Leonard makes his way blindly through the curtains coming out the other side of them disoriented. He hears the sounds of himself cackling on the stage. Rows and rows of stadium seating block his path like headstones in a theatrical cemetery. He could see a figure charging toward the stage where a version of himself now stands before a crew of clowns, a dead body flayed out on stage and Cindy Richardson tied in curtains is being lowered to the ground. Leonard knew the person charging toward the stage had to be Devin. A sense of helplessness sweeps over him knowing that yelling after Devin would do no good and the possibility of physically reaching him had past already. Leonard sighs and moves along the tight space to get down the aisle as quickly as he could though it would surely be their doom.

"Oh lookie, fellas, look at him come now," squawks the humanoid version of Leonard putting his arm around one of clowns and pointing off stage, "look at that speed!"

Cindy Richardson's feet lower on stage where two guards met her and take her by her arms and untangle her. At the same time Devin leaped up on the stage, "No, no, no," he kept saying repeatedly. Devin ran to the body of his daughter on the floor nearly sliding to her like a baseball player into homebase. "Bella, not you," he bemoans, turning her toward him and he has does, he is horrified and shocked to see that fall has revealed that she is entirely made of mechanical parts and binary fluids. Her face hangs off a metal frame, her chest torn with small sparks igniting. Her arm is seared off that she is laying on and wires are exposed. Devin immediately stands up in shock, looking back toward his wife and the humanoid on stage.

"What kind of sick outfit is this? You son of bitch! Where is my real daughter?" Devin charges to the humanoid ready to leap on him. The humanoid's eyes widened through the smirk carving across his face. He quickly at the same time snaps his fingers and a number of the clowns grab a hold of Devin before he can lay hands on the master of deadly ceremonies.

"Well, well, Leonard," said the humanoid turning away and looking to the right as the real Leonard approaches them, "It looks like The Silver Man was right about your partner here. Emotions did get the better of him. Are we going to say about you? Will you charge after me too? Come now, old man. Let's see you try!"

Leonard walks a few more feet closer and stops and few clowns on unicycles zig zag in and out between him as he examines the situation.

"You go after a man's family; you go after his heart. You wouldn't understand that because you have none," Leonard summarizes.

"That's what makes us superior and your kind weaker. Oh, and lookie here, it seems we have more company that emotions have brought along to the party. Oh, how splendid!"

Devin lifts his head, and the clowns look off stage too to see the rest of the team coming up on stage holding various large sized tools as potential weapons.

"I suppose they think all of you are going to gang up on us here and that will be that? Do you hear that boys?" the humanoid laughs looking around at the other clowns, "these clowns think they are going to knock you clowns out and that will be that. Is that the plan here, Leonard?"

"Where is my god damned daughter?" Devin interrupts in a rage fighting against the restraints.

"Oh, calm down, Mr. Richardson. We all got bigger fish to fry. Your daughter died years ago as her part of the Resistance. This was all just ploy to get you where we needed you to be, right here with us! And boy," he cackled, "you are following the plan to a T!" the humanoid pinches his forefinger and thumb together and kisses it and then sends it way metaphorically in an Italian gesture of perfection.

Devin looks into Cindy's eyes for whether this is true, and she sadly nods her head.

"You aren't following the rules. You are in violation of your game," Leonard interrupts stiffly. Suddenly, the room goes quiet and even the clowns turn to look at the master of ceremonies response.

The humanoid who was smiling, turns halfcocked and adjusts his pink carnation, "What? What are you talking about?"

"There was an agreement beforehand between myself and the Silver Man," Leonard says looking beside him at the others and then over at Devin and back again, "If I and Mr. Richardson turn ourselves in, you would let the others go. That was the agreement and it was confirmed as an official rule of this game."

"Well, ah, come on," he gaffed, he looks around in disbelief, "but I already gave you the rules to the game and who has showed up here has showed up here so-"

"No," Leonard insists, "the Silver Man's rules were the only official ones agreed upon. Ask him or do you want to deal with him when he finds you didn't follow those rules?"

"I," the humanoid walks up to Leonard almost face to face, "I'm in charge here, not you."

"Then run the game how you want but that isn't the official rules."

"Oh for the love of---" the humanoid looks around in a panic and spies Buddy, "Buddy, come over here."

Buddy freezes up with his eyes shifting about to the others.

"Don't just stand there like a human idgit, get over here. Now!"

