“Good observation,” he says.
Astrid sits down again, her exposed shoulder muscles flexing as she does. “The other brigade leaders say nothing unusual happened in their cities.”
“It’s hacking for sure then,” says Nav, “but I have no idea who would be good enough.” She taps the table while she scrolls through holograms. “I don’t see any new related articles. Let me bring up the old ones. Cube, open my saved articles from the Cardinal Post.”
“You have no saved articles,” says her q-link.
“Weird. I did. Cube, check the Cardinal Post for anything mentioning schizophrenia.”
“There are no articles,” says her q-link.
“What? Where did they go?” asks Americus.
Nav shrugs as she searches the news site. Holographic text appears before us. Americus leans forward to read it.
‘The Cardinal Post has been bought out by Candor News. All traffic will now route through the Candor News mesh-site.’
“Let me check their site,” says Nav. She does, then gasps. “They’re not there.”
Americus pounds the table, and his raven shifts its feet. “This must be a cover-up. It looks like they bought them to hide the articles and conceal whatever they’re doing with the Evo.”
“Now this is getting exciting,” says Alexander.
Is he crazy? This is terrible.
“It’s strange that no other media covered the stories,” says Americus. “I have a feeling there’s a reason for it. Naveha, check to see if Candor News has recently bought any other companies.”
Nav searches, then says, “They haven’t.”
“Wait...” Americus says as he rubs his beard. “Check to see if any other companies are buying media outlets.”
“You sure like to order me around like I’m one of your Loyalists,” says Nav. “You know you can use your q-link too.”
Americus’ eyebrows dip. “Just cooperate. I don’t need your attitude right now.”
Nav sighs. “Cube, bring up a list of all media companies that have been bought in the last year.”
A holographic list appears. There are hundreds of companies.
“In Navin’s name,” says Americus. “That must be nearly every media outlet in the country. Who’s buying them?”
“Looks like all sorts of different companies,” says Nav.
“Hmm. That doesn’t make sense,” says Americus. “Can you identify if the purchasing companies are connected somehow?”
Nav shrugs and looks at me. “I don’t know. Fae?”
I’m sure I could figure out a way to track payments or network connections, but it would take a while. “I bet we can find a program on the dark mesh. It’s risky to steal from them, though. Does anyone have money?”
“I got it,” says Alexander.
I find a program, Alexander pays, and I run the scan. The results pop up between us. Americus and Astrid gape, and Nav’s eyes go wide. Alexander seems to be studying the ceiling.
“Infoworld Media,” growls Americus. “For freedom’s sake. The largest media company is buying all the others. This is bad.”
“What’s the big deal?” asks Alexander.
“If you control all media, you control people’s minds,” says Americus. “Before the revolution, the shadow government controlled ninety-five percent of the media. After the old American government created the fact-checking czar and told people what was true and what was not, they gained complete control. It’s happening again. How has the Antitrust Division missed this?”
“Just another example of why we shouldn’t pay taxes,” says Nav.
“Enough, Naveha,” says Americus.
“Boss, give me a squad of five Loyalists,” says Alexander. “I’ll disable Infoworld’s entire criminal network.”
Americus lowers his hand for Alexander to simmer down. “Not yet. We need more information.” He raises his q-link. “Zill, get me Gerald, my NIA asset, and put it on speaker.” Americus tells his asset what we found.
“I haven’t heard anything yet, Major,” says Gerald, “but we’re second to none. We’ll figure this out just like we always did in the Marines. Keep me posted on anything else you learn.” Gerald disconnects.
“He was always the smartest of my men,” says Americus. “Now that he works for the NIA, he’s invaluable.” He rubs his thick beard. “So, Infoworld corners the media market, then targets all Evos in Stroudsburg. Why would they? And how do they have the capabilities? Someone else must be pulling the strings. And who’s more likely than the company who created the Evo, Xyphotech.”
“Those scum. They wouldn’t dare,” says Nav.
Americus grunts. “They’re one of the most powerful companies in America, and they have past ties to Infoworld since they were both a part of Limitless Corp before antitrust action split them up.”
Interesting. Sounds plausible.
“I want to find out what article Sandra was working on and if possible, what Barbra learned,” says Americus. “We also need to get more information about Xyphotech and Infoworld. When we have what we need, we can turn it over to the government.”
Nav scoffs. “Like we can trust them.”
“Stop!” says Americus. “We can trust them…except for the NIA scum of course.”
Nav shuts her mouth but looks like she’s seething.
I gaze out the window to calm myself. The rain has stopped, and the sun shines in a blue sky. The serenity of it almost makes it seem like the Evo attack never happened. I take a few breaths and try to tune out Americus and Nav’s argument. Hell, this is stressful. I wish I could relax in the sun with nothing to do but watch coding tutorials or daydream about cute gamer-guys.
Four fiery explosions flash in the distance, ripping apart the stillness of the moment. A second later, the room rumbles ominously. We all leap to our feet and run to the windows.
Dark clouds of smoke plume in the distance near the military base outside of town. An approaching rumble deafens me as two low-flying jets screech by our window. I flinch as another fiery cloud erupts in the distance. A series of loud pops from some kind of mortar follow the explosion.
