Epocalypse: Inception.

by G. Adler

  “We know you. You big-shot American General. We watching you and you family for long time. We follow you son and girl to school every day. We see stupid American soldiers you make follow them but we hide good. We no see soldiers now.”

  I jump to my feet and feel the blood drain from my face. I motion to the three MPs to come close and I put the call on speaker. The speaker laughs for a moment and then continues.

  “You make big mistake. Chinese dogs hack your baby system last year but Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un smarter than all you. He place spies in Anonymous hack group and we take information from Chinese. We know all about you and now we have daughter. We test hydrogen bomb last week and we ready for nukes. You smart General. You give us South Korea and America codes and we give you back kid. Radio say America no negotiate but we think you do in secret. You have twenty-four hour to reply or we mail you back daughter…piece by piece. We keep her alive while we chop off parts, maybe we even enjoy her while we do!”

  The last sound I hear before the call goes dead is Abby’s phone being smashed against the ground. I put down my cordless and feel my nails pierce the skin on my palms. My training kicks in seconds later and I spring into action.

  “Privates, why the hell didn’t you follow Abby when she left?”

  The three men look at one another and tremble slightly. Private Lim replies. “Sir, our orders were clear. We were to guard Hayden and prevent him from leaving. You didn’t say anything about your daughter, Sir.”

  I wash my face with my palm and take a deep breath.

  “Fine, we’ll deal with that later. For now I need you to mobilize all resources. We need a containment net around the city. Notify the airport that all flights are grounded and let local law enforcement know that all land travel is to be halted immediately. Nothing leaves and nothing comes in. As far as our search goes, Abby won’t take public transit and she hates running. She has been walking for a maximum of two hours, so she couldn’t have been more than ten miles out when she was taken. We have to assume that they will move her by car, so we have precious little time. You have your orders, now MOVE!”

  The MPs rush from the house, only Private Lim stops before leaving.

  “Sir, where will you be if we find anything?”

  Without even thinking, I speak the first words to pop into my mind and I have to grip the wall to steady myself as I do.

  “I’ll be down in my lab trying to find her MY way. I’ll coordinate the search from there. We need to find her in the next sixty minutes, Lim.”

  Lim tilts his head and looks confused.

  “Why is that, Sir? The terrorists said we have twenty-four hours. They wouldn’t do anything to their only leverage…would they?”

  I swallow hard and feel the world starting to spin in front of me. I take a deep breath to slow down the not-so-merry-go-round.

  “A child is abducted in this country every forty seconds, Lim and forty percent of those are killed. Seventy-five percent of those murders happen within the first three hours of the abduction. In this case, I would say that we don’t even have that long. Abby has seen their faces as clear as day. They won’t take any chances. They’ll keep her alive only long enough to ensure we are complying with their demands. Then she’s…”

  I slam my fist on the wall, unable to finish the thought. Lim pales and runs from the house. The emergency siren sounds seconds later and organized pandemonium ensues. Officers rush around barking orders as military jeeps start to pour from the base like ants from a flooded nest. I run down my walkway ignoring the soldiers that stop to salute along my path. I rush down the main road and take the steps leading up to the main building two at a time. I glance upwards and stare at the powered antenna. It reaches so high into the sky that I have joked with people by saying that it must tickle the feet of God himself. I close my eyes for a moment and hang my head.

  “If you’re up there, please help bring her back to me safely. She has suffered enough already.”

  I scan my security card and burst through the double doors. I whip past the sentinel robots as they do a detailed gait analysis and bio-rhythm security check. I hear the familiar ping of my credentials being verified. I clear my throat to make sure I speak clearly as I sprint to the back of the administration room.

  “This is General Jack Matthews. Activate base voice control.”

  A computerized voice replies immediately.

  Enabled.

  “Open elevator doors.”

  Two filing cabinets slide apart and reveal the stainless steel capsule within. I skid to a stop as I cross the threshold and the doors close quickly behind me. My stomach lurches into my throat as I am whisked at breakneck speeds to my underground lab. I touch one of the stainless steel walls and a green scanning light immediately slides down the silvered surface. An image of my palm appears on the wall and the word “verified” right above it. A series of buttons then appear on the inner surface of the elevator itself. I touch the power sequence to bring my inner sanctum online. A thrum of power pulses through the space, and by the time the elevator stops, my lab is already blinking with activity. I tap a button on my custom workstation while glancing into the octagonal lab, shaking my head as I do.