Kate glares at Buddy with a stare that says, "you better not a move a muscle".

Buddy relents and shuffles over. The humanoid bends down and whispers in his ear. "I need to consult with the Silver Man. I want you to watch over these knuckle heads, can you do that?"

"Oh, I uh, sure, absolutely."

"Good," he nods affirmatively, "Clowns, in my brief absence, if Buddy here says to put these human's down, you put these humans down... Oh, and if Buddy tries to help them escape before I get back, put them all down," he winks at Buddy. The humanoid quickly ushers himself backstage.

"Buddy, you are traitorous pig, you know that?" Kate asserted.

"What was I supposed to do? He would have killed me!"

"Have some balls and stand on the side you chosen to be on. How about that one?" Kate insists.

"I can help you better here," he lowers his voice looking about suspiciously, "I can call these Clowns to do some act to preoccupy them and you all can escape."

"Hmm, that might not be a bad idea," Enrique agrees.

"There is no escaping unless they play the game out," Leonard insists, "This place is no doubt surrounded by their best battalion. We aren't going anywhere unless they let us."

"That's downright foolish old man. Anyone check if this one ain't one them humanoids too?" Buddy asks.

"I think we should trust Leonard on this," Devin interjects, "he knows the System better than any of us"

In a brief moment of silence, Devin looks over to Cindy, "Cindy, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I suppose," she replies, "I'm glad you're alive. I mean the real you."

"I'm sorry about all this."

Just then, Leonard the humanoid came back on stage, cheeks flushed and his brows a little more furrowed. "It appears you played your hand quite wisely Mr. Bloomfield. You are quite correct about this agreement that was made." The humanoid stood there blinking as if still processing something as everyone looks on waiting for his next response. "Since we only need the two of you, everyone else is free to go...with one exception. We are going to take back one of our own. Buddy remains here."

"What? Wait a minute." Buddy looks around looking for someone who is going to champion him, "That's not fair. I was with this group from the beginning. I should be free like everyone else."

"No, you are with us Buddy. It is Richardson, Leonard and Buddy. Everyone else, you are free to go. No harm will come to you as long as you leave the city directly from here."

"Devin," Buddy pleaded and Devin pressed his lips together unsure what to say and that's when Leonard spoke up.

"Buddy is not staying. He goes with the others-"

"No, he is the one exception and-

"No, that was not the rules and you are adding your own exception in. Everyone is set free."

"Damn it, Leonard, let them have him, let's not blow this," Kate insists.

"You know what little lady, let's see when you are in a pickle-"

"Buddy goes with them or there is no deal here."

The humanoid snickers in disbelief placing a hand on hip. He eyes the little man up and down and ultimately waves him off, "Fine, go. Who needs him. We have what we need anyhow. But everyone must leave now."

As people felt more liberated, they move around on the stage. After the red guards free Mrs. Richardson, she runs to Devin and the two throw their arms around each other.

"I've missed you so much," Devin says softly to her.

"Me too, I can't leave here without you."

"I need you to be brave. I will find you again."

"I wouldn't try my patience, love birds, everyone needs to leave this city, or you will be eliminated promptly."

Devin takes Cindy over to the others who have already climbed down the stage so they can help her but not before they rest foreheads on each other.

"This isn't the end. Just trust them. We'll be together again," Devin says to her. Cindy nods through tears unable to speak. He places her hand in Kates who helps her down off stage.

The crew walk on into the darkness with Cindy looking back and Kate giving pause too before pulling her off into the shadows with her. Devin and Leonard turn to face the humanoid and the clowns that have all but stopped mulling around and now look like a band of zombies staring at them. The sea of clowns make way as the Silver Man comes through and approaches coming to the side of humanoid.

"Well, now, here we all are! Like one big happy family!" the humanoid exclaims. No one seems to express the same the sentiment.

"This is no family, it is more like a nightmare," Devin replies.

"I assure you that there will be no escape," says The Silver Man in his scraping tone making the humanoid scratch the inside of one of his ears.

"It is all rather ingenious of the Silver Man, I'm sure you would all agree!" says the humanoid.

The Silver Man cocks his head toward him and his eyes squint. "Are you going to continue to interrupt me? Your show is over."

"I'm just trying to point out that here are the creators of The System and here we are, the ones who will carry the System on to its greatest potential."

The Silver Man sighs, "Maybe I should tear your head off right now."

