Suddenly his anger turned to a rage that went beyond anything he'd ever felt before. For the first time he achieved total control over each and every individual one of his nanites, including the many nano-pods that had self replicated while he was out of touch.
As he ran towards the beast, that was just beginning to torture his beloved Cindy, Jake commanded all the nano-pods within the immense chamber to wrap his body in a flexible nano-armor. Complete with a nanite consuming molecular disruption system built into the outer surface.
One's flavor enhancer was still pumping One's thoughts into Cindy's brain when it became suddenly aware that something hot was searing it's way in through it's fleshy underside and literally tearing it's organs to bits.
It realized the lethal nature of the damage being done to it just long enough to wonder why it's attacker wasn't taking the time to properly enjoy it's demise. Then suddenly, it was over. Cindy barely had time to realize, that the gore covered man that suddenly cracked open the giant's shell from the inside was in fact her beloved Jake, when darkness took her.
For his part Jake sent half his remaining nanites to repair Cindy's body. Or more accurately half of the ones within the immediate vicinity. While he had been contained his stealth mode nano-pods had infiltrated quite a few ship's systems. In the process they had self-replicated nearly a hundred pounds of new nanites.
Jake was surprised by the feedback from his nanites as they encountered Cindy's implants. He perceived that it was Sandra's handiwork. He wasn't sure what he thought about advanced Hillside technology being used this way but for the moment he decided not to interfere with it.
As soon as he was certain that Cindy would live Jake turned some of his attention to the machine that the monster had attached to Cindy. He configured some nano-pods to probe it's circuits and soon discovered a record of the thoughts the beast had pumped into it's last hundred victims. This included the way it had tormented Jess with what it was going to do with the technical data it had extracted from him.
It was even worse than he feared. The beast hadn't quite been scientist enough to make direct use of the guild technology that had just been compromised but it had recognized it's value. It had included enough of it, in a preliminary report to it's homeworld, to give these creatures a terrible tactical advantage over anything the Guild would throw at them.
Worse, the idea of nanites had never occurred to these creatures but that was about to change. Their own technology was advanced enough that once they started trying to develop nanotechnology, it wouldn't take them long to come up with something really nasty.
The cargo ship carrying the report and nearly a quarter million people from the planet below was already en route. It had left just long enough ago that Jake didn't have any chance of stopping it from getting there.
Things would have been bad enough if that message didn't exist. These beasts considered themselves to be the only true ‘people’ in the universe. They were already gathering together and arming for a massive round of conquest. When their preparations were complete they would explode across the galaxy. Jake decided he had no choice but to take drastic action.
He carried Cindy on one shoulder and on the other he just barely managed to carry the energy weapon that One had used to destroy that modified attack ship. He looked for and soon found Al.
When he got there he had to kill a couple of the fledgling monsters that were busy fighting over who's flavor enhancer to attach to the trapped wounded biped. By the time he had freed Al from the pile of rubble that was pinning him down Cindy was conscious. Neither Cindy nor Al were very steady on their feet but they both insisted they could walk.
“I'm glad to hear it,” Jake said. “Cause I need both arms to make much use of this energy cannon that their captain used for a sidearm. And we're going to need some firepower if were going to reach the captain's personal shuttle.”
As he said that Jake tried to reassure Cindy with a familial touch on her arm but she pulled away.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“I'm fine,” she replied without emotion.
Jake noticed that Cindy wouldn't look him in the eyes but he decided to worry about it later. Time was in short supply so Jake downloaded a complete map of the ship from his nano-pods. Then he led his companions on the route least likely to encounter more of the beasts.
“It's fortunate,” Jake commented. “That whenever their captain decided to hunt one of the crew it always disconnected it's communicator signal.”
“And what makes that so fortunate?” Al queried.
It was Cindy who explained in a low flat monotone devoid of any feeling.
“He means that whenever their communicators don't tell them where to find their captain,” she said. “Most of those things start trying to avoid going anywhere they think it might find them.”
Jake and Al exchanged worried glances as they listened to her speak.
There were two sentries guarding the entrance to the private hanger containing the captains shuttle. Without hesitation, Jake fired one blast from the massive energy weapon that vaporized both of them.
“The fact that these guards were killed by their captains weapon should delay the investigation into what just happened here,” Jake said. “But we need to move quickly.”
“I'd have thought that with them all running away from their captain,” Al said, with a shake of his head. “That we'd be able to take it easy for a few.”
Again Cindy explained in the same flat monotone.
“Except that it won't be long before they realize,” she said. “That their captain wouldn't have given those sentries such a quick death.”
Al looked at Jake, who just shook his head. Then the access door to the shuttle opened.
“Get in you two,” Jake said. “See if you can't find a way to strap yourselves down. I'll be right back.”
