A.I. Destiny 5 Talisman of Tomorrow

by Timothy Ellis

  Maraid was helping with the wounded, and took the cat from her.

  "Are you mad?" she asked.

  She indicated the armour mode of the suit, which for now, was only leaving her face uncovered.

  "I'm protected by a Hunter belt suit," she explained, and ran back out to the square.

  Several more times, she brought back wounded cats, but most were dead from the fire from the terrorists, and some stray fire from the pinned down security forces. She felt the impacts from the slugs hitting her, but didn't feel hurt. She returned to the cloisters once again, and considered what to do next.

  Firing ceased momentarily, before a grenade was flung across the square towards the security forces, which exploded just short of them. As the blast cleared, Anna could see the terrorists retreating through the offices and buildings behind them.

  Anna didn't think, but started after the terrorists. As she ran, she tentatively un-holstered one of her instantly revealed weapons. She'd never really been comfortable with guns, but felt she should have some way of firing back. She ran through the cloisters, and followed the terrorists into the building. At the same time, the security forces opposite moved through the cloisters, and across the square using defensive measures.

  Anna followed the terrorists through the office buildings. Cats lay on the ground, some dead, some wounded, some hiding, as the terrorists had fired on them as they retreated. She kept moving forward, trying to find a way to get ahead of them, so she could warn any forces coming up, but soon rejected the notion.

  As she left the building out of a door, she could see the terrorists retreating across a small garden to the next building. She fired her weapon several times at the fleeing figures, half hoping her usual incompetence with guns would mean she hadn't hit anything, and half hoping by luck, she had.

  Some of the figures turned, and returned fire. She stopped, her suit went full protection, her PC supplied her vision using sensors, and combat routines went primary. Slugs hit her, her gun fired seemingly of its own volition, and several cats went down sporting holes right through them. The rest disappeared into the next building. Her suit came away from her face, but otherwise remained in protection mode.

  Security cats came up behind her, and then moved forward into the offices after the terrorists. One stopped by her.

  "What the hell are you doing, human?" it yelled at her.

  "Trying to stop the terrorists," she replied.

  "Well don't! Stay here!" the officer ordered.

  It ran on into the next building.

  Anna was debating what to do next, when there were several explosions inside the building. She staggered with the blasts, held on to the nearest tree, and tried to catch her breath. Smoke was coming from the building. She ran on.

  A scene of devastation met her. Cats lay everywhere, some security cats, some looked like terrorists, although there was a lot of parts of bodies and blood, as well as debris covering everything, and still falling. A cloud of dust and smoke obscured her vision, but she could see several small fires burning. She coughed once, and her suit covered her face again, leaving her on suit life support.

  She could hear bursts of fire beyond the building she was in. She carefully navigated through the chaos, and found a door hanging off its hinges. She looked out. Another of Fitzy's forces had moved up from the opposite direction, and were engaging the last of the terrorists, who were pinned down in a small square with lawn, and a fountain and pond in the middle. She brought her gun up, and while thinking maim only thoughts, it aimed itself low down at one of the terrorists and fired. He fell, clutching a leg stump. She felt encouraged, and fired at the others.

  One of the cats had a backpack in its hand. It reached in, and there was flash of light, a roar in her ears, and she was thrown back in through the door into the ruins behind her. She found herself on her back on the floor, and slowly got up to her knees, and back on her feet. She looked outside. The fountain was gone completely. So seemingly had the terrorists, although she started to notice debris and clothing. Fitzy's forces slowly moved forward from behind their cover.

  She stayed at the doorway, holstered her gun, and her suit shifted back into her normal clothes. She stayed there until she could see there were just Fitzy's troops moving, having secured the area. She saw Fitzy himself, and waved her arms. He saw her, and ran over to her.

  "Anna! Are you alright?" He looked at her, covered in dust. "What are you doing here?"

  "Not sure really," she admitted, and collected her thoughts. "There's wounded back there," she said, waving her arm in the direction of the office and beyond.

