Fury (The Quantum Wars Book 2)

by C. A. Fraser

  FURY

  By C.A. Fraser

  Book 2 of the Quantum Wars

  FURY

  Copyright © 2016 by C.A. Fraser

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons or organizations is purely coincidental.

  Book cover by: http://www.thebookcoverdesigner.com

  Dedicated to:

  Dad. You put me on the right path so long ago. Mom. Your love and excitement has made writing The Quantum Wars that much more joyful! My fellow authors. You all inspire me to continue and provide me with the knowledge that I am doing the right thing.

  Prologue

  Tim Reed sat in his office watching the stream of reports roll by on the screen built into his desk. The standard updates on the nanid development and the state of human integration passed as he viewed them. He felt a keen lack of interest. The NDP continued to function as it always had and Tim could not understand why it bothered him. He did not know what he expected after the incident in Colorado but it was not a return to normal. He leaned back tracing the events of several months ago in his mind.

  The emergence of the Leviathan Strain, as it came to be called, was an unprecedented threat to mankind. The NDP and remaining United States Military had acted swiftly to contain the strain and destroy the quantum intelligence behind it. They were successful in their attempt but not without cost. The quantum computer dubbed ARES was now solely focused on containing the area where the strain originated inside a massive quantum shield using a mix of quantum communication and energy field technologies. With the only other accessible quantum ODIN completing the same task for another NDP project, humans were without a quantum intelligence for the first time in many years. Humanity had come to depend on the quantums as a source of intelligence and to help speed the advancement of technologies to cope with the hostile climate on earth. Now without the expansive intelligences unavailable Tim wondered if humans would survive. His mind turned back to Rocky Flats and the confrontation that had occurred there.

  Many human lives were lost at the facility when the Leviathan had released its strain. However, the loss he felt most keenly was Simon Fore. The man was the reason they stopped the Leviathan. He used his nanid enhancements to hold the Leviathan in check buying precious time to put the final solution in place. He sacrificed himself and the nanid technology he possessed to stop the worst crisis facing the world since the climate changed. Tim wished there was another way but knew things would have been much worse if not for Simon. His mind moved from Simon to his constant companion Wren Fore. Raised as brother and sister, Tim knew they shared a bond of not only family and shared experience but one of shared technology.

  Both Fore siblings had been given a specific nanid enhancement that allowed them to have abilities beyond the normal enhanced human. Their father Stephen was instrumental in engineering their enhancement and even now was trying to have Wren help him. Tim felt a pang of guilt. He was the one who cut short Wren’s grief over Simon and pushed her to a new mission to rescue her father. He sent her to find the final quantum available to humanity, ISIS. The last quantum was isolated from humanity and served one purpose. It operated the Web. The web was a quantum communications network that surrounded the entire planet. It allowed for instantaneous communications around the world and was also a home for all the Artificial Intelligences on the planet. Tim did not know how the quantum could help Wren rescue her father but hoped she would find it soon. He had not heard from her since she left the day they stopped the Leviathan and Simon died.

  A bright flashing message on his desk brought Tim back to the present. He leaned forward not believing what was displayed on the screen. It had been years since he had seen an alert of this type. Tim stood and moved around his desk leaving his office quickly. He was not sure what his next step would be, but he did know one thing. No one ignored a summons from ODIN.

  ONE

  Curtis Reynolds stood in the middle of a test chamber inside the main laboratory deep in the NDP building in Washington D.C. The room was relatively small and filled with detection and testing equipment. He was cloaked while Kelly Holt conducted test after test to see how he could be detected. When she discovered a means of detection he would attempt to control the two nanotechnologies in his body to eliminate the signature he was generating. It was tiring but necessary for him to increase his control of the technologies. He stayed still as the thoughts passed through his mind. He was the last known being with an active form of the Leviathan Strain and the weaponized nanids of Simon Fore. He did not know why ARES had allowed him to live and still wondered if it was the correct decision. He was sure there would be those who were tempted to subvert the technology. He was essentially isolated at the NDP headquarters. They were studying the strain attempting to counter the technology. The time spent with Holt was just a small amount of the testing he underwent routinely. Curtis closed his eyes while the current test finished. He sighed inwardly suppressing the urge to move. It would just mean starting the test over. Curtis would gladly be rid of the technology if he could, but knew he was beyond that.

  He had been standing for several minutes waiting for the signal from Holt to indicate she had completed the current run when he noticed they were not alone. Kelly was in the control chamber of the laboratory and Tim Reed had slipped into the room with her. They were speaking in hushed tones. Curtis debated uncloaking and thought better of it. Obviously, Tim had something urgent he needed to attend to and Curtis did not want to interrupt. They spoke for several minutes until they briefly embraced. Curtis watched them uneasy with the stress both displayed in their bodies. His unease only rose when as they separated. Tim slipped something into the pocket of Holt’s lab coat. The woman did not notice and stared after Tim as he left the room. Curtis dropped his cloak and stepped out of the test chamber. He moved next to Holt looking down at her. Holt was quite tall approaching almost six feet but Curtis’ enhancement had pushed his frame to close to seven.

