Freelancer

by Jake Lingwall

  The prisoners who saw Kari surrounded by cheetahs and drones ran screaming at first; however, once they saw her white jumpsuit, they began cheering. Kari ordered the cheetahs to take low-powered shots at all enforcement officers who were close enough for them to hit without breaking stride. The escaping prisoners cheered even louder as enforcement officers were shot to the ground by their own weapons.

  Kari reached her auto-auto and climbed inside. She ordered it to travel down the road and to the complex where David and his family were being kept. Auto-autos peeled out in front of her, each of them carrying someone to at least temporary freedom. She had mixed feelings; many of the people she was helping escape truly did belong here. Her car turned the opposite direction and accelerated down the road. Her cheetahs and drones easily kept pace.

  Kari hacked into the PA system of the building where the Pratts were and tried her best to sound like a friendly voice from public transportation.

  “Will the family of David Pratt please meet their friend Kari at the northwest corner of their hospitality suite. Again, will David Pratt and family please meet Kari at the northwest corner of their internment campus.”

  Kari was pleased with the way she had sounded; she just hoped that David was in a state where he could hear her announcement. She guessed he was currently searching for his siblings. I hope my announcement gives them all a meeting point they can trust.

  Kari wanted to check the cameras to see if she could find the Pratts, but she had other things she needed to take care of first. It’ll probably be only a minute or two until the government drops a communication bubble over the place, and I need to make sure they can’t reproduce the drones. She reconnected to the printers and wiped their memories clean. She then ordered them to self-destruct. Most printers didn’t have that particular feature, but all military-grade printers came with that capability as a way to prevent potential enemies from using them. They had been able to print two rounds of her hacking drones. Kari prayed that would be enough.

  Auto-autos whizzed by as Kari carefully destroyed every useful bit of equipment or data that was connected to the security system she controlled. All the research and monitoring of her would be backed up in the cloud, but Kari didn’t want to leave anything behind that might make the agents’ lives easier. She also destroyed their prisoner files. Perhaps that would cause enough of a problem to give her parents another small advantage in their escape.

  The auto-auto notified her that her destination was only a few seconds away. That’ll have to do. I’ve done everything I can to give my parents an edge. She wished she had a few hours available to really clean out the system. She’d always been uncomfortable leaving a trail, but she couldn’t cover all her tracks this time. I guess they can add a few counts of grand theft, assault, and helping a few thousand people escape from imprisonment to my record. Oddly enough, the thought didn’t make her feel bad at all.

  Her auto-auto came to a stop in front of David’s prison building. As the car door opened, she saw a scared family huddled together, trembling, surrounded by Kari’s cheetahs, which were actively engaged in combat with enforcement drones and crawlers from the retention building. The chaos outside her building was magnified here as thousands of detainees were trying to flee the scene. Kari ordered her drones to take over the opposing cheetahs. She then ordered her cheetahs to destroy any crawlers that were about to incapacitate escaping Middle Staters.

  “Hey, David!” Kari called out.

  “Kari!” David shouted as his family clutched each other tightly. His face lit up in way that she had never thought possible as he realized what was happening.

  “You guys better get in quick. I’m afraid I might have attracted some attention.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  David’s family scurried into Kari’s hacked auto-auto, filling all the seats in the cramped escape vehicle. David, clutching one of his little sisters, sat down next to Kari. Outside, energy canons flashed as the cheetahs continued to shoot down enforcement drones. As soon as David and his family were seated, Kari gave the orders for the auto-auto to head to the border.

  Between leaving her prison and picking David up, her hacking drones had plenty of opportunities to commandeer equipment. The twenty-five cheetahs she controlled raced alongside the auto-auto as it started to move, occasionally engaging with drones or other enforcement equipment as Kari and her company left the compound.

  “Where are we going?” David’s father asked after he finally took in the situation.

  “Away from here,” Kari said. Her body was in the auto-auto, but her focus was outside in one of the drones she had designated to be her eyes and ears. All the vehicles limited her visibility, which was concerning because she knew that an armed response or enforcement backup would arrive shortly.

  “So, do you have a plan this time?” David’s father asked.

  “Stop it, Dad!” David said.

  “David, not now,” his father responded.

  “No, Dad. She’s the only reason we’re together again. We have to trust her.”

  Just ahead, Kari could see a dozen or so auto-autos begin to slow, which could only mean their path was blocked. She sent her drones and cheetahs ahead of her to clear the path. The compound exit is the choke point; if they can stop us there, then they’ve ended this jailbreak.

  “If not for her, we probably wouldn’t need to break out of jail in the first place!” Jim Pratt, David’s father, continued. Kari heard his voice but was too preoccupied to process what he was saying.

  “They were going to arrest us, anyway. Kari gave us a chance at freedom,” David said. His staunch defense of her would have made her blush if she had been able to pay attention to it.

  “We don’t know that. For all we know, the only reason we were being held was because she decided to assault enforcement officers with her bloody drones!” Jim’s voice was rising.

