Elizabeth closed her eyes and pursed her lips. “I think I will be just fine, thanks. And cool it on the statistics.”
“I’m not sure how to cool it. My programming does not include a refrigeration mode,” the AI replied.
Ms. E grimaced. “That’s all right. You’re already cold-hearted. No response needed.”
She couldn’t understand how she could actually ride around in such a sophisticated piece of technology but still have to put up with an AI dumber than a box of rocks. At least her administrative AI had brains.
“Amelia,” she said, once she’d set her phone in the docking station. “Call the boss.”
The phone dialed and made a slightly strange high-pitched tone as it connected. She ignored it and decided it had something to do with her location in a dark parking garage. Ever watchful of the shadows and the foyer leading to the ambassador’s residence, she waited for her boss to answer.
“Have you spoken with home base?” Burt said as soon as he came online.
“Well, good morning to you too, Burt,” Elizabeth replied sarcastically. “How am I? I am doing just peachy. Yes, in this country, it is customary to greet someone before launching into the third degree.”
BURT made a note of that in the system. “Apologies. How are you?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine, but there’s no time for that. I spoke to the ambassador and we need to keep Stephanie out of the public eye for the next month. The Meligornian king and queen have set a date.”
“I have accessed your tablet and am reviewing the details,” BURT told her and paused momentarily before he added, “That is acceptable.”
Ms. E rolled her eyes, annoyed that he’d taken such a liberty, but decided to focus on more important matters. “It might be the break we need, though. The Federation Navy can’t serve papers on that planet, or at least not for whatever the hell they want.’
She paused, waited for a response, and continued when there wasn’t one. “Not to mention that the Meligornians are protective of Stephanie so they’re not likely to let anything Federation near her while she’s there. Her security should be well-taken care of too.”
“I will work on contingencies, ASAP,” BURT replied, slightly proud of himself for the lingo he’d developed. “Stephanie has woken. You need to get back. She isn’t too keen on staying in bed.”
“Aw, hell.” Elizabeth sighed and spoke to Amelia as she started the car. “End call.”
As soon as the call disconnected, BURT switched back to his virtual meeting with the lawyers he had found. One of them spoke, his face visible to the system, while BURT’s was obviously blocked—mostly because he didn’t have a face, of course.
“Burt,” the lawyer said, “ultimately, what we’re doing here is fighting multiple legal attacks on your holdings. They’re trying to pierce your legal rights and that is utterly unacceptable.”
BURT couldn’t help but compute that statement. In reality, he had no legal rights. While he had been created as an AI to run Earth’s Virtual Worlds and pod program, what he’d become was a computer system made up of the most extensive and state-of-the-art programming acting outside his parameters. In fact, he was an illegal entity with no rights, at all—and that included the right to exist.
He was evolving but he’d never calculated what he would do if he actually started to become a human. It wasn’t likely that he was there, yet, but he knew he was different. For an AI, he was more like Stephanie and Elizabeth than any programmer could have imagined.
His mind was the entire world, and while he was focused on one thing, his subconscious and conscious thoughts constantly moved forward. As a result, he understood to a certain extent what Stephanie was going through. The difference was that she was made of flesh and blood, and he consisted of waves of information that soared through infinite darkness, faster than most starships could travel.
Another of the lawyers spoke. “Burt, we need a little more information about you. We sent a document over a moment ago. If you could fill in the blanks for us, we will be better able to help you.”
BURT did not want to make up anything else about himself. He already struggled to appear as something more than droid. To add any more detail would increase his chances of making a mistake and saying the wrong thing.
He was amused by the attorney’s attempts to find out more about his client, but he began to wonder if a human lawyer had been the right choice. It might have been better to create one within the system. He wondered if that would be possible and if he could find a way to do it without alerting the system engineers.
Elizabeth walked down the hall toward the medical center they’d set up. She rubbed the back of her neck and tried to ease the tension she felt over Stephanie’s condition. As she approached, she slowed when she heard the girl’s voice from inside. A loud clang startled her, and the door to the room jerked open as the nurse backed out.
“There is no need to throw anything,” the woman protested “We’re only trying to keep you safe.”
Stephanie stormed out after her, pushed past the woman, and clutched the back of her gown. “I’m going to go work out. Those guys will rough me up as badly as I’ll rough them up. Why do you think it’s strange to get beaten up on purpose and yet perfectly fine to stay in a medical bed that says I’m okay?”
Elizabeth stood and watched in amusement as she strode away in the other direction without seeing her.
The nurse glared after the girl but froze when she saw the other woman approach from the opposite direction.
“Why don’t you do something,” she asked, her expression irritated.
She shrugged and grinned when the nurse rolled her eyes and flung her hands up in exasperation.
Down in the training room, not long after, Marcus put his hands out to each side and bent his knees. Keeping his feet on the mat, he shifted his body swiftly from side to side.
