by Chris Bostic
“What the heck?” Joe noticed all of Jade’s siblings sitting complacently in their seats.
“Our bus just became a boat,” Connie said, shaking his head. “Go figure.”
“We have a great head start now,” Jade said with a beaming smile. “That worked better than expected.”
It evaporated when Smig said, “A calculated risk, baby sister. One I would not have taken given the gradient of the slope and rate of speed. We could have easily submerged.”
“Did we have a choice?” Connie asked.
“We could have gone back to the house,” Smig replied.
“With savages already across the river? Are you crazy?”
Smig took no obvious offense, but continued to argue his point with Connie. Joe ignored the rest of their discussion to step closer to the broken window. Glass crunched under his boots as he stared outside and found the river level inches below the window.
Across a short expanse of dark water, another steep slope rose in the distance. They were so low below the riverbank that there was no way to see the fires or muzzle blasts from shooting in the distance.
Even the gunshots seemed to have tapered off, and those he heard were clearly not shooting at the bus. Relieved, he settled back into his seat.
“This is crazy,” Joe said. “How does something this big and lopsided float?”
Connie shrugged. He stared at the floor at several inches of water that didn’t seem to be rising. “Some vehicles can float for a little while, at least if they’re watertight.”
“Yes, that’s exactly right in this case,” Jade said. “My creator modified the vehicle so it would float. He thinks of everything.”
Using the chair back for support, Faith stood and shook glass off of her lap. Then she popped open a couple of the top buttons on her skintight blouse and shook the loose part of the fabric.
She batted her eyelashes at Connie and said, “Oh, dear. I have glass down my shirt. Would you like to help me with that?”
For the first time ever, Joe’s sergeant was speechless. He stammered and failed at a reply. Jade was quicker.
“Take care of it yourself, Faith. We don’t need him getting injured.”
“I’ll be careful,” he managed with a sly grin.
“I don’t think that’s what she meant,” Leisa said, winking at Jade. “You touch her sister’s boobs and you’ll have more than a little glass to worry about.”
“I didn’t think you could hurt anyone,” Joe told Jade. “It’s not in your…uhm, nature. At least that’s what you told me before.”
“When it comes to self-preservation, there is a chance that my tender-hearted sister could turn even nastier than Mira,” Faith said. “Especially when it involves me.”
“Hey!” Mira said. “I am not nasty.”
Joe begged to differ, though he hadn’t entirely figured the diminutive girl out. Nor had he fully figured out Jade. Despite Faith’s comments, Joe had never seen Jade as anything less than polite, even in the face of the brutality at the prison camp. Still, he acknowledged that she seemed to bristle around her flirty sister.
“So who’s piloting this thing anyway?” Joe asked, nodding toward the empty driver’s seat.
“I am,” Smig said. He rolled out into the aisle to show Joe a cable stretched from the tip of his stubby arm to a port on the sidewall of the vehicle. “I can plug in and control the rudder.”
“Whoa.” Joe settled back into his seat, surprisingly relieved. Not totally, but he wasn’t opposed to Smig’s driving. A rare chance to needle his sergeant had presented itself, and Joe took advantage of it. “He’s a better driver than you, Sarge.”
“It’s not that hard to pilot a boat.”
Leisa piled on. “A bus boat. That can’t be easy.”
“A heck of a lot smoother ride too,” Joe said. “I vote we let Smig drive from here on out.”
“Good thing it’s not a democracy,” Connie grumbled. “There’s no way autopilot can get you back out of the river when the time comes.”
“Sorry, big guy,” Faith said. “I vote for Smig too. He’s not so jerky.”
“You ingrates,” Connie huffed. “I just said you don’t get a vote.”
“Relax, Sarge.” Jade put her hand on Connie’s back and patted like she was calming a child. “I think you did a terrific job.”
Had Joe told his sergeant to relax, he might have gotten a boot planted firmly on his backside. Instead, the big man seemed to wilt under Jade’s doting.
