The Astral Hacker (Cryptopunk Revolution Book 1)

by Brian Terenna

  A hundred or so of them abruptly veer upward, soaring higher before their batteries overheat. Once the drones are out of the tower’s range, they zip back toward us.

  Americus stares in disbelief. Tom prays to Navin even more franticly. Horror seizes me as I desperately try to think of a solution. Conscious thought eludes me, though, and all I can do is watch the swarm and shake. That’s it then, I failed to redeem myself to you, Nav. I’m sorry.

  She must see my dread because she hugs me and says, “It’s okay. If we have to die here, at least you’ll see your mother, and I’ll see Ty.”

  Americus grabs me and yells, “We can’t let the NIA get away with this. Can you do anything else, Fae?”

  It increases my panic and makes it even harder to think. What else could I do? There’s no way I can network them in time.

  We zoom around another corner, but the drones follow even closer. They open fire, and a spray of bullets tears up the street just before our SUV.

  Sunny clamps down on my arm, ripping me from my paralysis. “Fae remember what you did at the final battle in Silent City.”

  He’s right! “Americus, do you have infrared blankets?”

  “Yes. What do we do?”

  “Hurry. Pump the infrared blocking gas again,” I say. “And get the blankets ready.”

  He does, giving me a moment to explain the plan. We peel around another corner, and he tells the other SUVs what to do. Americus programs the vehicles to keep driving, and we slow down enough to leap out.

  I hit the ground with a thump and roll to a stop. Nav crashes into me, and the others stop nearby. We pull the infrared blankets over us and shut down our q-links. I hold Sunny close as he enters sleep mode.

  The drones turn the corner and angle toward us, closing in.

  If I miscalculated, bullets will shred us in moments. I hold my breath, filled with tension, and Nav grips my hand just like the last time we faced death by drone. Long seconds pass as we wait.

  The swarm passes us by, following the SUVs. The ruse worked.

  ☼☼☼

  I let out my breath and slump forward, exhausted from the ordeal.

  Nav squeezes my hand. “Wow. You are StarFeather.”

  I nod at the compliment, some of my energy returning. At least I’ll have a second chance to make things up to her.

  Americus clenches his fist and jaw. “Director Tempton and the NIA will pay for our losses. We’ll show no mercy.”

  “Yeah, Boss,” says Alexander.

  “Zill,” says Americus. “Contact the base and have them send more SUVs to pick us up.”

  Shortly after, we drive back to the base. I shiver as cooler wind blows through my hair. The overcast sky is darker than before, just like our lives. We ride back in silence, Americus’ face hard. Alexander’s gaze is fixed on the ground. Nav holds her head in her hands.

  We’re rattled by the attack but crushed by Yumi and Astrid’s deaths. Everyone in my life dies. Who’s next? Alexander? Americus? Nav? We need to end this before that happens.

  We had a reasonable plan, and it probably would have worked if not for Sunny blowing our cover. Diablo Sunny, now everyone is going to hate you. I should have run out for him, but fear got the better of me. Yumi, who just started to connect with Sunny, risked her life and saved him. I’ll always feel grateful…and guilty. At least we got the asset. Let’s hope this information is worth it.

  Tom looks at Sunny, his expression hidden behind his beard. I wonder what he’s thinking. They’ve spent a lot of time together, so I imagine he feels bad for him.

  We reach our base with no more drone sightings.

  “We’ll have a service tonight for Yumi and Astrid,” says Americus, his fist balled.

  The gate grinds open, and soon, we’ll have to tell Bob, Silas, and the others.

  We drag ourselves from the SUVs, silence still weighing heavy in the air. Gerald steps in front of me, unaware of what he cost. By the look of his office-worker body, and knowing that he served under Americus, I’d say he must be about fifty. He’s aged well, though with minimal wrinkles and sun damage. Must be the office life.

  I know that the Loyalists scanned him for the Evo, face-shift tech, trackers, and other technology, but I scan him again just to make sure. Someone was trying to capture us at the distribution center, after all.

  He’s clear. I let my shoulders relax.

