“Does anyone else know?”
“No.”
Window two, the four IWs turned the corner laying eyes on the lab workers who were asked to leave. The bullets moved faster than their mouths that wanted to call for help. Bodies fell on the crimson floor.
Ray still couldn’t find that console.
“What about this shit?”
He had no idea who was talking, his eyes locked into the computer in a third window.
“Just me and my team you sent away.”
He found the console. He began typing a warning.
“Keep it that way. We can’t have this getting out, not yet—”
His hands weren’t fast enough.
The door ripped open like a tin can, four IWs with four silenced pistols raised running in. They didn’t need to aim. Curving bullets always hit their targets, especially those twitching from a psychokinetic stun. Miguel, John, and the lab tech lay in a sea of red, and it expanded enough that you couldn’t tell whose blood belonged to whom when it mixed.
Ray remained in his chair, the feeling of defeat, and failure prevented him from doing anything else. He sat there looking at the pad’s screen, his punishment for not moving quick enough and losing focus in his search for the truth.
Flames erupted with a snap of red glowing fingers. They spread fast. Way too fast to be natural fires. One of the IW stopped and looked directly at the camera. He made eye contact with Ray like he was there in person watching.
“I see you.” The IW said, seemingly to Ray.
All cameras went black after that. He disconnected from the network in a hurry, just in case. Ray flicked off his pad, and it shrouded him in darkness. He sat in his chair for an hour, maybe longer. He was too frightened to move, too frightened to call the police, too frightened to think of a way to deal with a threat that was literally a walking WMD that moved with no one knowing.
He had the truth recorded on this pad. And if he remained silent, he was sure he’d die along with it. But if he got it out now, while he was still breathing, the world might fight back and defend itself from IWs seeking revenge against humanity.
Ray went for the hotel suite’s phone, dialing his editor’s number. He spoke when his face appeared on the screen.
“I got more on the airport attack,” Ray said.
“Shut the fuck up.” Steven grinned. “You’re the man right now.”
“It wasn’t a terrorist attack. It was the Federation. They’ve been weaponizing their IWs in secret.”
“That’s a big scoop … and a little hard to believe.”
“I got the proof and a lot more with a psytrip memory sphere. And get this; the Alliance was trying to keep a lid on it.”
“I don’t know about this one.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
“Federation IWs killing Alliance people on Alliance soil? This could start some shit.”
“It’s the truth and the people have a right to know.”
Deep sighing on Steven’s end. “Let me think about it—”
“Don’t think, do it,” Ray cut in. “My last article … hasn’t it driven up traffic and revenue?”
Steven nodded stroking his chin. “It has. That’s true.”
“I have a lot of shit, breaking news stuff that nobody else knows. They will know soon, however. We can beat every news organization to the punch right now if we run this story. Think of the revenue it’ll bring.”
A five-second pause on Steven’s part. He finally answered. “Send me what you got ASAP.”
Ray’s pad powered on again when the call ended, illuminating his dark room with the screen’s backlight. He loaded his word processing software and began typing away the first draft of a new article. The article that would be read around the world once printed. It was up to the people in the Alliance and Federation to do their jobs and prevent a war with the knowledge Ray had to feed them.
If someone had Arianna, then they’d need to release her, because the gig would be up. And if she’s gone into hiding because of this, then she can come out soon.
Everyone would be exposed the next morning.
Twenty-Nine
Estrella
Federation this, Federation that.
It’s all Estrella heard and read about after she awoke the next morning. She regretted jacking into her pad. The images and words from the news were forever burned into her system logs.
Sometime, early in the morning, the Alliance Star released an exclusive front-page story, with additional details about the JFK International Airport attack. IWs with cyberware, manufactured by the Federation’s largest corporation, a bunch of AIT agents, and morgue workers dead. Their charred bodies were pulled out from the morgue after a team of IWs moved in to silence them.
The news was picked up fast in the media across the Alliance, and soon afterward, the EU and probably the African Dominion by now. Doubtful the New Soviet Union or Federation ran anything on it as censorship was all the rage out in those parts of the world. Though, Estrella had doubts they’d censor the story about a fleet of Alliance warships in the Pacific prepping to move out.
And who was the reporter? Ray fucking Partington, of course.
Estrella groaned, sitting up quickly from her bed, her breasts shifted about in the process. It was another humid night with the AC burning out.
It’s like every time I look, there’s a big fucking finger pointed at the Federation. She reached for a long tank top, pulling it over her head. Its ends barely covered her panties. Geoffrey, how’s that decryption of Ray’s phone coming?
Almost complete, however, accessing Ray’s contact number directory will take longer.
Shit, and that’s the one we need the most. His New York phone number should be stored there.
You can pass the time by reviewing the data I have decrypted so far.
Such as?
Piper and Ray sent many messages back and forth and made a number of calls.
Geoffrey’s black cat hologram sat next to Ray’s phone on her desk. She approached the device, sliding it in her hand, viewing its screen. Estrella made a face at the decrypted text messages and call logs. Piper was his source.
