Specter Protocol

by Eddie R. Hicks

  The collapsed section of the highway grew closer with rising black smoke.

  “Ray!” Bashiir cried, looking to the shattered left and right windows. “You are going too fast!” Bashiir pointed ahead. “And there is a hole in the road!”

  “So, push us with psychokinesis,” Ray said.

  “I cannot use that school of power.”

  “What the fuck?!” Ray was floored. “Are you fucking serious?!”

  “Yes,” Bashiir said, his eyes fixed on the incoming hole. “I am serious.”

  “You can curve bullets, but you can’t give this car some height for a jump?”

  “You might want to hit the brakes,” Bashiir snorted.

  Ray mashed the brakes.

  The car’s tires screeched, and black tire marks scuffed the road in its wake. It continued drifting with its momentum to the hole. It didn’t stop. Ray doomed them all. The truck was out of sight now. They’d lost. The forward wheels lowered. They weren’t touching the highway anymore. The broken windshield’s view lowered too, gone was the sight of what lay ahead, now Ray saw the drop that waited for them. A long plunge to the lower level of the highway, hacked vehicles lay on their sides next to a pile of debris that used to be part of the overpass they were on. The car stopped moving. Half of it went over the hole and slowly bent toward its end. The sounds of the attack helicopters behind approached.

  “Oh, fuck,” Ray whispered.

  “Let us leave,” Bashiir whispered and inched his way to the door.

  “Really?” Ray whispered back with a hint of sarcasm. “I was thinking of sitting here.”

  Bashiir reached for the door handle. “Well, you do that—”

  Ray felt the car dip some more. His heart did something that didn’t feel normal.

  “Carefully that is,” Bashiir’s whispering continued.

  Ray had an important question to ask. “Why are you whispering?”

  Bashiir winced. “Because you are?”

  Bashiir opened the door, cautiously. Ray took the time to reach for his backpack, tablet pad, laptop, and katana.

  It made Bashiir shake his head. “Leave it,” he said to Ray.

  “Oh, fuck that,” Ray said, pocketing his phone. “I’m powerless without this.”

  Ray climbed to the backseat, backpack on, and katana in hand while Bashiir moved out with careful steps as to not tip the car over. The driver and passenger side doors were doors that led to the drop. Bashiir was free and stood on the debris-covered road, his hand waved in a hurry-up motion to Ray, who felt his body lower more as the rear windshield faced up to the golden afternoon skies. Oddly enough, he couldn’t see the helicopters, or hear them.

  The car was falling.

  Ray raced for the opened door, and to the hand of Bashiir.

  His feet weren’t touching the car’s floor. Ray was dangling in the air. A crash sounded; it came from below. The car plugged to its final resting spot to the lower overpass. Above was Bashiir holding Ray with one hand, slowly pulling him up to the road. Ray would offer his other hand, but that was still holding the katana.

  Bashiir pulled him to safety on the road, terror sweat drenching their bodies.

  “Guess we go on foot,” Ray said.

  Four helicopters descended ahead of them, rushing winds from their rotor blades rippled their clothes as they came to a landing. Machine gun barrels aimed at them.

  “Or not,” Bashiir said and raised his hands in surrender.

  Ray did the same, placing the katana at his feet. He didn’t bother digging for his phone in his pocket. By the time he’d find and access his apps, it’d be too late.

  Men armed with assault rifles leaped from the helicopters, and like the helicopter’s guns, their muzzles were aimed at the heads of Ray and Bashiir. The armed men took up positions ahead of their helicopters and marched to Ray and Bashiir.

  The uniform the men wore bore the logo of the Yoshida Corporation.

  Fifty-One

  Estrella

  A speeding truck free from the cyberattack’s effect plowed toward Estrella. It didn’t stop and neither did she. She upped the speed of her bike, a long trail of black hair waving from the end of her helmet. It was a dangerous game of chicken, a truck versus the red motorcycle and its red-suited rider, and that rider was no chicken.

