by Drew Cordell
“Internment camp? And how do you know so much about the dropships?”
“I’m—was an engineer. Everyone’s in the internment camp now—everyone that isn’t dead at least. Three months ago, they implemented something called Mindshift, and everything went to hell.”
My heart sunk.
9 MINDSHIFT
“You’re sure that’s what they called it—Mindshift?” Marwin asked. His pitch wavered, and I could hear the fear in his voice.
“Yeah. It started with footage from the Slums leaking into the Mids. It caused widespread panic because people were worried the same thing would happen here. How could anyone feel safe if it could happen in the Slums? We were the new low on the totem pole. The Government responded by bringing up more Enforcers from the Slums—even the old, rusty models that had never been in the Mids before. I knew something was up at my workstation when we couldn’t access the records or dropship command protocols. Something took over the command, and the Mids were suddenly under complete lockdown. Travis, one of my colleagues, drove over to the central elevators to try to see what was going on, but he never came back.”
“Wow,” Mary said, sinking back into the couch.
“How did it all go down?” Marwin asked.
“They hiked up the prices in all the stores. Then they cancelled contact payments in them. Everyone had their account frozen.”
“Contact payments?” I asked.
Bernie raised his hand to reveal a small incision that had been stitched shut with black cord. “NFC capsule that linked to our bank accounts. Hurt like a bitch to take them out, but they can be tracked. I didn’t want my family taken to that damn internment camp. People couldn’t buy food or water, and that was before the curfew hit.”
“This sounds like a repeat of the riots in the Slums from thirteen years ago. Same procedures. Cut off the people’s access to food, institute a mandatory curfew, and increase security presence,” Marwin said.
“I’ve never trusted NFC capsules and had a fairly large credit stash on standby in case something like this happened. I filled a cart with groceries and stored it away in my apartment. The next day, Enforcers began driving down the streets and parking, giving everyone who would have their thoughts collected with some new tech called Mindshift a large box of food and water for their family.”
“Did you have your thoughts collected?” I asked.
“Hell no, but I was close to it. I knew I would need the food if things got worse, but I saw what it was doing to people. It started off with a simple evaluation procedure. People got injected with a shot, then they’d hook them up to the new collection canisters for ten seconds. That’s all it took. Some people threw up, others got bad headaches. I knew something was wrong. After the collection, they’d stamp them with an electronic tattoo and send them on their way with their food.”
“They were tracking them with the electronic ink?” Mary asked.
Nick nodded. “They were tracking how many times people did collection with Mindshift.”
Bernie continued. “Well, it got worse. They started doing other things with the tech to people who had undergone the first wave of tests. Each time they’d use the new Mindshift tech, collect people’s thoughts, stamp their hand with a new tattoo layer, and send them on their way with the food. At this point, Emily and Nick were already living with me, and we avoided the trucks whenever they drove down the streets.”
“I almost gave in when we started running low on food,” Nick said sullenly, looking down and squeezing Emily’s hand.
“We all did, Nick,” Emily responded, brushing his hand with her fingers.
“Anyway, people started getting really messed up by the collections and whatever that tech was doing to them. People got irrational and violent—started doing crazy shit.”
“Dad, language. They’re just kids,” Emily said to Bernie.
Bernie cast a glance at Emily, then at Mary and me. “No, they’re not. Not anymore. Anyway, the Government started increasing the intensity of whatever they were doing and reducing the intervals they were giving out food and water to people. Things were getting really bad now; people were rioting, killing each other, and all sorts of horrible, psycho shit. I saw one man in line to get his food stab another in the throat with a steak knife because he thought he wouldn’t get a turn. The Enforcers didn’t even care. They just kept administering the procedure and killed anyone who tried to stop it on the spot.”
“The three of us started rationing off our food and staying inside while everything went down,” Bernie continued. “They’d have a truck and crew of Enforcers come down the street every day to administer the procedure to survivors and cart off the corpses that were stacking up on the streets. Eventually they took all the survivors to the internment camp set up to the west of the central support beam, and I haven’t heard anything of it since. The Enforcers marked off empty buildings and apartments with black spray paint, and I happened to have a can in my engineering toolkit. I marked our door with an X, and we waited until we hadn’t heard anything for a week to leave the apartment. We hadn’t eaten in three days at that point and were getting desperate. Everyone else was already dead or had been carted away to the internment camp. You three are the first people we’ve seen in a long time.”
Marwin cursed, leaning back and taking a deep breath. “That’s unbelievable,” he managed.
“I’m not lying to you,” Bernie said firmly, meeting his gaze.
“I know you’re not, friend. That’s what scares me. I can’t believe all this happened without the Upper Level knowing.”
“What the hell are you talking about? How could they not know?” Bernie shouted, anger surging into his voice.
“There is no Government, only the Omniscience Engine AI that runs every aspect of New York. Even as Inquisitor, I knew nothing. You wouldn’t believe how powerless we really are against this system,” Marwin said.
