Mech 2

by Isaac Hooke

  When they reached the edge of the dock, the ocean submerged them to the upper chests, and the waves easily splashed into their faces. There was no breakwater here. Manic coughed as one particularly nasty wave hit him.

  “Activate recall beacon,” Rade ordered Lui.

  “Activating recall beacon,” Lui echoed. He touched the circular device that hung from his neck, and it emitted a periodic green pulse.

  The minutes ticked past, but there was no sign of retrieval.

  Finally, after fifteen minutes, Manic said: “The submersibles aren’t going to come. We got here too late. They’ve already disavowed us.”

  “You’re starting to sound like Fret,” Tahoe said. “They’ll get here.”

  “I wonder if the mechs made it,” Lui said.

  “If they did, it wasn’t at this dock,” Manic said. “Otherwise, I suspect it would be a little more shot up.”

  Half an hour passed, with still no sign of retrieval.

  “This isn’t good,” Tahoe said.

  “We’re too far north,” Rade said, checking the map. “I was hoping it wouldn’t matter. But apparently we’re going to have to make our way south.”

  “Should we keep the signal running?” Lui asked. “We risk giving away our position to the enemy…”

  “We have no choice,” Rade said.

  They moved closed to shore so that they had more stable footing, and then left the cover of the dock, and headed toward the next pier, which was visible under the shore lights ahead.

  Police drones appeared overhead, swooping in from nowhere.

  “Shut off the signal!” Rade sent Lui, and he ducked in the water.

  As the drones grew closer, he sent: “Duck!”

  He pulled Tan into the water with him, and swam farther from shore, kicking his feet through the shallow water, keeping Tan hugged to his chest. Air pockets in the exoskeleton could be drained to reduce buoyancy, and he vented roughly half of them, hoping the bubbles wouldn’t give away his position. Behind him, he could see searchlights penetrating the water.

  The others proceeded seaward with him, putting some distance between themselves and the drone.

  More searchlights appeared, forming a long line that spread from north to south along the shore. It slowly moved outward.

  The drones were looking for them. And there was a good chance they were going to find them.

  And then Rade saw the four blue dots appear on his overhead map ahead.

  The submersibles.

  Rade picked up his pace, kicking himself deeper into the water. His companions kept pace beside him. Tahoe gripped Tan’s free arm, and helped Rade haul the prisoner deeper.

  The submersibles weren’t visible in the dark depths, but Rade could still see them, thanks to the augmented reality overlays the machines provided. They appeared as hollow spheres on his vision.

  He headed toward the closest one, and pulled Tan inside. Tahoe, Manic and Lui likewise drew themselves into one submersible each.

  A hatch sealed behind Rade, and the water drained out. Lights activated on the ceiling, illuminating the relatively spacious interior: it was big enough to fit a mech.

  Rade sat on the bench-like protrusion of metal from the wall and propped up Tan beside him.

  “Welcome aboard, Chief,” a cheery robotic voice said as the submersibles carried him and his companions deeper into the ocean, toward the waiting submarine.

  6

  Rade sat in the submarine’s equivalent of sickbay. A multi-limbed medical robot, known as a weaver, treated him for dehydration, along with minor scrapes and pains. Tan Xin Zao was being held in the brig where another weaver was seeing to his health.

  “I’ve given you shots for hepatitis A and B, polio, tetanus, and typhoid fever,” the medical robot said. “And rehydrated you. I’m officially clearing you for duty.”

  “Thanks,” Rade said. “Can I go now?”

  The weaver withdrew those telescoping limbs. “You may.”

  Rade bowed his head as he left the sickbay compartment. The others had been treated first, at Rade’s insistence, and were waiting in the berthing area.

  Rade nearly bumped into Lieutenant Commander Scotts on the way out.

  “Sir,” Rade said respectfully, giving a crisp salute.

  “Well, that’s another successful mission in the bag,” Scotts said.

  “Why doesn’t it feel that way?” Rade asked.

