The two mind-controlled cops went running off with a wave of Piper’s white glowing hand, as she raced to Ray, collecting him from the cover of the taxi. Her car wasn’t parked far away from the terminal. Whatever it was she told the mind-controlled cops got the rest of the armed men and other cops to swarm Estrella’s body. They were too distracted to see Piper and Ray as they strapped on their seat belts.
Piper’s foot mashed the gas pedal, hard, not that cars used gas anymore. Her high-powered sports car went speeding through the parking lot, breaking through the barricades. Piper waving her hand from left to right and sent a psychokinetic push, flinging larger barricades, and cops, with their weapons drawn away from the escaping car.
She was on her way to the freeway, moving at speeds so fast, Ray’s back felt like it was glued to the seat of his chair.
“Ray,” Piper spat, as she kept her eyes on the roads that turned to a blur of colors. “Do you still have the memory sphere?”
He hoped he did. He hadn’t been patting his pockets down recently to ensure it was still there. His nervous hands dipped into them, searching. The memory sphere was there. He held the sphere in his hand for her to look at.
“Yes.”
Piper half-smiled. “Those memories will make or prevent a war. Hold onto it.”
“Make or prevent a war.” Ray grimaced. “Which of those two options is the good one?”
“That depends,” she said. “Do you think it’s a great thing to see all IWs have free will?”
“Heh.”
“The answer to that question will be the answer to if a war starting is good or bad.”
The rearview computer screen on the dashboard picked up three cars following, and none of them were there a second ago. Their size was expanding the longer Ray looked at the screen. Piper briefly looked at the screen. It made her scowl and display her immaculate white teeth.
“Shit!”
“You used mind control back there,” Ray said, facing her. “Can’t you, like make them turn around?”
“Doesn’t work like that,” she said, her hands making the wheel turn and her car pass another one ahead. “The range is limited, and the effect’s duration isn’t consistent. I’m surprised I made it this far without problems.” Once clear of that car, Piper adjusted the stick. Their speed increased. “And RWs can resist it if their AI is on point.”
Like Estrella, who Piper and her mind-controlled policemen gunned down. And if Ray were to understand Piper correctly, the cops she had under her control should be snapping out of it now, and calling for help, like the cars in pursuit of them.
There was one problem he realized after double-checking the rearview screen’s projection.
“Those don’t look like police cars.”
Piper winced. “I know …”
They were being followed by a third party. Ray pulled out his phone. Its hacking tool kit app was still active while his glass labeled all vulnerable objects in range. He checked the status of his botnet. It was good for more action.
“Keep driving,” he said as their speeding car neared a traffic light. The lights had a vulnerable icon hovering beside it. “I’ll take care of everything else.”
The lights were yellow when Piper sped past several cars ahead. Ray’s glasses locked into the traffic lights vulnerable label. His phone did the rest, listing all the actions he could take against it.
Hack traffic lights
Force traffic lights to change to the desired signal or disable entirely. Select light signal. Green, Yellow, Red.
The botnet went to work, giving him access in less than a second. The lights turned green suddenly when all cars ahead of them were slowing in preparation for the red. Piper drove past them. Once clear, Ray sealed the deal, making all lights at the four-way intersection turn green. None of the cars knew who was supposed to drive forward. The crashes that came in the aftermath slowed their pursuing cars as they twisted to avoid it.
Piper laughed. “Nice, what else can you do?”
Ray thumbed his phone and browsed through the list of apps at his disposal. He looked ahead to the various vulnerable icons hovering around traffic lights, streetlights, and cars with their IP addresses on display for him.
“Oh, just you wait.”
Thirty-Seven
Estrella
Estrella felt like she got nailed by a speeding car, only for it to back up and hit her again.
