The Secret War (Jack Blank Adventure)

by Matt Myklusch

  “Gotcha,” Jack said to himself. He’d found it. He understood what he was looking at now. After all this time he’d finally deciphered the language of the spyware virus.

  Wasting no time, Jack fired up his tools and went straight to work attacking the problem. He labored for another three hours without breaking for food or drink. He’d been waiting to do this for more than a year now. This was the fun part. Goggles strapped over his eyes, Jack stared intently through a holo-magnifier as he burned the cure-code onto a microchip in a programming language never before written down anywhere.

  The work came along easier than Jack had expected. Trea had already done half the job by creating a program that would deactivate the spyware virus; she’d just needed Jack to identify the malicious code and finish it off. Jack lost himself in his work, trying not to think about how much time he had wasted in getting to this point. The answer had been right there in front of him all along. He’d just never seen it before now. It was so simple and clear that Jack could hardly believe the virus had given him any trouble at all. Jack felt like he’d been struggling to remember the lyrics to a song, and then suddenly heard it on the radio and every word became clear. Now that Jack had picked up the virus’s tune, its final verse was about to be written.

  The finished microchip was a small silver square with the code burned onto it in the shape of a shiny green arrow. Jack took it from a robotic arm beneath the holo-magnifier. After a year of false moves and dead ends, he was holding the cure in his hands. An experimental cure, anyway. Jack wasn’t about to start celebrating just yet. He still had to test it.

  Jack sealed his lab door and opened up the coffin. It was time. Jack looked down at the prototype, fully appreciating the gravity of the moment. If it worked, what he was about to do was nothing short of extraordinary. Jack inserted the chip into the prototype’s central processing unit and used his powers to make it run the code. The chip was programmed to tag every inch of the prototype’s circuits with the cure and scrub its software until it was 100 percent virus free. After the cure-code reinitialized the prototype’s operating system with a clean slate, it would need about ninety minutes to reboot and reload memory. All of this would take place while the prototype was in sleep mode. The moment of truth would come when Jack hit the power button and activated the prototype for the first time in more than a year. Jack looked over at the electromagnetic pulse he’d rigged up in case the cure-code failed. There was nothing left to do now but wait and hope.

  After he’d done all he could in the lab, he went up to the roof for some fresh air. He found the Knightwing hovering overhead. Jack looked across the roof and saw Midknight and Noteworthy waiting for him.

  “Hello, Jack,” the veteran hero said. “We need to talk.”

  CHAPTER

  22

  Uninvited Guests

  Jack’s stomach dropped.

  “You!” Jack said, his voice apprehensive. “What are you two doing here?”

  “Glad to see you, too,” Midknight replied with a smirk. “Sorry to drop by unannounced, Jack. Couldn’t be helped.”

  “Don’t apologize, Midknight,” Noteworthy said. “It’s nothing the boy hasn’t already done himself. Isn’t that right, Jack?” he asked. “You seem to have developed a habit of eavesdropping.” Noteworthy shook a finger at Jack. “Very bad form. Caused us no end of difficulties.”

  “Everyone’s looking for you,” Jack said, backing away. “We told the Inner Circle what you were doing at the prison last night.”

  “I doubt that,” Noteworthy replied.

  “It’s true,” Jack said. “We told Virtua.”

  “Really?” Noteworthy asked. “What did you tell her? What exactly do you think we were doing?”

  Jack didn’t answer. It suddenly occurred to him that he had no idea what Midknight and Noteworthy had been up to at the prison.

  “I think it’s time we put our cards on the table,” Mid-knight said, taking a step toward Jack. He had something in his hand. Jack couldn’t see what it was.

  “How did you find me here?” Jack asked. “It’s supposed to be impossible to find someone in Cognito.”

  Midknight gave Jack a knowing smile. “‘Impossible’ and ‘supposed to be impossible’ are hardly the same thing,” he replied. “I’m a detective, Jack. I find things out. You know that.”

