Flee or Kill: The Future Of Reality TV (Future Forward Book 2)

by D. Frank Green

  The Secretary hadn't heard the last sentence as he'd opened a channel to the head of his Security force. "Troop. Put all troopers on duty until further orders. If they aren't in the hospital dying, they had better be in a uniform."

  He only paused long enough to hear, "Yes, Sir. All troopers have already been called to ready status."

  The troop commander asked, "Anything else, Sir?" and realized he was talking to a closed channel.

  At this point, Carpenter realized without computer control or even access, there was not much else he could accomplish or plan. Even his tech-assist no longer responded to him.

  13/06//2167 06:10:00

  "Hey, is there any reason we have to let the Captain fight through this mess out there. Why don't we just whack them ourselves and be done with it," Jake asked his doppelganger.

  "Good question. Why are we letting him come back at all?"

  Jake smiled as he remembered and said, "We really don't need anybody to do this, we have the lasers." He followed this by asking himself, "Where am I going with this?"

  The doppelganger answered for him, "You're confused I think. If you do want power, then do it yourself. If you don't want power, you need a hero to take command. Read your history. Conquering heroes are rewarded by the people. You need a conquering hero and you have one. And heroes need somebody to conquer. As it turns out, you have some of those as well. Here's the data, absorb it. Figure it out."

  "Yes, indeed. Former chase stars like the Secretary seem to have a way about them when it comes to politics. What a load of kludge," said Jake dredging up an antique word to fit the situation.

  "So we let the Captain be the hero. He wins the day and returns to the city to set himself up as the new Secretary. Then things go back the way they were or maybe he makes changes. But it's up to him and the city to decide. We help him now and after the fight back off to let him sort out his problems and let us solve ours," said Jake.

  "By the way, I like having a doppelganger. As you absorb something you download it so I don't have to learn it, too. You absorb data far better and faster than I do. Having to sleep is such a bitch," finished Jake.

  "You're welcome." The doppelganger laughed and said, "But you have the creativity, physical senses and emotions I have to learn. It's a good partnership."

  Jake replied, "Here's my plan. We stop the Secretary's chase team. We let them fight it out. If the Captain wins, he gets to run the city. If the Secretary's team wins, he gets to stay in power. We deal with whoever is running things but we set the rules and boundaries.

  My preference is for the Captain to win but I suspect it won't matter in the long run. If what you showed me about other leaders and freedom is true, then it really doesn't matter who wins. We'll have to rein in either one of them again in the future."

  He understood the silent nod of agreement and they moved to their plan.

  "Captain, prepare for action," messaged Jake.

  13/06//2167 07:00:00

  When the message, "Captain, prepare for action," scrolled across his screen, the Captain didn't waste time thinking about what to do.

  His immediate response was to call Jaspers back to the group. "Incoming, people, move..." and he stopped as a laser light show erupted several miles ahead. "It's game time, people."

  Checking his navigation maps, he said, "They've been stopped in a ridge line about two miles in front of us and by the look of the laser show, they're being driven back. About a mile ahead of us, there are two rock risings fifty yards apart and I'm guessing they'll to be driven to one of them. We'll get the other and then we'll probably go at it.

  But we have to reach ours before they move past the shorter one to take the high ground. We have help, we don't know how much but at least we now have a chance to win this game. Now, let's move out, full battle speed. Go!"

  His team transitioned to a full out battle-ready unit on the hunt for a kill.

  Team Leader 2 was far less happy as the laser beams damn near cut his point man down. The point was forced to claw his way up an almost-sheer rock face as the lasers pushed him back towards the already-retreating squad.

  "Mr. Secretary. We're cut off from computer-command and being herded like fokking goats," the Team Leader complained. He didn't get a response.

  Checking his typography maps, he found the same two rises the Captain had discovered and decided that was their destination.

  If beggars could be choosers, he wanted the high ground, "Squad, full battle speed, we're after high ground advantage. Roll! George, you're the fastest sprinter. Go for the top and hold them off until we get there. We'll be right behind you."

  13/06//2167 07:02:00

  Jake sat for two minutes as he thought about what he wanted to do next and the doppelganger, likewise silent, ran options through his processor as fast as he could.

  We need to tell a story, Jake decided. A powerful story. Something the people would understand.

  "Got it," Jake said.

  "You or me?" asked the doppelganger.

  "Me. I want to do this one," said Jake feeling a confidence he didn't quite understand. "Give me full channel access, give me everything you got," he laughed.

  When he was connected he began, "My friends, you don't know me and I don't know you. But I have a story I'd like to tell you today."

  13/06//2167 07:03:00

  Alarms rang in every department as the broadcast went out live to all media. The broadband consumed wasn't large, but it bypassed all normal safeguards, triggering multiple security alarms and system errors in every department. Across the city, tech teams were locked out of all normal systems, from the most basic module to advanced server-side controls. All other programming was suspended and the message from Jake now appeared on every city monitor.

