Total System Failure

by James Hightower

  He sought out with that peculiar part of his brain. There! His mind latched onto one drone. Like a frog’s tong snatching a fly from the air, the yellow and black taxi veered in his direction. Fear emanated from behind the tinted window. He sensed four young beings, probably women, staring at him.

  “Don’t be afraid,” he breathed. He raised his hands in what he hoped was a non-threatening motion. Louder, he said, “I’m only borrowing your taxi.”

  He leapt on the drone and grabbed the indentation of the front window for purchase. The drone rocketed forward. Alec pushed the taxi as a rider pushed his horse during a race. He weaved in and out of traffic, the taxi’s passengers screaming commands in vain.

  The superstructure soon encompassed his entire view, spanning an uncountable amount of city blocks. Stargate retained its matte black color, but this close, silvery panels shimmered translucently on the otherwise dark surface. Screens flashed as well, so diminutive that one didn’t even notice until they were one-hundred meters within the structure. It was hard to believe that even androids could’ve built such a thing, that even carbon nanotubes were capable of supporting a building of such monolithic size. The taxi skimmed the surface like a giant inky ocean. This close, he could make out the slight bumpiness of Stargate’s skin.

  Drones of all types and colors hovered around the many platforms like insects around fruit. He sought out with the tower and pulled the drone towards the gate that would take him to Satellite Control.

  Platform N75 lurched into view despite the increasing traffic.

  Only nineteen minutes left.

  The momentum of the last twenty-four hours propelled him. Alec leapt from the taxi, ignoring the startled gasps of pedestrians walking on the massive platform. He released his grip on the taxi and focused his attention on Satellite Control. One step at a time.

  “Alec August?”

  The mention of his name turned him around in spite of himself. The speaker wore an oversized black jacket and a deep hood that cast most of the man’s face in darkness. An intense set of eyes peered from under the hood, a watery blue that reminded him of Agent Square.

  Alec hated him instantly.

  “I don’t know who that is,” he said, brushing aside the man’s outstretched hand. He turned away back towards the gate entrance.

  “I was sent to take you to Satellite Control,” the man called after him.

  He halted and closed his eyes as though will alone could make the man disappear. Beware the consequences. Isn’t that what the entity had said? What would be the consequences of ignoring the entity’s messenger? Unease churned in his stomach. Instinct told him he was involved in something he shouldn’t be, but again, what other choice did he have?

  He whipped around. “This better be quick!”

  Teeth flashed from beneath the hood. “Short and sweet. I promise.”

  Alec frowned. Clearly, this was a henchman sent to ensure Alec didn’t broadcast anymore messages after this one. As they passed over the grand entrance, his guide didn’t even remove his hood. In the far corner of the expansive plaza, a battle droid with pincers for hands stood, apparently inert. Alec knew the droid would spring to life at the slightest disturbance. Would it notice them?

  He balled his hands into fists and took a deep breath. Enough problems vied for his attention without him freaking himself out.

  A massive dome crowned the plaza. The floor blinked with square screens, flashing pop culture icons. In one, two men pulled guns on each other in the same moment. The weapons rang out. One of the men moaned theatrically and slumped. Alec stopped watching.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Sammy appeared at his shoulder, smoothing its ruffled feathers.

  Before he could answer, the hooded man swept a hand at the hologram. “Bug off.”

  The bird fluttered its wings and vanished, but not before giving him an idea. He searched the Net and downloaded the data package to make his holograms real.

  Statues lined the circumference of the domed plaza: a collection of the most important and famous people from Arctic City. Information about their lives and deaths popped up around him. Even though the city was only two decades old, it had become the epicenter of culture, finance, and technology almost from the beginning.

  The crowds lessened somewhat deeper past the plaza. They strode along gilded halls, paintings like the one from Marlo’s penthouse floor lining the walls. Despite more opportunity for attention, no one besides him thought it strange for a hooded figure to be stalking the halls.

  They halted in front of an elevator. It dinged open seconds later, and people flowed out and they in. Screens covered the elevator from all sides, flashing more advertisements.

  “I already selected the floor,” the hooded man told him, a warning in his voice. Shut up.

  The elevator rose, the floor numbers reaching an absurd number until finally they were the only two on the elevator. Still, they rode in silence.

  Floor Five-Hundred and One: Satellite Control. Special Clearance Only.

  Only twelve minutes before the shuttle stopped boarding.

  The man shoved him into the dimly lit hallway. His heart thundered in his ears as he was prodded forward. He attempted to open the file again. Same message as before. Alec was shoved again.

  “Almost over,” the man breathed. “Here.”

  An ajar door stood to his left. Where was security? Why hadn’t they been caught by now? Then, he remembered the entity’s message from the screen of a random building. What had he gotten himself into now?

