by J. G. Martin
“Since they nearly died getting here, I will give them the benefit of the doubt.” She replied with a laugh, and then introduced herself. “I am Dr. Rosanna Baikul and I am the current leader of the Boise Free State. Welcome to our little slice of freedom.”
“Wait, I know you.” Rora interrupted. “You worked with my father.”
“Who is your father?” The Boise leader asked cautiously.
“Dr. Andrew Carter.” Rora replied quickly.
The woman’s face went white at Rora’s answer. “Everyone out except these two!” She suddenly ordered, pointing at Derek and Rora.
When the man in the blue parka and her two guards resisted, she waved them off and reiterated her order. They left begrudgingly and Rora knew they were right outside. The woman waited impatiently as the others filed out. She stared at Rora intently as if trying to pierce her soul and read her mind. Once the room was clear she moved in close to Rora.
“I did work with your father. What do you know about our work?” The woman demanded with an edge to her voice.
“He never said exactly, just that he regretted ever doing the work. But I know it was when he was still a part of the Collective.” Rora answered, slightly taken aback by the woman’s tone.
“Yes, I’m sure he regretted it.” The leader of the Boise Free State agreed sadly. “Our work led directly to the Collapse and the Aftermath.”
“I’m sure that’s a little dramatic.” Derek interjected. “The world was already on a collision path with disaster. It didn’t take much to push it past the tipping point.”
“Oh really?” The woman snapped sarcastically. “I’m a cyberneticist and your father was a geneticist, we worked to bring those two fields together. Our main project was to create a computer that mimicked the human brain.”
“You created the LINC.” Rora said with a gasp.
“We created the basic design for what became the LINC.” Dr. Baikul agreed with obvious regret. “We created the monster that allowed the Collective to come into being and for Doors to transfer himself into the system.”
“But that means you must have created the device that my father hid away and that we used to delete Doors?” Rora asked. “You could make more?”
“Yes, I helped your father design it. But he destroyed the design after he built the prototype, he didn’t want anyone else to be able to seize control.” Dr. Baikul replied. “I disagreed with his position, but he was insistent. Then he disappeared and it became a moot point. I always wondered what happened to him.”
“He was hiding out in a small village in Colorado, trying to make up for what he had done.” Rora told her.
“You must have some capability of the device her father built or you wouldn’t have been able to keep the Collective out for so long.” Derek interjected.
“Yes, I utilized some of the design that I remembered to build larger versions of the device that prevented the LINC from connecting within the area of effect. That meant that the Collective forces would suddenly lose control when they entered that area and we could easily pick them off.” Dr. Baikul explained. “They were slowly destroying the devices, but we were able to build more and keep them at bay. We always assumed they would eventually give up, but they never did.”
“What is so important in Boise that they would keep up the attack? There are plenty of other easier targets nearby.” Derek asked.
“I think they want the research and any prototypes we have for the LINC and the devices. I imagine it is quite a threat to the Collective’s existence.” The scientist explained. “We resisted giving the technology to the U.S.T.G. for fear of what they might do with it, but they have been offering us a lot of assistance in exchange for it. At some point we have to give in or be wiped out.”
“What changed in the last few months that has enabled the Collective to make huge gains into the city?” Derek wondered.
“When you deleted Doors and destroyed the station, we thought our nightmare was over. The drones and the Humeks pulled back and we even saw some fighting amongst their ranks.” Dr. Baikul told them. “But within a month they suddenly regained their organization and restarted the assault. At first it wasn’t much different, but a couple of weeks ago they started entering the area of effect and they seemed unaffected. That caught us off guard and they made huge gains before we pulled back into the University.”
“How are they nullifying the effects of the devices?” Rora asked with curiosity.
“One of our scouts discovered a large transmission tower had been built on Table Rock, just outside the city. We believe that the Collective units are now controlled via a new network that is powered from that tower. The signal is powerful enough to override our devices and allow the Collective to function within the area of effect. Essentially all of Boise.” Dr. Baikul informed them. “We won’t last long against the full array of their forces. They have us vastly outnumbered and outgunned. But I’m sure you didn’t take such a huge risk to come here to ask about the Collective. Why are you here?”
“We are looking for a man who flew here in a private plane last week. He stole something that belonged to my father.” Rora replied vaguely.
“Is he here?” Derek chimed in.
“What did he look like?” Dr. Baikul asked slowly.
“We don’t know, he obscured his image. But there can’t be that many people who flew in here lately.” Derek pointed out.
“Bill!” The Boise Free State leader called out. “Bring everyone back in, including our other guest.”
“Yes ma’am!” A voice hollered back.
“I don’t need to tell you that what we discussed is confidential?” Dr. Baikul asked them in a low voice before the others came back in.
“Of course.” Rora said reassuringly.
