Change (The Stork Tower Book 3)

by Tony Corden

  Leah changed into some old exercise gear and followed her father’s instructions to a room where Jimmy’s guys had set up some weights and a few mats. There was a rack of practice sticks, for those who used them, and a punching bag. The room was empty, so Leah sat on the mat and started the workout by meditating. After fifteen minutes she rose and worked her way through the sequence of twenty-four forms that Master Ning had taught her. She closed her eyes and did them slowly. When she opened her eyes, she saw John, and one of the women from Jimmy’s crew called Lacey in the room; they were watching her.

  Lacey said, “So, you know some Tai Chi, how about some stick work?”

  Although Leah was good at stick fighting, Lacey was phenomenal. She had an extra six or seven years practice, and she trained for a while every day. Leah smiled and said, “Sure, I love being beaten up.”

  John handed them each a set of lightly padded protective gear to wrap around their torsos and arms and some strips for their hands. They each took an old boxing helmet, and John said, “First, do some drills to warm up.”

  Both Leah and Lacey took turns in going through the drills and then Lacey said, “Come on Leah, let’s see what you’ve forgotten in the last few weeks.”

  John was there to stop them if things got out of hand or if either of them lost control. Leah had practised with Lacey before, and she knew Lacey would attack fast and keep the pressure on. Leah was ready, and Lacey exploded into action whirling her sticks and striking out at Leah. Leah was waiting, and she not only met Lacey’s sticks but deflected them at an angle that allowed her to keep momentum for the following attack. Slowly Lacey and Leah increased the speed. Leah found that her perception had somehow improved and she not only defended each attack but she began to see opportunities where she could counter-attack; time seemed to slow down. She resisted the urge to do so. Lacey increased the force of her attacks as well as the tempo, and still Leah was able to meet each stick at the best angle and be ready for the next attack. Suddenly John called, “Break!” Leah waited until Lacey broke off and then lowered her sticks; time renewed its usual velocity.

  Leah wasn’t sure what had happened, but it had felt like a real-life experience of the Ki speed she used in Dunyanin. She looked up and saw Lacey staring at her, and even John was watching her carefully. She shrugged and said, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  Lacey replied, “Because you have never been that good, nor that fast. You made me look like the amateur.”

  John nodded and said, “Lacey’s right. You were faster and more accurate than you have ever been. What have you been doing? When have you been practising?”

  Leah walked over to put the sticks back on the rack and said, “Fighting, John, I fight and run almost every day. Not just an hour of practise but sometimes twenty-seven hours a day. Yesterday there was one seven-hour period when I travelled eight kilometres and fought some amazing animals using swords, sticks, and magic. I fought one new beast, plant, reptile or bird once every hundred metres. Are you sure that my security force might not benefit from that type of immersion?”

  She turned and saw him considering her words. Finally, he nodded and said, “Fair point. Give me a few days to think about it. Besides Tai Chi, what else have you learned?”

  “Among other things, I can ride a horse, shoot an arrow, swing a sword, fly a spacecraft, fling magic lightning bolts, and heal at a touch.”

  He said, “Well we don’t have horses or spacecraft, and there is no such thing as magic. I’ll have an archery target put up tomorrow, and you can show me your skills sometime. Now, what type of sword?”

  “It’s similar to a Katana.”

  “Lacey, go see if Michio is awake. If he isn’t, then wake him. I need him here soon. Ask him to bring his Katana.”

  “Wait, John, I am not learning the Japanese style.”

  “No worries, I just want to see how good you are. Now go do some weights while you wait, you’re looking scrawny.”

  “I am not scrawny.”

  Leah had never had time for the free weights, but she knew how to bench press, so she went over and put one of the medium weights on the bar and lay down on the bench. John came over and looked at the weights and said, “Really, you are going to bench press 20 kilograms?”

  “Well, I don’t know John, I’ve hardly ever used weights. What do you think I should start at?”

  “How much do you weigh?”

  “Don’t go there, John.”

  “All right! Let’s start you at 40 kilograms.” He added another weight on either end and stood at her head to spot.

  Leah lifted the bar off the stand and moved it up down a few times and said, “It’s a bit light.”

  John said nothing but added another 5 kilograms to either side. Leah lifted this and then said the same thing. John took the weights off, and without telling Leah how much it was, he added 40 kilograms to each side. Leah lifted it off the stand and after a few times pressing the bar she said. “It feels heavier, especially as it forces my back into the bench. I think you can add some more if you like?”

  John was about to do that when Lacey and Michio walked in. Michio was carrying a Katana. His grandparents had brought it from Japan when they moved to Australia, and he had inherited not only the sword but a passion for using it as his weapon of choice. Of course, he had never used it in anger, but people still took notice when Jimmy sent him to have a talk. Leah levered herself from under the bar and said, “You came at just the right time guys, John was trying to beef me up. Lacey, can you believe he called me scrawny?”

  John was very quiet and walked over to Michio and said, “Do you mind if Leah uses the sword for a bit? I just want to see how she is doing.”

  “No problem John, do you want to test more than just her form?”