☼☼☼
I stare wide-eyed at multiple mushroom clouds. I just hope they’re not nuclear.
Americus jogs out to the main room and says, “Everyone away from the windows. Put on your body armor and grab your rifles.”
Twenty or so people scramble around, putting on armor, picking up guns, and checking ammo. They gather in the center of the room around circular couches.
Diablo. What the hell is happening?
“Astrid, find out what’s going on,” says Americus.
“No news yet, sir.”
We sit in tense anticipation. My stomach burns from the anxiety in a way that I haven’t felt in years. I focus on slowing my breathing, and it feels like an eternity until Astrid’s q-link beeps.
“Sir, the US military is reporting that there’s been an attack by the South American military at Fort Stroudsburg. A squad of stealth jets somehow managed to get by our military’s detection perimeter,” says Astrid. “The American military is preparing to strike back. Looks like it’s war.”
Americus punches a fist into his palm. “How did they manage that? This throws off all of our theories. The RSA is now the most likely Evo hacking culprit.”
“Let’s mobilize, Americus,” says Alexander, his eyes lighting up. “We need to get to Fort Stroudsburg now.”
Americus shakes his head. “We don’t have the arms or manpower to take on a full military strike.”
“I agree, sir,” says Astrid. “Hold on. The president just made a statement.” Astrid plays the message.
A hologram of President Toscano materializes in front of us. Her sharp features are set in a grim expression. “We are at war with the Republic of South America, but we will be victorious. Despite their recent military modernization, the American Military is still the most advanced in the world. Everyone, shelter in place until we
make further announcements,” she says, accentuating her powerful voice with hand motions.
So that confirms it. The RSA must have been testing their control over the Evo in Stroudsburg before the strike.
“We’ll follow her order,” says Americus. “With America’s new missile defense systems and tenth generation Liberator drones, they have no chance. Keep your wits about you, though, and be ready for action. Otherwise, it’s business as usual until we hear more.”
People relax and disperse to various parts of the room.
Nav clasps my hand. “It’s going to be okay. Just relax.” She looks at my dirty, ripped jumpsuit and frowns. “Let’s get some new clothes. Then we can get cleaned up.”
I try to relax a bit, but this is crazy. As if things weren’t bad enough, now we’re at war. What can I do, though? Nothing but wait, I suppose.
We walk over to a device that is a three-foot-wide cylinder on a five-foot stand. Nav presses a button, and a holographic interface appears. “Show me small…” Nav eyes me. “Extra small woman’s tank tops.”
An assortment of different style tanks appears in front of us.
“Pick out five or so outfits. You can even add images.”
I scroll through until I find a style that I like. I add the Silent City logo on one, then pick several more shirts and pairs of shorts.
“Print,” says Nav.
I grin as the shirt grows under the machine and then drops onto a shelf.
“Clothes printer,” says Nav. “It uses a synthetic material, and you can print any outfit.”
Nav prints her own clothes, and then we go down a hall to a shower. We take turns, and when we’re done, I feel much better.
“I have one more gift for you,” says Nav, now wearing a T-shirt with the anarchy logo. She hands me a q-link. “It’s the Lumicode 4000. They had an extra one. I know it must have been hard to lose yours.”
“Thank you. I love it.” I put it on my wrist and admire its oval face and slim blue band.
“Now, let’s go see what they have to eat around here,” she says. “You need to recover from that gunshot.”
We leave for the kitchen, and Sunny catches up to us.
Three people walk by with heaping plates of food. “Hey, Naveha,” says one.
She nods to him.
Americus leans against a wall next to the kitchen, eating the meal. I study his face, trying to place where I saw him. After a moment, I shrug.
A burly man, dressed in a button-down shirt under his vest, whistles as he cooks two pans of seasoned veggies and rice. A completed stir-fry and separate plates of meat sit on the counter. He wears a stamped silver bracelet on one arm and some kind of technological device next to his q-link on his other arm.
He stops and turns to us. “Naveha,” he says with a wide smile before hugging her. “I was worried about you. How’d you make it through the drone attack? It must have been harrowing.”
She shakes her head with a huff. “The government shouldn’t be allowed to use them on people.”
“This is the first time I’ve heard it happen,” he says.
She shrugs. “Fae and I destroyed several drones, but Alexander saved us in the end.”
Brandon winces at Alexander’s name, then turns to me. “Who’s your friend here?”
“Oh, sorry. This is Fae.”
He smiles at me as he adjusts his bracelet. “You know what? You look just like this friend I made when filming my adventure TV series in the Dominican Republic.”
Interesting. I wonder what it was about.
“Only your eyes are a much more beautiful shade of brown.”
I look down, my face suddenly hot and smile at the compliment. Something about him, though, tells me to stay away.
“I like your shirt,” says Brandon. “That’s Silent—”
“Watch out for this one,” says Alexander from behind me. “He’ll say anything to get you into bed.”
Oh. I step away from Brandon, crossing my arms.
Brandon scowls at Alexander, his eyebrows lowering. “Still bitter, I see.”
“Always will be,” he says, now dressed in a military shirt under his vest. His eyes bore into Brandon’s.