  Estrella grabbed her pistol, the Asagiri40, steadied her speeding bike, with one hand on the handlebar and the other aiming the weapon forward. She pulled the trigger twice. The occupants of the truck she could see through the windshield ducked. The windshield now had two spiderweb holes through its glass. She fired three times more, burying armor-piercing tungsten rounds into the vehicle. She hoped weapon’s power to shoot targets behind cover, like a truck, struck something. The truck remained in motion, closing the gap fast. She hit nothing.

  Nanites it was then. She had six swarms pre-injected. And she was close enough to be in an effective range according to her HUD, and the fact their gap grew shorter every second. Estrella browsed through her pre-programmed nanite abilities and selected Vehicle Disable. One swarm of nanites released from the NC gauntlet flew to the incoming truck, lowered, and entered its front wheels. The tiny machines began dismantling it from the inside out. The truck braked. You can’t drive without front axles taken apart by microscopic machines.

  She brought her bike to a stop and powered it off. Its internal computer can’t be hacked when it’s off. Estrella jacked out from the bike and made her approach to the truck, the source of the wide cyberattack gripping the freeway, trapping people in vehicles that had a mind of their own.

  Her Asagiri40 pointed forward, both hands wrapped around it, and her nanite abilities menu still opened on her combat HUD. Defense Matrix activated next, consuming four swarms.

  Nanite swarm(s) remaining: 1

  She flicked away the prompt on her vision and made plans to reach inside her arm and grab more nanotubes. The passenger and driver side doors to the truck opened, she’d have to put that on hold for now.

  Two figures leaped from the truck, both wearing a black shiny leather catsuit. And then, they were gone, like they were never there to start with. Estrella stopped. Only her hands shifting the barrel of Asagiri40 were the visible movements her body made.

  Alert, Geoffrey’s digitized voice echoed in her head. Telepathic manipulation is at work.

  Something that felt like a hammer hit Estrella’s chest. It happened again, twice. Someone shot her three times. It was an attacker her HUD couldn’t pick up. She got hit again, and retreated to cover behind her bike, shooting rapidly.

  She reloaded, peeked around the bike, and aimed down the sights. There were no targets.

  Pavement fragments flung up next to her. They were using automatic rifles. She ducked for cover again behind the bike. Bullets trashed its paint job seconds later.

  Are you doing something about it, Geoffrey?

  Yes, attempting to block their brainwave patterns. Be advised they are two targets; this will take some time.

  Estrella peeked again. Geoffrey was right. There were two women with rifles clenched in their hands. Both covered near the truck, took aim, and vanished. They reappeared with translucent bodies… it was like they were ghosts. And then they were gone, again. They didn’t return.

  Puta madre! Estrella grimaced and returned to her cover behind the bike while bullets flew above and around her. They fucking disappeared.

  That is correct Estrella, the technique is called ghostwalking. It is an advanced form of telepathic mental manipulation, commonly used by highly specialized trained IWs—

  Spare me the fucking exposition. Just get them blocked!

  And she rose from her cover, firing continuously. Her bullets pierced the truck, filling it with glowing red holes while other shots broke apart the pavement on the road. Nothing hit anything of flesh. Estrella was firing at targets that couldn’t be seen. She tried shooting where they last were, and nothing.

  A barrage hit her, and it nearly threw he
r to the pavement. She felt a bullet crash into her left shoulder. Instinctively, she turned to the direction it came, pulling the trigger with cybernetic speed. The last three rounds of her magazine ejected and hit the air. Defense Matrix was down to three swarms now.

  She ducked behind the bike, trying not to think about the repair costs. She reloaded, then pulled the left sleeve of her suit up, exposing her synthetic arm. It opened, granting her access to spare ammo, and the much-needed nanotubes. She grabbed five tubes.

  Geoffrey, what the fuck is taking so long?

  She finished injecting herself.

  Nanite swarm(s) remaining: 6

  And the AI finally revealed. I have blocked the first target.

  Fresh nanites, and a loaded gun made her grin. She peeked to the right. Ahead Estrella saw one of the two women from the truck, Asian, long hair, half of it covering her face, her hands holding the assault rifle steady. Estrella’s vision zoomed, her combat HUD focusing on the woman’s hands. Cyberware covered fingers, yet her hands glowed white like all telepathic IWs. The woman retreated to the truck’s forward left wheel, lowered the rifle as a long needle sprang from her wrist. She sank the needle into the wheel.

