by Isaac Hooke
“The outgoing highways will be clogged, certainly,” Shaw said. “The incoming, not so much.”
“It’ll be full of daughters like yourself trying to rush home to their parents,” Rade said.
“Well then, I’ll be in good company,” Shaw told him.
Tahoe had said something, but Rade missed it because he was listening to Shaw.
He pointed at the wound and told Shaw: “Concentrate.” Then he switched to Tahoe: “What was that, Tahoe?”
“I said we’re holed up on Mission Street,” Tahoe replied as more shouts erupted in the background. “When do you expect to arrive?”
“Change of plans,” Rade said. “Shaw and I are heading toward Marseille first. We’re going to fetch her parents.”
“Have you actually seen Marseille on the news?” Tahoe asked.
“Yes,” Rade said. “We’re going anyway.”
“All right,” Tahoe said. “Take care of yourself out there.”
“You too,” Rade said. “I’ll keep you updated on our status. And if I learn anything new about the invaders, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Thank you, Tahoe out,” his friend replied.
The connection closed.
“There, all done,” Shaw said. She put the needle and thread away and cleaned the area once more.
“Have you even tried contacting your parents yet?” Rade asked.
“I just did,” Shaw replied. “They sent me a text. They’ve been holed up in their room at the International Hotel since the fighting began. They don’t want us coming down.”
“There, see?” Rade said. “Finally someone has talked some reason into you.”
“I told them we were coming anyway,” Shaw said.
Rade threw up his arms.
“Hold still,” Shaw said, and then applied a large bandaid to the sutured wound. “I did promise them that we’d leave the twins outside the city somewhere.”
“Oh you did, did you?” Rade said. “Well we can’t leave them here. This location has been compromised.”
“I know that,” Shaw said. “But we’ll find somewhere along the way, outside Marseille. An abandoned farm or something. And we’ll leave them with a bunch of robots to watch over them.”
“That’s your plan?” Rade asked.
“Rade, listen to me,” Shaw said. “Besides you and the kids, and the men, my parents are all I have in this galaxy. We have to go back for them. If I left them, and something happened, I’d never forgive myself. Or you for denying me.”
Rade opened his mouth to contest her but quickly shut it. She was right and he knew it. He had done similar things in the past to save his men, who were essentially family to him. Though Shaw’s parents didn’t like him all that much, and the feeling was mutual, he wasn’t about to abandon them to whatever fate awaited should the city fall.
“We’ll get your parents out,” he said gruffly.
She threw herself at him and gave him a tight hug, pressing her cheek into his chest. “Thank you. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”
“We haven’t rescued them yet,” Rade said. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” He gently extricated himself from her grasp.
“The outbuildings are clear of tangos,” Algorithm transmitted a moment later. “And we’ve finished our sweep of the vineyard proper. There are no other enemies lurking on the estate.”
“All right, get back to the chateau,” Rade said. “We’re leaving ASAP.”
Rade went outside to the vehicles and checked off the different supplies the robots had loaded into each. Everything seemed in order.
He grabbed an X72 knife from the stash and pulled it from its sheath. The blade contained a laser edging that would activate for a microsecond upon impact. That could prove useful in a pinch. He secured the sheath to his utility belt.
Algorithm and the other Centurions arrived from the outbuildings.
“I want you to fit as many of the combat robots as you can into the SUV,” Rade told Algorithm.
“Yes, boss,” Algorithm said.
“Ernie, grab a couple of the self-charging drones from the Quonset and launch them as scouts,” Rade said.
“Yes, boss,” Ernie echoed.
“Shaw, get to the jeep and come break the law,” Rade sent. “We’re leaving.” By telling her to break the law, he was referring to the fact that both the jeep and the SUV were older vehicles, predating the Franco-Italian law that required all vehicles to operate in autonomous mode. That’s right, the vehicles had manual mode as an option, which was illegal in France, as in much of the world: machines were considered better drivers.
However in Rade’s view, during a time of invasion, when vehicles might need to potentially steer off road to escape enemy pursuers, autonomous mode wouldn’t cut it.
Instinctively he sat down in the passenger seat. As a mission leader in the military, he was accustomed to running the operation from the passenger seat while someone else drove—either a human being behind the wheel, or the vehicular AI. In this case, the driver would be Shaw. The role was a natural extension of her astrogator position aboard the starship.
Shaw arrived and took her place in the driver seat. Rade assigned Cora and Dora to sit with the twins in the back seat. The remaining Centurions had piled into the SUV. Only six of the combat robots fit in the SUV, as the back area was filled with supplies, including mini sleeping bags for the toddlers. That meant most of the farming units had to stay behind, including the Artificial caretaker, George Stanley.
“Are you going to be all right?” Rade asked George.
“We all have rifles,” George replied. “And we’ve downloaded the combat programs we need to use them.”
“It’s probably best if you avoid any future conflicts with the invaders,” Rade said.
George nodded. “We’ll hide out past the estate’s tree line, and keep an eye out for enemy search parties. We’ll attack only if they discover us.”
Rade shook the Artificial’s hand. “Good luck to you.”
“And you as well, Master Galaal,” George said.
