No Master Plan Here (Madness Runs in the Family)

by Joel Burdick

  “I think you're ours.”

  “You lot have rated me a Class three for years,” Anansi said, looking at a man mixing chemicals. “Why the change?”

  “It stems from our forum, really. We use it for classification discussion and keeping in touch with contributors that don't work here in the Collective. One of our best contributors has been someone under the alias KT3.141592653.”

  Anansi's hand clenched over Denise's. His eyes lost focus as he retreated to his neural link, talking to Kay. Denise stepped forward, drawing attention from Anansi. “What is so special about Kay?”

  Richard seemed to notice Denise for the first time. He coughed and smoothed his coat. “Well, simply put, Kay is the most advanced artificial intelligence we know of, and we are pretty sure we know of all of them. She has personality, thought, will, and analytical power comparable to advanced supercomputers.

  “A lot of Makers have their own AIs as helpers, even The Suit has one named Rorschach, who is the next most advanced that we know of. We pitted the two of them against each other in a series of analytical challenges over the course of several months, when they had time away from their other duties.”

  Richard paused for effect. Denise rolled her eyes and gestured for him to continue.

  “Kay ran circles around Rorschach. Combined with the fact that Rorschach is more of an analytical engine without a personality, it makes Kay really unique. I'd go so far as to say she was a person.”

  “And that's why you think I'm a five?” Anansi said, his eyes gaining focus again. His grip loosened on Denise's. Richard nodded. Anansi shrugged, sticking his free hand into his coat pocket. “Okay. Did you get the file I sent over?”

  “The robot body, right?” Anansi nodded, drawing a look from Denise. “Yes, we did, and we're glad to help you make it, though we were wondering why you were coming to us for it. Your labs are probably better equipped to handle the delicate work.”

  “I haven't gotten everything back in order since coming back to the States, so I don't have any labs up and running right now, which leaves here with any chance of making this project work.” Richard nodded, gesturing to the corner across from the exoskeleton projects.

  “We cleared a section for you to work and got you the parts you asked for. Anything else you need, let us know. Ms. Redpath said our resources are yours, as if we would have refused you anyways.”

  “Thanks, I'll let you know.” Richard left, presumably to resume working on his own project. Denise walked beside Anansi as he moved to the tables indicated by Richard.

  “Robot body?” she said, squeezing his hand to ensure his attention.

  “Yeah. I figured that we could even the odds in the fight by having three on our side instead of just two.”

  “So you're building a body for Kay to use to back us up?”

  Anansi nodded, stripping out of his sweatshirt and tossing it onto the table. He looked down at the blueprints on the table, sifting through the papers and, deeming them all present, started gathering tools he would need. Denise stood back, out of the way.

  “Do you need me for this?” Anansi glanced up as he dug about in a tool box. He shrugged as he took an armful of tools and dumped them onto the worktable. Denise sighed and rubbed her temples. “Let me rephrase. Would you like my help, or would I just get in the way?”

  Anansi looked from the worktable to Denise, face scrunched up as he thought. “I don't really need you for this. According to Kay, they've got most of the structural things already fabricated for me, so this should only take the rest of the day, barring things not working.” He looked back at the worktable.

  “I'm free today, so I can keep Denise occupied while you have your hands full with your mad science, leetle brother,” Rose said. She had walked up as they talked, and her voice made Denise jump. Rose had changed into less formal clothing since she had left them at the entrance to the Maker's Collective, choosing a tight pair of jeans and a shirt with a blue police box on it. She had let loose her hair, giving her a vastly less severe appearance. Anansi nodded to Rose.

  “If you could,” he said as a dismissal, immediately turning back to focus on his work. Rose took Denise by the arm and led her away from Anansi and out of the Maker's Collective area through a different exit than the one they had taken.

  “Is there something I should know?” Denise said in the hallway, looking back as the door shut behind her. Anansi was often closed off when he was working on a project, but he had never completely shut out her offers of help before.

  “Don't mind him,” Rose said once they had entered the elevator. “He's always like this when he's got someone to kill.”