“Why the hell do you want to go to the Slums? Believe me, the footage wasn’t good. There were thugs killing people by the hundreds on the videos. I don’t know how the streams reached the Mids, but I can’t think of any reason why you’d want to go there.”
“We have contacts there who may be able to help us. They might be the only hope of ending all this.”
“How do we shut it down without losing everything? Everything in this country is centralized into the same AI grid, all controlled by an infinitely complex entity that’s more powerful and organized than anything else in existence. If we shut it down, we lose our food, we lose our water, we lose everything,” Bernie said.
Marwin scratched his beard and contemplated Bernie’s words. “Before we got shot out of the sky, we hacked into the physical drives containing all the schematics and workings of the Absolute Knowledge protocol. We have everything, and it’s safe in the Upper Level right now. We just need a datapad strong enough to transfer it, and a ship to get us to the Slums. If we get into the Undercity, we have friends who may be able to do something with the information and do something about this shitstorm,” Marwin said.
“I don’t see a way to win this. If you’re serious about the Undercity, my family and I will help you. We’ll try to find a way to start our new lives. I’ll do everything I can to help you and your friends,” Bernie said.
“How do you know they’re still alive?” Nick asked.
“We don’t, but the infrastructure they had in the Undercity would likely survive all of this. They’ve been dark for quite a while, but if there isn’t any power in the Mids, that explains why our signal wasn’t making it through. Without the Mids’ signal boosters, there’s no way our transmission would have made it down to the Slums,” Marwin said.
“I don’t know about this, Bernie. I don’t think it’s worth the risk. We don’t even know if anyone is still alive down in the Slums. Why leave our security here?” Nick asked.
“Look, I know what you’re thinking,” I said, jumping into the conversation. “This is crazy, but it�
�s our only shot at surviving. You can’t expect to scavenge for everything you need forever. This isn’t sustainable. If you help us, we can give you new lives.”
Mary remained silent, looking as though she was processing everything intently.
“He’s right, Nick. We have security, but we’re starving. And there’s been less and less to scavenge. We’re getting closer to the internment camp on our runs, and it isn’t worth the risk. We can help them and in return, they’ll help us start over,” Bernie said.
“What good will Emily and I be to them? What reason do they have to take care of us? Nothing is free. I say—”
“Look, Nick. Help us get to the Slums, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure you, your wife, and Bernie are taken care of. I’m one of the Council members of the organization we are trying to reconnect with, and I’ll put in a good word. I’m not saying you won’t have to work, but we’ll find somewhere you can be useful. Whatever you do, I guarantee it’s better than how you’re living now,” I said, interrupting him.
“You’re one of the leaders?” Nick asked, clearly thrown off by my age.
“It’s a long story we don’t have time for, but yes, I have a say in the decision,” I said. Nick looked to Marwin who nodded in reassurance.
“Let’s talk specifics. What do you need from us?” Bernie asked.
“We’re going to need your help modifying an Enforcer Dropship so it can’t be hijacked remotely. We’re also going to need to be able to create an encrypted connection with my contact in the Upper Level before we leave the Mids.”
“Like I said, the transponder for automatic control is integrated into the main electronics board. Tamper with it, and you’ll break the whole damn ship. Dropships like that are designed to fly independently. Hell, the pilot bots are just there to provide an extra body to help the other Enforcers if shit goes down when the dropship is parked. All the switches and controls in the cockpit are just a formality for human pilots. You can do whatever you want to the controls, and the digital automation can still override what you’re doing. What I could try, and I have no idea if it would work or not, is to build an oscillating converter box to attach to the transponder. It would switch the signal from digital to analog back and forth several times a second and hopefully disrupt the transmissions. There’s no way the Omniscience Engine, as you call it, wouldn’t be able to dish out an analog signal, but hopefully we could at least break down the packets of information and alter the oscillation cycle to limit the signal reception and data packet conversion in the dropship’s automation systems.”
“You lost me in all the technical jargon. How would it work?” Marwin asked.
“If it worked, and the AI was trying to hijack the ship, you’d only lose control for fractions of a second every second. It’d be like flying a broken ship, but you’d at least have a chance to correct and fight against whatever the AI is trying to do. I can build a simple computer in the device that will optimize the packet disruption rate and give us the best chance of survival.”
“There’s no way to just jam outside signals from the inside?”
“No. The armor on Enforcer dropships is thick, but it isn’t designed for stealth or blocking signals. I don’t have access to the parts I’d need to do something like that. This is our best bet,” Bernie responded.
“Okay, I’d be willing to take that chance. It can’t be harder to pilot than a ship without thrusters. Can you build something that will let us communicate with the Upper Level?”
“Encrypted, no. There’s no way we’re going to get a signal like that up there unless you’ve created some sort of manual cipher, but then again, against the Absolute Knowledge project, it wouldn’t work anyway. At this point, if you want to communicate, you’ll either need to run it broadband using good old-fashioned radio frequencies, or get back up to the Upper Level to be in digital transmission range. Without any power in the Mids, your signal isn’t going to make it otherwise.”
“If we run it broadband, anyone can see what we’re doing, right?” Marwin asked.
