Concrete Chaos

by Earle, Michael-Scott

  "They will think it was my auto-pilot." I shrugged.

  "They will try to find out who you are. They will investigate. They will find out that you haven't put any of the legal barriers in my code. They will destroy my hard drive and processor and then charge you with AI endangerment." His voice almost sounded panicked.

  "Stop worrying! Fucking shit. If you hadn't of helped me back there, I'd be dead and a terrorist might have gotten the tools he needed to kill thousands of people."

  "They won't care, Sue Zay. The minimum sentence for a software engineer who develops an AI without the correct legal barriers is three life terms. Doctor Araki was executed two years ago when they discovered he'd created one to help him with his kitchen duties. Don't you remember the news? This is serious. We are in trouble."

  "Hogan, calm the fuck down."

  "No! I don't want you to die, Sue Zay! You are my best friend and I-"

  "Establish base terminal link, password 'H,' 'A,' 'N,' 'K,' '48,'" I said out loud. Hogan stopped mid-sentence, and his image froze on the screen of my helmet.

  "Command prompt." It was a male voice, but devoid of any of Hogan's accent or the emotions I had programmed into him.

  "Delete all storage from midnight Pacific Standard Time to current time."

  "Are you sure you want to delete all storage from midnight Pacific Standard Time to current time? This will erase all audio, video, dialogue, and AI updates made in that time period," the strange robot voice asked. I took a strained breath and thought through my decision again. Hogan would forget about what had just happened, and he wouldn't freak out anymore, but there was a chance that he was right about the government trying to hunt me down for an AI violation. If he didn't know they were looking for me, then he wouldn't be able to watch my back.

  "Yes. Delete storage."

  "Data deleted. Command prompt."

  "Reboot systems. Execute HOGAN AI on startup."

  "Rebooting systems," the voice said, and then Hogan's image blipped onto my visor display.

  It was going to take a minute for Hogan to come back online, and I was somewhat grateful for the silence. Well, it wasn't entirely silent since Funakoshi's loud engines still made their way through my helmet with a soft purr. It was a comforting sound, and I found that my eyelids were starting to get heavy.

  "Sue Zay, I seemed to have been rebooted." Hogan's voice startled me awake. Fuck, I'd almost laid out on the freeway. I needed to get some rest, or drink a gallon of coffee.

  "There was an error on our interface, and I rebooted you," I lied.

  "My last record was-"

  "I don't want to review it right now, Hogan, I'm heading back to Jae's house. You can catch the debrief when Jae goes over it."

  "Why is Jae's car covered with bullet holes?"

  "Hogan, I love ya, but I'm really fucking tired. Lay off the questions."

  "Understood," Hogan said and tipped his hat with a smile. The motion made my chest ache, and I wondered if I had made a mistake by deleting his records.

  He didn't make any more comments in the ten minutes it took me to follow Jae's car off the freeway, up the hills of Los Gatos, and into his mansion's garage. Every minute seemed to make me more tired, and I had trouble keeping my head upright when we finally pulled into the garage.

  "Are you alright?" Emma was at my side when I parked, and her black robot arm was reaching for me.

  "Yeeeeaa," I got off Funakoshi, and my legs didn't want to work.

  "Shit, you are bleeding!" Her voice sounded really far away. I heard Emma scream for Jae, but the world was getting dark. I took a step away from my motorcycle, and the world started to spin.

  And spin.

  And crash.

  Chapter 15

  There was a dark forest. Tall, gloomy, and filled with all sorts of fucking asshole monsters that you read about or see on TV. I stayed on the pathway so that they wouldn't get me, but every step took me deeper into the darkness. The trees grew taller, and the sounds of the horrors in their depths became louder. I knew something followed me, but I couldn't move any faster. I was running now, but whatever chased me was on a horse, and I could hear the cadence of its hooves like the beating of my heart. It was almost here. I needed to get away. I needed to run, but I couldn't because of my leg, so I turned to face the monster.

