by Thomas Fay
‘We did but now we know for sure. Someone is accessing all the Flux Cells within Iona.’
‘Why?’
Simone stared at the screen in silence for a moment, then conceded, ‘I don’t know.’
‘So, we’re back to square one.’
‘Not necessarily.’
‘What do you mean?’
Instead of answering him, Simone pulled out her phone and dialled a number. It was answered on the second ring.
‘It’s me again,’ she said, pausing every now and then to listen to replies.
‘Yes, I’m still at the lab. We’ve figured out they’re accessing all the Flux Cells within Iona. The malfunctions appear to be deliberate caused by an energy surge.’
‘Can you figure out what the point of origin is for the energy pattern?’
‘He’s sending you the data now.’
Simone ended the call. Turning to Professor Holstein, she said, ‘Can you upload all of the data you extracted from Socrates and your analysis of it to my father?’
‘Yes, I will do so at once,’ Professor Holstein replied. He began entering commands into the virtual keyboards projected onto the benches in front of the screens.
‘Do you think your father can figure out the origin of the energy pattern?’ John asked.
‘I hope so. If we have any chance of stopping this, we need to know where it’s coming from and we need to do it quickly before they—’
Simone’s words died on her lips as one of the smaller dots on the screen grew brighter. Then it disappeared. A moment later, another dot on the other side of the ghostly outline of Iona did the same. Then another one.
‘Oh, my God,’ Simone whispered.
Forty
The Sentinel cruiser was parked outside the warehouse containing Professor Holstein’s robotics laboratory. John reached into his pocket and withdrew the biometrically coded remote control. He hesitated, his thumb wavering over the activation button.
‘We don’t really have a choice,’ Simone said.
‘I know,’ John replied. ‘I just hate the idea of driving a car that could disintegrate on us at any moment.’
‘The Flux Cells are everywhere. If all of them are overloaded, it won’t matter what we’re driving at the time.’
John nodded. Then he pressed the button. The cruiser’s lights blinked reassuringly as the doors unlocked. John got in the driver’s seat while Simone got in the back. Socrates remained standing a few metres away from the vehicle.
John pressed the button to lower the window.
‘Are you coming?’ he asked.
‘I believe it would be unsafe for me to ride in the vehicle with you,’ Socrates replied.
‘Don’t be ridiculous. Get in here, we need you with us.’
‘John, having my Flux Cell in the vehicle with you increases the risk to you and Simone. I do not believe this to be a prudent course of action.’
‘Just get in here. We’ve got work to do.’
The android stood motionless for another ten seconds before walking to the passenger side of the vehicle and getting in. John started the car and drove away. His mind was filled with images of his android partner imploding and taking parts of the car and them with him. He knew there would be little or no warning, meaning they wouldn’t have a chance.
His phone rang, the caller ID flashing up on the cruiser’s inbuilt screen. It read Lauren.
‘What does she want?’ Simone asked, looking over John’s shoulder.
‘I have no idea but, given what’s happening in Iona, it’s probably serious,’ John replied. He reached over and hit the green answer button.
‘Lauren? Is everything alright?’ John asked.
‘They took him, John!’ Lauren’s voice filled the cabin.
‘Slow down. Who took whom?’
‘Logan! They showed up this morning and took him away.’
‘Who took him, Lauren?’
‘I don’t know who they were but they showed up this morning. They said he needed to come with them and that it was a matter of Council security.’
John cast a glance at Simone as he mouthed the words Councillor Stone. Simone shrugged her shoulders.
‘So, they were from the Ruling Council?’
‘I don’t know, John. There was something … strange about them.’
John’s intuition kicked into overdrive. ‘Strange? How?’
‘Something about them, the way they moved and spoke.’
A cold chill flowed up John’s spine as he remembered their encounter with the rogue android.
‘Lauren, this is important. Was there anything unusual about their faces?’
There was a momentary silence. ‘How did you know?’
‘Lucky guess.’
‘What should I do?’
John considered their options for a moment. ‘How quickly can you get to Sentinel HQ?’ he asked.
‘About ten minutes,’ Lauren replied.
‘I’ll see you in ten minutes then.’
John ended the call. Turning to his android partner, he asked, ‘Do we still have any ammunition for the Gauss rifle?’
‘Yes, John,’ Socrates replied.
‘What’s going on?’ Simone asked.
‘It looks like that android Alara Green destroyed wasn’t the only one.’
‘Do you want me to call my father?’
‘Not yet, we need him focused on finding the source of that Flux Cell disruption pattern. Besides, why would they kidnap Logan Myers? It makes no sense.’
‘But someone tampering with all the Flux Cells in Iona does?’
‘Good point. I guess this is going to be another eventful day.’
Simone smiled. ‘You wouldn’t have it any other way.’
Forty-One
Michael Fernali was waiting for them when they pulled into the underground parking garage at Sentinel HQ. Driving past him, John reversed into the fourth parking spot in the first row. Switching the car off, John opened the driver’s-side door. Socrates and Simone got out on the other side.
