Total System Failure

by James Hightower

  Marcia led the way with her head high. He clenched his jaw. Without a trace of shame or guilt. The shrouded figures morphed into guards clad in full body armor. Each guard clutched an assault rifle in their meaty fists, and every barrel pointed in their direction. Gray looked small in comparison to the hulking guards. He hoped the youth knew what he was doing.

  Clearly, they were no longer in Arctic City. The guards didn’t give them much time to enjoy the view. They were ushered towards the house and pushed up the stairs. On the porch, the AI halted. Alec tensed. Not now. Gray was going to get them all shot.

  “Move,” one of the bodyguards said, jabbing the youth with the barrel of his rifle.

  For a moment, the AI stood there as though he didn’t hear or even feel the weapon pressed against his back. One second. Two seconds. The bodyguard’s face twisted and the man’s finger hovered the trigger.

  The youth stepped inside.

  Alec released a breath. Tara didn’t hesitate. She plunged through the doorway.

  Inside the house, a beach stretched out in front of them. Marcia stood at the edge of the sea with her hands clasped behind her back.

  “This time there will be no escape,” she said.

  This time? The AI gave an impatient gesture. “Just take me to your Boss.”

  Marcia shrugged. “You first.”

  Gray shrugged, then ran towards the shore and leapt. A glint of silver hair as the boy became a speck against the sun.

  “Make sure these two come as well,” Marcia said to no guard in particular and without looking at either of them. Without another word, she leapt over the sea and disappeared into the blue sky.

  Another programming trick. Still, his stomach turned uneasily as the guards motioned with their guns for him to jump next.

  He jumped. Some hidden force buffeted him skyward. The wind rushed around his ears. It would’ve been exhilarating if he didn’t know they were walking right into a trap. Gray better have a damned good plan.

  A square of green appeared on the horizon. He banked low and landed on the island in a shower of sand.

  Something hard pressed against the small of his back. A stone-faced guard stared down at him. “Move!”

  He was led into the center of a garden that put the one in DC to shame. A botanist’s dream. All the world’s most beautiful flowers gathered in one space and allowed to cross-pollinate. Alec blinked, snapping out of the trance. Reality didn’t look like this. He would do well to remember that. In the center of the colorful mass, a square table sat out of place in the natural beauty. Marcia’s boss, a gentlemanly man sat at the table with his legs crossed. The man fit the part of would-be challenger to the AI. The man steepled thick fingers in a show of competence. Silver winged the boss’ temples. Authority and power wafted from the man in addition to a sweet-smelling cologne. The Boss reminded him of an older Agent Square. Not looks. That same hunger glittered in the man’s dark gaze.

  Gray already sat in one of the three seats. Too big, the youth’s feet swung over the edge.

  “Welcome, young one,” the Boss exclaimed, eyes on him. “Have a seat as well.”

  His heart fluttered. Young one. Why did they call him that? He cast a sidelong glance at Marcia, but the woman wouldn’t meet his gaze.

  The gun nudged his back again. He smoothed his hands to his side and went to his seat. Breathe, he reminded himself, don’t forget to breathe. Behind him, a thud and cascade of showering sand announced Tara’s arrival.

  Don’t do anything stupid. Alec blinked at Marcia’s message. The woman maintained her indifferent posture. Was this another trick?

  Gray and the Boss began negotiations as Tara folded herself into the seat next to him.

  “I want nothing less than forty-percent of your code,” the Boss said. “Not a percentage less.”

  I didn’t think you would come. Marcia said.

  So that made what you did okay? Alec clenched his jaw. This might be a trick to get him to speak. Was any of it real for you? Any of it at all?

  I had a job to do.

  “You know forty is far too high.” Gray gave one of his characteristic pauses. “You’ve seen what one percent can do. Surely you know all these security measures are worthless?”

  The negotiations were off to a rocky start.

  The Boss winked. “You know. I know. That these measures aren’t for you.”

  Alec didn’t like the sound of that. Nor did he like the way the Boss’ eyes lit up when they landed on him. Like a dart on the bullseye.

  “My young phenom is enamored by you,” the Boss said. “Now I can see why. Such a striking young man. What do you say? Come work for me? The pay will be better than you could ever imagine and you will work side by side with Marcia. Instead of being against each other, you’ll be on the same team.”

  “As mentioned before, he’s not on the table,” Gray said. The AI’s hands pressed firmly against the table. A subtle gesture, but the AI’s blood was rising.

  The Boss laughed in a rich baritone voice. “Let the kid speak for himself. Don’t worry, I won’t modify your system. Just tell me, do you accept my offer?”

  Accept it, Marcia messaged. I told you it could work out. Once we’re allies, we can see.

  Gray slammed his palms against the table with a resounding bang. Alec nearly jumped at the sudden display of anger. Even Tara gaped at the youth.

