Flee or Kill: The Future Of Reality TV (Future Forward Book 2)
Page 21
"Jake. Wait until you're back home here before you access them, the power will fry your brain until we train you in their proper use. Troops outfitted with them can take a month or so to get back to normal."
Jake grinned like a kid who was just given a lifetime key to the candy store. Combat-grade chips! Wait until the guys hear about this! Shit. I can't tell them. The smile never left his face even with this last thought.
Three hours later, the technician finished the procedure and looked down at the smiling civilian in his operating chair. Jake heard him say, "I've set these to come online slowly over the next forty-eight hours. You'll have time to get home without any issues but an hour from now, the process will start to download and upgrade firmware and run a series of tests. At the end of forty-eight hours from now, you'll be in full control of them. This is very, very fast and if it wasn't for the Secretary's orders, I'd suggest you take it real easy for the next month or two. If you lose control of those, they'll overclock and burn out your brain." The tech shook his head but continued his warning.
"I've also set them for full processing but reduced the physical-control levels as per his orders. If you're not in combat, you don't need the enhanced physical reaction times and battle-damage hormone controls. I've switched that processing area over to enhance your mental processes and memory retention levels. You're about to be one smart fokker. Understand it is now illegal for you to gamble with civilians."
"Got it. Go slow, be smart but act dumb," said Jake. Slowly getting up from the chair he said, "I don't feel any different."
The technician smiled. "Why do you expect to be instantly brilliant? Go home. Have a nap. In one hour or so, you'll start to feel changes. Relax. Now, go home," he said. Poor kid will likely be back in the clinic very shortly, fried-out for chip removal, and body termination he thought. He kept that to himself.
Jake walked normally out the door, disappointed that he couldn't instantly get the benefits of the chips.
Jake returned to the compartment with mixed feelings. His head was telling him it was fine, that he knew the chips would kick in later but his feelings weren't listening to reason. He wanted what he wanted - and he wanted to be smarter and quicker now. Not later. Why do things always take longer than they're supposed to?
11:06:2167 08:10:00
<6t94whp>: "The newbie is impossible to track or access. He's closed down every avenue anybody can use to access his data. His security programs make those I've ever seen look like beginner kludge."
<6t94whp>: "The Secretary probably does. The Captain has a glimmer. We know slightly more than the Captain. That just about covers it."
<6t94whp>: "Probably not but keep checking. You never know when this kind of thing will change."
There was silence on the circuit as they disconnected, one by one to sit with their own thoughts and concerns about this young heat-seeking rocket that had suddenly appeared in their midst.
11:06:2167 08:12:00
"Point, rear, report"
"Nothing unusual, Sir," came back from the rear and a "Same here, Sir," from the point.
"Point, veer slightly more westerly and see if we can make some headway. There's more level ground there and we can make time in a better direction while everybody ignores us."
"Oh Captain, we're not ignoring you. Not at all."
It didn't have to be signed for the Captain to understand who it was from. Fokking bastard, of course you're not.
11:06:2167 13:20:00
Jake woke up after several hours and sat up, to find he could see better, hear better and "Holy Fok!" His senses accelerated to high speed and overwhelmed him. He heard the soft music in the next apartment, felt the raw texture of his blanket on his bare feet, saw his compartment in a much wider range of colors, shades and patterns of light and dark. He even smelled the lingering odor of last night's garlic spaghetti dinner and realized salt had a scent as well as a flavor. This was a far richer and much more detailed experience than he had ever thought possible. But he couldn't control the overwhelming assault on all his senses at the same time and he collapsed back onto his bed in an uncoordinated tangle of arms and legs. He squeezed his eyes shut, and this eliminated the confusing sights but the assaults continued from his hearing, movement and skin sensations.
The computer had seen this before with the military men as they recovered from the chip enhancements so it wasn't at all new. It triggered the next phase.
The automatic-installation software took control, lowered Jake's sensory levels to a normal baseline and assumed control of major sensory functions in the brain. It then reduced all input levels so Jake would not hurt himself while he progressively learned how to hear, see, feel, walk and talk all over again. Jake was a physical baby with forty-eight hours to become fully functional if the Secretary's timelines were to be met.
The learning software was built into the chips and would self-delete when it was no longer needed; this would open additional capacity for communication programming and full program functions.
"Would you allow me to control and integrate this learning curve with you? I have extensive records of past enhancements in my data banks and can make this easier and faster."
Jake replied with a weak "Yes" and an uncontrolled wave that was interpreted as gibberish by the computer.
"Excellent," said the computer and within seconds Jake felt much better, opened his eyes and sat up. Only to wobble and lay back down again.
"Not yet," he croaked.
The computer responded with a shot of endorphins and Jake smiled, thought of the gorgeous Faith - he had to meet her - and sat upright. All was right in his world as the hormones worked their feel-good magic.
"Amazing!" Jake said. "I will be able to process that much information?"
"Yes."