  "Emergency services are responding now." Fitzy looked carefully at her. "Perhaps you should sit down?" he suggested, and she obediently sat on the step, suddenly wondering why no-one had told her she had combat routines, or her gun was set on kill.

  She remembered what Patters did after each battle, and tried to do her own version of honouring. She immediately threw up. She hadn't intended to kill anyone, just stop them killing other cats.

  "Bloody mop heads," Fitzy said under his breath, and shook his head.

  Twelve

  Sometime later, Anna was sipping hot tea. She sat in a comfortable chair while cats came and went. The Grand Mother sat down next to her, and perched up on her front paws, looking carefully at her.

  "You're sure you're alright?" she asked, concerned.

  "Absolutely fine, thanks," said Anna, as her hand holding the cup shook slightly. "Well a little shaken, now it's all over, and a little bruised of course, even with the suit, but it's nothing too bad."

  Maraid sat on her other side. She had a smear of blood on her forehead, and her hair was a mess. Her clothes were also covered in dust, grime, and had blood on them. She'd been tending to wounded cats in the offices in the cloister.

  Fitzy reported in saying the terrorists they'd been able to find in one piece were Brotherhood agents, now all dead one way or another, and was off to sort out the aftermath of the incident, including the need to revise all security measures, particularly at the citadel. Given armed terrorists had been able to penetrate the existing security, Fitzy, although not directly responsible for citadel security himself, was upset this had been able to happen, and determined it would not happen again.

  The Grand Mother, Maraid, and Anna were now in the conference centre, as this was better able to be securely contained, and while security forces searched for any possible remaining threats at the citadel, had cordoned off the site.

  Security Guards stood everywhere, or moved purposefully in and out of the room. The Grand Mother also looked shocked, as she'd visited the wounded to show support where it didn't hinder emergency service efforts, and where it was deemed safe. The wounded had now been taken to various hospitals for treatment, and the Grand Mother planned to go there as well.

  Snark appeared, and hopped from one foot to another in agitation.

  "Are you OK?" he asked Anna and Maraid.

  "Fine," they both answered together, and smiled at each other.

  "Bloody mop heads!" he exclaimed. "Can't keep them out of trouble!"

  "We're Ok, really," said Anna reassuringly.

  Snark turned to the Grand Mother.

  "Grandmother, you're not hurt?"

  "Not at all! I was well out of danger, unlike Maraid and Anna."

  Snark knew Anna had a combat suit, but was still amazed she'd done what Fitzy had said she had, as he'd met him just outside the rooms.

  "Fitzy said Anna was a hero," he said.

  Anna made a scoffing noise, while Maraid nodded quickly.

  "A dumb mop head, but a hero nonetheless," said Snark. "What were you thinking of, chasing after those terrorists? Saving the wounded, I can understand…"

  "What would you have done?" interrupted Anna shortly. "You'd have been in there all guns blazing!"

  "Well, I might," Snark said carefully, "It's just the suits don't make us invulnerable. Explosions, hand grenades, and what have you can hurt
and even kill us, so don't get carried away in future."

  Anna snorted.

  Maraid smiled.

  The Grand Mother raised her eyes to the ceiling.

  Snark was taken aback, by this female show of solidarity.

  "Bloody females!" he cried, and stomped off.

  They laughed, and smiled at each other, but then the Grand Mother looked more serious.

  "Snark is right in a way," she said. "While feats of derring-do are not just a male's preserve, one does need to be careful nonetheless."

  Anna nodded.

  "I don't know what got into me. I didn't think. But I couldn't just stop, and look away."

  "We must make sure you have a full health check," said Maraid.

  Anna nodded.

  "When the fuss is over, and I've changed my clothes and tidied up, I'd like us to have that meeting," said Maraid firmly. "I think it's high time."

  "Yes," agreed the Grand Mother, "We 'females' need to get together."

  "I'd like that," said Anna.