Nav looks between them, a frown of confusion on her face. I take another step back, worried it will come to blows. After a moment, the more muscular Brandon turns away.
“Just lay off of Fae,” says Alexander. “She just went through something traumatic.”
That was nice.
Alexander passes up Brandon’s stir-fry and grabs a can of soup. He tosses it to his other hand, then takes two more before leaving.
Brandon shakes his head with a scowl. “Noob,” he mumbles.
“I like your haircut Brandon,” says Nav as if trying to change the mood.
Brandon smiles. “I did it myself. My mom used to own a salon that I worked at when I was young.”
“I’ll have to hit you up at some point.”
“Anytime,” he says, looking into her eyes. “I’m sorry to hear about your husband.”
She rests her cybernetic hand on his shoulder. “Thanks, Brandon. That means a lot to me.”
“Will you be joining us now?” he asks Nav. “Your kind heart always lights up this place.”
She smiles, looking flattered. “Thank you. That’s nice to hear. I’ll be sticking around…even though it’s hard to tolerate the boss.”
He nods knowingly. “Enjoy your lunch. We’ll catch up more later, Naveha.”
“Fae, grab a plate,” says Nav.
I grab one from a stack and load up with stir-fry.
“No meat?” she asks.
“Not for me.”
“Nice, me either,” she says. “Even though it’s all lab-grown now, I still can’t bring myself to eat it. You’ll like the vegetables, though. Brandon is quite the cook. He worked as a chief for a few years.” She prepares a plate, and we both walk to a bench.
Sunny sits next to me, and I pat his dented head. I want to talk to him about the day’s events, but it will have to wait.
Nav leans over. “Make sure he doesn’t give himself away. This crowd is less forgiving than I am.”
I don’t like the sound of that. I take a bite of the delicious meal as I look around the room. Americus sits at a table with some older men. They listen intently as he talks.
“There’s such an age difference here,” I say.
“Patriotism is for all ages,” says Nav. “At least that’s what Americus would say.”
“It seems like you don’t really fit in with your views.”
“I believe in complete freedom, but we all agree that the National Intelligence Agency’s creation was unconstitutional.”
“Screw them,” I say, then notice Brandon talking to some younger woman who giggles. “What was Brandon’s TV show?”
“Isn’t that cool? It was a rewrite of this old show called Lost, where this group of people crashes on an island, and weird things happen to them. It was fantastic, but they canceled it after one season. Bad timing, I guess.”
“So, what happened between Brandon and Alexander?”
Nav shrugs. “I was wondering the same thing. I’ve only been here a few times. I’m not that close to anyone.”
A spark of flame draws my eyes to the corner of the room. Alexander holds an open can of soup with an oven mitt and heats it with a blowtorch.
What the hell?
When he’s done heating the soup, he stirs it and pours it into his mouth.
Nav shakes her head. “I told you, he’s a character.”
“So,” I say and put my hand on hers. “Thanks for blocking those bullets back there. That was close.”
“Anytime, StarFeather. You know that.”
She gazes at our hands and smiles. “Your hacking saved us too, though. I can’t do this without you.”
A glint of light catches my eye. Alexander holds some kind of golden circle. He looks at it with a fond smile, then takes out a cloth rubs it.
Look at those eyes. So green.
“After we finish eating,” says Nav. “Let’s go to the room and settle in.”
“Sounds nice.”
We finish and rinse our dishes, the remaining food particles sliding off the nano-glass coating. I glance at Alexander one more time to see him talking through his q-link to someone. We leave for the room, Sunny following at our heels.
I put down my messenger bag and sit on the bed. Sunny sits nearby and summons a holographic representation of his seal, Bean. He pets him, and the interactive hologram wiggles his tail and waves.
Huh. When did he program that?
Nav narrows her eyes at the hologram. “I can’t believe we’re in a war now. What else is going to happen?”
I lower my head into my hands, my curls draping over my face. I’m just so overwhelmed. “Can we talk about something else? I just can’t deal with that right now.”
“I know just the thing. Cube, activate nature projection two.”
A forest of pines grows around us, and an owl hoots in the background.
“Let’s trade some programming tips,” says Nav. “I need a crash course in SAS, and I’ll teach you some of the more advanced tricks I’ve learned.”
☼☼☼
After talking for hours and eating dinner, the sky darkens, and Nav gets tired. She curls up to sleep, and after about ten minutes of her deeper steady breathing, I slide over to Sunny.
“I’m wondering if we should try to slip out of the country,” I say. “Then we can avoid this war and my arrest.”
“Without Naveha?” asks Sunny.
Memories of her taunt me. I hear her concern as she says she’ll help me when I needed her most. I remember the taste of the extra food she made me when I was starving, and how she cleaned my wounds. I felt close to her during our year playing Silent City, but somehow, I feel so much closer now in just a short time.
I like to help people, but this is just crazy. We could die. I want to get back to programming my foster care blockchain and making things better for people without the risk. I also want human connections, though. If I leave, I’ll never see Nav again.
“Nav won’t come,” I say.
“Why?”
The Astral Hacker (Cryptopunk Revolution Book 1) Page 14
