Quantum Cultivation

by Jace Kang

  Chapter 33:

  The Hacker

  W hat little crime there was in Kyoto left plenty of forensic evidence, so much that the Peacekeepers were ill-equipped for interrogation when they had little information to work from. Even so, Officers Kim and Martin had proven good at backing Aya into a corner with their questions.

  She still held one advantage, though: they didn’t know who she really was, nor who Kentaro was.

  Feigning defeat, she hung her head. “We’re members of a secret society.”

  “What?” Both Kim and Martin nearly choked the words out in unison.

  Aya laughed to herself. They hadn’t been expecting that. She looked up and met their gazes. “My boyfriend and I met Guru Ishihara in an EtherCloud gathering. He claimed to be the son of God, and spoke of prophecies.”

  Both the interrogators’ jaws touched the floor.

  “So far, they’ve all come true: first, about the Purebred woman who appeared at Honnoji Temple. Then, about the demons that would come forth and terrorize the city.” It was time to insert a few half-truths. “Those symbols Guru Ishihara created were meant to protect the people from the demons.”

  Martin’s eyebrows clashed together. “How?”

  “The power in the circles is strong. Don’t you see? The guru saved that man last night on Shijo Bridge. He is righteous and powerful. May his light shine on you.”

  The two men exchanged glances again, disbelief scrawled in their expressions.

  “Um…” Kim wriggled his bent nose. “How many members of your cult? I mean, society?”

  They’d gone right where she’d led them. “Forty-two in Kyoto.”

  Kim blanched. “Just in Kyoto?”

  “Yes, and several thousand throughout the world, growing by the day as we share Guru Ishihara’s prophecies and transmit footage of his heroic deeds. Even now, cameras are broadcasting his every action to our members. When you see it, you will understand.”

  Martin tapped his ear. “Can you show us the feed?”

  Got them.

  “I need access to the EtherCloud.”

  “Of course.” Kim produced a black cube—an EtherSpace bridge, which interfaced with his holoprojector.

  Whose gateway was inside the Peacekeeper EtherSpace.

  With a wave of his hand, he brought up a standard graphic user interface. They’d expect her to use that, but instead…

  Kim tapped his ear, and his eyes widened. “Trouble. The boy and the Elestrae have escaped medical, and it looks like they are headed this way.”

  “It looks like we will have to cut this short.” He reached for the EtherSpace bridge.

  Before he could shut it down, she linked up to it through her own bridge.

  The Japanese castle town had more Sentinels at higher levels guarding the main gates, but using Officer Martin’s bridge, she would appear as Martin to them—at least until she decided to switch to a Shell. She just had to get past the Level Nine Sentinels first.

  Though her Avatar form couldn’t sweat or feel the nerves, her mind was racing. She drew closer…

  They let her pass. For the first time in several days, she had entered the Peacekeeper EtherSpace. Of course, no human user could move as fast as hackers with advanced SI; so she quickly switched her Shell to a Level Four Operator’s and darted to the observatory which represented the surveillance partition.

  Inside, most of the human Avatars surrounded one particular telescope. Aya crowded in to get a better view.

  Seventeen Peacekeepers were all levelling their weapons at the door to a stairwell…. The central stairwell on level…eight.

  Her level.

  They were coming for her.

  If she helped them in real time, she’d be sitting in the interrogation room, staring off into the distance while Officers Kim and Martin wondered what was wrong with her. Not only that, if Kim shut down the bridge before her consciousness escaped the EtherSpace, it would kick her out.

  If she were lucky.

  There was also a chance she could be trapped inside the EtherSpace. Like the most recent time she’d hacked in, she programmed a monitoring app, put it within the Shell of a human Avatar, and tethered it to her. Then she jumped over to the hilltop communication network and found one of the channels Martin and Kim were listening in to.

  Using her own voice, she said, “This is Captain Keiko Oyama. Officers Kim and Martin, hostiles are approaching your position. Leave the EtherSpace bridge connected.”

  “Whatever for?” Officer Kim asked.

  “Just do it. We are laying a trap for the cultists.”

