Blake spoke. “Robin? I’m here Robin.”
Robin’s hand twitched. It was a sign she knew he was there. He and his wife built this empire. They defeated death. They were this city. They would not be defeated by some plague to the hybrids they created. The hybrid Robin was.
Blake, alone in his penthouse, began to silently cry. “It’s alright, Robin.” His voice was strained, dry. It held his heart. “Help is coming. I can feel it.”
On cue, an urgent message came onto screen. Blake touched his temple again and the room where Robin lied vanished, replaced by the cold features of Warren Relic in the control room.
“This had better be important, Warren.” Blake sat up as he said it.
“It is.” Warren’s emotion never wavered.
“Tell me it’s good news.”
Warren nodded. “It is. Jade, she’s back. And she has company.”
Warren drank the rest of his wine in one big gulp. Considering Corsica wine costs as much as most houses, it’s not recommended you drink it in one gulp, but times dictated it needed to be done.
Jade was back. There was work to be done.
Chapter 9
Three bloody, bruised and damaged bodies fell from the center of spinning metallic circles onto a concrete floor. Charlie grasped his back in pain as he landed.
“Ahhhhhowww,” he cried. “Why did they put this so far off the ground?!”
Jade simply shrugged.
“Greetings!” The deep voice echoed through the sparse concrete room.
Collectively, the three figures’ five eyes (Angelo was short one) swiveled in the direction of the booming voice. A giant holograph of Blake Crowley’s head floated in the cavernous space as the speakers blared his voice. “Charlie Richards! In the flesh!” Blake wore a charismatic smile to end all charismatic smiles. “Your reputation precedes you. I assure you, you will be treated like a king among men while staying in my kingdom, so to speak. I mean this isn’t really a kingdom, though you probably don’t know much about this time period. But we, we know a lot about you.”
Charlie nodded dumbly. “Thanks.” Holy shit, he was in the future!
Blake turned his attention to Jade. She was one beat up woman, but Blake had seen her through worse. “Jade, would you be so kind to escort our guest to see me.”
Jade motioned over at Angelo. “I need to stop by the Pavilion first.”
A smile remained plastered on Blake’s face, but underneath it was something unpleasant. “Jade, surely you understand, there are more important issues to attend to first.”
Jade was about to say something, then nodded. Charlie glanced at her. In the short time that Charlie had known Jade thus far, he had concluded that she was not one to take to being told what to do. This guy Blake was obviously quite a big deal. Pretty hard to guess considering this entire city is named after him.
Blake’s gaze returned to Charlie. He smiled and nodded, “See you soon, Admiral Richards.” The transmission cut out.
Charlie puffed up with pride. “I’m an Admiral!”
Jade rolled her eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head. Just trying to impress you.”
“So, who is he? What’s his deal?”
The broad white wall to their left slid open to reveal a platoon of red and white ProtectoBots. They parted as the wall opened and through the gap stepped a tall man wearing a tight black uniform like Jade’s. His face was grim as he offered a slight bow to the group. “I am here to see you make your next appointment.”
Jade sighed. This was Monfils. Blake sending Monfils was not a good sign. It said “I trust you Jade, but I don’t trust you.” She didn’t want Blake getting paranoid. Especially since she had literally just travelled through time to do his bidding. Still, she nodded respectfully back. You don’t want to get on Monfils’s bad side.
Jade motioned to Charlie to follow. “I’ll tell you on the way.”
“Mr. Monfils.” Angelo bowed as best he could on one leg. “You look as deadly as ever, good sir.”
Monfils laughed. “I know I do, Angelo.”
“Where are the Lowsmiths?” Jade asked Monfils.
Monfils shrugged. “Scavenging outside the walls like usual, is my guess.”
“It’s just, when we left, they were overtaking the city.”
“Pft.” Monfils waved at a hand at that. “No Lowsmiths can overtake this great city of ours. We beat them back handily soon after you left.”
Jade nodded. She didn’t share in his confidence. She had seen the truth of things, and they had been close to breaking through.
