Neurotopia

by Tony Mohorovich

Tester was quiet for a time. He stifled a laugh, the sort a parent might smother at the sight of his child winning a fight.

  She’s learning, he thought, and fast.

  The ship swooped near the fallen agent and he leapt on board, joining his two unfortunate colleagues. Tester nodded to the munitions officer, and the ship’s hidden cannons prepared to fire.

  *

  Sky remained stuck on the roof of the caterpillar, struggling to accept what she had just done. She had manipulated the agent’s decision; she had made him jump. Or had she imagined it?

  < No, ma’am, you hacked him. >

  ‘How?’

  < Looks like there’s more to Geppetto than just viruses. >

  An energy discharge hit the surface nearby. The impact sent her over the edge. But her swarm held her while her feet dangled centimeters above the rushing ground.

  Sky flipped back onto the roof and dropped through the open hatch into the cockpit.

  Another energy blast hit the ground to her left.

  Would Tester kill his own daughter? Why not? He had murdered thousands of telepaths at the colony, and who knew how many more. This was a man who would let his wife die even though he had the means to heal her.

  ‘Uncle Jesse, send a distress signal to all local authorities.’

  < Ain’t no government agencies on Apollo. >

  ‘Then get me private security.’

  < Regional Insurance offers limited personal security escorts outside Shackleton City, but you can’t afford it. >

  ‘What can I afford?’

  < A kid with a gun. >

  Bullets strafed the ground on either side of the vehicle.

  < Ma’am, looks like Apollo has a military, of sorts. It’s all private, but could be worth a shot. >

  ‘Make an anonymous call. Tell them Earth spies are conducting military operations here. Explain they attacked Dante’s colony. Tell them I’m the last survivor.’

  It was a lie, of course. She was no survivor. She was the weapon that had murdered thousands of telepaths, her own mind-kin. Even if someone did answer the distress call and were able to assist, what might they do to her once they discovered the truth? Arrange a pay-per-view public execution?

  A pinging of bullets bore holes into the hull. Sky sent the swarm through the hatch, onto the roof, to deal with the incoming ordnance. The swarm darted about the caterpillar like a protective mother, deflecting any projectiles that dared come near.

  Unfortunately, the swarm could not be everywhere at once. One of the shots pierced a tire.

  The caterpillar swerved. Its systems compensated, keeping the vehicle from tipping over. Just as the vehicle stabilized, Sky felt a wave of sleep come over her.

  < Ma’am, Geppetto’s tellin’ me there’s an attempted intrusion. Someone’s trying to hack you. >

  *

  Tester watched the fleeing caterpillar, focused, unblinking, as if this very act could penetrate the hull and render it immobile.

  *

  Sky felt the tentacles enter, just as they had back at her apartment with the Bellringer.

  Stop the vehicle. Sleep, they told her.

  Sky pushed back, arm-wrestling with her mind. She fought to stay awake.

  Then visions appeared… she was watching her caterpillar from above. No, from the bridge of an approaching ship, the Scarlett Tours. She heard thoughts. His thoughts: Give in. Sleep.

  Sky did as she was told. She thordered the caterpillar to stop, hard. The vehicle’s wheels locked up, skidding in the loose surface.

  *

  Director Tester snapped out of Sky’s mind the moment he picked up her intention. It was too late.

  He shouted, ‘Not so close,’ but the Scarlett Tours almost landed on top of the skidding caterpillar, at which point Sky’s swarm reached up and slapped the nose of the ship.

  Swarm pieces flew in all directions, dislodged by the impact. They sprayed across both caterpillar and ship like a light shower.

  The strike was not strong enough to penetrate the ship’s hull, but it was sufficiently well placed to knock it off balance, sending Tester to the floor.

  The pilot struggled to lift the ship’s nose before it scraped the lunar surface. It took a few seconds to steady the vessel. The ship then swung around to recommence the pursuit, this time at a safer distance.

  ‘Sir,’ an officer called out to Tester, ‘Two fast-moving objects are closing on our position.’