“Formaldehyde, are you done your investigation yet?” Rade sent over the comm.
“Just a moment, boss,” the Centurion replied.
“Wrap it up,” Rade said. “We’re leaving.”
“Two seconds,” the Centurion said.
“Now!” Rade said.
Formaldehyde came running in from the side of the chateau, its metal hands covered in blood.
“Wash those off!” Shaw shouted. “You’re not getting my parents’ SUV dirty!”
The Centurion turned back toward the chateau.
Rade clenched his teeth at the delay.
Two autonomous farming drones had already launched, courtesy of Ernie, and were spread out a kilometer in front and behind the jeep. Rade cycled between the feeds, searching the skies for signs of any incoming enemy units. Everything was clear out there. For the time being.
Formaldehyde returned and squeezed into the SUV with the other Centurions.
In the jeep, Shaw engaged manual mode and drove onto the dirt road that led off the estate. The SUV followed. The overhead drones shadowed their movements, maintaining their one kilometer distance ahead and behind.
Via those drones, Rade continued scanning the skies as the vehicles turned onto the country road.
And so begins our journey.
He glanced back at the children.
He just hoped it wasn’t a mistake to bring them along. But what choice did he have? He couldn’t leave them at the compromised estate.
I’ll keep you safe, no matter the cost to myself.
seven
So Formaldehyde, what did you learn?” Rade asked over the adhoc network formed by his Implant and the comm nodes of the robots in the neighboring vehicle. He linked Shaw to the line so she could listen in.
“Would you like me to start with the robot?” Formaldehyde said. “Or your clone?”
“The Centurion is fine,”
Rade said.
“When that beam struck, nano-machines were injected into the robot’s body,” Formaldehyde explained. “The machines quickly spread, converting existing metal into more of their like, until they reached the AI core, at which point the nano-machines began to replace the neural network components, effectively converting the machine over to the side of the enemy.”
“So essentially you’re saying those weapons fire a particle beam of some kind?” Rade said. “With nano-machines acting as the particles?”
“That would be one way to describe it, yes,” Formaldehyde said.
“What would happen if the beam hit a human?” Rade asked.
“I’m not entirely certain,” Formaldehyde said. “I believe a similar conversion process would take place. The nano-machines would burrow through the skin and into the bloodstream, perhaps embedding within the brain, which they would probably begin replacing. At least if the behavior is anywhere similar to what occurred in the AI core of the farming unit.”
“That meshes exactly with what the Mahasattva used to do to humans,” Rade said, mostly to himself.
“The race involved in the Second Alien War?” Formaldehyde asked.
“That’s right,” Rade said. “Okay then, so what about the clone? What did you learn?”
“It is an Artificial of sorts,” the Centurion said.
“An Artificial?” Rade said.
“Well, perhaps that is not the best word,” Formaldehyde explained. “Unlike a true Artificial, its outer layer of tissue was alive. The skin, the heart, lungs, and other organs, they were all living. At least until we terminated the unit. But the skull and skeletal systems were made of metal, with joints operated by electroactuators. That explains why we saw tires hurtled so easily through the doors of the cellar—such joints give the clones enormous strength. Given the living organs I found in the rest of the body, I expected to find organic tissue in the brain and spinal cord regions, but its ganglia were made of nano-machines.”
“Nano-machines?” Rade said.
“Yes,” the Centurion replied. “So a better description of the clone would perhaps be cyborg, rather than Artificial.”
“What’s the power source for the nano-machines and electroactuators you mentioned?” Rade asked.
“I’m uncertain at the moment,” Formaldehyde said. “It’s possible there are battery cells embedded somewhere in the skeletal structure. I didn’t have time to dig any deeper. As for the energy source of the living portion of the body, I suspect the cyborg had to eat like any other human being, and respire oxygen. If the organic portion of the body died, the robot portion would continue to function, at least for a short while, as you witnessed during the battle. But if the machine portion was destroyed, the organic died with it. This was why strikes in the chest had no stopping power, whereas impacts to the eye region brought the clones down immediately.”
“So wait a second, let’s back up a bit,” Rade said. “Given what you know about these clones, and the nature of the particle beam weapons they wield, is it possible a human hit by those beams would transform into one of my clones?”
“I don’t believe so,” Formaldehyde said. “But as I mentioned, I’m not entirely certain what would happen. But if these invaders are indeed the Mahasattva, as per your earlier comment, then the minds of any stricken humans would certainly join the enemy and turn against us, but their bodies would likely maintain their original physical characteristics, at least until further along the conversion process.”
Rade remained silent, contemplating what the Centurion told him.
“The dissection results confirm the invaders are the Mahasattva, don’t they?” Shaw asked.
“It certainly seems that way,” Rade said. “Though there are differences. The Mahasattva liked to completely convert the bodies of infected humans into machines, for example. And their weapons capabilities have advanced a bit since last I encountered them. They never had the ability to convert remotely like that—with a rifle—before. They used to have to directly inject the nano-machines into the human brain.”
Shaw smiled sadly. “The United Systems nuked their homeworld.”
