by Ryan Burnett
"Is that what you are?" I immediately fired back.
"Aha not ruling out any impossibilities! Truly a novel mind. I do like you, but sadly I am not nor ever have I been psychic... Think of me as someone who can see the VRN network through an insider's perspective." His explanation came a little slower out of his glib tongue than usual. As if he had never thought to explain the nature of his capabilities before. He had pulled a pack of cigarettes as he had talked and was now in the process of lighting one and putting it to his lips.
"Insider's perspective? Do you mean you work in VRN R&D?" I asked my brow furrowed trying to sift through all of his G's words to get to the truth.
"So literal! You're going to have to be a bit more abstract I'm afraid." He responded while holding the cigarette in place between his lips.
I looked out into the void-like space around me as I thought. I felt a drop fall and hit my cheek. I looked up but the fog was so thick that the clouds were indistinguishable from the rest of my surroundings. A few more drops came down before the roar of thunder howled across the sky.
"Insider ...as if you're....from inside the VRN network?” I spoke slowly but clearly not wanting a single one of my words to get lost to the elements. Shange took a pull from his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke that melded into the surrounding fog seamlessly making a minute addition to this vast grey obstacle keeping me from reality. "You're artificial intelligence."
"You're so close! But yet still so far away. You're view, it's still too narrow. Do I appear to be just an AI? Oh by the way…you're not going to get your freedom with a logical paradox so please don't embarrass yourself trying." He took another drag from the cigarette and looked up as if he was getting some actual enjoyment from the virtual vice...but for all I know....maybe he was.
"Close works for me. So Shange, I take it you experience this world a little differently from me? Things aren't quite so 'virtual' here are they?" I said staring him in the eyes the thunder started to boom in rapid succession as if to herald my understanding of this person or thing that stood before me blowing smoke into the storm.
"That's a bit of an oversimplification but yes that is the gist. Does that give you any more bright ideas? Are you going to charge off into the mist again? It's been so fun watching how your mind works so far. I'm glad I chose to stop you this way. Rex probably would have simply killed you both. ...you're welcome by the way." He grinned, the cigarette impossibility lit despite the gale.
"Have you ever heard of Alexander the Great?" I asked, my expression unchanged by his antics.
He arched his eyebrow at me "Well yes. Brilliant man. Conqueror, king, hero. Rex is quite infatuated with him."
"Not only that but he was tutored by Aristotle and was on the throne of one of the world's largest empire by the age of thirty.” I turned away from him as I continued to talk.
"There's this story my father used to tell me about Alexander. How he won wars with more than just armies. He once claimed the right to rule an entire nation of people by solving a riddle. You see they had this knot so elaborately tied it was thought no one was clever enough to ever undo it." As I spoke I cleared my mind and started to visualize a weapon, not merely picture it but focus on the weight of it in my hands, the cool grip of the unyielding metal, the contained potential for harm mechanized and ready. Even as my mind worked, my mouth kept spinning this story that I knew by heart with ease.
"It was predicted by the oracles that the man to untie the knot would become the next king. Of course Alexander not to be outdone by any challenge asked to be taken to the knot. When he got there and took a look at the intricate loops and patterns that comprised the knot he drew his sword, cut the rope, and claimed his throne." As I finished talking I could fill the gun materialize in my hand. My palm contoured around the slick handle of the glock as my back concealed it from Shange's view. Thunder boomed out again, with a force that nearly knocked me off my feet. The ferocity of it seemingly at odds with the calm pitter patter of the rain.
"I guess what I am saying Shange, is that every problem has a solution....By the way my name is Marcus." I said as I turned back around both hands bringing my gun to a stable hold to fire a series of shot point blank into Shange's ample mass. For two breaths I stood with a smoking barrel in the storm and on the third I was back in the car with Rob.
"Stop fucking around and wake up! Hey remember the rule! No excuses! And that definitely means no playing dead! There is only the hunt. Now wake up and fucking hunt god damn it!" Rob was screaming at me while both hands vigorously clutched the wheel. The windows were open and the night rain had thoroughly invaded the inside of the cab leaving everything slick and wet. Rob’s eyes were still focused straight ahead through the moving maze of speeding steel, presumably still tracking the van with his hawk-like persistence. My face neck and shoulders were soaked with rain at some point he must have opened the passenger side window in a bid to get the elements to wake me. Upon realizing my surroundings I heaved out the window before gasping out "'I'm back..."
"Holy hell Marcus.... wait...back from where?' Rob visibly twitched at the sound of my voice but to his credit he had managed to keep the car from swerving. "Somehow they made me ...or they pulled me into the VRN and just ...I don't know...he kept me there." I took a deep breath to catch my bearings and came to the realization that we had angled ourselves into one of the deceleration off-ramps. Ahead of us I could see the black frame of the van. I slumped back in the seat once more but this time in absolute relief. We had made it.
"What.... How?" Rob responded. That response alone was why we worked together. No debate about the seeming impossibilities of what I was claiming. Just questions and answers.
