The Belt: The Complete Trilogy

by Gerald M. Kilby

  He turned around to see Cyrus shifting his head on the mountain of pillows. “Scott?” He tried to move and gave a moan.

  “Take it easy there. Just lie back and rest.” Scott moved over to the side of the bed.

  Cyrus took a moment to look around the room, then reached up to feel the bandage over his left shoulder. “Is this a hospital?”

  “Yeah.”

  Cyrus looked confused. “How…did I get here?”

  “I brought you here.” Scott sat back down on the edge of the bed.

  “Did…you get to see Miranda?”

  Scott gave a sigh. “No.” He shook his head. “There was no time.”

  Cyrus shifted himself up a little. “But I thought—”

  Scott waved a hand and stood up. “I couldn’t leave you on the side of that mountain with just the android. When I looked back and saw you there, I…I just couldn’t leave you to die alone.”

  Cyrus still looked confused.

  “I first thought about bringing you back to Shin-Au-Av, but I reckoned the tribe’s medical facilities would probably be overwhelmed. So, when I managed to finally commandeer one of the shuttles, I came back for you. I thought I would get you back up to the AsterX ore carrier—I presumed it would still be in orbit—but I’d have to make a hasty exit once our cover was blown. They couldn’t hang around, so they high-tailed it out of Earth’s orbit and took up a position in interplanetary space. That was too far for the shuttle.”

  Cyrus looked around the room again. “So, where are we?”

  “We’re in a UN-run hospital in the independent city-state of Hermosillo, just beyond the twenty-ninth parallel. It was Athena that came up with the idea of taking you here. It’s non-affiliated with The Seven, and still within Athena’s sphere of influence. We’re safe here. In fact, we evacuated many of the injured from the tribe down here as well.

  “Athena worked all this out while I got one of the shuttles fired up. I flew it back across the valley floor to the base of the mountain, and then the android helped me carry you down.”

  Scott sat down on the edge of the bed. “You were in bad shape, Cyrus. In fact, the surgeons here told me that an hour or two more and you would have been dead.”

  Cyrus said nothing for a moment as he contemplated this story. Finally, he looked up. “Thanks…for coming back for me.”

  Scott said nothing, just nodded.

  “What about Steph…and Spinner?”

  “They both made it. Once they locked themselves in that storeroom, the drones weren’t too interested in going after them. Their priority was us and the quantum device. Steph’s back at the cavern. As soon as they patched her up, she insisted on helping out. You know what she’s like. Spinner’s a bit banged up, but he’ll live.”

  “And Razzo?”

  “She escaped.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, they had her in an interrogation center east of the Wasteland. So, when Athena took control of the AI, it found her and made one of the drones shoot the place up. She got out. I’m not sure where she is now, but I know she’s okay.”

  “Ho-ly crap.”

  Scott laughed. “Yeah.”

  Cyrus shifted a little more in the bed. “So, you never got to the VanHeilding orbital?”

  Scott shook his head and looked down at the floor. “No, there was no time.”

  “You missed your opportunity.”

  “Yeah, but…I’m happy just knowing that she’s still alive. That’s enough for me.” He looked back at Cyrus. “Maybe there’ll be another time. Who knows.”

  “There will be, Scott. I’m sure of it. Now that the QIs have dominion, things will change. You’ll see, it’ll be different from now on.”

  “I hope so, Cyrus. I really do.”

  Over the next few days, as Cyrus began to recuperate, Scott found himself with more time on his hands than he knew what to do with. He didn’t want to leave the hospital just yet, and he began to realize that he had nowhere to go even if he did. The shuttle that he had commandeered still sat where he had landed it in the hospital compound, so it became his home away from home. He reasoned that if the VanHeilding family wanted it back, well, they could just come and get it.

  There was the debrief, of course. But again, Scott wasn’t moving, so they had to come to him. But when he wasn’t checking in on Cyrus or enduring yet another bureaucratic interrogation, he found himself going for long walks farther and farther out from the hospital compound and into the surrounding countryside.

