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Free Trader Complete Omnibus

Page 134

by Craig Martelle


  Bounder snarled and barked his dismay, then took a position behind a bed on the other side of the aisle. ‘Can you look for another way out of here?’ Braden asked G-War. ‘I don’t know if we can stop them all.’

  G-War, Fea, and Treetis darted between the beds and down the aisles, looking for the boundaries of the massive space. The Med Bots weren’t interested in the ‘cats, not then. Maybe later, unless the three could find another way out.

  While Braden crouched, he discovered that the beds had wheels. There was a butterfly lever that he flipped and the wheel was free to spin. He wouldn’t have to carry him. They could roll Caleb out of there, if they got past the Med Bots.

  He couldn’t ask Micah to contact Holly, see if he could stop them. Braden and Bounder were on their own.

  “It’s you and me, my friend, fighting the enemies of a free world. We don’t want to do it. They’re making us fight them because they don’t have a Market Square and they really need one!” Braden quipped. He always found humor in the strangest places. If they survived, it would be a funny story to tell. But for the present, he saw more Med Bots than he could count.

  Bounder took the first shot, blasting the lead Bot with his lightning spear. That held the others up for a heartbeat or two as they worked their way past. Then Braden fired, very short bursts at different spots on the Bots as he sought a weakness, the easiest way to kill them. They were round, blocky even, with tentacles instead of arms. They didn’t have something like a head to shoot off, so he shot various places on their body, hoping for something spectacular.

  There wasn’t anything obvious. Two shots anywhere on their body seemed to kill them. If he hit a tentacle, that did nothing except take out the arm.

  ‘We need you to pick up the pace. I’m going to run out of juice before we run out of bad guys,’ Braden encouraged the ‘cats. He started firing at the Bots in order to build a wall of dead bodies to fill in spaces and make it more difficult for the others to pass.

  They stopped coming and Braden relaxed for the moment, knowing that they had not given up. He checked the charge on his blaster. Less than half remained. That wasn’t enough to fight both Med Bots and Security Bots.

  Bounder looked for the ‘cats. ‘Anything?’ the Wolfoid asked.

  ‘Still working on it,’ G-War snipped.

  “Bronwyn!” Braden yelled. “I can’t believe I forgot about you.”

  ‘Bronwyn, are you there?’ Braden asked, ashamed and afraid.

  ‘Oh, yes. I’ve been listening to you all. I found something, and we have new friends, too,’ she said in her childlike thought voice.

  ‘Of course you did.’ Braden laughed out loud and Bounder chuckled, shaking his shaggy head. They were back to business when the pile of dead Bots started moving toward them. Something was pushing the pile from behind and there was nothing that Braden or Bounder could do about it.

  ‘We need to go,’ Bounder said.

  “Which way, G? We have to go, now!”

  ‘Your left. Hurry, the opening won’t last long,’ G-War encouraged the two. Braden snapped the wheel releases and he and Bounder began pushing the table. They picked up speed, holding Caleb with one hand while pushing with the other, It was awkward, but faster than if Braden had been carrying the large man.

  Treetis waited for them and as soon as they saw him, he turned tail and ran down an aisle that led back to the main door. G-War was right, there was a gap where the Med Bots had gone toward the back after the human and the others up front had not yet joined them. Braden and Bounder pushed Caleb, thankful that the aisle was straight.

  Treetis ran ahead, tail held high. G-War and Fea were near the front door, waiting for the others to open it. They looked impatient and Braden understood why. The Bots had picked up on the plan and were trying to cut them off. G-War and Fea stood against the door together and it started to move. They pushed one side open, and G-War blocked it with his body, but after seeing Braden and Bounder coming at breakneck speed, he thought better of being in their way. He dodged beyond the door into the hallway as the table hit the other door, careened sideways and dumped Caleb unceremoniously onto the floor as both Bounder and Braden tumbled over top of both.

  Bounder was up first and fired his lightning spear at the closest Bots. The sparking end of the spear crackled right above Braden’s head as the Free Trader struggled to drag Caleb far enough down the hallway so he could prop him up to throw him over his shoulder. Bounder blocked the doorway and fired again and again. Braden kneeled as he pulled Caleb upright, grunting with the effort.