The group stepped onto a patio overlooking the city of Crowley. Charlie’s mouth went agape at the city of the future. “Jade?” he asked cautiously.
“Yes, Charlie?”
“I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
“Wizard of Oz?”
Charlie looked at her, impressed. “Good pull. If there is ever a time to use that line in life, this would be it.”
Charlie had returned, not to the state of Kansas, but to a state he felt comfortable in nonetheless: disbelief. This placwas only recognizable by the surrounding red mountains, the Luxor Pyramid and Cesar’s Palace (renamed Crowley’s Palace, but he recognized the building.) He knew where he was. “Are we in Vegas?”
Jade smiled. “It used to be.”
Charlie looked out over futuristic Vegas approvingly. When Charlie had won his free trip to the Grand Canyon, he got to spend a day in Vegas. He lost three hands in blackjack, went to a club because they told him he was a V.I.P., stood in a corner awkwardly for ten minutes and left, then went to his hotel room and read some Carl Sagan. The Grand Canyon was much better. But the city had changed, as one might suspect to happen over centuries. The city skyline was a series of glass buildings (he assumed it was glass, but wasn’t technically correct) towered high into the sky. The sky – something was off. He couldn’t put his finger on it at first, but it didn’t feel real. Finally, he realized it was because the clouds weren’t real. They looked convincing, but when he saw hatches open and drones coming and going from inside, he took a closer look. The clouds were a collection of white receptor panels.
Charlie felt a shove from behind and spun to look.
“Please, sir,” Monfils said, waving his hand like he was scooting a dog along. “I imagine you must need time to soak this in, but time is short.” The push and words in themselves were not threatening, but all the same, it was a clear Monfils expected Charlie to pay heed. Charlie caught Jade’s eye. She gave him a slight nod. It said, it was best to listen.
Monfils was joined by his two PB’s, Felix 1 and Felix 2 (no relation.) The group made their way to a platform of the ConleyTransit (VIP line, no waiting). Angelo hopped on one leg. Monfils wanted Felix 2 to carry Angelo, afraid he would slow them down.
“Good sir,” Angelo said politely. “If they touch me, I will have to destroy them quickly and effortlessly.”
Monfils looked at Angelo, then at Jade.
Jade nodded. “Pick your battles wisely, Monfils.”
Monfils dropped the subject. And, as beat up and broken Angelo was, he did not slow them down one bit.
On the platform, a small yellow pod awaited. It was attached to overhead tracks that ran throughout the city. They all got in, and went for a ride through the town.
Charlie had 348 questions off the top of his head, and another several thousand off the bottom. But he recognized the situation for what it was. The man who he had seen when they first arrived was who summoned him, and he wanted Charlie fast. All he knew was that his code played a role in this, and they needed Charlie. He liked it better when he thought he was needed, but not actually needed. Charlie’s breathing shortened as he remembered he was sent here to save the world.
“Who was the guy who summoned us?” Charlie asked.
Jade shot a quick look at Monfils, confirming they were on shaky ground to reveal too much. “We are in the city of Crowley. The guy talking was Blake Crowley,
which kinda says it all on how powerful a man he is. And he’s my boss. And he made his trillions off the code in your notebook.”
Charlie slowly nodded. “Do I get any royalties, at least?”
“I’m not going to tell you your future. I will say, your brilliance was, unfortunately, not realized until well after you were gone. I will give you some good news.”
“Yes, please.”
“You do eventually move out of your mom’s house.” Jade gave Charlie a small smile.
Charlie wasn’t sure to be embarrassed or happy, so he changed the subject.
“The clouds. What’s their purpose?”
“To be a beautiful beacon of hope that blends technology and nature.” Jade said it with a rehearsed cadence.
“Oh, come now.”
“Just reciting the pitch. It’s what powers the world. Not only does it give us wireless power, it’s what powers 42% of the world. Crowley controls more power, literally and figuratively, then any other corporation.”
