Second Life of Mr. Hunt: Book 3: Failover

by Gerrit Overeem

  “I saw you over here alone and brought you some food,” said Syl, handing Ryan a plate. “Your mate is having fun. You should be with her, no?”

  “Yeah, I should, but things are…complicated.”

  “I don’t know of any partnerships that are not complicated. You should make more of an effort. I had hoped to see my husband’s spirit this festival, but it was not meant to be.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Don’t be. Be merry,” said Syl, spinning around and heading back to the party.

  Ryan picked at the food as he thought about what Syl said.

  “She seems nice,” said Kat, walking up to him with a red piece of cloth hanging around her waist.

  He smiled at her. “Yeah, nice and three sheets to the wind right now.”

  Kat looked at him sideways. “And that means?”

  “She’s been drinking a lot.”

  “Ah, yes, she has…as almost everyone in town. I think I might be getting there myself,” said Kat.

  “What’s with the red drapery you’re wearing?”

  She looked down and giggled. “The girls thought I needed a dress for the party and tied this around me. It’s almost an exact match to my glove and hair stripe.”

  Ryan chuckled.

  Kat narrowed her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine. I—”

  “No, something is going on. You keep avoiding conversations about us.”

  “I’m not avoiding anything. I—”

  “Yeah, you are. I want to know what’s going on. One minute you’re flirty, and the next you’re not. I think we are dating…but, hell, we haven’t even made out.”

  “I…ah…well, it’s like—”

  “Are you gay?”

  “What! No…no…definitely not.”

  “If you are, I have no issues with it, and it would explain a lot of things. Naked seductive vampire, smiling Syl, me…”

  “I’m not gay.”

  “Fine. Then what’s the problem?”

  “There is no—”

  “Stop it! I’m not blind. There’s an issue. Is it me?”

  “This is not a good time.”

  “No, dammit! I’m tired of this. What is it?”

  “Kat, please—”

  “Tell me!”

  “You’re not her. You’re not my wife. I—”

  She put her hand up to shut him down. “I’m not your wife. What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  “No, you’re right. I’m not her and never will be! If that’s the issue, enjoy the next eight-hundred years alone.” She spun around and stormed off.

  “Kat, wait. Please. I didn’t—”

  Ryan turned around and threw the plate of food against the tree. “God damn it!”

  “From my observations, it would appear you have lady troubles.”

  Ryan jumped at the sound of the disembodied voice and slowly looked up to find Lars sitting in the tree.

  “Oh, for the love of god,” said Ryan, grabbing his chest. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

  Lars jumped down and started pacing with his hands behind his back.

  “Definitely lady troubles. I think you put the proverbial foot in your mouth, sir.”

  Ryan crossed his arms. “I’m not taking advice from a walking brain and definitely not—” He stopped himself and looked Lars up and down. “Since when do you walk? Where did the legs come from? And why are you able to function here?”

  “My hover tech does not work well with the cloud interference, so I had leg attachments made. My innate shielding offers most of my system protection from interference, especially with me being mostly organic. As it relates to why I am here, you and Dr. Kat did not return after the communication to Miss Van Buuren, and I would prefer not to have the first proxy CEO to visit found dead. It would be a blemish on my service record.”

  “Nice that the service record has priority.”

  “If you were following procedures, you would have returned by now.”

  “Not that easy. I’m surprised you made it here without getting destroyed by those creatures out in the woods.”

  “They were out there, but all heading away from this area, which made it convenient for me.”

  “That’s odd. I wond—”

  A loud explosion coming from the Crystal City lit up the night sky, causing Ryan to squat for cover. The ground shook when a purple light erupted from the ruined city. The music stopped, and all was silent, except for a purple light pulsating with a beating thumping sound, like a bass in a techno dance club.

  “What the hell?” said Ryan. Large bursts of light blinded him as the dark cloud was sucked into the purple stream of light.

  “Mr. Hunt, I have no data that can explain this phenomenon,” said Lars.

  As fast as the purple light had appeared, it was gone, along with the dark cloud. Ryan spun around as some electrical devices on minimal power started turning back on. The darkness blocking the moonlight was gone, and some of the brighter stars were now visible. But the oddest thing was the purple aura that emanated from around the carved spirit guardians.

  “Lars, what’s going on?”

  “Obviously, Mr. Hunt, the cloud is gone and no longer causing any interference.”

  “I got that. Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “As you wish, sir. A shadowy creature with wings has appeared near the carved glowing purple fruit behind you and is stalking you.”

  Ryan froze and slowly turned around. One of those Shev-Chuks – the bat things that Vicki had told him about—was about to pounce. He stepped to his left and spun out of the way as the creature blew past him. The creature stopped, tilted its head as if listening or sensing something. Ryan slowly moved back and stopped when the creature quickly whirled around to face him. Its blind white eyes peered at him.

  “Mr. Hunt, something is glowing in your pocket!” yelled Lars.