  Would they believe this nonsense?

  “Yes, sir,” Kim said.

  Like the last time she’d visited, she took control of the holoprojectors and created copies of Siena and Kentaro. In her tethered data stream, she watched as the stairwell door burst open.

  Siena rolled in and sprang to her feet, shooting a gun in either hand. Her motions were like poetry as she leaped between incoming fire while simultaneously unleashing blue stun bolts. In a second, she was among the Peacekeepers. Aya sped up her perception to track Siena’s movements. Her opponents seemed to move in slow motion.

  On the far side, Kentaro barreled in, now wearing a Peacekeeper jacket. Despite his horrific injuries, no blood seeped into the clothes. He darted in nearly as fast as Siena, driving punches into Peacekeepers and knocking them out of commission.

  “Sorry!” he said as some teeth bounced across the floor.

  He pulled back from another punch. “Oh, sorry about that rib.”

  Each time, he was genuinely apologetic.

  So in awe of their abilities was she, Aya had forgotten to engage the holoprojectors to create decoys. Apparently, she didn’t have to. In short order, all of the Peacekeepers had fallen, and Siena and Kentaro were headed this way.

  The feed from her app in the surveillance partition showed that Martin and Kim were now rising to their feet, though Kim glanced at her catatonic form.

  The general communications channel opened up, and Aya tracked the user.

  Keiko.

  Since Officers Martin and Kim believed Keiko had given the order to maintain the EtherSpace bridge, Aya had to block communications. In her perception of the EtherSpace, she set a mirrored screen in front of the Messenger AI on the hilltop. The code would reroute all communication along the general channel to a secure line which only she monitored.

  Her perception was now bombarded by multiple voices and images. Hundreds of Peacekeepers spoke into their feeds, requesting their audio connection be restored. In the images, several tapped their earpieces. Disconcerting as it was, she focused in on the incoming message from her sister.

  “This is Captain Keiko Oyama, coming in on Transport PK-22 with my team. I am being held hostage by Ryusuke Ishihara.”

  If Aya’s Avatar had a heart, it would’ve leapt. She cloned her surveillance app and found Keiko’s camera feed.

  She appeared to be sitting in a hovercraft as Kyoto’s skyscrapers zipped by out the windows. There was no sign of Ryu, but he might be beside her, out of the camera’s line of sight.

  “We are currently holding a Miss Hiromi Johnson; Ishihara has confessed that this is my sister, Aya Oyama. Her accomplice is Kentaro Tanaka, a Purebred who works as a custodian in Peacekeeper Headquarters.”

  Why had Ryusuke revealed their identities? There must be a reason. Should she let the message go through? She looked back into the interrogation room, where Kim was now shaking her and Martin had drawn a sidearm and waited in ambush by the side of the door.

  “Captain Oyama,” Kim said. “Our subject has gone into some state of shock. Should we cut the EtherSpace bridge?”

  “No,” Aya answered in his earpiece. “We are using it to lure the cultists into a trap.”

  This lie was even worse than the last one, surely he wouldn’t—

  “Yes, sir.”

  This gave her a few more minutes, perhaps. The Peacekeepers would soon deduc
e this was more than a glitch beyond the scope of Repairer AIs. Aya took control of the holoprojectors in the hallway and projected an image of herself in front of Siena and Kentaro.

  Kentaro skidded to a halt, an expression of relief watching over him. “Aya! Are you all right?”

  Nobody had ever looked at her that way before, and Aya was again glad that she was disconnected from her body’s reactions.

  Siena cast her eyes downward. “I’m sorry, Aya.”

  “For what?”

  The Elestrae cast a sidelong glance at Kentaro, but said nothing.

  Just what did that mean?

  For now, whatever it was didn’t matter. “I’ve shut down the Peacekeeper’s communications for now, so they are disorganized. You’ll need to hurry.”

  “Where are you?” Kentaro asked.

  “I am being held in the second room to the right.” She pointed. “There are two Peacekeepers inside, both armed. One is waiting just inside the door. I’ll open it and send this projection in to take their fire.”

  Both nodded.