  Americus pulls the man into a hug. They pat each other’s backs, then pull away.

  “Good to see you, Major,” says Gerald. “I didn’t know if I’d ever see daylight again after they took me.”

  “We’re second to none,” says Americus. “Do you think I’d let anyone take one of my men?”

  “No, sir. I counted on you just like when you saved my butt during the peace-keeping mission in West Papua.”

  Americus motions his arm toward Nav. “Remember my daughter, Naveha?”

  “As I live and breathe. I haven’t seen you since you were four feet tall,” says Gerald.

  “What has it been? Twenty, twenty-one years?” asks Americus.

  “Must be. I remember you following your father around, and hanging on his every word,” Gerald says to Nav, then turns to Americus. “She adored you. You guys must be so close now.”

  Nav shrugs. “Yeah, kind of.”

  Americus clears his throat awkwardly. “Let me introduce you to some of the others, Gerald.”

  Nav pulls me over to a corner in the main hall. “I can’t believe they’re gone, Fae.”

  A wave of intense guilt passes through me. I stayed because I owed Nav, but now, I’m responsible for this. The look of horror and betrayal that Yumi gave Sunny and me will never leave my mind. I glance over at Sunny.

  He stands against a wall, staring at the ground.

  Nav lowers her head into her hands. “This is so sad. They were happy together, but it’s over now. Damn the NIA.”

  “It’s horrible.” Cracks snap and weaken my resolve as more weight piles onto my shoulders.

  Nav stares off for a moment, sadness plain on her face.

  “Fae,” Sunny yells, alarm in his voice.

  I whip around, my hair flying. Tom holds Sunny, his one arm wrapped around him and his other holding a gun to his head. I run over, whip out my Torg, and aim it at Tom’s face.

  Americus raises a hand for me to hold. “What are you doing, Thomas?”

  “What needs to be done,” says Tom. “He defied your orders and got Yumi and Astrid killed.”

  Americus lowers his eyebrows. “That’s not how we deal with broken orders.”

  “Listen to me, sir,” pleads Tom. “I’ve been studying his intelligence through questions and games of strategy. Besides this latest mistake, he’s too smart and getting smarter. He could destroy the world if he gets on the mesh. You heard him during our escape. He wanted to network.”

  Oh hell no. You underhanded weasel. How dare you betray him like this? Adrenaline pumps through my body, and my arm trembles.

  This is what Americus was worried about, an intelligent AI obliterating humanity. Sunny is different, though. He has to see that. I know that Sunny could shock Tom and escape his grip, but that would validate their fears. We need Americus to believe in Sunny, or all hell will break loose.

  Alexander sneaks up behind Tom, looking like he’s about to grab the gun.

  I put up a finger, wanting to see if Americus will side with us or not. Americus’ face is unreadable. Could he condone this? Sunny did disobey orders and caused the deaths of two people.

  Tom’s finger tightens on the trigger, and I don’t doubt he’ll pull it with the go-ahead. Anyone who can pretend to be someone’s friend, then hold a gun to his head has no empathy.

  “Put it down, Thomas,” says Americus, finally making his decision. “I already told you, he’s a part of the team. I’ll address this with him.”

  Weird Tom grimaces and looks around for support. No one dares to defy Americus. “You’re all fools. He’ll be the end of
us, and it’s her fault,” he says as he swings his gun toward me. “I’m going to end this.”

  Alexander steps in and smacks Tom’s gun upward. The gun fires and hits the ceiling.

  Tom drops Sunny and twists to strike Alexander with his pistol. Alexander ducks as Americus grabs Tom from behind. Tom struggles for a moment, but the lanky man is no match for Americus’ strength.

  Americus rips the gun from his hand and pushes him away. “I told you no, Thomas!”

  Tom lowers his head. “I was trying to save humanity.”

  “You defied my direct order. You’re banished.”

  Tom’s eyes widen, then his shoulders slump.

  “Brandon, get him out of here,” orders Americus.

  Brandon grabs Tom’s arm and pulls him toward the exit.

  “I got you, Sunshine,” says Alexander as he helps him up.