  Piper’s words from the past echoed in her head, over and over. Piper was one of the first IW fitted with cyberware, a taste of what was to come. And ahead of Estrella was what came next if she were to guess.

  Estrella’s synthetic eyes looked at the truck’s wheels, she ran optical scans of it. The results appeared on a small window, the wheels and the axle had restored to its previous state. She reviewed the status of her vehicle disabling nanites. Last she checked they were still active. They weren’t.

  What the fuck?

  She has used nanites to counter ours.

  That fucking bitch!

  She selected Incinerate from her menu. Three nanites swarms entered her gauntlet and stood by for the deployment order. She gave it, highlighting the woman in her vision, and extended her right gauntlet-covered hand forward. The nanites released and swarmed the woman, entering her body, and carried out their programmed command. Estrella waited for the bonfire to start.

  The woman stood from the truck’s wheel and using the same deployed needle stabbed her chest with it. She held the pose for five seconds, and pulled the wrist needle out. A devious grin grew on her face.

  Geoffrey revealed the bad news. They have neutralized our nanites.

  Estrella’s HUD still had her targeted. She selected Incinerate again.

  I would not recommend that, Estrella. Our supply of nanites is limited, and she has demonstrated the ability to remove them.

  Bullets it is then.

  She took aim and pulled the trigger. The Asagiri’s loud claps echoed. The woman was agile, she literally flipped and rolled from the slugs. Estrella’s firing prevented her from grabbing the rifle, so Estrella shot it. Three tungsten slugs riddled it with red hot holes ruining whatever it was that made guns on the inside work—

  They shot her again.

  The force flung her back to the road. The second invisible target was still at large. Defense Matrix had grown weaker, bullets started to bring uncomfortable pain again. She leaped back to her feet, the pistol still in her grasp, demanding blood to be spilled. Estrella saw the exposed woman jump into the truck yelling in Japanese. She didn’t understand a word.

  Nobody was shooting at her. She waited for a beat. Still nothing. They were planning on leaving she figured. Estrella left the cover of her bike and ran forward. The truck powered on, its driver, a white man sprang up from his hiding spot and took the wheel. The truck was moving now and poised to run Estrella down.

  She selected Overdrive. The world slowed down, Estrella’s body did not.

  Nanite swarm(s) remaining: 2

  The driver had ducked his head right as she hit Overdrive and aimed at him. Estrella shot anyway. Three tungsten bullets leisurely ejected from her weapon, leaving behind a trail of circular-shaped shockwaves slicing through the air. From her point of view, it took five seconds for the first round to penetrate the truck’s windshield. Then a second later, the second, and third rounds. The windshield broke apart and shattered glass flew in various directions.

  At the opened side door was the woman, struggling to climb aboard. Estrella shot the door. Shockwave lines created a path the bullets left on their course to the door. They hit, punching steaming, glowing circles on it. The woman’s body jolted the same number of holes Estrella put through the door. She didn’t miss that time. Estrella ran to the truck door and faced the entrance to its cabin. Overdrive was nearing its end—

  A boot to the face knocked Estrella back, a cybernetic one at that. She tumbled backward, slowly.

  And Overdrive ended. Estrella fell backward fast. She got to her feet, and the truck still moved forward. The cabin was out of sight now, but the trailer? That was approaching. She grabbed ahold of the trailer’s side with her synthetic hand. Estrella came along for the ride. The truck sped up and hit her bike. She didn’t check to see if it got crushed or knocked to the other side.

  Holstering her pistol freed her right hand to grab the trailer. Carefully, Estrella punched small dents into its metal exterior, each dent working as makeshift handlebars. Estrella climbed her way up and stood up top of the truck’s trailer. Rushing winds greeted her when she made it to the top, making her long hair escaping the back of her helmet once again wave and flutter.

  The woman ascended to the top and joined her, now wearing a catsuit covered in gory holes. The holes sealed shut with First Aid nanites. Two-second stare down, ruby synthetic eyes met emerald ones, black hair from the two blew about.

