"Stop right where you are!" Maxwell yelled. Gorman's advice about being quiet hadn't stuck. There was too much at stake. He aimed his gun at Richard and Sands. Their backs were to him. "Put both hands in the air!"
They did as they were told. Richard dropped his bag. It landed on the floor with a thump. The air hummed with activity. High above them the multi-coloured robots continued to zoom in every direction.
"Turn around slowly," said Lapearle. He stood on Maxwell's right, gun also drawn. His face wore an anxious expression.
Both men spun on their heels. Sands beautiful face wore a smile. Richards was filled with worry.
"Don't move an inch," said Maxwell. He pulled handcuffs from his belt and approached Sands. Lapearle did the same and approached Richard. "Especially if you're who we think."
"And who would that be?"
"Popular belief? Peter Sands."
Sands eyes brimmed with mock delight. "Marvelous work Chief!" His tone was smug. "Quite the sleuth. I'm surprised we made it this far before you caught us."
"I'd stop right there," said Maxwell. He grabbed Sands by the shoulders and turned him around.
"Let's hope we don't manage a daring escape! After all, Richard is quite adept at slipping through your fingers."
"I'm not kidding asshole! Don't say another word."
"And what would you do if I kept rambling? Will you shoot me? An unarmed woman?!"
Maxwell smirked. It was mischievous. "If I did, who would know?"
"How about the parents of Officer Meanes, whose body I'm inhabiting? Sure, her life is over but it might be easier to explain a disappearance rather than deal with a gaping hole in her body. Not to mention, the whole thing caught by surveillance cameras and sent across the Internet."
This didn't affect Maxwell's resolve. His hands were steady as he brought Sands arms behind his back and cuffed him. Lapearle had already done this to Richard.
"Excellent job!" Gorman strode into the room and surveyed the situation. Both men were too busy to notice him wink at Sands.
"Thank you, sir," Lapearle said over his shoulder.
"Looks like your timing was perfect." In a single, smooth motion Morris brought Gorman's gun up from the holster and pulled the trigger. A yellow bolt shot from the muzzle and hit Lapearle in the middle of the back. It made a sizzle on impact and left a large black hole. He crumpled to the ground.
"What the hell??!!!" hollered Maxwell. His eyes went wide with shock.
Morris reached back and put his hand on the wall scanner. The doors slid closed. "Full lock."
A metal clank sounded, followed by a hiss.
Maxwell levelled his gun at Morris. "What's going on?"
"Mole. Put us all at risk."
This didn't bend Maxwell's conviction. His gun stayed on target.
"Suit yourself," Morris said with a shrug.
"No way the kid's a mole. He was vetted a hundred percent. Put through every test. We would have found something." Maxwell shook his head. "I don't believe any of this."
"And you shouldn't Chief!" Sands announced beside him. "But are you bright enough to figure out the truth?"
Richard stood still and bit his lip as the situation unfolded. His stomach was turning and he felt faint.
Maxwell took a few steps back. It gave him a better view of the small crowd. "This is a fucking nightmare."
"Care to elaborate?" asked Sands. He wiggled his wrist a little. Maxwell didn't notice. His eyes were too busy moving from person to person.
"What just happened makes no sense."
"Take a deep breath," said Morris. "And lower the weapon before you make a mistake."
"What the hell do you mean?" Maxwell looked at his boss – really looked at him – from head to toe. "Something changed since I left your office five minutes ago. What was the last thing we talked about?"
Sands wiggled his wrist a little more and the control bracelet dropped down. He twisted his middle finger up and just managed to tap the metal. It vibrated. "Three fifteen," he said in a low voice.
High above, one of the red robots slowed to a halt and began to descend. No one noticed. It was silent, shifting position until it reached Maxwell. Then both arms lowered. Pinchers at the end opened and clamped on to his shoulders. They closed until a crunch sounded. He screamed and dropped his gun as the robot pulled him into the air. It stopped ten feet above the floor.
"Now that's a great seat for the show!" Sands announced with the zeal of a Circus Ringmaster.