  Scotts had broken the news shortly after Rade arrived: the mechs hadn’t returned. They were presumed destroyed, killed in action. Satellite data corroborated as much, considering that the United Systems had picked up several explosions only twenty klicks from the farm where Rade and his companions were hiding, only a couple of hours after the mechs had separated.

  Scotts nodded. “You lost some expensive machines. But you can’t be blamed for what happened. We always knew there was a risk the Sino-Koreans would spot your mechs, which is why we almost voted to send you into their territory with exoskeletons alone. But the Brass approved piloted mechs, so we sent piloted mechs. The senior commanders are the ones who bear the responsibility for the loss, not you, rest assured.”

  “Doesn’t make me feel any better,” Rade said. “Those mechs… I considered them team members. Little different than men under my command. And I lost them.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Scotts said. “They’re only mechs. They can be replaced. Even if it is a costly replacement. Already their mind backups are being restored, and installed into fresh Jupiters back on base.”

  “Only mechs…” Rade said. “But they’re also sentient beings. Like ourselves. I was once like you, sir, treating mechs as little more than tricked-out machines. But I’ve since learned the error of my ways. Those mechs died out there. And they’re not coming back. Their mind clones harbor their memories, and their personalities, but not their souls, if there is such a thing.”

  Scotts nodded, and pattered Rade on the shoulder. “Their deaths won’t be forgotten.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you’re only saying that to make me feel better?” Rade asked.

  Scotts smiled. “You got me. I’m sorry, Mr. Galaal. I just can’t bring myself to value them on the same level as human beings. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that the four of you made it back. It would have been nice if your mechs had survived, too, but I’m not going to mourn them any more than I would a spent missile.”

  Rade suppressed an angry retort. This was his commanding officer, after all.

  So instead, he bowed his head, and said: “I understand. Can I return to my quarters?”

  “You may,” Scotts said.

  “Thank you.” Rade squeezed past the lieutenant commander and made his way to the berthing area.

  Rade bounced a virtual tennis ball against the underside of Tahoe’s bunk. He tossed it repeatedly with one hand. His Implant used in-out tracking to triangulate the position of the ball in his hand in realtime, even applying supple tactile feedback to his fingertips, so that he could almost believe the object was real.

  “Man, I’m looking forward to getting back stateside, and rejoining the rest of the platoon,” Tahoe said from above him.

  “You and me both,” Rade said.

  “This sub is more cramped than any starship I’ve ever been on,” Lui said from the bunk opposite Rade. He was playing some sort of virtual game, but sharing was inactive, so Rade could only see Lui’s fingers twitching in random directions.

  “I hardly noticed,” Manic said from the bunk atop Lui. “I have my augmented reality settings set up to overlay the walls with my own virtual environment. As far as I’m concerned, we’re resting on four hammocks tied between palm trees on a white sand beach. I haven’t seen so much prime ass since Mexico.”

  “Ass, or pussy?” Lui asked.

  “I misspoke,” Manic replied. “I meant pussy of course.”

  “You’re lucky Bender isn’t here,” Lui said. “He’d never let you live that comment down.�
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  “What’s wrong with ass, anyway?” Manic leaned over the edge of the bunk to gaze at Lui. “If you ever feel like experimenting, let me know.” He gave Lui a wink.

  Lui kicked the underside of the bunk, hard, and Manic laughed before sliding from view again.

  “Damn it!” Lui said, cringing in pain. “Stubbed my toe!”

  “Next time don’t kick his bunk,” Tahoe commented.

  Rade smiled, dismissing the virtual tennis ball. Having these three brothers along sure made the trip a whole lot easier. He couldn’t imagine what he would have done if he was alone. He’d have to immerse himself in VR war games all day. He pretty much did that anyway, admittedly, though with the three of them joining in.

  “Have any you tried that new Battle Fatale game?” Tahoe asked. “What’s it called… Fort Defense?”

  “Never heard of it,” Rade said.

  “Yeah, it’s this game where a thousand people enter the same map at once,” Tahoe said. “And they have to build forts to defend their position. They can place weapon turrets, mechs, armored tanks, as well as equip themselves with an assortment of weaponry, found in loot chests spread throughout the map. The map keeps shrinking, like the old-style Battle Royale games, but the twist is, once it reaches its smallest size, the map begins to grow again. If you don’t locate and defeat your opponents before the map gets too big, good luck finding them.”