  “Why were you guys trying to break Speedrazor out of jail?” Jack blurted out. His eyes were full of fear. “You want to put our cards on the table, fine. Let’s put ’em all down. Are you Glave?” Jack asked Noteworthy. “Are you Khalix?” he asked Midknight.

  Midknight’s back stiffened, and he stopped dead in his tracks. “Am I what?” he asked, stunned.

  “I saw you use your powers last night,” Jack told Noteworthy. “I saw your weapon. The energy glave? Real slick, hiding in plain sight like that. We’re on to you. I’m not the only one, either.”

  It appeared that Noteworthy was too appalled by Jack’s accusation to even say anything. Midknight studied Jack’s face to determine if he was serious or not. He stored whatever he had in his left hand away in his utility belt. “Jack …,” he said, shaking his head. “You know better than that.”

  Jack looked back at Midknight with a dead stare. “No, I don’t. I haven’t seen your face the whole time I’ve known you, Midknight. Why is that? Are you infected?”

  Midknight folded his arms. “Of course not.”

  “Show me,” Jack said.

  Midknight let out a sigh and reluctantly unfastened the straps on his helmet. “Even if you’re not willing to take it on faith, with your powers you should be able to tell if there’s a Rüstov parasite inside me. Inside either of us.” Midknight removed his mask and stepped into the light. The only marks on his face were those left by age and combat. There was no Rüstov scar around Midknight’s right eye.

  “That doesn’t prove anything,” Jack said. “You could still be a collaborator. You both could.”

  “Collaborators!” Noteworthy exclaimed. “How dare you?”

  “Clarkston, leave it alone,” Midknight said.

  “I will not leave it alone,” Noteworthy said. “I didn’t come here to be insulted by some Rüstov-infected boy. Listen here,” he told Jack, “I don’t care who you killed on Wrekzaw Isle last year. There’s far more reason to suspect you than either of us. There always will be, as long as you’ve got that thing inside you.”

  “Clarkston, that’s enough,” Midknight said. “You’re not helping the situation.” The old hero turned toward Jack. “Neither are you, Jack. I don’t know what makes it so hard for you to trust people, but if that doesn’t change sooner or later, you’re going to end up very lonely in life. We’re not infected and we’re not traitors. I thought you and I were friends, even if you did throw quite a monkey wrench into my plans last night. That’s why we’re here now. Because we need your help.”

  When Midknight finished talking, Jack officially had no idea what was going on. He didn’t know what Midknight and Noteworthy were doing together, but after seeing the old hero’s face, and listening to him talk, Jack believed him when he said they weren’t in league with the Rüstov.

  “All right,” Jack said. “I’m listening. What do you need?”

  Midknight nodded. “That’s more like it. C’mere. I’ll show you.”

  Midknight went back into his belt and produced the mystery object he’d been holding earlier. It was a small steel box no bigger than a walnut.

  “You already know we’ve been working together,” Midknight told Jack.

  “It’s an alliance borne out of necessity,” Noteworthy said.

  “It is,” Midknight agreed. “A man in his position has access to a lot of information,” he said, jerking a thumb toward Noteworthy. “For the last month he’s been my primary source on Smart’s latest invention.”

  “You’re investigating the SmarterNet?” Jack asked. “There’s something shady going on with it, you know.”

  “Thank you,
Jack,” Noteworthy said, rolling his eyes. “Whatever would we do without you?”

  “It’s obviously some kind of surveillance system,” Mid-knight said, scowling at Noteworthy. “But no one knows how it works, and Smart isn’t talking. That bothers me. It’s been my experience that when someone guards a secret this closely, the truth is usually pretty damning. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “Yeah,” Jack said. “That pretty much describes my life for the last year. But what are you doing investigating Smart, with a Rüstov attack less than two days away? You don’t think Smart’s working with them, do you? ’Cause I made that mistake once already.”

