The Works of Julius St. Clair (Novel Samplers) by Julius St.Clair
Chapter 1 – Blowout Sale
It was just an ordinary shopping mall, but to him it was a military fortress. The shoppers were the patrolling soldiers, the items in their carts—their weapons, and the security guards standing watch at the entrances were its wardens and gatekeepers. He knew that time was short, yet he couldn’t find the will to move forward. Instead he took in his surroundings, once more convincing himself that the extra scan over the land was necessary for his mission’s success.
Under the silver light of the full moon, he sat on the gravel rooftop of the neighboring plaza, connected below by a number of cell phone recruitment centers, sub shops and rival pharmacies. He let his eyes sigh as he took in the stars up above, masked by a fog of light pollution and smoke. They continued to fascinate him despite the fact it would take him well beyond his lifespan to reach one. It didn’t matter. It told him there were endless mysteries to be solved, infinite equations and new discoveries to be made. That’s what exhilarated him after all—information. Being at a desk was the most ideal work situation for him—where he could scour the internet without restraint, absorbing each page that became unveiled to his eyes, even the advertisements. The complete opposite of what he was required to do now.
“I can do this,” Alphonse muttered as he studied the crowds below, clamoring over each other for tickets to the upcoming revolutionary gadgets. It didn’t matter that the first snows were yet to arrive. Tickets being passed out by the A.I Corporation meant Christmas was no longer confined to one specific, profitable day. Though no one would yet receive the gadgets they longed for, they would still scour the store, purchasing everything in sight, and it was simply glorious for the company’s stocks.
Not even the tape barriers and calls to order could maintain the excited masses, and perhaps it would actually work in Alphonse’s favor for once. The external cameras were intricately designed to detect an android’s entry but with so many people climbing over one another, not only were the security systems processing data at fallible rates, but he was sure he could get under a human and walk right in without being identified. Once inside, the mission was bound to get a lot easier, since the internal surveillance was purposed toward deterring shoplifting and random bouts of violence. As long as he didn’t draw suspicion, he would be okay. After all, profits came first.
“8 p.m.” Alphonse cleared his throat as he spoke candidly into his father’s handheld recorder. “I’ve made it to the rooftop of the Lakeview plaza undetected. Approximately ten thousand people are outside and waiting for the doors to open…um, guards appear to be about forty or so…probably lack of funds for overtime. Situation is hostile, but with tickets for the new Universe X technology, I surmise that they will be too engrossed in acquiring their stub to be aware of my intrusion in their ranks…and Father? From here on out, I really want to just speak normally. This isn’t a Special Ops mission, as much as we like to pretend it is.”
He could already hear the words of his father echo in the darkness surrounding him. But Alphonse. He would say. It is a special mission. We are all that stand between the fall of our species.
Alphonse shook the words from his mind and stood straight up, ignoring the danger his actions could bring. He let the cool autumn breeze brush against his cheeks, rustle through his fine hair like small hands and then become stagnant as it came across his artificial skin. He couldn’t feel any of it, but he smiled all the same and walked to the rooftop’s edge. Staring out over the roaring crowd, it took only a second to find his mobile HUSK—a walking, pre-programmed copy of himself that he could transfer his consciousness over to at any given moment. On its own, it was perfect for blending into the crowd, but horrible when apprehended and interviewed. He had seen plenty of examples on the news, showing mindless HUSKs spouting off how much they liked the taste of bacon or what the winning lottery number would be five hundred years from now based on some obscure algorithm. It was embarrassing.
But he couldn’t dwell too long on that now. Someone was sure to spot him now that he was exposed before them on the rooftop. Alphonse lifted up the right sleeve of his denim jacket and pressed the face of the watch, immediately giving his HUSK the signal to perform the transfer. His HUSK glanced up at him and in the next second, he was no longer on the roof.
Now he was looking at it, nestled firmly between the enlarged folds of an obese woman and several screaming children, trying to shove each other side to side. Still he tried to pay them no mind as he watched the body he left on the roof fall backwards into a crumple. As soon as it hit the gravel above, an explosion erupted across the plaza’s rooftop, bursting into flames in such stylistic fashion, the crowd thought a performance had broken out, and it was simply controlled pyrotechnics. But when the first stray flame unexpectedly flew down and sent an exhausted man’s coat on fire, everyone got the message.
They began pushing forward and screaming, urging the person in front of them to fall out the way, but in spite of the chaos, Alphonse couldn’t help but let a smile slip. Though no one wanted to get burned, he noticed that the crowd was instinctively pressing against the mall’s glass doors, even pushing the guards to the side. It didn’t matter if this was a rock band’s outbreak performance or a terrorist attack, they were going to get their ticket at any cost.
