Taylor said, “Maybe you can, but not without us reviewing it first.”
Klasky was silent, gazing at the screen. He almost seemed like he was in a trance.
Brodie said, “Major.”
The man snapped out of it, then looked at Brodie and nodded slowly. He leaned over, typed something, then said, “I’m going to take a stroll.” He patted his walkie. “Give a holler when you’re done so I can lock up.”
Brodie nodded. “Thank you for your assistance.”
Klasky headed for the door and left.
Brodie and Taylor sat in silence for a moment. Then Taylor said, “This might be everything, Scott.”
“It might be. Let’s see.”
Taylor was looking at something else on the screen. “What’s that?”
She pointed to a small white window on the desktop labeledTerminal. Within the window was the text:
python eyesopen.py
Suddenly they heard a long clanging sound. The two agents shared a look.
The sound grew louder and became more rapid, metal banging against metal.
They both shot up from their chairs and looked toward the room with the glass window.
Number 4—Lou—was writhing up and down on the table, struggling against its restraints. It broke its right arm free, reached up, and ripped the data cable from its head.
Then it turned and looked at them.
CHAPTER 38
THE D-17 KEPT ITS SENSORS LOCKEDon them as it struggled against its remaining restraints. Then its left arm flung upward as it broke free. It used both arms to break its chest restraint, then sat up on the table.
Taylor whispered, “Scott…”
He grabbed the thumb drive out of the computer and pocketed it, and they both backed away toward the door to the lab as they watched Lou struggle to break free.
Taylor said, “It… it doesn’t even have its key installed.”
“The key was bullshit, just like everything else at this place.” He walked quickly to the door, throwing one last look at Lou as the bot used its hands to rip off the remaining restraint on its only leg.
Taylor grabbed Brodie’s arm. “We need to leave.”
Lou slid off the table onto its leg, almost lost its footing, and slammed its titanium hands against the glass to retain its balance. Its black slit remained locked on the agents through the window.
Brodie grabbed the handle to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. He tried again, twisting and yanking on it as hard as he could.
“Oh my God,” said Taylor. “He fucking locked us in.”
Brodie looked at the tin man’s titanium hands pressed against the thick glass, and he wondered if the thing was strong enough to break through it. Maybe. Brodie was quickly learning that a lot of the security at Camp Hayden was as artificial as the tin men.
But Lou didn’t try to break the glass. Instead, it hobbled over to the door.
Taylor ran to the only window in the lab, a rectangular opening about six feet from the ground.
She stood on a chair and tried to rattle the window open, but it was either locked or stuck.
