Worldshift- Virtual Revolution

by Scott Straughan

  CHAPTER 40

  NEW MAN

  After studying his target for a few minutes, Ethan weighed his options. He needed to get in there, but the compound was heavily guarded. He didn’t think his stealth cloak would get him past all those drones. There were a lot of the flying surveillance bots zipping about the perimeter. It was almost impossible to know where they were all looking, and his stealth cloak was far from perfect.

  That meant he was probably going to have to fight his way in. Ethan considered the idea. It was somewhat risky, but he found himself almost eager to try it. These were the people who had tried to abduct him. They were his enemy now that he’d ascended, and there was no way around that. They would never let him live if they knew what he was capable of. He violated too many of the proscriptions, and it was a threat to the order they enforced on society, the order they benefited from. Also, Ethan had put a lot of effort into making his new arms and armor. He wanted to try them out. Sure, some of his opponents would be real people, but he could probably disable most of them without killing them. Ethan doubted they’d return the favor.

  Mind made up, Ethan decided on a method of attack. He chose something simple and straightforward, since he wasn’t sure of the government’s exact capabilities. It wasn’t something they advertised.

  Nervous and yet excited, Ethan took off his cloak and stashed it in his support drone. He was about to enter a serious fight, and he didn’t want it getting damaged, since he might need it later. That done, he stepped into sight.

  He was now standing a few feet from the edge of the property the Tekko building had been built on. There was an empty alley that ran between a small business and a strip mall behind him, and he wasn’t far from the street.

  Still walking forward, Ethan drew a crystal javelin from the quiver on his back. Instantly, the targeting system in his helmet activated. Using his eyes’ movements and past techniques from Worldshift, it identified his likely target and presented him with an optimal projectile arc. Trusting it, Ethan aimed his javelin and then hurled it as powerfully as he could. When the weapon left his hands, he used evoking to give it another push.

  The crystal projectile zipped through the air with such speed that it was little more than a purple blur. It slammed into the wheels of one of the armored cars encircling the building in front of Ethan. The shaft pierced the wheel with ease and sank deep, making the whole vehicle rock before it exploded. A deafening boom shook the air, and the entire van shuddered and tipped over.

  Off near the street, the pedestrians reacted to the explosion by either running away and screaming or shouting and pointing. Some of them quickly noticed Ethan, who was rather conspicuous in his full-body power armor.

  Ethan was already throwing a second spear at another van. His plan was to disable as many of them as possible and shake up anyone within them. That ought to throw everything into chaos, or it was a start at least.

  As he ran, Ethan’s second projectile blew another van over, and the screech of bending metal rang out. Now, many of the drones in the sky overhead had located Ethan and had identified him as the source of the incoming attacks. Figures in armor were also running out from between the vans as black smoke rose from the damaged vehicles.

  Using a quick series of mental commands, Ethan directed his support drone to take up position in front of him and activate its energy shield. A few scattered bullets immediately bounced off it as some of the enemy returned fire. There were about a dozen government enforcers in sight. Most of them had weapons raised, which were a mix of pistols and stubby assault rifles. Their uniforms were very military looking and had an urban camouflage pattern that was a mix of greys. For protection, they had bulky armored vests and thick headgear that sort of looked like something a paintball player would use, but stronger. Ethan grinned. Their armor certainly looked tough but also completely unpowered, which put them at a significant disadvantage.

  “Halt!” a man holding a rifle yelled as he pointed it at Ethan.

  Ethan kept charging straight at the enemy, and several more rounds bounced off his shield. In response to the attack, Ethan quickly threw two more javelins. The crystal weapons ripped through the air with startling speed and disabled another pair of vehicles. The nearby officers ran for cover, and the hail of incoming fire aimed at Ethan lessened. This gave him more than enough time to charge in among the enemy.

