The Face of a Rogue Read online

  Will hopped down from his vehicle and slammed the door. He pulled on the handle to check the lock. “Must be visiting hours,” he said, eyeing the parking lot.

  “Well, hopefully that lady is up and awake,” Adam said.

  The trio walked abreast up the wide walkway to the main entrance. Small groups of visitors huddled for warmth in random spots under a wide awning in front of the ten-story building. The friends strode through automatic sliding doors and stepped up to the receptionist’s station in the main lobby.

  Will made a quick assessment of the activity behind the counter. A doctor and a nurse were trying to reconcile information between a patient’s medication history and what the doctor had actually ordered. Another nurse was on the phone. Two other nurses, half-sitting on the back counter, were engaged in casual conversation. The lone receptionist—a short, stocky redhead—mindlessly shuffled paperwork from one side of her computer keyboard to the other.

  “Excuse me, ma’am,” Will said to the receptionist.

  She didn’t look up. A new priority struck her, and she jotted something down on a sticky note before getting up from her chair and waddling to the back of the station.

  Will eyed her activity, making his own evaluation of its importance. He raised a hand to catch her attention. “Excuse me, ma’am.”

  The woman glanced up at Will from the back counter. She pursed her lips and sighed.

  “We need some information on a patient,” Will said, his hand still in the air.

  “We’re very busy tonight,” she said. “Please be patient.”

  Will looked at his friends. “Adam, get ahold of Nico and find out what room our victim is in.”

  Adam clicked his shoulder mic and stepped away from the counter toward the visitors’ waiting area.

  “She’s being kinda disrespectful,” Joey said. “Doesn’t she recognize our security parkas?”

  “I thought about that.” Will reached inside his vest and pulled out his ID. He held it up toward the receptionist. “Ma’am?”

  “She’s flat out ignoring you, bro.” Joey glanced over his shoulder. “Here comes Adam.”

  Adam walked swiftly past his two friends. “Let’s go, guys. Room 504.”

  Will and Joey followed Adam around the side of the receptionist’s station. They hurried through a wide, highly polished corridor to a set of elevators.

  When they stepped into the elevator, Joey pushed the button for the fifth floor. He looked at Will. “What was the deal at the reception desk?”

  Will shook his head. “I don’t know. Seems like our authority wasn’t recognized—at least not by that woman.”

  Adam glanced up at the lighted numbers above the doors. “Based on that lady’s treatment and what we heard from Nico, the Punks’ status in Tremayne isn’t what it used to be.”

  “Kind of a sudden change, don’t you think?” Joey said.

  “Agreed,” Will said as the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened.

  The trio walked off the elevator and surveyed the directional sign in front of them.

  “Well, Rooms 500 to 520 are to the left.” Will took a deep breath. “Let’s see if our status means anything up here.”

  Chapter 15

  Minds of the Children

  Four sets of twenty-four desks, each two rows deep, faced four different directions in the brightly lit circular classroom. A video orb in the center of the room hung suspended by a single rod from the high ceiling. Images cast on the walls from the orb were regulated by the four teachers according to their group of students.

  Dr. Rasmus and Angelica waited in the observation room outside the classroom.

  “It’s nice the way you have this set up, Rasmus,” Angelica observed. “Twenty-four students per instructor is manageable. I have a question, though.”

  Dr. Rasmus stood with his hands folded behind his back. He raised an eyebrow. “What’s on your mind?”

  “I notice the students are not wearing earbuds or headphones of any type. How do they manage to remain focused on their respective instructor without distraction from the other teachers?”

  Xander smiled. “It’s a matter of elementary sound wave cancellation.”

  “Wait.” Angelica raised her hand. “Keep it simple. Layman’s terms. I don’t need a scientific explanation.”

  “Okay.” He shrugged. “Monitors in the floor and ceiling detect the sound waves emanating from specific locations within the classroom. Those sound waves are then precisely matched in pitch and frequency, and an exact opposite sound is inserted into the area behind the second row of students in each group. The sound is effectively canceled.”