At her urging, the two of them walked down the aisle to the back of the bus and took seats in the last row before the dogs. They sat there whispering too softly for Joe to hear, while he continued staring out the broken window at a moonless sky.
The current was definitely slow moving. Joe could feel the soft vibration as the bus floated down the flat, featureless river.
“Is the motor running?” he asked Smig.
“We are at idle speed. It is enough to let me control direction, but not so fast as to risk running aground.” He paused for a second as if doing another task somewhere in his giant brain. “It is risky to attempt a higher rate of speed due to the narrowness of the navigable channel.”
“And Smig is always cautious,” Faith said. “I would speculate he is already trying to figure out the danger caused by Mira’s little trip into the Republic’s inner web.”
“Exhaustively,” he said, and offered no further insights.
“Great.” Joe didn’t want to think about that.
He didn’t have to when Leisa spoke up to ask, “Where exactly are we going anyway?”
“I vote for Gogury,” Mira said, breaking a long silence. “We’re already headed that way.”
“But where?” Connie asked. “It’s nothing but chemical plants and manufacturing facilities.”
“Which means it will be heavily guarded,” Joe reasoned, to which Connie agreed enthusiastically.
“The plan was to continue on to the other homes,” Leisa said. “Before the savages get there.”
Mira ignored the statement. “I can find Frederick,” she insisted. “He’s working inside what they call Complex Three of the ACG Block.”
“ACG?” Joe asked. “It’s always an acronym with you people.”
“Anatomic Cloning Group,” Mira answered. “According to the documents, they are tasked with the design and manufacture of body parts for warriors for use on the battlefield, up to and including the cloning of mammalian organs and appendages to generate full-size lifelike humanoids and other animals.”
“So like the robo-bees and dogs?” Joe asked.
Bruno sat up at the mention of dogs, but the lighter-colored Bruce kept quiet. Joe decided he liked the calmer dog better. There was enough anxiety in his life already.
CHAPTER 15
“Yes, like robo-bees and dogs,” Mira answered. “And more. Frederick is a very talented creator.”
“And warriors,” Leisa said. “Like an army of robot soldiers? Or semi-robotic?”
Her use of the wrong terminology drew a sharp glance from several of their non-human companions. Before any could object out loud, Joe asked, “So what’s that cloning talk all about? I’m confused.”
“It’s a way to make creations appear more lifelike,” Smig said. Joe expected a touch of bitterness from the least lifelike creation of the bunch, but Smig was all business. “It’s also associated with a program to create something more functional than simply artificial limbs. Imagine cloning and installing a brand new arm to replace one lost in the war.”
“No more amputees,” Connie remarked. “At least not permanently. I guess that’s something to actually be happy about.”
“I wouldn’t be so certain,” Smig deadpanned. He paused for a second as he processed a shift in the vehicle’s trajectory to navigate a bend in the river channel. “Benevolence is not the motivating factor.”
“Losing an arm or a leg isn’t an automatic ticket out of the military anymore,” Joe reasoned.
“
Exactly,” Smig said. “If anything, it makes you more valuable to the Regulators.”
Joe cringed. He would have given anything to get discharged from his forced enlistment so he could go back home to check on his ailing parents. Instead, he was finding out that the Republic had no intentions of ever letting their soldiers return home.
“It’s the first step in a fully mechanized army,” Smig continued. “Lose a limb? Get a new one that’s twice as strong. No more steroids needed. Just get an implant that has more muscle, more armor than anything a human could possibly have.”
Leisa whistled softly. “And that’s how it goes horribly wrong.”
“Imagine the power,” Jade said. “Imagine people having elective surgery to build superhuman strength. To beat down others and push them around.”
“Then why haven’t we seen any of these people yet?” Joe asked, thinking back to the prison guards. They were cruel men, but none with abnormal strength. Nor had he seen anything suspicious during his time earlier on the front lines. “We’ve been getting our butts kicked by the brainless savages, and there’s been no sign of artificial limbs and freakish strength.”