  “Come on, Bounder, time to go!” Braden yelled out the side of his mouth. He couldn’t turn as he kept his focus on moving forward.

  ‘There’s a Security Bot exiting the gate. It’s coming around to the front,’ Zyena told them as she dodged away to keep from getting shot.

  Braden hesitated and Bounder bumped into him.

  ‘We can’t go back, my friend,’ Bounder said as he fired two more times into the mass of Med Bots squeezing into the hallway. Without pause, they pushed the wreckage in front of them, defeating Bounder’s attempts to block the hallway to give them more time to escape. ‘We have to go forward and soon.’

  The people up front were standing, mouths agape, as they watched a sweating Braden hurry through the area while the Wolfoid fired his spear down behind them. When Braden reached the front door, he saw the Security Bot hovering outside, shimmering. Braden put Caleb on the floor, leaning against the wall as he joined Bounder and fired mercilessly into the Med Bots.

  “No sense going out the front door. It has its shield active, and that means we can’t fight it. The tunnel is unguarded, but there’s no one left to go. And Brandt is in here somewhere, too!”

  ‘Don’t worry, my friends and I are coming. We’ll be there in just a few heartbeats,’ Bronwyn offered.

  ‘No!’ Braden countered. ‘Don’t come here, Bronwyn, please. Find your way to where Aadi and Pik are. Take Micah and go back to the island.’

  Bronwyn ignored him as she walked into the street at the front of a mass of misfits, a shuffling, limping, screeching mass. She led them to stand between the Bot and the front door. The misfits pressed in on the Security Bot and it moved backward.

  ‘Come with us and we’ll get Brandt. My friends know where he is.’ The teenager waved at Braden to join her. He repeated the process of picking up Caleb, wondering how the big fisherman was getting heavier each time. With one last shot, Bounder backed out the front door behind Braden. The Med Bots remained inside with the group of confused young people. Braden hid behind a misshapen creature that seemed to be a cross between a tree and a very tall man.

  The Security Bot seemed surprised by the mob, but the Professor had centuries to build and reprogram these Bots, which were different from the ones at New Sanctuary. These were far smaller, pseudo-man-shaped, and seemed inclined toward capturing living creatures, not killing them, although it did go after the Hawkoids. It could kill, but chose not to.

  Braden shuffled around the corner, staying behind his large protector while Bronwyn kept the mob going in one direction, kept them between Braden, the ‘cats, and the Wolfoid. The Bot stopped shimmering and surged forward, pushing into the mob. They stood against it, trying to hold it back, but it used its tentacle arm to push them out of the way. Bounder was against the wall, blocked in by Braden and the mob. He braced his spear and stood tall, showing his fangs and growling as the Bot cleared the misshapen creatures.

  Bounder fired his lightning rod again and again. When Braden saw the Bot coming, he pulled his blaster and was as ready as he could be with Caleb balanced on his shoulder. He fired, too, not bothering to pace his shots. He held the trigger down and danced the narrow beam across the plates of the Bot, looking for a seam. This Bot didn’t go easily. It whipped its tentacle at Bounder, but its fine motor skills were already suffering from the withering attacks. Bounder used his spear to block the tentacle as Braden continued to fire. When the Security Bot explo
ded, the mob ran. With most of the explosion contained within the extra plating that this Bot had, those nearest were pummeled by the concussion from the blast, but not shrapnel. Bounder was slammed against the wall, fell, and was on his feet in a heartbeat. Braden had been thrown past the corner of the building and landed with a pile of misshapen bodies.

  They helped him get up, even offering to help carry Caleb. After the run, he needed their help. “Thank you,” he told them, touching each and looking at them like friends, as Bronwyn had told him they were. Bounder joined him as four from Bronwyn’s bunch carefully picked Caleb from the street and waited for them to continue.

  Blood leaked from the Wolfoid’s ears. Braden wiped a drop with his finger and looked at it.

  ‘My ears are still ringing but at least it didn’t zap me!’ Bounder said in good humor.

  Braden was starting to run out of energy. He looked at his blaster. A minimal charge remained, just like with his own body. At least with the others carrying Caleb, he could rally to find Brandt.