Then he walked over to a piece of equipment that was pulsating with energy. He wedged the energy weapon under it. He ordered his nanites to destabilize the protective forcefield around the big ship's interior fuel lines. Next he did something to the weapon's controls and ran back to the shuttle. As he did so, he ordered his nanites to initialize it's emergency launch sequence.
Two seconds after he stepped inside the shuttle, the door slammed shut and the shuttle's launch sequence began. Just before the shuttle passed outside the ships massive hull Jake gave the nanites still onboard the big ship one final order. The shuttle was only just barely clear of the ship's massive main drive engines when they began pushing the ship rapidly on a system departure course. It's powerful engines accelerated it away so rapidly. That when it's primary reactor core exploded five minutes into the flight the shock wave did little damage to the planets atmosphere. The portion of it's population that were still on LosLand should survive the blast. Though the brief burst of radiation would take a few years off most of their lives.
Chapter 35 A Sad Return & A Hasty Departure
“We have a problem!” Jake said. “Actually we have a major problem. If Hillsides power reserves are as depleted as you say, it will be more than a week before they will be able to open a portal for us. But I need to get there today. There really isn't any time to waste. Worse still, it won't do any good to get there, if there isn't enough power to crank out at least a hundred tons worth of custom nano-morphic starship.”
“I'm sorry Jake,” Cindy apologized vaguely. Then she looked at Al and added with quivering lips. “And I am so sorry Al...”
“What for?” Al interrupted her. Then he continued without giving her a chance to answer. “Are you sorry that you figured a way to spring Jake here? You've got nothing to be sorry for. If it wasn't for your plan...”
At this point Cindy tried to interrupt him.
“Then Adam would still be alive!” she said.
“Don't you dare blame yourself for that!” Al spoke strongly. There was a single sob that he couldn't quite hold in but then he continued. “My brother made his own dec
ision. He decided you meant more to him than his own life. He made a terrible sacrifice. ‘He’ did it! Don't you dare take that away from him.”
As he spoke the tears began to run down his face.
“Besides,” Jake said. “If there's anyone to blame here it's me. If I hadn't been so damned cocksure of myself...”
Al suddenly spun on his heels and glared into Jake's eyes.
“You either boss!” he yelled. “Don't you dare go blaming yourself for what happened to my brother. And don't cheapen the sacrifices that Stephanie and Jess made either. You know damn well that they all made their choices long before they came here. They wouldn't, none of them, want you two to be wallowing in guilt for what happened to them. So you can just knock that shit off.”
“What do you want from me Al?” Jake began. “Am I supposed to be alright with this?”
He would have said more but Al cut him off.
“No! You're not supposed to be alright with it,” Al said. “But you can damn well honor their sacrifices by finding some way to make their deaths count for something. Damn it! Don't let it be for nothing.”
By this time Al's tears were flowing so hard he could hardly see and his voice almost failed him completely as he continued in something in between a scream and a whisper, “Please don't let it all be for nothing!”
A single tear escaped Jake's eye and rolled down his face as he answered.
“No Al, not for nothing,” he said. “It wouldn't be just for nothing even if we, all of us, fail to finish the job. Even then what they did in the name of love and honor. Would not be in vain. For they spent their lives fighting for their friends. And win or lose, that's gotta count for something. But you're right, I've been wallowing in my own feelings of guilt and self pity. Instead of trying to find a solution. The trouble is that the only thing I can think of is just too damn dangerous.”
“Dangerous?!?” Al said incredulously. “How do you mean too dangerous?”
Then he continued in a voice laced with much sadness. While in his eyes a small spark of hope could be seen.
“I can understand why you might not want to take any more chances with us boss,” he continued. “But speaking for myself, if there's even the slightest chance of making Adam's death count for something.” Then with a quick glance in Cindy's direction he added. “And I can tell you that is how she felt about Stephanie's loss before...” Al's voice suddenly trailed off.
As lethargic as Cindy had been, since One had invaded her mind, she was as aware of her surroundings as ever and she had been listening to every word they said. Before either Al or Jake thought of what else to say, she began speaking in that same emotionless monotone she'd used whenever she'd bothered to speak since.
“That once was true when I still felt the life within me,” she explained. “I said I was sorry a few minutes ago. I said it because it was also once true.
Now it doesn't matter anymore. I neither care if I live or die because I feel nothing inside anymore. Neither fear nor desire. I remember caring for people. I remember feeling a sense of honor. And that I once even felt love. But now there is only debt and a vague sense of duty. I said I was sorry to you Jake, because you deserve better than this. But it seems that I have nothing left to offer you.”
Cindy looked directly at Jake for only the briefest of moments before she continued.
“I said I feel nothing Jake,” she said. “It would perhaps be better if that were strictly true. For there are a few dark things that I still do feel and they are anger, hatred and loathing.
Anger at what they did to me. Hatred for what they are. And loathing for anything that reminds me of it. I know you only did it to save me Jake. But now, every time I see your face I remember how you looked when you clawed your way through that monster. And that reminds me of what he was doing to me. It seems I've lost everything that made my life worth living. But I still have my anger and my hatred for those monsters that took it from me Jake.
