AMP_Phase 1

by Brian K. Larson

  “...and your data pad is nearly out of credits too.”

  “When that happens, we’ll have to go to town and try to load it up from my main accounts.”

  “You can’t do that. They’ll instantly know we’re alive.”

  “We’ve been lucky so far, but this shoulder. It’s going to cripple me if I don’t have it fixed.”

  “Doctor, let me see if I can take any of your pain away.”

  “Whattya mean, Jen?”

  “I’ve been working on my chip. I can invoke small subtle amplifications. They’re short bursts, but it might help.”

  “I’m willing to try just about anything at this point.”

  Jen closed her eyes and sat by Rhodes on the floor. She concentrated for several minutes, breathing in her nose and exhaling slowly through her pursed lips. Then when she opened her eyes, she revealed a familiar green color emerging around her iris. Reaching up, she touched his shoulder and passed a wave of energy through her arm, down to her hand, and into his shoulder.

  Rhodes closed his eyes and absorbed the wonderful feeling she projected to him, taking the pain from him, even if it was only for a few minutes.

  Jen shot back with a sudden start, “Bennie!”

  Rhodes winced with the sudden jerk, “Ouch! What?”

  “It’s Bennie...I feel him...he’s alive,” a tear welled under her eyes and dripped down her cheek. Then she closed her eyes and smiled with comfort and satisfaction, knowing her Bennie was still alive. When she opened her eyes, they slowly faded and returned to her normal color, “It’s gone...I lost it.”

  “Do you know if he connected with you?”

  “I don’t know. It was more like a knowing he’s alright...but that was all.”

  “That’s quite a little feat you can do with your chip, Jen.”

  “I’ve kept that to myself, you know...sometimes I kind of feel like a freak.”

  “I can understand, Jen. But we’ve stayed together for nine months. You should understand that I’m alright to trust.”

  “I know, I know. That’s something I need to work on, that’s for sure.”

  “Trust?”

  “Yeah, the one person that I put my trust in, betrayed me.”

  “Nadine.”

  “Yes. I still can’t believe what she is.”

  “A cyborg clone?”

  “How is that possible?”

  “Nadine said there was a second alien complex.”

  “...so if that’s the case...” Jen added.

  “They could infest the planet through the chips and take us over.”

  “We have to find Bennie...now that we know he’s alive!”

  “All these things in due time. I’m in no shape to be traveling just yet. It hurts to move it much at all.”

  “Doctor, there is one solution,” Jen offered.

  Rhodes looked over at his backpack and nodded, “I’m about to go with that option.”

  “Do you want to find Bennie and maybe the others?”

  “Sure, I do.”

  “Well, then, Doctor?”

  “I have to say, that I’m a tad afraid.”

  “Doctor, there isn’t anything to worry about. Remember trust?”

  “Bring me my silver case,” he nodded.

  Jen reached over and gave Rhodes a silver case he had carried from the base.

  “Open it,” he ordered as he removed his sling.

  “Three chips left, Doctor,” Jen noted, opening the case and laying it out flat on the bed.

  Rhodes took the injector from its case and loaded one of the three chips, “One for the money,” he said, setting the wheel the correct pressure, “Two for the show,” he handed the injector to Jen, “Three to get ready,” he leaned down exposing the back of his neck to Jen, “Four to go!”

  “Doctor, are you sure about this?”

  “Yes, you’re supposed to hit me on ‘four to go’, now hit me...four to GO!”

  Jenny held the injector tip on the back of Rhodes’ neck and squeezed the trigger. The resulting motion sent the charged hybrid chip into the base of his skull.

  “Ahhhhh! What the...WOW, that hurt!” Rhodes said, nearly passing out.

  “Sorry Doctor, you insisted.”

  “Okay, whew...wow,” he said, stroking the back of his neck.

  Raising upright, he opened his teary eyes. Jen looked at him and saw his eyes shimmering with green. His skin crawled with light colored data patterns, which ran down his face, neck and round his shattered shoulder.