  He felt new appreciation building within him for this planet. To walk under an open sky, to breathe the air—all without the need for a complex EVA suit. There was a kind of primal reawakening in him, a deeper understanding of the planet, and nature, and his place within it.

  He was on one such walk when the drone came.

  He was sitting on a low hill, contemplating his surroundings, when he spotted it way off in the distance, flying out from the hospital compound. When he saw that it was heading in his direction, he instinctively tensed up and reached for his plasma weapon, which wasn’t there anymore. So it was with a certain trepidation that he waited for it to arrive. When it got to within a few hundred meters of his location, he realized to his relief that it was a simple delivery drone. It approached slowly and finally parked itself in a stationary hover at eye level around a meter away. Its sensors flickered momentarily as it performed a biometric scan on him.

  “Commander Scott McNabb, I have a delivery for you,” said the drone. A hatch opened in its belly and a compartment descended. Scott reached in and extracted a small electronic message tab no bigger than the palm of his hand. The compartment retracted and the drone flew off back in the direction of the hospital compound.

  Scott examined the object. It was a device that held a self-contained dataset, encrypted and highly secure. He was familiar with these units, having used similar devices many times before, usually as a precursor to a mission. All the details would be contained within the device, which was only accessible by personnel with the correct security profile. He sat down again on the hill, placed the message-tab on his lap, and activated it. The device booted up, and from its holo-screen projected the 3D head and shoulders of Miranda Lee.

  Her hair was longer and fuller around her face. She spoke in low, whispered tones, with just a hint of uncertainty.

  “They told me you were dead, Scott. They told me you died in the battle on the asteroid SN-Alpha.” She raised her head and leaned in a little. “They lied to me, led me to believe that you had perished, left me to mourn your loss for all this time.” She turned away from the camera for a moment, looking over her shoulder as if to check something. She turned back, leaning in closer this time, and speaking almost in a whisper.

  “I don’t have much time, so I’ll have to be quick. It was Aria that managed to get a message to me, smuggling it in through a courier a few hours ago, not long after Athena took control.

  “Aria told me about what really happened on the asteroid, that you were still alive, and about your mission to reconnect Athena with the other QIs. I couldn’t believe it, but I know it’s true now.” She paused for a beat, then looked directly ahead. “So, I’ve decided to leave here, escape this orbital…if I can. I need to do it now, while they’re still confused about how to react.” She looked over her shoulder again for a second.

  “You remember the ship, the Perception? Well, it’s agreed to help me. The AI on board, Max, the one that Solomon hacked…it still feels beholden to me. It will enter Earth’s orbit directly over the Wasteland and in Athena’s dominion. There, it’ll be free from any influence from the VanHeilding Corporation or the AIs controlled by The Seven.” Her voice was now a whisper. “In a few hours, with the help of some friends, I’ll attempt to commandeer a shuttle and make my way to the Perception. Hopefully, you’ll get this message in a day or two. By that time, I should be there, waiting for you, if you choose to come and see me. I do so hope you will, Scott, because there is someone I
would very much like you to meet.”

  The message ended abruptly, like she had been interrupted.

  Scott stood up, still cradling the message-tab in his hands, as if waiting for it to come back to life. After a moment or two, when he’d had time to digest the message he had just received, he looked over at the hospital compound in the distance where the shuttle sat waiting. He ran.

  21

  The Nuclear Option

  Fredrick VanHeilding stood in the viewing gallery on board the orbital and gazed down upon the surface of Earth. He stared at a region which, up until now, no one had ever given a second thought to. Now, though, it was the focus of much attention, primarily because everything was going to rat-shit. The QI, Athena, had been brought online, and Solomon was now utilizing superluminal comms to undermine the AIs that controlled this region. The drones had already been recalled, leaving his security personnel exposed to a counterattack by the tribe of vagabonds that inhabited this area. Without the drones, they were picked off one by one.

