by Tony Corden
67
Chapter 67
December 18, 2073 - Morning - Part 3
STORK TOWER
Back in the Tower, Leah set aside twenty minutes to work through reports and messages as well as work on the plans for the new facility. Leon was hoping that workers could begin making modifications as early as Wednesday and Leah needed to lay out her needs in more detail for the architectural firm Leon was using. Toward the end of the time, Gèng said, “Leah, Jimmy’s in the building and wants to talk with you.”
“Thank you, please tell him I’ll be out of the Pod in five minutes.”
HOME - REAL WORLD
Leah spent two minutes finishing up before logging out. Emily and Mrs Sperry were in the room and helped Leah shower and dress. As soon as Leah was ready, Emily left to get Leah some food as John and Jimmy filed into the room. Jimmy said, “You look terrible.”
“Gee, thanks Jimmy. You always say the nicest things. How are things in the Switch?”
“The Switch is almost boring without you, John, and the others, but I get by. You’ve upset the equilibrium, and that gives me a variety of opportunities. To be honest, it has been quite lucrative. Lending you the money to join Dunyanin is the best investment I’ve ever made. I’m finding the attention from authorities and other bosses a bit restrictive, but even there I’m finding opportunities to branch out. I’d been thinking of slowing down, but life is more exciting than ever.”
“I suspect you and John aren’t here just to be social?”
“You’ve always been smart. John’s explained the particular dilemma that you find yourself in regarding some misappropriated files. Talk about an embarrassment of riches. What are your plans?”
“That depends. What I need is for them to be neutralised, but I’m not against their ultimate demise.”
“Are you responsible for their current difficulties with the law?”
“I hadn’t checked what was happening, but I imagine I am.”
“Unofficially, thousands of virtual slaves have been discovered and released. The entire city of Phoenix is in an uproar with allegations of corruption at the highest level. The Union Marshalls have arrested eight of their own members including the head of the Phoenix office. The Castellis have gone to ground and put a bounty on a Marshall Gerard’s head valued at five million if he’s alive. The bounty on ‘the hacker’ is now double that.”
Leah smiled and said, “Then I’d say that I am responsible.”
“The bosses are nervous. They haven’t connected the situation to you, but some of them do work with the Families here in Australia.”
“I was hoping you could spread the word that the only people who need to worry are those who use slave labour. I’ve never been a Miss Goody Two-shoes even at the best of times, but I draw the line at sexual abuse and mindless slavery. I understand that the Bosses and the Families provide a service, but I can’t condone or even turn away from that kind of evil.”
“I agree completely. Fleece the fools and lighten the pockets of the needlessly wealthy has always been my motto.”
“I remember helping to lighten the pockets of some less-than-wealthy people.”
“Leah, by now you’ve realised that wealth is a relative term. I imagine you’ve more money than I’ve ever dreamed of, but to some people, you’re a simple pauper, even now. I will pass your message on very subtly.”
“Good. Can you also find a way to get word to the Families that the Castellis no longer have their blackmail files, but that the person who does would appreciate being left alone?”
Jimmy smiled and said, “My dear girl, what would you accept as an offer for a few of those files?”
Leah smirked and said, “Sorry Jimmy, we both know that using them for other reasons would play on your mind and eventually they would make you do foolish things and take foolish risks.”
“Ah, you know me well. OK, I’ll pass the message on. At the very least, I’ll gain greater exposure and credibility. I will need a sample though, to show I’m not blowing smoke.”
“I’ll search through and find something that isn’t too juicy to give you. I also have a list of all the Castellis’ financial accounts. If I outsourced the recovery of this, what would your service fee be to launder it, so it’s clean as a whistle?”
Both John and Jimmy sat up a little straighter. Jimmy said, “How much are we talking about?”
“It’s in the billions, although I have no idea what the authorities will have clawed back by now.”
Jimmy sat and thought for a bit before saying, “Do you want it tax-free or able to be declared?”
“I want to put it in a trust to help people get their lives back on track. Not handouts but programs like the Pods, maybe set up some educational programs to retrain. I’ll look for someone we can trust to manage it.”
“Best make it tax-free then. I’ll charge ten per cent after costs.”
Leah knew Jimmy wanted to haggle, but she already felt conflicted about stealing that much, so she said, “Deal. I’ll have Gèng save it to a data device for you.”
Jimmy shook his head and said, “You took all the fun out of that. I will say though, I’m impressed at the numbers you are throwing around. Just one month ago and you almost turned down fifty VCr as too much. What’s it like?”
“It’s daunting, scary, dangerous, painful, fun and exhilarating all at the same time. If I can change the subject for a minute, I wanted to talk about the plans for a research centre I’m developing on the old Swanbank Power site. I’m also buying the old Recycle and Waste Centre behind it. The plan is to use the current technology to clean the land up and develop it for residential use. I can do it with AI or use people who will need to get a chip and be trained. It’s about four times more expensive in the long run to use humans, but for the life of the project, those people will have jobs. The pay will get them out of the negative-tax earning bracket, but we can print or build new houses on land they reclaim. What do you both think?”
