by Eric Warren
“Great. Then all of us will be careful and get nothing done in the process.” There was an edge to his voice.
“Just bring yourselves back in once piece,” Jill said, resigning herself.
“We will. Use this channel if you need to get in contact with us again.” Frees ended the call.
If she could have slammed something down she would have. She didn’t like the fact they were stuck over there, cornered and no closer to their goal. And she really didn’t like Max bringing the other human here, but what choice was there? They should never have agreed to this. It was days like today when Jill really wished alcohol had an effect on her.
Fifteen
Arista glanced at him. “Was that Jill?” she asked. Frees nodded, tapping the end button on the console.
“I’ve been meaning to ask,” said Shin, sitting cross-legged in one of the chairs. “Why no skin?”
Frees really didn’t want to go into the details of his relationship with Marcus, the diseases, and his personal afflictions with matters relating to the organic persuasion. Especially not with a stranger. “It’s a longer story than I want to tell.”
“Fair. But we do have an abundance of time.”
“Do we?” Frees asked.
Shin pointed at one of his monitors. It showed the time as a little past noon. “We cannot venture out until dark. Until you have better camouflage. The cameras,” he said, “They don’t work as well at night. Hard to detect you.”
“What did she say?” Arista said, moving over beside Frees.
He kept his gaze from her. “They have to abandon the gate for now. The patrols have been randomized. They don’t know when they can get back.”
“Which means we don’t know when we can get back either.” Arista turned to Shin. “I guess you don’t have any human food here, do you?”
Shin shook his head. “Nothing like that for a long way.”
Arista threw up her hands, one reflected the light. “Great. I knew I should have packed something. Why would they have randomized the patrols?”
Frees inspected Shin’s equipment. Some of it was very sophisticated. More sophisticated than even what he’d had at his old apartment. Were they really that much more advanced on this side of the planet? “Hopefully we’ll be back before your hunger becomes a problem. There’s water, though, I saw it on the way in.”
“Yum. Sewer water.” He cut a glance at her as she brushed the hair from her eyes.
“Oh, it is not from the sewer,” said Shin. “It is runoff from the roof. We can purify. Completely safe.”
Arista raised her eyebrows and gave Frees a look that said: can you believe this guy? Frees had to work to stifle a laugh.
“Here,” she said, standing. “Let me use the comm. I want to let Sy know we’re going to be held up.”
“Jill will do it,” Frees said.
“I know. I’d just feel better if I can give her a heads up.”
Frees stood at the console a moment, then moved away. “Go ahead.” He turned to Shin. “If it’s okay with you, of course.”
“Yes. Please. Use it.”
Shin must have been collecting all this equipment for years. Building his own little resistance all by himself, just like Frees had done back in his apartment. Though it seemed Shin was a little more inventive about it, more efficient at least.
“Thanks,” Arista said and remotely connected her comm with the control panels. Frees stepped away just far enough to make it look like she had privacy but close enough to hear the conversation. A surge of guilt moved through him. Arista had given him space when he called Jill. And even though she knew about his earlier subterfuge hadn’t insisted on listening in to their conversation. So why was Frees so paranoid? What was it about this other human that had him tied up in knots?
“Sy?”
“Hello, Arista,” Sy said on the other end. Their voices were low but Frees could just make them out.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. Max informed be Peacekeepers might be on their way, so we’re taking refuge in your friend’s house until we can figure out a way back. Are you alright?”
“We had a run in with the Peacekeepers here. You were right about Hogo-sha, he’s already upped his defenses. He was ready for us.”
“Already? How is that possible? I thought you’d have at least another few days. He’s moving fast. But don’t worry. You have everything you need in your hand to take him out. You’ll make it through, then you can come back to m—”
“So!” Frees almost jumped at the sudden appearance of Shin at his side. “What is life like in Chicago? Without Charlie? Without subjugation?”
“Uh…it’s great…I guess,” Frees said, turning his head a little more. He’d just missed part of the conversation.
“Much freedom over there now? Everybody happy?”
“Mmm-hmm.” Frees said. “I mean no, we haven’t had a chance to free everyone yet. Just small, isolated pockets.”
Shin leaned in. “How did you do it?”
Arista laughed at something Frees didn’t catch. He strained to hear better.
“Frees?”
He turned his attention to Shin, annoyed he chose this moment to be talkative. “What?”
“How did you do it? How did you kill Charlie?”
“Oh, we just destroyed the support structure holding him to the ceiling. He came crashing down, destroying himself in a way.”
“Did you destroy the main CPU?”
Frees turned away from Arista. It was clear he wasn’t going to hear any more of that conversation without brushing Shin off. And alienating someone who had just volunteered to help them and provided them refuge was not a smart plan tactically. Not for the long run.
“The main CPU? I don’t think so. But the crash was pretty spectacular. Any components inside were most likely crushed.”
“Yes. Crushed.” Shin stroked his chin with his gloved hand. “I am sure you are right. And it does not matter. The CPU by itself is not dangerous. Only when…” He mimed plugging something in. “Then you have problems.”
