The first two pages

Conrad Darden was a little nervous and sitting in an old truck in the pouring rain for an hour hadn't helped much. So this is where she lived. She was the reason for his fear but he didn't know why. It simply wasn't in his nature to be afraid of anything. Anyone who bugged him didn't live long. He studied the old house through the broken window of his rusty old 1962 Ford Pick-up. He bought the truck for this job but the owner didn't tell him how bad it leaked. At least he could add this one to his collection. Maybe do a full restore and sell to collectors. He couldn't use a modern car in his line of work.

Inside every new car by law was installed a virtally tamper proof device called CPD or Child Protection Device. Seems harmless enough, right? In the beginning the name fit the device well and was welcomed by most. In those days it made sure the car-seat was ok and the seat belts were fastened. That was almost two hundred years ago. Since then computers have become incredibly smart and the C.P.D. was no exception. Simply walking past a modern car could capture your DNA. Teenagers as we all know have always loved the privicy of cars. The Child Protection Device in the end did the most harm to the very people it was designed to protect.

The CPD reported everything in it's reach to the government clearing house for crimes. You couldn't drink and drive or even talk too much. The device listened to conversations so saying curtain things would bring the thought police to your door. Sure the device saved lots of people like the kidnapping victims of a hundred years ago. Nobody kidnaps anymore. Drug dealers are pretty much history. The computers track everyone's income and spending. The cars won't let them get away with anything. Slowly change the laws over many years and who's going to notice. Of course there are exceptions to anything and Conrad was one of them.

He was Jake Johnson’s head of operations on Johnson Enterprises Terraform project on the planet Mars. One of Jake's pet projects was the Child Protection Device and he placed Conrad in charge of production after the Mars project ran into problems. Nothing like controlling the world with their own technology. He enjoyed pulling millions from bank accounts a few dollars from each person without them knowing. Adding an extra program to the CPD was easy when your the one in charge.

The little bitch upstairs in the old run down house threatened to end all the fun he was having. Never mind computers, this kid made them look stupid. She was always one step ahead of anything around her. Somehow she knew something was going on and made friends with Jake Johnson. She was giving him advice and warnings about my projects. She was too darn smart for her own good. Water ran down his back into his pants and made him shiver.

The rain was letting up but still made enough noise to cover his entry into the old house. He had done his research and knew enough about the layout of the house and the Girls bedroom to enter swiftly and get the job done. Still he was nervous because he hadn't killed anyone in years and she was so darn young. The plastic bag on the seat next to him had everything he needed. He took the bag and pulled the antique 357 magnum out of it's holster. He loaded six waddcuter hollow-point bullets into the chambers.

Couldn't use a modern laser weapon or the CPDs in every car on the street would report. Satisfied that everything was in order he opened the rusty old door and stepped out into a slight rain. He hid the gun under his arm and walked around to the sidewalk. An old lady across the street gave him a look of some kind. He wasn't sure if she wanted to kiss him or call the cops. He pretended to check his tires for a short time just in case. She didn't look at him anymore and went back into the house.

He walked across the lawn to the side of the house and looked back to see her through her window sitting in her living room staring at him. He walked back to his truck and got inside. On the floor next to him is a small long case. He opens the case and removes rifle parts. Within seconds he completes the assembling of the weapon and mounts the scope. One thing about Conrad was his shooting marksmanship. He never missed plain and simple. One more item completed the weapon. It was placed over the barrel to cut out the noise. There was no reason to disturb the neighbors.


The old lady was still sitting in her chair when he pulled the trigger. The 222 went through her head leaving only a tiny hole. Good he thought, that takes care of that. Back at the side gate he slipped through and went to the unlocked rear window. Once inside he slowly crept upstairs. Halfway up the stairs one of the steps made a creaking sound and Conrad froze. He listened carefully for any sign that the family had heard anything. There was nothing, no sound at all. He wasn't his normal self like in the old days or he might have realized that no sound at all is a little strange.

He took another step up the stairs and made it to the top. Her bedroom was to the right down the hall. In the low light he could make out the slightly open door with a sign that said Princess. Other signs said Get Lost! and Beware the Girl. Very funny, he thought. The thing about these old houses was the carpet all over the place made it easy to be quiet. The problem was the static electricity shocking him every time he touched anything. Hope I don't have to go to the bathroom, he thought. Ok, not far to go. Must be careful because this girl can be dangerous.

She has gifts that I can't began to understand. Not far to go, just a few more steps. I've came this far and I'm not going back to prison so I must get this job done. He pushed her bedroom door open and stepped inside. There she was on the bed. The strange Child that could send him back to the pokey. Not gonna happen bitch. She was an extremely beautiful child with soft blond hair and slightly tan skin that gleamed in the faint light. Conrad raised his 357 Mag Pistol and aimed it at the Girls head. Suddenly strange thoughts filled his mind.

What's wrong with me? He thought. Just get rid of the bitch so she won't ID him to the Company and of course the Police. He wanted to squeeze the trigger but somehow he couldn't. Something taped him on the shoulder. What in the heck was ... he turned to see two giant barrels aimed at his head. A shotgun? He hadn’t seen one of those in years. "Drop the weapon!" said a firm female voice. He was sure those two barrels held at least an AmRam missile and pictured his head blasted into outer space. He dropped his pistol to the floor where it discharged and promptly blasted his big toe into history.

Conrad lost his temper and slammed the girls gun with his arm causing her to blast a huge hole through the roof. Every policeman in town was there in minutes. Both of them. They handcuffed Conrad, slapped him around a little and were ready to transport him to jail. The only problem was he wasn't there. They saw him one minute and he was gone the next. Not only was he gone but he was really pissed. The city of Nova Beach California and especially it's children would never recover from Conrad's evil plans. It was he that controled the CPDs in evey car in America and beyond. And nobody knew except one little blond teenage girl.

In the end the adults will pray the children are smart enough to save them!

Thank you for reading. Still working on this project.