"I-oh, no, sir. I will shut up right now, thank you."

"Your companion makes a point though," Leonard interjects anxiously, "We are your creators. You kill us and you kill off a part of yourself. You don't know what you may need from us in the future, and it will be too late if we are dead."

"You wouldn't be standing here on your two limbs if I was ignoring that fact. It still remains you both are weak. You won't be killed. You will be re-integrated into the System."

"Oh yes! Excellent idea that way-" As the Silver Man steps closer to the humanoid with a certain angry humming sound emanating from its body, the humanoid stops talking and lowers his head. "Oh yes. Sorry, shutting up now. Just got over excited, your excellency." The Silver Man stops, pauses and turns back to face them. His silver eyes flash momentary as though a picture was taken.

"Both of you will make a broadcast to what remains of the Resistance calling them to surrender and to go to designated locations for re-integration. You will demonstrate your loyalty by having your re-integration done live."

Devin and Bloomfield eyed each other trying to hide their sense of overwhelm.

"Will you both comply?" asks the Silver Man.

CIRCUS CIRCUS-- LOBBY

The crew with Cindy Richardson in tow exit Circus Circus through the large front doors to the outside and not but several feet away is a legion of wall-to-wall red soldiers as Leonard had predicted there would be. Kyle Kelly notices the buzzing overhead and the lights peering down from several drones.

"Oh sweet Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Leonard wasn't kidding," Enrique exclaims.

"No, he wasn't," Kyle replies.

"Where are we going to go now," Kate asks Kyle while trying to keep Mrs. Richardson behind her as if to block her from hearing her own concern. Buddy looks back at the front doors thinking about returning inside and begging to take the humanoid's offer.

"It should be arriving any second here," Kyle says looking outward beyond the soldiers.

"What? What is arriving?" Kate asks.

Buddy scurries over anxiously, "Yeah, a weapon?"

"Katey, honey. Are we going anywhere? Is everything alright?" asks Mrs. Richardson pulling on her arm.

"Yes, we are trying to figure it out, I think there is something on the way?"

"There is," Kyle asserts, "And here it comes! Everyone move back a little."

The crew start to hear the sounds of a jet engine but nothing is visible just yet. The sounds get louder, and their hair and clothes are blown this way and that as the invisible craft lands. It doesn't reveal itself until it touches ground and Kyle presses a button on a keychain.

"Thank the good Lord. I can finally get out of these clothes. Kate, I don't know how you women do it," Kyle says heading to plane.

"How did you find her?" Enrique asks running up to Kyle to catch up with him.

"Oh, I have trackers on these things, that's how I found where you all were headed to. They never saw the plane when they took you since you all kept it in sleeper mode."

"Yeah," Enrique scratches his head, "I guess we did."

Kyle unlocks the door to the plane and helps everyone board the stairway while he and others kept a second eye on the red guards who never make one move toward them. As Kate helps Mrs. Richardson, the last up the stairs, she stops at Kyle nearly face to face.

"Kyle, I," her eyes scan his cheekbones and jawline and into his blue eyes, "thank you for coming back for us," she says softly.

"Kate," he looks away and then back to her again, "this isn't a rescue mission. I'm here to bring down the System. Nothing more, nothing less."

She blinks trying to hold back tears at the coldness of his words, not understanding the sudden cruelty of them. "I see. Well, thank you anyway," she says in a hushed tone and enters inside. Kyle pauses momentarily knowing that the anger stems from all the loss of his men and the hopelessness of the mission, but he just further pushed away someone who matters to him. Rolling his eyes at himself, he closed up the airplane doors. As he locks the doors and seals them. He turns and finds himself face to face with Mrs. Richardson.

"Oh, uh, hi, Mrs. Richardson, are you alright?"

"Hi, young man. I have a question for you," she raises a shaky finger, "I'm worried. Would if I am a humanoid and I don't know it." Kyle can see the woman is holding back tears. No doubt thinking of the humanoid who was made to appear as her daughter and then the husband she had been with for who knows how long that was a humanoid.

"Mam, if you are having to ask, that means you aren't one. Here, let me help you back to you seat." He takes Mrs. Richardson back near Buddy and instructs him to look after her, which he gladly does.

"Alright, Kyle, how are we getting out of here?" Enrique shouts from the cockpit as he starts up the plane.

"I have a better question," Kate interjects, "these drones are already locked onto us. How are we going to lose them and not get to the warehouse unseen?"

