Toys - A Novel Part 23

I cut him off, shoving the gasping Ghools toward him.

"Arrest them for the murder of Agent Owen McGill! for the murder of Agent Owen McGill! The rest of you, find their buddies. They attacked McGill like a pack of rats. Tore him apart." The rest of you, find their buddies. They attacked McGill like a pack of rats. Tore him apart."

I waved them toward the woods, then walked the other way-fast. I had to do what I promised Lucy.

And she was right-I didn't like it one d.a.m.n bit. It went against everything I had believed in-as an Elite. It went against everything I had believed in-as an Elite.

Chapter 97 97.

HOME SWEET HOME again-or maybe not. Definitely not! Definitely not!

As I stepped into my old apartment, I was. .h.i.t with enough memories and feelings to make me dizzy for a week.

Right off, I heard voices coming from my daughters' bedroom. April and Chloe were here. What could be more bittersweet than that?

"Why do we have to go back to Grandmere's, Mommy?" Chloe asked.

"Remember, I told you that Daddy's not feeling well?" Lizbeth said, with tense impatience in her voice. "We've got to give him the proper time to rest and become himself again. Poor Daddy. Besides, the city is dangerous right now. I told you that, girls."

"Grandmere's no fun. She's a grump and she doesn't have enough toys," April complained.

"I'll bring you toys. But right now, we have to hurry. Let's go, girls. Now! You can bring Jacob and Jessica if you insist. And don't ever call Grandmere a grump."

They were coming out of the girls' room, so I slipped inside the front closet and partially closed the door behind me. Then I climbed straight up.

There was only a foot of s.p.a.ce between the top shelf and the ceiling, but I wedged myself into it, folding my body like a pretzel.

It was d.a.m.ned uncomfortable, but the very dangerous and humanphobic humanphobic Metallico was bustling around the apartment somewhere, and I couldn't afford to have him or Lizbeth, or especially the kids, see me. Metallico was bustling around the apartment somewhere, and I couldn't afford to have him or Lizbeth, or especially the kids, see me.

Just being here was bad enough, but hopefully I could do what I had to do without badly scaring the girls. They'd be confused, but fine. There was no way I could explain myself to them now, only hope that someday they might understand that I had done the right thing. For humans, and even for Elites.

After a few seconds, Metallico actually came into view. He was carrying their little overnight bags, which he set down at the front door. "Let's go, go, ladies!" ladies!"

Let's go, indeed. I focused my wrist chron on his head. I'd already set it on DM-Deactivation Mode. I carried this special device because robots occasionally got in our way when we were carrying out missions. Sending out a DM signal shut them down in a hurry.

I touched the control, feeling a tingle myself as an electron pulse shot into Metallico's circuitry.

The family robot made a sound like a groan, stopped dead in his tracks, then locked in place like he'd been turned to stone. He'd be back to his old self as soon as he was reset-although if I had anything to say about it, that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

I eased out of my little niche in the closet, then dropped back down to the floor without making a sound.

"Lizbeth! Would you come here a second?" I called out-mimicking Metallico's sa.s.sy tone. Would you come here a second?" I called out-mimicking Metallico's sa.s.sy tone.

I could gauge her annoyance by her sharp, angry footsteps-she practically stomped down the central hallway in my direction.

"Honestly, Metallico, can't you handle something this simple on your own?"

I stepped all the way out of the closet now. Lizbeth stopped in midstep, her eyes widening in shock. I stared back at the wife who had heartlessly betrayed and manipulated me, then abandoned me to die.

But this was still the most heart-wrenching thing I'd done yet. Now I was betraying her. There was no other word for this.

"You're coming with me, Lizbeth," I said. "I'll do my best to keep you alive. The girls might not have a father much longer, and I'd like to leave them a mother. But if I have to take you dead, I will. You're just as useful either way."

"You unbelievable b.a.s.t.a.r.d, b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she barked. "This is our home, Hays."

"We're leaving home now. Make up your mind. Dead or alive?"