  “Jim, please.” David’s mother was pleading, and her voice was stressed with a hint of embarrassment. “I asked her to help. I told you that.”

  There! A small regiment of SWAT vehicles and enforcement cars had blocked the gate. The officers were firing on vehicles, attempting to disable them. If we don’t stop them soon, the road will be blocked by disabled auto-autos, and we’ll be stuck.

  Kari ordered her cheetahs forward. They weaved through stopped auto-autos until they reached the front of the queue and opened fire. The firefight illuminated the scene enough for Kari to get a better understanding of what was going on. Energy blasts volleyed through the air, officers shouted orders, and people abandoned their vehicles and ran to escape the battle. It was like a scene from one of Kari’s favorite action movies, except this was real.

  “I’m just asking to know the plan,” Jim said.

  Kari sent her hacking drones toward the officers’ position. The officers apparently weren’t accompanied by any sort of standard heavy equipment, such as cheetahs, mechs, or combat drones. This limited her options of what she could commandeer. I guess we’ll find out if the drones can hack enforcement vehicles.

  “Trust her, Dad,” David said.

  A few of the cheetahs Kari had been commanding went offline. A moment later, a couple of others blinked off as well. The SWAT teams were heavily armed and well trained, but Kari’s cheetahs had managed to subdue about half of them so far. She ordered the drones to leave their dead cheetah hosts and attempt to hack the vehicles.

  “The last time I trusted this girl, we ended up being arrested within minutes of following her plan,” Jim said, the hostility in his voice was not helping the situation.

  Several of the hacking drones successfully brought an armored SWAT van into Kari’s control. It had taken longer than she would have liked, but the vehicle hadn’t had many weak points. She immediately instructed the van to ram some of the lighter enforcement auto-autos out of the way.

  “At least she tried to help us escape,” David said. “We were sitting ducks when doing what you thought was best.”


  “David!” His mother’s voice was chastising.

  Kari had lost six cheetahs, but she now controlled two vans that were knocking auto-autos out of their way. Each time they smashed into a vehicle, several officers dived for cover, disrupting their own firing line. The vans didn’t share the auto-autos’ anticollision code and thus had no problem pushing aside anything. The last of the SWAT team and enforcement officers were huddled into a corner under heavy fire. Kari ordered half of her remaining cheetahs to drag the fallen officers from the path.

  What if some of them were crushed by the vans? The question hurt. I’ve killed someone. I must have. I’m a killer.

  “No, it’s the truth, Mom. Kari is trying to save us, and Dad isn’t helping,” David said.

  “I just want to know the plan. Is that so crazy?” his father asked. “She’s not even listening to us, anyway.”

  I’ve killed people. Kari wanted to turn herself in and order all her vehicles to stand down. This crime was different from hacking; this was taking someone’s life. Somewhere, a family would be without a dad because of Kari. It was an accident, though, if anyone got hurt or killed in all of this. I didn’t want this situation to happen. I didn’t want any of this to happen. I wish there was another way to do this. . .

  Auto-autos began to move forward through the freshly cleared compound exit as Kari’s cheetahs knocked out the last of the SWAT members. She had lost eight cheetahs in the battle but only two hacking drones. The officers had been focused on bringing down the cheetahs but hadn’t realized that the real weapons were the drones commanding them.

  It’s not my fault we’re in this situation. Kari knew, however, that she would have to face this eventually. Not now. I’ve still got to finish this. The auto-auto slowly accelerated as it passed through the hard-fought exit, flanked by a dozen cheetahs, twenty or so drones, and two slightly damaged, heavily armored SWAT vans. Auto-autos carrying former prisoners filed out after her. They were joined by hundreds of escaped prisoners leaving on foot.

  “I’m taking you to the Middle States,” Kari said, her voice as lifeless as she felt. That silenced the family feud between David and his father. In the silence, one of David’s younger sisters started to cry. You choose now to start crying?

  “How?” Jim asked. “We were under the impression that the borders are closed.” His voice was more controlled and polite, now that Kari had answered his question.

  “We’re going to punch our way through the front lines,” Kari said.

  “What?” David and his parents said at the same time.

  “We’re going to go straight through the front lines. We don’t have any other options. I believe we can do this; you’ll have to trust me. Now, please excuse me, as I need to take care of a few things.”

  Kari focused her attention once again on her command drone. The auto-autos had all gone in different directions as soon as they left the facility, scattering to wherever the Middle State sympathizers felt like they had the best chance at hiding. Most of them are probably like David and his family. And who knows how many people like me—people who just wanted to help—have been unlawfully arrested? That’s worth something, right? That’s worth fighting this battle over. Their auto-auto was the only one that was heading directly for the border, which meant it was the only one approaching the military checkpoint a few miles ahead.

  Chapter Thirty

  Kari ordered the SWAT vans to barrel through the checkpoint and was happy to find little resistance. Her small army of cheetahs and drones hardly had to break pace to subdue what little enforcement personnel were present. Kari wasn’t sure whether to be relieved that it had been nearly deserted or concerned that she no longer had an excuse not to talk with David’s family. Their bickering had quieted down, but it wasn’t resolved. The tension in the vehicle was waiting for an excuse to erupt into another shouting fest.