  “Sounds like a camper’s paradise,” Manic said. “How are you supposed to win if your opponents get away?”

  “Most people quit,” Tahoe said. “Last person logged in wins.”

  “Strange game mode,” Manic said. “I think I’ll stick with Battle Royale.”

  Lui was still caressing his foot, but he looked up suddenly. “Check out the main streaming networks. I was monitoring one of the military sub-cords on CordIt when the channel just blew up with posts. We’ve got an attack on United Systems soil.”

  “On Earth?” Tahoe asked, sounding incredulous.

  “On Earth,” Lui agreed.

  A network of balloons and satellites provided Internet and InterGalNet coverage across the world’s oceans; the military had placed repeaters on the ocean’s surface for their submarines, which allowed Rade to tap into the closest satellite and log on. He headed straight for Youblube.

  In a sidebar provided by the submarine’s AI, he could see a list of the most popular streams currently being viewed by crew members. The first one, a news channel, was watched by almost two-thirds of the crew. Not wanting to compete for bandwidth with everyone else, he chose that channel and the AI shared the stream with him.

  Rade saw a street in shambles. Buildings were collapsed, their constituent blocks fanning across the streets. The roads were pocked with blast craters. Cars and flyers lay smashed on either side, some partially buried in the rubble of the buildings. Troops in exoskeletons were ducked behind the rubble, next to mechs and tanks; they fired at unseen foes. A chryon at the bottom of the screen was captioned: “Sino-Koreans launch pre-emptive strike.”

  “We’re looking at the Upper East Side of Manhattan,” a newscaster said. “This is a feed from Harry Samoi, a journalist stationed near the heart of the fighting. Earlier today, Sino-Korean troops began a two-pronged assault on both of our coastlines, attacking all major cities along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, from New York to Los Angeles. Defense forces—”

  “Tepin, are you all right?” Tahoe interrupted. He paused. “Oh, I was so worried. Are you watching the news? Okay. Yes, I’m fine. But I assume I’ll be called to war soon. Have you talked to Aniidastehdo? Good…”

  Rade muted the newscaster’s audio, because there were too many voices to listen to at once.

  But then Manic spoke up as well. “Hey, I just wanted to check on Sarah.”

  Lui’s spoke, too. “Hey, sis. I’m sure you’ve heard the news by now. No? Here, turn on your proxy and pull up Youblube. Yes, I know it’s banned. You won’t get caught. I’ll help you. Never mind, I’ll just tell you. Your country is invading mine.”

  Rade decided to try to video call Shaw. He kept the news feed muted, and then pulled up his friend list. She was online, according to the status indicator. It was around noon for her.

  He initiated the call. It rang once. Twice. Thrice.

  Shaw appeared, floating above him, looking as cute as ever. Her skin seemed more tanned than usual, a sign that she was on leave, or just returning from it. “Hi,” she said.

  “Hey Shaw,” Rade said. “I—”

  “This is Shaw,” she interrupted. “Sorry I missed your call, please leave a message after the beep and I’ll get back—”

  Rade disconnected. The others were still talking, so he decided to use his noise canceller to mute them. He didn’t use noise cancelling all that often these days, but it had a handful of important use cases, such as when he needed to disable his Implant to have a conversation off the record and didn’t want anyone nearby to hear. Or when he wanted to concentrate on a particular video feed.

  He reactivated the sound from the stream and watched it for the next ten minutes. The defending troops didn’t make much progress, but he did finally see the enemy a few times: they piloted Sino-Korean mechs and armored tanks. Apparently, there was no air support because the Sino Koreans were busy attacking the air bases with their own craft.

  Rade disabled his noise canceller. His friends were quiet, no doubt viewing their own streams.

  “So far, I haven’t seen any mention of nukes,” Rade said.

  “I have,” Lui said. “Try the next most popular stream. They’ve got commentators explaining the situation.”