  “I don’t think Smart’s working with the Rüstov per se,” Midknight replied. “I just worry that in his haste to help himself, he might be helping them more than he knows. His launch timeline and Glave’s attack deadline are too close together,” Midknight explained. “Something is wrong. I’m sure it wouldn’t surprise you to find out that ‘the world’s smartest man’ has no idea what he’s doing.”

  Jack shook his head. “No, it wouldn’t. And there’s definitely more to the SmarterNet than he’s letting on. This afternoon Obscuro threatened to go public with the truth about the SmarterNet unless Smart gave him the access codes to the system.”

  “You saw this happen?” Noteworthy asked. “When?”

  “What would Obscuro need with the SmarterNet access codes?” Midknight asked.

  “I don’t know, but you should have seen the scare that threat put into Jonas Smart,” Jack said. “I don’t get it. This is Jonas Smart we’re talking about. People already decided against his way of doing things in the last election. They voted him out and shut down the SmartCams because they didn’t like being spied on all the time. Now everyone’s just taking his word that he won’t do it again? It’s like people have completely forgotten who they’re dealing with. How is someone with his track record getting a free pass on such an obvious question like what his invention actually does? Why are people sitting still while he stonewalls them on that?”

  “People have short memories. Especially when they’re scared,” Noteworthy explained. “The Rogue Secreteer’s actions and the Glave and Khalix transmissions have got the people of this city remembering exactly why they’re afraid of the Rüstov.”

  “People are lining up in Galaxis to leave the planet, and the ones who stay will put up with almost anything to feel safe again. Smart knows that better than most,” Midknight told Jack. “He built the entire SmartCorp empire on that principle the first time around. He’s as good as they come at striking fear into people’s hearts, even if he doesn’t have one of his own.” Midknight shook his head. “He’s a dangerous man when he’s in power, and his ego won’t let him accept being anywhere else. I’ve been investigating him ever since I first found out he was sinking all his money into one big project. I knew it had to be his plan to get back on top. He lost his seat at the table once already. He’ll do anything to regain power.”

  “Didn’t you say the same thing about the Noteworthy family during your campaign?” Jack asked.

  “I did,” Midknight admitted. “I meant it, too. Clarkston and I don’t necessarily like each other. We’re just working together because sometimes the enemy of your enemy is your friend.”

  Noteworthy nodded. “I don’t want to see Smart back in power any more than you two do.”

  “Exactly,” Midknight said. “The intel for our last mission together came from Clarkston. My street connections picked up rumors about Speedrazor’s plan to steal something important from Smart. It was his connections that cut through SmartCorp’s front companies and identified the most likely target.”

  “The Intelligent Designs cargo train,” Jack said.

  “Very good,” Noteworthy said. “Unfortunately, you blew up the cargo before we could find out what Smart was bringing in.”

  “Sorry about that,” Jack said.

  Midknight shrugged. “At least you managed to slow Smart down a few days. In the meantime I tried everything I could think of to find out what was on that train. I tracked down the rest of his gang in Gravenmurk Glen, but they were all brainwashed by the Secreteer and were no use to me. Next I went out into the Real World and infiltrated Intelligent’s labs myself, looking for answers.”

  “What did you find out?” Jack asked.

  “Nothing,” Midknight admitted. “That was why I needed Speedrazor’s help. Clarkston was there to help me break him out, and I was going to take him back to the Real World with me. The plan was to raid Intelligent Designs together and steal Smart’s replacement for the SmarterNet component you blew up. No such luck.”

  “I don’t get it. What’s in the box, then?” Jack asked.

  “The only thing Speedrazor could give me,” Midknight said. “A blueprint of the technology he was trying to steal.”

  “He doesn’t need to know all of this,” Noteworthy said, losing his patience. “We don’t need to explain ourselves to you,” he told Jack. “We need you to tell us what this device does. Now.”

