Chapter Twenty—Test Tube Killer

John went into a sumptuous drawing room one he was certain Mr. Styne used to entertain colleagues and bosses.

Adjoining the drawing room was a meeting area with a large table lacquered to a high sheen. Above it lights illuminated the space, but kept the chairs mostly darkened.

It’s like a super villain’s meeting room in here, he thought. At the other end of the room was an elevator.

That’s it.

Without looking around too much more, he went to the lift, and that’s when his wristlet buzzed silently. Looking at it, he the holo-display and got an image of an unconscious women with blood on her forehead, then a second image of a gloved hand holding a pile of jewels appeared in its place.

The sender was marked “Max.”

John texted him a message.

Maxx: Lift in conference room. Take right corridor.

Max: kk

Staxx: Two guards left side

He only had to wait about two minutes before Kyle’s light footsteps entered the conference room. “Nice find,” he said quietly.

“You too,” John said.

“So,” Kyle said. “Looks like this is it, man. He’s got to be down there. I found the misses upstairs, but no sign of our diabolical mage.”

“I guess the freak takes his work home.”

Kyle grinned. “Let’s do this.”

John pushed the elevator button. The lift came up silently and the doors opened. They stepped in and John hit the sub-basement level.

The lift opened to reveal a bright space with white tiles on the floors and walls. On the left was a bank of computers. On the right a coat rack, a metal lab table filled with microscopes and other lab equipment.

Straight ahead was a glass wall with a metal door.

Mr. Styne was hard at work looking at some DNA files on his computer. He pushed his chair back and swiveled around. “Oh, Nancy, I thought—“

Then his eyes went wide as saucers.

Kyle shook his head. “I’m not Nancy.” Then he turned to John. “Are you Nancy?”

“Hells no.”

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“That’s funny,” Kyle said, then pointed toward the ceiling with his pistol. “That’s exactly what Mrs. Georin.”

“Did you hurt her?”

“Nah.”

“If you did, I swear I’ll—“

“Do what?” Kyle interrupted. “Use me for your experiments like you do the poor people in the outer shanties?”

“What?”

“That’s a pretty dumb-looking face,” John said. “Don’t you think, Max?”

“I sure do, Staxx.”

Styne looked at them, his eyes glancing back and forth. “Wait, you two are those anarchist terrorists?”

“None other,” Max said. Then he hit his wristlet to record the conversation. “Tell us about your monster.”

Styne stood up, his mouth open.

“No, no,” Max said, waving his pistol back and forth as if he were telling Styne not to be naughty. “We want the truth.”

“If you’re speaking about that Landfill Lich nonsense in the fringe media, then you’re mistaken and you should leave right now.”

“Listen,” John said. “We caught one of your boys. Name of Bronson with tMCH. They tried to kill us.”

“And he spilled it guts.”

“He—he did what?”

“You know, he ‘talked’?”

“There’s nothing for him to talk about,” Styne said. “You need to leave now!” He pointed a finger at them.

“I’m glad you’re not a real mage,” Kyle said.

“We want to know the location of the experiment,” John said.

“And since you bring your work home—freak—we’re pretty sure you can show us right now.”

“I don’t have anything to—“

Kyle shot him in the leg. Syne buckled to the floor and screamed as he put his hand over the wound.

“What the hells, Max?!”

“If he won’t talk, we’re gonna have to shoot him up until he does.”

“Nonono! Please! I don’t know anything!”

Blood seeped between Styne’s fingers. The location of the wound revealed to John that Kyle had only grazed him.

I can play this game.

“Don’t do it!” John said, playing up the role. “We don’t’ need to kill him.” Then he turned to Styne. “You don’t understand. When he gets like this, we always end up killing people.”

“Do I need to shoot your other leg, Styne?!”

“No! I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING! I swear it!”

“All right, Staxx” Kyle said. “You finish up here. I’ll go take care of the missis upstairs.” Kyle moved toward the elevator.

“NO! DON’T! WAIT!”

Kyle turned around. “Yes?”

“It’s,” Styne said, and pointed. “The location of the creature.”

“Where is it?” John asked.

“The computer—agh!—in the inner lab!”

John moved toward the door, then glanced at Kyle. “Here we go.”

“Yeah.”

He pushed the button, but the door didn’t move. “It’s not opening.”

Something rattled behind them.

John turned, found Styne with something in his hand.

“What is that?!” Kyle barked and pointed his pistol.

“He’s—“ John started, but the magnetic lock clicked.

The door opened and something moved passed the glass wall toward the opening.

“Holy shit!” Kyle croaked.

Whatever the hells that thing was, it had to stand at seven feet, its shoulders knots of corded muscles and its skin a scabby mass of flesh.

It rushed forward and cried out like something out of a godsdamned VR horror game!

It hit John in the stomach and he went flying past Kyle.

“Oh shit!”