"Amazing," he repeated as if drunk. "Amazing. Just amazing." The word was stuck in his head and wouldn't be erased. "This is way better than drinking. I know what you've done but I don't give a fok. Whoooo. Amazing." A grin threatened to become a belly laugh. He rolled his eyes and fell back onto the bed with his arms spread wide.
"Does everyone get drunk like this?" he asked.
As that thought rolled through, he said, "Computer, you're in control of this process. I want you to record everything I'm thinking and feeling and integrate that into your memory and learning-curve process. Organize by time as directed. If I can learn to be faster and more like you, you can learn the opposite. Record and integrate this process. Amazing."
Did I just tell the computer to learn how to be stupid? he wondered, but didn't say it out loud.
"Processing. Learning curve begins now. Will broadcast to all your feeds as appropriate, suggest you remain still," replied the machine.
Jake raised his head, looked at the mask, giggled and then collapsed back against the pillows, his chin to his chest and if anybody had peeked in, he would have appeared unconscious.
"You're not sleeping but your senses and brain are being taught to identify and store the increased data and flow rate. The more difficult part is the training to interpret and use the massively increased information flow available through these enhanced chipsets. You won't be able to use them fully for some time but, with practice, you'll gain full control to integrate the systems into your daily life."
"Secretary is going to have to wait, isn't he?" Jake croaked.
The mask smiled and nodded.
11:06:2167 13:30:00
The Secretary smiled to himself as he poured 2 ounces of twenty-five-year old Scotch into an antique crystal glass. He added a few drops of water and then walked to the windows. As he sipped his drink, both the subtle tastes of the drink and the city below filled him with a quiet satisfaction. Lights on the automated trains snaked from the south winding their way through the city to the port. And the port lights played on the inky black of the undulating w
ater sending streaks of wavering light out into the moonless night. Everywhere he looked, moving lights of relaxing colors filled his view.
He checked in to see how Jacob was progressing. A casual wave opened the channel, and he turned to the screen.
"Jacob, what is our level of corporate control?"
The computer created a lifelike avatar and answered in Jake's voice, "Sir, we're at 32 percent and rising. Chairman is at 41 percent and falling."
"Excellent, Jacob. Excellent. You're about to earn yourself quite the reward when this is done. You're pale, not your usually healthy self. How are those chips? Are you able to continue your work?"
"Yes, Sir, slowly, very slowly. I'm working to add capacity a bit at a time and not be overwhelmed. Not back to speed yet, but working on it," said the computer.
"Keep up the good work, that's a smart plan," the Secretary said. He closed the connection.
The Secretary smiled at Jacob's response, and then his smile grew. Tomorrow will be to be a busy day, very busy indeed. There are quite a few loose threads to pull together and I don't want to miss a single moment of the day.
He gulped the last bit of scotch, shook his head as it burned its way down.
12:06:2167 07:00:00
Today is the day, the Secretary thought as he slid behind his desk. Today is indeed the day.
"Coffee. Large," was his first command and it soon arrived to set his day in motion. He sipped, thought about the order of the day's work. Important things first he decided.
"Jacob, give me my account numbers?" was his second command. He didn't bother to add a visual feed.
"Sir, your holdings have increased to just above 46 percent and the Chairman is at 27 percent and dropping. In another few hours, you'll control the Corporation with 51 percent. The other shareholders have had their positions mostly restored at your order. The Chairman is now losing most of the market share," said the computer using Jake's voice. "The other 5 percent you require will come out of his account."
"Good work. Get it up to 51 percent control and you'll be pleased with the increase in your personal account."
The Secretary thought for a moment and then said, "Troop. Send full teams, arrest Chairman Gwinnett and the five senior Vice Presidents, take them to the holding pens."
Sixty armored troopers spread across the city to deliver this bad news directly to their corporate masters.
Carpenter leaned back in his chair. Stretched his arms wide. Smiled. This is my moment. This is indeed my moment, he thought. He spun his chair, stood and walked to the window to overlook his city. Smiled. Took a deep breath. Exhaled loudly. Smiled again. He pumped his fist and said, "Yes." Crossed his arms and stood, motionless, watching the city wake up and start its day.
Without moving, he said, "Communications. Advise all Corporate Board Directors to come immediately to my office for a consultation. Tell them this is not a request but an order from Security. When they arrive, show them into the auditorium hall. If they resist or don't come, send troopers to escort them. Forcibly. I want everyone of them here. The only acceptable excuse will be if they're in a hospital dying or comatose."
"Sky-Sec, give me full chase planning and event visuals on my wall screens." His office walls lit up with a variety of angles and maps of the entire chase process. All were mapped with past events and trails marked with future possibilities in different color tracks.
"Chase team leader. It's time to let you loose. Stay on this channel."
"Sky-Sec, Communications, join this channel. Gentlemen, I want you both to hear the same instructions, and work together on this one."