  The light patterns that focused on his bare shoulder began forming solid traces and leads plugging his skin and traveling back to his skull, completing a pathway. He gritted his teeth as the chip did its job in repairing the damaged shoulder.

  “Does it still hurt, Doc?”

  “No...no it doesn’t hurt..”

  “Then why are you making such a face?”

  “It’s just the anticipation of what it’s doing...what I’ve seen it do to others...just hoping the formula was correct so this growth enzyme doesn’t get carried away and turn me into a Night of the Living Dead creature or something.”

  Jen smiled at the Doctor, “I’m glad it’s repairing the damage.”

  “Yeah, so am I...so am I.”

  “So tell me, Doctor.”

  “Yeah,” he said, craning his neck back and forth.

  “What made you decide to get AMP’d after all these months?”

  “Hope.”

  “Because of what I said?”

  “Yeah, you gave me some hope...thought this would be the best way to try and reach him...you know, two heads are better than one.”

  “So to speak, yes. Thanks, Doc. It’s quite a sacrifice you’re making.”

  “We have to use their own weapons against them. If we’re going to expect to survive any alien invasion force, we’ll all have to make sacrifices.”

  She gave Rhodes a hug and he backed up with a wince, “Sorry, I thought...”

  “It’s okay, Jen. You’re welcome. Just give me a few hours for my shoulder to heal all the way. Then we can start working out a way to find the others.”

  “Deal, Doctor...you got a deal.”

  * * *

  Seattle, WA

  1st Ave. Banana Jammer Club

  March 19th, 2066 20:00

  “Well, you look ridiculous,” J said to Bennie, as he sported another aluminum foil cap.

  “Well, I have come up with another solution, but you’ll have to program the code in the next AMP.”

  “I don’t program, my man...just plain ol bein’ jacked-in. Nothing else...so what’s this code you’re talkin’ about, anyway?”

  “I knew that didn’t mean no...”

  “...just give it to me straight,” J sighed.

  “If you program your accelerator to deliver this code, it will turn off any wireless transceiver signal. I can block the GPS so I can walk around freely, without looking over my shoulder every second of the day...and I won’t have to wear this,” Bennie said, removing the scratchy tinfoil.

  “Here, give that to me,” J grabbed the foil from his hand.

  Bennie reluctantly gave it up and then scratched his head, itching from the abrasive foil.

  “If you’re gonna wear it, at least until we can get this code of yours programmed, you can line this here cap with the foil.”

  “Uh, gee thanks’, J.”

  “Don’ mention it...sheesh, I’ve seen you solve the most complex formulas and mathematical problems, but you can’t figure out how to wear a disguise...” J said with an eye roll.

  “Hey, I’ve been through it...you know...it’s just...”

  “Yeah, yeah...shut it already, I’ll do it for ya. I won’t even charge you for this one.”

  “Really, really?”

  “Yes, really...really. Now come on. Let’s get out of here and get the accelerator juiced up, shall we?”

  “But I don’t have an assignment, shouldn’t we wait for that?”

 
J just returned his look and simply shook his head with a smile, “You’ll catch on soon enough.”

  “Ohhhh, you have another assignment?”

  J smiled again, “See? You are catching on, Bennie, my maaaaan.”

  “Nice...so what is it this time?”

  “They like your work so they’re giving you one job that’s worth 50 G’s up front.”

  “Is this the big one, J?”

  “Yep, it’s the big one alright. They want a complete....shhh, wait until we get outside,” J whispered, looking suspicious at everyone as they walked by.

  They walked out of the club and up to Seneca Street. Ben followed him down the alley and the cement steps that they had frequently traveled. J looked over his shoulder the entire time.

  “J, you’ve never been this worked up, what’s wrong?”

  “It’s just that the feds are trying to crack down. I’m working on moving my operation, so this’ll be the last AMP session I can provide until I find new digs. It’s just gettin’ too hot anymore.”

  “We’ll be safe here, right?”

