by Morgan Cole
I was beginning to like Marty.
The holster used the same near-magical material as my GN-75 and adhered strongly to my belt on the right side. It felt a little weird to have a gun on my belt, but I couldn't think of anywhere else to put it. When I willed it, the holster would release the grip it had on the pistol and it would slide free effortlessly.
On the left side of the road ahead I could see a junkyard approaching. Tall, barbed-wire topped chainlink fences were on the outside, but behind those was what looked to be a wall constructed of partially flattened cars. That wall didn't have any obvious gaps. Someone had built themselves a fortress out of Detroit steel.
"This is the place," Marty said, pulling off the road to stop in front of a rusting set of solid iron gates. The road we were on was utterly deserted, still, and silent except for the growl of the Camino's V8 and the crunch of snow under its tires.
Signs plastered the gates. Private Property. Beware of Dog. No Soliciting. Trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again. On either side of the gates was a security camera, both of them pointed at us.
"Seems friendly enough," I remarked.
Marty didn't answer, opening his door and stepping out.
"Yo, Theo, you here, man?" Marty called out.
One of the cameras moved slightly. Out of habit, I activated my Engineering vision mode, but no secrets revealed themselves. It only worked with Union components. The comparatively primitive components of the security camera were an opaque mystery. I had instruments in my bag that I could use to work on Earth tech, and I'd even implanted the equivalent of several master's degrees worth of engineering skills from Grandpa's database.
None of that was needed, anyway. It was obvious the camera was tracking Marty.
"Come on, man, you said I could come visit," Marty said, looking at the camera. "I realize it's been a while since then, but we're still cool, right?"
There was a loud, electronic click followed by a booming voice.
"SmokingMan93, who is with you and why have you brought them here?"
"Smoking man?" I asked with a chuckle. Marty waved me to silence.
"This is my friend Jake. He's cool, man."
"I know you. I don't know him. I don't let strangers inside the secure perimeter."
"Dude, I can vouch for him. You're going to want to meet this guy, let me tell you."
"Not good enough, SmokingMan93. Clear the gate, please."
I had an idea and once it seemed like Marty's forum buddy was turning us away it was worth a shot. I opened my own door and stood up. The second camera tracked me.
"Sir, I'm Jake Monde. I've got a mission and I need to avoid government interference. I need your help and I'm willing to pay for it. With this."
I produced a one-kilogram gold bar the size of my phone from my right pocket and held it up. It glittered in the weak winter sun.
"Holy shit," Marty said.
Silence reigned for a moment, which stretched uncomfortably. I looked at Marty, who simply shrugged.
"Put the gold away, they've got enough resolution to pick it out on the satellites if they're looking." Theo said, breaking the silence. "I've decided to let you in, with some reservations. I'm armed, and I can see you are as well, Mr. Monde. As long as we both follow the non-aggression principle here, I think we can do business."
I raised an eyebrow and looked at Marty quizzically. The gold went back into my parka pocket.
"It just means don't be the first guy to start shooting, or whatever."
"That's fine by me," I said.
The gates clanked loudly and began to separate, sliding to either side. Marty and I entered the car and closed the doors.
"I'm surprised he didn't complain about my pistol," I said.
"Theo's a big believer in the second amendment. An armed society is a polite society, and all that. I think he would trust you less if you were unarmed, actually."
"Speaking of which, why do you know his real name but he's calling you SmokingMan93?"
"Oh, yeah, I don't. He's TheodenThengel. I just call him Theo for short."
I shook my head. I really should ask more questions.
Chapter Ten: In Theoden's Realm
THE INSIDE OF THEO's fortress was much less chaotic than I had expected. A large yard, open to the sky, held a bungalow house and a few large buildings. The smell of wood smoke filled the air. The ground was clear of scrap metal and garbage, at least as far as I could see with the thick layer of snow.
Several collections of body panels were raised off the ground, riding on wooden slats. Blue tarps covered them and kept the snow and moisture from reaching them.
Along the inside left wall was a line of cars and trucks parked in a neat row. Each seemed completely intact, if sometimes with mismatched paint. It was a random-looking collection with no discernible common theme. Three of the vehicles on the far end were under car covers, hulking shapes covered with snow. The rest had been brushed clear at some point after the last snowfall.
A short man in worn, khaki-colored winter gear exited the house. The screen door slammed shut behind him. He had bushy black eyebrows and a long grey and black beard underneath the green toque he wore on his head. Steel grey eyes peered at me from behind thick-framed glasses. Slung at his right side was a rifle with a large box-shaped magazine. A revolver was holstered at his hip. I couldn't be sure, but I was willing to bet he could shrug off that sling and the rifle would be ready to rock.
Marty stopped the El Camino just inside the yard and turned off the ignition.
Theoden stopped thirty feet away and waited for us to approach. Marty went first, extending his right hand as he got closer.
"I'm glad to finally meet you, Theo. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here."
Theoden shook his hand. "Same here, Smoker."
"And you, Mr. Monde," Theo said. "I didn't find your name on any wanted lists. I assumed you gave me an alias, but I did find a fairly extensive social media footprint. You look to be the same person, more or less. Larger than you look in your photos. Why are you here?"
