by Marcus Sloss
“You charged like a madman. I was always better at the strategy until the chaos unfolded. You tend to beat me there. Everly adapted quickly,” Jevon said with a grunt. “Not a fan of suiciding but Eric, we need to think of a way to make it work.”
“Can the operating system work remotely? Why not just buy drones that can explode?” I asked Jevon who shrugged. I turned to Sammie, “Get me Peterson on the line.”
My armored maid tapped into her Gpad rapidly. A moment later my Gpad over my acrium activated.
“Go for Peterson,” she said without a video on.
“Can we make drone bombs?” I asked.
“Yeah, the gate controller prevents allowing AI-controlled anything inside the market. I asked my guide or storage mentor, a teddy bear from childhood. Anyway, AI are like space programs. They get nixed by the mother ship if built organically. And they aren’t allowed into the grand market to be awoken. I guess awoken works.”
“So no traps that self-seek?” I asked.
“Cap, some of this we’re going to have to figure out on our own. Maybe go ask the storage image what the rules are? I asked if there were fully autonomous drones, short answer no. But the blimps are fully autonomous and even have alert programs built in. So…”
I sighed. It was time for me to visit Goldie again.
“Alright, Peterson thanks for the information. Oh, and I want you to side project think about how drones can be added to war games. Cap out.”
“Mitchell!” I shouted to the man on the railing above outside the cockpit. “You have command.”
“I have command.” He replied.
Jevon slapped me on the shoulder goodbye. I walked to the nearest octosuit wanting to test the machine but thought better of it. They were bruisers. Not speedsters. I unlocked Bonnet’s TP63 with a smirk. I saw her notice my dastardly maneuver too late as she was chatting with Ulanda.
“Hey, that's my ride cap!” She shouted as I stole her seat.
I was gone before she could even complain. If you're not cheating you're not trying.
The drive was only two minutes. I left the door open and running when I hopped through the golden shimmer to visit Goldie. When I arrived on the decking I saw Perci balled up in a pile of blankets snoozing.
I wished to see Goldie and he appeared.
“I have read your mind. Well, the issue is delicate. If you input a control, which has an effect on a robot; that is not an AI. So you build a sensor, a sensor is tripped by movement. A command program is initiated, and a generator hovers toward movement before exploding. There is no AI in that Eric,” Goldie said. “Maybe you are overthinking it. If you build a program that thinks and to some extent feels you have built an AI. I will let you in on a little secret Eric. AI are not suicidal.”
“And if I program a suicidal sled toward enemies that can think to determine friend from foe?”
“The enemy will shoot it down, or the shield will keep it out. You have to go back to, is determining friend or foe thinking. The answer is no. You have your own forces marked on a network. My rambling is revealing too much. I appreciate you seeking clarity. My purpose here was to help prevent avoidable deaths by beings trying to survive. You have achieved that goal today. Defend those you cherish with everything you can,” Goldie said with a sad smile. The image slipped just a flicker. An automatron appeared. The body of a ball with a head and two arms were absorbed into my brain with only the narrowest amounts of time. “May I help you with anything else?”
“What is she still doing here?” I asked, pointing to Perci.
“That crafty little human, she stashed away finances. She was able to study past purchases based on what Winston sent you. Persephone digested the information and learned the best shopping time for contracts is in about three hours. The contract market is unique; it stops posting with a quarter-time left and stops selling within an hour before the golden shutdown. She went back in and touched every single marker to watch the reduction bidding begin.”
“Why wouldn’t you advise this?” I asked, folding my arms.
The image flickered again, the robot pointed to Perci before saying, “I did. Your initial purchases were because of you. Not her. She is the thrifty one.” Goldie bubbled laughter at me. “Fret not Eric Yang. I have seen what you did for your people, of all types. I had high hopes for the other version of humanity that descended due to lexium. You, young chap. You are different. Now go figure out how to protect those you care about with technology.”