The Defense Matrix held, but it wasn’t doing much to steady her body, or keep her from falling over. Her aim with her pistol, as a result, was all over the place. If she didn’t let up, she risked hitting a passerby or fatally shooting the mind-controlled cops, or Piper. Defense Matrix ate four swarms of nanites to keep her alive, forcing Estrella to use her two remaining swarms to keep Defense Matrix active. She needed a new plan.
Disable their weapons.
Warning: That will greatly diminish Defense Matrix’s power.
I know, sacrifice one swarm for the job.
Understand, please standby.
Geoffrey made the swap, ordering one swarm of nanites to cease contributing to what remained of her Defense Matrix. Estrella felt pain flare-up instantly from the new bullets that crashed against her body, the force from those shots knocked her back. She made a note not to run into a gunfight with so few nanites on Defense Matrix duty.
Estrella pushed her NC gauntleted hand forward, and her palms opened for the wide spray of nanites. The single swarm took to the skies like microscopic bees, seeking the three weapons Geoffrey instructed them to. The swarm split up into thirds, one entering the pistol of a mind-controlled cop, another entered the second cop’s, and the third for Piper’s pistol. The internal components to the three guns fell apart while in their hands, preventing future usage—
The final fired round hit Estrella square in the chest. Its force sent her to the ground, back first, and face up. A message flashed over her eyesight; Defense Matrix had failed. The remaining utility nanites in her ran out of power. The pain hurt, a lot. She opted to remain on the ground a moment longer to collect herself.
Damage detected, returning the swarm.
What remained of the swarm she sent to dismantle the weapons returned, swarming around her gauntlet, before vanishing inside. Geoffrey ordered a first-aid repair of the minor injuries she received from the bullet and administered painkillers.
She heard a car speeding away in the distance. Piper and Ray were escaping. She got to her feet when the pain faded enough for her to do so. Members of the LAPD, AIT, and Peters surrounded her, all of them concerned for her. She shoved their helping hands off and went running into the parking lot. Her eyes glimpsed Piper’s sports car, using psychokinesis to remotely move police barricades, and with one checkpoint, the police themselves.
Status …
Piper has fled with Ray—
I mean my body.
She vaulted over car hoods, and pushed people out of the way, before Geoffrey replied, populating her status window. Estrella’s idle red motorcycle came into view, getting closer while her cyborg run continued.
I have healed you back to 83; I recommend you wait until—
No waiting, they’re getting away.
She jumped into place on her bike, ordering her arm to split open. Her last six spare nanotubes swam in a pool of gray goo and waited for her right hand to take them. She grabbed the tubes one after another and injected herself with them.
Nanite swarm(s) remaining: 6
Tell everyone that isn’t mind-controlled we’re in pursuit.
The red motorcycle powered on with its electric engine. She pulled out and away from her parking space and selected her red biker outfit and helmet patterns from her nano printable items menu. The raw materials for it, stored in her synthetic arm, poured out, covering her body and head with gray goo, materializing into the selected gear.
With a beaming grin, Estrella sped away in pursuit, following the path of destruction left behind in Piper’s wake. There w
ere a lot more broken police barricades than she thought. The first intersection Estrella approached had a multicar pileup, the traffic lights were green for all sides, and it looked like it remained that way as she sped toward it. She swerved her bike gracefully around the mangled vehicles, barely letting up on the acceleration, keeping her speed and momentum moving, her hair rippling behind.
The lights remained green as she zoomed away. Someone hacked them. She pulled a network cable from her synthetic arm, slipped it under and into her helmet, and jacked into the bike’s control console. Connection established screens appeared.
Geoffrey, buff up cybersecurity on this bike. Someone’s out there hacking shit left and right.
Affirmative.
I just fucking got this bike, and I don’t need a hacker taking it for a joyride!
She increased speed, hoping to shrink the gap. A rush of wind blew past her, shaking the network cable plugged into her head and the bike. A car neared, so she moved to the left. Two others were ahead, taking up both lanes, so she moved the bike between them and accelerated forward. A crescendo of honks followed. An intersection approached, and it too was a mess of cars, its lights green on all sides. It was an obstacle course to traverse. She zigged and zagged around the overturned and smoking wreckage of cars.