"I need to get across the border into Canada. It's possible the Paradise Plains sheriff will be looking to stop us. Maybe some other government agencies."
"I can help with that, if your gold is good. First, though—your phones."
"I've already removed the sim from mine and powered it off," Marty said but pulled his out anyway.
"Not enough. Put them in here."
The in here was a small pouch he pulled from a pocket. I dropped my dead phone in without complaint. It wasn't much use right then anyway. Theo then closed the pouch and handed it to Marty.
"That's a Faraday pouch. It'll prevent any signals in or out. Smoker, you got a lowjack or any other kind of tracker on your El Camino?"
"No, I know better than that."
"Good. Now that's settled, please come inside and we'll talk business."
I grabbed my bags from the El Camino and followed Marty and Theo across the yard.
Inside the bungalow was nicer than I had expected. For some reason I had been thinking it would be squalid. Instead it was cozy. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.
After we took off our boots at the front door, Theo led us to his comfortable living room. A potbellied iron stove sat in the corner, radiating heat. Grey winter light filled the room through the large front window. Two couches, green and brown 70s-style monsters, squatted around a thick wooden coffee table.
"Coffee?" Theo asked.
My stomach growled. It had been weeks, literally, since I'd had anything but water and nutrient paste. Even though I needed food and water much less than I had before Brick had Inducted me, I still missed the taste.
"Please," I replied. Marty also assented.
Theo returned with three cups and a carafe of coffee, which he set down on the solid table in front of us. Soon we all had steaming cups, and I cradled mine, sipping at it. The taste and smell were complex and almost overwhelm
ing after so long with only water to drink.
"Now, Mr. Monde—" Theo started.
"Please, just call me Jake," I interrupted.
"Fine, Jake. Do you mind if I take a closer look at that gold?" Theo asked.
I handed it over. Despite the fact that it was a fortune—nearly fifty thousand dollars—I did have another forty-seven kilograms in the bag at my feet. Grandpa had stockpiled a relatively small amount of it in the Refinery warehouse and it had still been there when we had reclaimed it. Money had ceased feeling like a real thing I had to worry about some time ago. Brick could have produced a literal ton of gold for me if I'd needed it. It wasn't that useful as a building material and was pretty worthless on the Union market.
"Where did this come from? The weight feels right, but it's unmarked."
That had been a problem I was hoping wasn't a big one. I didn't know that much about gold. I knew that in the movies when you saw gold bars they generally had some writing stamped on them, but I didn't know what it was. We could have just winged it and put something on there, but without knowing what exactly to put there it was a minefield. What if we tried and it was something that was obviously bogus to experts? We'd have people thinking our real gold was fake because we'd tried to hide its origin. At the end of the day, it was gold and that'd have to be good enough.
"Yeah, sorry about that. All I can really say is that you can test it. It's pure gold."
Marty was watching the exchange, his eyes wide. I could tell that he wanted to blab, to tell his Internet buddy everything. I was still uncertain that was a good idea.
"What do you guys need from me, other than the border crossing?"
"A new ride. Four-wheel drive. Clean plates, registration, and insurance," Marty said.
I nodded, agreeing. "Some better gear for you, Marty. It's going to be cold up there."
"No problem. I can sort all that out. I've got just the vehicle for you—an older Ford crew cab. It's in great shape, but the papers will take an hour or two. Does this sheriff have any reason to think you're going to try to cross the border?"
"No, I don't think so," I answered.
"Good, that will make things simpler. Do you mind if I take this, Jake?" Theo said, holding up the bar still in his hand. "I'd like to test it."
"No problem."
Theo excused himself, leaving us in his living room while he disappeared into the back. I had a brief, paranoid vision of him coming back with a rifle and ganking us for the gold. Even if I was mostly bulletproof, Marty sure wasn't.
"You sure we can trust this guy, Marty? You didn't tell me you'd never actually met him."
"As sure as I can be. Nothing in life is certain, they say. Theo's solid. I'd bet my life on it."
"Well, you are, Marty. Okay."
Theo returned a few minutes later, sitting back down in his previous spot. He laid the bar down on the table in front of me. I could see a slight sheen of moisture on one corner. A tiny drop of water leaked onto the scarred wood of the coffee table.
"19.32 grams per cubic centimeter. That is indeed quite pure."
I left it lying there. "It's yours, for your help."
"That's too much. If I take Marty's El Camino in trade, that will cover the cost of the truck. Will you take cash for the balance? You need some guns?"
Marty sat up in alarm. "Whoa, time out! I'm not trading you my Camino. Sorry, Theo. That's my baby."
I laughed. "Yeah, let's leave Marty his ride."
"Too bad. I know I could have moved that pretty quick. If you want to leave it here, I'll take good care of it until you get back, Smoker."
"Thanks, Theo."
"Alright then. With no trade, that's just about even. I'll give you some cash on top."
"We're going to need some walking around money too, Theo," I said, and reached into my bag. With a clunk, I set an identical bar down beside the first.
"Jesus!" Marty said.
Theo just raised an eyebrow and smiled, the first genuine smile I'd seen on his face. "Yes, of course you will.”