  “What was that about?” he asked hoping his face reflected his concern. The changes he had undergone had given his features a predatory look and he had to be careful not to intimidate the other humans he contacted. Holt turned to him and looked up the worry on her face plainly displayed.

  “ODIN has emerged” she said. Curtis was shocked. The quantum had emerged? ODIN was completely consumed with the nanid project headed by Stephen Fore to his knowledge. The intelligence was responsible for keeping the project hidden and protected from the rest of the world, a feat that sapped its resources. He still did not understand why it would cause the reaction it did in Tim and Kelly.

  “So is the project complete?” he asked trying to uncover the missing piece to their behavior. Kelly hesitated staring at him. He knew she was trying to decide if she could trust him. Finally, she stepped to the control panel in front of the test chamber. She manipulated the screen for several moments and then the sonic array in the room began to emit an oscillating sound that grew in volume and intensity with each passing moment. Curtis cringed inwardly remembering that round of tests. It had not been a pleasant experience and thankfully it would not be repeated. His thoughts turned to the present as Kelly came close to him.

  He leaned down to make it easier for her to communicate. The sounds in the chamber rose and he knew anyone listening would not be able to pick up their conversation.

  “ODIN has been holding Stephen and the project prisoner.” Kelly said stopping to ensure he heard her. Curtis gave her a quick nod indicating she should continue.

  “Tim
has been helping Stephen remotely to try and break free. Now ODIN has emerged and summoned Tim.” Holt finished, the worry surging back into her features. Curtis understood the danger immediately. He straightened feeling his muscles tense and the nanotech in his body respond to his mood. He knew he needed to help Tim if he could. He closed the gap between them again before speaking.

  “Kelly set the tests to continue indefinitely. Wait for an hour and then go to your quarters. I will see if I can help Tim” Curtis said stepping back from her as she nodded. He was tempted to tell her Tim had slipped something in her pocket but decided against it in case they were being observed. She quickly moved to the controls as Curtis moved into the test chamber leaving the access open. He cloaked immediately using the nanids and strain in conjunction to dampen all indication he was in the chamber. Kelly began the testing speaking to him about the next session. Curtis waited several moments then slipped out of the test chamber hastening through the laboratory in pursuit of Tim. Behind him he heard Kelly speaking as if he were still in the chamber as she closed the access.

  ODIN observed Timothy Reed moving through NDP facility on his way to answer the summons. The quantum had worked with Tim for many years and it knew he would already suspect why the summons happened. ODIN had to act to prevent the chaos that would ensue if Stephen Fore released the nanids he had developed with the quantum EA. It had run through all the possible scenarios and the release of Stephen Fore would doom humankind and quantums alike. Stephen was beyond ODIN’s help now and it would have to keep him imprisoned or destroy him to prevent the release of his unsanctioned nanids. It knew it could not function indefinitely as the warden to Fore and his quantum, but was reluctant to move against the man without all the information it needed to make the correct decision. Even now by diverting resources to handle Timothy Reed it could sense the shield was weaker. It would still contain Stephen Fore but ODIN knew that if it maintained its divided state eventually he would escape. That is why it needed to move quickly in regards to Timothy Reed.

  It returned its attention to Timothy Reed observing him trying to pick up a clue as to his intent. The man showed no hesitation as he made his way to the elevator that led to ODIN’s chamber. ODIN ran through the various ways it could handle its interaction with Reed and settled on a direct approach. Timothy had been a vital member of the project for many years. ODIN would show the man the respect he deserved by allowing him to have a chance to redeem himself. It would then resolve the situation accordingly and put humanity and the Nanid Development Project back on track. The quantum reviewed its plans as Tim boarded the elevator to begin the journey deep into the bowels of the project.

  The experiment with Stephen had not gone as it had foreseen and ODIN knew it had not accounted for the man’s emotional connection to the outside world. That had resulted in the emergence of another quantum intelligence which complicated the predictability of the future even more. When it had just been ODIN itself the correct choice had been easily settled. The quantum could weigh the variables and determine all possible outcomes in a small amount of time. Then it would advise the humans on the best course of action for a given issue. As more quantums emerged the correct path became harder and harder to predict. Each new quantum intelligence injected many new variables into the analysis. The ability of the vast AI to predict a given result and counter each other’s actions could make finding a definitive path for humanity and the planet’s survival all but impossible. That is why ODIN had kept Stephen and his new quantum isolated and would continue to do so. ARES and ISIS were no threat both having been designed for specific functions and focused solely on them. ISIS controlled the web where all AI and communications existed on which completely consumed all its resources. ARES as the protector was allowed more autonomy and had been more active. However, with the emergence of the Leviathan, and its subsequent destruction and isolation, ARES resources were now consumed as well. ODIN was once again free to chart the future.