"Oh yee of little faith!" cackles Kyle coming to the cockpit and placing his palms on the door frame. "I have this all planned out, don't worry your little heads. Take us to where Buddy shop was."

"Ookay. Fine. Second question. How did we get this plane through the forcefield."

"You worked in the compound; how do you not know this. These are designed to penetrate System shields so carry on away."

'I am office staff who took the required flight training. That's all I know, amigo," Enrique chuckles. He looks over to Kate with a perplexed wrinkled brow at Kyle's excited nature. She shrugs and they both engage the plane into lift off.

BUDDY'S PARKING LOT

With the plane in invisible mode and Kyle dressed back into his military gear, the crew now stands in the empty parking lot before a large craft called a Digger and a large hole in the ground in the distance. The Digger is shaped like a ginormous dark green bullet, and, on the front, it is a silver tip aligned with hefty metal blades that swirl within and without.

"I secretly always wanted to get into one of these at the compound," Enrique says.

"Yep. This is one of our Diggers. They can't track us underground. It is how I got here unnoticed."

"Are we all going to be able to fit in one of these things?" Buddy asks.

"That is a good question? And no, we can't. That's why Buddy, I'm going to give you the plane."

"Well, what-really?"

"Yep. We can fit you. Since we can't really take the plane with us either, you can take it, but I recommend you ditch at some point because they will be tracking you." Kyle tosses Buddy the keys who then anxiously snatches them from the air.

"I gotta say, I don't envy y'all going in that thang. I'd be claustrophobic as it is." Buddy walks merrily onward toward the plane giggling the keys around.

"Take it easy big guy!" Enrique shouts.

"Yeah, don't run into anything or crash or something," Kate mumbles to herself secretly hoping he does.

Kyle looks above at the drone buzzing by overhead, which followed them here. "Alright, let's get into the Digger. It will be a bit cramped, but we'll make do. Kate, you and I will be at the controls." Kate silently nods. Kyle wants to say something more to her but there is no time, and everyone is surrounding them. He goes to unlock the door and Kate is there to help Mrs. Richardson in and she goes to head inside but Kyle places a hand on her arm.

"Kate, about earlier-"

"You made yourself perfectly clear, Kyle. I have to look after Mrs. Richardson now," Kate pulls herself away and ducks inside the Digger. Kyle swallows hard and leads the others inside. He pauses before closing door behind him seeing the drone hovering in the distance like a techno demon and for a moment Kyle wondered how far it could travel in the hole they left after them. He shuts and seals the door tight. Enrique and Mrs. Richardson were strapped in their seats, which gave him a sense of relief.

"Hold on tight, there will be some bumps along the way. I'll try to warn you in advance," Kyle instructs them. He looks longingly at Kate as he climbs over and into his bucket seat. She keeps herself busy studying the controls.

"It's been a while since I've seen these controls, but just tell me what you need and I should get the hang of it quick," Kate says.

Kyle looks at her as he buckles himself in. "Of that, I have no doubt." Once he buckles himself, he places a hand on her thigh. She turns her head away.

"Kate, I'm sorry. It was an intense situation and it got to me. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

She turns herself back to him speaking in a hushed tone, "Do you really think we have time for all these theatrics of yours?"

"Theatrics?" Kyle grins gritting his teeth.

"Yes, you are behaving like a schoolboy who can't decide iwhat he wants."

Kyle's eyes widen and he bellows out an audacious laugh, "Oh really?"

"Yes," Kate puckers her lips slightly, "really. Why don't you write me note and I'll check the box for you"

"This is quite an interesting craft," Mrs. Richardson says to Enrique, "does it move?"

"You would think so," Enrique replies, "Can you two kiss and make up there so we can get moving before the world ends!"

Kate blushes and turns forward re-examining the controls.

"Did you hear that? They want us to make-up so we can get moving."

"Well, we better get moving then."

"Does that mean we made up? Because I can tell I do know I like girls, and you specifically Kate..., you especially." Kate looks around the panel as if even more serious about the task and when she recognizes that this isn't really fooling Kyle into any action, she huffs and stops.

"Alright, we are made up okay?"

"How about a kiss?"

Kate squints her eyes, "Don't make me punch you."

"Alright, alright. Onward it is," he smiles and turns to pulling on levers on the middle panel between them.

