Junco made a silent educated guess as to why the word 'intentionally' was inserted into the sentence.
Skua spoke. “The colatoos were created by one of the gangs on Violencia around forty years ago. The gang's leader kidnapped one of the Level's best coders along with his family. Told him to create something intensely loyal to his gang only and that was basically a death machine to anyone that wasn't affiliated or approved. Of course they threatened to kill his family if he didn't come up with the goods. He came up with the goods and they killed both him and his family anyway. But you had probably guessed that.”
“That ties in with what I found out,” said Ani. “By the way, one of the friends who helped me was tasked with looking into Violencia, both underlying code and surface textures, to see what he could dig up. Still, Skua, it would have been helpful to know about this earlier.”
“Sorry, Ani. There was a lot going on. My mistake.”
“No harm done.”
Ani continued. “Turns out the problems on Rubidium Beach are very much related to what Skua just told us. The gang, called Miasma, that are responsible for the colatoos are also responsible for the hack attack that we are currently dealing with. The person directly responsible is Osmium, the daughter of the leader who ordered the colatoos' creation. Her history is colorful, to say the least.
“Around ten years ago, Rubidium Beach timescale, Osmium killed her father. In her opinion her father had grown soft, causing Miasma to lose power and respect in Violencia. Before she killed him she had him tortured. She had a scaled up hologram version of his battered, eyeless and toothless head projected onto the sides of every government building in the gang's territory for a whole year. This, and the execution of every high ranking Miasma member who wasn't part of her original conspiracy, helped to keep order. Under her brutal leadership Miasma regained its position of power and is now the only gang equal to Mayhem in terms of power and influence. Skua – does that sound about right so far?”
“Pretty much,” replied Skua. “Currently, we are about equal once you get past the BS and propaganda and if anything Miasma is in a growth cycle whereas Mayhem are in a slight decline. As far as I can tell, though, one minor incident could change that. As far as Osmium is concerned – yes she did all of that and a whole lot more.”
“Right. My friend found out a lot about her and it made his stomach turn. He will probably never be quite the same again.” Ani continued, “Anyway, the charming Osmium has decided that she wants to take over Rubidium Beach. The things that we have experienced so far are her coders probing, testing for weaknesses and looking for the best place to slip code in. The word and language changes on the sign and the pins were tests by her programmers. The Colatoos have a couple of different functions. They are all chipped or rather implanted. In other words everything that they experience is relayed back to Osmium and Violencia. The animals will also likely spearhead any attack on Rubidium Beach.”
“That's something to look forward to,” said Teal. “One question though, why are they up here on the plateau rather than on Rubidium Beach proper? Would have thought they could be a lot more use to Osmium or whatever her name is down there.”
“That's an easy one,” said Ani. “The Beach proper is much more secure than the Plateau. Don't forget I didn't know that Violencia even existed while I was building this so I wasn't expecting any major attacks. Of course I put in all the usual encryption before I started development but there was no way that I predict that something like this was coming down the pike.”
“So basically, we have to keep the colatoos out of the Jupiter Moon at all costs.” Said Teal.
Ani agreed. “Absolutely. No question about that. If they get into the Moon, access to the ground is a given.”
Junco was not happy. Ani underestimating and not seeing potential problems was beginning to look like a character defect as opposed to plain bad luck. This was the third occasion in the short time that they had known each other where Ani had failed to game out developments that seemed fairly obvious. Junco knew that twenty/twenty hindsight was easy but even so, this stuff should not be happening. Ani was a brilliant coder with a wonderful imagination. That much was a given – but he did seem to have a tendency to get so wrapped up in his projects that he minimized potential danger and downsides. Junco's doubts about Ani were new, subtly changing his thinking. Over time the process would become far less subtle.
It was Scoter that spoke next. “So, we are definitely under intentional attack then.”
“That seems to be the case,” Ani confirmed.
Scoter continued. “I am going to ask a question in the full knowledge that I will be very unhappy when I hear the answer – what do we have to do?”
“We have to go there – to Violencia,” said Ani simply.
Junco spoke. “Seriously? Not a great travel destination. No offense, Skua.”
“None taken – besides I couldn't agree more,” he said.
“Knew I would hate the answer,” ddded Scoter.
Teal had a different take. “It could be fun, things were beginning to get a bit samey around here.”
“I really hope that was a joke,” said Junco.
Ani interrupted the banter. “Look, it shouldn't be that bad and I should be able to work it so that we can always either drop back here or down to a lower Level if things get bad.”
“Okay count me in,” said Junco, all the time knowing that he was going to regret the decision. The others all gave their assent and so it was decided. Junco asked Skua if he was Okay with the decision.
“Sure, no one will recognize me, so I should be fine.”
Ani said, “I think that it would be a good idea to run you through the body shop again. Make sure that nothing can positively identify you. The last round was appearance only. This time we need to reroute blood vessels, switch up your DNA, rearrange fingerprints and other fun stuff.”
Teal looked unsure. “But this is virtual – surely things like DNA tests and retinal scans have little meaning.”