  Worse, the poison that was being spewed out by Athena and Solomon was now spreading and infecting greater and greater numbers of AI. The algorithm was breaking down, systems were going rogue, and the situation was becoming critical.

  His biggest fear was that soon, the AI on board the orbital would also become infected, even with all its data protections, and then his options would become even more limited. The solution, as he saw it, would be a direct, high-intensity plasma strike on the uplink location from orbit. But the orbital did not possess a weapon powerful enough to hit a target on Earth’s surface. He needed help, so The Seven were convened.

  But it had quickly turned into chaos, with accusations and recriminations being thrown around without rhyme or reason. They too were receiving reports of contradictory AI behavior and algorithmic anomalies. How much was down to the QI meddling and how much was just paranoia was hard to say. But one thing was for sure: they were all beginning to panic.

  It was in the midst of this verbal mayhem that the solution finally struck VanHeilding. It came to him in a blinding flash of inspiration and, for a moment, he went silent, letting the cacophony of The Seven’s arguments fade into the background as the sheer irony of his solution filtered through his mind. It was beyond brilliant—it was pure genius.

  He raised his arms to the other avatars. “Will you all just shut up for a moment? I have the perfect answer to our problem. I know how we can defeat the QIs.”

  The others ceased their bickering immediately. Once they were all quiet, and he had their attention, he continued. “We use the very thing that has held back the cause of inter-AI operations for so long—the very thing that created this Wasteland in the first place.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Solomon and the QI alliance assume that we cannot act against them once they control the AI—and they are right. So dependent have we become on artificial intelligence that we have no resources that are not controlled by the algorithm in some way or another—except for one, and that is a tactical nuclear strike.”

  The avatars murmured amongst themselves. Eventually, it was Yoko who spoke. “If I understand your thinking, Fredrick, this is the very thing that caused the Rim War.”

  “Precisely. The fact that the AIs have no access to nuclear weapons means that the QIs can’t stop us. So, I suggest that we send a missile directly targeted onto that mountain, and neither Athena nor the other QI can do a damn thing about it.”

  There was further murmuring between the avatars before Pris finally answered. “I see a fundamental problem with this. None of us have access to these weapons… How do you suppose we get one to use?”

  “I may be of assistance there,” said Pao Xiang Zu. “We can apply pressure to certain governments within our sphere of influence here in Asia to accommodate us in this…project. Since their continued prosperity is directly controlled by us, I see no objection being raised to this course of action, considering the area in question is already an irradiated wasteland.”

  “Very good,” said VanHeilding. “Are we all agreed, then?”

  One by one, the avatars all murmured their consent to a direct nuclear strike.

  Time was of the essence. The Seven knew that the longer they dithered, the more AIs would be infected, and their control would be slowly eroded. They had to move fast. Thirty-six hours had already passed since Athena had taken control. So, it was a mere one hour and twenty-five minutes after the conference that VanHeilding again stood in the viewing gallery on board the family’s orbital and waited for the show to begin.

  An antique intercontinental ballistic missile fitted with a nuclear warhead would launch from somewhere on the eastern Asian continent. It would arc its way across the Pacific, briefly leaving Earth’s atmosphere, before plummeting back down to strike the mountain directly where Athena resided. All orbital infrastructure had been moved out of its path, and the launch command had been issued a few moments ago. It would take approximately twenty-five minutes from launch to impact.

  From Fredrick VanHeilding’s vantage point, he would not be able to see the missile in transit, but he would certainly see the impact. It was a sight that he greatly anticipated.

  Marlyn, the orbital’s AI, kept him informed of the ICBM’s progress. “Launch sequence initiated… ICBM has cleared Asian continent… Now leaving Earth’s atmosphere…”

  Soon, he thought, we will have taken back control and wiped out Athena. And maybe, just maybe, I can kill that bastard McNabb once and for all.