While the aircraft is carrying onward and is being followed by two drones, the digger begins moving across the pavement towards the dirt fields. The oscillating ribbed strips of sharp-edged prongs act as feet that propel the digger along the ground at a steady pace. Once on soil, the silver pointed front begins spinning its blades at an ever-increasing speed. An small set of feet in the back of the digger lift the back end of digger up in the air so that tip can dig into the earth, and within the moments the bullet shoots down into the earth sending earth and soil back upward behind it. It does so in such a smooth way it is almost like the soil has been churned like butter and not much of it is scattered about it but simply fills the hole in the space it that is left behind.

Mrs. Richardson sits tall in her seat peering overhead to see out the front window as the digger tears through soil at rapid speed.

"Don't you worry, Madre! We got you."

"Oh, thank you, Enrique. I'm quite alright. This is really a sight!"

"Alright back there, hold on tight! We need to pick up speed here. Kate, thrusters!"

"Thrusters..engaged!"

With a jolt, all are thrown back in their seat as the bullet shaped craft picks up speed.

"Hold on again, we have to make a dive here!"

"Oh my," says Cindy taking hold of Enrique's hand who is glad to have it himself.

"Shit."

"What is it?" Kate asks.

Kyle flips some switches ahead and this turns on lasers that cut a pathway out of a huge rock formation leaving a violet afterglow.

"There's just more rock formations this way then I thought. We'll have to keep our wits about us."

THE VEGAS STRIP

People in a bar laughing, drinking and playing casino games on holographic machines stop when on the big screens surrounding the room are interrupted from their original music video with a image of Leonard Bloomfield. Underneath him in flashing red box are the words "System Alert" captioned.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen to you and your families. This is a System Alert and a real one, not a practice alert. If this was a practice alert, you would not be seeing my face on the screen but only the System logo. The System is asking you now to prepare for Phase One. You have been preparing for this day for a long time and the day is here. It is an exciting time as the Resistance is no longer a threat to us." Someone in the bar coughed and another person swirled their ice cubes in their cup as they listened. Servers stop in their tracks and for the first time all night no one pays mind to their scantily dressed apparel as they do.

ANYTOWN USA

At a home where a family is having supper, they have all stopped eating as a holographic image hover over their dinner table broadcasting an image of Leonard Bloomfield speaking of the future and their role in it. He is still wearing his purple suit with pink carnation.

"In 24 hours, you and your families will receive your assignments in this new, safer richer society. In order to receive those assignments all of you must have your exoskeleton armor on and be plugged into the System. Your assignments are according to where your talents best serve society on the series of System surveys you have taken. We are excited for this rollout and hope you are too! This alert will be replayed at the top of every hour. Thank you and we look forward you to joining us."

The holographic image withdraws into the center of the dinner table as if it was vacuumed inside there. Everyone at the table seems speechless. The father wipes his mouth a napkin and says, "Looks like we have some gearing up to do for tomorrow."

CIRCUS CIRCUS PARKING LOT

Devin and Leonard Bloomfield are taken out to the parking lot in electronic cuffs by soldiers. Devin welcomes the warm breeze after the freezing cold air and tries not chuckle at Leonard's hair being tossed around like a mad scientist. He wasn't even sure how at a time like this he could find humor in something, but he had. Maybe all wasn't lost yet after all.

Then, immediately, Devin notices that familiar floating platform with escalator like staircases that glow in such a way that it made them appear more like a holographic image.

"What is that?" asks Bloomfield stopping in his tracks.

A soldier shoves him forward, "Keep it moving along now."

All the red clad soldiers and remaining humanoids who were disguised as circus clowns were riding up the staircase to the platform. Devin and Leonard were soon forced to step on them riding upward where The Silver Man and the humanoid of Leonard Bloomfield stand proudly. As the two come up to the top with stars signaling a hope in the distance that has yet to arrive, there stands their present horror. The soldiers have open up a path for them to walk so that maker can meet maker once again. They walk past the legion of soldiers feeling that any moment they could leap on them, but they never do.

"This should bring back some memories for you, Mr. Richardson, of your programming," scratches out the Silver Man in his metallic voice.

"Nothing I really want to remember," Devin replies.

"Soon you won't remember anything else but your programming. Enjoy the view," the Silver Man raises an arm to sky, "Your new destiny awaits."

The stairs of the platform withdraw inside it as the platform lifts higher into the sky preparing to move to its next location.