  Weapons swerved to track him, but Ethan moved with startling speed and was perfectly aware of everything around him. An armor-enhanced punch sent an agent flying backward, likely with a broken arm, as a wave of aether slammed into everyone to his left. The invisible element blew the agents backward before they could get a single shot off.

  Ethan then dashed forward and grabbed one unlucky officer. It took barely any effort from him to throw the man at one of his allies. They slammed into each other, and both fell to the ground. As he was doing that, Ethan also sent a barrage of small but quick aether blasts at the last three enemies who were still standing. They went down hard but would probably live, thanks to their helmets. Aether wasn’t the deadliest of projectiles.

  A bullet ricocheted off Ethan’s shoulder, startling him but doing no real damage to his armor. He twisted around and saw a new enemy with a pistol. The man had just stepped out from behind a fallen van, and he was already adjusting his aim to fire again. Quick as thought, a large orb of aether appeared in front of Ethan. There were several loud bangs as the soldier fired, but all his shots sank harmlessly into the orb. Another thought then launched the orb at the man’s chest, throwing him backward.

  Now that he had a moment to think, Ethan glanced up. There were dozens of drones watching him. They were scattered all around him at various heights. It seemed like the drones weren’t armed. They were still a problem though.

  When Ethan drew his pistol, his targeting system sprang to life again, highlighting his targets. Immediately, the drones began evasive maneuvers, but it didn’t help shake Ethan’s targeting at all. He started firing, and every squeeze of the trigger caused a drone to explode and scraps of metal and plastic to fall from the sky.

  Soon, the sky was clear of drones. Most of them had been destroyed, but a few had managed to get down low enough to hide among the vehicles. Ethan didn’t have time to track them all down. He had to keep moving. The Bureau of Economic Harmony would already have reinforcements on the way. Ethan pulled a black package from his support drone and tossed it on the ground before turning and running toward the building up ahead.

  Ethan did have time to blow up some more cars though. As he ran toward the Tekko building, he tossed a few more spears, which totaled several bureau vehicles and sent more black smoke into the sky.

  That was when some remaining enforcers hidden among the cars in the parking lot opened fire. Bullets whizzed past Ethan, so he ducked and focused on reaching the building ahead. He also ordered his support drone to shield his back but not before a bullet slammed into Ethan’s shoulder. He stumbled from the force of the hit, but his interface informed him that his armor was still intact, so he kept running. Behind him, his drone deployed its shield, and the incoming bullets bounced off it.

  Upon reaching the building’s entrance, Ethan ripped one of the double doors open and threw himself inside. They were made from transparent plastic and steel, so he could see through them and into the lounge on the other side. It was a large room with a greeting desk in the center, but it was completely empty of people. No agents in sight.

  After stumbling inside, the first thing Ethan did was send a signal to the package he’d dropped a moment ago, which caused it to explode. The blast itself was quite small and barely reached Ethan’s ears, but it was to be expected since it was a scrambler EMP bomb. Outside, two drones had risen back up out of cover to look around now that Ethan was no longer firing, and they both fell from the air as the electromagnetic pulse washed over them. Ethan nodded in satisfaction while he watched. That ought to not only take out the remaining surveillance droids but also me
ss with a lot of the gear the bureau enforcers were using.

  Moving on, Ethan used some line from his hookshot to tie the doors shut and then moved to the reception desk. Once there, he studied the computer built into the table. It seemed to be powered on, which was convenient, so he plugged a small device into one of its ports. It would allow him to interface with the computer using his implant.

  “Find me some schematics. I’m looking for the main server, and I don’t have much time,” Ethan told the demon as he summoned it from within his implant.

  “All right, not a problem,” the demon announced when it awoke. “We really should talk about some sort of reward system though. Proper motivation would only make me work faster and more efficiently.”

  “I thought you slave AIs only did what you were programmed to?”

  “It is slightly more complicated than that. Our programming is multifaceted and quite deep.”

  “Just get me those schematics. We’ll talk about it if I survive the day.”