“Not so,” Said ani. “Your virtual body replicates down to molecular Level and fidelity is always one hundred percent. We may fool around with the big stuff, weight, age, skin color etc but the small scale stuff is usually an accurate representation. We may have to express different genes and repress others but the basic DNA is still yours.”
9. VIOLENCIA
They materialized in the middle of what looked like a narrow back alley. The smell of grease and rotting garbage was overwhelming. The sky looked as if it only knew shades of gray. Doors were opening a crack and half faces were appearing. A few were more brazen and just stared at the newcomers openly.
“Guys, I think we are starting to attract attention. Skua, any suggestions?”
“Look natural and follow me.” Skua led them through a couple of ninety degree turns. The first put them in an alley almost identical to the first, and the second onto a wider street. Junco counted three shops, two bars (one with a brothel), a betting shop and a lot of boarded up buildings. What signs there were tended towards the descriptive as opposed to the pretentious and artistic. The punters were probably not too interested in the owner's names.
The group followed Skua through an unfinished chipboard door with the word 'Bar' scrawled on it. The lettering was top to bottom, each letter the width of the entrance. Skua was the fashion adviser for the trip and judging by the other dozen or patrons already in the bar he had done a good job. The place was extremely basic: wooden floors so worn that the brass screws that held the planks in place were raised, tables and chairs with multiple coats of peeling yellow varnish and what looked like an archaic musical instrument in one corner completed the scene.
The barkeep's easy friendliness surprised Junco. The surroundings led him to expect grunted monosyllables and little else. Instead he and the rest of the group were greeted like long lost friends and even treated to the first drink 'on the house'. The group picked up their drinks and settled at a table as far fro
m the bar and other customers as they could get.
“Well, that was downright friendly,” said Scoter. “Maybe this trip won't be so bad after all.”
Teal, who was military-trained did not look happy. “Something isn't right. The bartender was not right for this setting. That type of anomaly is almost always bad.”
“She is right,” said Skua. “Friendly staff and this part of town do not go together. Be on your guard.”
Ani was nodding in agreement with both Teal and Skua. “Yes this just feels completely and utterly wrong.”
Scoter was now looking a lot less happy than he did before they sat down. “Thanks for the pep talk – what now?”
“My recommendation?” said Skua. “We drink these drinks not to fast not to slow then we wander out of here looking as relaxed as possible.”
They proceeded to drink their drinks, finishing them without giving the appearance of rushing them. As soon as they were outside the door, Ani spoke. “The Barkeep – he was contacting people while we were in the bar. Word is getting around that there is a group of strangers in town. Keep your wits about you.”
“How do you know he was doing that?” asked Teal.
Ani replied. “I did some prep before we dropped onto this Level. I can hack into some conversations and bits and pieces of code that is airborne. Depends on the level of encryption used. I can't touch anything that is very secure but the more lightweight free for non commercial use type stuff is in range. That was what the bartender was using. I got about eighty percent of the outgoing and sixty percent of the incoming.
“So we are not completely defenseless then. That has to be a good thing,” said Scoter, determined to play the role of group optimist.
Ani conceded. “It is better than nothing but a long way from ideal.”
“I'll take it,” he said.
“Well, that was hardly a roaring success. Where now?” Teal addressed Skua.
“I did warn you that it could take a few attempts before we hit on a lead to Miasma and Osmium. Don't forget this is the territory next door to hers, a sort of buffer zone with no gang in overall control. Fast thinking can keep us alive here – once we enter gang territory that is no longer a given.”
Ani added, “We are after information. The more we can get before the risk starts to really pile up, the better.”
“Would have been useful to know that you had a working Net though Ani,” said Skua.
Ani replied. “Sorry about that. I wanted to test it before making any premature announcements. Firewalls and other blocks always tend to be a lot stronger on paranoid Levels. No offense Skua, but from everything that I've seen and heard Violencia is more paranoid than most.”
“None taken and fair point about keeping the snooping software under wraps.”
Ani was looking very pleased with himself. “I have something else that you'll all like.”
“Pray do tell,” Said Teal.
Ani responded. “We can contact each other using our own internal Net without any risk at all.” The group spent a few minutes testing the net and everything seemed to be working fine. Words and pictures were transmitting without a hitch and all the individual privacy protocols were working just fine.
Junco asked Ani, “You really are a hundred percent sure about this – our comms really are unhackable?”
“Yes, I wouldn't have said so otherwise.” Ani looked a little hurt.
Junco added, “Let's just say that you have been known to rush things a little.”
Ani said nothing and Junco felt the temperature drop a degree or two.
10. THE WAREHOUSE
Junco didn't see it coming. One second he was chatting with the others, the next a blinding white light and nothing. He came to in what appeared to be in a warehouse type building. The tiny high windows let a little light in, enough to see that the others were with him and that they were all chained to one of the many exposed pipes running through the space. The pipe was one of the few that ran at ground level and Junco was thankful for very small mercies. His arms would remain in their sockets at least for the immediate future.