John was very positive about people wanting jobs, but Jimmy was less optimistic. They discussed the issue for ten minutes and still hadn’t come to a firm united decision. Jimmy asked for time to talk with the other bosses. He knew that something like this could divide the different communities if they didn’t approach the problem together. In the end, Leah said she would discuss the issue with her dad before making a final decision. She gave Jimmy twenty-four hours to reach out and see if the bosses had a consensus.
As soon as the two men left Emily brought in Leah’s meal with the supplements then she helped Leah to shower and get in the Pod.
68
Chapter 68
December 18, 2073 - Morning - Part 4
STORK TOWER
Arriving back in the Tower, Leah said, “Gèng, can you give Leon a précis of my discussions with Jimmy and John about the labour force? Tell him I’m personally inclined to go the human route, but I want to talk with my dad first. Can you also do some research and find out if there is a suit I could buy which I could control from the Pod and use in the laboratory? I was just thinking of how much time could be saved. The reclamation machines are operated from the Pod, but I haven’t heard of a humanoid drone with fine enough motor skills, but I assume they’ve been designed and made. Also, see if there are any AI controlled drones I could use as assistants.”
DUNYANIN
Gèng agreed, and Leah headed to the Dunyanin portal. Stepping through she found she was still in the form of the great glitch wolf, Safha Peslik. Leah got to her feet slowly and looked around. Her three guides were all resting nearby but obviously keeping watch, for all three greeted her immediately. Ruhani said, “Welcome Atherleah, I trust your hunt in the dream worlds was successful?”
“Thank you Ruhani, it was. Have you rested?”
“We have. Zaman has walked the future. He sees many hunters drawing near. Some have run through the night and will soon be within scent range.”
“How close are the Günahkâr lands?�
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“If we run, we will enter their lands before the sun is at its highest point. Once there, we will need to travel much slower, for the Günahkâr also hunt with time. If they see us, then allow us to fight first. Zaman walks further than they can see, and I hear their very thoughts. Canli will use the forest to help you escape.”
Leah thought through the comment then said, “How far can they walk in time?”
Zaman answered, “They do not walk. They only look. They can see forward for one beat of their heart, this is enough. It makes them hard to kill.”
Leah said, “Ruhani, can you put pictures in someone’s mind as well as words?”
“I can.”
“Then could you show Canli and I what Zaman sees, or could you cause the Günahkâr to see a future that is not true?”
There was silence in Leah’s mind for several heartbeats before Ruhani said, “I do not know, Alpha. I believe I may be able to. I shall practice the things you speak of.”
Zaman said, “The hunters approach, we must leave this place or we will be discovered.”
Leah said, “Zaman, lead the way.”
This time there was no howling to start the journey. With hardly a whisper, Zaman disappeared into the forest followed quickly by the other three glitchwolves.
Three hours later, Leah heard Ruhani in her mind. The glitchwolf said, “We will soon enter the Günahkâr lands. I wish to attempt your suggestions.”
“Then let us stop somewhere safe and see if it is possible.”
Within a hundred paces Zaman stopped at the base of a large tree. He said, “None will find us here. If I leave, then follow immediately for it means we are in danger of being discovered.”
Ruhani said, “Zaman, show me what you see, show me whom you see coming.”
Soon Leah felt something tickle at the back of her mind, and the jungle around her was overlaid with a fine blue outline of the forest. The shadows were subtly wrong, and Leah realised that the sun would have shifted slightly if she was seeing the future. They watched as the ghostly image of a horse-sized and heavily-antlered red and brown fox leapt into the clear area beneath the tree then bounded right through Leah. Leah stepped back slightly then realised what she’d seen was still in the future. She was about to say something when three tall figures walked into the glade. It was clear they were elvish in origin, but they were also something else.
Even with the bluish tint of the future, Leah could see they were the colour of ash with just a touch of green. They wore their hair long and tied behind with a leather cord. The hair was dark grey with either white or black streaks. Each was covered in form-fitting armour that looked dark as adamantine but moved as if it were cloth or leather. Their eyes gave off a faint glow as they walked. The colour of the glow wasn’t constant but changed as they walked. The one in front had green eyes which slowly turned blue, the one behind had red eyes which gradually became a dark orange before fading slightly and become a deep yellow.
Leah wasn’t sure exactly what all the differences were, but some were clear from the way they walked. There was no talking, but they entered the grove almost as a single entity. Each held a bow and looked to be following the fox. They suddenly stopped as one and turned to look in the direction from which Leah and the others had come from. Their bows disappeared almost magically, and each was now holding a sword.
The images disappeared as Zaman bounded through them followed shortly after by Leah and the others. Zaman moved slower than before, and Leah heard his voice as a whisper in her mind,” The Günahkâr hunt will bring them outside the boundary. When the Günahkâr reach the tree, they will hear your pursuers. If that happens, the forest will fill with the Awakened. We either need to hide or to draw the hunt from the path of your pursuers.”
“How will we draw the hunt?”
Canli said, “I will call the horned fox. She will lead them deeper into their lands instead of bringing them in range of your pursuers. Atherleah, wait here with Zaman and Ruhani.”