  “Sure, Bennie, my man...safe as can be.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I told ya, are ya listenin’ to me? I said the heats on. I didn’t say they have discovered my little playroom down here, but...” J paused, noticing that the basement door had been opened.

  J and Ben looked at each other. J held his finger up to his lips and then slowly pushed the door open. The hinge creaked and popped, making them jump at the ready. They quietly entered the room, the equipment was still covered with sheets but the computer terminal on the desk had come out of sleep mode.

  “Shhh,” J leaned over and whispered to Bennie, “Someone’s been here.”

  Bennie looked down in the corner of the room and noticed a small mouse, which began to scurry across their path, looking for a possible escape route.

  Bennie let out a yelp as the mouse darted back toward him, which then proceeded to run up his pants' leg.

  “Bennie!” J tried to whisper, “Aw, come on, man...keep it down will ya?”

  “Easy for you to say,” Bennie shouted, as he attempted to remove his trousers and let the little rodent out as quickly as he could.

  His leg got caught in his pants, tripping him to the floor. The mouse ran up his chest and leaped over his head and ran for his exit.

  J only could fall to the ground, accompanied by the largest belly laugh Bennie ever heard, “Well, if there were anyone here,” J continued to laugh, “I think we just gave up...hah hah hah hah.”

  Bennie managed to get off the floor and stepped back into his pants. He looked around the room, then pulled off the sheet from J’s equipment.

  “There isn’t anyone here anymore. They left already, is there a back exit or anything?”

  “No, just this one way in, and I didn’t see anyone leaving.”

  Just then the computer monitor went to sleep, making the room even darker. Bennie pointed to the screen, “Guess they left about a half hour ago.”

  “Yeah, my sleep mode is set for thirty-minutes.”

  “Okay, J. Fire up the controls and I’ll start inputting my code.”

  J collected himself and went over to the main power relay and moved the handle to the upper position, making a snap and a whir noises as the machine came to life. Then he pressed a few additional commands on the panel, “Okay, the accelerator is on-line. You can program your code.

  Bennie sat at a rolling chair and slid up to the keyboard and began entering the commands. Since he wasn’t currently AMP’d he relied on notes he took that were in his shirt pocket.

  After about ten minutes and Bennie checking and rechecking his data entries, he turned to J, “Okay. Ready...hook me up.”

  “Will this code permanently disable the GPS locator circuit?”

  “Not permanently. I have more code to re-enable it if we should need it at some point.”

  “Okay, Bennie. You’re the boss on this one,” J said, hooking the fiber cable from the machine to Bennie’s plug, “There you are...is there anything special I need to watch for on this one?”

  “Should be just like all the other AMP sessions, J. Just transmit the code already...before whoever was here decides to come back.”

  “Good point, Bennie, my man.”

  Bennie sat back in the chair and closed his eyes. J hit the transmit sequence and the machine began to send the AMP signal to Ben.

  “Okay, Bennie. Five minutes and we’ll be ready to leave.”

  Bennie shot his eyes open, with only thirty seconds left for the AMP cycle, he disconnected early and stood, “I heard something.”

  J reached for his weapon that he kept under his suit coat. He loaded a round in the chamber by pulling the hammer back and releasing it on his Smith & Wesson .45 caliber pistol, which looked more like a cannon than a gun.

  “You didn’t finish the session,” J whispered, powering down the machine, he covered it with the sheet.

  “You better remove the actuator key, I think someone’s been coming down here and stealing sessions.”

  J reached under the sheet on one section of the accelerator and pulled out a twin-keyed looking tuning fork and placed it in his other pocket, “I think you’re right, Ben.”

  The two dimmed the light and turned off the computer monitor and snuck out the door. In the shadows at the opposite end of the alley, they saw two people quickly approaching.

  “Run for it!” Bennie shouted, now fully AMP’d he took off like a gazelle, leaving J to fend for himself.

  “It’s okay, Ben!” J yelled as he disappeared in the dark, I’ve got my own escape plans. I’ll meet up with you later!” he relayed. Then J disappeared into the darkness, leaving the two in hot pursuit of Bennie.

