“How are you feeling today?” I climbed into the passenger seat of the car and buckled my seat belt.
“Better, I guess. I still feel like there is a huge gap up here.” I pointed to my head.
He smiled and nodded towards the road, "Are you ready to go?”
“Never been this ready for anything before.” I grinned.
There was only one road leading out of town and Sam was waiting at the entrance. He leaned on the side of his truck with a heavy look in his eyes. My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach, the first thing that came to my mind was him not letting us go to the house.
“What’s this about?” I shifted in my seat.
“He knows what we are doing. This must be about the meeting he attended this morning.”
Ryder pulled the car over and put it into park, "What’s up boss?”
Sam walked over and knelt down by the driver’s window, "Two things before you guys head out.” He looked both directions before continuing in a lower voice, “I want you to be careful. This man was a technological genius and we don’t know what he could have left behind. And secondly when you get back we need to do a crash course in combat training for Grace, we have a mission. No one else knows who she is yet. Best to keep that under wraps I think.” He sighed and glanced back at the town.
Ryder nodded.
“I don’t think that things are as secure as they once were here.” Sam added before taking a step back from the car and allowing us to leave.
“What kind of mission do you think that he is sending us on?” We were on the main road.
“There has been talk about the facility you escaped from; they think that there is information there we can use.” It wasn’t long until we pulled off the main road and onto the old dirt road that led to the lake house.
A mile down the road we passed through a damaged gate that had once blocked the driveway. The lot was massive, a house, garage, boat house, and a separate cabin rested next to a dock that was partially submerged in the lake. Everything looked weather beaten, but perfectly intact.
Ryder parked the car in front of the main entrance, a huge door that was two stories high.
We sat in quiet for a moment and then I opened my door after I decided that waiting would accomplish nothing. Ryder joined me on the other side of the car. He didn’t say anything even though I could see on his face the urge to say something.
“How hard do you think it is going to be to get in?”
“Worst case scenario we break a window and then we have someone replace it…” he inspected the windows either side of the door.
“I’d like to avoid that if at all possible.” I walked right up to the front door and placed my hand on the wood. There were no handles or knobs. There weren’t even any visible hinges holding the massive doors in the frame. I wondered how one would open the door at any normal point in time. I reached out and pushed on the door, it didn’t budge.
“Over here.” Ryder was standing at the left hand side of the door.
There was an electrical panel on the wall. He opened the panel’s door, and inside there was a small computer screen, a key pad, and a ring that could fit a person’s hand.
Ryder reached out to put his hand into the ring.
“Wait.” I held out my hand to stop him.
“What,” he jumped back.
“I don’t think that it is going to work for you.”
“You scared the crap out of me.” He pumped his fist a few times taking a deep breath and a few steps back clearing the way for me.
Please insert hand flashed across the screen.
I stood in front of the box and took a deep breath. I reached out to put my hand in the ring. I stopped; I had no idea what was going to happen. I clenched my fist, gritted my teeth, held my breath, and put my hand into the ring.
The ring closed around my wrist snuggly. It resembled a mechanical iris.
“What’s happening?”
“Nothing yet… It’s just getting a little snug.” I tried to pull my hand out, but it wouldn’t move. The harder that I tried to pull, the tighter the ring got around my hand.
I started to panic.
“Talk to me Grace.” He was also beginning to panic.
“It won’t let go!” I was now pulling with my other hand.
Beginning DNA scan… flashed on the small screen.
I heard a humming coming from inside the wall and then it felt like electricity shooting trough my hand.
I yelled out in surprise.
Ryder grabbed my wrist, and gently tried to pull it out of the wall.
“No, no. Stop, stop.” I pulled his hand off mine.
“But, Grace…” He tried again to pull my hand free.
“There is a count down on the screen, only two more seconds.” I pointed to the small screen.
He let go of my wrist.
The countdown finished, and the pain stopped. The pressure released and I pulled out my hand squeezing it repeatedly, and shaking off the pain.
“Are you alright?” He took my hand to inspect for injury.
“I’m fine.” I pushed him off focusing on the information flashing across the screen.
"Grace Madison, Access allowed. Is guest welcome?” the computer spoke aloud. The question also displayed on the small screen.
“Yes.” I shrugged to Ryder.
"What type of access should guest be allowed?"
“Um…”
"I’m sorry, your options are A) Minimal access, this allows for access to only the entrance area, and escorted areas of the house. B) Medium access, this allows for access to all areas, except those that have been deemed private. And C) Maximum access, this allows for access to the entire complex at all times."
“Maximum access.”
”Very well, please submit guest for a DNA scan whenever convenient. There is a DNA scanner located in lab number one. Thank you.” The computer screen flickered off.
The doors started to click loudly, and they slid into the walls on either side of the doorway.
There was a man dressed in a butler’s uniform on the other side of the door. He smiled from ear, to ear, "Ms. Grace Madison I had almost given up hope that you would return. Mr. Madison did tell me to never lose hope.”
“Who are you?” Ryder and I walked into the dimly lit room from out of the sun.
“Where are my manners? Mr. Madison did program me better than that,”
“Programmed?” I interrupted him.
“Yes, I am PCD-003. I am here to serve. Anything that you need ma’am, you have only to ask.” he happily bowed as we entered.
“What are you?”
“I am an android constructed by your father to assist him and your mother in daily duties. They were always so busy. They didn’t have time for simple things such as cooking and cleaning.” He sounded very human for claiming that he was an android.
“003? Are there more of you?” Ryder asked.
“Yes sir, there are four of us. There is a mechanic, he is two. Four is a doctor, here to help.”
“And the first?” Ryder was walking around looking at the paintings on the walls of the entrance hallway.
“Yes, Mr. Madison constructed a prototype that I have never seen. I don’t know what happened to him. Only your father knew about his details.”
“Do you know what he was constructed for?” I paced around the room checking for dust. There was none.
“I do not know ma’am”
“Could we get a tour of the house?” I asked.
“Of course.” He held out his arm. I walked in the direction that he was pointing, "The kitchen and the dining room are through here.” There was a long table in the center of the room with a crystal chandelier over the center.
We walked to the right wing of the house, "There are twelve bedrooms on this side of the house, all with their own bathrooms.”