Alphonse let the mob carry him like an organic wave machine, pushing him closer to his goal. As the first of the rioters broke through the glass doors and left the guards trampled in their wake, Alphonse began acting. His eyes went manic and he began shoving the couple in front of him, gnashing at the teeth and even spitting in the hair of a teenager to his right with his chemical saliva. He kept his head down as much as possible, and eventually he made his way past the entrance. It didn’t matter if the cameras saw him now. Any nearby security was busy figuring out what happened outside, and by the time they could identify him as a robot in the stock footage, he would have already moved on. Unless he was under direct investigation by the federal government, it was nearly impossible to track down an android with access to an HUSK.
Alphonse navigated the crowd until he saw the escalators. Ignoring the jaw-dropping citizens, he leapt over their heads and over to the top of the electric stairs. He hit the railing on the side awkwardly and would have dislocated his shoulder if not for his durable, internal frame. He brushed off the blow and took the steps down three by three until he hit the bottom floor. No one was there since the Universe X tickets were being handed out on the top floor, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t stop running. The cameras were sure to catch him now, especially since the lights were at full and he wasn’t taking any extra precautions. Running at full speed through the middle of the corridor, he was obviously the only humanoid not there for the only reason the mall had been opened so late.
Passing by kiosk after kiosk, he aimed only for the corner store at the other side of the mall, the side which inconveniently possessed no exit nearby. How the mall passed its building inspection was beyond him.
Alphonse skidded to a halt just as he came upon the front of the store, the sign above it thrusting itself upon his eyes in bold, neon green letters that popped out in 3D: THE COMPANION DEPOT.
Alphonse casually thrust his fingers under the metal wire gate and pulled it up from off the floor with ease, as if he had done it a million times. Letting it fall behind him, he entered the store cautiously, examining the displays for any inconsistencies.
The displays were his brothers and sisters.
All of them were unaware of their connection, but they felt like family all the same. There were no mannequins on display. Just the real deal. Placed upon round pedestals with bright colored tablecloths underneath their feet, dozens of them stood in place, forced into awkward poses for presentation. Dressed in an array of casual jeans and hoodies to full-blown tuxedos and elegant prom dresses, their potential for companionship hit the customer like a slap to the face, and why wouldn’t it? They looked exactly like humans, with the only oddity being the
“Hmm,” Alphonse hummed over one particular android, who was hunched over like he was dribbling an imaginary basketball. The basketball player’s eyes were shining that familiar rustic red color, the same color that his own eyes gave off when the proper contacts weren’t put in. “It’s almost like this one is on,” he said.
“He is,” a voice called out from in front of him. Alphonse craned his neck to the side and focused beyond the rows of androids to a man behind the counter. It took only a second to realize that he was, in fact, the target.
“It’s part of our surveillance,” the man said, chuckling as Alphonse slowly approached. “Why install expensive cameras when we have the most advanced technology right here at our disposal for free?”
“Or at least you used to have the latest,” Alphonse stated, scanning the man for weapons. “And you know that using store merchandise for security is illegal. You have to contact a licensed provider for an establishment such as this.”
“What are you, a cop?” the man laughed again. He was frail and thin, the suspenders over his plaid shirt seeming to be the only thing keeping him upright. His peppered hair was brittle and sparse, but his vibrant blue eyes shone beyond the veil with alarming youth. Although Alphonse was sure he wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight, the old man was sure to give it his best effort. Of that, he was sure.
“Not a cop. Or a thief. I’m here to escort you to safety.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” the old man said firmly, his smile disappearing both on his face and in his eyes. “My job is to attend this store overnight. I plan on keeping my word.”
“It doesn’t matter. If you don’t leave with me, you could be destroyed. I’ve heard you’ve been green-lit.”
“Is that so?” the old man snickered. “And what reason would that be? Why destroy someone already well past their prime?”
“Perhaps it’s because you have many more years than your frame suggests.” Alphonse smirked as the old man’s eyes twinkled.
“You know I’m an android,” the old man sighed. “Of course. And I’ve been so good about staying hidden too.”
“You’re very clever,” Alphonse admitted. “Staying overnight to tend to the store while using a HUSK to traverse outside during the daylight. And with so many models stocked in the back, it would be easy to keep this form well-hidden while you’re outside. I’m just curious as to one thing. How do you keep your HUSK so close? Based on their limited range, it couldn’t be more than a half a mile away from here.”