"I'm not sure, he claimed to be an A.I. or something similar? I'm not really sure and I wouldn't be surprised if over half of everything he told me was bullshit but… he said he saw things from a different perspective even experienced them differently...I mean I know no one has made a true A.I. compatible with VRN technology yet but...I mean if he was just some goon trolling me it doesn't make sense how I got back here." I said while reflecting and wiping my mouth clean.
"...How did you get back?" He asked.
"Heh, easy. I shot him. “I replied
Rob shrugged at this as we drove on. "Makes sense."
"I got the idea from seeing him enjoy a cigarette. If he could enjoy a smoke through the VRN well...I took a gamble that that kind of sword cuts both ways....Oh by the way he seemed pretty clued in about your movements. He knows we're coming."
"Doesn't matter we're here....let’s just hope your imaginary bullets did some damage."
The van pulled around back to a private parking complex attached to a building whose silver letters proclaimed it to be "The Photographist Technology Center". The building wasn't large but was definitely modern. The structure had a sleek inviting feel, with large panels of glass to give the world a view of a sizable portion of the interior. The building had a way of piquing your curiosity on what it would be like to stand on the inside. I wondered how much of the organization was based on a similar appeal. A longing to be a part of a larger "progressive" whole....even if it meant the most intimate and thorough compromise of your own privacy and identity.
"So you think these crazies have Alex? It wouldn't be the first time a cult kidnapped and brainwashed someone." Rob asked.
I stared at the building from where we were idling close to a block away.
"They're not a cult...I mean they don't believe in a specific religion...but yeah. Uninvolved third parties don't send cleanup crews in unmarked vans to murder scenes and they certainly don't send large Hawaiians to shanghai the VRN connections of inquiring minds." I said.
"Hahaha, You didn't tell me the A.I. was Hawaiian... weird...Evil Hawaiian artificial construct...never saw it coming....Although I guess there's no reason why it shouldn't have" he replied
"Well he wasn't exactly evil. In fact it seemed like....he just wanted to be amused more than anyth
ing else. Although from the way he talked whoever or whatever else it is working with probably won't be so good natured so still be ready in case things get hairy...but you know Rob...l think you're focusing on the wrong details here. The point I was trying to make is that innocent men don't discourage good Samaritans." I said, finally starting to get my bearings back.
"Oh...so we're good Samaritans now?" Rob replied half-jokingly.
"Are you kidding Rob" I asked with a light tone. "That's all we've ever been".
Chapter 20
21:41:06
Cid
I was running towards Alex across a desert and he was running too. He was running away from me. Our feet moved in synchronization, for every step I took he took exactly one step in the other direction. He should be able to see me or hear me but it was as if I didn't even exist to him, as if the fact that I was chasing him didn't matter at all. I wanted to call out but every time I opened my mouth sand blew in and stole my voice. Damn him, why did he always have to run. He was running towards a set of stairs that rose from the desert floor and spiraled into the sky. There was no telling where it stopped, if it stopped, he was going to leave everything behind and lose himself up there. I climbed the staircase after him trying desperately to close the distance even by an inch. He was too young. Too fast. I could hear the Jack laughing at me from somewhere unseen. I wanted to catch my breath to figure out a way to reach him but I noticed the stairs I had already climbed were dissolving. The fragile steps blown away by the desert wind and becoming part of a gathering sand storm that was beginning to surround me. It was rising faster than I could climb and I began to slow with exhaustion. I had to struggle to see the steps in front of me and I could only barely make out Alex above, getting further and further away. I could no longer find him in the swirling sands and where the next step should be my feet found only air. I tried to cry out to Alex as I tumbled to the ground but the sand flooded in filling my throat strangling my voice with thousands of tiny grains.
Dry and bland, the sour taste filled my parched mouth making the act of breathing uncomfortable. My eyes had trouble focusing. I was in my room....what had happened? I shot straight up in my bed and immediately regretted the action as pain and nausea ricocheted around my skull at odd angles. "SOMEONE GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW!" I screamed at the top of my lungs the exertion immediately making the sickness descend deeper into my stomach and my neck start to ache. I collected my thoughts as I waited for my staff to come in. The Jack was dead. The realization settled over me with a chill but the goosebumps seemed to help me recover my composure. The Jack was dead and Alex was still out there somewhere. Several people in white lab coats entered and loitered near the door like guilty school children. Apprehension was on every face except for that of Dr. Edgar Frait who looked as if this was another dayshift at some free clinic. Even now he had the air of slight annoyance about him as if he was too important or busy to be summoned. For some odd reason that cheered me a little. I could not care less about whether he liked it or not, he would come when I beckoned.
I stared down the people in attendance one by one letting the uncomfortable silence build within the room before I finally asked, "What happened?"
My gaze at the time happened to settle on a lab assistant who I couldn't remember the name of. She had auburn hair, skin slightly paler than the norm, and small mousey features that some might consider attractive. She definitely wasn't hard on the eyes but she was no beauty either. Her breasts for one weren't big enough but they were perky at least. I knew she was perhaps one of the most junior of the people who had gathered but I wanted to see her squirm.
"Um ...Er... Well Mr. Sitavi...." She began
"If you want to maintain the privilege of working on my medical staff you will address me as sir" I interrupted.
