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Killing with Kindness an AP story

Chapter 2

Closing her eyes, Karen took another sip and let the tension slide from her, fully relaxing for the first time since the morning. She saw a shadow cross the light under her eyelids and opened them to see a woman move to sit across from her.

The woman, dressed in jeans, a leather vest, with her long hair pulled back into a pony tail looked at Karen for a long time not speaking as if reading her like an open book. “I didn’t expect to ever hear that, not here of all places and not by…” She stopped, looked at the bartender, and then back at Karen.

Karen looked at the woman closer, what she thought at first was dirty blond hair in this gloom turned out to be light brown streaked with gray. “Tommy?” she asked and at the woman’s nod continued, “Gramps… um Robert Brown told me to come see you.”

Tommy smiled, “Bobby? How is he?”

Karen looked down not making eye contact, “they got him. He’s in happy village,”

“They?”

She looked up a tear rolling down one cheek, “the robots have him… he told me. . . gave me. . .” she stopped words failing her and thrust the paper at Tommy. Without warning the door was thrust open with a loud bang slamming against the wall. In walked a figure, Karen looked at him and said with surprise, “Clint Eastwood?”

Tommy looked at the woman across from her, and then at the figure standing in the door way, “No… Cop AP!” The figure turned and headed towards the booth, “Damn you’re hotter then a burnt bearing,” She glanced at the bartender and nodded once mouthing “Cover us.” Grabbing Karen’s arm she said, “We need to get out of here now!”

Karen felt herself being dragged from the booth and as she looked on the bartender reached under the bar, came up with a shotgun and shot the AP. With the sight and sound of the shotguns blast, people screamed and scattered. In shock she saw the man take a step back from the force of the blow and then start forward again; shiny metal showing through where the blast shredded his clothes, behind him his twin brother stepped into the bar.

Tommy yelled, “Run,” as she pulled Karen through the storeroom and out the back door. The shotgun fired again as the door closed behind them. While the front looked shabby the back looked a completely different including several modern cars. She pulled the woman to a red classic vette sitting by its self to one side. Almost pushing her to the passenger side Tommy yelled, “Get in.” and hurried to the driver’s side.

Karen had not closed the door when Tommy put the vette in gear. With tires screaming the car rocketed out of the parking lot passing the two men as they came out. “Shit, Shit, Shit…” She heard the woman say as the vett slid around the corner ignoring other vehicles and lanes. By the time she buckled up the car was flying down a back road, telephone poles passing like fence posts.

Without taking her eyes off the road Tommy asked, “What did you do? What do you know? Who are you?” the questions flying faster then the car. “Hold on!” she said as she slammed on the breaks and turning the wheel hard, the car slid around another corner just missing a road train.

Over and over Tommy pushed the antique corvette to its limits using every driving skill she had as she dodged and weaved to shake their pursuers. After a good thirty minutes she slowed down, “I think we…” Tommy started to say as a blue and white silver ball floated down beside the vette.

Keeping pace with the car, the ball said in a loud voice, “Occupants… stop the vehicle at once. You are wanted for questioning…”

Karen stared at the police orb in shock even knowing it was recording her face. She started to say “Perhaps we,” when from the corner of her eye she caught a movement. The roar of the pistol and the crash of the glass by her head caused her to scream as the orb vanished from view. Looking back she saw the remains flying into a million pieces as it bounced on the ground. She looked at Tommy, her eyes wild and saw the grin covering the woman’s face. “wha… why?” she finally stammered out.

Tommy glanced at the window as she slipped the pistol down next to her seat, “Just five minutes more.” She glanced at Karen and said, “To us buy time,” As the next cross road came up she slowed and took it without leaving rubber before speeding up again. Again a turn taken slowly Tommy looking left and right muttering “where is it. . . where is it.” Slowing more she turned the care up an abandoned farm drive. Stopping at an old faded red barn she jumped out calling to Karen, “help me get the doors open.”