  “Why not just update me?” Rade pressed.

  “Okay,” Lui said. “The SKs launched nukes earlier, yes, but the Aegis anti-nuclear defense system detonated the ICBMs in space, well before arrival. It worked so well, in fact, that no one knew about the attack for the first few hours. Well, except the military. People posted viral videos of strange ’bright spots’ appearing in the sky.

  “The radiation sweepers in orbit have been dispatched to clean out the affected regions of the atmosphere. The ionizing radiation caused some damage to the ozone layer as well, apparently, but it’s localized for the most part, and the United Systems is planning to restore it with ozone rockets.”

  “Was there an EMP pulse?” Rade asked, disabling the video entirely so that he could look at his friend.

  “There was,” Lui replied. “But the United Systems has been upgrading our infrastructure for the past little while in preparation of such an attack. No vital systems went down: the power grid, the communications grid, the Internet, all still up. The worse of the damage was restricted to older vehicles and computers, all of it in the private sector. There are videos of people watching their electronics melt down as the ‘bright spots’ filled the sky overhead.”

  Rade shook his head. “Nukes, followed by a conventional attack. Have they lost their minds?”

  “Apparently,” Lui said. “Have you heard the announcers? We’ve got troops invading the major coastal cities. If you go back to the front page of Youblube, you’ll see citizen streams across both coasts showing SK troops rushing the docks and beaches, taking control, killing and taking prisoners indiscriminately. Looks like we’ll be going to war as soon as we get back.”

  “I tried to watch those feeds,” Tahoe said. “They’re all choppy. We’re competing with bandwidth alongside the rest of the crew. All I can watch is the first two streams cached by the sub’s AI.”

  “What I’d like to know is what reason they’re giving for the attack,” Rade said.

  “I think it’s because of us,” Manic said.

  “No, it can’t be,” Rade said, a sudden sinking feeling coming to the pit of his stomach.

  “On the third most popular stream,” Manic continued. “The commentators have been breaking down statements released by the Sino-Korean government. In one of the statements, the SKs called the kidnapping of the senior government offici
al Tan Xin Zao an act of war, and, I quote, they ‘plan to repay the United Systems tenfold.’”

  “So, we finally did it,” Tahoe said. “We finally sparked an international incident. I always feared something like this would happen one day.”

  “But we only kidnapped him eight hours ago,” Rade said. “Given how organized their attack is, they were days away from invading anyway. They just used the kidnapping as a convenient excuse to accelerate their timetable. It takes a few days to mobilize troop submarines after all, and they’ve already got subs lining both coasts. At least I’m assuming that’s where most of those troops came from, as airships would have been shot out of the sky.”

  “They were waiting for any excuse to invade,” Lui agreed. “Tan was right about their Paramount Leader, and wasn’t joking when he said the SKs planned war against the United Systems. It’s just too bad we had to be the excuse for that war.”

  “The match that lit the kindling,” Tahoe said. “Well, the Sino-Koreans aren’t going to be very pleased when they find out they’ve awakened a sleeping dragon. Not very pleased at all. Because the SKs weren’t the only ones who were looking for an excuse to go to war: so was the United Systems. And I’m worried that they plan on wiping the Sino-Koreans off the planetary map entirely, once and for all.”

  “They can’t,” Lui said. “Not with all those civilians out there. Like my sister and relatives.”

  “Let’s just hope they leave the civilians alone,” Tahoe agreed. “And concentrate on the military targets. But given that the invading SKs seem to be firing indiscriminately at civilian and military targets alike, I wouldn’t count on too much mercy.”

  “No, Lui is right,” Rade said. “The public outcry would bring down our government. That’s the difference between us and them. We’ve got a sizable population of Sino-Koreans living among us already. People who can be voices for the SKs. Whereas only a fraction of United Systems expats live among them, given the recent crackdown. Besides, a good percentage of our armed forces are of SK background, like Lui here. No, there would be a revolt if civilians were targeted. There’s going to be war, yes. But I guarantee you, it’s going to involve regime change.”