Swimming in pain, Maxwell watched Morris approach Sands and unlock his restraints. "What are you doing?" he shouted.
Sands rubbed his wrists and rolled his eyes. "Come on Chief! You can't be that dense. Do you actually think Gorman's still in there?"
"No... No I don't." His speech was slurred. Shock was setting in. "But I still hoped."
"Waste of time. He's gone - part of the heavens now."
Maxwell hung his head in resignation. Satisfied, Sands looked past him and waved to the crowd assembled at the viewing window.
"And how do you plan on getting what you came for?" Maxwell muttered. "You only have one of the keys."
"Good Christ Chief," said Sands. "I'm hurt. You clearly underestimate me. There's no way I'd arrive at the party without all the tools in my bag."
Maxwell took a deep, raspy breath. "I can't believe I didn't see any of this coming."
"How could you? No one knew about my continued existence. Besides, there were so many diversions and sidetracks – designed to fool the most seasoned detective. We relied on chance a few times but not much. I wasn't sure how things would go when I encouraged that scumbag Mingle to kidnap our friend here." Sands pointed at Richard, who was having his cuffs removed by Gorman. "But Dr. Morris did a fine job overseeing that challenge."
Maxwell winced against the pain in his shoulders, lifted his head and looked from one man to the next. "Did you help him?" he asked Richard. "Or did he help you?"
"I had no idea what was going on."
"It's true," said Sands. "Richard's an unwitting accomplice. Completely innocent."
"Bullshit. He's involved somehow."
"Of course – but there's a difference. He's not the co-conspirator or criminal you so desperately want him to be."
"Either way - it doesn't matter..." Maxwell groaned. Blood had begun to seep through his uniform where the claws held him. "Sobel broke the law and there's consequences."
"Probably not in this case."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Do you know who Sam Tarwell is?" Sands asked.
"Are you changing the subject?"
"I'm not. It all ties together."
"Then no – haven't heard of the guy. And I refuse to play some guessing game," said Maxwell. "It's pointless."
Sands grinned. "You'll be delighted to hear this next bit is all about disclosure – no secrets or lies. I'm a straight shooter that way. So listen carefully. And I won't rush. The door's locked and the room's impenetrable – which means we have all the time in the world! Cameras are rolling too. I want Surveillance to capture everything so future generations can study my genius."
Maxwell only stared at him.
"Are you set? Because what I'm about to say might make you shit your pants!"
Maxwell rolled his eyes.
"Sam Tarwell is a Security Officer. From what I understand his love of money runs deep. Profile is no longer in the system though - took some effort to uncover him."
"Haven't you killed enough people?" asked Maxwell. "Why gloat about another?"
"Oh, Sam is very much alive. After Gorman caught me and got his hands on my clone he asked him for help. The offer was simple – act as a key but leave society behind. In exchange for a hand print and ocular scan he would never want for anything again. I doubt Sam hesitated, and really, who would? With an agreement in place my body was locked away and he was moved to a Penthouse at City Center. The man has never worked another day and enjoys the sort of excess most only dream of. He's well guarded, well fed and well looked after. You'd think his services would have become pointless after a while, but I guess I'm just too important. Someone must have thought I'd engineer a resurrection." Sands smiled and winked.
"I don't see how any of this matters. The man isn't in the room."
"Ah ah! Never jump to conclusions! Kidnapping Sam was impossible – not worth the risk of getting caught. But finding him was top priority. Which took some time. Gorman did an impressive job hiding the guy away. But he eventually appeared on my radar. Money and violent persuasion are wonderful tools when you need information. Once I knew his location the next few steps were easy. I focused on finding the weakest link in the chain. That was a guard named Glenny Talbot - single fella who liked to stay out late and drink. I grabbed him one night on the way home from the bar, brought him to my Lab and swapped bodies. Next day I waltzed inside the Penthouse, spent a couple hours looking around, grabbed a strand of hair from Sam's brush and wandered out on lunch break. Then I swapped back, wiped Glenny's recent memory and sent him on his way. The whole operation took less than an hour. That was about twenty-five years ago!"
"Twenty-five years?"