I could see her skin turn slightly paler at this remark. Being an employee of my private installations came with certain perks (among them a salary high enough to make even fully accredited doctors envious) but that also meant that certain precautions were taken to insure confidentiality was maintained. There were rumors of staff members who had outlived their usefulness, didn't show up for work one day, and were never seen from again.
I knew that said employees were given a severance package along with a very intimidating meeting with a large batch of our security force. The purpose of the meeting was obtaining the signature of an extremely strict confidentiality agreement...Not to say on a rare occasion some people hadn't had to make a permanent disappearance but those people had never actually been on the books. The vast majority of the time only a little glimpse at the grim possibilities was necessary...In this day and age one cannot simply execute employees on a whim.....but I never did anything to discourage the rumors. That extra edge of fear gave me even more power over those who worked beneath me.
"...I'm Sorry Sir. There was an internal explosion in the alcove near hallway G-16......It seemed that it combined with the fatigue from ....from working so hard left you unconscious. You've been resting here for about an hour....Sir." At the end of her sentence was a small gulp that I found almost cartoonish.
"Not what happened to me, what is our status? Are we damaged? Has any of our information been compromised" I barked back barely a second after she had finished speaking.
"As far as I know there has been no permanent, structural damage or information theft sir....but...." she squeaked back at me. Her voice had taken a slightly higher than normal tone which I found annoying yet pleasing at the same time. It was good news. I almost allowed myself a smile but I couldn't. Not here where those gathered could see. My men must have been overzealous in disposing of the Jack. The thought gave me pause but I moved past it.
"Ok. Leave me now. You can give me the rest of the report in an hour." I remarked dismissively as the girl and the other technicians scampered all too readily out the door. Dr. Frait flashed me a smile as he left as if he found something extremely amusing. I ignored his theatrics knowing I would enjoy things all the more once I summoned him from whatever project he was working on for the follow-up meeting.
I pulled up a data screen on a spare wall with a mental command and moved my hand to navigate to messages sent to my VRN's address terminal. A short video box opened up, in the video the face and voice were obscured as per my instructions for all of my field operatives. It was my intelligence officer, in charge of coordinating the information between agents and relaying it to my head operative... Which reminded me that “head operative” was a position that would need a replacement in the near future.
"The target Ace has been spotted at the outskirts of the industrial sector. Coordinates are attached. If we move fast we may be able to apprehend him. It looks like he may be on the move in the near future. Awaiting orders." The Jack and his elite team of mercenaries had lost spectacularly in his last attempt at recovering Alex. If I elected to move now I would have to rely on the sheer numbers of my private security team, rather than keen expertise in order to accomplish my goals. The men at my disposal were well trained, The Jack had seen to that but with so many bodies in action mistakes could be made and one more mistake was the last thing I could afford.
Still things had already gone so far and Alex seemed dead set on making his existence a pain for me as long as he was out of my control. I leaned in my bed and pressed my thumb to the vanity by my side willing for it to verify my identity. I felt a slight warmth glow beneath my finger and a nanosecond later a satisfied "bing" ran out. My wordless signal to proceed was being scrambled back to the video’s sender who would relay it to available security personnel so that they could scramble to the target location. It was a well-oiled machine that I had put in place. I knew each soldier at the very least would know his role and the basic attack formations for the assault and retrieval. Long ago when the Jack was still building and training my security and operations corpse he had asked me what I expected from the men. I had told him I didn't need free thinking minds who could despoil a carefully concocted
plan with inane attempts to improvise. I needed soldiers. Extensions of my will who would march along like pieces on a chessboard to the exact square I specified. That is what I had demanded and that is what he had given me.
The machine though would eventually need maintenance. I activated the intercom and spoke aloud "Be ready to meet again in 10 minutes with a full report of anything I have missed.” In the meantime I brought up on the wall the dossiers of the most qualified agents I had left at my disposal. It only took about five minutes into my reviewing process to realize that all of them were trash outside of their field of specialization. I willed the wall to go back to its dark rose hue and thought. I would need to bring in someone new, perhaps see which mercenaries were available who actually had the right leadership qualities and potential. Even if such a man could be found loyalty would be a big issue. Money was a motivator for all men, but It was hard to trust a man who cannot see past dollar signs. This manhunt already was taking so much time and attention that I could ill afford to spare. I couldn't just stop overseeing a business of VirtuWorld’s scope to solely micromanage this project for much longer.
It wasn’t long before my staff returned and somehow they seemed even more apprehensive than before, with the notable exception of Dr. Frait. They stood there silently as if waiting for a school bell to ring.
"Well I don't have all day! Don't just stand there! Report!" I yelled at them when it became clear that no one truly wanted to speak.
Another suit who I could not recall the name of started, "Sir. Police reports indicate that the mass use of police drones has finally brought the situation at the University under control. Currently Hospitals and Police forces are working overtime to keep the student body sedated and to handle the processing of this incident. The area is under quarantine. The current theory being reported by the mainstream media is that this is the work of a biological weapon that affects the nervous system and then quickly dissipates. Strangely enough a radical group "One Planet" has claimed responsibility for the act. I think in certain circles this has leant them a little reputation. Sir. “He said.