Frees made a mental note to tell Obsidian to check for a CPU in Charlie’s wreckage the next time Arista talked to him.
“I apologize,” said Shin. “You are probably trying to listen. I will speak with you later.”
Frees moved to object but Shin waved him off and walked away. He’d wanted to protest; to tell Shin that he was wrong and that Frees was being nothing more than a good friend, but he got the sense it wouldn’t matter to Shin. It didn’t seem like he saw the world that way. And he was concerned for Arista. But there was something else too. Something he couldn’t put his finger on.
Arista finished up the call and tapped the end button on the console. She drew a deep breath in through her nose. Why of all days did the Peacekeepers have to pick today to begin randomizing their patrols? They should have just done what she’d suggested two weeks ago which as to seek out each of the Peacekeeper patrols and change them on the spot. But Jill said that could lead to anarchy, they needed to make the changes slow and gradual otherwise a lot of people were going to get hurt. Better to start out small. Though Arista wasn’t quite sure she believed that. Maybe she should have just gone with her gut. It seemed to be pretty reliable so far.
“Everything okay?” Frees asked as she joined the others.
“Yep, never better. Max hasn’t killed her yet so I think it’s going as well as we could ever hope.”
“Who is Max?” Shin asked.
“She’s one of the people who I turned,” Arista said. “She’s not a big fan of humans but sticks around because she can’t stand the idea of going back to her old life.”
“Which was?”
“I think she was programmed as some kind of antisocial person. Always poor, always down on their luck. I haven’t been able to get a lot out of her.”
“So you have more people helping you?” Shin asked. “How many?”
“Only Max and one other,” Frees said. “Not a lot of
people want to fight for to save their own race. Even after Arista’s changed them.”
“That is sad,” Shin said. “I could never imagine not wanting to help. It is my lifeblood.”
“Well, you’ve helped us plenty, my friend.”
“Speaking of which,” Arista said. “Would you be interested in helping us to get to Hogo-sha?”
Shin’s jaw tightened. “I don’t know how I can. I don’t have weapons like you do.”
He probably just meant Frees as he looked at his hand when he said it. And why wouldn’t he? He hadn’t seen Arista’s weapon in action yet. No one had. She was equal parts excited and terrified of what it might do. Sy had said only use it when necessary because it could cause significant damage. Unnecessary damage if used in the wrong situation. Not to mention she was still getting used to actually having a hand again. To touch and grab things again, and feel those sensations travel down her arm and up to her brain. It was the best feeling in the world she could imagine.
“But you know this area? I’m not sure I could find my way out of here without you,” Arista said. It was a lie of course; the Device had mapped their entire route. She could find her way out of here with her eyes closed. But she hoped to inflate his confidence. If he knew as much about the rest of this city as he did about this one small section, he could be invaluable.
“True. I do have geographical knowledge.” Shin bowed his head for a moment, silent. Arista wanted to prod him again but a look from Frees told her to wait.
“Okay. Yes. I can help you reach Hogo-sha. It is not too far and I know where the Peacekeepers live. We can make it.”
“Where they live?” Frees asked.
“Yes. As in, where they are rooted.”
“Where they are stationed!” Arista said, taking a step forward. “Got it.”
Shin smiled. “Hogo-sha is in the top of his tower. Top floor. Obtaining access will be difficult. But possible. With continuous effort.”
“The top of the tower? Not the basement?” Arista asked, widening her eyes.
Shin shook his head.
Why had she automatically assumed all the AI’s were in the same place? They were individuals after all, so perhaps it made sense they kept themselves in different locations.
“I am curious,” Shin said as she was thinking. “You said Hogo-sha keeps humans?”
“I said he might. Charlie did,” Arista said, that familiar pit developing in her stomach. She’d gotten some temporary relief when it looked like they might not reach Hogo-sha; but now it was a possibility again. A strong one.
“If he does, what will you do?” Shin asked.
“I don’t think I have a choice. I’ll have to save them.”
“What?” Frees said, turning to her in alarm. “How are you going to save them? We don’t exactly have access to a transport. And even if we did how would we keep them alive? Keep them fed? We can barely do that for you.”
“We can’t just leave them there. And I can’t kill them again, Frees, I just—” She slapped her new hand over her mouth a second too late. The material hurt, but she barely felt it as her eyes slid to Shin.
“You…killed your own people?” Shin asked, his gaze not wavering from her.
“I didn’t have a choice at the time,” Arista said. “I didn’t know how to save them. And leaving them alive meant Charlie had something over me. Something he could exploit.”
“So. You killed them to save yourself?”
“Yes. And Frees. And everyone else from ever having to deal with a Peacekeeper again. Once the current line runs out they’ll be extinguished forever. At least in North America.”
“Unless Hogo-sha keeps making them. He could send more over to make up the difference.”
“Which is why I suspect he has them. And something else. Something that keeps me from influencing them. I want to know what it is.”
Shin thought a moment then shrugged. He looked at Frees. “Don’t look at me, I don’t have a clue,” he replied.