Chapter Eleven: Resupply and Prep for the Trip North
"GIVE ME MY PHONE, MARTY," I said.
Theo had told us that the whole house was a Faraday cage, if an imperfect one. He'd left us to our own devices in the living room, taking his gold with him. We'd agreed to forty thousand in cash in addition to the rest of it.
We had a few hours before he'd have all of the paperwork required for the truck. I didn't know exactly what he was doing, but he assured me that when he was done it'd be airtight. Totally legit and legal. That delay didn't matter anyway, as we couldn't leave until late at night. We'd be crossing the border after 10 pm.
Marty opened the pouch and handed me my phone. It was time to test out my new toys.
I opened my bag of tools and began pulling them out and setting them on the table. Two anonymous metal boxes without switches or ports of any kind. They were both roughly the size of a cigar box. My Interface quickly labeled them both for me.
╠═╦╬╧╪
Earth-tech Manipulator V1, designed by Jake Monde
I made this device to help me manipulate Earth electronic and mechanical systems using Union tools.
╠═╦╬╧╪
Portable Zeropoint Energy Generator
A scaled-down, easily portable Zeropoint generator.
50 PU/sec generated, 1000 PU internal storage.
╠═╦╬╧╪
I made sure they were touching each other and with a flick of my will, the portable energy generator was providing power to my Manipulator.
Marty watched, curious, but said nothing. The Interface showed me a translucent green volume floating above the Manipulator. A control panel floated in the air to one side, a primitive UI offering me only one button, greyed out. It said Lock.
I placed the phone into the green volume and it floated there, hovering two inches above the surface of the metal box.
"Cool," Marty said.
With a flick of my hand, I pressed the now-enabled Lock button on my control panel. The green volume turned red as the field locked the phone into place. Now as long as the power held out, the phone would be unable to move even a micron, relative to the Manipulator.
The Manipulator said it was designed by me, but really it was a group effort. Brick provided most of the code, and Metra helped with some of the engineering. With it, I could visualize, simulate, and modify our primitive Earth tech using the Interface and my Engineering vision Augment. It had seemed like an obvious tool to me, but apparently it hadn't been. I'd had to create it.
A scaled-up diagram of the guts of the phone appeared. It wasn't actually a circuit diagram. I'd designed the Manipulator to use the same systems as the Component Flow Visualization feature of my Engineering vision Augment. The entirety of the phone, operating system and all, was exposed to me.
The system worked a lot like the design console in the Manufactory back on the station. I could move components around, cut things out, and simulate the results. In addition to that, I had the Brick-supplied tools for testing Earth-tech software systems. There wasn't anything I couldn't do to this phone, within reason.
The first thing I did was make the whole thing stronger. I wasn't the kind of guy that was always breaking his phone screen, but it wasn't a big deal to add a carbon lattice to make the phone more like a slab of structural diamond than plastic.
Then I shrunk the battery. Chemical energy storage was so passé. The old battery was most of the phone, and I replaced it with something ten times the capacity and less than one-hundredth the size. That'd give me plenty of space inside for what I needed to do. It was trivial to also give it the means to take power in the Union standard way, simply from being in contact with me and my power Augment.
After a few minutes studying the gestalt of firmware and software, I found that Theo was right. The phone itself was full of backdoors—several at the chip level, and more at various levels of the software. I excised those. No more usi
ng my phone as a listening device, thanks. And no more tracking my position, ever. It wouldn't be quite that simple; if I connected to the network, someone would have information about where I was, but I could deal with that.
Finally it was time for the fun stuff. I brought up the Union components list and began searching for what I needed. It didn't take long to find all of the components for an ultra-minimal gate. Everything laid out just fit in the space where the battery used to be.
It would open a gate aperture that was barely visible to the naked eye, allowing for a relatively low-bandwidth Interface connection to Brick on the other side, and not much else. Opening the initial connection would take 750 power units, more than my internal power Augment could provide, and far more than the battery could store. My portable Zeropoint generator could handle it, however.
╠═╦╬╧╪
A spatial microgate, sufficient for real-time communication and data transfer. Initial energy cost must be provided locally, ongoing energy costs can optionally be provided by corresponding gate.
Initial connection energy consumption: 750 PU, ongoing energy cost: 100 PU/second.
Cost: 120 Nanite Clusters, 3g metals, tier 2, 2g exotics, tier 2, 1g radioactives, tier 2
╠═╦╬╧╪
Marty had long since gotten bored with watching me sitting and staring into the empty space above my hovering phone. He had picked up a book from a nearby shelf and was flipping through it. He perked up when I pulled one of my bags up onto my lap and started rooting through it.
"Is something interesting finally going to happen?" Marty asked and set the book aside.
The materials cost for my modifications was tiny, almost nothing except for the tiny amount of exotics used in the gate mechanism. The real cost was the Nanite Clusters. Since there was no Manufactory to do the heavy lifting, the Nanite Clusters had to be guided by the Manipulator to make the Union components or the various modifications in situ. Still, I could afford it, and I needed this gate.
"Yes, I've been designing some modifications for this phone and I'm going to make them now."