  When Braden looked up, he saw Micah, an arm over Pik’s shoulder and a blaster in hand as they waited at the large gate on the windowless side of the building. He felt immensely better. The ‘cats were already rubbing against her legs, letting her know that they were pleased to have her with them. Braden didn’t usually get that treatment, but he didn’t let it bother him. The ‘cats would do as ‘cats did, and no one completely understood their ways.

  Bronwyn grabbed Braden’s hand and led him toward Micah and Pik. Bounder walked at their side, limping slightly from what he called, “nothing.” The others followed, carrying the unconscious Caleb.

  Micah and Pik staggered toward the mob. She looked at her father. “What happened?”

  “Old Tech, Med Bots, the Professor, and Gloria. That’s not a healthy combination. I’ll tell you the details once we are out of here. Let’s get Brandt and go. Bronwyn? Lead on,” Braden said in a tired voice.

  She asked her new friends to help and they rushed to her aid, forming around her and the rest of the companions as they chattered on their way to the gate. Once there, they pointed at the hand-pad. Micah put her hand on it and it flashed red. Braden got the same result.

  “Holly?” Braden asked his partner.

  She nodded and opened her neural implant. Holly flooded in with effusive praise and appreciation that they were still alive. ‘Holly, we need this gate open,’ she ordered.

  ‘I can’t do that, Master President. This system is closed to me,’ Holly replied.

  ‘There’s an AI down here, called Gloria. Does that help?’

  ‘I’m sorry, but I suspected that an AI was behind it all. For a facility to expand like this one has, and then go on a search for people to fill it demonstrated a higher level of thinking than Development Units are capable of,’ Holly replied apologetically.

  When Micah shared what Holly had told her, Braden wasn’t surprised. Holly usually didn’t tell them the whole truth. He shook his head and shrugged.

  ‘What can you do for us, Holly?’ Micah said, exasperated.

  ‘I need access to a terminal. I cannot get into Gloria’s system. She is different than the spaceship, oddly enough. It didn’t have an AI integrated with its systems. Atlantis, it appears, does,’ Holly added.

  “So, we need to find a terminal of some sort?” Braden asked. Micah nodded. Braden turned to Bronwyn’s bunch. “You’re saying we need to go through this gate?” They nodded emphatically.

  Braden waved Bounder away. He pointed his blaster at the pad and fired a short burst. It sparked and smoked. He pulled on the gate, but it wouldn’t move. He dialed the setting to broader beam and fired at the hinges on one side, then the other. The blaster sputtered once and stopped. It was done, but Braden was just getting going. “Help me pull this gate open,” he yelled as he seized the small handle and started pulling. Misshapen hands grabbed at it and pushed and pulled. The gate started to rock inward, snap back toward them, then rebound further inward with the next push. They rocked it for just a few heartbeats before something snapped with a loud bang. The gate fell over on top of them. With the force of many hands, they threw the gate to the side.

  Braden walked through as the mob attacked the other panel of the gate. He looked at Micah as the companions worked past the frenzy and joined Braden. Aadi appeared over the mob, swimming slowly toward them.

  With a big smile, Braden welcomed his mentor. “I am glad you’re here, my old friend, but stay behind us. We’re not sure what’s ahead.”

  ‘Truer words were never spoken,’ Aadi replied.

  Gloria

  ‘Can you take my father back to the ship, Bronwyn? No matter what happens, get him back to the ship. Maybe Holly and the Med Lab on board can help him,’ Micah pleaded with the teenager.

  Bronwyn wanted to wait for Brandt and the others. ‘Zeeka, please go with her,’ Micah added.

  ‘The tunnel entrance is clear,’ Zeeka stated. Bronwyn gritted her teeth, but nodded. She waved at the mob and they followed her carrying Caleb as she headed toward the radial that would take them to the tunnel.

  Braden and Micah watched them go. When they turned back to the task at hand, they discovered the ‘cats were gone.

  “G? Where are you?” Braden waited, unsure if he was supposed to follow the ‘cats or let Bounder find the scent. The misfits who knew where Brandt was had left. “There seems to be a flaw in our plan to use Bronwyn’s new mob to help us,” Braden said.

  ‘Bronwyn, can you ask your friends where Brandt is?’ Micah asked.

