Socrates and the Ionian

by Thomas Fay

  ‘That’s strange, he always answers unless …’

  ‘He’s busy.’

  ‘Things must be getting worse out there.’

  John nodded, thinking. ‘Who else could help with Socrates?’ he asked.

  ‘Simone might be able to. She’s very intelligent and takes after her father when it comes to this sort of stuff.’

  ‘What about you?’

  ‘This is way out of my league. I’m a politician and a strategist. Frost was always the technical genius and Gage the military expert.’

  The mention of Councillor Gage’s name made John flinch. The events of four years ago when Councillor Gage had tried to wrest control of the Ruling Council from Qallan Frost and the mayhem that had ensued were not something he would ever forget.

  ‘So, the Ionians are all specialised?’

  Councillor Green looked at him closely. ‘Aren’t you?’

  ‘Yes, but I guess I thought you would all have some inherent understanding of your technology.’

  ‘Let me put it this way—do you understand how a car works? An elevator? The microwave you use to heat up your food?’

  John nodded. ‘Good point. May I use your phone?’

  Councillor Green touched the screen and handed it to him.

  ‘Thanks,’ John said, taking the phone. He found the call icon and typed in the number for Sentinel HQ. It rang for ten seconds without answer. Finally, someone picked up.

  ‘Sentinel HQ.’

  ‘This is Tesh, ID Alpha-101. I need you to put me through to James Gleason in the tech lab,’ John said.

  ‘Sure thing, Tesh. Connecting you now.’

  The phone beeped several times until someone picked up.

  ‘James Gleason speaking.’

  ‘James, it’s John. Please tell me Simone is still there with you?’

  ‘She is. Hang on a second.’

  There was a momentary silence.

  ‘John, is that you?’ Simone asked.

  ‘Yes. Is everything okay?’ John asked.

  ‘Things out there are getting worse. Flux Cells are collapsing all across the city and the rate appears to be increasing.’

  ‘Casualties?’

  ‘At least a dozen people have been killed or have vanished, which we can assume means they’ve been transported to alternate dimensions. People are starting to panic and the news channels are blaming the Flux Cell. It won’t take long before there’s a full-scale revolt against the Iona Corporation.’

  ‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Did Fernali and Sorensen make it back?’

  ‘Yes, they’re here, along with the three candidates. I heard you had a close call with your cruisers?’

  ‘We lost both cars; all our phones and Socrates got hit with an EMP blast.’

  ‘He should have been able to withstand that unless … of course, the Flux Cell would have leaked a small amount of foreign radiation when it collapsed. It must have interfered with his own Flux Cell.’

  ‘Right. Anyway, the professor managed to reboot him but now he can’t remember anything.’

  ‘Reboot or reset?’

  ‘What’s the difference?’

  ‘If he rebooted him, then his memory should be intact. If he reset him then it’ll be as if the last eight years never happened.’

  John was momentarily speechless.

  ‘I seriously hope he rebooted him.’

  ‘Okay, assuming that’s the case then his neural pathways just need to repolarise fully. His systems have numerous built-in safety features to protect him from exactly this sort of thing. My father was very thorough when he designed him.’

  John suddenly remembered something. ‘Is that why he gave Socrates two power cells?’

  ‘Two? What do you mean?’

  ‘The professor said he had a second power cell but he was unable to determine what it was.’

  ‘I don’t know anything about that. You’ll have to ask my father.’

  ‘I would but he’s not answering.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Alara tried to call him. He didn’t answer.’

  ‘That’s not good. We need his help to figure out how to stop what’s happening.’

  John looked at Socrates, who was walking around the laboratory, examining the multitude of items strewn across the workbenches. He needed the android’s help now more than ever. The city was falling apart around them. They were running out of time.

  ‘You need to get in touch with your father and figure out how to stop the Flux Cells from destroying the city,’ John said.

  ‘What are you going to do?’ Simone asked.