"Sky-Sec, you are to start a rolling laser curtain one-hundred yards from the Captain's current position. I want it moved to within fifty yards over one minute. At that point, maintain fifty yards behind. Kill any trooper who gets into your kill zone. I want them running due south within ten minutes, so turn them. Establish a funnel towards the Chase team's location," said the Secretary.
Communications. You will disconnect the Captain and team from server communications. Leave them with full suit control but eliminate the link to Central so they can't update maps or have on-time data feeds. I want them functional but blind."
"Team Leader - you will run due south at full speed. You will establish ambush positions at these coordinates, on both sides of that valley," the Secretary said as he sent the map coordinates to the Team 2 Leader and the Sky-Sec.
"Questions, Gentlemen?" the Secretary asked. "The plan is to run them all morning, then at the noon lunch break, take at least one of them out. Run them all afternoon and take another out during prime time this evening. I want two taken out total. Is this clear?"
The acknowledgements from his people brought the seldom seen smile to his face.
Time for some serious action. There's no more fokking about here. Let's get this one over and done he thought.
If it was possible, the Secretary's satisfaction went higher as he watched the social nets light with excitement. The drone cameras initially showed the Chase team headed south while the Captain continued west. But when the lasers began to herd the Captain, audience numbers shot up.
"What are trends in the city attitude levels?" Several screens morphed with different hormonal and behavioral trends.
He smiled. The people knew the Captain was fokked now. And that's how it should be he thought, turning to other matters.
12:06:2167 07:09:00
"Here we go. The shit's hitting the fan, gentlemen," said the Captain as the lasers began burning everything behind them. The laser curtain moved toward the Captain's team and nothing survived behind it. Even the mice were incinerated.
"Orderly withdrawal. Jackson, George, take the point. At least we know where the rear is now," he said with a chuckle. "Run. Now."
And with that, the team moved out. The lasers moved to within fifty yards and continued to leave scorched life behind. Another wall of fire blocked the westward route forcing the team to turn. Behind them, the funnel was complete, a trailing wall and two sides with no option but to run towards the waiting Security forces.
As he led the team, the Captain wondered if he'd hear from his anonymous friend today to save his ass one more time. He knew he and his men couldn't do a damn thing about what was about to happen.
Shit. We're running blind. The Secretary is finally serious. Fok. Where's that help that's supposed to be coming? He couldn't see any options other than to stay ahead of the lasers.
While the Captain and team ran, the social nets buzzed as people, when they dared, took furtive breaks away from work. They knew something was about to happen and the minute they got a lunch break or hurried home, they'd tune in. By lunch time, the pubs were full and raucous, much to the delight of the Corporation department heads who hadn't yet heard what was happening to their corporate masters.
12:06:2167 11:58:00
<6t94whp>: "We can't pull them out of this fire, it's up to the newbie at this point given we can't even see what he's doing. He may be getting ready to do something for all we know. I am locked out of the servers and haven't a clue what he's doing. Is anybody able to access the servers associated with the team or Security?"
Silence.
<6t94whp>: "So he's locked server control of the team and Security, and apparently he's not doing anything. Or we can't see what he's doing. Does that sound like we have any options?"
Nobody responded.
<6t94whp>: "Stay safe."
The network dissolved.
12:06:2167 11:50:00
"Captain, they're driving us into a valley," reported Jackson from the point position. "Ambush time," he added.
"West, drop back twenty-five yards and see if those lasers keep coming or whether they stop when you do. But don't get hit - if they keep moving, you return asap to the squad. Go."
West dropped back twenty-five yards and slowed. The lasers worked their way across
the narrowing field until they got within ten yards of him and he sprinted back to the running team, "They didn't stop, Captain."
Shit - the fan is turning, the Captain thought.
"Run people but if you get a visual, immediately share it with me. I'm blind here, I'm disconnected from the servers so there's no mapping or other help. Good visual data is what we need to deal with this," he said.
A round of quick replies from his team confirmed that none of the suits was providing visuals of any kind. They had their personal feeds, but that was the extent of their electronics. And even the regular eye-feeds had the Chase channels blocked so they had no idea what was happening or about to happen, unlike everybody else in the city who knew precisely what was planned.
Well, the game is fully on now and unless our anonymous buddy gets his act in gear, it will be all over pretty quickly Fraser thought.
They ran.
12:06:2167 11:55:00
Carpenter stood in the middle of his office, starting at the surrounding screens. Making up his mind, he said, "Give me the Team 2 Leader on main screen. Add Sky-Sec to secondary and Chase Team troopers on surrounding smalls. Give me overheads on secondaries."
A quick wave and all parties joined the meeting. Carpenter stood halfway from his desk to the wall staring straight at the Chase Team Leader. He glanced at the overhead visuals showing the current placement of both the Captain and Chase Team troopers as well as the expected movement patterns. The Captain's led straight down the valley and the Chase Team had split and was equally spaced along the Captain's route.
"Team Leader 2. I see we're on target for the ambush in a few minutes. I trust I don't have to remind you to only take one of them now and one later tonight. And if you can knock them down first before you kill them, all the better."