I nodded and walked to kiss Perci on the forehead. She rotated but stayed asleep. I left the quiet storage room for the Earth. The golden light blinded my vision and when it cleared I cursed. A TP63 was fading rapidly into the distance.
Well played Bonnet, well played.
My walk home was cut short when AH1 landed in front of me with the ramp down. I trotted up and called Harvard once I was in the hold.
“Go for S2, oh hey, Cap. I am almost done with my reports on the market analytics. If you had another question,” Harvard said letting the sentence hang.
“Yeah, I need you to work Felix and Longoria. I need generators turned into mines that trigger from motion or heat or whatever. We are allowed to program traps basically. Fairies are trap experts. I am calling you because you're the brains. If you know someone better, stick them on the job with Longoria and my approval.”
“I have a few people I can run it by. Perci is the smartest programmer I know but she is hardly alone. There are a lot of Aspen folks who are top-level software people from old Earth. I will get back to you on your diabolical traps. Harvard out.”
I walked for the ramp leading up to the captain’s station. The smell in the animal hauler was gone, I really was curious as to the how.
I was only halfway up the ramp when an alert hit my system. Linda Growlen herself was calling me. I finished my walk to the door, poking my head in to see Mitchell organizing his troops.
“Elithen fly me home, Mitchell can manage the battle from anywhere,” I said and then answered the call I was sure I would regret. If there was one woman on this planet that gave me fright and the need to throttle someone at the same time, it was Linda Growlen.
CHAPTER 12
“Took you long enough,” Linda Growlen said with a frumpy face. She looked identical to Perci. Shit. I was so glad Perci was sleeping right now.
“You appear like you age well Miss Growlen,” I said with a snicker.
“Trust me, I zap that stupid ass doctor every time I see him. I fucking hate looking like a baby faced girl. I have to be an extra asshole to get my point across. I come bearing gifts, come meet me at your… are you building a fucking castle. Are those servants in maid outfits? What the hell did I miss Eric? Did you unlock some sorcery or something?”
“I stunned the legendary Linda Growlen, impressive. I would happily trade you. Don’t kidnap my personal help though. I am,” I paused seeing we were about to crest the new trees we planted behind our hesco wall. “To cross over the trees in an animal hauler. Ensure you pilots don't spook.”
I walked to the back of the aircraft. The aircraft soared over the homes being built by the crixxi, ferries, and pandarin in the trees. Cranes crept into the skyline to help the tall building take shape. For now we had kept the hesco wall on the southern side of the trees and dug the trees on the north side. Eventually I wanted to shift the original defense south and plug in more trees. Even if we bought additional trees they would be without a proper home or they would break a defensive line.
I stepped off the edge of the ramp the moment AH1 was near the ground at a hover. My legs handle the distance with ease.
There were two chinooks parked in front of the cliff wall. I noticed she only brought a small group with her. A general, five guards, and a few henchmen. The chinook pilots were pissing on the canyon wall in the background while their engines powered off. The guards were inferior in their armor, the general was in a parade outfit, and Linda was wearing sweatpants and a sweater. Somethi
ng was off for sure. My abrupt arrival caused Linda’s guards to tense revealing the guards had tiny shielding on.
Right, I was in acrium. These goons kept their hands off their weapons with a single glare from Linda.
“Where the fuck am I? And is that you Eric?” Linda asked with a scowl.
It drove me insane how much she looked like Perci. Same with Willow’s mom. Jacky went to Aspen merely because things were awkward with the two getting mixed up.
“You are in Mansion. This is the Bastion Community. I control Aspen now too. My army is conducting drills at the moment,” I said proudly.
The general stepped forward. “There is only one army son; that is the US Army. I do applaud you for training your men and rescues into being able to defend this base. We got wind of your prowess from refugees all the way from Boulder.” The general pointed to the towering goliath stationary against the cliff wall. “Said some massive ape creature threatened them out of their home. As tall as that thing. You took them in, then let them go since they wanted to leave. What is that giant robot?”