  The girl answered almost immediately. ‘Keep going straight to the back of the area. He’ll be there.’

  “Straight ahead!” Braden called triumphantly.

  ‘Be quiet, there are Bots in here,’ G-War retorted. Braden looked at his dead blaster, then to Micah. She handed hers to him. It had over half a charge remaining. Braden sighed and hoped that he wouldn’t need to use it.

  They continued forward. Braden pushed Aadi in front of him as they had no more rope with them. Things had been lost as they’d run from one crisis to another.

  ‘Security Bots are stacked in an area here, but they aren’t powered up. It looks like storage,’ G-War told them, sharing what he could see, although it looked dark to the humans.

  ‘Do we need to go that way?’ Braden asked, seeing what looked like an enclosed space.

  ‘No, but the door is open.’ The ‘cat left without making a sound. As the others approached, he continued ahead to where Fea and Treetis waited. Braden tiptoed past the open door, wondering if they should leave someone there to guard it, but instantly discounted the idea. They were better together and there was no one he wanted to leave behind.

  They continued forward. Braden held the blaster in his hand, ready to fire. He kept looking back. The Security Bots behind him ripped his focus in two.

  ‘It’s here,’ G-War said mysteriously. They saw the ‘cats and started moving faster. Braden let go of Aadi and maneuvered into a firing position. Beyond G-War, the twin of the Gloria Bot floated.

  “I thought we killed you,” Micah said flatly.

  “Of course you don’t think you killed me. You know AIs better than that,” Gloria replied.

  “We’re just here to get our friend and leave,” Micah said. Braden watched carefully, thinking as the Free Trader in how to negotiate with the disembodied entity known as Gloria.

  “You most assuredly are not,” Gloria said. “Where is the Professor? What happened to the laboratory here? Where are the Security Bots?” she asked rhetorically. Neither Braden nor Micah tried to answer.

  “Dead and destroyed, that’s what. All by your hand, too,” the AI raged. Micah had kept her neural implant open in case they ran across a terminal that Holly could use to access the Atlantis AI. The New Sanctuary AI observed the words and behavior of his counterpart.

  ‘I fear the AI has gone insane. Maybe I can talk with her directly,’ Holly suggested. Without waiting, Micah watched a stream o
f data pour into the window before her eye, then it compressed until she could no longer see individual characters, then it became a single blob as the neural implant drew more and more energy from her. She would have fallen to her knees if it hadn’t been for Pik supporting most of her weight. He shifted his grip as he held her upright.

  Braden joined his friends as Holly waged war with the Atlantis AI, using Micah as a conduit. The Bot hovered, giving no indication that it, too, was a conduit. Somewhere inside the complex, the real battle was waged in a system that looked like the protected area where Holly lived, an area that no one had ever been allowed to see, because it was built within the foundation of New Sanctuary, where no human had access.

  Braden and Micah didn’t push the issue because Holly responded to them, saved their lives, and helped save the people of Vii. They had installed the safety protocols that Holly used to prevent a future war like the one that had almost destroyed their civilization. They tolerated his peculiarities as he tolerated theirs. Despite withholding information from them, they considered him to be a friend.

  Once G-War saw that the Bot was engaged, he ran around it, followed closely by Fea and Treetis. Braden saw them go, and he and Bounder moved around the other side of the Gloria Bot. It didn’t bother with them. They ran after the ‘cats, leaving Pik holding Micah.

  The battle between Holly and Gloria was fought in the darkness of their digital worlds. She blocked him as he tried to gain access to her systems. She countered with a program to dive in through Micah’s neural implant and get to Holly back in New Sanctuary. She tried to take over the satellite repeater that Holly used to link to the implant, and she almost made it, but Holly countered by flushing the protocols and rebooting the system. Gloria lost the link, but had it back an instant later, where she found Holly digging into Atlantis through the sanitation and air circulation systems.

  Everything was linked in Atlantis–it was the only way that Gloria could maintain the systems with little to no interaction with the humans and her other creations. She shored up those systems, hardening them from external interference by breaking the wireless connection. They were all hard-wired originally, so she restored those access protocols, which caused Holly’s attack to fail.

 

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