Sixteen
They ended up taking a different way out of Shin’s hideout back to the surface, through a series of tunnels Arista wouldn’t have even known were there had Shin not showed them. He kept them away from the most crowded areas, only venturing out into the streets when it was necessary. The city was alight with neon and activity. From the edges of the alleys the glow of the city permeated everything. It was almost like they were inside one large machine instead of a city. Arista couldn’t even tell how tall the towers reached; they seemed to morph into the starless sky.
“This way,” Shin said, leading them down a deserted street. All the shops and businesses were long closed and boarded up.
“More efficiency?” Arista asked.
“Hogo-sha is always making changes. Shutting things down. Consolidating. Our city’s power grid has increased in efficiency by twelve percent over the past year.” Shin turned back to them. “I monitor all.”
It was odd. Seeing a street so empty and desolate so close to the bustling activity. But Arista was thankful for it. Otherwise they’d have to move among the throngs out there. And according to Shin there was a good chance Peacekeepers had been placed at strategic points around the city.
“Do you expect a lot of resistance when we arrive at the tower?” Arista asked.
“Yes. He will be ready. But I know another way in.”
They walked for another couple of blocks, the Device taking note of the route and certain landmarks. The complexity of the streets was nothing like Chicago which was laid out in a relatively simple grid pattern. Osaka consisted of clusters of streets in all directions, five-way stops, diagonals, curves and turns and streets that came back on themselves. It seemed the topography of the city had determined its layout instead of the other way around. Without the Device she would have easily been lost.
“There it is,” Shin said, pointing to a large building in the distance. Unlike the others around it, it supported no neon signs or anything to make it stand out other than its height. It was taller than she could comprehend and looked as if someone had stacked a group of very tall, flat mirrors on top of each other. She could easily make out open areas within the structure itself, she assumed to cut down on swaying since it was so high. It was a wonder she’d missed it when they first arrived, something that massive should have been visible from any part of the city.
“Impressive.” Frees stared up at it.
“Even more impressive when you know humans built it,” Shin said. “One of their last. Hogo-sha maintains it very well.” They both turned to look at Arista at the same time.
“What?” she asked, a shiver running down her back.
“Well?” Frees grinned. “Don’t you feel proud your people did that?”
She rolled her eyes, trying not to indulge him. “I guess. I’m more concerned with what they did after that.” Pre-war humans. Always trying to make things bigger and better. And then they had to go and mess with artificial intelligence. At least they’d survived. At least they’d learned from their mistakes. Sy was proof enough of that.
“How do we get in?” Frees said, giving up and returning his gaze to the building. “It looks like a glass fortress.”
“Crystal City,” Shin said. “The building is connected to many other surrounding buildings with tunnels underneath. We will use one of these tunnels to get in.”
“Won’t those be guarded?” Arista asked. “I mean Hogo-sha knows we’re here. Won’t he have every access point covered?”
“They are on rotation,” Shin replied. “We will have to be fast. But we can make it. Do you need anything else before we enter? No going back.”
She shook her head. Better to do this and get it over with now. Her hand was wet with perspiration and she had to keep wiping it on her jeans. Please don’t have any humans. Please just make this easy.
Shin nodded. He led them through another alleyway that ran parallel to their target. They entered through what seemed to be a deserted office buildin
g and moved down into the basement level. It reminded Arista of Frees’ apartment back in Chicago. Back when she’d been terrified of going into the darkness. Thankfully she’d gotten better about her claustrophobia. All that time in the hyperloop stations going back and forth had eased her anxiety. This was no picnic either but at least she wasn’t outside hyperventilating.
They followed a series of long, dimly-lit hallways. According to her GLS they were approaching their target, albeit slowly. The tunnels seemed to wind around the structure, rather than lead straight in, almost like an old circular labyrinth of ancient Greek legend. Shin stopped them twice for what seemed like no reason at first, only for Arista to hear faint footsteps in the distance. Shin motioned for them both to be silent as they waited. Finally, they moved into the basement of the building itself.
“Funny,” Arista whispered. “If this was back home we’d have him by now.”
“When we get in there you use your weapon on him, I’ll take out the supports holding him up,” Frees said. “Shin, you help us find the CPU. I don’t want to leave anything behind.” Shin nodded. “I will stay out of your way.”
“Where now?” Arista whispered.
Shin pointed to the far end of the basement. “Elevators. There are three banks. No direct path. You have to take one up to sky lobby one, then transfer. Then to sky lobby two for another transfer which takes you to the top.”
“And what are the odds of Peacekeepers on the sky lobbies?” Frees asked.
Shin shrugged. “Maybe fifty percent?”
Frees looked at Arista.
“Or we take the stairs,” said Shin. “One hundred sixty-five floors.”
“I don’t think we have a choice,” she said. “The elevators will get us there faster. It would take me four hours to climb that high by foot. We need to do this now before he gets the idea to set up a force field around himself or something. There’s never going to be a perfect opportunity.”
Frees nodded. She hated doing this to him; he just wasn’t designed to take on his own people, despite how many times he’d done it in the past. She could see it chipping away at him. She would just have to do it. She finally had the capability.