  He ran and jumped over garbage cans, tossing them behind him as he ran. Darting down a side alley, he came to a chain link fence and leaped over it without skipping a beat. With lightning speed and energy, he scaled a brick wall and ran across the roof tops of the shorter buildings, disappearing from sight.

  The two dark shadows stopped and rested with their hands on their knees.

  Jen looked over at Rhodes, “He’s AMP’d, we’ll never catch him right now.”

  “Agreed,” Rhodes puffed, “Let’s check out the basement they came from.”

  The two entered the opened door to the basement where J’s accelerator was, “We missed them by minutes!” Jen exclaimed.

  “Yes, but we found the accelerator he’s been using,” Rhodes pointed, pulling the sheet off the machine.

  “Can you activate the thing? If I can get jacked, I might be able to project a message to Bennie.”

  Rhodes looked over the sophisticated accelerator unit and then turned to Jen, “They took the accelerator actuator key. Without that piece, this is just a piece of useless metal.”

  The basement door, shot open with a loud bang, “FREEZE!” five armed security men quickly entered the room, training their machine guns on them.

  Jen and Doctor Rhodes raised their hands in the air and froze.

  “Looks like we found one of the illegal accelerator dens, Sergeant,” the lead officer stated.

  “It’s not mine!” Jen protested.

  “Well, you’re here...it’s here...as far as I’m concerned, it’s yours and you both are under arrest.”

  The little field mouse exited it’s small hole in the basement wall and shot across the floor, causing just enough of a distraction that one of the men pointed his machine gun and opened fire on the small creature.

  Jen grabbed the monitor off the desk and tossed it at them. Taking them all off guard, they darted out of the room in the commotion of gunfire and shouting, as they exited the basement.

  The head security officer ran after them, but by the time he entered the alley, there was no one in sight.

  * * *

  CHAPTER 17

  Seattle, WA

  China Town

  Authentic Bite of Ch
ina

  Earth Date: September 7th, 2067 17:30

  ~ Eighteen Months Later ~

  Bennie scanned the restaurant and then caught J’s eye. He smiled, nodded and approached his table.

  “Bennie, my man...how ya been?”

  Bennie helped himself to the opposite side of the booth and leaned closer, “Whattya mean? How ya been? How do you think I’ve been? I haven’t been able to get AMP’d for weeks. How do you expect me to finish the plasma drive schematic for the Company?”

  “Bennie, you know that my accelerator was confiscated.”

  “I know, but you said that the last time. You said you contracted with Sly, that you could use his unit anytime you needed.”

  “Yeah, well, that was before.”

  “Before what?”

  “Before Sly disagreed with my commission payment.”

  “This is about credits?”

  “Yeah, well it’s just business, you know.”

  “J, I’m fiending awfully bad, I’ll pay the commission...just get me jacked.”

  “It’s not that simple,” J said taking another helping of his Mongolian Beef, “Want some? I’ve got plenty here.”

  “Sure, I’m starving. I have to save most of what’s left, you know, of that advance, so I can get the plans finished.”

  “Sly wants fifty G’s for a single AMP session, for me, or for anyone I have served in the past.”

  “Wow, there’s no way I’m paying that.”

  “You’re tellin’ me!”

  “So, what’s your plan?”

  “That depends on how close you are to completing the drawings.”

  “I’ve been compiling all of my notes from the last five AMP sessions.”

  “...and?”

  “...and, I only need one more session to complete the drawings.”

  “Can you give me three weeks? I’ll have this little situation under control by then.”

  “You getting’ a new accelerator?”

  “Shhhh, keep it down, my man...yes, so to speak, I am getting my new unit.”

  Bennie slid in front of him what was left on the serving plate of the Mongolian Beef, and began devouring it with a spare set of chop sticks. Then he proceeded to pull the sweet and sour chicken over in front of him when J reached with his sticks, grabbing one last piece of chicken from the plate.