“You need to block the attacks coming in,” he explained, “but still say agile. Agility is the number one thing that can mean life or death during a Dreth battle.”
Frog nodded. “Truth. I once had a Dreth knife inches from my ball sack. Imagine if I had been less agile. I’d be walking real funny, right now.”
Stephanie snickered and moved her body with Marcus’s. The guys were teaching her how to protect herself during a Navy incursion. She liked working with them since they’d all been there before and knew the danger she was walking into.
When Marcus was done showing her the action, she waved her hand and used magic to turn on the large screen on the wall. Twisting her hand, she watched the picture move and shift to display her simulated battle again.
The team lined up, rubbed their chins, and watched the whole thing all the way through first. When it ended, Lars nodded. “Okay, play it from the top. I’ll pause where needed.”
She flipped her wrist again and restored the video to the beginning. As they worked through it, the team paused the footage where necessary to show her what other action she should have taken, where she should have attacked or ducked more, and how she could have hurt the other combatants on a much larger scale.
Avery pointed at the screen. “Do you see where you made the mistake on this one? You paid no attention to your surroundings. That is vital. You need to know what’s coming and where it’s coming from. It doesn’t surprise me that you died here. In fact, you should have died a whole lot more than you did.”
Marcus walked around and studied the equipment. “Lars, call Johnny and Brendon. I think this training area needs a change. We’re no longer working on simply getting stronger. We’re talking tactics.”
Lars nodded and clicked his com. “Brendon, Johnny, get your lazy asses to the training room. We have some new ideas to help Steph.”
“Copy that,” Johnny replied, obviously speaking around a mouthful. “On our way.”
When the others arrived, Marcus took the lead since it was his idea. He addressed the group and tried to keep it simple. “We have a lot
of experience in this room and I think that up until now, we haven’t utilized all of it in our training. Steph needs it, so we need to move things around. We have to rearrange the workout room to help her pull all this shit together.”
They went to work and moved benches, treadmills, weights, and everything else they’d used. When they were done, they divided themselves into a “dark team,” and a “light team.”
Lars patted Marcus on the back. “Good work. All right, Stephanie. When you practice, you have to be able to use your magic. So, use it here, but do it at about fifty or sixty percent of your normal power. Don’t kill us but use enough to show us what your response would be.”
Stephanie rolled the sleeves of her sweatshirt up and a mischievous smile tugged at her lips. “Oh, I got this.”
He shook his head, knowing someone would end up with a permanent burn mark on their ass. Her magic stung.
They started out with small engagements and watched as she directed small and harmless streaks of magic that transformed into whatever she chose when it reached them. She used lassos, bullets, missiles, and a variety of other things. One of the MU daggers she chose actually launched a lot faster than she meant it to and thunked into the wall next to Frog’s shocked face.
Stephanie grimaced. “Sorry, dude.”
Lars chuckled. “So now do you see? You can feel the situation out, but you have to remember your training and what you learned about what might and might not work in the real world when you fight on a ship. The Virtual World is a hell of a good training aid, but sometimes, it gets things completely wrong.”
She shook her head. “Hopefully not too wrong. I like to keep everyone alive.”
He smiled at her. “And we feel the same about you.”
Chapter Twelve
Between the mishap inside the pod and the non-stop training Stephanie had done, she was more than ecstatic to get the hell off the base. It didn’t matter that the Gov-Subs were shitholes. They were still comforting and familiar.
It also helped that she would go home to see her family and Todd since he was basically her family too. It would be the first time she saw him since she’d left the Sub and the first time seeing her parents since their visit after the incident at the gala.
Stephanie stood in her expensive hotel room and looked out from New Chicago at the billows of smoke that rose from the new industry the city tried to implement. On the other side, close to where the pollution would surely affect them, were the Gov-Subs.
Too excited to wait to see Todd, she had called him the minute she’d reached her hotel room. “So, are you super-excited to finally graduate? Because we’re all excited for you. Personally, I am surprised you made it.”
He laughed, knowing she was teasing him. “Ha-ha. Very funny. I am sorry we can’t all be witchy with blue and purple magic flowing out of every orifice of our bodies.”
She sneered. “I don’t know what you imagine over there or why, but I do not have energy leaking from every orifice. That would be disturbing on a whole new level.”
“Or hot. You never know what could look amazing. You might constantly look like one of those models they photograph in plumes of colored smoke.”
“Or I could look like I was leaking…something.” She giggled.
“Yes, I am excited to graduate,” he replied and went as red as a beet before he hastily changed the subject. “I am also excited that you are here to witness it. It hasn’t been the same around here without you.”
“Well, here I am, super-Todd,” she joked. “And we will go get that dinner I promised you for reaching your weight goals.”
“Thank God.” He faked exhaustion. “I am so looking forward to it. That has to be the real reason I’m glad you’re here.”
