Daemon

flat screen television shattered. The whole thing folded over itself like a big wax candle. Blue-hot sparks scattered like marbles across the concrete floor. The safe room sprinklers popped and started raining over everything to no effect.
    Hollis’s recorded voice still spoke to him over the speaker-phone as he sat in a catatonic state, while the sprinklers soaked him with freezing water.
    ‘Pure math frees us to create unlimited profit.’
    Already the torch had finished cutting through thevault-like door. In a moment a huge section of steel fell forward with a crash that shook the concrete floor. The door’s edges still glowed red. Hollis turned to watch with the detachment of someone on morphine.
    As he began to feel the heat of the flames outside and inside, even through all the water raining down on him, the killing machine entered his safe room and unfolded both sword blades with swift precision. The bike was stained with cooked blood and charred flesh. Steam rose from its metal frame.
    Hollis put the pistol against his head as the killing machine moved toward him. It raised its blades in the same way he’d seen it do with Metzer.
    There was no escape. Hollis pulled the trigger.
    Nothing happened. The safety was on.
    Hollis’s own words were the last thing he heard as he fumbled for the gun’s safety switch …
    ‘The beauty of it is: they can’t afford to let us fail …’