“It’s a secret project,” Mira said. “And it doesn’t look like it’s been perfected yet.”
“So they’re not ready to roll it out, but maybe they’ll have to if the savages get any closer,” Connie said. “With the enemy advancing to the gates of the city, they’ll have no choice but to use their option of last resort.”
“That is what I was finding,” Mira said. “Frederick is not convinced that the ultimate warrior-type anatomical cloning project is ready to go live to the public. Too many unknowns with the new cavalry units, but he’s being told to release the guinea pigs anyway.”
Smig spun around to stare at her with his bright green lights for eyes. With a nod, Mira added, “His words, my brother.”
“That sounds like him.” Smig caught Joe’s curious glance and answered the unspoken question. “We may not all be perfect, but we all work. There were many other prototypes that never saw the light of day. He would never release anything that wasn’t ready. It’s too dangerous.”
“Many?” Joe asked.
“Dozens,” Smig said. “I loved every one like a brother, but I’m the only one who made the cut.”
“Thanks to that beautiful brain of yours,” Mira said, rising to go pat him on the back of his blocky torso.
“So what’s your story?” Leisa asked Smig. “And why all the girls?”
“I was made to function more like a supercomputer, and to assist with the future developments. The others were specifically designed as steps toward a perfectly human-like creation. Each one is special in their very own way,” Smig replied without really answering the question Joe was wondering about. “Mira has a very fast processor. She can multi-task much better than I can.”
As if to prove that point, Smig paused again. Joe felt the bus gently shift as it maneuvered around another obstacle.
Joe took Leisa’s hand, and they slipped to the back closer to Smig where they could talk more intimately. They sat down on the seats in front of Connie and Jade.
Joe asked softly, “So what about Barta or Faith?” He shot a sidelong glance at them and hoped they took no offense if they had hearing as exceptional as Jade’s. “They don’t exactly get around the best, you know?”
“Yes, but they were much more advanced than their prototypes in other ways,” Smig answered. “Each generation is an upgrade. They were the best that Frederick had made at that time, and perfectly safe to bring online. Safety and intellect trumps function, though they function at a very high level.”
“And Jade?” Leisa asked.
“She is perfect.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. “But that’s not entirely true…and definitely not what Best thinks.”
“Bessie is not the newest,” Smig said. “She was the first of Frederick’s designs to truly look one hundred percent human without any of the other…unnecessary enhancements.” Joe thought Smig seemed to look at Faith as he made that statement. “Bessie may think she is the best, but I do not agree. Fredrick has always improved on his inventions.”
“So I got the best one,” Connie beamed. He hugged Jade tightly, and she responded by resting her head on his broad shoulder. She sighed and surprised Joe by closing her eyes.
“I’m so tired,” she said, which was totally out of character for her to admit. Joe was used to her running until her exhausted systems shut down.
“You could have any of them,” Smig remarked to Connie, ignoring Jade. “All of my sisters seem to find you highly desirable.”
“Why?” Leisa asked, drawing a sharp look from Connie. “That’s so weird.”
“That is one question I cannot answer.”
“Me, either,” she replied, and snuggled back against Joe’s chest.
“This is so bizarre,” Joe muttered. “All of it. But tell me again why they’re all female?”
“I can only speculate,” Smig answered.
Leisa sat back up to stare at him. “Then why don’t you.”
“I suppose.” Smig paused momentarily. “I would theorize that contrary to males, females don’t arouse as much suspicion, are seen as less threatening, and can use their beauty to an advantage.”
“Like the way Jade gets Connie to do whatever she wants,” Leisa said with a chuckle.
Joe’s sergeant grumbled but didn’t protest as loudly as expected. Nor did Leisa continue on to volunteer her theory that the inventor had more depraved reasons.