The man in the blue parka, Rora assumed he was Bill, led everyone else back into the dimly lit basement room. The guards took up their positions on either side of Dr. Baikul and the remainder of the Boise Free State militiamen stood in a semi-circle facing her. They parted slightly to allow Bill to drag a man into the middle. The man was average in every way. Rora estimated he stood about five feet and ten inches tall, and he was slender but not thin or muscular. His clothes were all a shade of dark gray and his hair was a close cropped and brown. He had no defining characteristics and if she saw him in a crowd she would have difficulty picking him out.
“I assume this the man you are looking for.” The Boise leader said. “He arrived about a week ago offering to help us hold back the Collective. But we later found him trying to hack into our mainframe. He claims to be Mark Kroner, a freelance hacker out of Nashville.”
“I wasn’t hacking your system.” The man interrupted in a soft voice. “I was trying to make the alterations to the system to keep the Collective back.”
“Well that obviously didn’t work.” Derek replied sarcastically.
“Indeed. We need to go to the source of the signal for me to make the changes. I can still help you.” The man said pleadingly.
“I think not.” Dr. Baikul stated firmly. “You have already proven untrustworthy, and it is possible you are working for the Collective. I’m not going to deliver you to them.”
“We’ll take him off your hands.” Derek offered. “We can make sure he isn’t a threat to you.”
“That works out for you, but how does that help us? Why shouldn’t we just kill him?” Dr. Baikul countered.
“What do you want for him?” Derek asked calmly.
“You don’t have much to offer.” Dr. Baikul pointed out. “You lost your ride in here and you don’t have any weapons or tech to trade to us…”
“We work with NASA, I’m sure they could provide some support.” Rora interjected.
“Maybe, but it would come too late.” Dr. Baikul replied thoughtfully. “But maybe we could put your skills to good use.”
“Why not.” Derek muttered. “Everyone else seems to have a use for my skills. Why should you be any different?”
“What do you need us to do?” Derek replied resignedly.
“We need you to take out that tower on Table Rock.” Bill interjected.
“Oh, is that all?” Derek asked with sarcasm. “No problem. I’ll just jog out there right now and take care of it.”
“We have a plan.” Bill replied a little sheepishly. “We just need someone who can get up there and blow the tower.”
“I’m listening.” Derek said patiently.
“We have some remaining artillery we have kept back for a final stand. We will shell the area around Table Rock and then launch several ground attacks up the main road there. That should draw the Collective’s attention and create enough confusion and chaos that you can infiltrate the area. Climb up the side of the mountain and then place the charges.” Bill explained.
“You make it sound so simple.” Derek said with a sigh. “But I’m sure it is well defended.”
“It is, but only the road and trails.” Bill replied smoothly. “That’s one of the advantage we enjoy over the Collective forces. They are very rigid and unimaginative. They can only approach from those directions so that’s all they’ve guarded. And there is no individual initiative so they just follow the orders as given. It is a blind spot we have exploited many times. A small group of no more than four people should be able to infiltrate the summit and take out the guards there while the others are distracted by the assault. Blow the tower and get out of there.”
“And our escape?” Rora asked anxiously.
“The destruction of the tower should provide enough of a distraction for you to rappel back down the mountainside.” Bill replied.
“If we do this, you give us him?” Derek asked gesturing at the prisoner.
“You don’t need to blow it up!” The man suddenly interrupted. “Take me up with you and I can reprogram the tower to disable the drones.”
“Be quiet!” One of the guards snapped and kicked the man to his knees.
“Is that possible?” Derek asked out loud.
Everyone assumed he was talking to her, but Rora knew he was asking the Voice. She waited and didn’t say anything. Derek gave a quick nod of his head and she was pretty sure she knew what the Voice had said. But Dr. Baikul responded before Rora could.
“Not a chance.” She snapped. “You stay here with us. Who knows what kind of damage you could do out there. Make sure he is secure so we can send him with our friends here when they get back.”
“You blow up the tower.” Bill insisted to Derek. “Without the tower they should go back to being disorganized and we can pick them off one by one.”
“How do we get to the tower?” Rora inquired.
“Nate here will guide you to Table Rock and lead your ascent.” Bill told her, waving to a young man who materialized from the shadows.
He was short and slender, which made the huge rifle slung over his back seem even larger. He was young also; Rora placed his age around sixteen. The kid wore clothes of varying shades of brown and dark gray. Shredded rags were sewn on various places to his clothes and he wore a face mask that covered everything but his eyes, which were a piercing blue. He moved silently and didn’t make a sound, even when called forth.
The kid moved over to stand next to the man in the blue parka, whom they know knew as Bill. Derek was impressed. Even though the kid was young, he moved with incredible grace and skill. His outfit was designed to make him blend in in the bleak urban and suburban environment around Boise; the rags sewn to his clothes breaking up his outline and making him harder to spot. His weapon was a surprise; the Barrett Light Fifty was a huge rifle especially for someone who stood around five foot eight inches tall. But the fifty caliber round the gun fired had a lot of stopping power.
The kid might be young, but people grew up fast in the World After. If he was as capable as he looked, the kid was probably very dangerous. And if he knew how to use the gun, he would be a good asset. Derek could already see the kid was a killer by the look in his eyes.
“What about the charges?” Derek asked.
