by Greig Beck
Alex folded his arms. “We want our technology to be like us, yet we humans have some deep psychological baggage – little things called emotions.” He walked around the android. “Who wants a robot that feels envy, greed, hate, and … vengeance, right? Some emotions can be deadly.”
“Yes.” Grey’s eyes locked momentarily on the HAWC leader’s, and Alex suddenly wondered how much the scientist knew about his own psychological storms.
The scientist’s eyes slid away. “Anyway, Knopper’s ideas provided the seed for our software teams, and became the genesis of a new line of thinking. The female traits were ideal to include in a being that would be required to work as both an individual and as a member of a team. It needs protective instincts – maternal instincts, if you like. Remember, it is more than just a mobile military logistics computer or weapon, it’s a guardian.” His mouth quirked up. “A guardian angel, in fact.”
Alex smiled. “And we need all the help from the angels we can get.”
“And who guards the guardians?” Sam stared hard at the seated android. “It can learn, huh?”
“Oh yes,” Grey said.
“So, Sophia,” Alex said softly.
Grey nodded proudly. “Sentient OPerational Heuristic Interactive Android – Sophia. The key thing being heuristic; it means she learns by trial and error, just like we do.”
“Sophia was the Greek goddess of wisdom,” Sam said.
“Correct; it kinda fit.” Grey beamed. “Eventually, she’ll make better and better decisions, and even make best-guess judgments. She’ll be our guardian against, uh …”
The man paused, and Alex felt evasion. “Against what?”
“Threats,” the scientist said, keeping his eyes on the android.
Alex continued to watch him, and suddenly felt there was a reason Grey had wanted him to meet Sophia. Or perhaps he more wanted Sophia to meet him. “From threats, huh?”
“Hmm, hm.” Grey gave him a crooked smile. “Shall we?” He motioned to the exit.
They headed for the silver door and Alex stopped briefly as Grey turned out the lights. He stared back at the seated figure. He frowned. Did it just move? He had the distinct sensation he was being watched again. He went to turn away from the darkened room, and for a split second, he thought he saw two small lights slowly come on as though eyes had gently opened in the dark.
CHAPTER 12
Once back at base, Zlatan could see the outline of the stranger behind the one-way glass window. They thought they were invisible, but they weren’t, not to him, and he could also hear every word they uttered.
They were finally getting an assignment outside of the training camps – good. He and his men were eager to test themselves. What use was it to be told you were a superior soldier if you were never really benchmarked against an enemy soldier?
The huge Kurgan was excited by the prospect, but there was a downside of leaving. He looked up into Rahda’s face as she checked his blood pressure, and then wrote on a chart. He felt his heart swell. From the moment they had begun working together he had fallen in love with her, and he hoped, no, he knew, she with him.
She was the first person to see him as something other than a lump of flesh and bone designed to fight and kill. They had stolen moments together where the cameras and eyes of the administration managers could not find them.
She had called him her solnishko, her sunshine, and then she had let him kiss her, deeply. Zlatan had felt her body beneath her clothing, running large hands over her breasts and buttocks, and he had become rock hard. Her small hand had slid between them to grasp him through his trousers, squeezing and tugging at him, until he had exploded too quickly. He had apologized through his light-headedness, but she just smiled and pulled his ear closer to her mouth.
“Soon, soon, my solnishko,” she had whispered.
“Yes,” he had promised her in return. “Soon.”
Now she dabbed iodine on the abraded knuckles of one of his hands. Already he was healing, but she did it anyway with her encouraging words and usual shy smile. When she finished she raised a hand to his face, running small soft fingers from his temple to his jutting jaw. Compared to her, he was an ogre, but she didn’t see that. He knew she saw beneath the hardened flesh, jutting bone and bunched muscle.
She held out the small photograph, and he took it, looking down and seeing the image of her face. He turned it over, and his smile broadened as he read the words. Zlatan looked up into her eyes, feeling his heart flying in his chest.
“Yes, yes, I will.”