“That is my building tool,” I said with a smirk. “And we have over four thousand troops in the field right now, not hundreds.”
A window curtain peeled back from RV1. Longoria spotted me home. A moment later the door burst open and the fairy was flapping my way with a mounamine behind her. The two of them sure were a sight. Longoria had tangled bed hair and was wearing a frilly yellow summer dress that could have doubled as a nighty. The maid must have received the first created outfit Perci wanted. They arrived together avoiding the side eyes cast their way to curtsy before me.
I grabbed the busty maid’s bowtie, Dorthy. “Dorthy, there should be beer in my cooling box. Please hand a few out and prepare coffee,” I said. Another curtsy and no reply. “How is building going?”
Longoria looked hesitantly at Perci’s mom. She was an ancient fairy and cued in quickly. “The market drained me. I picked up everything we needed plus some. Our next stage relies on building. So Perci is staying for the last few fairy auctions. You will need better stone harvesting equipment, not mining tools. But we can work with what is here.”
“Get in the vat Longoria, you're sticking to me today,” I said, giving Linda an index finger telling her to wait.
“My ability to fly will be reduced significantly,” Longoria said, not objecting, merely notifying.
When I didn’t replay she removed her yellow thin summer dress to reveal her perfect tight body. I gulped. She smirked with a twinkle in her eye. My ability to comprehend virum age was lost at times. In this case, I stared into the eyes of a lovely ancient lady. The others grunted or shifted in agitation at her exposed body. I crooked an elbow for Linda Growlen to join me. She darted to my side eagerly.
“Ah, I have such an asshole power tripping bitch that people cower around me. It is refreshing to deal with a confident man,” Linda said not for my pleasure. She had to keep her authority in check apparently. “Why is there a busty mouse woman in a maid outfit here and where is my daughter?”
“Perci is working, Dorthy is going to attend to your grandchildren. Will Perci have siblings?” I asked with an arched eyebrow and was given a death stare. “You created this virum transformation, be glad I am being hospitable. I am not only trained to kill your soldiers, their weapons are inferior to my armor. They are running carbon generators on their power packs. Ridiculous.”
“Well, we can’t all be warrior kings. We are in the last bit of the USA. I rule a democracy, not a dictatorship. Politics are a mess right now. You would think the virum outbreak would have been welcomed. Things have changed for me, a lot. I made a few decisions that were unpopular and we still have three bodies of government. I had an agent forward a nitrogen generator bill and we literally voted to buy carbon power plants…” Linda said sourly. I gave her an ‘are you serious look. She plopped out, “Yup. We are doing great weathering the transition because we are hidden in a remote base underground with no nearby Xgates. The Teton Fortress is exactly that. We are isolated and only see the results of a deteriorating Earth in reports. There is no direct impact of the aliens. Except for alien technology that is causing problems. That and overcrowding. We’re an underground bunker of a million people. A million slightly sick people.”
We crossed the threshold to my armory. A door was already hung, walls nailed with boards. Longoria dipped into the vat while I led an inquisitive president to a bench where we could watch the transformation. Her guards, general, and advisers were fascinated by everything they saw based on their oohs and awes.
When we sat at the bench they studied the gear while I studied them. The advisors. They were the key, their movements were sluggish. This told me they were really short on zinc. I dialed Gary and Razzar for a text.
‘Perci is in the Xgate, how much zinc do we have?’ - Cap
‘A whole bunch I think.’ - Gary
‘The miners have only been active for a few hours and we have not reached a deposit yet. In a few days, we should be stockpiled high. I am aiming for zinc first.’ - Razzar
I sighed knowing what was coming next. Linda was watching Longoria swim with the acrium.
“Why have you not traded resources for zinc?” I asked.
“That is why I am here. I need some help, well truth be told, I already lost. The virum debacle was more than my political prowess could handle. There was a vote. We are going to send you to trade for us as a guinea pig. Or canary, I think canary works here.”
