Promethean Files 2: The Prometheus Gambit

by Andrew Dobell

  THE PROMETHEUS GAMBIT

  The New Prometheus

  Book 2

  Books By Andrew Dobell

  The New Prometheus - Cyberpunk

  The New Prometheus

  The Magi Saga – Urban Fantasy

  Epic Calling: The Magi Saga Book 1

  Shadows of Darkness: The Magi Saga Book 2

  Black Dawn: The Magi Saga Book 3

  Infinities’ Edge: The Magi Saga Book 4

  The Magi Saga Short Stories

  Only available through my mailing list;

  The Angel of Tarut: The Magi Saga Prologue

  His Love: A Magi Saga Short Story

  Casino Red: A Magi Saga Short Story

  Anthologies I am part of:

  The Expanding Universe – Sci-Fi

  For more of Andrews work, visit:

  www.andrewdobellauthor.co.uk

  The Prometheus

  Gambit

  The New Prometheus

  Book 2

  Written & Illustrated

  By

  Andrew Dobell

  Acknowledgements

  I want to acknowledge a big influence on my writing and my work as an author in general, and that man is Michael Anderle.

  He’s been a big influence on me and my work, as well as employing me as a Cover Designer for some of his books. You, and your fans, have been amazingly kind to me, and for that I will be forever grateful.

  There’s a couple of references to your works in this book, including its title.

  Can any Kurtherian fans spot the reference in the story?

  As always, thank you to my family, including my wife Louise for her support and my late grandfather for his belief in me.

  Would you leave me a Review???

  Thank you for taking the time to read Shadows of Darkness. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review on Amazon. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.

  Thank you.

  Andrew Dobell.

  Want FREE Prequel to this Book???

  Want the story behind the report in Prologue 2???

  If you would like a FREE PDF Short Story Prequel to Epic Calling that details the events referred to in the second Prologue, and would like to stay up to date with my latest releases and news, please consider signing up to my Mailing List.

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  Contents

  Title Page

  Books By Andrew Dobell

  Acknowledgements

  2.01

  2.02

  2.03

  2.04

  2.05

  2.06

  2.07

  2.08

  2.09

  2.10

  2.11

  2.12

  2.13

  2.14

  2.15

  2.16

  2.17

  2.18

  2.19

  2.20

  2.21

  2.22

  2.23

  Author Note

  Blurb for Book One

  2.01

  Isaac gazed out of the window at the passing towers of the city as they sped along the motorway, out, over the north branch of the Thames, into Greater Neo-London. Like most politicians, he actually had two homes. One, an apartment that kept him close to his work in the city and his new appointment as Foreign Minister, and the other, his real home, a large gated property on the outskirts of the city, well away from the influence of the Corporations.

  He sat in the back of a black sedan, his driver navigating through the traffic to go back home for the weekend while a bodyguard sat in the front passenger seat.

  ‘So, how did the meeting go?’ said a slightly digitised female voice.

  A holographic screen hung in the air slightly in front of the driver’s seat, the head and shoulders of the Prime Minister displayed upon it and talking to him.

  He looked back at her. ‘As well as can be expected, given my view on the Corporations,’ he smiled.

  ‘Who was there?’

  ‘I had quite the delegation. There were representatives from Psytech, Gabbus, Nobori, Giga Corp, Hard Tech, and more. They can be quite intimidating when they want to be.’

  ‘You don’t know the half of it. But this is why I appointed you. You have resisted the influence of the Corporations so far, and you will be a key part of this new initiative against them, but you need to be ready because they will fight every step of the way, and they will fight dirty,’ she said to him from the screen.

  ‘I know, I’m quite aware. I’ll be careful. Oh, by the way, I have Nigel York coming to see me at my home tonight.’

  ‘The Business Secretary? He’s in the pocket of the Corporations as well, you know.’

  ‘I know, I’ll be careful. Why do I get the feeling they don’t like my appointment as Foreign Minister?’

  ‘What did you expect?’ the Prime Minister asked. ‘You’re a threat to them. They know how outspoken against the influence of the Corporations you’ve been, and they don’t like that you now have a position of power. Anyway, I have to get going; duty calls. Have a great weekend, Isaac,’ she said.

  ‘You too, Susan. See you Monday,’ he said and flicked off the screen with a wave of his hand. He had been thrilled with his new appointment by the PM, but more than a little surprised. His outspoken opinions against the Corps had always worked against him in the past, meaning he was always skipped over when it came to getting into the cabinet. He had always taken Susan Weaver, the new PM, as another fully paid up fan of the Corporations, so when she called him into her office for a private meeting, he had expected her to tell him to stop with his rhetoric, to stop being so outspoken. But, the opposite had happened.