That would be the correct assumption. The Alliance Star was known for being the first to get breaking news regarding IW crimes committed in the city.
Piper was giving Ray the heads up before everyone else clued in. The two ran a side-by-side comparison of the dates Piper contacted Ray and the news articles he wrote. Most were twenty-four to forty-eight hours apart. She did it a lot.
Piper was also the one that knew of your actions when you first arrived in the city.
The wall incident. Estrella licked her lips, thinking back to the grilling she got. Piper mysteriously had that information, and Estrella saw Ray in the area. After that, he posted a report on his blog, using his hacker screen name. That’s how Piper found out.
Ray most likely entered secretly, made the scans, then forwarded his findings to Piper, hoping she’d follow up with more information.
She put the phone back on the desk. That means Piper has something to gain for helping him. The question is what?
According to his phone logs, Piper reached out to Ray first.
And no one else I’m guessing. Estrella brought up Ray’s file photos in her left eye. She looked at his beaming face on the photo which had Arianna hugging him from behind. Estrella’s twisted lips remained still. What makes you so special, Ray?
His hacking blog, perhaps? Geoffrey suggested.
Which he’s trying to keep a secret. She sat down and rested her legs and bare feet on top of her desk, not caring her panties were exposed. Not that anyone could see her. Admittedly, he did a bad job of that. But I doubt Piper made the connection that he’s the hacker too.
She focused again on Ray’s photo on the phone, zooming in on the blue-eyed hippy girl hugging him with a smile brighter than his. Estrella was asking the wrong question. Arianna, it has to be Arianna.
Perhaps. Ray has mentioned in a text sent to Piper that he and Arianna were in an intimate relationship.
Piper gets word he’s close to Arianna. Estrella snapped the fingers on her right hand. It was a weird feeling since the NC gauntlet was off. She feeds him news tips to keep Ray happy and talking to her. Then Arianna travels overseas on business, and on the day she’s returning …
I see. Geoffrey clued in. Her family is attacked by Nobuo and weaponized IWs.
And at the same time, JFK gets hit, supposedly by weaponized IWs from the Federation, and the SWAT armory, Ray’s home. Arianna goes missing, along with her father. She clapped her hands firmly. That’s it!
That’s what?
The Bald Skulls. What were they trying to do when we first got here? Kidnapping that family. What did they do the next time we heard about them?
They abducted an unregistered IW in public, followed by an adult psytrip actress.
Right, all were unregistered IW telepaths, same with that family. Piper’s working for the Federation, I’m sure of it. She’s a spy sent here to scout out targets for whatever it is the Federation is plotting. Piper must have been using Ray to learn about Arianna and her family, and when she’d be traveling away to the EU. The skulls were just hired guns going after targets she pointed them to.
Then why did Nobuo want to know where the gang was?
Because of me. Think about it? I’m not supposed to be here. Nobody was expecting me to bring to the LAPD’s attention that they were dealing with a Buenos Aires IW gang that was personally put down by me. Me opening my mouth fucked up their plans, and the skulls became a liability to the Federation IW’s plot. They needed to get rid of them and do things themselves.
She was still uncertain how the Bald Skulls were chosen for this. Her best guess was Federation agents revived them in the hospital, reported them dead, and then shipped them out of Buenos Aires to work for them. And that work? Locate and capture all unregistered IWs with telepathic powers.
It was a slick plan. Nobody in Buenos Aires would ask what happened to the bodies of the Bald Skull members after they were disposed of, and nobody in LA would recognize who they were, not with the high IW population, and new gangs spawning daily in the city.
That’s quite the accusation, Geoffrey commented.
Estrella nodded in agreement. We’ll need to find proof to make sure I’m right. That shouldn’t be hard now that we know what to look for. Her thoughts went back to the breaking news. Zhang Industries were the manufacturers of the cyberware the Federation IWs in New York had. Yo, Geoffrey, is there a way we can learn who made Piper’s RW cyberware?
Not without removing them from her body.
Fat chance of that happening without killing her.
Actually, there is one method we could attempt.
Shoot.
Your nanites. If we can inject them into Piper’s body, I could remotely command them to run a scan of her internal cyberware.
She grimaced and crossed her arms. Sounds way too simple. What’s the catch?
Piper’s life support nanites will see it as an intrusion and seek to remove them. You will have to directly administer the nanites into Piper’s body. From there I will have a matter of seconds to conduct a scan before her AI eradicates them.
And how do we do that? Doubt she’ll let me inject her with my nanotube or NC gauntlet.
I will have to synthesize a small concealable delivery device. From there it will be up to you to make contact with Piper physically, inject her, and hold it long enough for the nanite swarm to enter her system.
Geoffrey began a search through his database, looking for an item that could give the results. Estrella reached for her phone, sat up straight, making sure only her face would show up in the video call. The tank top she wore and everything below would reveal too much.
She dialed the number and waited for the caller to pick up.
They did.
“Hey, Piper, it’s me, Estrella,” she said waving to the pixie kiwi’s smiling face. “You free for those drinks you talked about earlier?”
