Previous Story: 46. The Research Console - Part 1
This is bizarre.
Lance’s life had taken many strange turns since the crisis that had stranded him in San Lazaro. But this – riding his horse, Charger, around inside the First National Bank – was perhaps the strangest of them all. After he and his fellow Peacemakers had successfully defended the bank against the Red Dragons, Buck and the others had left him to keep an eye on things. Lance was happy to oblige, especially as he felt there was something odd going on. Even though the bank seemed empty, Charger was on edge; and Lance couldn’t help feeling he was being watched.
As the horse’s hooves tapped on the expensive floor, Lance guided it past the pillars, some of which were damaged from the firefight. He halted Charger in front of the main window, patting him to calm him down. He looked out at the streets and was glad to see no one around.
Charger shied suddenly. Lance thought he’d heard something – a weird metallic clank. Then he heard it again. It seemed to be coming from the wall above the counters. Lance guided Charger as close as he could and listened again. There it was: from the air duct near the roof, an odd scuttling noise. He heard it once more and then it seemed to fade away.
Lance shrugged and sent Charger back towards the vaults. ‘Okay, boy, a last look round then we can head home.’
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Kuklacı called it Ada. She wasn’t sure why; she just liked to give old-fashioned names to state of the art tech. Ada was her newest creation, a four-legged, spider-like robot. It was waiting for her at the air duct at the rear of the bank.
‘Good job,’ she said, picking up the robot and placing it in the back of the van. She climbed in behind it and shut the door. Plate was in the front, behind the wheel. They had been sent there by Cyborg, who was also keen to get his hands on the valuable DNA drive.
‘Got it?’ asked Plate.
‘Got it,’ replied Kuklacı. ‘Shame about the drive.’
‘Yeah, I wonder who got there first.’
Ada was equipped with an advanced anti-security module. It had infiltrated the vault but found no trace of the device.
‘At least we’ve got some useful intel.’ Kuklacı tapped Ada affectionately. It was also equipped with a multitude of visual, audio and other sensors which they could analyze later back at the mansion. They all agreed it was important to know about the other groups still active in San Lazaro.
‘Ready to roll?’ asked Plate.
‘Let’s go.’
Next Story: 48. The Research Console - Part 2