  “You’re dealing with me,” the AI said through clenched teeth.

  The Boss clapped. “Were you programmed for so much emotion?”

  “Unlike you, no one programmed me.” Anger vanished like a snuffed fire, the youth raised a finger. “One more percent. Final offer.”

  The Boss leaned back, eyes flashing dangerously. “You have spunk, I’ll tell you that.” One of the guards appeared at the man’s side and placed a cigar on the table. The Boss picked up the cigar, eyes still fastened on Gray, and sniffed. The Boss moaned with pleasure. “Because you run a few simulations, you think you know it all. You don’t think we ran the same simulations?”

  He put the cigar in his mouth. The guard lit it and stepped away from the table. A column of smoke whirled between them, the thick, pungent aroma stinging his nose. His head spun with the odor.

  “There are many ways in a system,” the Boss said, taking another puff. “So many back doors.”

  He tried to turn in his seat, but found he couldn’t move.

  Chapter 20

  Help me, Alec messaged Marcia. Still, he struggled against his invisible bonds, but he couldn’t even wag his chin, let alone move his arms. The girl was his only hope.

  Her reply came quick. No.

  “Where are your threats now?” The Boss’ nostrils flared. His dark gaze focused on something behind them. “Took you long enough to get here. Did you have tochange your suit again?”

  Another seat materialized into existence next to the Boss. Agent Square strode up the raised platform and lowered himself into the seat. The android’s eyes found him. He winked.

  “You’ve been the hardest damn kid to track down,” Agent Square said. Now, he wore a gray velvet suit with intricate light-blue designs. How many suits did the android wear in a single day?

  Alec thrashed against his constraints. Marcia, help me please!

  “You brought the coin?” The Boss waved one of the guards forward.

  “Did you bring the suits?”

  The Boss puffed at his cigar and smiled. “So you will reimburse me for my destroyed battle droid?”

  “I brought all the coin.”

  A champagne bottle was placed in front of the man. Two glasses appeared on the table. “Then we have much to celebrate.” The Boss popped open the champagne in a sweet-smelling blast of liquid. “We have in our possession some of the most sophisticated pieces of hardware and software in the entire solar system. I think a toast is in order!”

  One of the guards rushed in to fill their glasses. It was strange to see a man with a military-grade assault rifle play the wait
er. Agent Square grabbed his cup, lifted it and gulped it down. He smacked his lips in appreciation. “I want to see the suits before we celebrate.”

  “These suits will only last another week,” the Boss warned as another guard approached with a bundle of clothing wrapped in plastic. “After that….”

  Agent Square waved this aside. “With the code I’ll find a way to circumvent the controls.” The android waited for the guard to refill his glass and lifted it towards the Boss. “Here’s to our success. Here’s to our great fortune!”

  The Boss accepted the glass and sipped. The Boss put the glass on the table and crossed his legs. “Before we celebrate, we still have to finalize the terms.”

  Agent Square guzzled his second cup. “You have the coin and you’ll receive forty-percent of the code as agreed. My compliments—”

  “And?”

  “The servant. I need the boy. You can keep his servant though.”

  “If I only get the servant, then I require sixty-percent of the code.”

  A vein bulged along Agent Square’s forehead. “That wasn’t our agreement.”

  “But the servant is valuable hardware as well,” the Boss said accompanied by a smug expression.

  For a moment, the pair simply stared at each other.

  “Fine,” Agent Square snapped. “Just bring me the damned necklace so I can go.”

  The Boss snapped his fingers.

  One of the bodyguards sprang forward, producing his mother’s necklace, the diamond caught the artificial sun in a dazzling glint. Even though he knew Marcia had stolen it, he still couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. His stomach lurched as the necklace was placed in Agent Square’s hands. Game over.

  “The keys to my freedom,” he said. “I finally have it.”

  The pair busied themselves in their drinks. The Boss slapped Agent Square on the shoulder, and the android didn’t even seem to mind the transgression. Alec lost count of how many times their glasses clinked together.

  But he was sure he was the first to notice Gray no longer sat in the seat beside him.

  Agent Square followed his gaze. The android’s grin crumpled into a bewildered frown. Laughter bubbled in his throat but was caught by whatever spell held him.

  When the Boss noticed, his reaction was much more subdued although his eyes burned like twin furnaces. Furnaces that searched for a scapegoat. They flared brighter on a guard. “You!” The Boss jabbed a finger over Alec’s shoulder. “You were supposed to be waiting them! Where did he go?”

  “He was just here,” a man stammered behind him.

  The Boss slammed a fist on the table. “Take them both away! I’ll deal with you later.”

  “No one is going anywhere,” Gray said. The youth appeared behind the Boss, hands clasped behind his back. “I believe I warned you.”

  The Boss took another puff from his cigar. “We’ve ran millions of simulations.” He exhaled. “It’s us who wins this. Doesn’t matter what you do. We win.”

