“Are you OK?” he said. He sounded concerned, which puzzled her.
“Yeah, of course. Why?”
“Well, you haven’t done anything in a few minutes. Everything just . . . froze.”
“Oh. I must have dozed off,” Kari said. She checked the time: only 3:30 p.m. This is what happens when you don’t let me listen to music while I code.
“I see,” Udarh said. “You’ve never fallen asleep while working before.”
“I haven’t been sleeping well,” Kari said, using the first excuse that came to her mind.
“Hmm. Our records show that you’ve been sleeping plenty and on a consistent schedule.”
Kari cursed to herself. I’ve got to be more careful. If they realize I stayed up all night without them noticing, it’s over.
“I don’t know what it is, then,” Kari said, trying her best to sound perplexed and tired. The tired part came naturally.
“I do,” Udarh said. “It’s all that stress this deadline has given you. You need a few days to rest.”
“Agreed,” Kari said. “But for now, I’m awake. Pinch me if I slip off again.” She focused on her development environment; she would review her code another time. After being satisfied with what she was looking at, she opened a new simulation and dropped the drone into it, as well as a stationary cheetah. She didn’t bother loading herself into the simulation because it wasn’t necessary at this stage. She ordered her drone to attack the cheetah and attempt to take control of it.
She watched as the drone scanned the cheetah, searching for a weak point. As soon as it found one, a vicious-looking spear extruded from the front of the drone, which then launched itself at the cheetah’s weak point, ramming it with a frightful amount of force. Right before it struck, Kari saw the drone heat the tip of the spear’s point to a bright red. The drone impaled the cheetah, driving its spear into its target’s joint. Kari watched eagerly as the drone pulsed, expending a large amount of energy to hack into the software of the cheetah and try to take control of it.
Come on . . . A second later, Kari was notified of a new device available for her to command. The cheetah was now fully under her control.
“It worked!” Udarh said. Before Kari could celebrate, the cheetah dropped off-line. A small trail of smoke rose from where the drone had stabbed it in the shoulder joint. The cheetah slumped and powered off. A moment later, her drone went off-line and emitted its own puff of smoke.
“Oh no,” Udarh said. “I cursed it.”
“The hacking algorithm was too aggressive. It needs work.” Kari sighed. “Lots of work.”
“Well, by my count, we have a little over thirty-two hours,” Udarh said. It was obvious he was trying to be encouraging, but listing the few hours she had left was not helping.
“Let’s get back to the code,” Kari said as she closed the simulation.
Eight hours later, Kari dejectedly called it a night. Udarh had spent the entire evening with her as they worked to finish the drones in time for tomorrow night’s deadline. Kari enjoyed his company; he was infinitely better than the empty-headed, generic monitors she was usually left with. Eventually, she’d allowed Udarh to talk her into getting some rest. He was a firm believer that she was pushing herself too hard and that it wasn’t healthy. She had made a point of making an obvious resistance before eventually conceding.
Kari was intolerably tired already, but there would be no sleep tonight. No sleep for me, and almost none for everyone else. She executed her looping code, playing back the same sleep recording she had been using the past couple of nights while preparing for tonight. She quickly stepped into her development environment and pulled up the project she had been working on all day with Udarh. She also pulled up the version she had been working on secretly for the past two nights.
Now I’ve just got to put the two together. The version she had been working on at night had solved the problem of the large control spear by creating five much-smaller ones. They were long enough to pierce armor up to an inch thick, which meant they wouldn’t be able to give her control of the heaviest tech unless the drone were able to find an exposed weak spot. She merged the project with the one she had been working on during the day, which had the more refined hacking software.
Kari checked the clock: it read a little past midnight. She hesitated, nearly stepping into a simulation to test her latest designs. There isn’t time. These will take hours to print as is. If I don’t make my move tonight while security is lighter, it’ll be too late.
It felt wrong not to test her code. It was too risky, but she had no choice. She took control of the security system and quickly hacked into the enforcement printers in a distant part of the building. To her relief, the rooms were empty. She cancelled all the current projects and sent the printers the designs for her hacking drones. Two dozen printers were available, and all started printing her hacking drones at once.
Now, while those are printing . . . Kari pulled up the security cameras for all the enforcement locations nearby and methodically started searching. She had a hunch that David and his family were being held somewhere near, although she wasn’t sure she was going to find them. They’re the reason I’m here. I’m not going to break out and leave them in prison. And I’m breaking out tonight.
Kari found David’s family after a short while. A large detainment camp of Middle Staters was located about fifteen miles inland. Kari needed only a few minutes to hack into their security system and add it to the growing list of systems she controlled. She quickly checked the family’s files and scanned them for details. They had been arrested several miles from their home for resisting arrest and working with a known enemy of the state. She figured that was referring to her. Just what I thought. Henderson was ready and waiting for them to run straight into his hands after he had reason to arrest my parents and me.
She found David first. He was locked in a solo cell where the teenage boys were being kept. His younger brother wasn’t too far away. Their prison seemed to be much more lax about the level of security and entertainment. David even had a television he was allowed to watch. Kari thought he was still awake, but the poor-quality prison cameras made her unsure. Let’s hope he’s got a little insomnia in him.