  Estrella drew her Asagiri and fired. The woman’s body jerked three times, as three holes gored through her chest and bloodstained the trailer’s top around her. The holes sealed shut, and the lost blood moved in reverse. Her First Aid nanites were still in effect. A bullet through the head should do it. She aimed for that. The woman sprinted at her. Estrella pulled the trigger—

  The Asagiri went click. Out of ammo and no time to reload. The woman was practically on top of Estrella, blades covered in dried blood sprang from her fingers. Estrella put up her fists and entered an unfair fistfight. She swung first, cybernetic speed making her arms move in a blur. Her opponent was just as fast. Estrella couldn’t keep up and hit Overdrive again. Much better.

  Nanite swarm(s) remaining: 1

  She could see the woman diving to evade Estrella’s left hook. Fingernails made of blades slashed in Estrella’s direction. Her Defense Matrix took the hits, so Estrella went for a tackle and ended up feeling the woman’s nanite needle penetrate her gut. Warnings flashed on her combat HUD as invasive nanites entered her body. Life support nanites should take care of it.

  Defense Matrix effectiveness weakened a lot faster than it should. The remaining nanites committed to Defense Matrix duty were dying, so were the ones directed to Overdrive. She pushed the woman back. The needle was no longer in Estrella, though she had a feeling the damage was done when Overdrive suddenly ended.

  The world was moving like normal, just in time to see the woman stand and laugh, her black hair fluttering about—

  Sharp pain penetrated Estrella from behind.

  Blades, lots of them. She got stabbed five times in one swing, critical damage warnings flashed. First Aid was selected automatically from the nanite abilities menu, Geoffrey was on point.

  She elbowed backward. It hit something. It forced the five objects that jabbed her from behind loose. Estrella was free and took one step toward the woman, getting a spinning roundhouse to the face. If Estrella had been human and not wearing the biker helmet, the blow would have shattered her neck, jaw, and skull. Instead, the blow threw her off the truck, and off the overpass. Estrella tumbled down to the streets below. She braced herself for the fall’s end.

  Crash.

  She survived the impact crushing a car below she fell on. Thankfully, nobody was inside. Defense Matrix’s physical protecti
on was gone however, the invasive nanites were attacking hers, raging a shooting war in her body. Her belly started flipping, the invasive nanites got inside there too. The woman poisoned Estrella and dispelled her powers.

  Estrella rolled off the car, but she didn’t land on her feet. She pushed up, opened her left arm, grabbed the last nanotube, and injected it. She selected First Aid, and hoped it’d be enough to counter the invasive nanites ruining her body. The fall totaled her helmet, so she pulled it off and threw it. It tumbled down the road and out of sight.

  The truck was gone now, speeding ahead on the overpass while Estrella limped lamely through the streets below, gathering stares from those that stood on chaotic sidewalks in front of several buildings.

  Gunshots popped.

  She spun, searching for the discharging firearm and saw a mass of panicking civilians disperse and run past her. The gun that fired was invisible, like the person who wielded it—

  A bullet pierced her thigh.

  The red leaking wound sealed shut. Estrella opted to run, reloading her weapon was pointless, and Geoffrey would make her trigger finger freeze if a human civilian was in the way.

  She escaped into a nearby subway station, lamely traversing down its steps into the underground platform. She dripped a trail of red for the invisible assassin to follow. Payment gates blocked her path, so she kicked a hole through them, sparks flared. Estrella kept limping, ignoring the flashing warnings on her HUD that the invasive nanites were still inside her, ripping her body apart.

  Now she was trapped, standing alone on a subway platform, its monitors flickering with error messages. The hacker got into the public transit system too. She stopped limping forward, reloaded and aimed at the stairs that brought her to the platform.

  Matching brainwaves, Geoffrey revealed to her delight. Unveiling the last target now.

  Estrella’s aim wobbled, her body trembled, and it wasn’t because of fear. The life support nanites struggled to keep the invasive nanites out of her cyberware. A ghostly figure appeared, stepping away from the stairs. A young Asian woman, short and slim with bobbed hair. She was clenching an assault rifle in her tiny hands like it had no weight.