  Ryan quickly looked down to see the glow—a mistake. The creature leaped forward, knocking him to the ground, and stood over him, hissing. Ryan reached into his side pocket and pulled out the piece of crystal he had taken from the city. It was glowing brightly. He tossed it aside, which caused the creature to head toward it, allowing Ryan to slowly crawl backward and stand up. He watched the Shev-Chuk move around the crystal. As it did so, Ryan could see a small blinking red light coming from a box on the back of its neck.

  The creature pounced on the crystal and vanished.

  Lars jumped down from the tree and moved over to where the creature had been. “I am no longer detecting any creatures near us.”

  Before Ryan could say anything, the sound of gunshots and screams rang out in the distance.

  “That’s my Glock. Kat!” yelled Ryan, running toward the party.

  He watched in horror as people vanished along with the Shev-Chuks. Syl was trying to hold one at bay by swinging a pole at it. Ryan ran over and tackled the creature from behind. They tumbled to the ground with him ending on top of the creature’s back. He pulled a combat knife from his side and rammed it into the back of the creature’s head. It flailed as Ryan twisted the knife until it stopped moving.

  He got up and scanned the area. His Glock was lying next to a piece of red cloth.

  Ryan ran over to Syl. “What happened? Where’s Kat?”

  Syl dropped to the ground, staring blankly at nothing. “Everything went silent after the bright light. Then these creatures appeared, and vanished with everyone they grabbed. Kat started shooting at them and then jumped on the one that had my friend’s daughter, and she vanished along with them.”

  “Mr. Hunt, I am detecting only a few life signs left in town,” said Lars.

  Ryan spoke into his hand communi
cator. “Kat. Kat. Are you there?”

  The reply was staticky. “Ryan, too many. Don’t come after—”

  “Kat!”

  Ryan waited for more, but there was only silence. He picked up his hat, hit it against his leg, and started pacing.

  Syl looked at Ryan, her eyes glazed over. “The gods have spoken. There is nothing we can do.”

  “Screw the gods. If I had to guess, those creatures are being controlled by someone, and they are in the Crystal City. There are Xeno-Shadows, odd mutant creatures, these stealthy vanishing things, and Woland. I need options.”

  “Your only option, Mr. Hunt, is to wait for help or go rescue them,” said Lars.

  “We can’t wait. My gut tells me I need to act fast.”

  “If you go alone, there is a high probability you will die. You would need an army to survive.”

  “Right, an army. Where am I going to get—” Ryan stopped himself when the sign to the medical facility, now blinking on, caught his eye. “Kat would probably yell at me, but I think I know where I can get one. Syl, round up everyone who is left and lock yourselves in the meeting hall. Lars, you come with me.”

  Lars followed Ryan to the medical facility and to the back where the four trauma pods were. Ryan rushed to the one that held what looked like the more senior soldier based on the insignia on his arm.

  “Lars, I need you to interact with the system and open this pod.”

  “Mr. Hunt, these are soldiers from the battle I was in. A humanoid in a trauma pod for this long will succumb to his wounds within a day or less. Waking him would mean death.”

  “You said I needed an army if I was going to have a chance at saving those people. I don’t have a choice, but at least I’m giving these soldiers one.”

  “Very well, sir. It is your conscience.”

  Lars interacted with the system, and in a few seconds, a sound of suction being released came from the trauma pod and it flipped open. Ryan leaned over the man and checked for a pulse. The pulse was stable. The man began to move and opened his eyes.

  “Son, if you try to kiss me, I’m goin’ to hurt you.”

  Ryan put his hands up and backed away. The man slowly sat up and looked around.

  “A recruit, a LARS system, and a bad taste in my mouth. Boy, you better be explainin’ real quick, or this is goin’ to be the worst day of your life.”

  “Sir, here’s the short version. You and your soldiers have been in trauma pods for an awfully long time. By letting you out, I have signed a death sentence for you, but figured you would want a choice. Innocent civilians are being held by hideous creatures and Woland. I’m alone and looking for an army to help me.”

  The man’s head popped up. “Woland, you say?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The man looked down at the blown-out sections of his body armor and touched his exposed skin. He looked around the room at the other trauma pods and back at Ryan.

  “Son, if you’re lyin’ to me, I will—”

  “I assure you that Mr. Hunt is not lying,” said Lars. “If I put you back in the trauma pod now, you will remain alive, unconscious, and eventually die peacefully. If you come out, you will be dead by this time tomorrow.”

  The man hopped out of the trauma pod and his knees buckled, but he was able to regain his balance by holding onto the side. He laughed. “I should’ve died a long time ago, boy. Let’s wake these other poor bastards up and getcha an army.”

  Chapter 20

  Honeymoon Ball

  Nora and Gideon spent most of the next day performing a walkthrough of their plan. They wandered the ship holding hands and acting like the other couples, mingling and talking with anyone who said hello, especially members of the ship’s crew, both human and AI. The idea was to make sure people were comfortable seeing them in different locations and deliberately getting caught in off-limit areas, using the excuse they were looking for unique places to be alone.

  A few times during their walkthrough, Nora had noticed Vicki in the distance and did her best to avoid eye contact, but occasionally, Vicki would give her a slight wave or a thumbs-up if she was holding on to Gideon. Nora thought she would pop a processor straining to stop her eyes from turning red in frustration.