  “You say that like you've seen this before,” Denise replied, leaning against the glass opposite Rose. Despite the air conditioning, being in the enclosed space was uncomfortably warm and it all seemed to be radiating from Rose.

  Rose's expression darkened and she looked out over the cityscape as they descended lower into the building. “Has Jake ever mentioned our father?”

  “Nothing but that he is dead.”

  Rose nodded, seeming to expect the response. “Our father was a piece of work. I'm sure you heard of the Bruiser type called Demon from the early days of supers.” Denise nodded, remembering the file on the man. Charles Wainwright, better known as Demon for the form he took when he fought, had been a licensed vigilante a decade or so ago with a penchant for causing a large amount of collateral damage and injuries to civilians and targets alike. He had eventually been forcibly retired, given a pension to ensure he remained so, and had been mysteriously killed two years later. Details on his family had not been listed in his file.

  “Demon was our father, and once he was retired, he turned his aggression on the Family. Jake and I killed him to protect our siblings and mother.” The declaration was made without a hint of regret or fear and rang true to Denise.

  “You helped?” As an answer, Rose held out her palm. A flame burst into being over her palm, hovering there until Rose closed her fist and snuffed it.

  “There's a reason I'm telling you this, Denise,” Rose said, her voice growing cold. The temperature in the elevator rose several degrees. “It tells you the lengths that individuals in the Family will go to when protecting each other. If you betray Jake again, they will never. Ever. Find your body.” Rose smiled, an expression devoid of mirth and bearing more than a hint of danger. Denise swallowed hard and nodded.

  The elevator dinged as it reached the ground floor. Rose's expression immediately changed to amiable. “Good! Are you hungry? I know a good Indian place near here.”

  Chapter 22

  [You've quite the audience right now.]

  Anansi glanced over his shoulder to see half a dozen of the Collective Makers gathered around as he worked. Kay had started tagging individuals she recognized with either forum aliases or names if she knew them. He shrugged and returned his gaze to the partially assembled metal skeleton he was working on.

  “So I do,” he said in a dismissing tone. He was trying to focus and while Kay was helping him get all the wiring in the legs right, she was also distracting him with chatter. He got a feeling of nervousness across the neural link. He set down his pliers and closed his eyes, slipping into the mindscape he shared with Kay.

  [What's the matter?] he said, an avatar forming, appearing as him in his costume, except the helmet had digital facial expressions. Kay formed an avatar as well, her blue green body lacking the usual detail she put into it.

  [I'm nervous about this.] An image of the robotic body appeared between the avatars, hovering on the darkness. Anansi frowned down at it.

  [Why?]

  [A myriad of things could go wrong. What if having a body alters my personality? What if I like it and the body is destroyed? What if we mess up and this kills me?] Kay began pulling on her hair and biting her lip. She looked up at Anansi, seeking encouragement.

  [It'll be fine. You will still be you, if you get broken, I'll fix you, and unlike me,
you have a data backup. Shouldn't you be more worried about me getting broken or killed?] Anansi's expression changed to indicate sticking his tongue out at Kay. Kay returned the expression.

  [You have a knack for getting out of situations mostly unscathed. It is uncanny. You will be fine.]

  [Think we should go with theme music when we fight? Back in Black or something?] Anansi's expression changed to a large smile. Kay rolled her eyes.

  [Not only has it been done, it has been done to death.]

  [I guess you're right.]

  [Additionally, playing music during combat is silly.]

  [But fun.] Anansi waved his hand and the image changed to that of three miniature images of Anansi fighting the three members of SHIP while headbanging to hard rock. Kay laughed and made the three SHIP agents fall over.

  [You're right. How could they stand against us when we have the power of rock on our side?]

  [Now I know you're being sarcastic. You always say my ideas for flair are dumb.]

  [To be fair, last time you wanted to enter the room with smoke and a light show. If I didn't know any better, I would say you had been watching professional wrestling again.] Anansi held his hand over his heart.

  [You wound me! I look horrible in spandex.]

  Kay snickered and shook her head. [I am certain Denise would disagree.] Anansi flushed and dug his virtual foot into the ground.