  Later, more themselves, they met in Anna's suite. The Grand Mother's guards were on the door. Fitzy had insisted they stay in the Conference Centre, which was now under a tight security net.

  Once settled in comfy chairs at a small table, Maraid spoke.

  "Anna, Prrowsness and I have been keeping in touch with each other for some time now," she began.

  Anna looked at her, perplexed.

  "That's my name," said the Grand Mother, smiling.

  "Oh!" said Anna, thinking she'd never thought of the Grand Mother as anything else, and how strange it was.

  "We've been sharing everyday news, but also our visions," continued Maraid.

  "We'd like to tell you about them, as they relate to the quest, and, well, about you," added the Grand Mother.

  "I'd like to share mine as well," said Anna carefully. "I'd like help to see more clearly, and control them better. Also understand them."

  They all smiled at each other. Maraid described the dream she'd had about the figure in black pointing at her. Grandmother shared the vision with the white birds being defeated by the black birds.

  Anna started.

  "I saw white and black birds fighting. But this was at some Standing Stones at a place I didn't know at all. There was also a star chart which I tried to copy down." She paused. "I sensed Jamie was there. Going to be, or had been, I couldn't tell."

  Maraid and the Grandmother glanced at each other, and looked at Anna.

  "We need to have a 'session'," stated Maraid. "We all 'see' in different ways, however we can combine our powers to gain insight into where Jamie is, and more about your search for the amulet."

  "You believe me then? Jamie's still alive?" asked Anna.

  "Yes, indeed," stated the Grand Mother. "We've both seen him."

  "What?"

  "We've been waiting for an opportunity to tell you," explained Maraid.

  "My vision was of a battle. Strange bird creatures fighting," said the Grand Mother.

  "I saw those too," said Anna.

  "This was a real battle," described the Grand Mother, "with guns, flying machines, and heavy weapons. Explosions. And casualties. Jamie was there in the thick of it. I didn't want to tell you at once, because I thought you'd be worried about him."

  "If I know he's alive, even if he is in danger, I can believe I'll see him again."

  Maraid looked closely at Anna, and nodded.

  "I saw a vast expanse of water, a lake of some kind. Jamie was on a boat, searching for something. I know it's not much, but it was very real, very intense. I've known Jamie all his life, and he was determined, and well, hopeful. He was grinning, you know, that silly grin. But also on a mission."

  "Going in with all guns blazing," said Anna with a smile, while wiping away a sudden tear. "I miss him."

  Maraid placed a hand on Anna's, and smiled at her.

  "We also need to teach you to control your visions," suggested Maraid firmly. "You're very young, and have had no guidance at all in 'calling' your dreams, but also managing your response to them. We can help."

  "I'd like that."

  "We don't really have a lot of time, however we think we can give you enough tips to work on while you're travelling," offered the Grand Mother. "We're also going to combine our forces to assist you."

  "If we're going to unite our efforts, we need to use the Destiny Stone," suggested Anna. "The Stone seems to augment certain feelings. I think we should try to use it to increase our powers. It can't hurt to try."

  "I'll talk to Fitzy," said the Grand Mother. "He's the only one who knows where it is. I asked him to keep it safe, as you can see from these recent attacks, it adds a new dimension to the trouble being stirred up by the Brotherhood."

  "I'd like to keep it myself." Anna was adamant. "I know we had help to find it and secure it, but in the end, it was my mission which started it all. I'd feel much happier if it was with me."

  Maraid and the Grand Mother exchanged glances.

  "Let's talk to Fitzy, and then discuss it further," suggested Maraid. "In the meantime, let's start with your first lesson."

  Anna knew when she was being stalled, but let it go.

  "Let's do it," she said.

  Thirteen

  Snark was sitting in Fitzy's office waiting for him, when he came in, and sat behind his desk with a sigh.

  "Find out anything useful?" Snark asked.

