Day 228 - Repeat Offenders - Chapter 9.2 - (1441 words)

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REPEAT OFFENDERS

By Wayne Webb

CHAPTER 9.2

 “What does it do, Ivan?” George the detective was pointing at the single button on the machine, and despite the complexity of the readouts, the wires and conduits running too and from the machine, there was only one button visible on the entire device, whatever it was.


“I don't know, I don't. I'd never even been in this room before, I thought it was ...” Ivan shrugged.


“What, what did you think?”


“I thought it was just a closet, a cupboard or storage, maybe the riser or something.”


“The riser? This is a one storey building, come on you expect me to believe that?” The cop was smiling despite himself, for some reason Ivan's confusion amused him. This was the first unsettling thing he had seen affect the odd and slightly insane man who was caught red-handed, not robbing a bank. None of this made any sense, and up until, even though what he said was a lot of nonsense, he said it with confidence and assured tones. This was the first off-kilter moment, seeing the box with the man in it.


“I don't know, I really don't.” Ivan rubbed his head and then bit into his fist, this was not what he expected, not what he was aiming for and he was not even sure that this was Brian. How could it be, and it did not make any sense to rat the guy out, it could not be the same Brian that he was working with.


“He's a copy.” He finally said out loud.


George rolled his eyes and did not bite at the absurdity of what Ivan was saying, the light in his eyes was back and this must have been back on track with his insanity defence. In other words nothing useful would be forthcoming now. He was tempted to push the button, but doing that without knowing what was going to happen was a bit short-sighted. “Get him out of here.” he snarled at the uniform, angry again that the window of honesty had closed.


The unformed policeman roughly took Ivan, and Ivan pushed back suddenly and with more force than the man in blue expected he could and the two of them lost balance and tumbled into the machine, landing on the button and setting the machine in motion.


“Jesus, what have you done, get him out of here, get the hell out of here!” George took the flashing lights and the alarm sounding in low volume but scary pitch, seriously. They fled the scene, Ivan struggling to get free and stay near Brian, he overbalanced the unformed officer once more and managed to push him through the doorway and then shut it with some force locking it with a clack before anyone else could react.


“That was pointless.” George was still in the room and he held a gun on Ivan, taking a defensive stance and keeping the barrel level, sighted and out reach of the other man. “Stay right there!” He commanded as Ivan took a step towards, then froze in place. “Open the door!”


“Which is it? Stay here or open the door?” Ivan smiled.


“Don't be smart ass, open the door scumbag.” George did not move and kept an unblinking eye on Ivan.


Ivan was watching the machine over the cop's shoulder, saw the door in the coffin like structure open and Brian opening his eyes.


“Uh look out behind you man.” Ivan tried pointing with his manacled hands.


“Uh-uh, stay the fuck where you are.” George was not going to turn around now he had a dangerous and mentally unstable man locked in a smal-ish room with a gun and he was not going to go anywhere near him.


“What is going on here?” Brian asked, coughing on his words, but speaking well enough to be understood.


George could not help himself and he turned, lowering his gun as he did, just allowing Ivan enough time to shoulder charge into him and knock all three men together, to the floor.


“Detective!” A muffled shout came from outside the door.


“Help!” George called, not too proud to say it, “I need back up in here!” Then a sharp thud as Ivan's elbow drove upwards into George's chin and slamming the back of his head against the corner of the device and spinning his world into black.


“What the hell is going on.” Brian was confused and dazed, he did not recognise anyone in his lab, now there was a handcuffed man, a man with a gun and violence playing itself out right in front of him. “what have I got myself into?” he asked out loud.


“Brian. We're surrounded by cops, is there another way out of this place?” Ivan was going through the pockets of George who was semi-conscious and head lolling about in concussion, unable to see or control his movements in the state he was in.


Ivan found the key he was looking for and he unlocked the cuffs, then put them on the detective's wrists, turning him face down and then slamming his head face first into the floor with a thud and the fresh cracking splitting of his nose into the cold concrete floor.


“Hey!” came the shout from the outside, “Get away from the door!” Then there were some thunderclaps of sound and pressure, the door shaking but unharmed. “What the fuck?” Came more confusion and then Brian finally came forward and entered some numbers in the panel next to the doorway. “That should buy us some time.”


He looked at Ivan and the bleeding unconscious cop still none the wiser. “Can you explain? You seem to know who I am? I don't know who you are? What the hell is going on? Are you from my future?”


“Oh good, I don't have to explain the machine to you and the anomaly, the resets and … stuff. I'm not sure I would not sound as mad as the cops thought I was.” Ivan sighed a huge relieved breath and sat back on his haunches, “Thank god you know that much. What was they last thing you remember?”


Brian looked suspiciously at Ivan. “Why should I trust you? You know a lot about my invention, but I know nothing about you. I never mentioned any one I was in league with.”


“You never mentioned? You met yourself?” Ivan was starting to make sense of this.


“I … I still don't know who you are?” Brian crossed his arms.


“Ivan. My name is Ivan and I work for you. Well I work for Mike and he works for you.” Ivan shook his head. “That's not quite right, you're more like partners, and I am...” He struggled.


“A sub contractor?


“If you like yeah, that's fine. I contracted my services through my friend Mike, who well … he and you have a plan that I … sub contract my special skills on.” Ivan looked at the door nervously.


“I needn't ask what those 'skills' are I suppose I can see that for myself.” Brian moved to the door and then threw it open to show Ivan who recoiled as he saw the cops on the other side frozen in place, not moving and holding a battering ram between them about to slam into the doorway.


“What the hell? How did you do that?” Ivan stood and looked out the door and he could see that everyone out there was in place. “Did you? Did you stop time? Does your machine do that too?”


“Evidently I did not share everything with the help.” Brian mumbled to himself.


“What the hell?” George was awake, blood smeared across his lower face and eyes focussing past Ivan and through the doorway. Ivan cocked back a fist but held it still when he saw the glare on Brian's face, he had seen that look before, it was what lead to saving the bank manager from certain death.


“He's a cop.” Ivan said finally lowering his fist. “And we are breaking the law, big time.”



“I figured as much, I told myself my plan, it was not a surprise, I had thought about a lot of it already. This though, you need to tell me everything, we have...” he looked at the device on his wrist and Ivan recognised it as one of the marker bracelets, he had one on in the machine all this time? “...under three hours before this … resets.”