Leah came to a stop beside the two glitchwolves. Canli walked in a ring around the three of them. Where her feet touched the ground, small shoots began to sprout. When she stepped away, the plants continued to grow until Atherleah, Zaman and Ruhani were hidden deep within a mesh of brambles. As soon as they were hidden from sight, Canli blended into the forest and disappeared. Leah was about to say something, but Ruhani whispered in her mind, “Atherleah, we must quieten our thoughts. The Günahkâr can sense the minds of those around them, especially if the mind is agitated or confused. Become calm and seek stillness for this they cannot feel.”
Leah lay on her belly and rested her muzzle on her front paws then calmly began to slow her breathing as she did when she meditated. She let the troubles of the day and the hunt become distant and then slowly closed her eyes. Slowly Leah began to notice the forest in a way she hadn’t consciously done before. Her glitchwolf senses of smell, hearing and touch were so much greater than when she was in her half-human half-elf form, and she found they slowly formed a picture in her mind of what was happening around her. She could hear the breathing of her two companions as they lay beside her, their chests slowly moving in and out. She noticed the faint difference in the smell each of them gave off.
Leah felt each twig beneath her and the wind as it eddied around the tangle of thorns around them. As the wind drifted past her nose and over her tongue, she smelt or maybe tasted what was downwind. She could recognise the different trees the wind had passed and the various animals and insects it touched. She couldn’t put names to all the different odours but knew the wolf part of her was cataloguing each and if she were observant then the next time she would be able to put names and shape to each scent.
Leah concentrated on Ruhani and tried to ‘see’ her shape or see if there was any way to detect her presence with greater detail. As Leah put together the almost negligible movement of hair as the wind blew across Ruhani’s fur and the small eddies it made and the flow of air in and out of Ruhani’s open mouth. She slowly added the faint sense of blood she could feel through her vampire nature. Leah pictured the heart, then the arteries and larger veins. She was able to picture Ruhani’s lungs. When she had a firm picture of Ruhani and where Ruhani was, Leah concentrated on Zaman and slowly built up an awareness of where he was and what he looked like.
Leah was aware when Ruhani moved slightly, she heard the faintest whisper as Ruhani said, “Good, you begin to use all your senses. This is what the Günahkâr do. They transformed themselves until using the fae magics became as natural as breathing. They do not consider themselves mages and their young are born able to see the beat of a heart into the future. They are born hearing the minds of those near them. Gravity lightens their every step and aids their every sword thrust. They naturally step between shadow as long as it is close. Their bite and their claws exude poison, They know how blood flows and use it to kill efficiently and to ‘see’ the world around them. Their feet make no sound as they walk for silence follows their steps. Lightning increases their reactions and the increases the speed of their movement.
“Individually, they are superior warriors. Together they are unstoppable. With their psychic connection, each one is aware of everything around them. They not only act together as one, but they each learn what the individual knows. If you kill one, then the next you face understands how you won previously, and they will have devised a counter. The Fae feared they would destroy all elves in their search for martial perfection and so bound them to the area now called by their name. None may step more than a league from the boundary and only then if they are following a hunt.”
Leah considered Ruhani’s words, then said, “How is listening to your words different than hearing using psychic magic?”
“It is the same. Listening to what is not sent is an attitude or desire, it is a purposeful hearing of what is unsaid.”
“Can you hear what I do not choose to speak?”
“No. You have a resistance to psychic magic be
yond what is normal. The Venator warned me of this. Knowing you had this resistance convinced me we could succeed in evading the Günahkâr.”
“Could I learn to read others?”
“Normally, I would say no. Your body in its current form exudes gravity focussed mana primarily— this is the normal way with glitchwolves. Within your form, however, I sense stores of mana, one is unfocussed, one is light focussed mana, and one is shadow focussed mana. Can you use these in the form of the great Alpha?”
“I can. I have not had much experience or need until now, but I do have the skill.”
“Good, then we will practice. Open your eyes and consider the mana which surrounds me. Then, use your will to focus some of that unfocussed mana within and change it until it matches mine. Focussing your mana before casting both enriches and magnifies the spell. When you have done this, let some form as a sphere between us.”
Leah was used to gathering mana and conforming it to her will, but she found this to be harder than she expected. She could form a ball of mana but struggled with focussing it so it was homogeneous. Time after time, the mana would fragment into several different forms or resume its unfocussed state. Finally, after almost ten minutes, she had a sphere of psychic mana hovering between Ruhani and herself.
Ruhani said, “Good, now bring the sphere between you and Zaman. Slowly extrude a fibre toward Zaman and another toward you. The more fibrous connections you form, and the greater their symmetry, the more information you will be able to elicit using the mana. With practice, you can send psychic mana along these fibres with suggestions or compulsions. The Günahkâr use only the passive psychic, while the Fae seek to dominate.
Leah began to picture a single thread in her mind when she thought of the different braids she’d considered in all her work in Aether dimensions. She pictured one of the simple uniform forty-eight strand braids she’d described in her earliest formulations and pictured it growing from either side of the ball she’d formed. As it approached Zaman, she had the threads expand uniformly from the braid to surround his skull and did the same with the fibres at her end.