They turned on to what was once upon a time, in the 21st century, known as The Strip. It was now called The Crowley Strip. Not that creative, if you asked Charlie. Where once mammoth casinos stood now sat even more mammoth not-glass buildings. On the outside of the buildings, nanobots raced around their windows. At the end of Crowley Strip, there was one building that rose above the rest. Written across it, in fabulous black opalum letters, was the name “Crowley.”
“I’m just wondering,” Charlie mused. “You think this Crowley guy has an ego?”
Jade laughed. Charlie was glad for this, he wasn’t sure how humor translated to the future. Monfils, however, did not laugh. In fact, a scowl was presented.
Below them on the streets Charlie watched the figures come and go. Some were robots, some were people, and they seemed to move effortlessly between each other. “So, there are humans living here and robots? And hybrids? Sounds complicated.”
Jade shrugged. “I suppose so. Yes, it is.”
“Who outranks whom?”
“It’s complicated.” Jade paused a moment before continuing. “Crowley is the only predominantly hybrid city in the world. To the east, are all-human cities. To the west are robot cities controlled by the man we are going to see. But Mr. Crowley is rapidly expanding hybrid technology worldwide as, obviously, there is a market for extending your lifespan. Which is why this plague is not good news for his bottom line. Not to mention our lives.”
“And all the hybrids are being infected with a virus in their code.” Charlie left that as a statement, not a question. He knew why he was here.
“No.”
Or maybe he didn’t.
“There are two types of hybrids,” Jade continued. “Gammas, the leading class of hybrids. They are hybrids that have been mechanized but keep their brain clean and intact. There is only a select class of Gammas.”
“If that’s the leading class, then why aren’t more hybrids Gammas?”
Monfils looked up at Jade. This questioning was walking on thin ice. Still, Monfils knew that Charlie needed to know what he needed to know to fix the issue. Plus, Blake was surely listening and would stop it if need be. He had eyes and ears everywhere.
Jade did indeed know this, and not being stopped, continued. “The approval process to be a Gamma is…very stringent. The rest of us are Deltas. We are various levels of percentage human-to-machine but what we have in common is that our neurosystems are mechanized. This, generally, is a requirement to become a hybrid.”
Charlie nodded in understanding. “And that’s the code being affected?”
“Yes. Just some of us, so far. But it is spreading.”
“Are there humans here?”
“Yes. Bots have taken most of the duties in the city. There are four legal categories of bots. The PB’s, ProtectoBots. All personal protection and city protection.” Jade waved at the three bots in the pod with them as an example. “There are ServBots you will find meet all your service needs. Repairs, waiters, sex, you name it.” Jade looked at Charlie at the last example but he didn’t react. “There are SaniBots for all cleaning. And MediBots for health. All are patented by Crowley.”
“Is anyone purely human here?”
“Besides you?”
Charlie nodded apprehensively.
“Yes,” Jade confirmed. “The city has six boroughs. One of those, Trenchtown, is where the humans live. There are many jobs that still require humans to perform, and that are below the class of Deltas to do.”
Jade’s voice sounded even, but Charlie picked up on resentment when she said it.
Monfils shifted uncomfortably. “For now, anyway.” His voice was full of anger. “We are working on that.”
Charlie took Monfils’s tone to mean this discussion was over. He was a genius after all, or so they say, so he could at least read that correctly. He looked out the window of the passing city. Between the buildings, Charli could see to the vast edges of the city. Everything looked pristine and upscale. Police PBs walked the streets bringing a feeling of safety. At the edges of town arose a colossal metallic wall. Above it, the drone PBs shined down their lights just beyond the wall. The entire wall glowed a faint blue light, as if powered in some way. The city had obviously gone to great lengths to keep someone out.
Charlie couldn’t help but say as much. “Who’s the big bad wolf beyond those walls?”
Jade moved to answer but was cut off my Monfils. “Some people, Mr. Richards, can’t accept progress.”
Jade smirked. “You mean, can’t afford it.”
“I mean,” Monfils said with a sneer, “they not only don’t accept it, but they want to stop it. And you, Jadyn, should know better than anyone how important progress is.”
