Bolivar Trask was rather unhappy.  Brave men had quailed before his gaze when he was mildly annoyed.  Victor Franco was strangely cool as a cucumber - which annoyed Bolivar even more.  Victor’s men were suitably cowed, but Victor was simply waiting for Mr. Trask to speak... as he always did.  I guess some men have ice water in their veins, Bolivar thought.  If so, he’s definitely one of them.  And I need his talents.

 

“Mister Franco,” he began.  “Am I to assume the reports I’ve been getting all day are correct?  That Dr. Pierce created this ‘Waxman,’ who then killed one of my employees, and fled.  That Dr. Pierce is nowhere to be found - and that little fucking dog of his that he’s always nattering about is missing?”

 

“Yes, Mr. Trask.”  Victor responded.  “I went to his house and searched it.  He hasn’t been there in days.  His computer is wiped clean of his research - including the mainframe - and it was physically tampered with so that we couldn’t retrieve data from it.  I’ve got men watching for him to use his credit cards, and surveillance on some of the people he knows - if he uses plastic or meets a friend, we’ll know about it.”

 

“Good.  When you find him, I want him brought to me alive, so we can have a little chat.  He owes me - and nobody fucks Bolivar Trask and lives.  If you find any clues about the Waxman, or whatever the hell Pierce thought he was trying to do, bring that with you.”

 

“Yes, Mr. Trask.”  Victor Franco nodded and turned to leave the room.

 

“Oh, and Victor?”

 

“Yes Mr. Trask?” Victor replied

 

“If his dog is still alive, make sure it isn’t before you bring him to me.  Make him watch.”

 

“Yes Mr. Trask.  With Pleasure.”  Victor nodded with a sadistic little grin, and left the room.

 

 

*              *              *

 

 

Justin Pierce reverently lifted the tiny body of his best friend from the front seat of the car.  Mr. Chips was wrapped in his favorite blanket, and looked at peace.  “Soon, little buddy.  Soon, you’ll be back with me.”  Justin cradled Mr. Chips tiny body in his arms and carried him inside the abandoned warehouse he had rented months ago, just in case Mr. Trask decided his research was going nowhere.  After all, what’s my favorite saying?  He thought.  Fortune favors the prepared.

 

After all, he thought.  I developed at least 10 patents for Mr. Trask, and he still expects my cure.  He’s not going to let me go so easily, and I’m not oblivious enough to not know he’s a very, very bad man.  Still, his money and his lab was useful while it lasted.   Justin laid Mr. Chips down on a metal table in one of the warehouse rooms - the whole place was decorated and outfitted like a small private lab on a low budget - but Justin knew it would do what he needed it to do.  “It won’t be long, now, Mr. Chips.”

 

Justin locked the doors to the warehouse, and booted up his home-made security system.  He grinned when he thought of what Mr. Trasks goons would think of it, if they found him...  It wasn’t exactly ADT.  When the security finished booting and coming online, he moved to his operations center - a large area screened off by curtains, with a high-tech data table he could use to plan his next steps. 

 

Placing the Mechalus device on the table, he began the data transfer to a safe mainframe, where Justin could ‘store’ Mr. Chips’s mind and spirit until he was ready to transfer it into the body Justin would build for him.  “The next step is to get you a body, isn’t buddy?”

 

Mr. Chips couldn’t answer, and Justin smiled sadly.  I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, he thought.  But I’d do anything for you, little buddy.  Anything.  I just hope it works.   Justin left the Mechalus device and moved over to his machine shop.  I need to build you a body - but I don’t know if I’m smart enough to build you the body you deserve.  I think I’m going to have to use it.  Damn.

 

 

Justin was thinking of yet another super-tech device - again, procured at great expense from a damaged vault in Paragon.  Justin hated thinking of the risks he had taken to procure it, but luckily, no one had discovered his involvement in the heist.  He approached the device with some caution, and pulled the white sheet off it, revealing a large computer console and a bed with an archetypical helmet connected to the energy source of the device.  The Neural Accelerator, Justin thought, created by the Ultramind in his quest for supremacy.  Where is he now?  He wondered. New Bedlam sanitarium, if I recall.