  She had told him that she was putting together a team, a group of ministers and others who would be working against the Corporations to lessen the hold and power they had over the governments of the world, especially here in the UK where they were thought to be strongest. She wouldn’t go into to many details, but he would be a part of an off the books group of people in positions of influence who she would strategize with. She had also spoken of a task force, a group of highly trained operatives who would basically do the dirty work. He didn’t know any more than that for the time being, but she finished the meeting by offering him the role of Foreign Secretary. Susan had also appointed a bodyguard detail to him, one of which was in the car now. He knew there was at least one at his house too, all of which was because of the threat of the Corps. Of course, he accepted the new appointment and left the meeting feeling stunned, but also elated that finally, he had some support from those in a position to do something about the Corps.

  It wouldn’t be easy as the majority of the Cabinet were almost certainly beholden to one or more of the Corporations and would resist Susan’s Anti-Corporation plans, but it was a start at least, and it gave him a hope he had not felt in a long time. He knew his parents would be proud of him, too. They had called to congratulate him after the appointment had been made public. He wished he could have told them about the initiative as well, but that would have been foolish.

  They were well away from the city now, and it wasn’t long until the car had pulled onto a leafy suburban street with its trees and greenery before pulling up to and moving through the gates to his house.

  Isaac was a diligent saver, and with some help from some careful investments, he was quite well off these days, enjoying a life in a large house that he knew many of his constituents would envy. They pulled into the driveway and around to the front of the house where a couple of other black cars sat waiting that he didn’t recognise, which made him frown with c
onsternation.

  ‘Are you expecting anyone, sir?’ his bodyguard asked.

  ‘Yes, but, they’re early, and I thought it would just be one person…’ Who was this? More people from the Corporations come to bend his ear? This was getting tiresome.

  ‘Wait here, sir,’ said the bodyguard in the front seat, as the large man stepped out of the car, looking at these unexpected visitors, his hand on his sidearm.

  ‘Sure,’ Isaac said, and waited to see what would happen.

  He spotted movement from one of the cars and a man that he immediately recognised stepped out. It was Nigel York, the Business Secretary.

  Isaac’s bodyguard had gone for his gun, but he must have also recognised Nigel as he stopped part way. ‘Evening, sir,’ he said and leant back into the car and looked at Isaac. ‘It’s your evening appointment, sir.’

  ‘Thanks, Cole,’ Isaac said and opened his door. He got out and straightened up his suit. As he did so, he saw his wife open the front door of the house, her bodyguard stood next to her.

  ‘Hi, honey. I asked them to wait out here. Hope that’s okay?’ she explained.

  ‘Of course,’ Isaac said, and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. He wasn’t surprised, Clare wouldn’t want them in the house while she was getting the kids ready for bed. He walked over to the Business Secretary and offered his hand. ‘Good to see you, Nigel, hope you weren’t waiting too long?’

  ‘No, not too long, don’t worry. I know you’re a busy man now. How are you finding the new appointment?’ Nigel asked. He was a tall, thin man, wearing a grey suit. He had mousey-coloured hair and a few obvious implants. The main one was his left eye, which had been replaced with circular lens set into a metal housing, but his hands had also been replaced, and although they looked like they were covered in skin, there were the ever-present seams and lines that ran over them, marking them as artificial.

  Cybernetics were a normal, everyday part of the world these days, but some prosthetics still had the potential to give kids nightmares. Isaac and his wife had resisted the more visible augmentations. Both he and Clare only had the nanobots, and if he could have gotten rid of them, too, he would have. He’d prefer to be without any links to the Corporations that he opposed, but the bots were in him from birth, just like everyone.

  If a woman had nanobots within her when she got pregnant, she would automatically pass them onto her unborn child, locking them into the endless cycle of paying for the protection the nanobots offered. It was a neat little trick of the Corps, along with the nanobots self-replicating, self-repairing, and upgrading abilities. He had to admit, the technology within them was astounding, but it was also troubling.

  All of which was no doubt why Nigel was here, now.

  ‘I’m enjoying it, to be honest. I like a challenge, and I’m grateful to the Prime Minister’s show of support to me for giving me this chance.’

  ‘Of course. Well, is there somewhere we can go to talk?’

  ‘Yes, if you’d like to follow me to my office?’ he said, noticing a couple of guys stepping out of the second car who looked like typical security guards.

  ‘Don’t worry about them, they’re for my protection. I’m sure you don’t mind if they stay close?’ Nigel said.

  ‘Not at all,’ Isaac said and turned towards the front door. He nodded at Cole, who followed him in. Clare had gone inside as well and he spotted her deeper within the house with the second bodyguard as he led Nigel into his office on the right side of the house, he walked to the door and let Nigel in before turning to Cole and the two bodyguards that Nigel had brought inside. ‘You’re happy out here, yes?’

  ‘Of course, sir,’ said Cole.

  The other two guys looked at Nigel, who nodded and they seemed to relax. What did they think he was going to do to him, Isaac thought? This level of protection for Nigel amused him, but wasn’t out of character for the Business Secretary. Isaac never really liked him and wasn’t looking forward to this meeting at all.

  Isaac closed the door and offered Nigel a seat in front of the desk that he went and sat behind before reaching down to pull out a bottle of scotch that he had ready for such meetings.