  Shoot her down, Tester thought to himself. Give the order now, before—

  Something streaked above the Scarlett Tours. Something entirely unnatural.

  *

  Sky saw it too. It went by so fast she almost missed it.

  Another streak, but at such great speed she could not identify what had caused it. Two opaque trails shimmered and warped the stars in their wake.

  The caterpillar’s cameras tried to track the objects, but all they could pick up were two spears skimming the horizon, then circling back toward her caterpillar.

  *

  The captain of the Scarlett Tours identified the objects as lunar jets. His assessment was confirmed when they received the hail: ‘Transport, this is Orion Security acting in the capacity of the VOL Armed Forces. Please stand down and identify yourself.’

  Tester saw that Sky’s caterpillar was less than thirty meters away. But with lunar jets on his tail, she may as well have been on another planet.

  ‘Say nothing,’ he ordered.

  The captain appeared surprised at this response. He leaned in, ‘Sir, we can’t take on jets. We’re not equipped.’

  *

  Sky watched the jets make another pass. This time they opened fire on Tester’s ship with wave weapons that rippled through the airless environment and detonated meters from the Scarlett’s nose.

  The force sent the NIA transport careening, struggling to regain control. But once it did, the ship turned around and aimed its nose spaceward. Its thrusters burned hot as it shot up, escaping to the stars, while its cannons exploded with a stream of projectiles and air-to-air missiles.

  ​12:4

  None of the Scarlett Tour’s weapons hit their intended targets, but they did force the jets to deploy countermeasures which burst into temporary energetic shields, taking the brunt of the blasts.

  The jets did not, or perhaps could not, pursue the Earth ship. Instead, they approached Sky’s caterpillar and slowed until they flanked it, one on each side.

  Sky thordered her swarm—now only two-thirds of its former self after the battle—back inside, and closed the hatch.

  She received a hail from the ships. She tinted her visor, masking her features, then opened communications. One of the pilots said, ‘This complimentary pest control service was brought to you by Orion Security, for all your defense needs, and co-sponsored by Ahmadi Lysander & Brine Investment; freedom’s financiers. We hope you will consider our services or recommend us to a friend.’

  She responded with a message, rather than expose her voice: Thank you.

  ‘In the meantime,’ the pilot said, ‘allow us to escort you to Shackleton City. Our investors are keen to speak with you.’

  Sky collected her swarm, then searched the caterpillar. To her relief, she found a second emergency hatch in the floor.

  < Ma’am? > Uncle Jesse said with a hint of concern.

  ‘Though I’m mighty grateful for their help, Uncle Jesse, I can’t trust anyone on this rock.’

  She opened the hatch and crawled down into the caterpillar’s undercarriage, cradled in her swarm to prevent her from falling and being crushed by the giant wheels.

  She sent another message to her flying military escort:

  Folks, I’ve got a damaged tire and it’s dragging me down.

  I’m setting it free.

  I just don’t want you to think I’m falling apart here.

  ‘Understood,’ came the response.

  From the pilots’ perspectives, there would be nothing amiss; they would see the jettisoned
tire peel off, roll of its own accord until it ran out of momentum, wobble, and drop.

  Once the rumbling of the caterpillar train faded, Sky unwound her swarm and emerged from the center of the tire. She could make out the nighttime silhouettes of the caterpillar and jets on the horizon.

  Sky took a deep breath. She had managed to evade both Tester and the VOL military. Not bad for someone who, only days ago, could barely step out of her own apartment.

  Drained of energy, she lay down in the regolith. She had no idea what to do next, no idea where to go. She looked up at the stars, hoping for inspiration.

  Her swarm continued to shift around her. She admired the way it could make itself invisible with a simple thorder. Uncle Jesse had had time to get to know the weapon and explained that its nanomaterial was able to detect electromagnetic waves (such as light), and generate opposite waves to cancel them out. As a result, the light waves would pass through the swarm, instead of scattering and being seen. It even prevented shadows forming. It also meant that the swarm could hide Sky from other detectable electromagnetic waves such as radio, infrared, and microwaves.

  ‘How can I see the swarm’s outline when it’s invisible?’