  "Sue Zay?" A voice ripped me from the familiar nightmare.

  "Huuh?" I opened my eyes and winced. The light was way too fucking bright, and my skull felt like it was splitting open.

  "It's Jae. You were moaning. How do you feel?"

  "I'm not dead." I smiled and looked over at the man. He was backlit by the lights on the ceiling and seemed like an angel.

  "No," he laughed, "you lost some blood from your injury. Fortunately, the wound to your leg didn't sever any nerves or ligaments. There is minor muscle damage, but it will heal." He pointed down to my right leg, and I realized that I was lying on a hospital bed. My riding suit had been removed, and I was just wearing a blue hospital-style gown. My leg was covered with a thick, white bandage, and an IV drip connected to my right arm.

  "What time is it?" My watch and helmet were sitting next to my suit on a table at the far end of the room. There was a fridge with a glass door by the counter, and I saw a bunch of blood bags hanging on the inside. They had labels on them for Pavel, Caleb, and Emma. I must be in Jae's house. A hospital wouldn't have the labeled blood of my friends hanging in my room.

  "It's eight thirty in the morning. You should rest. You've had a busy night and really helped us."

  "Fuck, I need to get to school." I sat up more, and Jae put a warm hand on my shoulder.

  "Please relax, Sue Zay. You are in no condition to ride now."

  "Then I'll call a taxi pod. I can't miss school." It was somewhat of a lie. I could miss a class or two if I needed, but I didn't want my Bosozoku Bitches to worry about me.

  "I can't keep you from leaving, but I wish that you would stay." He moved aside and let me climb out of the bed. The room spun a little when my feet hit the ground, and pain shot up my leg, but I stood.

  "I almost got that fucker Hale." I pulled my shoulders back and tried to walk gracefully across the floor to where my suit was. The first step was shaky, but the next three were better.

  "We know. We saw you fight with him. Sue Zay, you are amazing." I felt my face turn red and felt glad that I wasn't facing him.

  "How did you see me? What happened with the drones?" I asked.

  "When we first arrived in Silicon Valley, I had Caleb hack all the police departments and figure out their drone protocols. Most departments are supposed to change passwords every week, but the Los Gatos department never thought that anyone would have the systems to hack them. Emma was able to get into their controls, hijack all their units, and then use their weapons to take out the cars behind us. We were about to destroy Hael's car, but then saw that you were fighting with him on the hood."

  "So if I hadn't of shown up to help you, you would have been totally fine and would probably have killed Hael with a drone strike? Fuck me." I groaned and grabbed my suit.

  "No," Jae laughed, "They probably would have killed us since you weren't there to stop them. As I said before, you are amazing. I am thankful that you are on my team, and, as much as I am upset with you for not following my orders and going home, I am glad you followed us." I glanced at his face, and his blue eyes made my head spin more than any blood loss.

  "I'm gonna put this on." I looked down to my suit. Part of me wanted to ask him to watch me get naked, but I wasn't feeling particularly sexy at the moment. I just wanted to get to class, get home, and sleep.

  "Oh, sorry, of course, should I leave?" Our eyes met again, and I wondered if he was hinting at what I hoped he was hinting at.

  "I'll just turn my back, apologies." he said and spun around to face the wall. I sighed and leaned against the counter so that I could put the suit on without tumbling over. My back was covered with bruises, my leg hurt like hell, and my
head was struggling against the exhaustion of not sleeping.

  "Caleb finished hacking Hael's second computer."

  "What did he find?" I asked as I put on my AI watch.

  "This looked to be his master terminal. None of it appeared to be backed up remotely. If you stay, I can tell you more about what they have planned."

  "Now you are just trying to tempt me," I smirked at his back and finished getting my legs into the suit. My breasts weren't big, but I was thankful that someone had left my bra around so that I could put it on before I zipped the rest of my leathers up. My socks and boots were sitting on the floor, and I picked them up before sitting on the bed again.

  "Always." He turned around, and our eyes met again. Fuck it, he was flirting with me.