Monfils’s and Jade’s eyes met each other with force. Tensions were high. Angelo seemed to sense this too and was crouching slightly.
Finally, it was Charlie who relieved the situation. “What’s the pizza situation in this century? What’s popular?”
Monfils continued to stare at Jade for a moment, before finally breaking eye contact. “Pepperoni,” he said, relaxing slightly. “You’re right, not all progress is needed.”
Monfils was a hybrid. His father, Simon, was a first-generation hybrid. His father was beyond reproach. He fought in the Pacific Wars and was a decorated hero. A lot of ornaments on that man’s tree. He was injured badly, critically, and what was then new technology saved his father’s life. Progress. Progress should always progress.
Thanks to progress, his father was still alive and could expect to live on another hundred years or so. Thanks to hybrid technology, he had his father. Thanks to hybrid technology, his father, whom had invested heavily in the industry and Crowley Enterprises, was rich and, by extension, so was Monfils.
He was fine with pure humans (he used to be one.) They lived in this city beside hybrids and bots. Though inferior, it wasn’t their fault. Most strived to make enough money and/or influence to become a hybrid, for it to even be a possibility, and that helped make the city run smoother. Motivation.
Yes, there were those, outside those walls, who aimed to destroy progress; the Lowsmiths. The human rebels’ pathetic excuse as to why they revolted was hybrid technology should be available to everyone, not just the rich.
Because that’s how the world has ever worked.
Sure, there was a bit of an issue right now with some hybrids getting sick, going insane, or both. But progress always had such problems, and progress always makes it through to the other side.
He just hoped this human in front of him was the one they could count on. Before the Lowsmiths broke into the city and tried to ruin everything.
On cue, the electroshield on the southeast wall went down.
“Quickly, let’s go.” Monfils moved the group along as he looked back at the southeast perimeter. The wall would still hold without the electroshield. Probably. Still, these attacks were increasing. Warren Relic, who oversaw defense and was his father Simon’s direct supervis
or (and his indirect,) wouldn’t be bested by any Lowsmiths.
Still, this wasn’t progress.
“We are stopping here.” Jade said it strongly, ready for a fight.
“We are going to see Blake immediately,” Monfils shot back. “Orders.”
Jade turned aggressively towards Monfils. “We are stopping here. Angelo needs help.”
Monfils met her gaze.
Jade’s expression softened. “Besides, it’s a short walk to headquarters after.”
Monfils looked at her a good long moment. “Fine. But make it quick.”
The pod opened and they stepped out onto the platform. Charlie looked up at the sign: Richards’s Circle. Reality continued to be unreal. Richards’s Circle.
The group walked down the street towards the circle and the surreal nature of the universe kept getting more surreal. They walked past towers of glass buildings. It began with a few people leaning out windows. Then a few people came down to the street. Then some followed, with awed whispers. They were looking at Charlie.
Charlie was not a fan of this attention. He just didn’t quite understand it. He became very self-conscious of his clothes. It must be what they were laughing at, his 21st century wardrobe. Guess he stuck out rather poorly to have all these people come down to the street and gawk so.
But then he heard an “It’s him.” And then, “Is that Charlie Richards?” He remembered what Jade had said. In the future, he was a hero. He was a revolutionary thinker. He was a god.
Charlie Richards put his shoulder up and walked with more confidence than he ever had before. He walked liked a god (for the record, Jade gave a significant eye roll at this, but luckily for Charlie he didn’t notice.)
If Charlie had reason to have his ego inflated, he hadn’t seen nothin’ yet. When he rounded the Sinatra Tower, which opened to Richards Square, his ego blew up to almost the size of the city. There stood Charlie looking at Charlie, or rather a thirty-foot statue of his likeness. At least, there were similar traits, but this Charlie was one handsome devil. He lost some weight, pumped some iron, and his hair went from shabby to flowing. In his hands, he held a scroll of code, Charlie’s Code, and on his face a giant smile. The code was wrong, but beyond this it was a very nice statue.
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