  < It creates a maya outline of itself, ma’am, so you know what it’s up to. Makes it easier to manipulate. >

  ‘But I saw an outline of the agent’s swarm. Why would an enemy swarm let me know where it is?’

  < A swarm might be able to cloak electromagnetic waves, but there are so many types and frequencies, and such, that even cloakin’ tech is bound to slip up and get caught out here and there, especially when there’s movement. >

  Uncle Jesse provided maya diagrams to help explain.

  < A swarm can also detect environmental changes, movement of dust and such; even an invisible swarm has some effect on its surroundings. Only way to keep properly hidden is to stay still. >

  The mayas showed a swarm’s outline taking shape.

  < Then your swarm puts all these glitches together, just like a puzzle, and you got yourself a pretty accurate outline of the enemy swarm. Not 100% accurate, mind you, but better than nothin’. It sure is one clever piece of equipment. >

  Sky knew she had to get moving. But where to? Insurers of the telepath colony would be after her. The NIA would eventually track her down; Earth had spies in the VOL. And her mother… was it over? Would Sky ever see her again?

  The lunar surface glowed with a bluish tinge. She spotted what she thought must be the tip of Earth on the horizon. Sky drew another breath. At least, for the moment, she felt safe. She felt free. Maybe there was another way to help her mother? Maybe, if she could tame Geppetto…

  Whirrr.

  A mechanical sound, clear as the stars above. Was her suit malfunctioning?

  Whirrr.

  ‘Uncle Jesse, what’s going on?’

  < Ah, ma’am, it ain’t your suit. >

  A dark figure emerged from a small crater. Sky circled her swarm around, expecting to find an NIA agent. Instead, her suit’s lights shone on an old man, his weak frame supported with the aid of an outdated metal exoskeleton that whined with a whirrr-tap…

  Chapter 13

  Mined

  ​13:1

  It was the Bellringer. Dr. Yukawa. The man who had leaked Geppetto to the telepaths.

  But how? I saw him go up in a fireball.

  The Bellringer stood in his exoskeleton without a lunesuit or helmet. If Sky had believed in ghosts, she would have taken this apparition as evidence. Instead, she decided he was a hallucination, either natural or technological. If technological, then she was being hacked.

  ‘You’re a little more whole than last I saw you,’ Sky said. She picked up a nearby rock and threw it at him. It passed through his body, as she had expected.

  He raised an eyebrow, perplexed, ‘Am I?’

  The Bellringer’s last moments flashed before Sky’s eyes, after which his present incarnation lit up in realization, ‘Oh, I see. Yes, it appears so.’

  He must have picked up on Sky’s confusion, ‘I may be a maya, but I am no hack. I am a copy of my original mind; a copy that was created before my original’s unfortunate departure,’ he said, with noticeable disappointment. ‘My original embedded me inside Geppetto to assist whoever was unfortunate enough to receive it. It appears that whoever is you.’

  Uncle Jesse, can you trace his signal?

  < The code appears to be comin’ from your Geppetto program, ma’am. >

  ‘Thank you, Uncle Jesse.’ Dr. Yukawa grinned a toothless grin.

  The Bellringer had access to Sky’s mind, yet she did not have access to his.

  ‘Don’t worry, I cannot manipulate you.’

  ‘How would I know if you did?’

  ‘You probably wouldn’t.’

  His answer did nothing to reassure her. ‘You infected my mother,’ she said.

  ‘I can see how you might come to that conclusion. Though it is entirely possible your mother was infected after I…’ he took a quick breath, ‘… expired. That said, given that I was responsible for the initial hack, I suppose I should apologize, insofar as I can apologize for my biological original.’

  The man’s exoskeleton whined as it lowered him onto a rock, as if he needed to sit. He smacked his lips in sudden surprise, ‘Dear me, I haven’t properly introduced myself—I am Dr. Andy Yukawa…’ his placed a hand on his chest, ‘… creator of Geppetto.’

  Creator? This was news to Sky. Was it possible that she had missed this information while she had been linked with Dante?