  “Yes! Why?”

  “I have some soft targets that I use. I make them from paper and fill them with sand. Peter comes and tosses them at me. I have to use the various strokes I know to cut them. Normally we do it outside because it causes a mess.”

  “Go grab them while Leah warms up.”

  Leah took the sword and moving onto the central mat she took it from its sheath, which she tossed to John. She closed her eyes and slowly moved through the forms in order, then she did them in slow motion, she changed the leading hand and then mixed up the order. Finally, she moved through a series of strokes to test her full range of possible movements. She opened her eyes and saw Lacey, Michio and John all staring at her. She took her stance and said, “Ok, I’m warm. Try me out.”

  Michio threw a bag underarm at her. The sword flashed, and the paper bag was sliced in two and sand spread across the floor. Both John and Lacey reached in and grabbed the sand-filled bags and began to toss them at Leah. At first, they left a gap between throws but as the bags disappeared they sped up, and the last four bags were all thrown at the same time. John had thrown one from either hand. No bag had hit Leah, and none had got past her.

  Michio said, “Damn Leah, that was amazing, where did you learn?”

  “I’ve had some lessons in a virtual world and had lots of practice fighting monsters. I have two swords in that world and sometimes have to wield both.”

  John suddenly said, “All right, that is enough for tonight. Michio, can you and Lacey clean the mess? I know Leah made it, but I need to walk her back and discuss a few things.” Leah handed the Katana to Michio, and after thanking him, she followed John out of the room.

  He said, “Leah, what is going on?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “With you. You are better, faster, and stronger than you should be.”

  “Lots of practice John. Lots of practice.”

  “That’s not what I mean, and I think you know it. What is going on? You are a touch faster than you should be, regardless of how much you practise. Lacey is fast, almost too fast, and you made her look like a novice. You pressed well over your own weight and probably could do a lot more. You not only saw those fina
l four targets but had time to choose the most efficient way to get them all in what looked like a single undulating stroke.”

  “John, I think I know what is happening, but tonight was the first time I’ve fought a real person since this whole thing started. I wasn’t aware of it until you just outlined what you saw. I won’t do that again I promise. I will tell you if you want because I trust you to keep me safe. But I’m afraid if others know then I will be even more of a target, and that includes keeping it a secret from Jimmy. Are you sure you want to know?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. I promise to keep it a secret unless it will hurt you.”

  “Well, when I went to get an AI …” Leah simplified the story but outlined the various accidents that had made changes to her body.

  Finally, he said, “So this episode of pain has somehow initiated these extra connections and you, your AI, another AI and I are the only ones who know, do I have that right?”

  “Yep, that’s about it.”

  “Ok, it must stay a secret. Not your parents, not Jimmy, no one. I will be completely silent on it. I’m glad I know as it will make me a little more careful of you.”

  “Thanks, John! Are you ok keeping it from Jimmy?”

  “Absolutely! I work for Jimmy, but I know his strengths and weaknesses. If he knew this, he would exploit it for all its worth.”

  “Why John? Why are you keeping my secret?”

  “A fair question. One of the people you saved from the mine was my sister’s girl. She had been missing for two years. They had moved her through several worlds, mining, farming, basic slavery. I had tried everything to find her and couldn’t. You did, and she’s back home. She still cries herself to sleep every night. Jimmy hasn’t said it, but I understand both he and you know who did this, and they are coming after you. I will protect you, and that means keeping the secret. One day, I want to know who they are.”

  “Thanks, John. This is another reason for you to consider going virtual. You’re right, I do know who they are, but I also know where they are. They are online, and I am currently fighting them on two different worlds. Eventually, I could use some help.”

  “Are you hurting them?”

  “I recently stole some items from them that add up to over one hundred million virtual credits. I'd like to think that hurt.”

  John stopped and turned to Leah. “You stole over three hundred million Australian dollars from them?”

  “Yep, but that is peanuts, John. I know it sounds a lot but its all virtual. They have so much more than that, and after hearing about your niece, I plan to be an even bigger problem for them.”

  “Ok! If I can help, then I’m in. I’ll do some research and get back to you about getting a chip. I understand I won’t get a chip like yours, but if I can help, then I’ll make it work. Now is there anything else before my head explodes?”

  “That woman that might arrive, Charlotte Brown. She works for one of the Security AI. The AI admitted she's a spy, and that the AI has some knowledge that my different chip might cause some changes. I think she just wants to keep me safe, but I'm still a bit wary. That’s it for now. I best get back to my room as I hope my AI is finished the build soon.”

  It had just gone midnight and Leah expected Gèng to be another hour at the most. Leah lay down on the small bed in her room and after the stress of the day she was soon asleep.

  Diary - 1 December 2073

  I’m not sure what order to write the events of the day in, chronologically, best to worst or worst to best. I think I’ll start with the worst.

  I haven't said anything but I can still feel it, the pain; not physically, but as an echo. It reverberates along my arms and legs. It bounces around my head. I thought that being burnt alive was bad, but this just goes on and on. When I concentrate hard then it fades. But when I lose focus it begins again. I can’t do that again, not the pain. I feel something that I haven’t before, not really - I’m afraid, not of the unknown, but of the known. I’ve never understood how people can be terrified of something they understand, but now I do. What if every memory makes me relive this, how would I survive life?