 

Justin walked around the machine, musing and wondering what to do next.  The Neural Accelerator was supposed to amp up a person’s natural intelligence to ridiculous levels, and enhance them in other ways as well - the Ultramind had designed it to raise other people to his level of intellect - to advance them to a new stage of mental evolution.  Am I really thinking of using this on myself?  Justin wondered.  What if it fails?  What if I get killed - what will happen to Mr. Chips?   

 

“Gah!”  He yelled.  What will happen if I don’t use it?  He’ll be trapped in a horribly archaic robot body – he’ll barely be able to walk, let alone run and play.  He won’t be a dog anymore – he’ll be a machine.  He deserves to be a dog again.  “I’ll make you the best damn robot body the world has ever seen, Mr. Chips!  I promise.”  

 

Justin gritted his teeth, and prepared to activate the Neural Enhancer - but first he decided he needed a way to ensure Mr. Chips would survive if he didn’t make it.  At his terminal, he programmed a file that would allow Mr. Chips’ intellect to download itself to the internet if he passed away.  If Justin didn’t make it, Mr. Chips would live on as the world’s first AI.  It was the most he could do for him.

 

Now it was time!  He programmed the master terminal to activate the Neural Enhancer once he was ready - and strapped himself in to the table, placing the Neural Helmet over his head.  Odd, he thought.  This device was made by one of the most intelligent beings that has ever lived, and its capabilities were truly unknown.  Justin wondered if he would remain sane and whole when the process was done - until he realized he didn’t care, as long as he could have Mr. Chips back.  Strange, that it would come to this.  He thought.  I’m risking everything for someone I love more than life.  It’s like an epic story...  I just hope I’m the hero, and not the tragic villain. 

 

He activated the device.

 

 

*              *              *

 

 

Kayden knocked on Darryl’s door for the second time that day, hoping that her friend had made it home safely.  The door flung itself open, revealing a haggard and stressed looking Darryl.

 

“Kay!  Thank God you’re alright!”  The relief on his face was evident - and it looked like he had been very worried.  His eyes were red, and he looked exhausted from stress.  “I saw you with the police, and figured you’d be a while, so I took a cab home.  Come in, come in!”

 

Kayden came inside, and closed the door behind her.  “Sorry for scaring you so much, Dar.  I couldn’t let those people die.”

 

“I get that, Kay.” Darryl replied.  “I was just worried.  How did you do that?  How did you even survive?”  Darryl went over to the couch, and motioned for Kayden to sit down as well, so that they could talk. 

 

“I heal really quickly, Dar - and I was able to use some sort of shape-shifting and healing power in combination to disable both of them.  It also didn’t hurt that they beat the living tar out of each other before I got on the scene...  If they hadn’t softened each other up for me, I’m not sure I could have defeated them.”  She shuddered.  “I still can’t believe I’m not dead.”

 

“Neither can I, Kay.”  Darryl said, putting a comforting arm around Kayden’s shoulders.  He started a bit when she leaned close into him, but he held her all the same.

 

“Thanks.  I’m glad I’m alive.”  Kay felt safe in Dar’s arms, and just leaned into him.  The shuddering stopped, and soon she didn’t feel afraid anymore.  She felt warm, and safe.  It wasn’t a feeling she was used to, so she just let it go and enjoyed it for a while.  I’m safe in his arms... she thought.  How can I go back to the way it was before?  

 

 

They stayed there for a while, Darryl just holding Kay.  Her scent filled his senses, and her warmth warmed him in return.  She smells a little like strawberries, he thought. She felt soft and yielding, and both vulnerable and tough at the same time.  Darryl didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing, and just enjoyed the partial embrace, and drank in Kay’s presence while it was there. 

He felt a funny feeling in his chest and his stomach - but he didn’t know what to call the feelings he was having - all he knew is that he didn’t want it to end. 

 

Kay surprised herself by snuggling closer to Darryl, and was surprised again when he shifted to let her, still holding her in his strong arms.  What am I doing?  I thought I was going to tell him the kiss was a joke... a prank!  Why am I letting this continue?