  "Nothing. Those who weren't killed outright, killed themselves with poison. You can tell Anna she didn't actually kill anyone. She put holes in several, blew off a leg on one, but they were definitely not fatal shots. They killed themselves."

  "She'll be relieved to hear that."

  "I know. I could see it bothered her. How did she shoot so well all of a sudden?"

  "It's part of her PC. When Jamie was teaching her to shoot, and how to hide the guns when not needed, he must have upgraded her combat routines. I've been checking them. One trigger is when you deliberately stop to fire and aim, and the routines kicked in." Fitzy nodded she had. "Before that she would have been just pulling the trigger wildly. I intend to do some practicing with mine."

  "I wish we had your guns. And the suits."

  "Why don't you?"

  "Hasn't been approved diplomatically yet."

  "Well now you have ammunition to speed the process up."

  Fitzy grinned. Snark look puzzled for a moment, then started waving his middle hand around, looking stupid. A hollo popped up where they could both see it.

  "Greetings," said Bill Paxton.

  "Admiral," said Fitzy. "How are you doing this?"

  "I opened a channel to Snark's new PC, and requested he pop up a screen."

  "Oh is that what he was doing?" Fitzy laughed. "What can we do for you?"

  The image of Paxton vanished, and an overview of the city appeared. The bomb went off, and they could see the building shattered, and the debris flying. Figures detached from the surroundings, and started away. The image stopped. Paxton's face appeared in one corner, and several circles appeared around the images of cats. Fitzy and Snark peered at the image.

  "What are we looking at?" asked Fitzy.

  "The circles are highlighting identifiable information. The red ones are guns. And since none of your security people are anywhere near at this point, they are all classified as enemy combative. The blue circles are explosive material."

  "Wait," said Snark. "You knew all that this soon after the explosion?"

  "Yes."

  "What about the explosion itself? Did you know about it in advance?"

  "No. I can scan for all known explosive materials, but without orders to do so, I wasn't. Once the explosion was registered on the sensors, I upped the alert level."

  "Could you have done something then?" asked Fitzy quietly.

  "Not immediately. Warspite and Tranquil could have responded within seconds, but it would have taken about thirty to get Warspite on the ground. A minute or so longer to deploy comba
t droids, but they could have dropped directly on top of the terrorists before they left the cloister."

  "Fuck!" said Fitzy and Snark together.

  "Why didn't you?" asked Fitzy.

  "You didn't ask." Neither of them spoke, and Paxton could see they were not at all happy. "Duke Fred told you what we could do. All you had to do was ask us, or bring me into security planning, and I could have suggested things."

  "Such as?"

  "One of my ships could be dedicated to scanning for explosives and weapons in places they shouldn't be. I can have salvage droids flying at any altitude you want, with a mix of combat and security droids on them. The droids never get bored, so they'll react however they are told to. We can give them standard orders to cut down on response times."

  Fitzy was silent for a time, and Snark sat there looking at him. Finally her stirred.

  "I still don't believe you did nothing. Why?"

  "Warspite didn't believe it either. He received a much needed dose of humility, instead of going off half cocked. It comes down to this. And it comes from Jane herself. You have freewill. We're not here to tell you how to do things. We're not here to do things for you. We didn't conquer you," Fitzy flinched, "and we're not here to impose our way of doing things on you. We're here as friends, and as visitors, it's not our place to butt in whenever you have a problem."

  He paused, letting it sink in.

  "But we are here, we can do some things really well, and all you need to do is ask. In time, if you want it, we can train your people to use some of our equipment, and how to respond at our level."

  "I'm asking," said Fitzy.

  "When things settle down, let's have a meeting about how we can help you, discuss options, and then bring in the diplomats."

  "I'll get back to you. Thanks Admiral."

  Paxton nodded, and the hollo vanished.

  "I need to go see the Grand Mother," said Fitzy.

  "Better you than me," smiled Snark.

  They both left, going separate ways.

  After the humans left the Grand Mother, he requested a meeting.

  "I need to tell you how I screwed up again," he told her grimly.