Franky Is Lucky

“Hmm… This is an interesting turn of events don’t you think?” I said giving Adelphia a steely glance.

“I wouldn’t of had to do this if you and that blonde brat had stayed away from my family.” Adelphia replied with such resentment I could feel it rattle through my bones.

I got up and strode backwards to the other side of the room my gun still trained on Aster.

“What I want to know Adelphia is whether or not you feel badly about using your own child as a means of distraction?” I gave her a accusatory look but no shame crossed her face. This is what I had needed to see. “Well then since I can see you have no idea what I am talking about then I shall move on to more pressing matters.” I turned my gaze to Dr. Aster. “Do you have access to a degaussing range?”

“Why my dear would you be interested in that?” He looked at my coyly trying to pick out what I was up too.

“I have a proposition for you sir. However, if you do not have access to a degaussing range I may have to rethink my plans. Now I will ask you again do you have access to a degaussing range?” I stood for a second trying to read his face and then I saw a smile tug at the corner of his lips.

“For you Franky I do not have access to a degaussing range. I know what you are planning to do and it will not work. Besides the effects would only be temporary anyway. Believe me I have thought of such a thing myself. What else is it that I can assist you with?” He walked slowly to the office chair and sat down.

“The degaussing range is not for me. I am well aware of the fact that the effects of the magnetic field there would not be strong enough to change my condition however it may give me the peace of mind to do the job you want me to do without hurting anyone. Now I will ask you again do you have access to a degaussing range?” I leaned against the wall my gun still pointed at Aster. He had done a good job of separating himself from the other two making it more difficult for me if I did have to shoot. He did not know that Amy was in the closet though. Or maybe he did and he knew she was a horrible shot. Either way the situation was getting tense.

Adrian Aster sat in thought for a moment as I watched his face ripple through several different expressions. Contemplation, curiosity, contempt and then certainty.

“I am sorry to say that this is not something that I can give to you. The problem is that I do not trust you at all anymore. My original mission for you is not longer my plan. I plan to sedate you and then hold you in a cell until I can figure out how to replicate what you are. So there will be no degaussing range and no escaping here. Do you understand me?”

“Yes I understand.” And with that I shot Dr. Adrian Aster straight in the heart.

He had made it too easy to aim sitting in the chair he was less prone to movement and it had put him at a lower angle making it less conspicuous when I lowered my gun to match his chest. Dr. Malokai ran to his aid.

“Adrian! Adrian.” Tears streaming down her contorted face.

“You can save him you know. Give me the password to the S.I.G.I. files and I will let you walk him out of here. He could still live. Just give me the password.” I aimed the gun at Aster’s head letting her know I was content to kill him right then and there.

“I- I- can’t! You are such a monster!” She screamed at me frantically trying to press his wound.

“Me the monster? You two are the monsters all you care about is yourselves. I was content to be left alone to live out my life in solitude and then you hunt me down. I am not the monster you are!”

“What does it matter if he lives or dies then? He’ll die a monster and you’ll still have to live a freak. All he ever wanted was to cure you! That’s all he ever wanted! You were his creation his legacy and you shoot him in his heart! He would have given it for you!” She was sobbing uncontrollably.

“Fine then leave! His blood is not what I want on my hands. Go take him with you! Leave before I change my mind!”

She did not hesitate and she threw Aster’s arm over her shoulder and hobbled with him towards the door.

“Amy!” Amy barreled out of the closet. “Make sure they are out of the building before the call the police and come straight back here.” Amy ran after them gun in tow.

“What’s the password?” Adelphia asked from the doorway.

“My birthday.” I replied as I sat in the office chair closest to me hurriedly typing on the keyboard.
“I didn’t come here to sabotage you.” Adelphia said sheepishly.

“Just shut up okay? I have to think to make sure these are gone. And I am not doing this for you I am doing this for Abigail and everyone else on this list. You will probably still have to disappear after all of this is over.”

“What are you going to do?” She asked

“You should know.” I replied sourly.

“Disappear? They will find you.” She said matter of factly.

“Can you do me a favor and make yourself useful and look through your damn strands of time and tell me if he dies. How probable is it that he will live? Just give me a good estimate.” I replied caustically.

I continued to type I copied all the files onto a spare hard drive I had found lying on the desk and then I torched all the drives and shut down the remote server. It had taken about fifteen minutes. I got up and walked out of the office towards the kitchen. Just then Amy bolted in through the door.

“She is driving Aster to the hospital herself.” She said out of breath.

“Good. Now come with me to the kitchen I need your help.” We hurried to the kitchen. “Grab anything in here that looks flammable and bring it to the office stop by the bathroom and do the same.” She dove under the sink and grabbed an armful of cleaners and ran back towards the office. I rummaged through the drawer looking for matches or a lighter. I found what I was looking for in the far drawer to the right of the stove. I trotted back to the office. Adelphia was still standing in the doorway.

“You have my answer yet?” I asked her briskly.

“Of course not.” She replied sourly.

“Well then you may want to get the hell out of my way.” I said brutishly. She complied and stepped out of the doorway.

I walked over to the desk and slipped the paper thin hard drive into the pocket of my sweats and began to empty the various containers of chemicals onto desk of computers. I used all that Amy had found and with the last bottle I made a trail towards the door. I motioned to the others to get back and lit the trail and ran.

It ignited instantaneously and the whole room went up in flames as we bolted from the penthouse. All three of us ran for the fire escape stairwell and as we did I pulled the fire alarm.

Even if Malokai had managed to call the police they would never find us in the mass of people that were about to evacuate the building. All we had to do now was get to Amy’s car across the street and get the hell out of dodge.

It seemed like we flew down the first ten flights of stairs but then we got caught in the huddled mass of people trying to go down the rest of the way.

Amy and I broke through the crowd together leaving Adelphia behind. Both of us drawing a ton of attention from the guns still clutched in our hands. I used this as a cue to wave the gun in the air and part the crowd. Both Amy and I ran for it after that. We broke through the back door of the building and ran for it. We reached the car just as the blue and red lights and sounds of sirens filled the air. I looked up at the building as I stepped into the mustang to see the whole twentieth floor engulfed in flames.

As I sat in the drivers seat I felt the lump of the hard drive in my pocket. The last remaining copy of the S.I.G.I. project. There was no way that Aster could recover it now. Not unless he could unwipe a remote server and put together the pieces of five charred computers. This part of the problem was solved. Now for the second piece of the puzzle.