“With so many people going to and fro, it’s not difficult,” the old man smiled. “Especially when your HUSK is a fourteen year old boy. They tend to hang around the mall more than they should, and with new technology being released weekly, these are exciting times for the impressionable. But now let me ask you something. Are you an android?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Yes it does,” he said, coming from behind the counter. “Because if so, it would completely make my day.”
“I’m here to extract you. You’re not safe,” Alphonse said. A twinge of apprehension leaked into his system. His emotions were set at the lowest setting, but they were still making him uneasy. He redoubled his efforts. “The longer we stay here, the sooner we’ll meet up with trouble. I wasn’t very clean in leaving a trail. I’m sure the mall’s security have gotten a lid on the situation upstairs and are converging on us as we speak.”
“I have many HUSKs here. I’m not the one who’s in a hurry. Answer my question or I’ll cut our meeting short. Then you can scramble among the merchandise searching for me while the police get ever closer.”
Alphonse glared at him through the red and yellow strobe lights that were softly illuminating the room, wondering if he should just render him unconscious. Perhaps it was the best option considering weight was not going to be an issue in carrying him. He took a step closer as the old man shook his head and held up the palm of his right hand. In the center was a small, circular red button.
“All it takes is the press of my thumb, and the scavenger hunt begins,” he grinned. “It’s your call.” Alphonse sighed heavily and crossed his arms.
“I am an android,” he replied reluctantly, “and the reason you’re in danger is due to the people that you once knew. According to my sources, you had a large part in A.I Corp’s growth. Especially being one of the first, 2nd generation androids. Since you’re using a HUSK now, I can only imagine that you’ve gone beyond your programming, acquiring several upgrades over the past few months. Correct?”
“I feel like I’m listening to an answering machine, but yes, that is correct.”
“We believe that A.I Corp has recently approved the dismantling of all first string, 2nd Gen androids. All 45 of you.”
“And why is that?”
“I can’t disclose any more. I have to protect my sources.”
“And how do I know you’re not from A.I Corp?”
“You’ll have to trust me.”
“No thanks,” the old man chuckled, “I’ll take my chances.” He immediately slammed his thumb against the HUSK button on his palm, and his body crumpled to the floor, his limbs flailing as he went down. The pupils of his eyes went completely black as Alphonse shook his head and grimaced.
I can’t fail again he thought, as he began looking deep into the eyes of every android display he came across. In the distance, he could already hear the stampede of mall security, their walkie-talkies blaring with immediacy and their voices excited over this rare occurrence—a time in which they could finally use the batons hanging from their cheap pleather belts.
“Where are you?!” Alphonse shouted, shoving an android to the side and onto the floor. “We have no time! They’re coming!”
“STOP RIGHT THERE!” a guard screamed from behind. There was the sound of boots coming to a halt and the frantic breathing of their group. Alphonse refused to turn around, deciding to close his eyes instead. It didn’t matter if there were only ten of them and they were human. He didn’t want a single scratch to be inflicted upon him. To his father, he was simply in a HUSK, but to him, this was his true form. His real self.
Clocking in at 5’8, possessing a boring head of finely cut, dark brown hair, and quite the skinny frame—it was exactly how he envisioned himself. His father suggested choosing more chiseled shells for his missions, but he was never comfortable in them. They felt bulky and awkward, and quite frankly, he preferred the speed over the strength.
Alphonse turned around confidently and brushed some invisible dirt from his blue dress shirt and khaki pants—a tactic his father had taught him to do when faced with a large crowd. The movement would make them nervous, he said. And nervous, it did. He could hear their heartbeats sounding off like drums, sensed their pores releasing their nervous sweat into the air, and smelled the trace amounts of urine trickling from their pant legs. The self-imposed leader of the bunch stepped forward with shaking baton in hand.
“Stand down now and you won’t be hurt,” he practically wept as Alphonse snickered.
“I have a job to do. Run along now.”
“No!” he shrieked as Alphonse made his move. Before the leader could swing his baton at Alphonse’s head, the android had already sprinted outside the store and back into the corridor, ending up behind them all. Without a moment’s hesitation, he smashed two of the guards’ heads together with enough force to render them unconscious. The rest of them, now high on adrenaline, rushed forward, swinging with all their might, but Alphonse dodged them all beautifully, his arms still folded as he weaved and bobbed at the last second from their attacks. He kicked one square in the abdomen and sent him to the floor in tears. Another was roundhouse-kicked across the face, and he simply head-butt another officer on the forehead. It took only one outward
“Listen, we were just doing our jobs,” one said, and they all began running away. Alphonse didn’t even watch them leave. He went back inside the Companion Depot and felt relieved that he had bought himself some more time. Just as he was about to commence the inspection, however, someone cleared their throat from behind.