If you spot Piper’s car, keep track of it. More roadblocks in the form of mangled cars at an intersection neared. The lights were all wonky. And tell the fucking LAPD to get their cybercrimes unit on this. We need these fucking lights working for us, not them.
That would not be possible, Estrella. The hacker has blocked all users from connecting with the traffic network.
The hacker? You mean Ray? She grimaced beneath her helmet. Why is Ray helping her escape? It’s pretty clear now he’s not working for her.
He is most likely being forced to help her or was manipulated into believing Piper is here to protect him.
In the distance was the familiar sight of Piper’s sports car, driving recklessly. There were other vehicles behind it, and none of them seemed like they were on the LAPD’s payroll. Back up for Piper, she figured. Geoffrey highlighted Piper’s car with a red outline in her vision, a floating arrow appeared above it. The estimated distance in meters between Estrella and Piper’s car showed below as numbers moving up or down.
Piper’s car made a hard turn onto the freeway onramp. The three cars behind it did the same. Not one of them signaled. Estrella pushed her bike to match their course. Up and onto the onramp she went, merging into the lively freeway. The race continued. Now they were surrounded by hundreds of cars, many of them mashing their brakes when the reckless driving of Piper and her three tailing cars sped past.
Estrella closed the distance by the time the racing vehicles made it to the top overpass; there were six or seven overpasses below. She watched the navigational marker on the right highlighted car intently. One car of the three behind Piper’s, mashed their brakes, its screeches echoing through the air. It turned, its front facing the left guardrail of the freeway, spun out and flipped over three times, four times, five times. It was airborne too.
What the fuck?
That was no accident, Estrella.
There were two choices, brake, or go faster. Estrella went faster. She ducked her head as the spinning airborne car was poised to crush her, its shadow loomed over her. She kept going and didn’t stop to count any blessings when she cleared the falling vehicle. A loud crashing noise blasted from her behind.
Let’s get Defense Matrix back up …
Understood, Estrella.
She felt four swarms of nanites swim throughout her body, hardening her biker suit, bones, and flesh.
Nanite swarm(s) remaining: 2
She made a mental note that four swarms were still in her, dedicated to Defense Matrix duty. The count for that would drop as time passes, or with every bullet she got hit with. There was no more room for error.
Her speeding bike remained in pursuit, and she checked her current speed displayed on her HUD.
186 mph (297 kph)
Two vehicles were behind Piper’s sports car, and it looked like their windows were rolled down. Estrella had a feeling it wasn’t to let in nice daytime air. She focused, ordering her synthetic eyes to zoom in and enhance the opened passenger windows of both cars. A man dressed in black combat gear leaned out, grasping an SMG. Its muzzle flashed, and bullets started flying. They required no aiming since the bullets curved and went seeking the nineteen-year-old RW on her motorcycle behind.
She felt the impact of three bullets, but her Defense Matrix soaked up the blows. Estrella was still alive, but the feeling of someone taking a sledgehammer to her face and chest, while riding a speeding motorcycle, threw her off balance. Lucky for her she was still jacked into the bike’s console. Geoffrey took control of the bike, averting what would have turned into a complete slide and wipeout. Crashing your speeding bike on the freeway with cars and trucks around you was hazardous to your health.
Geoffrey returned control as she gripped the handlebars again. Cars ahead hit their brakes, their drivers paralyzed with fear when they clued in that there was a gunfight brewing in the high-speed chase. She made a hard turn to the right and hoped to not crash. She almost did.
Estrella brought the two cars back into sight. One man faced her, his purple glowing hands sparking with electrokinesis. They quickly gathered up flickering, white-hot sparks of electricity and flung a ball of it at her. Defense Matrix was useless against IW abilities. Estrella had to let up on the acceleration to escape from that.