  Leaving a tethered app in the Communications partition, Aya jumped over to the control area. With her virtual lockpicks, she disengaged the door to her room.

  It slid open, and she sent a projection of Kentaro in. A gun raised to the image’s head and fired.

  The real Kentaro stepped in, seized Martin’s wrist, and spun so that the back of the Peacekeeper’s elbow bent awkwardly over Kentaro’s shoulder. Martin screamed out.

  “I’m sorry,” Kentaro said, driving an elbow into the back of Martin’s head and knocking him out.

  Kim looked up and pointed his gun first at the real Kentaro, then the projection. Confusion was scrawled across his face. “Stay where you are.”

  Aya sent the projection around the table to the right, and Kim tracked her and shot. Kentaro leaped over the table and landed a flying kick into Kim’s temple. The Peacekeeper’s head snapped back, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

  “Sorry!” Kentaro said.

  “The EtherSpace bridge,” Aya resumed her own form and pointed to the black box. “Take that and the holoprojector and put them inside my dress.”

  “Why don’t you come back?” Kentaro asked, even as he did what she said.

  “I can hack the building’s operations from here, and I don’t want to risk having to bypass the Sentinels to get in again. Here’s our chance to retrieve Ryusuke’s pills.”

  “Where is he?” Siena asked.

  Aya checked Keiko’s feed. “He’s arriving at the same landing pad we did.”

  “We need to go get him.” Kentaro bounced up and down on his heels.

  “No, you start working your way to level twelve. I’ll guide him to you.”

  “Can you take control of the maglifts?” Siena gestured back out into the hallway.

  “I could, but then you’ll be trapped for several seconds. If their Repairer AIs wrest control away from me while I’m focused on Ryu, I can’t be in two places at once in real time. The Peacekeepers could keep you in the maglift, or take you to a secure level.”

  “What about you?” Kentaro asked. “I can’t just leave you here. Should I carry you?”

  I? Not we? “You won’t be able to fight that way. Just take these Peacekeepers out of the room, and I’ll seal it off until you finish your task.”

  Kentaro gave her a dubious look. “You won’t be safe here, by yourself, undefended.”

  Aya laughed. “I’ll be safer than you. Now go.”

  Chapter 34:

  The Purebred

  K en dragged the two Peacekeepers out of the interrogation room and gave Aya one last look as the doors closed behind them. She’d be safe, wouldn’t she?

  He looked over his shoulder at Siena, the Elestrae he’d had sex with, and that sense of guilt crawled over him again.

  How silly he was being? Aya didn’t even like him. Even if she’d been kinder in recent days, he’d still be the dirty Purebred.

  “Stop thinking about her, and come on,” Siena said, beckoning him back toward the stairwell.

  He bent over and took the ear dot from one of the men so he could monitor whatever internal communications Aya hadn’t shut down. He also retrieved the wrist microphone.

  Then they picked their way among the unconscious and moaning Peacekeepers sprawled through the hallway. To think, he’d done this. Well, maybe one-third of it. The others had fallen to Siena’s speed and precise shooting.

  Did all Elestrae scientists learn to shoot? And fight hand-to-hand like she did? With so much power and skill already, it was no wonder she didn’t take Cultivation seriously.

  They reached the maglift bay and continued into the stairwell. The force fields dissipated around Siena as they climbed to first the ninth floor, then the tenth.

  Two more to go.

  “All tactical units on levels five to thirteen,” a female voice came over the ear dot. “Subjects last sighted in the central stairwell on level eight. Force fields are not stopping them. Insert on odd levels and establish a fire line on those landings. Lethal force authorized.”

  Ken took Siena’s arm. “They’re going to try to surround us.”

  As if in response to his words, ahead of them on the eleventh floor the doors swished open and the sound of a dozen footsteps filed into the hall. In seconds, the same thing happened behind them on the ninth floor.

  “We’re almost there,” Siena said. “Two more floors to go.”

  Something whirred.

  She turned the corner as a spray of red bolts lit the air. She dodged between them, and Kentaro followed. Up ahead was a tactical team of seven. Two appeared to be…

  Metal began to whirr. The tactical team sidestepped, revealing a tripod-mounted minigun.

