Chapter 30
Badges, We don't need no Stinkin Badges!
"Ha ha ha. Kill people, are you serious?" Luke said when Scott posed the question to him. "I only make party favors and android entertainment for parties. Yeah, the only way I would kill people is if they happen to die laughing. You should have seen yesterday's birthday party and you would know what I do."
"Well we did catch that birthday party yesterday, we were on the balcony, and personally I didn't think you were a killer. Hi, I'm Gordon Ranks, make that Don for short." Ranks said as he extended his hand toward Luke.
"Hi, Lukecaid, call me Luke. Good to meet you." Luke said as they shook hands.
"Same here, I love your work, it's so life like. Hard to tell from the real thing." Ranks said as he indicated the window display and shop models.
"I strive to capture that life like quality in all my pieces and for the most part I get what I want. That young ladies full beauty still eludes me in some respect." Luke said as he pointed at the model of Andrea. "I know the product is good but her live, up close and in person, she's simply glorious. Put the two together and my results dims in comparison." Luke slowly shook his head as he relayed what he thought were faults in his rendition.
"So you only make party favors, but I hear someone has taken your product and turned it into a very destructive device, designed to inflict maximum damage to whoever is within range." Scott said then added. "That is unless you're not the only one who makes androids with her likeness."
"You sound like a cop, you're not a cop are you. If you are I need to see your credentials." Luke said a little taken aback.
"Sorry Luke, please forgive him." Ranks interrupted. "He's in sales and he's always so pushy. I can assure you he's no cop and he don't got no stinkin badges." Don laughed at his own joke. "Our job is to find saleable items that we can market to make a profit, that's all."
"Right, sorry, I didn't mean anything by my questions, it's just something I heard, sorry." Scott added.
"Well, ok, but for your information I am the only one that makes this product and if someone is altering it for some other purpose, rather than party entertainment, I would certainly like to know about it." Luke said as he held up one finger indicating he was the only one.
"Us too, we wouldn't want to purchase an item for entertainment when that same product was being used for destructive purposes." Scott replied as he tried to lesson his accusations toward the shop owner.
"Is there any way we could talk to Andrea, just to make sure she hasn't modeled for someone else without your knowledge?" Scott asked.
"I don't know, don't know if she would allow that, but hey, about that use of my android, I have to find out if that is true." Luke was considering his responsibility if he were being used somehow. "You've got me thinking, that's why you had that look on your face when I told you about my android going 'Poof'? You thought I was making some type of explosive device, that's what you thought? I'm right aren't I, you did think that?" Luke's questions hit the nail on the head and Scott couldn't deny it.
"I must admit, I had put two and two together and I guess I got more than the correct answer. And yes, it did cross my mind and I saw this picture, that picture was simply disturbing to say the least." Scott nodded his head as he spoke.
"Look, I'm intrigued and I have to know. I really mean it, if someone is using my product for destructive purposes, I have to know." Luke paced back and forth as he spoke. "I have to know. I will try to contact Andrea and see if she will meet us. She won't believe me when I tell her what you think, I know she won't."
Don and Scott waited while Luke went to his office and the video comm. He was in there at least a half hour before he returned.
"She's kind of mad. She can't believe that someone would make up a inflammatory accusation like this." Luke was not a happy camper himself. He was thinking he might have lost all he had worked so hard to gain in respect to his association with Andrea.
Scott cut right to the chase. "Did she agree to meet with us?"
"She said she had to ask her council before she could make a decision on my request. I may have lost it all, she might just write me off as a crackpot. What have I done, what have I done?" Luke placed both hands on his head as he slowly shook it from side to side.
"We're not going to allow you to lose all you have accomplished. If the communications are broken between you and Andrea, we will fix it somehow. You can take my word on it." Scott told Luke. "Come on Don, let's go back to the city and see what we can do. Luke, if you hear from her you can contact me with this communication code. Let's just hope everything goes our way and Andrea would also like to find out who is using her likeness to harm others."
Don and Scott took their leave and boarded a taxi that had responded to their call. They entered the hotel name when requested by the automated voice and the taxi ascended in that usual spiral then entered the flow of traffic headed toward the tall monoliths that were profiled in the distance. As the vehicle gained some altitude Scott pointed out the massive structure as it became visible then added his intentions about giving that place a visit in the near future.