Do I have feelings for him?  Kay wasn’t sure - but she did know she felt safe, warm and loved - and those feelings were strange to her, since much of her life she’d been neglected, and later she was living on her own, alone, save for visits from friends.  This level of comfort and closeness was completely alien to her, and she didn’t want to lose it.

 

Eventually, Darryl shifted a bit, so that he could see Kay’s face better.  “Hey, Kay?”  He asked.

 

“Yeah, Dar?”

 

“What was up with that kiss?”  Darryl held his breath, unsure if he wanted her answer to be ‘prank’ or something else.  Darryl had never thought of being with a man before - but right now, his brain and his senses were telling him Kayden was anything but a man.  How could she be?  Men didn’t have soft creamy skin, and smell like strawberries, or have curves in all the right places.  Their voice didn’t sound like music to his soul, and they didn’t have soft sensual lips and a cute quirky smile that made your heart beat faster... What am I thinking?  He asked himself.  What do I expect her to say?  Oh god...

 

If Kay could tell the conflict going on within her friend, her face didn’t reveal that knowledge.  If anything, Kay felt at a loss for words.  “I... I don’t know why I kissed you, Dar.  It was a spur of the moment thing, I think...  But I think I was thinking, ‘If I’m going to die, I don’t want to die without kissing him.’  I mean, we’ve been friends for so long, I never thought about having feelings for you - but like this, I mean when I’m like this, it seemed like the right thing to do.”   Kay hung her head, looking worried.  “I hope I didn’t screw things up between us.”

 

Kay felt a gentle hand lift and guide her chin upwards until she was looking at Darryl’s face.  He had an odd light in his eyes, and once again, she felt herself almost fall into them.  

 

“Nothing is ruined, Kay.”  Darryl said.  “It’s okay.  I was so worried about you.”  He too was looking into her eyes, and couldn’t tear himself away from those emerald green points of light.  They were eyes you could drown in, he thought... Then, without thinking, he bent his head, and lowered his lips to hers, and kissed her.  At first the kiss was tender, and gentle - a soft brush across her lips, followed by a stronger kiss as he hungrily tasted of her. 

 

Kay’s mind whirled.  He’s kissing me!  I... I...  Kayden stopped thinking, and let her feelings take over, kissing Darryl back with a hunger she didn’t know she possessed.  She wrapped her arms around Darryl’s neck and pulled her friend closer, turning their hug into an embrace, and their kiss into something that promised more.  Her emotions were all awhirl and she felt something growing within her she had never felt before.  She kept kissing him, and her hands began to wander, caressing Darryl’s chest and back.  Darryl returned the caress with his own, his hands wandering under her T-shirt across her smooth skin.  His hands felt like they were on fire, and the sensations going through Kay’s body were like electricity and sheer pleasure.  She couldn’t help but moan a little, and she felt a strange wetness begin between her legs.  She paid it no mind. 

 

She felt his hands slip under the bra she had made for herself, and cup the mounds of her breasts, and moaned again as he squeezed and played with them.  How can this feel so good?  She thought, and directed her hands down, below Dar’s belt and started rubbing - feeling a hardness she wasn’t sure she was ready to face - but the passionate groan from Darryl’s lips gave her confidence, and she continued, undoing his belt, and slipping her hand inside.   It felt huge! She thought, and it was hot, almost like an ember.  She caressed it as Darryl teased her breasts and nipples with his fingers, and soon it was too much. 

 

Before she realized it, she was taking off her shirt, and struggling to unhook her bra - and Darryl, unwilling or unable to pause, ripped his dress shirt off his chest, tiny buttons flying everywhere.  His pants soon followed, joining Kay’s clothes on the floor, leaving them both only dressed in their underwear.

 

“Are we really doing this, Dar?”  She asked, trying to give her best friend a way to back out, if he wanted to. 

 

“Only if you want to, Kay.”  Darryl said, a hungry look on his face.  “I want you.”