Kari turned his television on and off several times in a row. David sat up in his bed and stared at it, bewildered. Yes! Kari overrode the video feed to display the text that she wanted him to see.
“David, it’s Kari. I don’t think we’ll make it to homecoming, but I’m still going to break you out.”
Kari left the text on the screen long enough for him to read it. She couldn’t see well enough to be sure, but she thought he was smiling.
“Your brother is down the hall and to the right. Get him first. Your sisters should be in cellblock F. When things happen, find your sisters and go to the front of the building.”
Kari closed the camera feed from David’s cell and moved on. She had lots of work to do tonight and only a few hours to get it all done.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kari had been checking the status of the drones in the printing room every minute or so. If someone were to walk in and discover unauthorized devices being printed, her plans would be ruined. If anything goes wrong—and I mean anything—then this plan isn’t going to work. The lack of margin of error made her feel insecure. The drones were only seconds away from being finished. Kari’s heart was already beating rapidly, but she was sure it would increase considerably once the drones were ready.
Kari checked the cameras in her parents’ rooms one last time. They were both asleep in their beds. She looked at her parents sadly, knowing that if everything went wrong tonight—or even according to plan—she might never see them again. I’m too young to be saying good-bye to my parents. I’m too young for any of this. All I wanted was for families to be left alone.
The security system alerted Kari that people were approaching her position. She casually flipped to the camera view from the hall outside her roo
m, expecting to see a janitor or patrol guard going about his duties. Down the hall, at least six enforcement officers were approaching her room in a hurry. A closer look revealed that one of them was Henderson himself. Not good. As they got closer, Kari noticed Udarh walking behind them. He was considerably smaller than the others, so she wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t noticed him at first. Not good. Not good!
Kari flipped to the printing room just as the drones were finishing. She activated them, causing them to fly from where they had finished printing and assemble in a swarm. She ordered them to a nearby room where much of the heavier enforcement equipment was kept, including a half-dozen cheetahs. She also ordered the printers to complete another round of drones.
Kari used the security system to open all the doors that separated the drones from where the cheetahs were stored. The hacking drones shot out of the printing room and headed for the equipment room, flying through open doors across the facility. I’m in big trouble now. The drones might not even work! Control yourself; you’re supposed to be asleep!
The door to Kari’s cell opened, and she heard the group of enforcement personnel file into the room. Each of their footprints sounded like a judge’s heavy gavel slamming during a sentencing.
“You can stop pretending to be asleep now, Miss Tahe,” Henderson said. It wasn’t the fake-friendly voice Kari had been hoping for. For whatever reason he was here, he meant business. Kari acted like she was startled awake by his voice; she reached to rub her eyes and tried to stress her confusion.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“The question is, what you are doing here?” Henderson asked.
“Our monitoring shows no change in brain activity, sir. Our readings say she is still soundly asleep,” Udarh said, staring absently forward. He was overriding his vision with the monitoring system that was watching Kari’s brain activity. Traitor! Kari hadn’t thought about turning off her looping program when they came storming into the room. There would be no bluffing now.
“You sound very awake for someone whose brain is sound asleep, Miss Tahe,” Henderson said. His words were quick and pointed. “So please enlighten us as to what you do while you pretend to be asleep.”
Kari was trapped. Somehow, despite being kept in a solitary cell, she had never really felt trapped until now. Her mind raced, searching for excuses, something that would stall them for at least a few minutes. Nothing came to mind immediately, and she stared back at them in near horror.
“Perhaps your readings were wrong, Mr. Pental,” Henderson said. “Kari still seems to be very much asleep.”
“I . . . I just got tired of you always monitoring my brain,” Kari said. That’s the best you could come up with?
“I see,” Henderson said. “Then those unauthorized requests to access your parents’ cameras just happened to coincide with your brain exhibiting a clear looping pattern?”
Kari gave Udarh a dangerous look; he must not have been overriding all his vision, for he correctly interpreted her sense of betrayal. He half shrugged, half shrank away in response to her glare. Kari wouldn’t be able to talk her way out of this predicament, so she checked the hacking drones. They had made it to the room that contained the cheetahs and other equipment. She ordered the drones to hack into the cheetahs and control them. Even they might not be fast enough to save me.
“I worry about my parents, is that a crime?” Kari said.
“No,” replied Henderson, “but hacking the facilities’ cameras and whatever else you’ve been doing is. After all I’ve done, you’ve betrayed me again. I’m afraid I’m selective with my friends, and you have proved to me for the final time I should not be treating you as a friend.” He waved the guards forward.
“No! I’ve been working on the drones!” Kari pleaded.
“I find that unlikely,” Henderson said. Two of the enforcement officers pulled out shock sticks and flicked them to life. The electricity sparked at their ends, reminding Kari of how painful they were. She scrambled back against the wall as the guards closed in on her.
“No, no!” Kari said. She searched for anything that could continue the conversation a little longer. “Wait!”