It took her a few seconds to compute her chances in a brawl against me. Then she answered with a taut, hair-tossing nod. I motioned to the apartment door. Lizbeth went ahead and reached to open it. I couldn't see what else she was up to.

Suddenly a vicious rrrhhh rrrhhh erupted behind me-a growl like from a savage beast that's ready to feed. I whirled to face Metallico, who was charging with his steel fingers ready to pierce through my body like spikes. erupted behind me-a growl like from a savage beast that's ready to feed. I whirled to face Metallico, who was charging with his steel fingers ready to pierce through my body like spikes.

"Traitor!" the robot yelled. "Human t.u.r.d!"

"Nice mouth," I said. "There are children here, you know."

Chapter 98 98.

I BARELY MANAGED to twist myself sideways, just in time to avoid being severely maimed or possibly killed. Metallico's rigid and powerful hand raked across my chest, slas.h.i.+ng through an inch of flesh and sc.r.a.ping my rib bones raw.

As the powerful and determined robot lunged past me, I pivoted and kicked his legs out from under him, watching as he sailed headlong into the wall and then crashed down to the floor.

But he sprang right back up and at me again, still snarling that ugly rrrhhh rrrhhh.

Deactivation Mode, h.e.l.l! I thought. The only way to deactivate that berserk hunk of silicone was to bust him up into byte-sized sc.r.a.ps. I'd been right all along that something was seriously scrambled in his wiring. I thought. The only way to deactivate that berserk hunk of silicone was to bust him up into byte-sized sc.r.a.ps. I'd been right all along that something was seriously scrambled in his wiring.

Now it flashed through my mind that maybe it was no accident-and that Lizbeth had secretly modified him to protect herself and the girls from me.

My darling wife wasn't standing still either-she'd taken off running toward the kitchen. "Leave me alone, Hays," she called over her shoulder. "I'm warning you."

I couldn't let Lizbeth go, so I grabbed the granite-topped coffee table and slammed it into Metallico's very thick skull. Then I went after Lizbeth. Though not as physically ferocious as Metallico, she was still just as dangerous.

But the robot was on me before I could get to her, and the two of us went into mortal-combat mode again. I was hammering him with fists and elbows and knees, while slipping like a snake to dodge his gouging fingers. The wounds from where he'd already raked me were streaming blood now, slicking my skin and staining my s.h.i.+rt bright red.

Through the blur of his attacking parts, I could see Lizbeth literally tearing at the kitchen wall. What in h.e.l.l is she doing now? What in h.e.l.l is she doing now?

Good G.o.d! She was yanking loose the controlled-fusion unit that powered all the appliances in the apartment. If she touched me with the feed-out p.r.o.ng, I'd be fried to cinders. She was yanking loose the controlled-fusion unit that powered all the appliances in the apartment. If she touched me with the feed-out p.r.o.ng, I'd be fried to cinders.

"Lizbeth-you wouldn't!" I called to her.

"I certainly will. Watch me!"

Chapter 99 99.

I CAUGHT METALLICO'S wrist in my hands, clamped down on it with a viselike grip, and leaped up in a double backflip. Strong as he was, the torque was too much for him-I tore his arm loose at the shoulder, leaving it hanging by a single cl.u.s.ter of wire, which I then ripped away.

"Hays!" the robot groaned. "How could you?"

The kitchen lights flickered, and the appliances bleep bleeped as their backup batteries kicked in-Lizbeth now had a seriously deadly weapon in her hands!

I clobbered Metallico across the head with his own arm, then hurled it like a spear at my wife-just as she was swinging the power unit around toward me.

Metallico's spiky fingers pierced and drove through her upper arm, pinning Lizbeth to the kitchen wall. Talk about domestic squabbles.

She shrieked with pain and fury, and the power unit went clattering across the floor. I scooped it up just in time to meet Metallico's next charge.

I rammed the feed-out p.r.o.ng right into his chest.

Ssssssttt! Ssssssttt! Ssssssttt! The sound was like a giant bug repeatedly hitting a red-hot grill. Very satisfying. The sound was like a giant bug repeatedly hitting a red-hot grill. Very satisfying.