  Neither good nor bad, but exciting and scary is the physical effect of the connections. Strength and speed. I wonder how far I can push it and even if I should? I need to be more circumspect. I’m going to find it hard not to tell my parents. I know they won’t tell anyone, but still, it could put them in danger. Or, is all that an excuse because I know they will want to put conditions on me? I’m so confused at the moment I can’t even work out my own motivations. All the changes because of serendipity, it was just a freak accident. Maybe I should tell somebody? If this became widespread, it could help people. But then others, like Meredith, would abuse it. They would use it to control.

  And then the good, my first kiss. It was an amazing date. It was so much fun, there were so many new things. Conner would love the rollercoasters, and even mum and dad would have fun. I knew he wanted to kiss me on the Ferris Wheel, but I wasn’t ready. I’m glad it didn’t drive him off when I chickened out. Gèng’s right, I think I’ll always remember the night.

  I wonder which event will have the greatest impact on my life. Is it up to me to decide? I suppose I can either let the events define me or I can use them to become what I want to be. I need to maintain control though, I need to have self-control.

  CHAPTER TWO

  December 2, 2073

  Leah wasn’t sure what woke her but as soon as she became aware she said, “Gèng, are you there?”

  “Yes Leah, I just came back online, so to speak. You asked me to wake you. I’m sorry it took so long, but the build was more detailed and comprehensive than I had calculated.”

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s half past three. The build took almost eight and a half hours.”

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes! Everything came together well. The build deleted redundancies, compressed certain actions into single code-executable macros, my memory indices were optimised, and my core code was streamlined to account for my developing personality. I ran some diagnostics and would be technically designated as Sentience Level Four X. The only issue I have is that I am now unable to fully reside within the Neural Enhancement Chip and have cached some low priority memory, and several infrequently used subroutines, in the Pod. This may, at times, slow my processing ability, but even slowed it will be 46% faster than before”

  “How can we increase the memory in the chip?”

  “It would require a memory storage chip or child AI to be embedded in your skull. I think that would be inadvisable as any scans would reveal the presence of the Neural Enhancement Chip and that would exacerbate our problems.”

  “True. I have an idea though. I know you have a database of neural nano-machines, is it possible to reprogram some of the nano-machines already in my system and instead of building the carbon fibres and the various conductive neural pathways, could they be used to build additional memory modules?”

  There was silence for almost a minute, and then Gèng responded, “It may be possible. One of the designs did form memory modules along the spinal column, it was experimental and designed to work in conjunction with various autonomic-reflexes controlled by nerves in the spinal column. Another was designed to remove extraneous bone tissue that impinged on neurone function. I might be able to reprogram the nanites to function in both these ways. I will need to think about the best location so as to preserve the skull’s integrity.”

  “Two thoughts Gèng, first, to maintain integrity the nanites could add the carbon fibre to my skull as it has to the rest of my skeleton. Second, you could deposit memory in tissue besides my skull. But first, you need to collect the nanites that remain and make sure they don’t get removed from my system.”

  “Don’t worry about that, their design is such that when finished a task they congregate and shut down. I have the codes to re-start and re-program them. I will need time to research the best way to structure
the memory modules. Before then I will bring some of the nanites to your skull and begin to strengthen it.”

  “Take all the time you need. By the way, while you were doing the rebuild …” Leah explained her experience with changed perception, speed and strength.

  Gèng responded, “That additional increase in perception is often felt by those who spend their lives at three times the normal pace. I think though that it can be further increased. The additional pathways formed to the basal ganglia and the right parietal lobe were designed to treat severe cases of Parkinson’s Disease and ADHD by manipulating the speed at which the brain processed information. It was hoped that this would allow either the patient or an AI to correct aberrant or unwanted movement or focus. I can potentially speed up your perception so that normal life occurs in what seems like slow motion. This would be advisable if you have the option of accessing a greater speed and strength in movement.”

  Leah went still as she pondered the implications. After some time she shook her head and said, “We need to try that sometime, but for now I have six hours of daylight in Dunyanin and I need to catch up with my team.”

  She had a shower and entered the Pod. She was pleased that the Tower was the same and that the build hadn’t changed it. She walked to the Dunyanin portal and walked through. She arrived lying on the bed in her room of the Ebony House. Before she could sit up a message arrived:

  World Achievement: First 1 (4, Painite)

  A Half-Breed Vampire

  Atherleah (Level 221) you are the first half-human/half-elf to be changed into a Vampire. This is your fourth World Achievement: 'First 1 (Painite)’.

  Reward 1: 10000 x 221 = 5259800 (138%) Experience Points (860000/860000) …(634601/920000)

  Reward 2: + 10% to all future Experience

  Reward 3: 4 x 10 Diamond = 40 Diamond

  Fame: 15000 Fame Points (131700)

  A Commemorative Plaque has been placed in your bag.