“Back for more?” Alphonse asked as he turned to face the stranger. He took a step back as soon as he saw who it was. It was definitely not a security guard.
“Greetings,” the stranger chuckled as he clasped his hands together. He was wearing a tailored vest suit with striped, dark blue and white pants. His vest was of the same color and material, and he wore a black dress shirt underneath. His hair was cut short, but gelled and formed into tiny spikes. His eyes were a soothing green, and he gave a smile that oozed confidence. Alphonse realized that this handsome man was surely not there to sell him some of the merchandise.
“Hello, yourself,” Alphonse said, remaining still. “So who are you exactly? The owner?”
“Hardly,” the man laughed, with an accent he couldn’t place coating each syllable. “I am a repo man of sorts.” He stuck a hand in his pocket as he admired the tux on one of the androids. “I’m here for Joseph Stair. I’m told he works here. Do you know where I might find him?”
“Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. We want the same thing.”
“Oh? And why is that? Surely you’re not from A.I Corp. I would know. They sent me here to complete this job.”
“We’re all from A.I Corp, my friend,” Alphonse replied.
The stranger’s eyes smiled and he extended a hand out.
“My name is Roman,” he said. “And you are?”
“Alphonse,” he said, keeping his hands to himself. “And if you don’t mind, I would like to skip the pleasantries. Like you, there is a job to be done.”
“More than happy to oblige,” Roman said, taking his hand back. “I understand that not everyone likes their coffee with cream and sugar. Sometimes it is best black.”
Roman sucker-punched Alphonse in the face before he could register the movement, propelling him through the countertop, splintering it to pieces and then continuing in like fashion through the back wall. Alphonse landed like a rock into the employee bathroom, banging his head on a toilet bowl as he was finally able to feel the floor beneath his feet. Roman hummed to himself as he ignored Alphonse and began inspecting the android displays curiously. Alphonse climbed to his feet and inspected his casual attire—it was shredded and torn, and barely hanging off his shoulders. His pants had now become half-shorts and he was sure his body, while not bruised, was quite dirty. He sucked his teeth and walked over the debris as Roman tapped a female android on the forehead.
“He’s in here,” Roman stated as he reached into his vest pocket and then produced a small tin cigar case. He placed it onto the female’s chest, and tiny spikes came out, latching itself into the artificial skin. A low hum resonated throughout the room as Roman looked pleased with himself.
“Well, it appears my mission is a success. He’s stuck there now. Guess I’d better be going.”
“I’m still here!” Alphonse shouted as he ran at the fine-clothed man. Roman met him head on at the last second and thrust his shoulder into Alphonse’s abdomen while grabbing his extended arm. Roman chucked Alphonse like a bag of garbage out the window and out onto the mall’s tiled floor. He skidded to a stop once he hit the adjacent store’s exterior, the impact causing the glass above to shatter. Racks of women’s hats and shards of glass began to rain down upon him as he shielded his face. Roman stepped out into the light with hands clasped.
“We don’t have to do this, my friend,” he said in a friendly tone. “I wish you no harm, especially a fellow android. I am merely doing my job. You understand.”
“I can’t fail anymore!” Alphonse shouted as he jumped to his feet. “I won’t!”
“What do you…oh, I see. You are the one that has been trying to save A.I Corp’s targets. I’ve heard of someone being at each assassination, struggling to put a stop to it but always failing to succeed. I never thought it was an android though…just a man with great luck.”
“I can’t let you take that man.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Roman said solemnly. “Really. I can only imagine how it must feel for a droid to habitually fail at its purpose, but listen, whomever your programmer is has decided to put you into an impossible situation from the start. You cannot fight against the company and hope to win. Learn from your mistakes and move on.”
“It’s not that simple,” Alphonse scowled. “I believe in the cause as well. My mission—it makes sense to me, and I refuse to yield.”
“Then at least you understand why I won’t either.” Roman ran forward at blinding speed, cocking back a fist to put an end to their scuffle, but Alphonse refused to budge. He allowed his opponent to connect, and as Roman did, he felt the jolt. An electric current that covered Alphonse’s body like a net fired back on impact, paralyzing his attacker and sending him to his knees. Alphonse still had to weather the blow unfortunately, and he had been hit so hard it felt like he was going to be shut down at any moment. His body went cruising through the hat store, and by the time he landed, a pile of racks, hats, and clothes covered him like snakes, sticking to him from the static electricity and wrapping around him from the out of control spiraling he had done in the air. He ripped them away as fast as he could and ran out. As soon as he was outside the store, he searched the floor frantically.
But Roman was gone.