“Yeah, that’s right. Is your info any good if it’s public knowledge?” Bernie asked.
“It should be, but would this expose our contact?”
“Yes. They’ll be lit up on the grid.”
Marwin cursed and sunk back into the couch. “I don’t like our options here.”
“We need this data,” Mary said.
“I’ve got the solution to the problem,” I said. Everyone turned to face me.
“Look, we can trick the Omniscience Engine into activating the signal boosters in the Mids. As soon as we steal the dropship, it will activate the signal boosters to try to take control of the ship. When it does that, we activate Bernie’s device on the transponder, and initiate the data download from the contact in the Upper Level over an encrypted digital transmission as planned. We just need to make sure we buy enough time with Bernie’s device to make it look like the Omniscience Engine has a chance of doing what it wants with the ship we’re flying. We’ll get the data from the transmission, put the transponder device into overdrive, and rush down to the Slums,” I said.
“That would work, assuming the Omniscience Engine takes the bait, of course,” Bernie said. “And we don’t die right when we get in the air. And my device works. And the AI stays online long enough for you to grab your data. That’s a lot of ands.”
“Bernie, do you have everything you’ll need here?” Marwin asked.
“Yeah, I’ll get to work. You three get some rest. Emily, Nick, help me build this. In the morning, we’ll go to the nearest Enforcer station and steal a datapad and ship,” Bernie said. “Oh, and if you need to use the bathroom, just go to any of the surrounding apartments and lock our apartment door when you’re done.”
Marwin shook Bernie’s hand, and Nick showed us into one of the guest rooms. There was only one bed, but Mary and I offered it to Marwin, opting for a few heavy blankets and pillows on the floor. We were so tired and sore from the crash, it didn’t bother us at all. Marwin set a motion sensor on the door that would wake him if it opened. I didn’t think these people were a danger to us, but Marwin insisted on being careful.
Holding Mary in my arms, I drifted into a deep sleep, preparing myself for our task in the morning. If things went well, we’d be back with the Champions in no time and we’d have a shot at beating Infinitum.
10 HACKED
My eyes peeled open, and bright green light from my nearby helmet lit a small patch of carpet in front of my eyes. Mary and I had a heavy blanket pulled over us, and it kept us warm against the cold air. As I moved, Mary reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling it toward her chest. Her cybernetic hand was cold against my skin, but I didn’t mind. With my free arm, I pulled my helmet over and slid it over my head, pressing the power button on the side. The inside flickered to life, displaying messages that it wasn’t properly connected to the rest of the armor. The timestamp displayed 10:07 AM; we had been asleep for almost eight hours.
“Jake?” Mary asked through a yawn, her voice sleepy.
“Yeah?”
“What time is it?”
“It’s ten in the morning. Marwin’s still sleeping, so I think we can sleep for a little longer if you want.”
“I don’t think I can sleep anymore,” she said, scooting closer to me and pulling my arm in tighter.
“Same. Let’s get dressed and hand out breakfast to the others,” I said, standing and shining the small LED beam from my helmet over the room, allowing us to recover our undersuits and grab our backpacks. I took off the helmet and set it with the rest of my armor. My whole body ached from the crash yesterday, and I did my best to stretch out some of the tension.
We exited the room as quietly as possible hauling the heavy packs, but leaving our armor behind. Bernie, Emily, and Nick were all sitting at the kitchen table, talking about something while Bernie tinkered with some parts.
“Good morning,” I called out as we walked into the room.
“Good morning,” Emily said. “If it’s not too much to ask, could we split one of your ration packs for breakfast?”
“Of course. If all goes well today, we won’t have to worry about running out of food.”
I pulled out a ration pack and bottle of water for each of them before sitting down at one of the metal chairs at the round table.
“What are you working on?” I asked.
“Finishing up the calibrations on the oscillator. I’m done with all the soldering. I just need to be sure the signal scrambler is working correctly. Maximizing dropped packets is the name of the game,” he replied, setting down the circular device and tearing into the ration pack. After a few minutes of eating and light conversation, Marwin emerged from the room dressed in his undersuit as well.
“Good morning,” he greeted. “Thanks for letting us stay the night. I sure needed the rest.”
“Yeah, no problem. Bernie is almost done with the transponder oscillator. We should be ready to roll in a couple of hours. Do you have a map of the Enforcer station or anything?” Nick asked.
“Except for the primary station which is located in the Financial District in the Mids, all the stations use the same layout, and I’ve got it memorized. I made a crude digital drawing of it that Jake and Mary can access, so we’ll split up so each group has at least one of us in it.”
“We’re only going to need two groups, one to get the datapad and another to prepare the dropship,” Bernie said.
“Ideally, yes, but if we need something else last minute, then we’ll have options,” Marwin responded.
“I forgot to ask. How much data are we talking about for this transfer?” Bernie asked.
“Around thirty petabytes.”
Bernie cursed. “You don’t think the Omniscience Engine will notice a transfer that large? That’s going to take time, time we probably won’t have.”