 

 

Kay melted a bit inside, and nodded - and Darryl took her in his arms and began kissing and sucking on her breasts and nipples, and she moaned again in pleasure.  Tiny lights were flashing in front of her closed eyes as the sensations registered as more than pleasure, and she took his member in her hand and started rubbing up and down his shaft, which had grown a bit moist.  She felt her hands get sticky and wet with his pre-cum, and didn’t care...  By now the wetness she felt between her legs felt like a raging river, and she felt a need for something she couldn’t put into words. 

 

Suddenly, Darryl picked her up by the waist, still suckling and kissing her, and carried her away.  A moment later, she felt herself be set down on something soft – Darryl’s bed!  She felt him push against her, pushing her down against the sheets and she yielded, pulling him onto her.  His weight pressed her down, and she felt his heat and something pressing against her groin under their shorts.  The sensation nearly made her lose it, and she subconsciously opened her legs, almost as if in invitation. 

 

Together on the bed, they kissed and fondled, and ground against each other as their passion grew.  She didn’t think it could get any better, until she felt a pressure between her lips - and felt Darryl slip a finger or two inside her.   Oh My God!  She thought.  That feels amazing!   She couldn’t think anymore, and ground against his fingers again and again as the pressure inside her built to a crescendo.   Her back arched, and she bucked, and screamed in pleasure as waves of electricity and pleasure washed over her.  She slumped, and felt the waves wash over her, lingering for long moments, unlike her climaxes when she used to be a man.  It was unreal, she thought, how different the feelings are.  I can’t go back to being male Kayden... not ever. This is me.  God I love this...

 

Yet, while she lay there in blissful rest, Darryl caressed her face.  “Are you okay, Kay?”

 

“Yeah... I’m better than okay, Dar. That was amazing!”  She looked up into his face, and looked into his eyes.  How come I didn=t see how handsome he was before this?  She wondered. 

 

“Do you want to keep going?”

 

Kay took a moment, and realized what Dar meant.  Do I?  She asked herself, and thought of the pleasure he’d given her, and she knew she couldn’t say no.  She wanted it as much as he did.  “Yes, Dar... I do.”  She smiled.  “Please?”

 

Darryl smiled, and rolled off of Kay for a moment, putting on a condom from his nightstand.  Kay watched him unroll it with fascination, seeing it stretch over his swollen member and thinking about how she was about to be on the receiving end of that monster.  She didn’t know how being penetrated would work, but she trusted Darryl.

 

He climbed on top of her, and once again began caressing her breasts, kissing her lips and then moving down to her chest, kissing and fondling, while his hands played with her soft, moist slit down below.  Meanwhile, her hands kept fondling his member, even though it felt odd and slippery with the condom on it, and she felt it twitch and grow rock hard under her ministrations.   He held her down for a moment, and she felt a pressure as he guided himself towards her opening.  She gasped as the pressure increased, and she felt her need increase exponentially as well.  She needed him inside her.

 

Kay moaned in pleasure as he slid into her - to her it felt like a fiery brand inside her torso, and it felt like magic.  I can’t believe that’s inside me, she thought.  It feels so good... so good!   She felt him press into her further - and there was a moment of pain that passed, and then he was all the way in.  Kay felt full in a way she had only dreamed about before, and shuddered with bliss, which only increased as Darryl slid in and out, building the pressure to a slow crescendo.  Kay felt the pleasure increase, and increase, and her moans were all she could do to indicate all was well.  She raked her fingers across Darryl’s back, trying to find something to hold onto to make this sensation stronger and less likely to carry her away.  She bucked and ground against Darryl, somehow finding a rhythm that worked and made everything ten times better.  “Oh my god!  Fuck me!”  She cried.  “Fuck me, Dar!”   Kay felt a pressure building inside her that was incredibly intense.  “Fuck me!”

 

Darryl did his best to oblige, and in a moment, Kay’s body exploded with bliss, as she felt Dar come into her.  She felt his penis pulse inside her, and a felt the condom slip and slide inside her moist slit.  He groaned as he came, and she screamed, clutching his back with her arms as they lay wrapped together in an embrace as old as time.  The bliss that washed over Kay came in waves, one after another - and just as one was leaving, another wave washed up against her.  This is incredible, she thought.  After feeling this, why would I ever go back?  She lay there, enjoying the afterglow of lovemaking for what seemed like the first time.  It felt like her first time, even though she’d been with a few women, as male Kayden before.  This was different... it was right.  Finally right.  She felt a warmth in her heart swirling around that she couldn’t explain, and rolled over to look at Darryl.