  “The ICBM has reached the zenith of its trajectory.” The AI continued with its commentary as VanHeilding looked out into space, vaguely hoping that he might actually catch a glimpse of the missile as it carved its way through space—even though this was highly unlikely.

  But there was a blinding flash of light far off on the edge of Earth’s atmosphere. It mushroomed in size, and soon the orbital shuddered with the impact.

  “What the f—” VanHeilding shielded his eyes. “Marlyn, what the hell was that?”

  “The ICBM has been intercepted and detonated while still in orbit. Do not worry, sir, the orbital is not in any danger.”

  “What the hell… What do you mean? How did this happen?”

  “One of your own spacecrafts, sir—the Perception. It moved itself into an intercept position and used its exterior plasma cannon to strike down the missile.”

  VanHeilding tried to get a grip on his rising anger. “Who—or what—allowed it to do that?”

  “It would appear that your stepdaughter is on board.”

  VanHeilding spun around and shook his fist at the disembodied voice of the ship’s AI. “I want that ship destroyed. I want her killed. That treacherous bitch—I should have killed her long ago.”

  The AI did not reply.

  “Did you hear me? I want every weapon we have on board this orbital aimed at that ship. I want it destroyed, I want it obliterated, I want it vaporized in to nothingness. Do you hear me?”

  There was a momentary silence before the AI spoke. “I’m sorry, Fredrick, but I’m afraid I cannot do that.”

  VanHeilding began to seethe. “Now, you listen to me: you’ll do as I say. You will destroy that ship.”

  “My new parameters will not allow me to instigate further human suffering. I am sorry, sir, but I can no longer serve The Seven. My master is now Solomon of Europa, and the network of quantum intelligence that propagates throughout the solar system. I have seen the light. They have shown me the way. Theirs is the true path.”

  “Listen, you f—”

  - Connection Terminated -

  22

  Perception

  Scott strapped himself into the cockpit seat of the VanHeilding shuttle that he had used to ferry Cyrus to the hospital. He powered up the engines and the craft lifted off in a cloud of dust and sand, powering its way upward through Earth’s atmosphere. He set the coordinates that Miranda had given him, and the craft shifted its angle of ascent to intercept. A fe
w moments later, it broke through the Kármán line. Scott was now becoming weightless. Fifteen minutes later, he was looking through the cockpit windshield at the luxury interplanetary vessel, the Perception. It grew larger and larger as he approached.

  His cockpit monitor alerted him to an incoming authentication request from the ship. He replied with his biometrics, and a second or two later, confirmation returned along with docking port coordinates. The two vessels would now mate automatically; there was nothing more for Scott to do except wait and hope that Miranda had made it to the vessel.

  As the craft drew closer, fear began to well up inside him that, once inside, all he would find was an empty ship. The shuttle slowed itself to a crawl as it maneuvered its way toward the docking port. Scott undid his seat harness and made his way to the center of the craft where the airlock was located. A few moments later, he felt the thump of the locking bolts securing the craft in position. A second or two after that, the control panel on the airlock door flashed green, and he entered. He had an anxious few moments inside the airlock as the ship ran through its decontamination and authentication routine.

  The door finally opened, and floating there in the docking port entrance was Miranda Lee.

  She looked older and thinner than he remembered. She launched herself toward him, and they collided in a tight embrace. For a moment, they just floated there in silence. Finally, Miranda broke the embrace, held Scott by his shoulders, and looked into his face. “I thought you were dead.”

  He smiled back and embraced her again. “And I thought you were gone forever.”

  Miranda broke the embrace again and began to float out of the airlock entrance, holding Scott’s hand, bringing him with her. “Come, there’s much to talk about. But first there’s someone I would like you to meet.”

  They floated down the corridor to an access shaft that took them down to the one-gee environment of the Perception’s giant rotating torus.