  ‘Try to get to the bottom of this the old-fashioned way.’

  ‘Be careful, John.’

  ‘You too.’

  Simone ended the call. John handed the phone back to Councillor Green.

  ‘I really need another phone,’ he said.

  The professor shuffled forward. He held out his hand. In it was a compact phone, the likes of which John had never seen before.

  ‘What is it?’ John asked.

  ‘Qallan Frost gave it to me on his last visit. I believe he intended it for you.’

  John took the phone.

  ‘Is there a way I can call Frost using this?’ he asked.

  ‘I do not know.’

  ‘Thanks anyway.’

  John put the phone in his pocket, all the while watching Socrates examining the laboratory. There was no way of knowing if his partner would recover his memories or not. Either way, he knew he couldn’t do this without him.

  ‘Councillor?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘We need a lift.’

  Fifty-One

  The chaos spreading throughout the city of Iona was visible from the air. People were running through the streets. Cars, trucks and buses were parked at odd angles, abandoned by their drivers, who were fearful their Flux Cells could malfunction. Shops, houses and offices were emptying as realisation dawned on their occupants that everything was run on the Iona Corporation’s power cell. It would only be a matter of hours before the looting and violence started. Fear and distrust towards the Iona Corporation would tear the city apart. It would be worse than the GEC riots.

  ‘Things are deteriorating rapidly down there,’ Councillor Green said. She was standing in the rear cargo hold of the Ruling Council transport ship. John sat on one of the composite benches, while Socrates stood near a viewport. Rows of Raptor flight modules were stacked along each wall.

  ‘The Iona Corporation was supposed to put an end to the suffering,’ John said. ‘Too many people died during the GEC riots. This wasn’t supposed to happen again.’

  Councillor Green looked at him for a long moment. Then she knelt so her face was level with his.

  ‘I know this is hard for you because of what happened to your parents. It couldn’t have been easy for you to trust the Iona Corporation, to trust us. Now you feel we’re letting you down,’ she said.

  John took a deep breath. If it hadn’t been for his uncle, he didn’t know how he would have gotten over the loss of his parents. He knew it had driven him to become the investigator he was today. To ensure the safety of his city and its people.

  ‘Believe me when I say we want nothing else than to make sure this city is safe.’

  John nodded. Pulling out his new phone, he touched the screen. It sprang to life. A series of icons appeared on the screen. John hit the one to make a call and typed in the Sentinel HQ number. He pressed the call icon. It rang for a long time.

  ‘Sentinel HQ,’ a tired voice answered after two minutes.

  ‘It’s Tesh, ID Alpha-101.’

  ‘Sorry, Tesh. It’s crazy out there. What do you need?’

  ‘I need you to repurpose this number to my Sentinel phone.’

  ‘Hang on a minute.’

  There was a long burst of static as the data was transferred to the phone. A short tone at the end confirmed the phone data had been uploaded successfully.


  ‘Okay, it should work now. You need anything else?’

  ‘Yes. Put me through to Gleason in the tech lab.’

  ‘Putting you through.’

  The tone beeped several times.

  ‘John? Is that you?’ James asked.

  ‘Yes. Is Simone with you?’ John asked.

  ‘She’s right here.’

  ‘Put me on speaker.’

  There was an audible tone. The distant sounds of people shouting instructions filtered through the phone.

  ‘John, where are you?’ Simone asked.

  ‘We’re in the air approaching North Sydney. I need you to check those Flux Cell readings against that address from Muller’s phone,’ John said.

  ‘Okay, give us a second,’ Simone said.

  The Ruling Council transport ship decelerated over the harbour, curving around in a wide arc around North Sydney.

  ‘John, that address …’ Simone said.

  ‘What is it?’ John asked.

  ‘It’s at the heart of one of the densest energy fields. The energy being generated by a large number of Flux Cells is being syphoned to that location.’