 

Darryl looked like he was resting blissfully as well.  “Hey, beautiful.” he said.  “Are you okay?”

 

Kay smiled.  You called me beautiful... how could I not be?  She thought to herself.  “Yeah, I’m okay.  Are you?”

 

Dar smiled back.  “Yeah, I guess I am.  I never expected this to happen, but I am okay.  I guess now we have to figure out what comes next?”

 

 

“Later, Dar.  We can do it later.”  Kay said, still smiling.  “Let’s rest for now.”

 

They cradled each other in their arms, and dozed off together on Darryl’s bed, Kay’s head on Darryl’s chest, his arms wrapped protectively around her.  Kay sighed.  All was right with the world.

 

 

*              *              *

 

Justin woke an unknown time later...  He didn’t feel right - everything felt off somehow, like it was covered with a filter.  His head felt full to bursting with knowledge, and it was giving him a hell of a headache.  He reached up and pulled off the Neural Accelerator Helmet, and tossed it aside.  He was still in his lab - and it was still daylight...  The skylights on the roof told him that much. 

 

As he undid the straps holding him to the Accelerator, his mind whirled at what seemed like a thousand miles an hour.  He could see what he needed to do for his friend, Mr. Chips, and his mind began working on that problem to the exclusion of all else.  He headed towards the machine shop, leaving the Neural Accelerator behind, no longer needed.  It was a means to an end - saving his beloved dog - and his job was not yet done. 

 

When he reached the machine shop, he was amazed to see that where before there were piles of random electronics and servos, metallic flanges and wires - now, now he saw order.  The pieces almost glowed to his sight, like he could see how they went together, like a puzzle or some crazy high-tech LEGO.   He couldn’t help but laugh and get to work.   As he built and structured the core chassis that would hold Mr. Chips’ intellect, he realized the parts he had wouldn’t fit – wouldn’t work...  No matter, he thought.  If I change them thus, everything fits!  He concentrated on the part that wouldn’t fit - a strut to form part of Mr. Chip’s leg.  It was too wide, and not long enough - but Justin could see how it went together just as easily as he could place together the parts of the robot.  As he watched, the metal molded and shaped itself to the desired width and length.  “Good!  A perfect fit!”

 

Justin didn’t seem to notice that steel and titanium alloy shouldn’t melt and flow under mental command - he just ignored it and kept working, altering pieces and components to fit as he went, until the robot body of Mr. Chips began to take form.  Hours passed, and still Justin worked like a fiend possessed.   By the time he was finished, it was fully dark outside, and he could hear the rumble of thunder in the sky.  The stormy weather matched the storm within his thoughts, and he placed the last weld onto Mr. Chips’ robotic frame. 

 

“Almost done.”  He said to himself.  He needs fur.  He needs to look like a dog.  He found the bolt of fuzzy cloth he had picked out for the job of simulating Mr. Chip’s fur.  It was the kind of stuff people made stuffed animals out of... except this fabric was bulletproof and fire resistant, and would protect Mr. Chip’s internal circuits from water damage.  “Nothing’s too good for my best buddy.”  He said, absently to the robotic chassis.  He stretched and shaped the fabric to fit over the chassis until it looked perfect...  

 

Justin took a step back to look at his handiwork.  The robot body he had crafted in a blur looked almost identical to Mr. Chips in size and coloration, but looked a tiny bit like an animatronic stuffy.  It was the best he could do with the materials he had.  It was wonderful.   He retrieved the Mechalus device from his work table - it still held the original data siphoned from Mr. Chips’s body - and began the transfer into the new robot body.  He took a moment to make a coffee, and sat watching Mr. Chips, looking for some sign of life.  Soon. He thought.  It would be soon.