  Jack gave Noteworthy a tough look. If the Inner Circle’s newest member was trying to intimidate him, his words were having the opposite effect. Jack didn’t appreciate getting ordered around by the one Circleman he hardly ever saw and respected even less. “You know,” Jack began, “if I had your money, I’d be able to afford some manners.” Before Noteworthy even had a chance to respond, Jack turned to Midknight and asked, “Can I talk to you alone for a minute?”

  “Of course,” Midknight said. He followed Jack a few feet away from Noteworthy, who just stood there seething. On the other side of the roof, Jack motioned for Midknight to come closer. As he leaned in, Jack put his hand over his mouth and whispered, “Are we sure he’s not Glave?”

  Midknight let out a short chuckle. “Noteworthy?” he said, as if the very idea were ridiculous. “Why, because he uses that energy glave?” Midknight shook Jack off. “That’s just a coincidence, Jack. The real Glave wouldn’t be dumb enough to go around flashing a weapon with that very name every time he feels threatened.”

  “What if he’s counting on you thinking like that?” Jack asked. “I don’t know him that well, but he’s definitely smarter than I thought. What if he wants to shut down the SmarterNet because it’s going to expose Rüstov conspirators just like Smart says it will? What if he aligned himself with the Rüstov to get his family back into power?”

  “Slow down, Jack,” Midknight said. “Before we answer any of that, let’s get a look at the evidence. A detective needs evidence to back up his theories or that’s all they are. Theories.” Midknight held up the tiny box with the SmarterNet data on it. “C’mon. Let’s see what we’ve got here.”

  Jack agreed to do as Midknight said, and followed him back across the roof toward Noteworthy. Mid-knight handed Jack the box, and Jack activated it. A holographic blueprint projected itself into the air, displaying an incredibly complex and elegant design. Luckily, the blueprint was also very friendly. Jack asked the machine what it did, and it told him right away.

  Jack’s heart nearly stopped when he discovered the machine’s purpose.

  “Oh no,” Jack said. “No!”

  “What?” Midknight asked. “What is it?”

  “Tell us!” Noteworthy said.

  “It’s a super-relayer-connector,” Jack said. “A really strong one.”

  “A super what?” Midknight asked.

  “Speak English, boy,” Noteworthy said.

  Jack ran his hands through his hair, trying to wrap his head around what he’d just learned and figure out how to explain it to Midknight and Noteworthy. “It’s a computer signal broadcaster,” he said. “The most powerful one I’ve ever seen.”

  “This little thing?” Noteworthy asked. “Really?”

  “Jack, what does that mean?” Midknight asked. “I don’t understand. What’s the problem?”

  “Midknight, this is bad. The SmarterNet goes way beyond surveillance. It’s not just listening to all commu
nications in the outside world. There’s a meta-code hidden in the super-Wi-Fi signals this thing puts out. It links up every machine it touches on the same network so Smart can listen in. It connects every machine in the world, including everything right here in the Imagine Nation!”

  “So the eyes and ears of every machine and every Mecha in this city become part of Smart’s new spy network,” Noteworthy said with a scowl. “I knew he was up to no good. This makes the SmartCam program look like child’s play.”

  “You don’t understand,” Midknight told Noteworthy, his eyes growing wide. “This is bigger than Smart spying on people. It’s bigger than Empire City.”

  “Way bigger,” Jack said. “This thing goes out to the world. Smart probably thinks this thing is going to help sniff out Rüstov spies, but he doesn’t realize what he’s doing. He’s just given the Rüstov the means to infect every machine on Earth! It’s been running all day, and no one’s got any idea. We have to stop it before the spyware virus goes global. We have to shut down the SmarterNet!”

  “Spyware virus?” Noteworthy asked. “What spyware virus? Jack, what are you talking about?”

  Jack let out an exasperated sigh. Noteworthy didn’t know anything about the virus yet. Jack was about to start explaining, when a massive explosion ripped through the night. The Empire City skyline lit up with fire, and sirens began to wail in the mechanized borough to the north. Machina was erupting in chaos.

  It was already too late.