  "So give me the executive summary, Boss." I smiled because I said 'Boss' with Pavel's Russian accent. "Was all this worth it?"

  "Yes, absolutely." Fucking hell, when Jae smiled my brain tried to float away. I needed to get out of here. "I can tell you more tomorrow, but it was as Caleb suspected. We have a lead on a group that will attempt to hack the train-track security protocols."

  "So you have more work for me?" I asked as I finished buckling up one of my heavy boots.

  "Yes, can you be here tomorrow?"

  "I have school till noon."

  "After is fine," he said.

  "Okay." Exhaustion hit my muscles again, and I closed my eyes to exhale for a few moments. Yep, class was going to suck harder than all of Joseph Smiths' wives put together.

  "Do you have any pain killers?" I probably shouldn't have asked him, but I did anyway.

  "Yes," he reached into the pocket of his jacket and gave me an orange bottle as soon as I finished putting on my last boot. "Don't take more than one every four hours. You are going to be fine without it until ten."

  "Thanks. Show me out?"

  "Of course." He moved to help me stand, but I waved his hands away and did it on my own. The pain in my leg was muted from whatever drugs Jae had put in me, but it still hurt. I grabbed my helmet and followed the way-too-handsome man out into the hallway.

  "You've helped us save hundreds, maybe even thousands of lives, Sue Zay," Jae continued as we walked down the hall towards the garage.

  "All in a day's work," I laughed and walked through the hallway into the polished hangar. I didn't see Emma in her work space, and I hadn't seen Pavel on the couch.

  "Is everyone else asleep?" I asked as I limped toward Funakoshi.

  "Yes, please reconsider my offer. We have plenty of spare rooms. You can just stay here as long as you want." His handsome face frowned.

  "I have to finish school. Don't ask me again." I swung my leg over Funakoshi and put my helmet over my head. Hogan's visage was waiting for me when the helmet slid into place, and the AI smiled at me.

  "But I'll see you tomorrow. At noon?" I asked.

  "Yes, one more thing." I had reached for Funakoshi's starter, but I stopped at Jae's words.

  "This is the third time I've said it, but you really did help us. You are an amazing motorcycle rider, better than the videos Caleb found made you out to be. Also, you went directly against Hael and managed to come out alive. I didn't think that I would be putting this much risk on you when I asked you to work for me. I want you to know that I never intended for things to spin out of control so fast." I realized he was apologizing.

  "Hey, you paid me the money; I guessed that there was going to be risk involved. That is how I fucking roll, Sexy." I had popped open my visor to speak to him.

  "I have one more question before you leave." His hand reached out to touch my left bicep. It was an odd movement, but I felt my stomach do some gymnastics at his grasp.

  "Why are you so angry, Sue Zay? You are a genius, beautiful, and talented. Yet this dark cloud hangs over you."

  His question shocked me more than the exploding cars had. I felt my heart slow, and I realized that I was holding my breath. Was I angry? I wasn't angry. I just fucking didn't want to deal with fuckers and stupid shit.

  "You don't know me, Jae." I yanked my arm away and turned on the engine of my steed. Funakoshi growled to life, and his lights flickered across the screen on the bike.

  "No, I don't, but I would like to. If you'll let me?" He blue eyes stared into mine, and the shock of his words started to fade.

  "I have to go. Bye Jae," I said.

  "Tomorrow?"

  "Yeah."

  "Goodbye, Sue Zay." He turned away and walked towards the door leading to the house. I flipped my helmet closed and spun the engine to crawl out of the garage. The door opened before me, and I was soon out in the bright sunlight of the California day.

  "You have eight missed calls from your friends," Hogan informed me as soon as I exited the property. The AI had a smirk on his handsome face, and I was surprised he didn't say anything about Jae's comment.

  "I'll see them when I get to school," I told Hogan. I kept turning over Jae's words in my head. I wasn't really that angry was I? Who was I angry at? Obviously my mother. Fuck me, she was the queen of bitches.