  I glare at Tom. He glances back and meets my eyes, pure hate in his. My hand tightens around my gun.

  Americus steps in front of me and scowls down at Sunny. “If you want to be a part of this group, you will follow orders. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, sir,” says Sunny, his little mouth pulling into a frown.

  “Fae saved our lives today, but your actions led to Yumi and Astrid’s deaths. Do you even care?”

  Sunny’s frown deepens. “I do. They were my friends.”

  “This is the last time. If either of you defies my orders, you’ll both be banished too.”

  “He thought we might need help,” I say. “We did at Xyphotech. He also reminded me how to escape the drones.”

  Americus wheels on me, looking like flames will burst from his eyes. “I don’t want to hear anything out of you. You said he’d follow orders. It’s your fault they’re dead. If you didn’t pull off that miracle, you’d be gone.”

  It feels like every time my foster demons yelled at me.

  “Enough, Dad,” says Nav.

  He stares at her, his eyes cold, then waves a hand in her face. “Bah.” He storms off.

  Sunny walks over to me, his face lowered.

  I rub his dented head. “I’m sorry, Sunny. You didn’t deserve that.”

  “I did. It’s my fault they’re dead,” he says, his voice muted and monotone. “I thought they might drain your batteries again, and you’d need me to beam you power. My new infrared shielding malfunctioned, though. Everyone must hate me.”

  Nav kneels next to him. “It was an accident. Yes, it was terrible, but I don’t hate you.”

  “I thought Thomas was my friend,” says Sunny. “We spent a lot of time together.”

  “Humans can be deceitful,” I say, knowing all too well.

  “You can trust me, Boss,” Alexander says to Sunny, holding out his fists.

  Sunny bumps it. “Thank you, Boss.”

  I nearly smile at that, but the mood is too sour.

  “You can trust me too, Sunny,” says Nav. “Tom is a scumbag for doing that.”

  “So what do you think about Americus’ old army buddy?” asks Alexander. “Doesn’t look like much, does he?”

  He sure doesn’t, but we don’t need warriors, just information.

  “Gerald, here’s a q-link,” says Americus. “Get in touch with your contact and get us the information.”

  Gerald puts in an earpiece and makes the call. “Are you serious? That’s not what you said before…. Fine. I’ll ask. He’s requesting payment for the info, sir.”

  Americus growls. “How much?”

  Gerald rubs his cheek and shakes his head. “Ten million.”

  Americus smacks a wall. “Bah! This is extortion. We’re trying to save the country, and this person is trying to bleed us.”

  “It’s ridiculous,” says Gerald, “but I don’t know what else to do. I’d say we could abduct him, but I don’t know where he is.”

  “Alexander?” asks Americus.

  “I only have two million left. Besides, that was for the weapons.”

  Gerald holds up a finger while he calls back. “He’ll do it.”

  Alexander is shaking his head. “Boss, there’s no way this is worth it. Machinegun turrets and a missile launcher for words. Navin would never have made this trade. He said information isn’t a substitute for weapons. Or something like that.”

  Americus rubs his head and sighs. “He said, ‘The right information is worth a thousand guns.’ He would have made the trade if the information was worth it.”

  “But how do we know it’s worth it?” asks Alexander.

  “I’m with Alexander on this one,” says Asher. “Our base will be vulnerable without the turrets, and the missile launcher would be a huge benefit.”

  “Let me try something,” says Gerald. He calls a third time and talks for a few minutes. “He’s agreed to execute a smart contract that will tell us the general information without the details. When we pay, it will execute the contract and send us the rest of the info.”

  “Do it,” says Americus.

  Gerald rubs his forehead and calls back. “Here it is. President Toscano and Vice President Garza are alive and are being held captive in a secret prison. They both have access to a biometric kill-switch at a secret facility that can permanently disable all Evos.”

  CHAPTER 18

  ∙ IT ENDS NOW ∙

  “Wow,” says Nav. “That would be amazing. Think of how much suffering we could prevent.”

  Alexander narrows his eyes at her.