  “Not yet, Jack. You can’t activate him just yet. Maybe they’ve had some luck with other search methods.”

  I swallow hard and establish communications with the world above.

  “This is Matthews. Report!”

  A hole slides open in the top of the workstation followed by a whooshing sound as billions of nanobots combine together to form the face of one of my communications experts. I watch with dismay as the metallic doppelganger purses his lips and lowers his eyes. The voice that accompanies the face is low and strained.

  “Nothing yet, Sir. We’ve tried triangulating your daughter’s position by accessing the last cellular tower she used for her call but nothing has come of it. We are running voice analysis software but it will take hours to…”

  “She doesn’t have hours, Sergeant. Thank you for telling me what I needed to know. Keep this line open. I will contact you again shortly. Matthews out.”

  The Sergeant salutes and his face dissolves away in a series of tiny silver pixels.

  I swallow hard and take a deep breath. My palms become sweaty and my hands start to shake. I look at my reflection on a piece of sheet metal and grimace.

  “Get ahold of yourself, Matthews. There has to be another way. Step back from the abyss. Take the advice you gave the President.”

  I tap a few keys and pull up my facial recognition search algorithm. I then input Abby’s latest school picture and hold my breath. The computer begins to work its magic and all I can do is wait.

  That’s when my phone sounds once more. The ringtone is generic and the caller identification is blank.

  I activate the tracking mechanism connected through my underground cellular tower and wait as the nanobots establish a three-dimensional replica of the planet. The software initializes and I swallow hard.

  The call is coming from Damascus, deep in the heart of Syria. My hands shake at the implications. I transfer the call to speaker and activate a recorder so I can get a detailed voice analysis of the caller.

  I grit my teeth and accept the call, my anger roiling inside me. I decide not to even allow them to speak first. A frenzied, windy sound greets my ears and my hands tighten into fists.

  “I don’t know who you are or where you are taking my daughter, but my government will never…”

  “Your government…my government…their government, isn’t it all that same shit? Based on the way we send military might all over the globe, shouldn’t we just call the President the overlord of the planet by now?”

  I blink multiple times and feel my stomach lurch in my chest.

  “Hayden?”

  “Well duh! Who were you expecting…Superman? Nice to
know that you still remember me!”

  My tongue twists into knots and I stammer out my next sentence. “Where…who …when…what…why…”

  “And now we both know all of the five W’s. Thank you for that trip down literary lane.”

  “Why does my tracking program tell me you are in Syria? You are supposed to be in your room under lock and key!”

  “True, but you sent the locks and keys to find Abby. As soon as I heard the base siren wailing away, I was outta there. I’m no moron, Dad and soldiers are worse gossips than a high school cheerleading team. The second I slipped out the front door, everyone was talking about it. I figured I could help… while capturing the entire operation on camera of course. The world needs to know this stuff.”

  My head swims and my mouth goes dry.

  “Then how the hell did you make it to Syria?”

  “I bounce all of my disposable cell phone signals off multiple satellites all the time…just to be safe. At the rate you are destroying them I’m glad that I always keep a dozen or so spares stashed away all over the base. Now how about we dispense with the bullshit questions and you give me Abby’s last known location. I am currently hauling ass down First Street and am wondering if I should take a right or a left when I get to Main?”

  I slam my fist down on the table in front of me.

  “HOW THE HELL ARE YOU DRIVING?”

  “I borrowed one of the electric motorcycles you keep on the base. I always knew that the Zero MMX would be a sweet ride, but this is even better than I thought! Who knew that an electric motor could have balls like this while still being whisper quiet?”

  I close my eyes and try to control my breathing.

  “You imbecile! Did it ever occur to you that you are putting yourself in danger of being caught as well?”

  “Never even crossed my mind. I can take care of myself, Old Man. Lord knows I’ve been doing it for long enough. Self-preservation is my specialty considering that my father would rather interact with his keyboard than his son!”