  ‘I guess Muller was onto something. That explains why they took him out.’

  ‘John, there’s more. That location, it’s …’

  ‘Simone?’

  There was a momentary silence.

  ‘Simone, what is it?’

  ‘John, it’s one of our facilities.’

  ‘What?!’

  ‘It’s an Iona Corporation R and D facility. Specifically, dealing with energy transference and inter-dimensional stabilisation fields.’

  ‘So, you’re saying the Iona Corporation is behind this?’

  ‘I … don’t know.’

  ‘Have you been able to reach your father?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘What about Councillor Stone?’

  ‘I can’t get a hold of her either.’

  John watched the Harbour Bridge’s arch come into view as the ship banked once more. He remembered their mad scramble to get away from the Council operatives. The confrontation beneath the bridge. Then the revelation of the truth about what the faceless operatives really were.

  ‘This is starting to feel familiar,’ John said.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Frost disappears. Iona starts to fall apart and I’m chasing clues all around the city.’

  ‘You think Gage is behind this?’

  ‘Who else would orchestrate something like this? He’s always been opposed to Frost’s views on how this city should be run. He tried to take control of the Ruling Council and failed. Now Frost has expanded production of the Flux Cell across the globe and given the schematics to private companies. He’s also allowing citizens of Iona to run for a Council seat.’

  ‘So, you think Gage had those candidates kidnapped? That he’s the one behind the androids?’

  ‘Alara said those androids are an older Ionian design, that they were used for space exploration.’

  ‘But … why? He doesn’t gain anything by destroying the city.’

  ‘Don’t forget—whoever is behind this is using the Flux Cells to draw a lot of power for something. That has to be their end goal. Whatever it is, I’m fairly certain we’ll find the answers in your facility in North Sydney.’

  ‘Be careful, John.’

  ‘I will. James?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Did you ever figure out what that device was they were using on the Flux Cells?’

  ‘I’ve got it narrowed down to a few options.’

  ‘Narrow it down further. Fast.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I need to know if someone is pointing one of them at us before it’s too late. Socrates has already taken a hit from an EMP blast. I’m not sure he could survive another.’

  ‘I’m on it.’

  Fifty-Two

  The Ruling Council transport ship descended over North Sydney, its quad engines glowing brightly as it neared the tops of the skyscrapers. A shudder ran through the ship. It began to shake violently. Emergency warning lights and sirens flared throughout the ship.

  ‘Get us back up!’ Councillor Green shouted through the open door to the flight deck. The Council operatives responded immediately. The ship began to ascend. The shaking stopped.

  ‘What was that?’ John asked.

  ‘Electromagnetic field. All that power they’re drawing to this location is throwing out some serious interference. I’m not sure we can get to the building. We’ll have to land further away,’ Councillor Green said, reading off a holographic interface.

  ‘We don’t have time for that,’ John said. He cast around the cargo area. Socrates was still standing near the viewport. Beside him, the Raptor flight modules glinted with a dull metallic sheen.

  ‘What about those?’ John asked, pointing at the Raptors.

  ‘They should work. The Raptor is a relatively simple system, heavily shielded and self-contained. If you don’t land on the actual building you should be fine.’

  ‘Show me how to use it.’

  Councillor Green walked over to the rack holding the Raptors. She pressed a button on the wall. The first Raptor slid forward and unfurled. It now looked like a futuristic jetpack, matt black in colour.

  ‘Turn around, back into it and hold onto these with both hands,’ Councillor Green instructed.

  John did so, backing into the device. The moment he was in position, the Raptor extended two safety straps around him. They interlocked with the arms and jetpack, clicking into place.

  ‘Okay, the controls are fairly straightforward and it’s designed to stabilise based on GPS and a full 3D terrain-scanning feature, so it’s basically impossible to hit anything.’

  ‘Good to know. How do I land?’

  ‘Press this button to land on the nearest surface. The Raptor will do the rest. When you want to take off, hit this button again and push the flight stick up.’