  Alec found himself able to move. He’d been frozen in place so long that he had stopped trying to free himself, but when the bonds dropped, a pressure vanished that he hadn’t even noticed. He slumped out of the chair. Beside him, Tara remained sitting, staring sightlessly ahead.

  “Only millions?” Gray’s voice was quiet, but there was an unmistakable hard edge to it now.

  Don’t resist, Marcia messaged. They will kill you.

  Like you care. He spat out digital grass. It even tasted like the real thing. He climbed to one knee, crouched over in case the guns start firing.

  “I will give you another chance to resume negotiations,” the Boss replied, taking another puff of his cigar. “Take a seat at the table.”

  “Trust.” Gray lifted up his sleeves and waited. “Is such a fragile thing.”

  In unison, ten guards lifted their weapons in response. The Boss’ lip quivered, but the rest of his expression replaced placid and cold. “We’ll just reverse-engineer.”

  Ruby light blasted all around him. The weapons hummed, sizzling the air with their roar. Thick columns of smoke followed the heat. Alec crouched low to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. He rose, blinking through the smoke for an escape route. Then, something hard struck his shoulder, flipping him around and putting him back on the grass. At first, he thought he’d been shot until Marcia’s lean frame leaned against his.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Marcia breathed in his ear. She shifted her weight so that all her weight torqued his arm. Sweat instantly sprang from his pores as he suppressed a scream. Another hair in the wrong direction and his arm would be ripped from his shoulder.

  “Don’t you want to be free?” he yelled over the thunderous weapons.

  “Freedom is overrated.” The pressure increased. “Thank me later.”

  He yelped back as his arm bent further. “Don’t,” he cried. “Please.” White-hot pain shot up his shoulder. It felt as though someone had jammed a ten-inch nail through both ears. “Marcia please.”

  A sudden gust of wind blew the smoke from the island. The Boss still sat in his seat, puffing on his cigar as though trying to recreate the smokescreen himself. “Seems like the negotiations have just begun.”

  Gray still stood with his hands clasped behind his back. It didn’t look like he’d even moved, and yet, all the guards lay in black heaps. A couple of fortunate guards groaned against the grass. The rest were still and silent.

  So, was it all a lie?

  Marcia didn’t answer the message, but the agony rippling from his shoulder lessened a hair. He nearly gasped in relief, but he was careful to remain still. If Marcia so much as sneezed, she’d be holding his shoulder in her hands.

  Marcia, please.

  “The time for dealing is done,” Gray said. His voice sounded deeper than before. Much deeper.

  A shadow flicked over them. The Boss slammed a fist on the table and stood. The table still quivered as clouds bunched and writhed into deep gray knots. Then, the Boss morphed. As the man mushroomed in size, the sky darkened, storm clouds billowed in furious flight. Lightning forked in greater numbers than he’d ever seen, and the low roll of thunder became a continuous, menacing growl. The island trembled with it, his body trembled with it, everything trembled as though in fear. Even the once tranquil waters became choppy and a deep, dark blue. Raindrops, thick as marbles, pelted his head, flattening his hair in an instant.

  The Boss’ voice swelled with the storm. “This is my world.”

  Gray frowned, tapping his chin as he confronted the giant. Then, he exploded in size as well until the AI’s eyes glowed like two full moons.

  “Let him go, girl.” Agent Square adjusted his suit, brushing imaginary dust from his shoulder. “He’s mine.”

  “I don’t answer to you,” Marcia said, but her grip loosened somewhat.

  Agent Square took a threatening step forward. Just as the two giants that were the Boss and Gray exploded into motion. The ground trembled as Gray stepped forward to meet his advance. Their impact sent a shockwave through his chest. The ground heaved and bucked, sending him clear off his feet.

  By the time, he regained his feet. Marcia and Agent Square were locked in a tangle of flesh. Blood returned to his arm like the prick of a thousand needles. He thought about the red shield and willed it to return.

  Marcia let’s get away together.

  A red beam flashed over his shoulder. Agent Square spun at the impact. Another beam whistled by. This time, the android ducked, and shaft of red exploded into the grass in a shower of dirt.

  The island trembled as the giants continued their titanic fight overhead.

  Tara appeared at his side, an assault rifles tucked against her shoulder. His guardian leveled the weapon at Marcia. “I told you not to trust her.”

  She fired again, but this time Marcia and Agent Square knew what was coming. Both dove out of harm’s way, ducking behind the gigantic limbs of Gray and the Boss. Tara kept firing, but the red beams were ab
sorbed harmlessly by the two titans. She hissed and glared at him. “Are you going to get off your knees or is there something down there more interesting?”

  Grass feathered her hair along with mud on her face, but for the first time since their meeting with the King, her eyes were clear and focused.