“Yes,” Rade said. “And it looks like they’ve come back to enact a little revenge. Though I take it as a personal insult that they’ve based their clone army off of my DNA.”
“I don’t blame you,” Shaw said. “Your face is going to go down in infamy as the man who conquered Earth.”
Her words only angered Rade all the more, and he simmered quietly in his seat. When he finally got control of his emotions, Rade tapped in Tahoe and informed him of Formaldehyde’s findings.
“That jives with what we’ve learned,” Tahoe said. An explosion sounded in the background, followed by shouts. “Head shots are the best for taking them down. Specifically, in the eyes. Also, a few of the tangos had their skin burned away, and they were still able to fight via their robotic skeletons underneath.”
Rade disconnected, and then concentrated on scanning the roadway ahead, via the drones. The rural roads were surprisingly empty. The inhabitants had no doubt barricaded themselves indoors.
“What’s the latest on your parents?” Rade asked Shaw.
“They’re still waiting for us at the International,” Shaw replied. “The fighting seems to have intensified. More and more of the city’s robots are turning on the military and police. Also, there are quite a few inhabitants joining the fray, on the side of the invaders. They’ve obviously been turned.”
“You might want to pick up the pace,” Rade said. “At this speed we’re still an hour and a half out.”
Shaw accelerated. The country road was tight, bordered on both sides by trees or crops that made it difficult to see past abrupt turns. Rade had Ernie use the drones to alleviate that.
Shortly into the drive, Ernie spotted three incoming aircraft via the drones, and Shaw immediately drove the jeep into a ditch, halting underneath the branches of a plane tree, and the SUV followed. Rade ordered Ernie to have the drones drop out of view.
Rade and the others aimed their rifles skyward between the branches. Rade knew that the coverage was essentially useless; the invaders were at least Tech Level IV, if not higher, and they would have the equivalent of LIDAR, whose multiple photons could easily bounce and reflect from nearby surfaces, illuminating the vehicles and those inside them. If any of the craft passed directly overhead, his team would almost certainly be discovered. But if they flew by some distance to the east or west, then the group had a chance.
He switched to the viewpoint of the forward drone a kilometer ahead, and scanned the skies. The drone had descended to hover close to the ground, and it took a moment for the lead craft to come into view.
His hopes were dashed; watching it swerve left and right, he realized the craft was following the road. The tentacles were extended behind it, pointed downward as if searching the road for signs of traffic. There were two other, similar aircraft in the distance, roving over different farmers’ fields on the east and west.
“We’re not going to elude them,” Rade said. “Ernie, use the drone as a diversion. Send it east.”
Ernie ordered the lead drone to rise and fly away at its top speed to the east.
The lead craft instantly pursued. The other two—the one to the west, the other the east—also swerved to intercept.
The drone swerved away southeast, drawing all three of them away.
Rade watched from the viewpoint of the second drone, which remained behind, close to the ground. As soon as the last of alien craft passed from view, Rade gave the order to flee.
“Go go go!” he told Shaw.
She accelerated out of the ditch and onto the road. The SUV followed. Meanwhile the drone on drag lifted into the air until the receding craft were once more captured by its cameras. Then it kept close to the treetops, mirroring the movements of the vehicles.
Watching the drone’s feed, Rade saw a flash and realized the diversionary drone had been shot d
own.
“Step on it, Shaw...” Rade said.
The jeep passed the spot where the invaders had veered away from the road, and she continued onward, the SUV hot on her heels. Unfortunately the vehicles didn’t have the advanced noise canceling capabilities of the military, but seeing as they were electroactuated, the vehicles were still relatively silent, the only sound the soft wind produced by their passage, and the noise of the treads contacting the asphalt.
Meanwhile the alien pods swerved back toward their original courses. Rade kept a vigil on the drone feed as Shaw continued to put distance between them and the aircraft, and he watched as they returned to their original locations and continued the search from where they left off. The main pod was now a kilometer to the south, and seemed oblivious to their presence as it followed the rural road away once more.
The team encountered no further airborne units along the country track thereafter, nor any ground units. That made some sense, as the enemy wouldn’t have enough of those pods to cover rural areas all over the planet, or even in one country for that matter. It lent some credence to Tahoe’s theory that the enemy was specifically looking for him. Though why they sought Rade in particular, he didn’t know.
Perhaps it had something to do with his DNA, and his ability to utilize their weapons. He wondered if that meant he could interface with all of their machines, from the pods all the way up to the mothership. Though it seemed odd that an enemy equipped with advanced DNA manipulation tech wouldn’t simply change enough basepairs in their clones to prevent Rade’s biometric signature from activating their systems. Then again, killing him might simply be easier, especially if they hadn’t expected to find him on Earth during the invasion.
He tried contacting George Stanley, but received no answer. That was troubling. He decided not to say anything about it to Shaw. She’d learn soon enough on her own.
He suddenly had no regrets about bringing his kids along.
eight
They passed three other vehicles along the road, these heading into the country. The occupants looked at Rade and the others with wide eyes. Families. Rade managed to flag down the first vehicle, and warn them of the pods in the countryside. But the second and third vehicles floored the accelerator each time and sped past in fright.