You're deactivated now, you homicidal sonofab.i.t.c.h, I thought. I thought.

I shoved the sh.e.l.l of the pesky robot out of my way, leaving the p.r.o.ng embedded in his melting torso. Then I turned back to Lizbeth.

She was still struggling to free herself from the wall, and her flesh was starting to bleed. But the wounds weren't serious, and whatever qualms I'd had about fighting her were quickly gone.

In fact, I was grimly pleased-the shock and pain might make her more cooperative.

That was when I heard a familiar little voice scream, "Stop hurting Mommy!" "Stop hurting Mommy!"

Just then, something completely unexpected and unrecognizable came hurtling through the air, smacking me in the face. It was something furry and wiggling, and it was making cheerful arf arf arf arf sounds. sounds.

It took me a second, but then I recognized it as the girls' robot dog, Fuzzy! Yet another demonic toy in our house.

April, with her face scrunched up by tears and panic, was swinging him by the tail and flailing him at me.

At the same instant, I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my ankle.

Flabbergasted, I looked down to see my little sweetheart, Chloe. She was sinking her teeth into me just as hard as she could.

"Human!" My daughter screeched the dreaded H-word.

Chapter 100 100.

"WOOF! RARF! WOOF! Rarf!"

The robotic little mutt kept snuffling happily and trying to lick my face as April proceeded to batter me with the toy. Luckily for me, it was programmed so that it had had to be affectionate-at least Lizbeth hadn't modified that too. Meanwhile, Chloe was still chewing on my ankle. to be affectionate-at least Lizbeth hadn't modified that too. Meanwhile, Chloe was still chewing on my ankle.

The nightmare I'd tried to s.h.i.+eld the girls from was officially in session. Now it was down to damage control-getting them out of this horrifying mess and keeping them safe.

But how could I do it without manhandling them and making things even worse? It didn't seem possible. So what next-would I have to harm my own little girls?

Then Lizbeth stunned me in a way I never would have expected. She took my side. She took my side.

"Girls-stop!" she said sharply. "Your father's not hurting me. Metallico went crazy, and Daddy saved me."

The girls backed away, their bewildered little eyes taking in the robot's torn-off arm that pinned their mother to the wall, his sizzled remains that lay on the floor.

Suddenly, April smiled through her tears. "Daddy, you're better!" she squealed. Then both girls rushed into my arms as if everything were back to normal.

For a few seconds, it actually was. I could have wept. "I am much better, honeys," I said. "Now go to your room and wait for Grandmere. Everything is going to be fine, I promise, and you know I always keep my promises." I try to anyway. I try to anyway.

Fuzzy had trotted over to Metallico, sniffing and snuffling curiously. I grabbed him before he got zapped, and scooted him off after the girls.

With my heart aching, I watched their bedroom door close behind them. "Don't think for a second I did that for you," Lizbeth snapped. "It was for them. I love my children."

"Lizbeth, I know by now that you wouldn't p.i.s.s on me if I was on fire. I'm just surprised that maybe you've got a shred of decency."

"I'll come quietly. I won't fight you, Hays. No more trouble in our house."

"Thanks for saying that. But I still trust you like I'd trust a scorpion. Probably less."

"As you should." She smiled and nodded. "Just remember your promise-to the girls."

I jerked Metallico's hand loose, drawing another gasp of pain from Lizbeth. Then I knotted a towel around her upper arm. Next, I opened the refrigeration unit and swept its contents onto the floor. The unit was just about the size of an old-fas.h.i.+oned coffin.

"What are you doing? doing?" Lizbeth, ever the neatnik, asked.

"Get in," I said. "In!"

Lizbeth's murderous glare returned, but she obeyed and crawled inside the empty fridge.

I snapped the door shut, hoisted it onto my shoulder, and headed for the rooftop garage. Once up there, I had to ram the thing through the rear window of our family wagon to fit it inside. It still stuck halfway out, looking like the fin of a marauding shark.

Lizbeth started kicking and pounding, and I could hear her m.u.f.fled yells.