The guards didn’t wait. They reached out and grabbed her arms and pinned them against the wall. A notification blinked in Kari’s mind as new devices came online for her to control. The cheetahs! Kari kicked out as hard as she could and landed a blow in the closest guard’s groin. She ordered the cheetahs to her position at full speed. The guard she’d kicked grunted heavily in pain and released her arm just as the other guard viciously swung his shock stick at her head. Kari ducked just in time. The blow missed her head, but she still got a little shock because of its proximity.
“Aahh!” Kari yelled out in pain as the electricity raced through her body. The guard pulled back his arm for another swing. Change of plans.
Kari activated the panic code she had written late last night. She’d been planning on using it once she was outside the facility and well into her escape. Sirens immediately sounded, and warning lights flashed in the halls. The guard paused, confused by the sudden noise. Kari heard cheers and screams coming from the halls. Her script also happened to open every door in the facilities she had control over.
“It’s her!” Henderson yelled. He rushed forward, apparently intent on taking care of the problem with his own hands. Kari screamed again and rolled toward the guard who still had a grip on her arm with one hand. The guard she had kicked was rolling on the ground, whimpering. Henderson’s arms missed her as he lunged onto her bed. Kari screamed and kicked out again, trying desperately to free herself.
“Stop, you nightmare!” Henderson finally sounded as nasty and hateful as she’d always thought him to be. He grabbed her leg and pinned it down as he raised his other hand in a fist. The noise from the hallway suddenly grew louder.
“Engage!” Kari yelled as she gave the cheetahs the mental order. The cheetahs rounded the corner and burst into the room as their energy cannons flashed. The hand on Kari’s shoulder was ripped away as an energy blast sent the enforcement officer flying into the wall. Henderson took a blast in the back and was launched face first into the wall. His body slid down to the floor, revealing a small dent in the wall where his head had made contact. Seeing that we’re not friends anymore, I refuse to feel bad about that.
The other guards in the room tried to seek shelter, but the cheetahs blasted them, too. The shots wouldn’t kill them, but they were powerful enough to cause them significant pain. Kari didn’t have time to order the cheetahs to not fire on Udarh; an energy blast sent him sprawling across the floor. Kari felt bad about that, but she could do nothing at this point. In the hall, prisoners rushed by in their white prison jumpsuits, running as fast as they could to get away from their cells.
I’ll be joining you soon, but I have one thing to do first.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The small camera disconnected from Kari’s processing unit behind her ear and floated in front of her. People used these cameras not only to make calls but also to record their own faces. Usually, Kari would do this to leave herself a brief message reminding her to do something or make a video-blog post. Today, however, the task was more important. She ordered the camera to start to recording.
“Mom, Dad, you said you trusted me, and I’m going to need you to trust me now. Everything that’s happening is because of me. I’ve been doing only what I felt like I needed to. I wish I had time to explain everything, but I don’t. Someday, I hope to have that chance. These cheetahs will lead you to where an auto-auto is waiting for you. Get in the car, and allow it to drive you down to Florida. From there, you’ll join a flight to London under some identities I set up. You’ll find all the information you need in the auto-auto. You’ll have plenty of money; I’ve set up accounts with enough for you to live comfortably. I love you guys.”
Kari uploaded the recording to the cheetah and instructed it to play it to her parents when it found them
. She ordered it to lead them to where a hacked auto-auto would be waiting. She then flipped to the auto-auto that was sitting in a lonely corner of the facility. She connected to its computer and sent it the rest of the instructions and information her parents would need to complete the escape.
Enforcement would be able to track the auto-auto, but she hoped they would be too busy trying to track down her and all the other escapees until her parents had already left the country. Of all the pieces of her plan, she was the most confident about this one. Her parents should be fine. But I won’t be if I don’t get moving.
Kari sent the pair of cheetahs off to find her parents and connected to the other twenty cheetahs in and around the room. I should be able to make a little noise with twenty cheetahs and thirty hacking drones. She ran out of her room and passed the cheetahs and drones in the hallway. Her small army of electronics trailed behind her as she headed for the exit and to the auto-auto waiting for her at the front of the building. She had ordered the auto-autos the night before to the locations she needed and was pleased to find them there in place. Just don’t get lost or killed until I can find you, David. I’m going to see this thing through.
Outside the building was madness. Freed prisoners raced around, trying to escape from enforcement officers who were desperately attempting to subdue them. Convoys of auto-autos were waiting at the curbs with their doors open, waiting for prisoners to enter. Kari had spent most of the previous night hacking the auto-auto control system and ordering them all here anonymously. The work she had done to hack the auto-auto records after her fight with the mob at David’s house had paid nice dividends. As soon as she had deactivated all exterior security of the prison and internment camps, all the auto-autos in the area had come rushing to provide free transportation to anyone who wanted to leave.
It had been one of her better hacking jobs. Luckily, she had long ago figured out how to hack a single auto, so it hadn’t been too difficult to expand that code to the entire fleet once she was past the system’s security software. Kari hoped that hundreds of inmates fleeing in separate directions at high speeds would help create enough chaos so that the people she cared about could make a safe getaway. Well, at least the chaos part of the plan is successful so far.
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