Her vision zoomed onto the men facing her, in between the spray of curving bullets and balls of electrokinesis. Her optical scans did the rest.
I’m detecting multiple IWs within those vehicles, Geoffrey said. IW tracking shows, no registered IWs should be in the area.
Meaning they aren’t registered.
My guess would be these are the Federation IW black ops teams. They must be here to assist Piper.
Federation IW black op teams were everywhere. Not a hard thing to pull off if you had powerful telepaths at your disposal. Wave your hand and you were never there to the masses. Toss in an IW adept at DNA altering biokinesis, and you could infiltrate any nation on the planet, carry out any assassination, or conjure a deadly plague to wipe out the local population. There was a reason weaponized IWs were banned worldwide. It was only a matter of time before someone said fuck the rules and created their own IW black ops teams—
Estrella.
She neared the trailer of a truck while her random thoughts were distracting her. A shift to the left put the trailer to her right. A honk of its loud horn roared when she swerved directly ahead of it, putting the red highlighted sports car and its two speeding wingmen back in her view, their occupants still clapping their curving bullets in between shooting electrokinetic lightning. All she could do was duck her head and hope for the best.
She lifted her head to view them. Lock onto everyone that’s hostile.
Now the two cars and their passengers wielding deadly electrokinesis and SMGs got highlighted red in her vision. Geoffrey also took the time to split Estrella’s vision. Her left eye displayed what was ahead, her right eye showed what was behind, according to her bike’s rear camera feed. There was one car approaching from behind, and like the others ahead, it too was highlighted red.
Geoffrey gave his report. We have one hostile vehicle on approach from behind.
How do you know they’re hostile?
She got shot in the back six times.
That’s how.
The impact of the rounds nearly threw her off the bike. Once again Geoffrey took control, returning it back to Estrella when she recovered. She asked Geoffrey for a status update to Defense Matrix. Two out of the four nanites committed to it remained. She opted to not commit any more nanites to Defense Matrix for the time being. Her right eye saw a man in the car from behind, gathering a charge of electrokinesis energy with his purple glowing hands.
> Random turns to the left and right were her only defense, outside of using the other cars in the lanes as cover. But then, she’d be putting innocents at risk, more so than they already were. That was unacceptable.
A beam of electricity struck the road to her right. It left blackened marks on the pavement. Another to the left, then right, cyborg reflexes were a lifesaver. And then, there was nothing. Like the IWs ahead, there was cooldown period where they couldn’t use their powers. They entered that cooldown phase. They only had their guns with straight traveling bullets until the cooldown phase ended. This was her chance.
Estrella focused. She had two cars ahead and one behind. All were preventing her from catching Piper’s sports car. Geoffrey took control of the bike again when she let go of the handlebars. It looked like she was riding a self-driving motorcycle with no hands. With her pistol in both hands, she looked and aimed behind while getting rid of the split-screen view.
Targeting data populated her HUD as she faced the solo car from behind. She had her vision zoom in as far as it could on the driver, placed the targeting reticle over his head, then pulled the trigger six times. No good, six bullets stopped and floated in midair. Psychokinesis was a bitch. It also meant the driver might have been a telepath with precognition. He also wasn’t on cooldown.
She gave him a smile, not that he could see it with her helmet on. She holstered her pistol, and readied her NC gauntleted hand, pointing at the lone car behind. She browsed through the menu of utility nanite abilities. Incinerate was selected.
I would advise against that, Estrella. We will have to drop Defense Matrix to gain enough nanites to use that. It will render us vulnerable.
She checked her nanite swarm numbers and grimaced.
Nanite swarm(s) remaining: 2
She had another two dedicated to Defense Matrix. Pulling one swarm to gain the three needed for Incinerate would reduce Defense Matrix’s effectiveness. The bullets that hit her almost threw her off the bike. She didn’t want to know what would happen with a single swarm powering Defense Matrix.
Cyber Witch Page 29
