“I’m locked out!”
“Pinplants aren’t working!”
“I can’t move! My suit is frozen!”
“Crusher? Sarge? What the fuck is going on?”
“Calm the hell down! Now!” the sergeant shouted over the mercs’ internal combat channel. “Run full diagnostics! And get the fucking mechanics up here!”
“Mechanics won’t help you,” Tee interrupted. “Really, nothing will help you, Sergeant McCallister. Your men no longer have control of their machines. But I do. You had to know this would happen.”
The sergeant used several choice words and phrases before he cleared his throat. “I was informed that the MK 8s were too new. There would be no way you could penetrate the control systems.”
“Remotely? No,” Tee said. “That’s why hugs were needed. Direct contact.”
Tee brought up the subsystems that monitored the CASPers’ armor. He isolated the readings to show the sergeant what had happened.
“The armor has become one single receiver/transmitter. With your mecha clustered so close, the signal is amplified a thousand times. It’d take a serious EMP to break the tether. An EMP that would disable, if not destroy, the entire control systems of every machine. Probably not an option you want to explore.”
Tee initiated the parrot protocol and raised his left arm. All nine of the tethered CASPers raised their left arms in unison.
“I activate weapons and there will be nothing left of your men,” Tee warned. “I’d advise surrender on your end, Sergeant. Then maybe I can speak with the Peacemaker.”
Tee watched as the sergeant’s heart rate skyrocketed. The man was about to blow a fuse. That could lead to problems. Rage-pissed mercs weren’t the easiest to talk to.
“Sergeant, please listen to me,” Tee continued. “I do not want anyone harmed. All I want is to be able to speak to the Peacemaker and resolve this without casualties.”
“That’s what you want?” the sergeant replied, his voice shaking with anger. “You have illegally taken control of company property. The list of charges are adding up with every second—”
“Sergeant. Stop,” Tee ordered. “You have no advantage. If I want, I can issue commands to each of those CASPers to dismantle you piece by piece. Or I can have one blow you off the street. I’d rather not. Please have the Peacemaker join us so that I may—”
It was the sergeant’s turn to interrupt.
“Kill switches,” he said.
“Kill switches?” Tee asked, but it was over before the words left his mouth.
All nine of the tethered and controlled CASPers powered down. Tee tried to stop the process, but his algorithm wasn’t designed to control machines that were shutting completely off.
And completely meant completely.
The mecha purged their power cells of all energy. As far as Tee could tell, they couldn’t even eject the pilots. The nine CASPers were unbelievably expensive paperweights taking up space in the middle of Main Street.
That left the sergeant to deal with. Tee tried to slow his breathing again, but the idea of fighting a MK 8 with his MK 6 made his nuts shrivel up. But he knew it had to happen.
“Second wave, please, Morgana.”
Doors all up and down the street opened and townsfolk slowly made their way out onto the sidewalk. Some looked ready to join in while others appeared to be half a second from fleeing the scene. It didn’t matter. As long as they stood where they were, Tee could do all the work.
* * *
“Please return inside,” the sergeant announced. “This area is not safe. The Black Coils cannot be held responsible for any injuries resulting from your actions. Please return inside at once.”
Tee activated the next part of his plan.
Every cybernetic prosthetic he’d installed came online and he initiated the protocols needed to bring them under his control.
Townsfolk cried out as synthetic skin split wide and the concealed armaments Tee had built into their legs, their arms, their shoulders and hips, their hands, appeared, all aimed at the lead CASPer.
“Jesus Christ, Tinkerman,” Sergeant McCallister gasped. “What have you done?”
“What I needed to do in order to protect this town,” Tee replied.
There were several gasps and cries as McCallister’s CASPer brought up its own armaments and shields. Energy pulsed around the machine as its weapons extended and took aim at the humans waiting on the sidewalk.
“I’ll kill half of them before they can even make a dent,” the sergeant said. “You don’t want that.”