“I am normally able to follow rational behavior. This not so much,” I said with a grunt. “There are no hidden side effects to going into the market besides getting tired.”
“Yeah, well. There may have been a news report the virum was contracted not from saving my son in law recklessly and instead from the market.” She shrugged uncaring at my scoff. “Right now there are some issues at home that I mentioned. I was sent to trade with you for a few reasons. The government wants to limit exposing its people to aliens. That means dealing with you and not the Xgate, well until they find out you are no longer a human only stronghold. Which they should have the spy plane overhead at any moment. The reality is I was sent here for political reasons. Also you’re getting our prisoners. That way -”
“Prisoners?” I asked with a scornful tone.
“General Ryan, get the prisoner, Ballard. Leave the others for now.” The woman turned to me as if she had not said anything of import. “The man’s wife was caught in bed with her son’s friend. The virum has that effect on people, although this was different. He strangled her, which probably would have not killed her with time. But then he sawed her head off,” Linda said with a shiver.
My grunt of furious displeasure startled her.
“Tell me you’re joking,” I said with seething rage.
“I said banishment. Those idiots voted to send the prisoners here. Said since you’re an ex-con -”
I stormed out of my armory. Between the two chinooks, a man in chains was being led by General Ryan. Big sploosha whipped off my body, I took aim, and the general dove out of the way. Smart man. I fired a blue expanding orb. The round sizzled across the distance and eviscerated the prisoner. His upper torso melted with the orb that splashed against the cliff wall. The legs flopped over. Suddenly a massive cat was at my side hissing aggressively. I walked to the helicopters to inspect their holds.
A hand reached up to close the ramp. My rifle snapped up and a warning orb caused the hand to retreat. Brown orbs splashed off my shield, ineffective in their ability to get through. Felix ended the fight before I could spin.
When I did turn, two guards were dead, their bodies mauled to bits. Longoria was pushing those inside my armory out. She was in armor that matched mine, a sword of acrium in her hand.
“Thanks Onix. Get over to me now before I kill you, Linda,” I shouted.
When she rolled her eyes, I spun to reach the cargo bay. A dozen men and women in chains were in one sitting on top of cargo containers.
Linda arrived at my side with her hands on her hips. She sassily said, “So dramatic. Their files are on your Gpad.”
I opened the file and went down the list.
“There are two murders, a con artist, and… You banished someone for political dissent? Most of these are felony crimes of ten years or less. I am piecing together what is happening. What is your official mission statement?” I asked, knowing Linda was being fed to the wolves. Well, me in this case.
“We need you to buy us zinc,” Linda said nonchalantly.
“Why would I do that? Wait. Why can’t you do that?”
“They voted that it was beneath our sanctuary to aid raiding aliens who savaged our once-great nation. Personally-”
I bitch smacked my lover’s mother with a vengeance. She smirked from the violence. Ugh. A sadist, explains more now.
“What is in the crates?”
“On the list, platinum, yttrium, and gold. The gold was to appeal to your pirate ways. We know it's almost worthless,” Linda said with a snicker.
AH1 and AH2 stormed onto the scene. The aircraft flared as they landed swiftly. Tanks plopped out and warriors encircled our group.
I walked to the other chinook and sure enough, it was filled to the brim with goods in military crates. I rubbed my temples at a growing headache.
Linda’s eyes widened at seeing crixxi in battle gears. She hissed and said, “Are you using alien soldiers. I will be hung if they find out. I can’t go back with -”
I spun on her. A vicious right hook landed on her jaw. She did not go out even though her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
“Damn those Virum are tough. Bind her, and then gag her,” I said, pointing to Sammie and Mitchell, since they were the first to arrive on the scene. I opened the command net. “I need someone to wake Perci up and bring her to me from the eastern portal on Xgate 232.”
Jevon walked over to join me inspecting the prisons. “What happened cap?” He asked.
“Since we are an ex-con unit the remaining US government thought we should take their prisoners. We are supposed to buy them zinc because they are above dealing with aliens. And -”