  ‘Would you care for a drink?’

  ‘That would be most kind, thank you,’ Nigel said and took the glass from Isaac once he’d poured him a generous helping.

  ‘So, what brings you out here to meet with me, Nigel?’

  ‘Straight down to business, then?’ the Business Secretary asked.

  ‘Nigel, let’s be honest, shall we? While I appreciate you coming out here, this meeting could have been held in Westminster, and although I’m not against doing some work at home, I would prefer to spend my time with my family at the weekend. So, please excuse my brevity, but I’m keen to put some casual clothes on and see my kids.’

  ‘I understand. The reason for my visit, then, Mr. Hughes,’ he said, the switch to a more formal manner of address not going unnoticed, ‘is that you have a lot of very powerful people more than a little concerned. You have always been very outspoken against the Corporations, and your appointment to Foreign Secretary is a big promotion.’ Nigel sighed, taking a deep breath. ‘The Corporations are just trying to go about their business. They want to help people, to save lives through their Nano Technology, but when people like you are out there saying how evil they are, how they have control over the government and the justice system, that’s not good PR for them. This promotion could be seen as the PM legitimising your views. This is a worry, understandably so. I’m sure you can see their point of view?’

  ‘So, they sent you to try and get me to play nice?’ Isaac asked.

  ‘In my role as Secretary of State for Business, it is my job to work closely with the Corporations and businesses that trade in the UK, and as a fellow member of the Cabinet, they expressed their worries to me and asked that I speak to you on their behalf.’

  ‘Is that right?’ Isaac said.

  ‘They only want to help, Isaac. They want to work with you and see what they can do to help you. They have been invaluable to governments on both sides of the political divide for decades now. If you work with them, rather than against them, I’m sure you will find they can be excellent business partners.’

  ‘What do they have on you, Nigel? Hmm? What are they blackmailing you with?’

  ‘Wha… I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘Come on, Nigel, don’t play coy, I’m not in the mood for this tonight. I’ve been meeting with delegates from the Corporations all day, and I can tell you what I told them: I’m just not interested in whatever they have to offer. I will do my job to the best of my ability and based on my own moral code, and I will not be compromised by a private interest group from one of your global conglomerates.’

  Nigel stared at him and sighed. ‘I was really hoping that you would see things from their perspective. You have to understand, without them, it’s not unlikely that there wouldn’t be a human race, we might very well have gone extinct by now, you understand?’

  Isaac held his hands up for a moment. ‘I get that. I understand what they did for us in humanity’s darkest hour. The work they did on Nano Technology to combat disease is incredible. As you say, it is very likely that they did in fact save humanity, and, for that, I’m grateful. But they went too far. They saw an opportunity for power, and they went for it.’

  ‘They’re businesses operating in a capitalist society; they’ve only done what any other business would do in that situation. They maximised their profits to grow their business,’ Nigel said.

  ‘That’s funny. So, this is growing their business? Owning the government is growing their business? Bribing public officials is growing their business? Killing anyone who stands in their way is growing their business? That’s a pretty warped view, Nigel,’ Isaac said.

  ‘Killing people? What are you talking about? These are conspiracy theories and nothing more. Look, they just want to be treated fairly and for you to allow them to continue their busin
ess interests without interference. That’s all.’

  ‘They want me to allow them to continue forcing people to live in the slums of the Undercity in Neo-London because they can’t pay their Nano Insurance? They want me to let them continue to turn off the nanobots of those who can’t pay, meaning they get Typhoid or whatever in those slums because they no longer have protection? And let’s not even get started on the bribery of ministers or judges or the police.’

  ‘Isaac. I see this is not going to go how I had hoped. So, I am sorry, but you must understand, it’s only business, and you brought this on yourself.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Isaac said when he suddenly heard the sounds of a struggle outside the door. Bodies clattered against the outside of the office, and suddenly with a loud bang, Cole came flying through the door and landed awkwardly on the floor, followed by the two bodyguards that Nigel had brought with him, both of which had drawn guns, one of which was pointed at Isaac. Seeing his bodyguard on the floor and the barrel of a gun pointed at him was not how he’d seen this new job going. Calmly and slowly, he raised his hands, watching the gunman carefully and doing his best not to act in a threatening manner.

  Slowly, Isaac opened his mouth, indicating he was going to speak. ‘Now, let’s not get over-excited here? There’s no need for violence.’

  Nigel stepped forward. ‘But you see, sometimes there is a need for something beyond the rhetoric. Sometimes, the only way to reach people is to hit them over the head with a hammer, and then you will see you have their complete attention… Like I have yours now.’

  ‘This is ridiculous, Nigel, what do you hope to achieve?’

  ‘Compliance, Isaac, compliance,’ he said with a smile that made Isaac’s stomach turn. He then stepped to one side, letting him see through the doorway out into the hallway where four more mercenaries held his wife and two children hostage at gunpoint.