  At around 6pm, ship time, Nora and Gideon headed back to their room to get ready. Gideon took a quick chemical steam shower, while Nora fiddled with the clothing designer interface in the other room.

  “I thought you would be dressed by now,” said Gideon.

  Nora looked up to see Gideon standing there in a towel.

  “I am currently creating a new dress. The original did not express what I wanted to convey.”

  “I think you would look great in anything, but do what you need to do. I guess we’ll just be a little late. It’s not like we’re going to be there all night.”

  “I would prefer that you go down when you are ready, and I will meet you there,” said Nora, continuing to stare at him.

  “I sure hope you make my wait worth it,” Gideon said with a smile and wink.

  Nora went back to designing her attire while Gideon got dressed. She looked up to think about something when she caught Gideon’s bare backside in the reflection of a metallic vase sitting on a table.

  She quickly ran a diagnostic routine as an abnormal increase in core temperature was detected, and odd sub-routines started to kickoff. The diagnostic reported no anomalies, and she smiled. She had reacted with a new emotion—the emotion of desire for pleasure. The smile quickly faded when she started processing numerous rejection scenarios, failure, and thoughts of total self-doubt due to her not being real.

  “Hey, would you help with this odd button on the collar?” said Gideon, stepping back into the room.

  Nora jumped and said, “But I am real.”

  Gideon smiled. “Yes, you are. Is everything OK? You have that crinkled tense look again.”

  Nora relaxed and walked over to Gideon. He was wearing a black jacket that crossed over to the right side and buttoned down on an extreme angle from the left of his waist up to his right shoulder. The jacket’s collar was cut low to show a collared shirt that buttoned to the right side of his neck.

  “You are now buttoned up.”

  “Appreciate it,” replied Gideon, tying a light blue sash around his waist. “How do I look?”

  “You look…presentable.”

  “From you, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  Nora nodded and followed him to the door, and it slid open as he approached.

  “Now, don’t take too long. A lot of socialites would like a piece of this,” Gideon said with a chuckle.

  “I am sure they would…and if they tried, I would kill them.”

  Gideon started to laugh, but Nora’s face was cold.

  “You wouldn’t really do that, would you?”

  Nora smiled, and the door slid closed.

  

  Gideon entered the banquet and was stunned at the number of people already there. There must have been thousands of people in attendance and a ton of stuff to do, from dancing to casino games. And the food and drink selections were amazing. He enjoyed being a soldier, but he could easily get used to this lifestyle.

  Finding the best location to get a clear view of the main entrance and the closest side exit, he grabbed a drink and observed the attendees.

  The socialites they had mingled with earlier in the trip had arrived. Gideon watched them and laughed to himself. They were all dressed in massive ball gowns in a sea of colors with large poofy hats. With all their cackling, trying to outdo each other, it reminded him of an annoying, giant, multi-color bird he had run into on a mission once. It had the worst camouflage he had ever seen, and made a sound that would crack armor plating, but on the plus side, it made a tasty stew.

  Gideon grabbed another drink from a hovering c
art that lazily floated by. He went to take a sip and stopped before the glass made it to his lips. Smiling, he slowly brought it back down. Nora had entered the room, and it was as though someone had set off a stun device. People stopped and stared at her. She wanted to convey something, and boy did she ever.

  Her blond hair was pulled back into an elegant bun, and her dress was an absolutely stunning cream-colored satin-like material tailored perfectly to her curves. The sexy thigh-high slit made a few men choke on their drinks.

  Gideon downed his drink, fixed his jacket, and walked over to her. They met about halfway across the floor near the socialites. They stood there for a second, looking at each other, and Gideon took her hand and kissed it.

  “If you were trying to convey something. I think you achieved it,” said Gideon. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman like you.”

  Nora smiled. “And you never will.”

  Gideon nodded his head in agreement, never leaving her eyes, but the moment was broken when one of the socialites nearby chimed in.

  “I guess you were low class after all. You couldn’t even afford more material for a decent gown.”

  Nora turned to the woman. “Well, bless your heart. I see ya’ll came out in such lovely dresses made by the finest of tentmakers. It’s unfortunate, they got caught up in a paint factory explosion.”

  The woman’s mouth dropped open. “How dare you talk—”

  “That’s an exquisite piece of jewelry dangling from your neck,” said Nora, pointing at the jewel.

  The woman perked up and caressed the piece of jewelry. “It is a rare Woland fire jewel my husband gave me. The most expensive of its kind.”

  “That’s a shame. I guess he felt the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze, since it’s a fake. A real one would reflect a red and then blue light, but that one is reflecting a purple light, as you can see on your dress.”

  The woman looked down at one of the large poofs coming off her dress and the purple light. Her mouth fell open. She slowly raised her head to stare at the smiling Nora, then quickly spun around to smack her husband.

  “I see you two have some things to work out. My wife and I are going to go dance,” said Gideon, grabbing Nora’s hand and leading her to the dance floor.