“You go for them, and I go for you, Sergeant,” Tee said. “Every person here knew their bill would come due someday. Did you know yours would too?”
The CASPer stood stock-still for a moment then the direction of the weaponry shifted to focus solely on Tee’s machine.
“You. Me,” the sergeant said. “I take you down, and you quit this insanity.”
“That works for me,” Tee said. His loudspeaker crackled. “Everyone stand down. You did your part. Back inside.”
There was some confused grumbling and a few shouts of disapproval from the more gung ho residents, but the vast majority sighed with relief as the hidden components returned into their prosthetics and they were allowed to flee to safety and shelter.
When the street was clear of townsfolk, the two battle machines rushed each other.
* * *
The MK 8 was considerably faster and covered three quarters of the open ground between the machines before they engaged. Tee expected that and was ready.
At no point did he expect the older mecha to be able to take on a state-of-the-art CASPer. Despite his skills with tech, even he couldn’t change the reality of superior firepower and simple physics.
Despite the extra weight the MK 6 had, the MK 8 was outfitted with a seriously powerful jumpjet pack. McCallister engaged the jumpjets and sent his CASPer flying into Tee’s at full throttle, and alarms rang out instantly as McCallister tackled Tee’s CASPer.
Tee grunted as the two machines tumbled down the street. He watched his cockpit buckle around him. McCallister was good. Even as the two machines rolled through the dust and dirt coating Main Street’s cracked pavement, the sergeant was throwing punches.
Roll, punch. Roll, punch. Roll, punch.
More alarms rang out, and Tee cut the sound. He could see the flashing lights and warnings in the display; he didn’t need his ears to bleed from the aural assault as well.
Finally, the two CASPers stopped rolling. Unfortunately, Tee’s was the one on the bottom. McCallister straddled him, which had to be an awkward sight for anyone to behold.
The MK 8’s chain gun was shoved dead center of Tee’s cockpit, which had lost seal integrity after the third round of roll and punch. The armor would hold for a minute, maybe a minute and a half, but Tee wouldn’t see two minutes if McCallister went full auto.
“Surrender,” the sergeant barked. “Dammit, Tinkerman! Surrender and call this over!”
“Morgana?”
“Ready on your command, Tee.”
“Sergeant, I will surrender. But on one condition,” Tee called over the comms.
“Jesus, you’re not in any position to negotiate!” the sergeant shouted. “Literally, Tinkerman! I open fire, and that CASPer will be full of your blood mist. Surrender now, and you get to live.”
“All I ask is that you open a channel to the Peacemaker,” Tee replied, ignoring the sergeant’s words. “Let me surrender directly to the Peacemaker, and I promise to submit and leave this machine. I swear on all that’s holy.”
The sergeant didn’t respond. Dead silence filled the street.
Tee waited.
“Fine,” the sergeant finally said. “Patching you through now.”
There was a crackle of static then, “Tinkerman. You wish to surrender directly?”
“I do,” Tee said. He stared up at the MK 8 that still pinned him to the ground. “But first, I need you to call your
superior and see if the warrant is still active.”
“I’m sorry?” the Peacemaker replied.
The voice had a strange modulation to it, and Tee wondered what species the Peacemaker was. He didn’t sound human. If it even was a he.
“Call your direct superior, and see if the warrant is still active,” Tee repeated. “I’d hate to surrender if there isn’t an active warrant for my arrest.”
“Tinkerman, I can assure you the warrant is active.”
“Humor me, will ya? I ain’t going nowhere.”
An alien sigh filled the comms.
“Very well. I will humor you. But this is the last stalling tactic. You have fought well, and in an unconventional manner, so you deserve the respect of this one request. Please stand by.”
The comms connection was cut.
“Care if I get out?” Tee asked the sergeant.
“Do what?” the sergeant replied, sounding stunned. “You get out, and you’re completely vulnerable.”