  “Hmph.” Angelica glanced into the classroom behind the glass. “So, if I throw out a five, and the system throws out a negative five, the effect is zero.”

  “That’s good,” Xander said. “Just think of your numbers in terms of sound waves.”

  “I suppose you could have used four separate classrooms.”

  Xander nodded. “Yes, but we conserve space much in the way we conserve energy. Why use more space if technology can enable us to use less?”

  Angelica checked the time on her cell. “I suppose.” She turned from the observation window and sat down in a nearby chair. “I thought Levi was supposed to be here by now.”

  Dr. Rasmus remained in place, gazing into the classroom. “Hmm. He’ll be here soon, I’m sure.”

  Levi stepped off the elevator with Johnny Logan on level nine in the Underground City.

  “This is the most important project you’ve undertaken, Logan.” He smoothed the lapels on his blue sport coat. “I expect perfection.”

  “Yes, sir.” Johnny smiled.

  Levi glanced up. “And wipe that stupid look off your face. Reserve your dumbshit tough-guy demeanor for the outside. There’s no place for it inside the City.”

  “Just trying to stay in character, sir. Keeps the lowlifes off guard.”

  The two walked in silence down the wide corridor. Since level nine was reserved for top-security Changers, they encountered few personnel, save for the occasional pair of guards on routine patrol. Levi’s wingtips clicked conspicuously on the highly polished floor. When they reached the door to the classroom observation area, Levi stopped and turned to Johnny.

  “I have to tell you, Logan.” Levi looked slightly upward and locked eyes with Johnny. “Dr. Rasmus and Ms. DeMone are top-notch professionals—”

  “Yes, s—”

  “Shut up.” Levi stepped up to Johnny. “Stepping and fetching like you’re doing right now makes you look weak. Either that, or you’re a phony. Get your act together. I need everyone firing on all cylinders.”

  Johnny stared at Levi, squelching the “yes, sir” on the tip of his tongue.

  Levi held his gaze. “That’s more like it.”

  Two guards stationed by the door appeared oblivious to Levi’s verbal beatdown of Johnny. They stepped to either side of the portal a split second before Levi waved his hand over the palm reader.

  Angelica stood quickly when she heard the door swish open behind her. She brushed the wrinkles from the front of her black pencil skirt and checked the time on her cell again.

  Dr. Rasmus turned to face the door. He smiled. “Leader.” He nodded at Johnny. “Logan.”

  “Good evening, Doctor.” Levi turned to Angelica. “I trust our distinguished doctor has adequately briefed you on our SOUL Chybrid children.”

  Angelica’s eyebrows involuntarily rose. She glanced through the window at the students in the circular room. “Those are Chybrids?”

  Dr. Rasmus smiled. “I was waiting for your arrival, Leader.”

  “Great,” Levi said as the four Changers moved to the observation window. “Let’s get started.”

  The four instructors in the room each faced their respective groups of students. The instructor on the north engaged his class in a nonstop lecture. There was no image from the video orb
for these students. All the children in this class were well-behaved and attentive. From the east class, the instructor called upon students with their hands raised. He answered questions as the students took notes on their electronic tablets. From the west wall, the instructor remained busy discussing multiple images cast from the orb in front of his class. The students were relaxed and laid-back in contrast to the north and east classes. The south instructor stood silent, his arms folded in front of him. Not all the children in his class remained in their seats. Some leaned on the tables, conversing with other students. Others walked up and down the single aisle, disrupting the flow of the instructor and harassing their classmates.

  Angelica gazed at the southern group of students. “Are we to take it some groups are less refined than others? There’s a marked difference in discipline between classes here.”

  “My thoughts precisely,” Levi said. “It does seem some of these SOUL Chybrids are in need of further development.”

  Dr. Rasmus smiled. “You mean, they don’t all appear to be heartless, all-knowing, perfect automatons?”

  Levi glanced sideways. “I expect perfection, Xander.”

  “And that you have. You are observing perfection, Leader.”

  Johnny crossed his arms. “It’s obvious.”