"I had no choice. Besides, success is always sweeter when you bide your time."
"For what?" asked Maxwell.
"For my plan to come together - because the long con was crucial. There was a cloning machine in the basement of my house that hadn't been discovered when Gorman hung me out to dry. So the hair from Sam's body was all I needed. I stopped his clone at five years, made adjustments to heart and metabolism then we were ready to go. Next step was to have him adopted – which went without a hitch after a system adjustment. Then I sat back and waited. His modifications made him a heavier fellow, which was enough to keep from looking like a copy."
Richard shifted on his feet and glanced over at the crowd in the observation area. He couldn't see the features of their faces so it was hard to tell how deep a commotion was unfolding.
"When the clone hit thirty some issues developed with his heart – the consequence of an overweight, drug-fueled lifestyle and my genetic tinkering. It wasn't long before he needed medical attention. Everything combined was severe enough for a HICOP referral. And wouldn't you know it, a mysterious benefactor offered to pay for the Maximum option." Sands paused and fixed a glare on Richard. "Any of this sound familiar Sobel?"
Understanding slowly dawned on Richard's face. His eyes grew wide and his skin went white. Such an enormous reveal shocked him. He had no response.
"Very well," said Sands. He turned his attention back to Maxwell. "By then I knew which Locum I wanted. A rock star doctor has no place in the medical field - an example had to be made. So I took away everything he had and manipulated him into doing what I wanted."
Maxwell frowned. His body swung from the pinchers but the pain seemed forgotten – silenced in part by disbelief. "You killed Nickle when he was in Sobel's body?"
"Of course! That's when I got things moving. It created the perfect mind fuck. Trying to figure out if the owner of the body or current occupant was the target would keep your office busy. So many suspects, so many people to blame, all sorts of energy used up. That let me work unnoticed and create even more chaos. I'll admit - it was delightful to see how quickly everyone turned on Sobel and blamed him for all those murders."
Every time Sands casually revealed his part in another horrible incident it fueled Richard's hatred of him. Each new sentence made it more obvious that he was nothing but a sociopath on a mission of selfish revenge. Whoever happened to be hurt or manipulated along the way were simply collateral damage.
"We never came here to get my body, did we?" Richard blurted. The suspicion wasn't new and Sands contempt for him made it worse. What had been a light whisper at the back of his mind had grown – forced into the open by the crushing effects of being Homesick and the contempt he held toward the man's actions.
"Holy shit Sobel!" shouted Maxwell. "How can you even consider that?"
"Not so fast!" said Sands. "Despite my distaste for you I do enjoy the idea of providing a new body. And to be honest, there's ample time to collect DNA for those in need. You've been through a lot and handled most of the steps with grace. Consider it a reward with strings attached that we'll discuss later."
Richard listened but not intently - his focus was on Sands weapon. Getting it away from him would finish the standoff. One zap to kill the maniac then one to kill himself – which would end the conflict going on in his head and offer some relief.
"Showtime!" Sands announced. To Richard's dismay he aimed the gun at him. With the other hand he pressed two fingers on his bracelet. A buzz filled the air - then a section of the floor began to open a few feet away.
The examination table that rose from it was identical to the others in the room with the exception of square buttons that ran the length of one side. With the gun still levelled on Richard, Sands approached the buttons with a grin and pushed one on the far left. The colour turned from red to green and a Vid screen appeared in the air before him. The display was broken into four sections, showing different areas of the Morgue. He tapped an icon on the bottom corner and an orange robot slowed to a stop overhead. Two spots on the table surface began to pulse blue. They were in the middle, side by side and the size of a plate.
Sands placed his left hand on the one closest to him, then motioned to the other. "Take off the glove and put your right hand on it," he said to Richard.
Richard did as he was told.
An orb on a thin spindle rose from each end of the table and moved toward them.
"Make sure to open your eyes wide," said Sands.
When the orbs were close they each flipped open. Inside was a red iris that scanned the right eye of each man. They finished with a beep and the orange robot sprang toward the ceiling. In a blink it was nothing but a speck. Sands watched video feed on the monitor with glee.