Bill waved to another man who brought over a gray backpack that he handed to the leader. “Here you go. Four shaped charges made with C-4 and remote detonators. One on each leg of the tower should bring it down. Really two would do the trick, but why take chances?”
Derek took the backpack and examined the contents before nodding. “Okay, this should take care of it. Let’s go get this done.”
Chapter 21
September 7, 2029
Downtown Boise, Idaho
The city was completely still and quiet when they finally came aboveground. Bill had led Rora, Derek, and Nate through a winding series of steam tunnels and basements. It looked like the militia had dug tunnels between buildings and used existing tunnels and sewers to create a warren under the city. Chokepoints guarded by militiamen and women occurred every four hundred feet or so. Bill skillfully led them past booby traps and dead falls that would slow or kill any Collective invaders. Rora also noticed multiple exits that looked like they were concealed on the other side. The militia had turned this portion of the city into a meat grinder designed to delay and destroy the Collective while they waited for a miracle.
She noticed that all the defenders looked exhausted and hungry, but they all still had a look of determined defiance in their eyes. They were not going to give up the city without a fight. Hope was the strongest of human motivations and the Boise Free State militia looked like they still had plenty left. Many of them gave the two fingered victory sign as Rora and Derek passed by. They knew what was at stake and they believed that Derek and Rora could save them. After all, hadn’t they slain the dragon Doors in his own lair?
It was a new feeling for her, to be considered someone’s savior. She would have to get used to it, if she was to succeed in her father’s plan. The ARK was the best hope for all of humanity to return the world to the way it once was. Although based on what she had read and the depths to which humanity had sunk, Rora wasn’t sure it should be returned to the way it was. Maybe people deserved what they had gotten?
She shook that off as they emerged into the darkness of pre-dawn; she needed to focus on the task at hand. The small group exited through one of the concealed entrances. Rora watched in fascination as it closed behind them and disappeared. The exit now looked like just another pile of rubble in a city strewn with rubble. They stood in the shell of what had once been a public library. Moldering remnants of books lay piled amongst the shattered remains of the shelving. The front entrance, which had once been glass, sat wide open allowing the cold wind to gust in.
A light snow was falling outside and some was drifting in through holes in the roof. Clouds obscured the moon and there were no lights on in the city. The darkness was almost oppressive and Rora could barely see the others. There were no sounds and nothing moved, even the animals seemed to have abandoned the besieged city. Bill waved them in close to give them final instructions.
“Nate will lead you from here. He knows the city better than anyone. Do exactly as he says until you get onto the summit. We will start the assault at dawn. I know the Humeks can see in the dark, but the drones have the same physical limitations as you or I.” Bill whispered. “One thing though. They will keep fighting until their body gives out. Aim for the kill shot from the beginning. Head or heart. Most of them wear body armor so you should probably aim for the head. Are you ready?”
Rora doubted that the drones were anything like her or Derek, but she kept that to herself and nodded along with the Derek and Nate. She hadn’t had any experience with the drones other than the brief encounter at the solar facility. They were rumored to be the perfect soldiers. The chip suppressed any pain or fear, allowing them to fight even if they were missing a limb. They would literally fight until their heart stopped beating or their brain quit sending messages to the body. They also had no remorse or guilt and followed directions to the letter with
out hesitation. She wasn’t sure mindless killers made the best soldiers, but they were effective.
Her father hadn’t said much about the creation of the drone technology by Dr. Reinhardt, but he had been against it. Her father had very much believed in free will and the right of man to determine his own destiny. He had been an idealist and that had enabled the Collective to take advantage of him. Unlike Dr. Reinhardt who had been a fanatical follower of Doors from the beginning, her father had never been a convert. He had always tried to do the right thing.
She had thought that deleting Doors would end the threat from the Collective, but obviously someone else had taken control. It wouldn’t surprise her if it was Reinhardt. From what Rora had overheard, he was a megalomaniac who wanted to control what everyone did and thought. He believed he and the Collective knew what was best for everyone else and that people couldn’t be trusted to run their own lives. It was imperative they find a way to end the threat of from the Collective. No one would truly be free until they were gone.
“Good luck.” Bill whispered as Nate led them off into the darkness.
Derek and Rora followed close behind. The city was in complete ruins and there were no road signs or landmarks that could be used to navigate. If they lost him, they would be on their own in a hostile city full of Collective troops who would love to get revenge on them. Fortunately he moved slowly enough that Rora could keep up. Derek was trained in black ops and was naturally stealthy for someone of his size, so he had no trouble keeping to the shadows and moving silently. She just tried to imitate what both of them were doing.
Nate led them on a winding path that seemed to double back at several points. A few times he paused and indicated they hide. There were plenty of hiding places amongst the scorched ruins. Rora hid and held her breath as Collective patrols moved by. They were always four drones led by a Humek. All five wore dark gray BDUs with body armor over top and they carried the oddly shaped pulse rifles unique to the Collective. She wondered why none of the militia had any. Surely they had captured some at one point or another?