Joe glanced around the bus at his unlikely companions and shook his head. With no gunshots echoing in the distance, and darkness reigning from all quarters, he sighed and closed his eyes.
“Good idea,” Smig said. “Better save any more questions for another time. I have a boat to pilot and I find that task much simpler when everyone is not overloading me with inquiries.”
Joe mumbled a reply and listened as Smig rolled off toward the front of the bus. He assumed the interface cable simply extended farther out of his stubby arm, but didn’t bother turning to look. He was much too tired to care. Unfortunately for him, though Leisa should have been tired, she was equally chatty.
“Psst,” she whispered.
“Yeah,” he mumbled without opening his eyes.
“Jade’s sleeping. Is that normal?”
Joe cracked an eye open. “Not really.” He could only remember her either passed out from exhaustion or staring straight ahead with a dull glaze to her eyes. Connie was also slumped over, leaning against the side of the bullet-riddled bus.
“Wake up, Jade,” Joe whispered, knowing she could easily hear him if she was conscious.
There was no reply.
Joe sat up slowly so as to not throw Leisa off of him, and leaned closer. He touched Jade’s hand softly. It was ice cold.
That wasn’t necessarily an issue, though the stuffy bus was warm enough that she seemed more frigid than normal.
He raised his voice. “Jade! Wake up.”
“Yes,” she mumbled so softly that he could barely understand her.
Connie jostled her as he sat up, but she remained motionless. “What’s going on?”
“Jade looks, uhm, sick.”
“Sick?”
“Yeah, like shut down.”
“Oh.” Connie’s eyes flew open, and grabbed for her arms. “Are you okay, darling?”
“N-not…really,” she stammered. “I-I’m…under attack.”
“Smig!” Joe hollered. “We have a problem.”
He came rolling back toward them immediately. “What seems to be the trouble?”
“She’s totally out of it, like a weird dream,” Joe explained while Connie rubbed her back and whispered in her ear. “Something’s wrong.”
“Indeed,” Smig answered as Jade babbled something about an assault on her brain. “I don’t like this.”
He rolled in closer and shot a wire out of his other arm. It lat
ched onto her forearm and burrowed under the skin at the fleshy part of the wrist.
Jade’s eyes flew open and blinked in rapid succession. “S-someone is…trying to override…my protocols!”
“Smig!” Joe exclaimed. “What are you doing?”
“It is definitely not me.” Smig paused before turning to Joe. “Has she been on the government servers?”
“I don’t think so.”
“What about the satellite thing?” Leisa asked.
“Oh, yeah.” Joe cursed under his breath. “She was on the navigational satellites a while back. But she said that was safe.”
“She should have known better,” he replied, showing annoyance in a voice that had always been a robotic monotone. “Maybe my baby sister isn’t so perfect after all.”
“What’s going on?”
“The Republic is searching for infiltrators and trying to shut them down with malicious code when they find one.” Smig looked up from her arm to stare at them with his unnatural, lighted eyes. “Until recently, they didn’t protect the nav sats, but they have increased cyber security on every system now that the empire is crumbling around them.”
Smig paused, lights blinking on his torso as he seemingly communicated with Jade electronically. “If she had been with us the whole time, she would’ve had the latest safety protocols. These are months old.”
“Just months, like when she left home?” Connie asked. “Doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Months are like eons in the technical world. She’s very far behind. I should have realized that sooner.”
“Oh.” Connie kept her cold hands pressed into his palms. “Is she going to be okay?”
“I’ve already blocked the remote access.” Smig’s head rocked back and forth in a jerky nod. “Not to worry, Sarge. At least not about her.”
Joe leaned farther forward. “What does that mean?”
“Now that the cyber-attack has been beaten back, I will have her newly secured and updated in no time.” Smig paused again. A motor whirred from deep inside his torso making him vibrate slightly in his seat. When it stopped, he added, “But there was a moment where the Republic definitely knew exactly where she was at.”