  At Security headquarters, the Lieutenant and his team stared at their monitors. Whoever this was, he had full and complete control of every facet of their system, controlled absolutely every Security protocol and server rack. They had no control, no access and nothing would respond at even the most basic level. None of their computers responded to any keystroke or voice command.

  One tech yelled, "Fok!" and threw his command keyboard across the room where it splintered against the concrete wall. He then realized what he'd done, turned and stared at the Lieutenant with a terrified look on his face.

  The Lieutenant met his eyes, shook his head, threw his hands in the air, leaned back, put his feet on his desk and said, "Well this tears it, we're totally and completely fokked."

  His team all stopped, looked at him with pale faces turning whiter.

  His comm channel buzzed.

  He knew it would be the Secretary and cut him off quickly to say, "Mr. Secretary, my team has this on their screens as well. We're still locked out of our servers. We don't know how this can be done and we haven't a clue how to stop it. Whoever has done this is so far above us in skill, we're beginners by comparison."

  He waited for a blistering reply but received none. The line had gone dead. That went well, he grimaced to himself.

  13/06//2167 07:04:00

  Jake went on. "A few weeks ago, a young man about my age, a popular storyteller in the city, was run. He did very well and almost reached the safe zone. In fact, he did better than almost anybody else has done. He continued running through two wicked shots and it was only the third that put him down. Instead of listening to the popular vote and freeing him, Carpenter ordered him fokked."

  He continued,"I'm not going to show you that again. Instead, I'm going to tell you the true story of why he died and what's happened because of his death.

  He died because he told stories that were true; and he told them too many times. This is the one the Secretary disliked the most. These are the exact words the Storyteller used to end the story."

  Jakes voice softened as he told the story. He ended it this way:

  There wasn't much left of him now after the beatings and torture.

  But he could still remember her voice
. It is said music is one of the last things to disappear from memory - one of the last things to abandon the folds of the brain. And her voice was crystal clear music for far too many years they spent together to be easily forgotten.

  That Irish lilt as she sang, it seemed from morning till dusk, as they worked side by side on the farm. The babies she sang to sleep and ground after the soldiers had finished.

  The next day he had killed two of them in the pub. Walked right up and knifed them before the rest piled on top of him.

  Tomorrow they'd gut and quarter what was left of him to hang from the walls. And in a year the song with his name would start the 300 year journey to freedom.

  But for now, in this instant, he heard her singing."

  Jake ended the story saying, "My friends, this story is true."

  At that point, a soft, sad, lilting Irish melody began to play in the background; a tune that reached out to every listener's heart and soul. More than one eye was filled with tears at this point.

  He continued, "One of today's heroes, Captain Calan Fraser, is currently being chased. Not because he's a storyteller but because he's a story hero. He fought back against the system to get ahead. He annoyed the Secretary, broke a few rules, and that's all it takes to get run. But haven't we all at some point bent a rule so we could get by? The truth is the Secretary can't stand being compared to the Captain. He's so jealous he put the Captain on the Chase. He was afraid of the Captain and his popularity.

  He's told you stories of corruption and the team's greed but I ask you to decide who you're going to believe. Carpenter? Or, the Captain? Carpenter's story or my story?"

  With the music in the background, Jake said, "It seems Secretary Carpenter didn't like the reference to an end to the journey; he said it was treason to the corporation. Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't.

  He doesn't appreciate young peoples' doing their own thinking either. If people aren't allowed to think when they're young, they won't think when they're older.

  If Carpenter controls the stories and tells us enough lies, we'll believe the lies. That's what the Secretary wants. He wants people who don't think. But we all know we do think and we can think.

  Here's what I think. I think the Captain needs our help. So I warned him about the Secretary's intent to arrest him and his men. And I've helped as much as I could during the Chase. I regret not being able to help enough because he lost several good men. In fact, we lost good men on both teams because of the Secretary's orders.

  The Captain is on his way back to the city. I don't know what he intends to do once he gets here but I'm sure you and he will have some ideas about that.

  Please understand he no longer needs or will receive my help but he may need yours. I'm sure you will decide how to help him.

  Finally, let me end by saying I know the name and story of that brave man who paid the price fifty years ago. Some day I may tell it to you but for now, just know that I remember and I never forget."

  The screens all returned to scheduled programming. Slowly the demands of everyday life filtered back in and the city resumed its pace.

  13/06//2167 07:22:00

  "Jake, that wasn't a true story, said the doppelganger. The Captain pissed off the Secretary because he and Lieutenant Palmer were conspiring behind his back. They were stealing money."

  Jake thought for a moment. "You're right. They were stealing money but so is the Secretary. If there's a law, it should apply to everyone. And not just used by the rich to keep the poor under control. Under our current system, it's fine for banker to break the law and steal money from the poor. In fact, if a banker steals enough, he's given a bonus. But let one poor person steal a loaf of bread and he winds up on hard labor. Besides, the truth is what people believe, not what can be proven. Been that way for some time now."