She was his beauty, and he her beast, and he would do anything for her. Zlatan drew her to him. One day they would make a life together. He smiled, showing large spade-like teeth.
Maybe when this mission was done, his dream would come true.
* * *
Nunman Iqua, Alaska – Western-most entrance to the Yukon River
Ivan Zlatan lifted his near colorless eyes to look at his squad. The five huge men, near bursting from their cold-climate suits, sat in the hold of the compact submarine in silence, eyes unblinking and ignoring all external stimulation. They were like human-shaped machines just awaiting activation.
Their St Petersburg class submarine glided into the mouth of the river at a depth of just ten feet below the surface. The sub was the smallest in the Russian fleet and had been upgraded for coastal stealth with the introduction of fourth generation diesel-electric turbines that produced much quieter air-independent propulsion.
While nuclear-powered submarines dominated in submergence times and deep-ocean performance, their reactors must constantly pump coolant, generating a heat bloom and detectable acoustic signature that was easily picked up by orbiting military satellites when they ran shallow. But the smaller, high-tech non-nuclear attack submarines were virtually invisible to the eyes in the sky.
The submarine’s captain had been in these waters before, and knew every bend, twist and shallow along the river. He knew that this time of year it was cold, and though not frozen, the low temperature reduced melt runoff and so meant that the river shallowed out in many areas, with some stretches demanding they came to the surface – but only ever after dark.
Zlatan shifted, feeling enormous energy run through him, and feeling constrained by his inaction as well as his clothing.
He surreptitiously reached into a slot in his vest and eased out the tiny photograph. He cupped it in his hand and first read the words written on the back and then turned it over to gaze upon the face of his beautiful Rahda. His thick lips curved into a smile. When this mission was over, he would ask, no, no, not ask; he would demand they release him from the facility.
And then he would be free with Rahda. He smiled down at the image. He hadn’t asked her yet, but he planned to make her his wife. His smile widened momentarily before his eyes flicked left and right. He exhaled, none of his men were watching. Good. He slipped the picture back into his vest.
He needed to focus now. Their destination was the small town of Mission, an old mining post founded by Russians and many of the locals still had close ties to the Motherland.
The submarine would glide up the Yukon River just below the surface. Anyone standing on the bank might make out the silent shadow passing beneath its surface, but think it a whale. It was not unheard of for the large cetaceans to travel up the river.
An airplane would be waiting to drop them close to the mountain, but not too close. They knew the Americans would be watching the peak. They would maintain the element of surprise, but it would be traded off against speed and safety, as they would need to climb to the downed space shuttle wreckage.
Zlatan smiled; it mattered not. They could walk, hike, run, or climb for weeks without breaking stride. Strength and energy was not their problem, impatience was.
Ivan Zlatan felt the coiling sensation of urgency in his gut and pushed it back down. They needed to be there first, and they were on schedule. He looked along his men and saw the curled fists and set jaws, and knew
each and every one of them would be feeling the same thing he was – mission success was everything, failure was unthinkable. They were unbeatable and they were ready.
He was about to turn away when he saw one of his men looking at something cupped in his hands; the man’s cruel lips curled into an unnatural smile. Zlatan wondered who was in the picture.
CHAPTER 13
USSTRATCOM Base, Far Training Grounds, NEBRASKA
“He beats one, he beat the other … the score line is wide open.” Alex pretended to sidestep while holding the ball under one arm as he jogged toward a place between two trees.
Coming at him fast were Joshua and Aimee. The boy’s face a mix of delirious happiness and determination.
“Sack time,” he yelled, and came in low at Alex, grabbing one of his thighs.
“Defenders pile on, but the quarterback is still gonna make it.” He held the ball up as the imaginary line approached. “Gonna spike.”
“Mom, go high,” Joshua yelled trying unsuccessfully to upend Alex by holding onto the trunk-like thigh muscle.
Aimee, watching with hands on hips, groaned. “Ooookay.” She began to run at Alex and then grabbed his shoulders.
