Web of Extinction (Zone War Book 3)

by John Conroe

  Something similar occurred on the East Coast, in Portland, Maine, when a Swedish container ship came to port. The port pilot reported Decimators overflying his transport boat before he even got out to the ship. Then the ship turned around and sailed away, never seen again.

  The upside of Chibola was that it had a very stabilizing effect on the remains of the US government, forcing divergent parties to get their shit together and prepare the country.

  Flottercot Productions scored another interview with Zone Defense, and our little community watched it in our gymnasium-slash-assembly room.

  “Major Yoshida, are Zone Defense Decimators hunting down the vector drones before they can infect the country?”

  “Yes, Cade. They are.”

  “How? How do they identify them? Dr. Ewald, is this your doing?” Cade asked, turning to his other guest.

  “Well, yes and no. See, the Decimator programming is so adaptable that they found ways to use their advance sensor suites that we never envisioned. Out of the box thinking, it would appear.”

  “This is the same programming that Ajaya Gurung introduced through first his Berkut and then the prototype Decimator?”

  Aaron frowned, opened his mouth, closed it, and then lost his chance when Major Yoshida spoke first.

  “Essentially yes. We’ve worked extensively on the Decimator programming, tweaking it, but you are correct that the core program came from Ajaya’s drone,” Yoshida said.

  “So it not only killed the Spiders, cleared the Zone, and fought the Plum Blossom program across the internet, but now it’s protecting the country as well,” Cade said.

  “It’s remarkably adaptable, Cade, and very focused on protecting the citizens of this country. In fact, it may also be helping in Russia. We aren’t certain. What we do know is that Plum Blossom is still out there, hiding, waiting. This won’t be the last attack,” Yoshida said.

  Harper chose that moment to tap my arm. She put a finger over her lips and then pointed at Astrid too. I got my wife’s attention and signaled her to follow me as I followed Harper. JJ, who was leaning against the door, lit up with a knowing smile as he saw our little group moving toward the exit. As we went by him, he jumped into line behind his sister, smirking the whole time.

  Harper led us out of the assembly area and up the stairs to the computer lab that we all called Harper Headquarters.

  “You know what this is about?” Astrid asked her big brother.

  “I do,” he said, smug. At least smug right up until Harper whipped around and glared at him. Then the smirk was gone as he held up both hands, palms out. Big tough Thor was thoroughly enthralled by our little computer wizard.

  Harper led us to the back corner of the lab, where a rough-built wooden crate took up a half meter of width and three quarters meter of length. The top was uncovered, and a black carbon fiber and metal dome rose just high enough out of the box that it wouldn’t have been possible to nail a cover on it.

  Harper went over to her desk, pulled out something I couldn’t see, then walked to the crate and touched the metal and composite dome. A little port opened, and she dropped something small and shiny into it. Something the size of a computer chip.

  The thing in the box rumbled and vibrated, then went quiet.

  “Wha…” I started to ask, but Harper shushed me, turning her eyes back to the box. Nothing happened for a handful of seconds, then another handful went by. I was about to speak again but a new sound came from the crate.

  Tick-tick-tick-tick

  The light went off in my head. “Is that…”

  The front of the box suddenly fell forward, then the two sides fell left and right, followed by the rear panel. It appeared to have been just held together with double-sided tape.

  The shape inside the box was sleek and compact, with four bent legs. It unfolded itself, becoming longer and sleeker.

  “It’s your wedding present, more than a bit overdue, but greatness takes time,” Harper said. She turned to Astrid. “It may appear to be more for him than you, but when you both start having kids, you’ll thank me. I used those plans from the deep dungeon to come up with it.”

  The four-legged bot was segmented in a way that was reminiscent of my once upon a time Berkut, but it had even more segments.

  “I call this model the Mongoose, but really it’s a hybrid. The designation should be U-GAV, because it’s an Unmanned, Ground and Air Vehicle.”

  The drone sat up, its black ocular band fixed on me. Then the sides shifted outward and unfolded some more and suddenly it was hovering on four fans, lifting right up to my eye level.

  “It’s got more sensors than anything I’m aware of on this planet,” Harper said. “It’s extremely energy efficient and it’s armed with both a general purpose e-mag weapon that JJ designed that can shoot almost any projectile you can find, as well a scavenged fiber optic laser that your friend Egan supplied. And that was the original Rikki chip you smuggled out of the Zone. It’ll be the best babysitter and family guardian you could ever have.”

  “Hello AJ,” the drone said in a voice so familiar, I almost choked.

  “Hello Rikki Tikki.”

  The End.

  Author’s Box of Soap:

  So yes, I ended Zone War. Lot’s of fans have petitioned for an extension, but I ended the series. That series. I never said we wouldn’t see Ajaya again, or his world. But let’s leave it there for now, with the world tipping over into a cascade of events, because that’s how I see it… a long slide into oblivion, rather than a flash of sharp light and glowing cockroaches. Some days after watching or reading the news I wonder if we’ll make it. Then I usually wonder if we should make it. But ultimately, I’m Team Human, and I think we can still, possibly, navigate our own minefields to reach the other side.

  As usual, I must thank Susan for fixing my English and Gareth for making my imagination into art. And as always ,my family for constant support and love (and lots of patience, especially my wife).

  The writing will continue, with more Demon Accords ( Darkkin Queen is next, I’ll give you one guess who’s holding the mike in that one). And something new is on the horizon, the 2020 horizon that is. A new series, Shadows of Montshire, my take on full fantasy, led off by book one, A Murder of Shadows. Look for it in 2020. And thank you all for taking the ride again.