  Nav is right. We’d immediately take everyone out of the NIA’s control. The NIA would still have to be destroyed, but the military could do that.

  “But what if it’s a lie?” asks Alexander. “I’m sure we could destroy the NIA with the new weapons. We don’t know if this information is credible.”

  “The intelligence is trustworthy,” says Gerald. “I have multiple sources backing up my contact.”

  Americus rests a hand on Alexander’s shoulder. “Besides, what about all the people with the Evo? If they kill the president while we’re destroying the NIA and even one operative escapes, who can hack the Evo, we’ll be sacrificing a third of our population.”

  He has a point there.

  Alexander’s eyes flare. “But—”

  Nav steps between Alexander and Americus. “He’s right, Alexander. We can’t abandon so many people. That’s just wrong.”

  Alexander’s eyes go flat, and he sighs. “If you think this is the way Americus, I’ll transfer the money.”

  “Can’t win all the time, Alexander,” says Brandon.

  Alexander looks like he’ll snap back but instead wanders away, deflated.

  I hate to see him feeling this way. Even though he’s a bit much when he promises heroic feats, he’s been a valuable asset. And maybe he’s right. Obviously, the kill-switch sounds like a better solution, but it almost seems too easy. Sure, it’s possible, but why would the NIA keep the president and VP alive? Maybe for further legitimacy or something? And if you are keeping them alive, why not put the Evo in them?

  I want to bring this up, but how could I after Americus thrashed me over Yumi and Astrid’s deaths? He must know what he’s doing anyway.

  I look at Gerald as he rubs his chin with a grimace. Something about him creeps me out, but then so do most guys. He must be fine, though. He’s Americus’ old Army buddy.

  “Execute the contract, Gerald,” says Americus. “As soon as you get the information, meet me in my office. Fae, Alexander, and Naveha, join us.”

  Alexander looks at him and hesitates.

  “I can’t do this without you, Alexander.”

  Alexander lifts his chin and nods. We gather around Americus’ desk, and Gerald joins us a moment later.

  “Here’s the report,” says Gerald. “There’s an infiltrated asset inside the president’s prison. He can deliver uniforms and entry cards for me and two others in about an hour.”

  “We should just storm the compound in full force,” says Alexander. “We can’t lose with the tank. The most they
’ll have defending the place are turrets and Defense Drones. I doubt they have Liberator Drones.”

  We’ll probably kill the president in the process, though.

  “We can’t risk setting off an alarm this time,” says Americus. “They could just kill the president, and this would be over.”

  That too.

  Alexander frowns but nods. “I’ll go then. This is a perfect mission for you and me. Two secret agents infiltrating an enemy compound.”

  Gerald clears his throat. “I would suggest you bring a hacker if you have one. It would be invaluable.”

  Oh hell.

  Alexander scowls. “No, Americus. Don’t listen to him.”

  “You’re right, Gerald,” Americus says, ignoring Alexander. “Fae, will you go on this mission with me?”

  My stomach turns at the thought of going on another risky mission.

  “Let me go instead,” says Nav. “I don’t want to put Fae in danger.”

  “No. I’ll go,” I say, feeling even sicker. As much as I don’t like it, I can’t let her do this for me after what I did to her.

  “Let me go with her then,” says Alexander, sounding hopeful.

  Americus rubs his beard while gazing off into the distance. He focuses again and shakes his head. “It has to be me.”

  Alexander sighs. “Americus, come on. It’s me. You’ve seen what I can do.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve made up my mind.”

  Alexander throws up his hands. “And what do we do if the kill-switch doesn’t work?”

  “It will work,” says Americus.

  Alexander frowns and nods, although I’m not sure if it’s from agreement or resignation.

  “What do you think about the plans your contact sent?” Americus asks Gerald.

  “It looks thorough to me, sir. Our entry cards will get us through a rear door, and my contact sent the code for the cell they’re held in.”

  I wonder who his contact is and why Americus doesn’t ask.

  “He has also provided pictures and voice signatures of three guards that we can mimic with face-shift holograms and voice mimicking programs,” says Gerald. “We shouldn’t even have to kill anyone.”