  Inside, a single empty chair faced three blank screens. Another shove sent him inside. He wrinkled his nose. A musty smell clung to the place, and Alec got the sense that the employee who controlled this station didn’t spend much time out of his seat. Behind him, the hooded man moved to block the doorway.

  “Sit in the chair,” the man ordered, not bothering to keep the threat from his voice now. “You will be shown what to do.”

  Alec sighed and lowered himself in the chair. Welcome back, Alec August.

  He stared at the message as the workstation blazed to life. His mind whirled. Welcome back? What? Instructions flashed across the screen. He breathed deeply to steady himself and went to work.

  “Good.” The man sounded impressed. “Instead of live, set to fifteen minutes later.”

  Plenty of time for the man to murder him and be far away when the broadcast ran. Alec flicked through his system files and found the broadcast message. This time it opened. His jaw dropped as he read its contents.

  “Read it,” the man barked. A gun appeared from the man’s sleeve. “And you better be a master reader too, or you are dead.”

  From university dropout to a terrorist, one who was about to become famous. He spoke.

  “Planet Earth, my name is Alec August. I am a hacker who broke into the defense department and uncovered files that I want to reveal to the public. As I speak, I’m making these files public on the Net, so that all will know the truth soon.

  The world we know is a lie. Everything is an illusion pulled over our eyes to hide the truth. After World War Three, the androids took over the collapsed human empires. They now rule this world. Not us. The outer colonies are populated by androids, not humans.

  Fellow humans. We must rise in the face of tyranny. We are at the mercy of these androids. They teach our kids. They cure us when we’re sick. They birth our children. If they wanted, they could end us all. None are safe in the wake of this danger. We must fight! This is Alec August, and this is only the beginning. Long live the resistance.”

  Alec thought he was going to be sick. He leaned back and wiped sweat from his forehead. His head buzzed as he attempted to wrap his mind around the implications of this broadcast. Nothing good.

  Was killing Agent Square and getting the necklace back worth such a heavy price?

  “Perfect,” the man breathed. He stood behind him now. Alec hadn’t even noticed the man’s movement. Now, the man lifted the g
un to his head. “Thank you.”

  Alec opened the hologram file Domo had given to him. Tear him to pieces.

  The great terrier bounded forward. Its jaws closed around the man’s arm. The gun banged. One of the screens behind him exploded.

  Alec bolted from the room. Only five minutes left.

  A quick scan told him the fastest way to get to the shuttle. A glowing trail marked his route. More gunshots echoed behind him. Alec sprinted faster, following the red light.

  He found a staircase and bounded up the steps three at a time.

  In his haste, he didn’t notice his surroundings. Everything was a blur. Then, sudden illumination blinded him as he stepped into another massive plaza. The multitudes of people buzzed to a great roar. He pushed through them, following the route marked in red. Panic seized his throat as the minutes passed by one at a time.

  “Sir?”

  The ticket clerk smiled up at him. “Are you ready to board your flight?”

  Alec blinked at her. His ears pulsed and his head swam from the run.

  “Sir?” the ticket clerk repeated, a confused look flitting across her face. “Boarding is about to finish.”

  Alec sucked in another breath.

  Promise me. The words steeled him. Alec nodded and lowered his head and stalked past the attendant.

  Chapter 25

  A tubular pathway marked the entrance to the shuttle. Along the walls, geometrical shapes merged and broke apart, a thrumming sound following the rhythm of the dancing shapes. For some reason the sound reminded him of his energy-wrought shield. At the tunnel’s end, a green flash scanned his bio-sign and offered a welcoming chirp. Doors parted and the shuttle lobby opened before him like a river delta.

  Alec had expected seats similar to the formation of a train or plane, instead sofas and armchairs scattered the expansive space like a gigantic living room. To his right, a staircase led to some small shops and restaurants. On the other side, a screen made up the wall, the wall composed of interlocking squares showing different entertainment options. Across from him, the wall was completely transparent, giving him a city view of Arctic City that nearly took his breath away. Most of the passengers lounged in the chairs already, speaking in low voices or eating. The rest, a concentration of business suits and dark briefcases, were at a bar tucked between the staircase to his left. He scanned that area first for a shock of blond hair.

  The carpet trembled. “Please take a seat during liftoff,” an overhead voice announced.

  An attendant appeared at his hip, ushering him into a seat with a courteous but firm smile. “Have a great trip!” she said, turning away to help another passenger.

  As soon as he touched the armchair, straps snapped around his shoulders and waist. He fumed, but try though he might, he couldn’t release the bonds. He scanned the seats in front of him for a sign of Agent Square.

  His heart gave a giant leap. The android sat on a sofa, head in his hands, face down as though in prayer. He’d almost missed him.

  The lock remained stubborn. Please remain in your seat, the seat messaged.