“Sergeant, I was vulnerable the second that first bounty hunter found me. This here, with you sitting on me like we’re eight-year-olds fighting on the playground, is only the coda to a drama that has been going on longer than you’ve been alive. Get off me and let me breathe, will ya?”
The MK 8 shifted, stood up, and took two steps back. None of its guns ever left their target.
Tee had to manually open the cockpit hatch. He was panting heavily when he finally had enough space to squeeze through and crawl out into the street. He breathed deeply then struggled up onto his knees. Yeah, he was going to feel the bike ride and everything else a lot in the morning.
“I don’t get you, Tinkerman,” the sergeant said. “Why all of this? Why that show with the townsfolk? Why kill those bounty hunters if you were going to surrender like this anyway?”
“Because I needed you to come,” Tee said as he slowly got to his feet. He bent over, hands on knees, took several breaths, then straightened up. “I had to escalate things so the Peacemakers would send in a merc company. Only way the demo could be done.”
“I’m sorry, what?” the sergeant replied. “What demo?”
“This one,” Tee said. “Third wave, Morgana.”
The townsfolk reappeared, their weapons hot. They fired as one and the incapacitated CASPers down the street were knocked front first into the pavement. The street was lit up by more targeted fire, and the mechas began to lose limbs one by one until all that were left were smoking torsos.
“Your pilots are still safe,” Tee said, holding up a hand to McCallister. “I was glad you came in MK 8s. Made it easier to keep your people from getting hurt. They are impressive machines.”
The townsfolk switched their focus to the sergeant’s CASPer.
“Is this where you expect me to surrender?” the sergeant asked.
“No, of course not,” Tee said. “This is where you listen.”
The comms crackled and the Peacemaker’s voice snarled in Tee’s ear.
“The warrant has been revoked,” he spat. “I do not know how you managed this, Tinkerman, but you are free to go.”
“None of us is ever free,” Tee replied, “but I thank you for the news. My apologies for the damage done to Black Coils’ property. I am sure they will be repaid in full for the inconvenience.”
“Will someone tell me what is happening?” the sergeant roared.
“You are being recalled, Sergeant McCallister,” the Peacemaker stated. “Consider your contract fulfilled. Payment has been issued in full to your account. Thank you for your time. I am sure the town of Mercury will appreciate if we vacate their area ASAP.”
The comms cut off, leaving the MK 8 to stand there.
“You better go,” Tee said. “Job done. Done well, I might add. Sorry for the subterfuge.”
“I don’t even know what just happened,” the sergeant said as he turned his CASPer and walked to the fallen machines.
One by one he flipped over the damaged mecha and cracked open the cockpits. Weary and bruised pilots crawled out of their downed MK 8s. Most glared at Tee, but a couple actually smiled before flipping him off. Then they turned and walked away.
The townsfolk watched the mercs until they were out of sight, then they faced Tee, and all cheered.
Tee fell to his knees, exhausted, as the men and women converged on him.
* * *
Belfore popped the bottle of champagne and poured Tee a glass.
“You son of a bitch,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “You filthy rich, son of a bitch!”
“Not me,” Tee said, resting comfortably in a brand new recliner in his brand new trailer. “I kept some, but the rest is in a trust for the town.”
“Why? You could find a little lady willing to get with an ugly bastard like you, pop out some pups, and leave all of your fortune to 10 future generations, and they’d never have to work!” Belfore exclaimed, downing his glass of champagne before refilling it again. “You have more credits than God! Why, man, why?”
“Why?” Tee closed his eyes. The face of Lucas came to mind, and he smiled. “I’ll tell you why. So no child has to grow up and become a killer just to get out of this place. The town will be built up, with solid schools and tech training centers. A decent hospital system. A mayor that doesn’t have to kiss corporate ass to get grants in order to keep mothers from becoming whores and fathers becoming junkies. Why? Because the only way you can get a future these days is to buy one. I bought this town a future.”
Belfore eyed Tee and nodded. “Because you didn’t have one.”
“Because I didn’t have one,” Tee agreed.