 

As the data began to transfer, the building storm outside broke, and Justin heard the pitter patter of rain on the roof of his converted warehouse.  When the transfer was done, he had a passport and a new ID ready - and money stashed in a dozen places across the United States, all of it in safe deposit boxes, none of it digital.  He and Mr. Chips could disappear, and Bolivar Trask would never find them.

 

Thunder rumbled as the last few iota’s of data transferred into Mr. Chips - and then the Mechalus device powered down, its task completed.  Justin approached Mr. Chips, looking for any signs of life - and as he reached out to pet him, Mr. Chips’ head moved of its own accord, and his bioplas tongue reached out and licked him.  Thunder and lightning crashed, heralding his rebirth.

 

“Mr. Chips!  You’re alive!  Alive!”  As the glare of the lightning died down, Justin could see the glint of light in Mr. Chips biometric eyes, and Mr. Chips whined, and nudged his hand, trying to be pet.  “Oh, my little buddy!  No one is ever going to separate us ever again.  I love you, Mr. Chips.”  Justin couldn’t help it - he cried tears of joy as he picked up Mr. Chips and gave him a firm hug. 

 

 

Mr. Chips barked a bit, sounding oddly like a mix of the digitized and mechanical, and a normal dog.  He looked at Master through new, electronic eyes, and agreed.  Nothing would ever take him away from Master, ever again.  Mr. Chips would see to that!   He cuddled with his master, while taking stock of his new systems.  His chassis was bulletproof and light, and his systems were ridiculously advanced.  Somehow, Master had turned him into a weapon!  So be it, thought Mr. Chips.  If anyone tries to hurt Master, I’ll stop them.  No matter what.  I love Master, and Master loves me. 

 

Mr. Chips snuggled closer with Master, and yipped again, and Master held him close, tears of joy staining his bulletproof fur.  For a short time, all was right with the world.

 

 

*              *              *

 

 

Victor Franco ended his call, and smiled that chilling smile he often had... the kind of smile that spoke of pain given, and pain received.  He called it his ‘predator’ face and he wore it so often, it was trademark.  Very few people had ever seen him otherwise, except perhaps his little sister Susan. His team of toughs and thugs waited anxiously. 

 

“We just got the word - Keith found some records at city hall that Dr. Pierce’s aunt bought a warehouse on the lower east side - but with money transferred from Dr. Pierce’s accounts.  I suspect he’s holed up there - so we’re going to go get him, and bring him back to Mr. Trask - alive, mind you - and toss the place for any data he stole from Mr. Trask while we’re at it.  Then I send him a message, and we come back here.”

 

His men nodded - they knew the drill.  Marco, Tony and Sal were reliable, if unimaginative muscle that Victor used quite often.  They knew enough about Victor to stay on his good side, and they followed orders relatively well.  It was a decent working relationship.  They got in their cars, and drove out to the warehouse.  The night was cold, dark and rainy...  A storm that threatened to become much worse had broken just a short while ago, and the whip, whip, whip of their windshield wipers beat a rhythmic cadence as they drove. 

 

They arrived at the warehouse - a large sheet metal building with two stories, two loading doors for trucks, and a number of side entrances.  It was rusting a bit, being poorly maintained, and the white paint was flaking off the sheet metal.  It looked like it was dying... and maybe it was.  It had lain neglected for many years.  If Doctor Pierce was inside, there was little clue.

 

“This is the place.  Let’s go inside.”  Victor parked the car, and got out, Marco following him.  Tony and Sal pulled up in their vehicle, and parked beside them.  The doors seemed locked, and there appeared to be cameras above the doors of the loading docks and the side entrance.  A few minutes with some lockpicks opened the doors, and the four of them went inside.  Victor motioned for the others to take the lead, and they spread out.

 

They were in some sort of office area, near but not in the main warehouse.  Victor motioned his people forward.  Tony and Sal went left, and Marco went right - and heard a rapid high-pitched beeping.  He tried to see what was making the noise - but too late!  Next to him, not more than 5ft away, a booby trap detonated, spraying a cone of high velocity metal projectiles towards him at 3600 feet per second.  Marco effectively exploded into biological confetti, and the blast knocked Tony and Sal to the floor.