  ‘Entirely possible,’ Dr. Yukawa said. ‘The memories you streamed from Dante were in response to your curiosity, not necessity. And although telepathy is an efficient form of transferring data, you cannot glean every detail from such a brief interaction.’

  That was plausible, Sky thought. Then again, it was equally plausible that the mirage before her was lying.

  ‘You’ll have to excuse my skepticism, Dr. Yukawa,’ she said. ‘How do I know you’re not an NIA implant? Maybe the very same one that just wiped out an entire colony?’

  The man paused. ‘Good question.’ He appeared to think it over. ‘Unfortunately I do not have an answer that would satisfy you.’

  Sky observed Dr. Yukawa, trapped in his metal struts. If he were an implant, he might try to persuade her to return to the NIA, or otherwise act in its interests. Even so, it might give her some useful information. But how could she hope to outwit an entity which had access to her every thought and strategy? The only way she could surprise him would be to surprise herself. She decided to test him, nonetheless.

  ‘You leaked Geppetto to the telepaths,’ she said. ‘How did you avoid the neuroscanners and other security measures? They would have guarded Geppetto like nothing else.’

  He beamed with barely concealed pride. ‘My dear, do you think I would be silly enough to design technology that could be used against me? To continue to develop Geppetto, I naturally had to wield it myself. The NIA kept me locked in the labs for my own protection, so they said. But as the years passed, I suspected it was more for their own protection. My error was that I trusted them. Their error was that they underestimated me.’

  As he spoke, snippets of memories came to Sky; not her own, but those of Dr. Yukawa, or what I’m supposed to believe are his memories, she thought.

  She saw how he had masked his intentions. He had escaped the lab to reduce the chances of the NIA tracing his upload to Dante. He had peered into the mind of Private Ximena Waters and manipulated her to shoot Captain Rion, parent of young Marlon and Shanika. That was an inhuman act.

  ‘But a necessary one, if I was to escape,’ Yukawa added.

  Sky was not so sure. ‘You could have sent Geppetto to anyone. Why the telepaths? Why Dante’s colony?’

  ‘Telepaths, with their networked brains, are the best hackers in the system. Dante’s colony may not have been the best of the best, but they weren’t on the NIA radar and their intentions were sound—which i
s rare among any human population. I trusted them more than others, and when I connected with them I realized my trust was justified. I had hoped they would find someone who could control Geppetto, to cure the infected, and eventually, when the time was right, to reveal Earth’s crimes against the VOL.’

  Whether he was an implant or not, Sky had a hunger for information and this Yukawa appeared to be able to satiate it.

  ‘What is Geppetto? It’s not just a virus-maker, is it?’

  ‘Virus creation and cure are just two aspects of the program, and in my humble opinion they are sideline attractions, if you will. At its heart, Geppetto, in its present form at least, is a hacking program—to be sure, the most advanced hacking tool known to humankind—but a hacking program nonetheless.’

  ‘Hacking programs exploit weaknesses in networks. They don’t create viruses.’

  ‘Tomayto, Tomahto. A virus is merely a hack that can reproduce.’

  Sky repeated his words in her mind a few times until she grasped their meaning.

  A reproducing hack is a virus.

  His argument appeared sound, but Sky was no neurotech expert. ‘The Tellinii virus has been around for a decade. Why leak Geppetto to the telepaths now?’

  He shifted in his rocky seat like a school kid in a principal’s office. ‘Because my creation has killed untold millions of innocents over the years. I deeply regret Earth’s infection, however it is a drop in a bucket compared to what came before it. It’s a questionable legacy, don’t you think?’

  ‘You should have thought of that before you invented it.’

  ‘My original Geppetto was not a mind-control program. It was first designed to copy a brain, a mind, and store it in digital form.’ He sighed. ‘But during my research I discovered a way to access a brain remotely, by swinging on electromagnetic waves—like those used by the Neuronet—and grabbing hold of a brain’s electrical signals. It was, in effect, a form of hacking. But unlike existing forms of hacking which relied on communication networks, I found I could reach a brain using a much wider range of electromagnetic waves, such as radio or visible light.