“They could have killed you,” Belfore said. “Instead of paying you and this town off for that prosthetic tech, or for your tether algorithm, they could have wiped this place off the map.”
Tee waved him off. “Nah. By the time they realized that was an option they should be pursuing, I already had the algorithm streaming into their system. Binnig bought the prosthetic tech and the CASPer tether algorithm, but more importantly, they bought the right to bury it all so no one ever discovers the weakness in their product. They’ll come up with a program to counter the tether algorithm so no one can ever take control of a CASPer again. They’ll also create new sensor tech so augmented locals can’t do what Mercury’s residents did. No more sneak attacks on mecha.”
Belfore laughed.
“You think it’s funny. It’s not. Do you know what happened that day at Bah’thaim? What really happened?” Tee responded.
Belfore stopped laughing and shook his head.
“Exactly what you saw happen in Mercury. The locals ambushed my company and almost killed us all. Well, they did kill us all, I’ve just taken a lot longer to die.”
“Shit, Tee…”
“Listen,” Tee insisted. He set his champagne aside. “They’d studied the CASPers and found weaknesses. Then they developed tech that could target those weaknesses. Not to destroy, but to incapacitate. That culture in Bah’thaim was far from peaceful. Once the CASPers were down, the locals pried those machines open like cans and pulled out the pilots. Then they beat them to death. I was late to the party because of a frozen knee joint coupling. I got there in time to see my friends’ heads popped like melons.”
“Tee, you don’t have to tell me this.”
“I do. I will.” Tee sighed. “The tether algorithm was more a theory in my head and a hundred lines of simple code in my CASPer’s system than a real threat. All it could do was join the CPUs together into a simple hub. But that was all I needed. I initiated the tether, connected the CASPers’ CPUs, and sent the command. The mecha self-destructed, taking the city with them. I barely made it outside the blast radius.”
Tee chuckled as he ran a finger over his scars.
“By the time I was on the command ship, the legend had begun. I escaped at the first station and used my tech skills to cover my tracks.”
“Until now,” Belfore said. “Damn, Tee.” He lifted his gla
ss to the old man, drank deeply, then set his empty glass down and fixed Tee with a hard stare. “I did my part.”
“I killed the code in all the prosthetics,” Tee replied. “Those are neither tethered nor can they be controlled by outside sources. Everyone’s debts are paid and deals fulfilled.”
“Thank you,” Belfore said. He stood and stretched. “Can I ask a question?”
“Yes, I targeted you because I knew I could hold your kids as leverage,” Tee said without the question being asked. “I’m no saint in this.”
“No, you’re not,” Belfore said. He offered his hand, and Tee stood and shook it. “I hope I never see your ugly face again, old man.”
“I hope the same for you,” Tee replied with a grin. “Now, get out and go love those kids.”
Tee walked him out and watched the man hop into a waiting flyer. Tee shielded his eyes to the rotor wash and was about to go back inside, but he saw a far off trail of dust that was getting closer. He leaned against the doorframe and waited.
The ATV bounced across the ground then came to a stop right by Tee’s new porch.
“Mr. Tinkerman!” Lucas cried as he jumped out of the ATV and ran to the porch. “What do I get today?”
“Today, Lucas, we’ll put in some new servos so those legs of yours can handle how fast you’re growing,” Tee replied. He tousled the kid’s hair and directed him inside the trailer. He waved to Lucas’s mother who was still in the ATV. “It’ll take about an hour and a half. You can wait or come back.”
“I have some errands to do,” the mother replied. “Picking a new home site today.”
“Good for you,” Tee said and gave her a wave as she whipped the ATV around and sped off.
There was a tinkling crash from inside the trailer.
“Sorry!” Lucas called out. “Nothing’s broken!”
Tee laughed and went inside, shutting the door on the hot, dry air of Eastern Oregon, and, hopefully, on the past.
For a Few Credits More: More Stories from the Four Horsemen Universe (The Revelations Cycle Book 7) Page 48