  [I don't want to let her go again,] he admitted, his fear bubbling to the surface at the mention of Denise.

  [So tell her how you feel.] Kay crossed her arms. [You will feel more confident in your dealings with her if you were willing to actually discuss things.]

  [I'll try,] Anansi conceded. He brought back up the image of the skeleton. [Back to work?] Kay nodded, and Anansi slipped out of the mindscape. The conversation had taken all of two seconds, and his pause had gone unnoticed by the Makers behind him.

  “I had an idea we could work on after this, if you want,” Anansi said as he resumed welding artificial muscle to metal bone. Kay sent an inquisitive across the link. “Maybe, if you like having a body, we could work on skin or something, make you look human.”

  [Will I have to start calling you “dad?” Ooh! Would I call Denise “mom?”]

  Anansi snickered and moved to the next weld. “Let's spring that on her. I'm sure she'll find it as funny as we do...eventually.”

  -~-~-

  June 21, 2017

  [Beginning start up diagnostics programs.]

  [Nervous system: Green.]

  [Musculature systems: Green.]

  [Audio systems: Green. Connecting.]

  [Visual systems: Green. Connecting.]

  “-ou there?” came Anansi's voice, filtering in through static. Light flashed back and forth across her visual receptors. Kay wiggled her fingers and tried to sit up, but felt resistance. She flexed her fingers, hands, and feet and found them responsive. The light resolved into Anansi's face as he stared down at her, worry written on his face.

  “Kay?” Anansi said again, the beginnings of panic causing his voice to crack.

  “I am here. I can't seem to sit up,” she said. Her voice sounded like it was coming through a tunnel, and she started adjusting the settings until it sounded right. Anansi nodded and began undoing straps that held her body to the worktable. Kay sat up, rotating her shoulders and neck to test the joints. She turned her head to Anansi.

  “How does it feel?” he said, wringing his hands nervously. Kay swung her legs off the edge of the table.

  “It feels different. Confined. Is there a mirror? I want to see it.” One of the Makers from the Collective wheeled over a full length mirror which Kay noticed showed signs of having been used to reflect lasers. Kay stood and approached the mirror, her first steps unsteady but growing in confidence as she learned the feel of her new body. It moved fluidly, the artificial muscle weave that was based off of what Anansi used in his armor to amplify his strength pulled the lightweight metal bones smoothly, the joints all practically frictionless.

  The form in the mirror was androgynous, muscle mesh slung over a vaguely human skeleton and giving her a humanoid form. The head had two eyes and a mouth that lacked teeth or lips, but no ears or nose. Kay turned back and forth, inspecting herself in the mirror, ignoring both Anansi hovering over her shoulder trying to gauge her expression and the looks of the Makers trying to remain unobtrusive but within visual distance of the work area Anansi had taken over.

  “So?” Anansi said. Kay threw back her head and laughed, the sound maniacal, and inserted into the laugh the sound of thunder.

  “Now I have physical form with which to rule this world of fleshy meatbags! Tremble before me, mortals!” Kay exclaimed, causing the Makers around her to flinch back and exchange worried glances. Anansi chuckled and patted Kay on the back. The Makers relaxed slightly when they realized it was humor, though several had drawn devices that emitted various types of electromagnetic radiation. Kay ignored them.

  “I'm glad you like it,” he said, shaking his head. Kay bounced on her toes, getting an inch on her first jump, four on her second, and a foot on the third. She landed and sprung into a series of punches from boxing, flowing fluidly into Tae Kwon Do style kicks and punches, then finally Capoeira spinning kicks. She hopped back to her feet, bouncing like she had seen fighters do when they were excited for a fight.

  “Response time is fantastic. Flexibility and muscle strength are excellent. I think this body rates at least a Class one on Agility, Strength, and Speed. With armor, I think we could get it to a high two.” Kay stopped bouncing and spun to face Anansi. She accessed the neural link, bringing up video feed from Anansi's glasses and from the Sanctuary. “Neural link operational. Lag increased within acceptable parameters for access to Sanctuary.”