  Leather cracked as he was pushed against his seat. The shuttle shivered and rumbled skyward. From the transparent wall, the city dwindled to a glimmering speck in an ocean of darkness.

  He grounded his teeth. Looks like a one-way ticket from here. Was this the price of keeping his promise or something else entirely? Alec was no longer sure.

  With his new senses, he reached out to the shuttle. Different from the building before, the shuttle systems leapt at his touch like an overeager dog upon seeing its favorite toy. He became one with the shuttle, becoming aware of the complex mechanics that governed it, becoming intimate with the flexing, tough nanotube structure that made the shuttle’s flight possible. A meteoroid, many times the size of the structure, acted as a counterweight just outside Earth’s atmosphere.

  Perhaps he could halt the shuttle’s ascent. Alec worked against the counterweight, head swimming with the effort. The celestial object was too heavy.

  Thwarted, he focused his attention on his seat. Energy surged through the seatbelt. Sensing his will, the straps snapped apart. A nearby passenger saw and pointed with wide eyes and whispered something to her companion.

  Alec pushed himself to his feet. No time for subterfuge. Enough running.

  A shuttle attendant found him almost instantly. “Sir,” she squawked. “How did you get out of your seat? Do sit down!”

  He ignored her and kept walking towards the figure with his head in his hands. “Square.” At first, the words came out softly and the android did not raise his head. Alec smelled saltwater and the beach from the android’s ragged suit.

  “Square,” he said, louder this time. He kicked a chair between them.

  Blue eyes peeked through the crevices of his fingers. The android met his gaze with red eyes, and a clear track of tears ran down his chiseled jaw. Agent Square wiped his face. “Hello, kid.”

  Weapons: Activated.

  The shield pulsed blood-red in his hands. His body trembled with energy. From the corner of his vision, he saw his battery drop a percentage. He sought out with the seatbelt holding Square and clamped down on the controls. Still, the sight of the android crying stunned him. He hesitated.

  “The humans are staging a mutiny,” a passenger cried out during his lapse of conviction.

  Pandemonium reigned at the words. Passengers thrashed against their straps. Some broke free. Even the crew members flinched at the dull glow of his shield. Passengers strained against their straps. For some reason, one man in a Toronto baseball cap, caught his attention. As passengers erupted in panic, the man in the cap returned his gaze calmly. Then, he vanished behind a flurry of motion from the other passengers.

  “Security!” someone nearby cried out. “Where’s security?”

  “A human boy,” another wailed.

  Agent Square used the chaos to his advantage and cut the straps away while he stood, frozen in place. The android stood, a slight smile on his face.

  “There’s no way I’m going to let you kill me wearing this.”

  His grip tightened, the shield flaring in response. Now could he do it?

  A purple blade shot out of the android’s fist. Alec stared at sudden brilliance. How—? Before he could complete the thought, the blade crashed against his shield. Yellow sparks danced between them. The impact rang up his arms.

  The android’s eyes gleamed in the ethereal light. “Took me a moment.” The purple transformed into a snaking whip. “But I think I figured it out.”

  The rope lashed out, something turning loose in his ears at the sharp crack. His shield shuddered. He stumbled back and tripped over the armchair he’d cast aside just moments before.

  He met the gazes of an elderly couple. They clutched each other in a sofa next to him. This would probably shave at least a year from their life.

  “Go!” He sucked in a breath. “Run!”

  From across the room, the whip snapped again. He dove without thinking.

  Purple exploded in the spot he’d just been. The floor shattered. With a glance at the old couple still trapped in their seats, he focused on all the seatbelts in the room, and released. The locks clicked in unison. Almost by cue, the remaining passengers rose to their feet.

  Another crack filled the room.

  This time, searing pain shot up his leg. Alec was jerked from his feet, his head bouncing off the carpeted floor.

  In his panic, he lost his focus, and the shield dissolved. He went through an armchair. Agent Square pulled him closer despite his best efforts until he was lying in front of the android once again.

  The whip morphed back to a sword.

  With a thought, the shield appeared in his hands once more, barely blocking the descending blade.

  More sparks flew. Alec thought he smelled wood burning.

  “This is going to be so much more satisfying,” Agent Square said through clenched teeth.

  The sword rose and fell
. Once, then twice until he lost count. Blurry swirls danced before his eyes from the illumination, and his entire body radiated from the energy coursing through him.

  &Super Strength: Activated.

  The headache multiplied into a thousand curious needles pressed against his skull. A thick vein bulged along Agent Square’s neck but not from effort. The android beat against his shield, almost spitting in rage. Pain jolted up his wrists at each impact. So strong, and anger was making the fiend even stronger.

  “You think I wanted this?” Agent Square bellowed, his usual cold gaze like blue flames. “You think I wanted to become this?”