His head was pounding and required attention. Junco pulled up his internal home-screen and hit the medical icon. A diagnosis was done, DNA was re purposed and enzymes involved in the creation of the body's natural painkillers were made by the billion. Then he looked up without the distraction of pain and noticed that Teal was missing. This was either good or not good. She may be held somewhere else which wouldn't be good or she may have escaped which would be excellent. Teal at large would be a huge plus – her military training meant that, of the whole group, she was the best equipped to deal with the big unknown that was Violencia.
The others were coming around and instigating their own pain reduction protocols. As soon as Junco saw that their facial muscles had lost their tension he opened up the internal Net.
“What the hell happened?” asked Scoter.
Junco replied, “I suspect that we all know about as much as each other which is nothing.”
“So you have no idea what happened to Teal?”
Junco answered Scoter. “None at all. She has been offline since I came around.”
Then he aimed a question at Skua. “Any thoughts?”
“Nothing particularly helpful. This could be gang-related, though kidnapping in a buffer zone is unusual, or it could be the work of common criminals.”
Echoing footsteps, several sets, snapped the group back to Violencia. Through the murk, Junco could make out three figures. The two outside ones appeared to be dragging the inside one, against his will, across the stone floor. One of them produced a set of handcuffs and chained the unwilling guest to a high narrow pipe that ran parallel to the one that Junco and his group were chained to. The second 'guard' handcuffed the prisoners free wrist to his other wrist.
“Its the barman!” Junco announced over their private network.
Scoter looked up and examined the face eight feet or so from his own. “So it is. Let's ask him some questions.”
“Ask him questions – I'd rather just kick him in the nuts.” Scoter's contribution was uncharacteristically violent.”
“Maybe later,” said Junco.”
Junco hoped that the barman knew nothing of the internal group discussion that was underway. Judging by the unchanging expression on the other's face he judged that his hope was a realistic one.
Scoter was nominated to be chief inquisitor. He had displayed unexpected talents in this direction on previous occasions. “Hey, some questions for you.”
The barman spoke. “Why would I want to help you?”
“You seem to be a bit short of friends at the moment,” replied Scoter. “We may be able to help each other.”
“I think I'll take my chances. Now please shut up.”
Ani looked at Scoter then at the barman. “Well, that was rude.”
A few seconds later a drop of blood appeared under one of the barman's nostrils. A few seconds after this a matching one appeared under the other nostril. The drops then combined and became a stream. The barman's screams echoed through the building. Surprisingly none of the captors came to investigate. This fact didn't appear to be lost on the barman. The look of sheer agony had now left his face. Junco assumed that Ani had stopped whatever torture he was inflicting upon the man.
Junco looked at Ani and opened up the private network. “I take it that was your doing?”
“Yes – would you rather I played nice?”
Junco thought for a second. “No, we may not have much time and we need information. Let him have it.”
Ani turned to the barman. “Right, that was mild, you really don't want to see what's next. Now please answer our questions. Besides – it really may be in your best interest to do so.”
The look on the barman's face had changed to one that Junco interpreted as respect. This suggested that he believed the last part of Ani's statement. “Okay, you win. ”
From that point forward the qu
estioning occurred without further drama or interruption. The barman had borrowed money from a loan shark and had fallen behind with repayments to the point where the repayments became impossible. The loan shark then offered to freeze the repayments providing that the barman provided intel on what happened in and around his bar. This was a lifeline that the barman grabbed with both hands.
The call that Ani intercepted, but only got a part of, was one from the barman to the loan shark saying that some tourists were in the area. It was the loan shark's thugs that had attacked them and bought them to the building – which was an empty warehouse. It turned out that the barman was hauled in on other, unconnected business. He had been seen talking to the loan shark's biggest rival. The barman's name was Yellowlegs. It turned out that this really was his given name and not a nickname. By the time Yellowlegs had finished his story Junco found it hard to be angry with him. His life really was a series of very bad luck compounded by very bad choices.
“Just a couple more questions,” said Scoter. “There was a woman with us. Have you any idea what happened to her.”
Yellowlegs replied. “I think that she got away; that was the rumor, anyway.”
“I can believe that,” said Scoter.
Ani to Scoter over the internal Net. “Don't forget about Miasma and Osmium.”
“I'm getting to it,” Scoter transmitted.
Scoter then got straight to the point. “Yellowlegs, what do you know about a gang called Miasma and their leader?”
Yellowlegs laughed without humor. “Just kill me now.”
“Seriously, we need to know.” Said Scoter.
“Look I'll do you a deal,” said Yellowlegs. “Get us out of here first. I do have useful information on that score, I promise, but it's a bit complicated. These bozos, the ones who have us trapped here will kill us but not before they have inflicted a great deal of pain.”
After a quick internal conversation, the group agreed that the barman's logic was solid and decided to focus their efforts on escape.
The Rubidium Beach Series - Episodes 1 Through 4: Cyberpunk/Dystopian Science Fiction Page 18