‘What’s going on?’ Fernali asked.
‘Quite a lot,’ John answered.
‘Let me guess—none of it good?’
‘How did you know?’
‘I’ve worked with you before.’
‘Good point. Can you take these two upstairs and find Lauren?’
Fernali raised an eyebrow. ‘Your ex-wife is here?’
‘Yes. Long story; I’ll fill you in when I get up there.’
‘Where are you going?’ Simone asked.
‘Tech lab. I need to see James quickly.’
‘You think he’s found something?’
‘I hope so. I get the feeling things are about to get interesting.’
Fernali made an indelicate sound. ‘So, things aren’t just bad, they’re that bad?’ he asked.
John hesitated for a moment. He looked at his former partner, his friend. Taking a deep breath, he said, ‘It’s worse. Someone is accessing all of the Flux Cells in Iona.’
‘What do you mean accessing?’
‘We don’t know exactly what they’re doing but we know they can tamper with the Flux Cells and cause them to destabilise.’
Fernali considered his words for a moment. ‘Is that what you showed us earlier in the tech lab?’ he asked.
John nodded.
‘If that happened to all of the Flux Cells in Iona then …’
‘Then things would go from bad to catastrophic.’
Fernali looked at him for a long moment. Then, ‘What are we going to do?’
‘Figure out how to stop this before that happens,’ John said.
‘Whatever you need, I’m in,’ Fernali said.
John clasped his shoulder. ‘Thank you, Michael. You know I couldn’t do this without you.’
‘I know. Now, get going; we’ll find Lauren and wait for you upstairs.’
****
The tech lab was a hive of activity when John stepped out of the turb
o-lift. Sentinel technicians were rushing around clutching touchscreen tablets and other devices. John waved one of them down.
‘Have you seen James Gleason?’ he asked.
‘He’s in the EM lab,’ a young Sentinel tech said.
John gave the tech a blank look.
‘Go straight to the back and turn left.’
‘Thanks.’
John crossed the lab floor and located the door marked Electromagnetic Analysis Laboratory. Placing his finger on the door scanner, he was rewarded with a loud click. He pushed the door open. James sat in front of a large LED panel that showed a series of graphs and fluctuating readouts. He didn’t turn around when John entered the lab.
‘Amy, can you please get me a copy of that EM spike you recorded ten minutes ago?’ he asked.
‘James, what’s going on?’ John asked.
The tech spun around in his chair. ‘John, you’re here. I was about to call you.’
‘Please tell me you’ve found something on this mysterious Flux Cell disruption device?’
‘I think so, although there’s something very strange going on in Iona.’
‘The Flux Cells?’
‘How did you know?’
‘Because we figured out that whoever tampered with the Flux Cells near the CTS warehouse and in Muller’s cruiser is now tapping into all of the Flux Cells in Iona.’
James smacked his palms together. ‘Of course! That explains the EM fluctuations.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Hang on, I’ll show you.’
James input a series of instructions into the virtual keyboard projected onto the lab bench. The display changed to show a map of Iona. Glowing dots appeared on the map. It was almost identical to the map in Professor Holstein’s laboratory.
‘These are all the EM hot spots around the city. Which makes sense that these are Flux Cells,’ James said.
‘Okay, and …?’
‘Look at what happens if we shift EM analysis to a different wavelength.’
The display changed from glowing dots on a map of Iona to an intricate web of pulsating fields. They varied in size and density across the map. The rhythmic dimming and brightening of the fields made the entire thing seem alive, like some giant organism breathing in and out.
‘What exactly am I looking at?’ John asked.
‘These fields represent EM fields within Iona generated by Flux Cells,’ James explained.
John peered at the display closely. ‘It looks like the smaller fields are flowing towards the larger ones.’
‘I think that’s exactly what’s happening—some form of energy transference between the Flux Cells.’
‘Are you saying whoever is behind this is somehow linking the Flux Cells together?’
James turned to look at him. It looked as if he hadn’t slept much the night before, if at all. There was a certain wildness around his eyes which made what he said next even more frightening.
‘No, I’m saying whoever is behind this is drawing power from all of the Flux Cells in Iona and, if these readings are correct, the rate at which they’re doing so is increasing by the minute.’
‘James?’
‘Yes?’
‘Do you have any good news for me?’
The tech shook his head. ‘Afraid not.’
Forty-Two
John’s mind was racing with the implications of what he had just learned. The fact that every single Flux Cell in the city had been turned into a ticking time bomb struck home the reality of just how dangerous the situation really was. A part of him was angry at the Ionians—they had created the Flux Cell to save the world from the GEC and now it had been turned against them. The more rational part of him realised that without the Flux Cell the world would probably have ripped itself apart years ago. Whoever was behind this was the one to blame.
‘Any luck?’ Simone asked. She was standing in the corridor on level twenty-five when the turbo-lift doors slid open. Her phone was in her hand.
