

"We'll do it as we go out the doors here." Smyrna began walking away. Nic whispered loudly,
"And tell your son not to try to come through this door from the outside, or you either."

Smyrna looked at the doctor awkwardly, then shrugged and left.

The Smyrna father and son waited around, feigning to be working on Red Rain some more. Then the intercom came on, "The representative will be up in a moment, floor nine."

Ephesus flipped his switch to speak, "Thank you, miss. Tell him to expect a breakthrough when he arrives." He chuckled to himself after he switched off the intercom.

Dr. Smyrna was not comfortable working in the lobby of their lab, afraid that the deceit might show on his face when the representative arrived. "I am going back to the explosives room. Why don't you join me? We can make lots of noise and appear to be busy."

Ephesus reluctantly left his computer, turning off the screen so that the floor plans would not be in plain sight. They both retreated to the back room.

They did not, however, make lots of noise. They were to tense to even pretend to work.

The door to their lab opened with the standard chirp. With the door slightly ajar they heard the representative mumble, "Guess those Christians must have taught him humility."''

The in-lab intercom came on. It was Nic's voice, "Not at all, Mr. Representative sir of the High and Mighty Realm of the United, may it last ten thousand years. I have the model I was bidden to show thee in my personal office."

The representative sniffed. "An odd place for scientific pursuit."

"The best breakthroughs are often made in bedrooms, Mister Illustrious."

The representative's stiff shoes clunked across the smooth floor. "And where are your two Christians, Nic?"

"Killed them. Needed test subjects for the weapon. If you are required to present their bodies or something I could probably bottle up their remains. Do you think I have assimilated well?"

The seal on Nic's door was opened, and out floated his voice, bearing a ring of triumph the Smyrnas had never noticed in it before. "The scientist welcomes you to the indestructible carrot project."

Nic sat in an office chair, looking out the window, his face away from the door. The representative stood in the doorway, glowering. He did not like this new version of his prisoner. "I hope you have a better number than three."

Nic did not turn, but rather said smoothly, "I have a series of numbers better than three. Three. Two." The representative drew his gun and aimed at Nic as he turned his face towards him. "One."

Instantly the doors smashed shut on the representative. Blue streaks of voltage belted across the doorway, twitching the politician's body uncontrollably. He couldn't even scream.

Nic got out of his chair and stepped closer. The dead body of the the United leader remained animated involuntarily by the electricity jumping through his body. Nic began to chuckle.

A chaotic and hideous laugh echoed through the lab, shaking small appliances and glasses of water. Even the floor reverberated with Nic's maniacal enjoyment. Father and son ran out of their position in the back room and watched as Nic, still cackling, pressed his hand against the door sensor and ended the stream of volts. The doors re-opened. His recording played again.

Before it was done he had stopped laughing, and said calmly through his mustache. "I've been waiting decades to laugh like that."

Next post is from Philli: Part 22