  I can do plenty of other things, I guess. Kari checked the map again; they had been making better progress than she’d hoped for. The border to the Middle States was less than an hour away. From what she had been able to discover online, this particular border point between North Carolina and Tennessee wasn’t being hotly contested, and the defenses on both sides were fairly light. However, the armies on both sides of the border were extremely close to each other here as only a few miles separated them. Kari would have to make it a mile past the coastal force’s camp before she could reach the Middle States’ army. It was the closest the two sides came along the entire border, and Kari thought it was her best chance to make it to safety.

  I don’t know anything about war or strategy, but I know a bit about security and keeping people out. Kari hoped that was enough for them to avoid running into the middle of a pitched battle. The sides were close, but no conflicts between the armies had been reported here. I hope they’re content to fight battles elsewhere. She also hoped that the information she was basing this decision on was correct. At first, she’d been glad for the break in action because it gave her a chance to catch her breath. Now, however, sitting in the auto-auto and seeing David and his family nervously try to comfort each other in fearful silence, she decided she preferred the action.

  Reports of the outbreak were starting to surface over the networks. It was the middle of the night, but the news was alarming enough that it was already circulating. All the reports linked the action to Middle State insiders who had infiltrated the prison and orchestrated the outbreak. I guess that’s the easier explanation than they locked up the wrong girl’s family illegally, and she hacked them because of it. Enforcement had no official comment, but that was typical.

  One of David’s sisters started to cry again because she wasn’t able to fall asleep or understand the situation. The sounds of David’s parents trying to comfort their daughter were reassuring to Kari. Maybe this is all worth it. Middle, coastal, what does it matter? We’re all just people trying to get by; we just happen to be some people who got caught in the center of all this mess.

  “How much longer?” David whispered to her.

  “We should make it to the border in a few more minutes,” Kari whispered back as she turned to look at him. He was sitting close to her, and he smiled as she spoke. Kari allowed her natural eyesight to take over the majority of her vision.

  “I never thought you’d personally drop me off in the Middle States when you suggested I go there,” David said, his voice hushed but lighthearted. Is he flirting with me right now?

  “What can I say? I had to get rid of the only person who ever beat me in a drone fight,” Kari said. Am I flirting back?

  Before David could reply, the auto-auto notified her of a transmission. Only enforcement could send incoming calls to an auto-auto. Unfortunately, there was no way to reject a call from enforcement.

  “Miss Tahe?” Henderson’s voice was loud and recognizable. David’s family looked around, concerned.

  “Glad to hear you’re OK, Marshal Henderson. You weren’t looking too hot the last time I saw you. I was concerned,” Kari said.

  “We have military-class drones locked onto your vehicle right now,” Henderson said. “Stop the auto-auto immediately, or we will open fire.” David’s siblings screamed, and his parents looked panicked.

  “You’d open fire on an auto-auto filled with children?” Kari said, disgusted.

  “I’d open fire on a fugitive stealing military secrets for the enemy,” Henderson said.

  “I’m not stealing anything for anyone.” Kari focused on the drones flying around the car. She ordered them to fly higher in the air. If the military drones were to open fire, it would be from high elevation, and her drones might be able to intercept some of the fire.

  “It’s clear which side you’ve chosen. I can’t allow you to give them the new drone technology that belongs to the United States,” Henderson said.

  “Pull over,” David’s father ordered. Kari ignored him.

  “I’m not on any side, Henderson, I told you that. I’m not going t
o give the Middle States anything. All I’m doing is taking my innocent friends to where they will be safe and together.”

  “If you’re not working with us, then you’re against us,” Henderson said.

  “That’s a narrow and sad way to see the world, my friend,” Kari said. “There are two teams in your game, but there are millions of people who don’t want to play and who are just trying to get by.”

  “Collateral damage,” Henderson replied coldly.

  “Pull. Over,” Jim said again, this time more forcefully.

  Kari searched the sky desperately for any sign of drones but found none. Is he bluffing? It was possible the drones were far enough away or stealthy enough that she wouldn’t be able to see them. But she and the Pratts were only minutes away from entering military-zoned land. Would they risk firing heavy weaponry this close to their own men?

  “People are never collateral damage, Henderson.” Kari breathed in deeply. “Do what you have to, but know that I’m no Middle Stater, and I’m not going to give them anything, just like how I didn’t want to give you anything.”

  David’s father tried to move across the vehicle to force Kari to pull over, but his wife held him back.

  “Udarh! Send the orders to have the drones destroy the fugitive’s vehicle,” Henderson said, his voice spiteful. Kari scanned the skies again, ordering her drones to intercept any sort of attack by any means possible. David’s family was in a panic. Kari knew that her drones wouldn’t be able to stop the heavy fire from military-grade drones, which were massive airplanes capable of destroying cities blocks at a time. She’d pull over once she saw the first signs of being fired upon.