  "That's how it really works, the rich always get richer," said the doppelganger, "and you know your history."

  "It's time for a change," said Jake using the hand signal for major emphasis.

  Jake stood looking at the silent, dark screen.

  13/06//2167 07:04:30

  The Secretary burst out of his office and ran to the Lieutenant's team section to scream, "Cut that off!"

  He became even madder with the calm response from the Lieutenant and his people, who were at the moment, leaning back in their chairs chatting about different options that might work to regain control.

  "Can't, Sir. All command modules are locked down, even when we press a key on one of the system program modules, the modern systems or the antique ones we dug out and tried to connect, nothing happens, we're locked out. The system is on its own and we don't control it at the moment and we can't figure out how to regain control."

  "You're all candidates for the chase now!" the Secretary said quietly. He had regained his self-control and was at his most dangerous. "Get it fixed by whatever means you need to use. Do you understand?"

  Oh yes, Sir, we do understand fully, we do indeed, thought the Lieutenant.

  But he said, "Yes, Sir! Gentlemen, back to work. Copping, I want you to use the blank wall over there to physically write down our options. Use anything that will mark on the wall. Scratch it and paint it if you have to. Yes. I mean actually write something, put marks on the wall. People, tell Copping our options so we can see them and welcome to a hundred years ago when this is how they did things."

  13/06//2167 07:09:00

  The last fourteen heavy-armored troopers in the country rushed towards each other at full battle speed, each running for the decisive high ground. The Captain and his team assumed they had the advantage of anonymous help while the Team Leader's men were less sanguine and hoped they could hold out long enough for the Secretary's promises to come true. None of the men was certain of success but in the way of military people everywhere, they didn't think they'd be the ones to pay the price.

  The Captain and the Team Leader reached their targets at almost the same time but George beat them both. When the Chase Team squad came into view, George fired off a half dozen rounds making them dive and roll looking for non-existent cover. Without protective rocks, their only option was a quick retreat.

  "Shit. Sorry, Sir, should have tagged at least one of them," apologized George when the Captain and the others joined him.

  "Woulda, coulda, shoulda," said the Sergeant. "Get your head in the game and your hand off your cock." That line became an instant online meme attached to a thousand different images and videos in the next hour.

  13/06//2167 07:09:05

  Unknown to both teams, they were now fully broadcast, with voice and multiple view overlays courtesy of Jake's doppelganger.

  "Hey, we run a pretty great show don't we," said Jake as multiple vid panes showed graphics and replays of the chase around central views of the two teams current activities.

  For somebody not used to multiple views, soundtracks and options, it would have been confusing. For those in the city, it was merely a superior use of the technology, far outstripping any previously broadcast. Viewers watched and interacted with whatever feed interested them at the moment.

  In the security computer control offices, the Lieutenant and his men had half the wall covered but when the chase channels lit up again, they quickly discovered they had no more control than before. They stopped work, leaned back in their chairs and simply watched, as did thousands across the city.

  The Secretary's wall screens also lit up to show multiple views and Jake noted it was indeed possible to make him even angrier than he had been.

  13/06//2167 07:10:00

  The city stopped. Every feed, from screens on walls in the entertainment section, in personal compartments or on personal eye feeds was tuned into the Chase. It seemed as if everybody in the city held their breath at this moment as all the combatants voice, eye and suit feeds and data planning was broadcast in a totally unscripted show.

  "Gentlemen, listen up. I believe they're as pinned down as we are but there's no server help here. I ass
ume we're on our own. We have the high ground. All sky-sec laser fire has stopped. I want all of you on the firing line, no lateral protection. Check your views and exposure to return fire. Report on views to right and left. From the left flank. Now."

  A series of "right one, left one" came back from his Team while the Captain created a fire map on his in-suit battle map. He and the audience soon saw the layout, but it was only the Captain who understood the implications. "People, we're pretty much matched off here. Most of you can see two men and most of you are seen by two men so the options are wide open."

  "Listen carefully. George, you're left flanker and Sergeant you're second from the end on the left. Sergeant Price, I want you to fire on the flanker opposite George for a two-on-one there. All others aim at the left person of the two you can see. This means George and Sergeant Price have a two-on-one on the left flank and everyone else has a one-on-one except Jaspers.

  Jaspers, you're on the right flank and exposed with this, but I want you to try an unorthodox tactic. I want you to fire and duck. Switch targets to your left, fire and duck. Back to your right, the man opposite you, fire and duck. You take on two men with a fire and duck, alternating targets. You may take multiple hits but if you pop up and down they won't lock on you for a kill shot. I want you up and down again in less than half a second and I don't much care if you hit them. Just make them think you're trying to. You'll confuse the crap out of them and keep them looking for a kill shot. At the left flank, we'll do a kill shot of our own.