  ‘Got it. Anything else?’

  ‘Be careful. It’s fast and highly manoeuvrable. The operatives have a complex flight program loaded into their helmets, which does a lot of the work for them. Take it easy on the controls.’

  ‘Okay, got it. Go slow. Socrates, you ready?’

  The android turned away from the viewport. He looked at John, who was standing in the middle of the cargo bay with the Raptor extended around him. Then his eyes analysed the Raptors on the racks. He approached the next one along. Activating it, he turned around and stepped into the device. It extended around him. Locking in, he turned his head.

  ‘I am ready.’

  ****

  Nothing could have prepared John for the Raptor flight, despite the many life-or-death situations he’d survived, including high-speed car chases and precarious foot pursuits. Not even the encounter with the rogue android could compare to this. It felt like his heart actually stopped beating for several seconds when the side door to the transport ship opened, the Raptor ignited and he was suddenly flying through the air at over a hundred kilometres per hour. He struggled to breathe as the world became a rush of images.

  ‘John, you must correct your heading,’ Socrates said. The android was flying next to him, matching his velocity and altitude.

  ‘I’m working on it!’ John shouted.

  He touched the flight controls. The Raptor banked sharply to the left. Pushing back, he resumed his previous course. This time he pushed less and he slowly turned around until the buildings of North Sydney were directly in front of him. He pushed the power up and the Raptor obliged, propelling him towards their destination. Adjusting his course, he followed the freeway several hundred metres below.

  ‘We are approaching our destination,’ Socrates said. John scanned the buildings to his left. He didn’t want to risk flying the Raptors between the buildings. Looking around, he suddenly realised the cars on the freeway weren’t moving. They had all been abandoned.

  ‘The freeway. Land there and we’ll go on foot.’
/>
  ‘Affirmative.’

  John reduced speed and dropped the Raptor down to fifty metres above the road. Socrates followed behind him. Dropping his speed further, he flew less than ten metres above the parked cars. He could see their destination on the left.

  ‘John, be careful.’

  The overpass loomed before him as they rounded the corner. John pulled up sharply on the flight controls. The Raptor’s forward thrust was cancelled and it hovered above the freeway. John pressed the button to land. He slowly descended to the ground, between a pair of Iona Corporation sedans. The moment his feet touched the road, the Raptor controls folded back into its chassis. John detached the safety straps and the Raptor dropped to the ground. A moment later Socrates landed beside him, hovering for a split second before alighting on the asphalt. His Raptor detached and dropped next to John’s.

  ‘I think we’re in the right place,’ John said.

  ‘On what do you base that conclusion?’ Socrates asked.

  ‘That.’

  John pointed at the high-rise tower located at 159 Walker Street. There was a clearly visible shimmer around it that was expanding by the second. Socrates turned his head from side to side, analysing the phenomenon.

  ‘There is a powerful electromagnetic field around the entire city block,’ he said.

  ‘That explains the interference with the transport ship.’

  ‘Do you know what is causing it?’

  ‘No. That’s what we’re here to find out. We need to …’ John paused, looking at his partner. Socrates had barely survived the EMP blast from the Flux Cell collapse. Now, they were about to enter an area which was vibrating with the sheer amount of energy being drawn to the location. The potential for further damage to Socrates seemed very high.

  ‘Are you alright, John?’ Socrates asked.

  ‘I don’t think it was a good idea to bring you here.’

  ‘Because of the likelihood of damage to my systems?’

  ‘Yes.’

  The android turned to look at him, its nanofilament eyes staring directly at John.

  ‘My programming stipulates that I am to assist the Sentinels. Based on what I have learned from scanning news broadcasts and emergency frequencies, the situation in Iona is destabilising rapidly. The Sentinels were created to protect Iona and its citizens. Therefore, it is a logical conclusion that I too was created for that purpose and hence should be here, with you.’