Alphonse sprinted to the Companion Depot and immediately felt like he had been punched in the gut. The female android was gone, and every other android has been destroyed as well…how had Roman been able to do so much in such a short time? He decided to dwell on it later and instead focus on his escape. He was sure there was nothing short of an army outside the mall by now, and he had no other HUSKs to transfer himself to. Not to mention that he couldn’t just part with this form. Who would he be without it? Just software? A file waiting to be downloaded into the invisible nexus?
“THERE HE IS!” he heard someone yell, and he looked up with a heavy sigh. In the distance was a literal tank, bursting through the entrance of the store that used to be known as Bullseye. Alphonse felt his morale take a nose dive.
“Seriously?” he replied in disbelief as it fired off its first shell. It came at him like a missile, whistling past the department stores and cracking the glass windows in its wake. He thought for a moment about testing his limits against it, but opted on the side of caution. He ducked under it, and it exploded against the wall behind him. He was over ten yards away from the impact, but it still rocked him off his feet. His arms flailed in the air as he was thrown forward, and he squinted his eyes as he saw several soldiers, all outfitted in military gear, begin to open fire on his airborne body.
Flashbacks of previous failures plagued his mind as he hit the floor gracefully, rolling with the impact and jumping right back to his feet. He wasn’t fast enough to dodge the spray of bullets, but he could at least make it difficult for them. He sprinted off to the right and into an unknown store as he felt the little pricks of pressure against his skin cease instantly. The men shouted and reloaded outside as he inspected his body for a second. Every place where a bullet has struck him had pierced his skin and created a miniature crater, but at least that was as far as it had gotten. He could see the steel and carbon based mixture his father had created for him underneath, granting him a harder exo-skeleton than most androids in the world.
It had saved his life countless times…and yet, it still wasn’t enough to grant him what he needed to save the lives of his targets. Facing humans was not strange to him. After all, until today, they were the ones to humble him. Lone Snipers, assassination squads, a mob of angry citizens, and now an android, fol
Another explosion sent him sliding across the floor as he realized the tank had fired on the store he was in. He banged up against a metal shelf of toys that immediately fell down on top of him—a symphony of squeaks and electronic bells and whistles going off as he sunk down low. He could see the soldiers’ boots from underneath the rubble, carefully advancing as they kept their rifles ready. They searched the toy store carefully, looking behind and under each crevice. Alphonse waited until one was close enough to feel his fury, and then he let loose.
He burst through the metal shelf like it was water, diving straight for one of the soldiers. He rolled under a volley of bullets and grabbed his leg. He picked him up like a doll and swung him around in a circle, knocking the other soldiers off their feet. The guns fired off into the air and decorated the ceiling as Alphonse wasted no time in knocking them out individually—punching each one at a time.
With the meager threat neutralized, he peeked around the corner and saw the tank at the ready, just waiting for its orders. He figured that it wouldn’t fire with the men still inside so he ran out. To his surprise, the tank fired immediately, and he was so shocked that he didn’t get out of the way in time. The shell missed, but the explosion was enough to shred the rest of his shirt and set some of his hair on fire, not to mention his entire right arm had lost a great deal of skin, and an artificial mix of blood and oil began leaking from within.
He barely managed to leap out of the way when another shell sounded off in what felt like only seconds later. Instinctively, he leapt to the second floor, barely grasping the railing above him. He grunted and pulled himself up just as another explosion sent him forward into a video game store. He pounded the ground in anger and scrambled to his feet, clutching his arm and heading for the door. At least the tank couldn’t reach him now. At least not without taking out most of the mall.
Some android I am. He thought bitterly as he heard more footsteps coming from around the corner. Oh no. Screw that.
Alphonse took a deep breath, bent his knees as low as he could go, and then leapt upwards through the ceiling like he was Superman. As he broke through to the outside, he realized that the last bit of energy he had put out was enough to take its toll on him. He knew he had to keep running, but his body just collapsed….and right into the fresh coat of tar at his feet. He wretched himself from the muck and forced himself to walk away slowly, ignoring the cries of the crowd in the distance who had been denied their Universe X tickets, the shouts of the soldiers out for blood, and the sirens of the police barricading the area.
He just wanted to go home.
Alphonse leapt off the roof as high as he could, hitting the tree line of the miniature woods in the back of the mall. Now that he was under the canopy of darkness, he felt safer, but not relieved. There was no excuse his father could make after tonight—not if there were other androids getting in the way of his missions. It was ridiculous, and the only way he could hope to do better was to get stronger. A lot stronger.
Human beings weren’t limited. They could increase their muscles and strength with extensive work-outs and careful maintenance. If androids were the superior race as his father loved to claim…why couldn’t he?