“Arrghh, defenders pile on.” Alex fell backwards, but turned over onto his belly and pretended to crawl to the line, trying not to laugh. “Must … make it.”
“Never.” Joshua leaped on his back, climbed up his body and wrenched the ball free. He ran to his own line, spiking the ball down and doing his victory dance.
Alex rolled over, laughing, and Aimee snuggled in beside him. He put his arm under her head. Both lay there with the soft grass beneath them and the sunshine on their faces.
“Another mission,” Aimee said flatly. “But this is what we should be doing. This is where you belong now.”
Alex opened his eyes, breathing deeply. He knew she was right; Josh had changed everything. He lifted his head and watched the boy kicking the ball in the air and racing to catch it.
“Hey, remember, I met you on one of those missions.” He rolled toward her, resting his head on his propped arm. “It’s only a couple of days; little more than a babysitting run.”
She stared back up at him, her dazzling eyes like blue fire. “It’s always just a couple of days. And every time you come back with a few more scars, a little more haunted, and a little more …” she leaned away, staring up at the sky.
He could guess what she was going to say: more brutal, less human, maybe even, more like The Other.
“Beneath the ice, last time, we both nearly died.” She turned, and her eyes bored into him. “You stretch luck too far. We don’t want to lose you … and don’t you lose us.”
He reached across to brush strands of dark hair from her forehead. “I do what I do for you and Joshua, and the millions of other you and Joshuas in the world. Some things in this world are dangerous and need to be faced. You know that; you’ve seen them.”
“They do.” She grabbed his hand. “But not always by you.”
“No, not always by me.” He lay back down. “Not always.”
“Oof!” He folded in half as Joshua landed on his belly and knocked the wind out of him. The boy laughed hysterically. Alex grabbed him, pulling him down between them.
“Thanks, buddy. A little warning next time, huh?”
“Wish you didn’t have to go, Dad.” Josh looked at the ball as he spoke, and his small forehead creased.
Alex looked at Aimee. “Did you …?”
Aimee shook her head. “He knows; he always knows.”
Alex sighed and turned back. Yeah, he already knew that – he had felt the boy inside his head many times. The bond of love was strong between them, but he felt Josh could drop in whenever he liked now.
Hammerson had said it was a trickle down effect of the Arcadian treatment Alex had undergone. Josh seemed to have inherited some things from Alex that went well beyond his looks; the mental connection between them being only one of them. He’d need to be more guarded in the future as the link might reveal things that might terrify the boy.
He faced his son. “I wish I could take you,” Alex said to him. “But I need someone here to look after your mom … and the puppy.”
Joshua’s head snapped around. “What? What puppy?”
“Oh, hey, didn’t we tell you?” He looked across to Aimee, whose eyebrows were up. Alex grinned and turned back. “Yeah, sure, I meant to mention that we’re getting you a puppy. But I need you to pick it out, and get it settled in while I’m away. It’s a big responsibility.”
Joshua’s mouth hung open.
“Can you do that for me, buddy?” Alex shrugged. “Because we can leave it for a day or …”
“Yes!” Joshua threw the ball in the air, and kneeled up. He placed both hands on Alex’s chest. “Yes, yes, yes!” His eyes were so wide they looked about to pop. “When!”
“I know Uncle Jack said he could take you out anytime. But it’s really up to your mom.” Alex grinned and turned slowly to Aimee.
Joshua’s eyes homed in on her. “Mom?”
Aimee chuckled. “Ooh, ambush.” She made her face serious. “Well, we do have a few things to do before …”
“Mo-oooom.” Joshua’s brow furrowed with alarm.
“Oh, good grief.” She elbowed Alex who just grinned. “Well, maybe tomorrow.” She leaned up on an elbow. “Go and kick the ball some more. Dad and I are going to have a little talk.”
“Yessss!” Joshua screamed away, picking up the ball in one hand and punting it high, and then sprinting after it.
Alex looked at Aimee’s beautiful but now angry face. He grinned sheepishly. “Surprise.”