Thirty
Ray
Ray had that dream again. He was in Arianna’s body, and this time he was facing his own. It was the last night the two were together, only the memories played from the perspective of Arianna. He went through what she did, felt the emotions she felt, and saw how he looked through her eyes.
It was weird, especially when he felt a pair of hands caress Arianna’s breasts. They were his hands. He felt himself touch Arianna. And now that they were naked on the bed, he was about to feel his own penis penetrate her. He felt her become wet as they fucked, her breasts shaking with each thrust. Women experiencing sex was a lot different from how he imagined it to be, especially the orgasm that hit seven minutes into the thrusting. His mind wasn’t sure how to process the feeling of female orgasms, and the fact he didn’t have to ejaculate semen. That, too, was weird.
The dream ended. It sent Ray sitting up from his bed in the hotel he stayed at. His deep breathing was the only sound heard, his penis hard from the dream. Don’t get him started on that. The glow from New York’s neon and hologram ads bled into the suite’s window, the sun was still hours away from rising.
He sat at the edge of the bed, still confused about the memories that weren’t his stuck in his brain. Still emotionally scarred at the grim reality that he may never see Arianna again, and she’d never know of the ring he bought her that was resting on the nightstand.
The door made an electric whistling chime. His body jolted at the sudden shock of the unexpected sound. Someone in the hall was requesting entry. Ray’s phone flashed the time when he gave the screen a tap, 3:34 a.m. Who could that be? Ray mused.
Ray remained silent, even when he approached the door, tiptoeing to it barefoot. A screen near the door control panel listed the visitor outside as room service, a secondary typed message had an apology for the early call, claiming the room service team had a long day ahead and needed to start now.
He didn’t buy the story. They would have posted a memo about this if that were the case. Ray said nothing more and tiptoed back to his bed where he would have been had it not been for the dream. A lingering sense of paranoia told him to be on edge. He wasn’t out of this yet. That paranoid voice was right.
The person outside the door opened it and entered. Ray rolled off the bed, then under it. He saw a pair of boots meander within the darkness of the suite, the neon glow of New York gave it an eerie feeling.
“I don’t see him,” said the owner of the boots walking about, who was clearly not room service as promised. He was glad he didn’t open the door and meet them face to face. He probably wouldn’t have a face anymore. “Understood.”
The intruder was one person and was communicating with another. If Ray had his gear, he might have been able to hack into their device and listen in to the conversation. He watched from under the bed as the boots went for the closet, slowly making their rounds in the room. The intruder was hunting him.
Ray was panicking. The only place left to search was his bed and the washroom. His options for continual survival shrank with each second. He saw the back heel of the boots. The intruder was searching the desk. They turned their back to the bed. Ray dragged himself across the floor like he was a ninja. He heard his heartbeat, and a part of his brain told him the intruder would too unless he calmed down. He remained prone in the darkness after he left the protective cover of the bed. Still crawling across the floor, Ray made his way into the washroom. He was too scared to see if the intruder was looking at his phone and tablet.
Inside the washroom, he got to his feet and eyed a fire extinguisher resting in its storage alcove. He reached for the small wall panel next to it, tapping the only button. The glass covering the alcove pulled up inside the walls. Ray’s confidence grew slightly when he held the heavy red object in his hands.
Backtracking was no longer an option. Moving forward was, and what was forward was the
bathtub. Ray strode briskly to it, his shoulders brushing against the towel holder in the darkness. By the time he climbed inside the damp tub, he noticed the towels had shifted. He really hoped they didn’t plop to the floor. It was silent enough that even a bath towel falling would be heard.
His eyes remained locked on the darkened towels slowly slipping from their rest on the wall. Sweat moistened every inch of his body, and his heart felt like it had engaged in a boxing match with his chest.
He heard the intruder speak to whoever they were communicating with. “Found his phone and tablet.”
Just take it and leave. Ray didn’t care at that point. He just wanted tonight to not be the last day he was alive.
The towels fell from their rest on the wall. Ray screamed internally as they dropped in slow motion, making a soft plop sound on the ceramic tiles of the washroom floor. Footsteps came next and neared the washroom door, following the source of the soft plop, and echoing their terror throughout the suite. The lights turned on, and the intruder was inside the washroom. Fear pulled the hairs on the back of Ray’s neck. He kept his body within the tub as low as possible.
More echoing footsteps mixed within the thumps of his heart and rapidly breathing chest. The washroom wasn’t very large, it would be seconds before the intruder neared the tub and pulled the shower curtains away to see the cowering Ray holding a fire extinguisher.
The footsteps stopped, and if he were to guess, the boots that made them were next to the tub. Now or never. Ray waited for the sound of a hand pulling back the shower curtains and then let self-preservation and animal instinct thoughts take over.
They pulled the curtains back.
Ray leaped up, swinging the fire extinguisher, screaming, and panicking. He shut his eyes. It was a bad idea considering he needed his hand and eye coordination working at top performance to make the extinguisher hit something. Fear was the biggest motivator to do stupid things.
Cyber Witch Page 23