  Angelica stepped back and looked up at Johnny. “Seriously?”

  “Sure,” Johnny said. “Every kid isn’t the same. Some are studious, some are rowdy, some are average and others are geniuses. If you want these SOUL Chybrid children to appear realistic, you gotta mix it up. We still program them and we retain control, correct?”

  “Yes!” Dr. Rasmus looked at Levi. “This man is a good choice to coordinate the project in Bystander territory, Levi.” He nodded to Johnny. “A good choice indeed.”

  Levi’s gaze remained fixed on the activity in the classroom. “Just as I have said.” He nodded. “I have the utmost confidence in Logan. Our new team is the cream of the crop, yourself included, Doctor.”

  “So is this it?” Angelica asked, thumbing her tablet screen. “My impression was there would be a demonstration of the SOUL Chybrid children.”

  Dr. Rasmus stood with his hands folded in front of him. He swiveled toward Angelica. “This is just the introduction, Ms. DeMone. Thorough testing demands we expose the subjects to real-life situations in a variety of environments.”

  Angelica looked around the room. “This is hardly real-life, Doctor.”

  “The demonstration is not here. We currently have a group of test subjects in Tremayne—”

  “Speaking of,” Levi interrupted. “I have received reports of disruption of the peace in Tremayne. Disruption caused by gangs of youths. Might we use our new subjects to quell some of this errant activity?”

  “We might, and we will.” Dr. Rasmus raised a hand. “The disruptive youths in Tremayne are our own SOUL Chybrid children, currently residing with various Bystander foster families.” The doctor smiled. “Well, most of them. Some of the local residents have actually begun to warm up to our Chybrid children.”

  Angelica frowned. “And we are in control of these little hooligans? What’s the purpose, Xander?”

  “It’s an experiment.” Rasmus glanced at Johnny. “We programmed the behavioral circuits in this group specifically to defy authority. Additionally, their emotional chip is minimal to the extreme.”

  Angelica seated herself on a nearby couch. She crossed her legs and tapped the face of her tablet. “Pretty sure I want a drink. I’m calling for refreshments.”

  “Very well,” Levi said, motioning to additional seating around a smoked-glass coffee table.

  Dr. Rasmus made himself comfortable at the end of a couch as Levi seated himself at the opposite end. Johnny sat on a love seat facing Angelica.

  The door to the observation room swished open. Two male attendants dressed in blue tuxedos entered, each pushing a sturdy brushed-titanium cart on wheels.

  Levi smiled. “Splendid idea, Ms. DeMone.” He glanced at Dr. Rasmus. “Martini?”

  Angelica ignored Levi’s politeness. “Give me a vodka shot, now,” she said to the first waiter. “Then fix me a vodka Collins.”

  “Yes,” Rasmus agreed. “A martini is perfect.”

  Levi held up two fingers to the second attendant.

  “Whiskey, straight,” Johnny said.

  Angelica downed her vodka shot and looked at Dr. Rasmus. “So, Doc. We’re deliberately turning juvenile delinquents loose on the good citizens of Tremayne. Do tell.”

  The doctor wouldn’t be rushed. He savored a long sip on his martini and slid the cocktail glass onto the coffee table in front of him. Grabbing the plastic lightning-bolt-shaped toothpick that pierced the olive, he swirled the liquid for a moment before settling back onto the sofa. He gazed across the table at Angelica and slowly slipped the olive off the pick. He held the olive between his front teeth momentarily before sucking it into his mouth and waggling his eyebrows.

  Levi watched the doctor’s every move and smiled.

  Johnny sipped his whiskey, eyeing Angelica over the rim of his lowball glass.

  Angelica stared at Rasmus, expressionless. What a putz, she thought. “Well?”

  Unfazed by Angelica’s mild rebuff, Dr. Rasmus swallowed his olive and smiled. “With the emotional chip at a minimum, we have observed the SOUL Chybrid children conducting certain activities that the average person might find objectionable.”