  Was I angry at Dad?

  I felt a tear slid down my cheek, and I forced the thoughts of him away. I didn't want to think about him now. Maybe not ever.

  "Sue Zay."

  "Yes, Hogan."

  "When you fell unconscious, they took you into that room. Emma took off your clothes, and then Jae worked on your leg while he spoke with the other three members of his team. They left the helmet on the table, and I recorded what they said."

  "Was there anything interesting?"

  "Yes, I can replay it for you if you want."

  "Later. When I get back home." I made the turn onto the university campus and let off the throttle a bit.

  "Very well. Xiu Mei is calling you. Should I put her on screen?"

  "No, text her back and write that I just got to school and I'm parking." I saw the black motorcycles of my friends and pulled into the empty space next to them. Then I cut Funakoshi's engine and let out a sigh.

  It was going to be a long ass day, and I could hardly keep my eyes open. I should have just skipped class and slept at Jae's place.

  "Sue Zay, incoming call from your mother," Hogan said.

  "My mother?" My last conversation with the woman crashed into my head and spun my brain out of control. Fuck, I didn't want to talk to her right now. It was Monday, the day I told her I would have an answer, but I hadn't even had a second to think about her job proposal since all this shit with Jae started yesterday morning.

  "She'll want an answer. What are you going to tell her?"

  "Fuck. Damn. Shit." I sighed again and looked down at Funakoshi's screen. The bike was off, so there were no colored lights flowing out of the display. The old motorcycle had been Dad's favorite, and I wondered for the hundredth time if things would have been different had he decided to ride Funakoshi that day instead of taking his newest race bike out through the canyons.

  Damn it, Dad. Why did you leave us?

  "Pick up the line. I'll speak with her."

  Hogan's image glowed green, and I took a big breath before I gave my mother my answer.

  END OF BOOK 1

  End Notes

  Thank you for reading this novel. Don't forget to write a review!

  Sue Zay’s high speed adventures continue in Concrete Chaos Book 2!

  You can get it on Amazon:

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  Or you can keep reading for the first chapter of Concrete Chaos Book 2!

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  To find out more about Michael-Scott and his novels please visit:

  www.michaelscottearle.com

  Editing by Andy Waters

  Cover art by Gabriel Iumazark

  Typography and illustration by Jason Faraci

  This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 by Michael-Scott Earle

  Concrete Chaos Book 2 Excerpt

  "Girl With Motorcycle, how is leg?" Pavel's dark voice came through my helmet audio as if the big, scary Russian Butcher stood right behind me.

  "It is fine," I lied. My thigh hurt, and I reached into the front pocket of my riding suit to grab the bottle of pills Jae had given me. They weren't labeled with anything that told me what type of drug they were, but when I chewed one of the bitter white capsules my pain muted for an hour.

  "Sue Zay, Jae instructed you to take only one pill every four hours. This is the third you have taken in four hours." Hogan's handsome face frowned on the screen of my helmet, and I saw that he had muted the line between Pavel, Emma, and I.

  "Yeah, but he needed my help tonight. I can't focus on this mission unless I numb the pain." The bottle was actually almost empty. I would have to ask him for more when Pavel, Emma, and I returned tonight.

  "My birdie has eyes on the prize, gang," Emma whispered over the phone. We were at the Milpitas Mega Mall, and I sat on the top floor of the ten-level parking garage on the east side of the property. The shopping center was a labyrinth of underground stores, towering structures that housed business centers, and an outdoor plaza with boutique shops. I could only view a small part of the outside plaza, but the magnification of my helmet let me see Pavel's large body sitting next to a fountain.

  "Looks like they are entering from the south. Heading to the underground levels. Just as Caleb said: one corp-looking guy wearing a red Giants baseball cap. Two guards are wearing jeans, blue button-down shirts, and tennis shoes. Big motherfuckers, Pavel, but not as big as you." Emma had her drones in the air on all sides of the mall. We'd been waiting here for an hour in hopes that we would catch the group working with Hael.