  Kay felt relief flooding across the neural link from Anansi and restricted the flow of information to shut out his emotions, though she was just as relieved as he was. The body was several inches shorter than Anansi, but the composition made her slightly heavier, even with the special alloys that only Makers seemed to be able to make. It had no built in weapons, but Anansi had left several compartments where some might be installed in the future.

  In short, it was fantastic.

  Chapter 23

  It was raining when they returned to the rooftop helipad at Blue Steel, Inc. Anansi, Kay, and Denise wore ponchos as they hurried out to the Cicada, Rose staying behind in the elevator to see them off. Anansi flopped down into one of the seats in the passenger cabin.

  “Kay, can you handle takeoff, please?” Anansi said, kicking his legs out and leaning back in his chair.

  “Can do, but if you two start making out, I'm going to start doing barrel rolls,” Kay said as she went into the cockpit to fly the plane. Denise sat down on the arm of Anansi's chair. Anansi looked up at her and smiled.

  “Hey, sexy lady, come here often?” Anansi patted Denise's leg. Denise lightly punched Anansi's shoulder.

  “You're incorrigible,” she responded, a hint of a smile on her lips. Anansi chuckled and hit the button on the seat, reclining it suddenly and causing Denise to slip off the arm and fall onto him.

  “I'm pretty sure that's half my charm,” he responded.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot speaking,” came Kay's voice across the cabin speakers. “We regret to inform you that this is a no sexy-time flight. Air traffic control has shown indications of Air Force One taking off and flying to California today. An intercept course has been plotted and will have us initiating attack in twenty minutes.”

  “Twenty minutes, hm?” Anansi said, wrapping an arm around Denise's waist and pulling her close. “Want to see how much trouble we can get in before then?” Denise rolled her eyes and pushed up from Anansi's chest.

  “Daaaad! Stop making kissy faces!” Kay called from the cabin, sounding more like a teenage girl than usual. Anansi stuck his tongue out towards the cabin, sending teasing thoughts at Kay over the neural link. Kay responded in kind.r />
  “Dad?” Denise asked, getting off Anansi and standing up. Anansi shrugged and sat his chair up. Twenty minutes would really be just enough time to get them all suited up and prepared, so it wasn't like he actually had time for anything else, no matter how interesting “else” might be.

  “Kay has decided that I am her “father,” now that she has a body. I suppose you could call her my brain child, if you wanted, as she was created by me, and she has decided to ACT LIKE A CHILD!” Kay laughed from the cockpit. Anansi shrugged and hopped up from the seat. “Come on, let's get you dressed for the occasion. We have a president to attack.” Anansi led the way to the door in the back of the passenger cabin and opened it. Inside the bedroom were three large cases. Anansi knelt beside the first, unlatching the locks on it and popping it open. Inside, arranged neatly, was a suit of Anansi's armor, complete with helmet.

  “The armor requires minimal clothing beneath it, so you will have to lose the sweatpants, but there's-” Anansi started, turning to face Denise, who had already taken off the pants and wore a pair of spandex shorts beneath them. “Yeah, that will do.” He turned back to the case and passed back a pair of pants, then a belt, and boots. As Denise started putting them on, Anansi grabbed the second case, standing and sliding past Denise into the passenger cabin.

  “I'll get dressed out here. The top is after that, then the coat,” he said. Denise glared at him.

  “I think I can figure out how to get dressed,” she said, shutting the door. Anansi blinked, shrugged, and stripped down to a tank top and boxers. He popped open his case, revealing another suit of armor, and began pulling it on. The smooth feeling of muscle mesh against his legs was a welcome change to walking around without it. He slipped on his belt and boots and was pulling on the muscle mesh shirt when the door to the bedroom opened and Denise stuck her head out.

  “Okay, I'm a little stumped.” She stepped out, wearing the shirt, pants, and boots. Anansi tried not to pay too much attention to how the skintight shirt clung to her form. “I know you have armor in this. I've seen you take bullets in the past.” She turned left and right. “It just doesn't feel like there's any armor in this.”