It stopped at the top row of lockers, spun, and moved to the left until it reached the first door. This was identical to the others, with a smooth face, thick hinges and a round center cap. In the middle of the cap was a square opening. Stamped above was the number X-01.
The robot inserted a claw into the square and pulled the door open. Then it reached inside and removed a floating gurney. On top was a sealed white bag. All eyes were on the Vid screen as it descended with the payload.
Moments later the gurney was on the table.
"Finally!" Sands yelped. With trembling hands he reached up and unzipped the bag.
The body inside looked nothing like the man in the photo from Gorman's office. Instead of wrinkled and weathered everything was brand new – with smooth skin and thick blonde hair.
Sands grinned. "This is just how I left you!"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small zip lock pouch. Inside was a pair of scissors. He used them to snip a clump of hair from his clone and dropped them both back in the bag.
"That's it?" Richard asked. "Seems anticlimactic."
"Next!" shouted Sands.
He pushed the green button again and tapped a code on the display beside it. The robot grabbed the gurney and disappeared. Moments later it returned with another. This one held a black bag.
"That's for you, Richard," Sands said with a wave at the table.
Despite his anger the promise of the impossible drove Richard forward on shaky legs. The moment was surreal. He took a deep breath to steady himself. This washed away any lingering reservations and allowed his Homesick mind to take control. Sands actions were forgotten – they were irrelevant when compared to seeing his body.
Richard's trembling fingers fumbled with the zipper tongue. After a few tries it slid open and his heart skipped a beat.
As a Locum he was used to seeing his body through another set of eyes, but never like this. Every other time it was full of life – with bright eyes, pink lips and glowing skin. Now it was an empty corpse - with grey skin, a slack face and dull hair.
Sands offered Richard another baggie with scissors inside. He took it – there was no hesitation.
"You sure you want to do this, Sobel?" Maxwell asked from above. "If I'm wrong like you claim, then you haven't committed any crimes. But the moment you cut that hair you have."
None of this registered or mattered. Richard was under a spell. Lying in front of him was the cure for his despair.
"Think about what you're doing!" Maxwell's breathing and speech had begun to grow laboured. His skin was waxy. The legs of his pants were stained red and there were pools of blood on the floor beneath him. "Cloning is a crime. Everyone knows that - which means the instant you get inside a copy of that body you're a wanted man. Then what? All your efforts were a waste."
"I'm already in a cloned body," Richard mumbled.
"Against your will and completely unknown to you!"
"Nothing but semantics," Richard replied. He ran a finger along his old face. "I want my body back. It wasn't my fault it was lost in the first place."
"That's an occupational hazard!" Maxwell shouted.
Richard paid this no attention. He cut a lock of hair and dropped it back in the bag along with the scissors. Sands smiled.
Maxwell shook his head. The movement was slow. He was almost out of steam. "This is a huge mistake."
"A bigger mistake than assuming I was guilty and treating me like a fugitive?"
"You ran! That screams guilty."
"Because I was scared! You backed me into a corner with threats that left no choice."
"Really? All I did was lay out options - nothing more. Your memory's selective. Guess that goes along with being corrupt."
Richard frowned his disagreement. "If anything I'm enlightened. The last few days were hell but humbling. I now understand the man I was and the one I should be. When you lose everything perspectives tend to shift. Money and things can be wonderful but they aren't essential." He pointed at his body. "That's essential - my one true possession - and I want it back. If I end up in the Trench so be it. I'll die a happy man."
"You have no idea what life is like in there."
"I've seen enough to get an idea. You made sure of that. I just don't care - I'm not afraid anymore. I'm ready to die. I just want my body back first."
"What about your family?"
"I said goodbye because our life will never be the same. I'm either unhappy or a fugitive – no one wins - so why put them through that?"
"You know I won't stop until I catch you. There isn't..."
Sands began to laugh. Everyone looked at him. In one hand he held the bag Richard brought into the building, in the other the round tube with the red button on top. "Sorry to rain on the parade, but you won't be leaving your spot up there Chief."
He pressed the button. The room went white.