Karen got out and with trouble pulled her door open. She waited confused as Tommy drove the vette inside and then helped her close the doors once more. She looked at the woman who ether saved her or buried her into more trouble and said, “What is going on? I don’t understand any of this.”

Tommy looked at Karen as she tucked the pistol into her pants and shook her head, “Not yet. . . Help me cover my baby.” She pulled a musty smelling tarp from one side of the barn and with Karen’s clumsy help covered the car. Hurrying to the other side she let her hair out of its pony tail, slipped on a pair of greasy coveralls that had the nametag Tommy on them, and put on a Mack truck baseball hat before looking at Karen. Looking around she grabbed an old grubby shirt that someone had been using as a rag and tossed at Karen, “wear this and wipe some grease on your face.”

Karen looked at the shirt in her hands, not only was it filthy but is smelled like the person who wore it before her had not bathed ever. She was about to protest when the sounds of sirens went screaming by. Looking towards the door she started to put it on over her blouse and then at Tommy’s shaking head removed her blouse and put the shirt on “Ewww gross.” She helped Tommy uncover the other vehicle that turned out to be an old beat up wrecker with the name “Bubba’s Wracking Service,” on the side.

Tommy looked at Karen and shook her head. Opening the door to the truck she got out an old cap that said “Peterbilt sucks!” and wiped some grease on her face. “Think redneck and don’t say a word,” she instructed Karen as they were driving away.

They drove without speaking, the tinny sounds of country coming from the truck’s speaker. After a time Tommy turned into a service station that looked as if it were in business back during the Great War. She pulled into one of the service bays and without a glance left or right walked through the service station and out the back. There she got into a pickup truck, reached under the floor mat for the key, and with Karen following confused drove away. As Karen opened her mouth to speak Tommy said, “shh… not yet,”

Finally after several hours of driving Tommy pulled up before an old country house. “This way,” she said and led Karen up the porch and the old man sitting there. As she passed him they nodded at each other and she tossed him the keys, “Thanks Jake.” Going inside Karen could smell fresh baked apple pie and hear the sounds of someone moving around in the back of the house.

Tommy led the way to a closet and said, “get in.” Pushing Karen in she got in behind her and pushed a hidden switch after the door was closed. The back wall opened up reveling a modern drop tube. With a relieved smile Tommy stepped in and descended out of view.

Karen followed her and once she got to the bottom she was struck dumb. There, to her amazement was fully modern house underground. Her delight and amazement turned to fear when she noticed that the other woman was holding the pistol leveled at her.

“Strip,” Tommy said and when Karen made no move to comply added, “I need to make sure you are clean.”

Karen, in shock, moved to comply. When she was down to her bra and panties she heard Tommy tell her to take it all off. Blushing furiously she removed them and stood there not sure what to do next. She watched as the woman picked up a scanner and ran it over her body without a sound. She was about to ask for her clothes back when Tommy ran it over her clothing and purse with opposite results. “Oh my,” is all she could say looking at the bugged clothing and purse. She watched as Tommy grabbed everything and hurried to the kitchen and stuffed each piece into the trash.

Pushing a button Tommy smiled at the bright flash, “there. . . now they can not track us… this way,” she said leading Karen into the house deeper. “Welcome to my humble abode,” she said as the woman, Karen still trying to cover herself followed meekly. She glanced at Karen and said, “One more thing and then we will both get answers.” Leading the way over to what looked like a tanning bed with closed sides Tommy gestured with the pistol and said, “Lay down, I need to change your looks.”

Karen looked at the bed. “Is that?” she started to ask but Tommy’s nod stopped her. “I thought body transformers were outlawed.” She said looking closer at the bed and attached computer.

Tommy smiled, “this is the prototype, the first one we built and tested.” She powered up the computer before continuing, “Now, lie down and relax.” She forced Karen in and closed the top. As she listened to the soft thumping coming from the panicked woman, Tommy filled the chamber with gas putting Karen to sleep.