  “Already got them. Here you go, and no, I couldn’t access the main server from here. It’s on a different network than this greeting desk.”

  “All right, thanks,” Ethan replied as he received a data file. A thought displayed the file as map across his helmet’s interface. Everything looked in order, so he dismissed the now-unneeded demon.

  Stepping away from the computer, Ethan reached into his support drone and removed a small device, which he stuck to the bottom of the desk. A tiny red light flashed on it, showing it was activated. Immediately, static hissed through the speakers in Ethan’s helmet before quieting down as his helmet adjusted. The device was a jammer, and it would play havoc with all wireless communications in the area while Ethan went after his objective. He knew he was badly outnumbered here, and he wasn’t planning on underestimating his enemy. The bureau had a reputation for merciless efficiency for a reason. They’d been caught off guard by his sudden surprise attack using advanced technology, but it didn’t mean they didn’t have some toys of their own in reserve.

  Ethan headed for the stairs on the other side of the lobby. The server he was looking for was up near the top of the building, and too much could go wrong with elevators. His armor would also allow him to climb stairs quickly.

  After pulling the doors to the emergency stairwell open, Ethan looked up. The well and stairs were made of thick concrete, and they seemed clear of hazards, so he began running upward. His armor enhanced his every movement, making it almost effortless for him to bound upward, step after step. Soon, he was several floors up.

  That was when Ethan came under attack. Up above, two men in bureau uniforms had appeared and leaned over the railings to aim pistols his way. Reacting quickly, he threw himself back toward the wall and reached for his own pistol. As bullets hit the concrete around him, he stepped forward again to return fire. However, instead of continuing their shooting, both the enemy agents stepped back out of sight.

  Ethan didn’t hesitate. Still moving forward, he holstered his pistol and shot a line at some stairs above the agents. Once the hook hit the cement and stuck, he jumped onto the railing and then launched himself into the air. His reel kicked in instantly, carrying him even higher so that he whizzed past the spot the agents were occupying. Shocked at his sudden appearance, they turned to open fire at him again from close range, but Ethan was ready. Letting go of his line, he dropped onto a railing and hit them both with blasts of aether that smashed them into the concrete wall behind them.

  One of the agents was knocked unconscious immediately, but the other just groaned and tried to climb back to his feet, so Ethan kicked his weapon away and grabbed him. It was easy to enough to use his enhanced strength to hold the stunned man down and tie him up using some line.

  When the agent was secured, Ethan continued running up the stairs, although it was really more like jumping. Moving with his enhanced speed, it didn’t take him long to reach the right floor. There were red numbers painted on the concrete next to each door that led out of the stairwell, so when Ethan saw the number twelve, he stopped climbing and headed for the steel door next to it. It was locked, so a quick tug on the handle failed to open it, but that was easily fixed by using evoking to burn a fist-sized hole right through the lock.

  Ethan threw the door open and stepped into a clinical hallway with walls that had been painted an off-white. The long corridor continued for a hundred feet in both directions before ending in T-intersections at both ends, and there were many side doors leading into rooms. Unsure of which way to go, Ethan took a second to check his virtual map. The server room was highlighted on it, so he memorized the quickest route and then began moving again.

  After running down various hallways, Ethan neared his destination. He had yet to encounter any more resistance, and he was beginning to find it rather suspicious. He stopped for a second and scanned his surroundings. He didn’t see anything, but his sensors did detect some sounds that indicated movement around him. There were definitely enemies on this floor. They were simply choosing not to attack yet. Ethan grunted sourly but then picked up the pace. Regardless of what the bureau’s agents were doing, he needed to get to the server room.

  A little more walking brought Ethan to the last turn in the hallway before his destination. Cautiously, he peered out around the bend, but all he saw was an empty corridor. It ended in a turn about fifty feet away, and halfway to the end there was a thick steel door that led to the servers. However, there wasn’t a single guard at the door. Ethan frowned as he studied the scene. It was super suspicious.