  Levi slung his arm across the back of the couch and turned toward the doctor. “But you said some of the local children have taken a liking to these Chybrids.”

  “Yes, Leader.” Rasmus leaned forward and retrieved his martini from the table. “We placed these extreme personalities in Tremayne to confirm what we already knew—”

  “Which is?” Angelica said.

  Rasmus slowly turned his gaze from Levi to Angelica. “As I was saying.” He turned back to Levi. “We already knew we would attract the fringe child, the kid on the edge.”

  “Explain,” Johnny said.

  “Gladly.” The doctor leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “These target kids have almost no conventional home life. They’re not on the street—yet—but they’re close. In many cases, they may as well be. They come and go from their ‘homes’ as they please. They have no parental support or discipline.”

  Johnny finished off his whiskey and raised a finger to the number one waiter. “Kind of like the street gangs among the Bystanders that were eradicated decades ago.”

  “Ah,” Rasmus said. “But the Bystanders didn’t eradicate the gangs. History tells us they did themselves in.”

  “He’s right,” Angelica interrupted. “You can’t keep killing each other nonstop year after year and expect to survive as a group.”

  “Correct.” Rasmus sat back. “It’s only too bad the Changers had nothing to do with that. You must admit the Punks played a huge role in ending that scourge.”

  Levi downed the remaining half of his martini. “We had those gangs in the palm of our hands. They were on our side.”

  “Leader.” Rasmus raised his hand. “If I may speak freely.”

  Levi nodded.

  “We mollycoddled them—”

  “We gave them everything they wanted. Ingrates!”

  “That’s precisely my point,” Rasmus said. “The Punks, on the other hand, gave them nothing except self-respect.”

  “Exactly,” Johnny said. “The Punks helped them rebuild their neighborhoods, gave them jobs and showed them how to become members of a peaceful society. Why do you think so many former gang members joined the Punks?”

  “Enough!” Levi stood and turned to the waiters. “Gimme another martini.”

  “Can we move on?” Angelica said. “I’m all for seeing a demonstration of the new SOUL Chybrid children.” She looked at Dr. Rasmus as she swirled her drink. “Let’s see if we can get this right without making new little gang members of these delinquents.”

/>   Rasmus smiled and motioned for a second martini. “All part of the plan, team.” He stood and stepped over to the waiter’s cart to retrieve his drink. “As Mr. Logan so aptly alluded to, we have complete control over the actions and minds of these Chybrid children. And the children of Tremayne will follow the Chybrids.” He smiled and held his cocktail in the air. “Once we possess the minds of the children, we will control the world.”

  Levi regained his composure and raised his glass to the doctor. “Yes! I only wish I had employed you sooner, Xander. Truly, you are light-years ahead of Dr. Felix Yaz in terms of knowledge, imagination and scientific ability.” He glanced at Angelica. “Speaking of that, Ms. DeMone. What’s the latest report on the whereabouts of that dreadful traitor, Dr. Yaz?”

  Chapter 16

  Yaz

  Silver stood up quickly when Dr. Yaz’s transport cube came to a stop. “Finally, we’ve arrived somewhere!”

  Felix waved his hand over a small pad on the wall, and the door to the tiny portable room opened. He motioned to Silver. “After you, Ms. Long.”

  Silver stepped into Felix’s spacious living quarters. Her jaw dropped and she stopped short as she gazed around the six-sided room. Her knees weakened. The hair on the back of her neck bristled. “Wha…” Vertigo swept over her. “What is this place?” Unconsciously, she reached for something to catch her balance when her hands landed on something hard. “Yaz? Yaz?” She gripped the chrome railing across the back of a chair and aimed her butt—way off target. She missed the seat and plopped onto the carpeted floor.

  Felix rushed to Silver and knelt down beside her. “Ms. Long, let me help you. The sensation you are experiencing is from the transport cube. It’s only temporary. Come, sit.”

  Silver waved him off. “No. I’m fine,” she said, remaining on the floor.

  “Here,” Felix said, moving the chair next to Silver. “I insist. Help yourself, but let me get you some water.”