* * *
Surprise, he smiled as his mind took him back to his family moment. That surprise was going to cost him three dinners out and a week of foot rubs. Worth it.
Alex continued to stare out the window of the Twin Otter turboprop plane, but he was still mentally back on the park’s soft grass. He remembered Aimee’s stern look as the sunlight made her hair shine like a raven’s wing, and her eyes were luminous with sparks of fire. He could still hear Joshua roaring with excitement.
He missed them both already. He closed his eyes as he replayed what she had said to him: this is where you need to be now. She was right. After a life led fighting, always fighting, he finally had something to come home to – an oasis of calm in a turbulent world.
His eyes flicked open as reality intruded. But there were horrors in this world, things that waited in dark caves, or fell from skies, or lurked in impenetrable jungles waiting to attack and bring misery and death to innocent people. Alex fought for them, for Aimee and Joshua. They were who he fought to keep safe.
The plane juddered in the air and his reverie began to dissolve. But maybe, just maybe, it was time someone else did the fighting.
The Twin Otter jerked again. Though the boxy-looking, cobalt-blue airplane seemed ungainly, its combination wheels, floats, and skids meant it could take off and land on water, snow, grass, or gravel on even the shortest of runways. It was uncomfortable, but practical.
As they were entering foreign territory, to avoid suspicion they’d needed to take civilian craft. Not ideal, but speed and secrecy needed to be balanced, for now. Onboard there were the eight HAWCs plus the three NASA science and engineering team members. Though on paper, there was room for more people in the plane, the size and bulk of the HAWCs made it feel enormously overburdened.
Alex knew they were already over the Alaskan airspace, and though inside it was warm, outside it was well below freezing. He turned away from the window – lined up across from him was his second in charge, Sam Reid; then Casey Franks; Max Dunsen; and Andy Garcia.
Next to him were Drake Monroe, Steve Knight, who looked like he thought being here with the seasoned HAWCs was too good to be true, and lastly, the statuesque and formidable Anita Erikson. Most were all sprawled legs and shut eyes. The mission was supposed to be a quick snatch, in and out in a matter of hours.
But Alex knew reality wasn’t like that. Shit always happened, and they were the ones who either got dropped in it or had to clean it up.
Alex let his eyes move to the NASA tech crew. Leading them was Russell Burrows. Up front he seemed a likeable guy, but Alex sensed something below the surface, fear maybe. Russ was only concerned about the remote possibility of finding survivors, probably his friends, from the downed Orlando shuttle, and couldn’t care less about the military tech onboard. That was fine by Alex. Next to him was Scott McIntyre, Russ’ senior technician, young and serious, but seemed a little twitchy. And then came Doctor Anne Petersen; she was a scientist and also had a medical background, and for Alex that made her value go up. He also detected something when she asked about the astronauts that made him think she had a personal attachment to someone on the shuttle orbiter. There was a level of concern in her voice that exceeded NASA loyalty or team camaraderie.
All three looked nervous and uncomfortable in their cold-weather gear with breathing apparatus hanging over their backs. They were also as intimidated as hell by the huge HAWCs. Alex didn’t bother trying to break the ice; after all, people tended to do their jobs more efficiently when the adrenaline was pumping or they felt eyes on them. And Alex would be watching every one of them.
The closest runway they could get to the peaks of the Revelation Mountains was Lime village, population twenty-nine, and only eighty miles from their destination. The upside was it had a hard-packed runway they could drop in on. They would then rendezvous with a chopper, which would take them up to the mountaintop basin.
Alex heard the pilot’s laconic drawl in his ear, “Ten minutes out.”
“Heads up, people, going down,” Alex addressed the group.
The HAWCs sat forward, immediately alert, and started to run through a final weapons check. The NASA team looked wide-eyed, with Scott McIntyre suddenly going a few shades paler.
“Captain.” Russell Burrows leaned forward. “Uh, how long until we get to the actual mountaintop?”