‘James confirmed what we already knew, that all the Flux Cells in Iona are affected,’ John said.
Simone nodded. ‘Did he have any luck identifying the device that caused the malfunctions?’ she asked.
‘No, but he did figure out that whoever is messing with the Flux Cells is drawing power from them.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘James believes the energy from the cells is being channelled towards certain locations in the city.’
Simone took a step forward and pressed the button for down. The turbo-lift doors slid open.
‘Where are you going?’ John asked.
‘I need to speak to James. If what you just said is true, then this might explain why someone is doing this.’
‘They need a lot of energy?’
‘Exactly.’
‘For what?’
‘That’s what I hope I can figure out, if I can see where it’s being channelled to.’
‘At least it buys us some time.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘If someone is using the Flux Cells to draw power then it would suggest the implosions are a side effect.’
‘Unless by drawing so much power continuously they’re actually causing them to destabilise.’
‘Good point.’
Simone stepped into the turbo-lift.
‘Call me if you find anything,’ John said as the doors slid shut with a faint hiss of air. He walked down the corridor to Interview Room 2.
‘John, thank God,’ Lauren exclaimed as he opened the door.
His ex-wife was sitting in one of the chairs. Fernali sat in the other, while Socrates stood near the window. John absently wondered if the android had chosen that location to allow him to jump out of the window if his Flux Cell malfunctioned. Knowing how the android’s logic worked, he suspected that was the case.
‘Lauren, tell me exactly what happened with your husband. Don’t leave anything out,’ John said.
She took a deep breath and began to speak. ‘Two people showed up at our door this morning, a man and a woman. Both wore suits and said they were from Council Security.’
‘And they asked for Logan?’ John asked.
‘Yes. They said he needed to go with them.’
‘Did they say why?’
‘Just that it was a matter of Council security.’
‘And he agreed?’
‘Not at first but they were very insistent. It was clear they weren’t taking no for an answer. There was something very single-minded in their approach.’
John nodded. ‘How many people knew that Logan was going to announce his candidacy for the Ruling Council seat?’
Lauren’s eyes opened wider. ‘How did you know?’ she asked.
‘It’s my job to know. I take it by your response that not many people did?’
‘No. There were only a handful of people that knew he was going to announce his candidacy this morning. Do you think the two are connected?’
‘I’m fairly certain they are.’
‘Why would they take him? Was it legitimate, to do with his candidacy?’
John cast a guarded glance at Fernali. His former partner was watching the exchange closely.
‘I’m sorry, Lauren. I don’t think it was,’ John said.
‘Is he in danger?’ Lauren asked.
John said nothing.
‘What aren’t you telling me?’
John took a deep breath. This time he looked at his partner. The Ionian-built android powered by a Flux Cell. Looking back at his ex-wife, he saw the anguish on her face.
‘Lauren, I’m sorry to say this but I believe Logan Myers is in grave danger. I’m not exactly sure who took him but they are definitely not part of Council Security.’
Lauren reached out and grabbed John’s arm. ‘Please, you’ve got to help him!’
‘Lauren, there’s something happening in Iona. If we don’t stop it the results could be catastrophic.’
‘John, you have to hel
p him.’
‘Lauren, I—’
‘Please, I’m … pregnant.’
That surprised him.
‘Congratulations,’ he finally said. ‘I know it’s what you always wanted.’
‘I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but I can’t do this alone.’
John took another deep breath. He looked at the harbour visible in the distance through the window. Finally, he looked back at Lauren. He still loved her. He always would. Which meant there was only one thing he could do.
‘I’ll do what I can, but it could already be too late.’
Forty-Three
The holoprojectors were running in the private VR room in the Sentinel tech lab. The scene at Logan Myers’s house in Bellevue Hill played out in the air before them: the two black-suited androids approaching the front door, Lauren answering, Logan appearing a moment later and finally the androids walking away from the house with Logan between them. Reaching a parked sedan, they got in and drove away.
‘Can you track them?’ John asked. He stood in the small room with Fernali, Socrates and Simone. James sat at the desk and operated the holoprojectors.
‘Yes, give me a second,’ James replied.
The image in the air before them shifted to a map of Iona. A glowing red dot denoted the target vehicle as it drove through the suburb of Bellevue Hill. Reaching the main road, it turned onto Syd Einfeld Drive and accelerated as it drove past the suburb of Woollahra. The red dot began to slow down when it approached Liberation Park. Turning into the park roads, it continued at a slower pace. Finally, after another five minutes, the car came to a complete stop. The red dot was almost directly in the centre of the park.
‘That doesn’t make a lot of sense,’ Fernali said, peering at the screen.
‘James, are you sure that’s where the car stopped?’ John asked.
‘I’m skipping ahead … yes, it hasn’t moved. The car is still there,’ the technician said.
‘Why would they take him to the centre of the park?’ Fernali asked. ‘There’s nothing there but the parklands office.’
‘That’s not entirely true,’ Simone said. They all turned to look at her.
‘What do you mean?’ John asked.