  “Get b—” Ken started.

  Siena leaped back, seizing Ken’s arm and yanking him out of the line of fire. They fell to the tenth floor landing, with her on top of him. It sounded as if the concrete below them had cracked, but he didn’t hurt at all.

  “We have them pinned down,” a male voice came over the ear dot.

  “Press the attack!” a commander said.

  Bootsteps from above ran down while several from below hurried up.

  If only Master Ryu had taught Ken Water Whips! He could’ve sliced right through the minigun. For now, they wouldn’t be able to press forward.

  “Can you put them to sleep?” he yelled above the din of energy pulses and warping metal.

  She shook her head. “I need to conserve my energy.”

  For what? He raised his eyebrow, but she rolled off of him and pulled him to his feet.

  “This way,” Ken said, slipping out through the opening tenth-floor doors.

  “Subjects are escaping through the tenth floor!” a male voice yelled. “Why aren’t those locked down?”

  No doubt Aya’s doing. Still, more rushing footsteps through the halls indicated they were surrounded.

  “What now?” Siena asked. “Is there another set of stairs?”

  Ken nodded. “There’s one set between every floor. If this is the tenth level, the access will be to the north.”

  The same direction as the approaching Peacekeepers. Though if they were moving that fast, they likely hadn’t set up another Vulcan cannon.

  “Which way?” she said.

  He pointed.

  Siena took the lead, and again, force fields buzzed out of existence as she passed through their emitters. Even with her shorter legs, she strode fast, and Ken had to hurry to keep up.

  Footsteps approached from behind, and without even looking back, Siena squeezed off two shots and felled two tactical Peacekeepers.

  Up ahead, several more turned the corner, weapons hot. Never breaking pace, Siena bobbed and weaved, slipping left and right, always just avoiding the incoming shots.

  Though the pulses travelled more slowly in his perception, Ken kept to diving into forward rolls and zigzagging behind her.

  Then they were among the
m.

  A gun pointed at Ken’s head, but he pulled the Peacekeeper’s outstretched arm so that the shot hit a comrade.

  “Sorry!” he said as he punched the Peacekeeper in the head, shattering their helmet and knocking them out.

  With a flurry of Wing Chun punches, he disabled another before they could bring their weapon to bear. He pulled up short, and a red bolt zipped right where his head would’ve been. When the Peacekeeper lined up for a follow-up, Ken surged in with Teppin’s Snake Entangles Two Trunks, and took the man to the ground. Ken bounced back up to his feet and executed a Xingyi stomp into the Peacekeeper’s stomach, knocking the wind out of them.

  Behind Siena, another Peacekeeper pulled back to punch her in the head. Ken caught the man in the elbow and swept his leg back behind his knees. The Peacekeeper’s body went horizontal, and Ken tried Splashing Hands. While the blow knocked his target to the ground with a thud, it certainly didn’t have the same effect as Master Ryu’s.

  He looked around to see the path was clear. Up ahead, Siena had resumed her march.

  “Team 8 down!” the voice spoke in his ear dot. “Targets heading north toward the stairwell.”

  No doubt they’d find a hot welcome waiting there.

  “Teams 9, 12, 21, and 27 are not far behind them,” said another voice.

  Ken cursed to himself. They’d be caught between two teams.

  “Siena,” he called. “Stop.”

  She paused and looked over her shoulder. All her frivolous expressions from the past few days had melted away, replaced by fierce focus.

  “We’re going to run into more up ahead, and the more time they have to prepare, the harder it will be to avoid their firing lines. No matter how good you are, we’re talking about a lot of shots, and eventually one will get lucky.”

  “I don’t believe in luck,” she said.

  “I have an idea. Aya, can you hear me?”

  No answer, no projections.

  “Well?” Siena asked.

  If only there was enough time to change into the Peacekeeper uniforms and lie among the fallen. But maybe… “You need to conserve energy for your channeling, I know…does invisibility take much?”

  “A lot if we’re moving.”