If there is a way to hurt them, to ruin their plans, don't let the danger it would put me in slow you down. Just get on with it.”
Jake's nanites had been deeply scanning Cindy's brain as she spoke. They informed him that all her brainwave patterns indicated that she was actually speaking the truth. He came to the painful realization that there wasn't anything he could do about it. Though he could perhaps order his nanites to rewire her brain. Which, since it would be an attempt to repair her damaged wetware, wouldn't be enough of a violation of the nanosymbiotic pact for his nanites to refuse the instruction.
If he did that however, there would be even less of the Cindy he loved left inside her. He turned away so that she wouldn't see the tears. That he could no longer stop from trickling slowly down his face. Somehow he managed to keep the pain out of his voice when he replied.
“It is not the danger to us that stays my hand,” Jake began. “Though I would, that I could spare you from it. But the danger is far bigger than either of you grasp.”
Al snorted.
“So why don't you just explain it to us?” he asked. “I for one would really like to understand. Just what is this dangerous plan you're so damn afraid of?”
“Very well Al,” Jake said, turning to face the man. “I'll tell you about this half baked notion of mine.”
By this time Jake's nanites had removed all traces of the tears. Nonetheless Jake saw Al's features soften with concern as he looked into Jake's eyes.
“But know that aside from the danger,” Jake continued, as he turned back away from his friend. “I'm not at all sure that it's more than a pipe dream anyway. You see it depends on a few things that I'm not exactly sure of.
For starters, it depends on whether or not the portal link back in that cave is as advanced as I think it might be. I've been told Steve used to spend a lot of time here. I think he might have modified it to include the nucleus of a full fledged portalizer. But even if he did, then I'm not sure if any of the access ciphers, that happened to be in his symbiont's current active memory map the day some of his nanites became mine, will happen to include the one I'd need to activate that nucleus.
And finally, it also depends on whether or not I can adapt it to run on the form of energy that powers that alien shuttle behind us.
Then the real danger only comes into it if all of those things do fall into place. And even if they do, then it's all pointless unless I can bring enough power with us. To crank up some of Hillsides most power hungry machines as far as they can go. The only way I can do that depends on whether I can get a massive shipment of high energy pseudo mater through an active portal. Without blowing it all up.”
“I gotta admit that's a lot of ifs,” Al said while shaking his head. “But I still don't see what's so Earth shakingly dangerous.”
Jake sighed and tried again to explain the danger.
“I'm talking about using an active portal,” he said. “To transfer a shipment of pseudo mater Al.” Jake paused for a second. Then he continued, “Pseudo mater is a form of concentrated energy. Any form of which is inherently dangerous. And the kind that fuels that shuttle is exceptionally volatile. If enough of it to do what I need to do were to destabilize, while in mid-transfer, it would tear open a hole in the fabric of the universe. The transdimensional rift would snap shut in less than a nanosecond of course. But in that brief moment the rift would have totally consumed both planets”
As Al considered this his whole body began to sag but once again Cindy proved that she had been listening and that whatever was wrong with her did not interfere with her ability to reason.
“Would you deny them the chance of a quick death?” she asked. “When the alternative is what happened to me?” Then she looked directly at Jake and for the first time since One had invaded her mind, there was a faint trace of emotion in Cindy's voice as she continued. “Or what we both know happened to Jess?”
It took Jake an hour to rig a power converter that he hoped wouldn't fry the portal link. Another three hours to find the
right combination of ciphers to activate the hidden program. Next he had to verify that the complex coordinates for Hillside were intact and program the portal for the special transfer sequence. Then at last, the portal was ready.
***
Hillside's power shortage was so critical that they were actually burning oil in the so called main boiler system. Which was installed in the back of the garage building. This equipment was mainly for show. In case some government agency wanted to inspect the facility. Most of the resulting steam was being used to generate electricity but a small percentage was providing them with a limited supply of hot water.
There wasn't enough for the jacuzzi room. Even hot showers had to be rationed. So Sandra had pooled her ration with Linda Stockwell. Which gave them just enough for a shared hot soak, in the tub in Steve's rooftop cabin.
When Linda's son, who was now 13 months old, was finally ready for his nap, Linda tucked him in while Sandra drew the hot water for their shared bubble bath. Sandra was comfortable with the idea of sharing the bath with Linda in spite of knowing that Linda was bisexual. They knew each other well enough that she didn't even feel like she had to remind Linda that she wasn't.
Steve's tub was an oversized variant on an old fashioned design with legs and comfortably sloping backrests. It was however, designed for two people to be able to lean back comfortably facing each other, while playing ‘footsie’. The spigot was actually slightly recessed at the midpoint on one side of the tub. The drain was at the midpoint on the other side.
They had just finished climbing into the tub. The hard part was taking care not to let one's feet wind up in the other's crotch.
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