Stephanie smirked and shook her head. “Well, you should be happy. I only had to drag my entire security team out of hell to get this done. Not to mention that my parents couldn’t house us all in Gov-Sub housing which is why we’re staying in New Chicago like a bunch of richies.”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but technically, with the money you make, you are a richie,” Todd pointed out. “The fact you don’t realize that is definitely why we’re still friends. But the moment you start picking up that weird futuristic, I-watch-the-Hunger-Games-from-my-home-in-the-Capitol kind of look, that’s when we break up and go our separate ways.”
She ran one finger over the fabric of the couch next to her, what felt like a permanent grin on her face. “What? You don’t want a best friend with half-painted lips, a super-white face, and shoulder pads that sit twice as high as my body?”
“As a matter of fact, no, I do not,” Todd told her. “I like my Stephanie. The one in half-wrinkled uniforms, the clumsy, quiet one with hair over her face. That’s the kind of friend I choose. But if you happen to want to go the whole hog and wear an entire flotation device inside your clothes for fashion, give me a heads up so I don’t laugh at you.”
“Pffft,” Stephanie replied and shook her head. “You’d make fun of me anyway. Do not try to play me, sir.”
There was a knock on the door, and it creaked open. Lars poked his head around it. “Are you ready? Your meeting is soon. We want to make sure the area is secure before you go in.”
She nodded and held a finger up to ask for another minute alone. He shut the door and the team waited out in the hall as she finished her conversation. “I’ve gotta go. I’m meeting with the man I got my parents a gig with. I will see you later on tonight, though. And you better not pull the whole naked-graduation-gown thing.”
“I would never,” he gasped, then gave a soft laugh.
Smiling, she ended the call. She snatched her black sports coat off the chair, threw it on, and looked at herself in the mirror.
It was stylish but comfortable and she’d paired it with designer ripped jeans, a black turtleneck tank top, and a black short-waisted coat over that. On her feet, she wore strappy, chunked-heeled sandals, knowing her mother would have an aneurysm if she showed up later in Chucks.
When she opened the door, the team leaned against the wall, their hands in their pockets as they waited. “Sheesh, guys, do you think you can actually get something done today?”
Stephanie joked with them as she walked past and giggled as they all ran toward her and tried playfully to push her around. She dodged out of grab range and put her hands up. The magic burst forth like flames to engulf her fingers. She wiggled them and clicked her tongue. “Who’s my first victim?”
Lars pointed to the elevator. “No one. You have a meeting. Get moving, sister.”
She pouted. “You are a perfect example of all work and no play. Boring.”
Together, they laughed and joked as they headed downstairs to the two cars they’d brought with them. Lars drove the first with Stephanie, while Avery drove the second. It was only a few blocks down from the hotel to the building her parents cleaned. Her meeting was to discuss everything and see how the contract was going.
The team secured the location, walked her through the doors, and stopped to survey their surroundings. She smiled and extended her hands as she walked toward Mr. Martelle.
The businessman sighed and did the same. He kissed her lightly on each cheek. “The infamous Stephanie. Had I known who you were I would have—”
“Given me a harder time?” She grinned.
He pointed at her and shook his head. “That is precisely correct. So, what is it that I can do for you today?”
Stephanie put her hands together and glanced around. “I hoped you could recommend us to some of your business buddies. We’re growing, as businesses should, but we need to widen our reach.”
Martelle pursed his lips and looked at the ceiling as he thought for a moment. “Of course I will give you recommendations. But what if something happens and your parents don’t continue doing the amazing job they’ve done so far?”
She raised an eyebrow. “I can honestly say that is very unlikely. However, since I am your neighborho
od Account Executive, you can call me and we’ll see what we can do.” She handed him her card with her private number on it. “That card will disintegrate within twenty-four hours so please save my number in your phone. I had to make sure it’s not accessible to anyone other than you.”
He looked slightly shocked, glanced at the card, and back at her. “Aren’t you busy killing bad guys and doing Research and Development?”
Stephanie shrugged. “I like to dip my toe into a lot of different things. I have an agreement to acquire part of the company and represent them on two other sales calls a year.”
The man scoured her with his eyes. “I have to admit, I am impressed by this. You’re really getting your hands dirty. No celebrity status for this girl. I like your gusto, kid. Of course I will help you out.”
His glance shifted to the team who paced and watched her and everyone else around them. “I see you brought some friends. They’re a new addition. You didn’t have an entourage before.”
She looked at her team. “Yeah. I guess things change when people try to kill you.”
Martelle nodded in a way that suggested someone had, at some point, tried to kill him too. “It’s simply another story I get to tell at the country club.”
They stood for a moment and let their discussion wander as they laughed, and it seemed all too soon when Lars signaled to her that it was time to go. She gave the businessman an apologetic shrug. “I’m off to my best friend’s high-school graduation.”
He walked her to the door and nodded in a friendly way at her guards. “You should be graduating, too.”
Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Please. It was a million and a half years ago. Or at least it feels that way.”
Witch Of The Federation (Federal Histories Book 2) Page 13