  ODIN sensed the approach of the elevator carrying Timothy Reed and stopped its review of the current situation. When Tim arrived, it wanted to be waiting for him. Slowly it pushed itself upright from the cryonics chamber inside the quantum tower. The body was fully functional and it had adapted to it completely. The new sensations it brought were a distraction but also gave the quantum valuable input on how humans functioned. This body would allow the quantum to bring a variable it had never possessed before when evaluating choices. It stood showing no hesitation as it moved towards the tower’s exit. The wall sealing the tower faded and reappeared as ODIN stepped through. The quantum moved to the halfway point between its tower and the entrance to the main chamber. It stopped waiting patiently for the arrival of Timothy Reed.

  The creature moved slowly along the seabed surrounding the island. It was moving away from the island responding to an unknown urge to go deeper into the ocean. It had slowed its progress and was using its tentacles to move cautiously forward. For a reason it could not perceive, it could not continue forward. Its complex eyes told it the area was clear, but every time it tried it would find itself following an arc that would turn it back towards the island. The creature’s mind did not comprehend what it was facing as it continued along the unseen barrier trying to move away from the island. The instinct to leave the island drove it onward trying to find a break in the barrier. There was no way forward to be found and eventually the octopus moved on, the need for food supplanting the urge to flee.

  Stephen Fore pulled his consciousness back to his body. He was lying in the cryonics bed inside EA’s quantum chamber. He had been observing the octopus for days now waiting to see if there were any signs of an exit. He knew there was little hope, but since the events in Colorado he had sensed a change in his prison’s walls. It did not feel like the containment was failing or was weaker. If he had to put a word to the change in the exotic barrier it would be thinner. It was as if ODIN were distracted or a lesser AI was controlling it. Stephen did not understand what was going on outside the shield, but it did present him with an opportunity. He had spent countless hours seeking a weakness, a slip in ODIN’s monitoring, anything to give him an exit into the world. There was nothing yet, but he still held hope.

  The change in his prison was the only indication of something greater going on outside. He had not spoken with Tim via the old cellular technology to preserve it for when it was truly needed. He knew Wren had left to seek ISIS but there was no indication of her failure or success. He had hoped she would find an easy path to the quantum and free him. It seemed that it was not easy.

  Stephen sat up feeling the nanids throughout him adjusting and accommodating to his movement. There was no stiffness or lethargy from being still for so long. He felt fresh and ready to begin anew. The only sign of the time passed or energy exerted was a slight hunger which he would sate soon enough. The part of him that was EA kept the nanids at top efficiency. This gave Stephen the ability to maintain his focus for much longer than the first generation of nanids would. As he stood and moved from the chamber his quantum linked mind sifted through millions of scenarios and strategies. He considered his next step as he moved into the facility. Sensations from nanid enhanced species all over the island streamed through EA into his mind. Stephen pondered which he should observe more closely, as he added the creatures varied observations into his consideration.

  Stephen progressed quickly through the facility his steps leading him out onto the island that was slowly being covered with an evergreen forest. The air was brisk but it barely registered to him. The nanids protected him from the environment and Stephen knew he could survive the worst weather conditions because of them. His mind spun back to the Maelstrom Event that had decimated the southern United States.

  If they had possessed this nanid strain, how many lives would have been saved? The damage to all species would have been mitigated, and what damage had occurred would have been quickly repaired. As it stood there were large swaths of the southern United States which
had never recovered, and there were few attempts repair it. Stephen quickly ran through the massive hurricane that had been named the Maelstrom.

  It was the largest to ever occur in recorded history. The Atlantic Ocean, which had been climbing in temperature with the changing climate, had given the storm its terrifying power. The storm was enormous spanning almost two thousand miles at its peak with winds more than two hundred miles per hour. The storm formed east of what had been Florida and initially resembled many of the prior storms of that season. In under a day it became clear it was not an ordinary storm. It quickly escalated in size and strength causing the government to declare a state of emergency. The authorities began evacuations across the remaining southern states. There was not enough time. The storm hit northern Florida and turned its wrath on the southern states barely slowing as it made landfall. It was a monstrous system which brought a storm swell of over fifty feet and torrential rainfall. The land that was drought stricken across much of the south could not handle the deluge. Floods and mudslides tore through the area. The loss of life was unprecedented. Doubts on humanities ability to survive on the dying planet surged to the forefront once more. Stephen stopped short arriving at his destination at precisely the moment his enhanced mind had calculated.