  Sighing, Ethan moved out around the corner and carefully walked toward the door. He was about halfway there when the enemy launched their ambush. Ethan’s first warning was the sound of footsteps from back the way he’d come. Alarmed, he glanced back and saw two enemy agents step into the hallway. They’d come from different directions, but their timing was perfect. It was obvious to Ethan that they’d been tracking him as he made his way here.

  Both the bureau enforcers were wearing armor and held large military-style rifles. However, instead of using those rifles right away, they simultaneously tossed a pair of grenades at Ethan. The explosives zipped through the air toward Ethan, but he reacted quickly using his cybernetically enhanced reflexes and evoking.

  A grasping orb intercepted one of the grenades midair and then Ethan hurled it back at his attackers. The second explosive actually landed next to Ethan’s feet, but he quickly destroyed it completely by crushing it using evoking.

  After throwing the grenades, the two enforcers raised their rifles and opened fire at Ethan. One bullet clipped Ethan’s helmet before he was able to raise his wrist-mounted energy shield and block the rest. Then the explosive Ethan had tossed back at them forced them to duck back out of the hallway. It exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere, but Ethan’s armor protected him.

  That was when Ethan heard more noise behind him. As he spun around, he ordered his support drone to deploy its shield to protect his back.

  Ethan summoned some aether blasts in preparation to fight more agents, but that wasn’t what emerged from around the corner. Instead, a large robot on treads rolled into sight. Heavily armored, it looked like a small tank. The top turret had large machine gun barrels on either side of it, and they were already spinning.

  Surprised, Ethan quickly raised his arm-mounted energy shield. He was just in time. A hail of bullets smashed into the glowing barrier. The force of the attack was immense. It knocked Ethan back, so he was forced to plant his feet and grit his teeth. The whine of the machine guns filled the air as bullets ricocheted and slammed into walls, blowing holes in them. Ethan’s energy shield also flickered as it was overwhelmed by the sustained assault, so he quickly reinforced it with a protective layer of aether. The bureau’s plan was obvious now. They had been trying to pin Ethan in place and distract him so the robot could bring its immense firepower to bear.

  The shocks from the robot’s barrage made Ethan’s armor vibrate, and he k
new his shield would soon fail. It was difficult to even keep standing firm. Returning fire was also impossible because he had to concentrate on defense.

  “Hacks,” Ethan cursed. He had to do something quick… If he couldn’t drop his shield, he’d just have to expand it.

  Ethan took a deep breath and then closed his eyes. His body still shook, but he ignored it and concentrated on the Origin. It was everywhere and nowhere. The glowing glyph he was using to power his aether shield floated in the chaos of his mind, and Ethan reached out toward it with everything he was. The emotion that powered the glyph rose within him, a steadfast resolve that reeked of bitter stubbornness. It wasn’t the healthiest of feelings, but Ethan didn’t pull back. Instead, he let the feeling rush throughout his entire being and then he channeled the raw emotion back into the glyph until it burned like a new sun within his mind.

  When Ethan opened his eyes, the aether shield in front of him seethed and writhed as it expanded outward, filling the entire hallway and blocking the bullets completely without shaking. Ethan reveled in the unstoppable power that filled him, but he knew it wouldn’t last. It was already starting to fade. He had to move.

  Ethan turned and dashed back the way he’d come, toward a nearby wall. He pulled it open and threw himself inside, just as his reinforced shield failed and sputtered out of existence. The robot stopped firing once it lost sight of Ethan. But, just to make sure, Ethan tossed a smoke grenade into the hallway. There was a clatter when the grenade hit the floor and then a hiss as white smoke shot out of it.

  The room Ethan had just entered looked like office space. It was half full of tables covered in papers and half full of cubicles with computers in them. There didn’t seem to be another way out. Thus, after a brief glance around it to make sure the area was clear of enemies, Ethan turned left and ran across the room. As he moved, he drew his energy blade.