 

                Victor cursed.  “Get up and find him!”  He yelled, and Tony and Sal struggled to do so. 

 

They got to the door to the main warehouse, and Tony tried to open it - and when his palm touched the doorknob, he arched and writhed as thousands of volts of electricity coursed through his body.  He tried to scream - but the electricity held him in a deadly rictus.  Sal, not being the brightest bunny in the meadow, tried to pull Tony off the electrified door.  Moments later, both collapsed on the floor dead, electrocuted. 

 

“Fuck!  FUCK!”  Victor shouted.  This was turning into a debacle.  He drew his gun and shot the lock off the door, tossing an office chair at it to open it up...  Stepping through the door, he saw what had happened - Dr. Pierce must have wired the door to a generator and had it booby trapped.  Smart little bastard, he thought.  I should put a bullet in him.

 

“Well, look who’s here, Mr. Chips!”  Justin Pierce’s voice rang out.  “It’s Mr. Trasks’ hired killer, Victor.  Say hello to Victor, boy!”

 

“Yip, Yip.”  The sound of a digitized dog yapping and a real dog yapping mixed together to make an odd sounding bark. 

 

 

Victor looked around, but couldn’t see them.  They must be watching with cameras!  He thought.  He moved forward.  “You know, Dr. Pierce, that this is going to happen, one way or another.  Mr. Trask wants you - and he’s going to get you, and your little dog, too.  You might as well make it easy on everyone.”

 

There was a pause, then some laughter.  “Yes,” came Justin’s voice.  “I suppose he is too stupid to know when he’s lost.  I’ll deal with Mr. Trask in my own time, thank you.”  There was a pause.  “I guess the only question is what to do with you, Mr. Franco?”

 

Victor thought he saw some movement, and fired off two shots - but they seemed to miss.  “You could come peacefully, Dr. Pierce.  I was told to bring you - and I will.  Whether or not your dog lives through the night is up to you.”

 

All Victor heard was laughter over the speakers in the warehouse.  How can this guy be so calm?  Victor wondered.  He’d seen grown men beg for mercy - this bravado of Dr. Pierces had to be artificial!  No one could be this stupid!  Victor saw movement again, and whirled, shooting.  The first bullet missed - but the second hit what appeared to be an animatronic stuffy of a dog - the same kind of dog as Mr. Chips.

 

“What the fuck?!”  Victor asked himself.

 

Mr. Chips watched the human that was threatening Master.  He was armed with a standard hand gun - not really sufficient to cause harm to his chassis - but which could cause considerable harm to Master if he got a lucky shot.  His sensors could detect above average strength, stamina and reflexes in the human before him - not superhuman, but only barely so.  Victor was a threat - and he was threatening to hurt Mr. Chips and Master. 

 

“<Allocate target!>” a robotic voice said, coming from Mr. Chips. “<Initiate response...>” The tiny robot dog walked towards Victor Franco, his mouth opening as he went, a small lambent flame flickering in his mouth as a nozzle emerged from his chassis.

 

“You think this stupid toy will stop me, Doctor?  People like you are dangerous!  You’re a hazard, and Trask knows how to keep you under control.  Now come out now, or I’m going to have to get really fucking rough, Doctor!  What do you say to that, doctor?”

 

The voice on the speakers crackled.  “I say no.  Mr. Chips, see to our guest, please.”

 

Mr. Chips nodded, and yipped in agreement.  The bad man wouldn’t threaten Master again - he wouldn’t threaten ANYONE again.  Mr. Chips pumped volatile fuel from his torso out the nozzle in his mouth, and the flame on the end of his tongue ignited the fuel mixture, turning into a 60 foot long ray of flame, a flamethrower of lethal strength. 

 

Victor screamed before he died.  He screamed a lot.

 

Mr. Chips smiled to himself.  He protected Master.  He was a good boy!  He turned, and returned to Master.  They were together again - this time forever.  It would never go back to the way it was before, with the pain and the hurting and the tears.  Never.  Mr. Chips yipped in joy.  He would keep Master safe...  He promised.  Master would never cry again!