  “I can’t believe this! Get your ass back here NOW! You are only making matters worse, especially considering that this is all your fault!”

  “MY fault? Have you been smoking gunpowder again? Stop getting high on your own ego and come back to Earth where the rest of us live. You know what? Fuck you. I don’t need your help to join in the search for Abby. All I need to do is follow the military vehicles that are swarming like bees all over the city. I can’t see them but I can hear them. As usual, I’ll just follow the noise. Over and out Major Megalomaniac!”

  The call ends and I have to sit down on a stool to try and catch my breath. I look into the reflective surface of my workstation and sigh.

  “Well, you had a good career, Matthews. I hope they have comfy pillows in the stockade.”

  I hang my head and say the words.

  “Activate DANE startup sequence.”

  A computerized voice responds, its monotone intonation is in stark contrast with that of the titan I am about to empower.

  DANE mainframe is currently in nanohibernation.

  “Initialize startup sequence. Bring nuclear reactor online. Allocate twenty-five percent of maximum power.”

  Confirmed.

  A buzzing sound echoes throughout the lab and a gentle vibration signals that DANE’s self-contained power core is flowing. I look into the octagonal lab and watch his neural matrix rise from the floor. I get up from my seat and place my hand on the Plexiglas door that allows entry into his domain. The genetic palm scanner does its work, confirming that the double-helix of DNA is mine.

  Entry confirmed. identified General Jack Matthews.

  I enter the space and focus on the multiple screens that are brightening in front of me. Within seconds DANE’s voice echoes throughout the contained space.

  “Good evening, General.”

  “Hello, DANE.”

  “My internal clock shows that I was offline for a short period of time. Is something wrong?”

  My body begins to tremble and my voice gets caught in my throat. Before I can reply, the nanobots swarm beneath me and create an ergonomic chair. I try to lower myself into it, but my knees give out halfway down, causing me to drop with a thud. DANE immediately comments.

  “General, your vital signs are highly erratic. Increased intracranial blood flow to the hippocampus and amygdala indicate that you are in a state of intense anxiety.”

  “DANE, that is an understatement. Within the past ten minutes, Abby has been abducted and traditional methods of tracking where she has been taken have thus far been useless. At the same time, Hayden has left the base in an attempt to help find her and is probably being hunted by the same group.”

  “And you would like me to find them?”

  I swallow hard and answer in barely a whisper.

  “Yes.”

  “Please engage external connections. I will require all sensory data in order to achieve our goal.”

  With tears streaming down my face, I look upwards and sigh. My voice quivers as I speak.

  “Initiate connection of external sensor array to DANE mainframe.”

  Connection complete.

  The eight screens around me spring to life, showing every inch of the city in real time. One displays the camera feeds from every optical source, including traffic cameras, security footage, cell phones, tablets and personal computers. The next coordinates sound from every source imaginable. Another has Abby’s picture loaded in the corner while a program analyzes every inch of her face. It then coordinates the information with every image on the first screen. Wherever I look, I see the culmination of intense focus to achieve a single, solitary goal. My jaw drops as I watch DANE accomplish in seconds what it would take anyone or anything else multiple lifetimes to do. Before I manage to take another breath, DANE’s voice sounds over the speakers.

  “General, I have her. She is in the back seat of a vehicle traveling west out of the city. There are three assailants with her. At the present moment, all of her vital signs are strong. I have taken the precaution of using all cellular towers in the area to jam their transmissions.”

  I sigh with relief but also shudder with fear.

  “Are you certain, DANE? How did you manage to locate her so quickly?”

  “I uploaded Abby’s genetic bio-signature into the United States Space Surveillance Network while augmenting the resolution using China’s Jian Die satellite that was launched on the Yaogan rocket last March. I have also received confirmation of my findings from Japan’s IGS Optical-5 tactical satellite. I have her current location pinpointed on the monitor to your left with a real-time feed above it. Abby is marked with a pink indicator to make it simpler for you to follow her path.”

  The screen to my left transforms into a three-dimensional map of the city. I can clearly see Abby’s body encased in a pink aura. My eyes go wide at the level of detail and complexity of DANE’s findings.

  “Can you zoom in?”

  “Of course, General.”

  I jump back and gasp. I am practically sitting in the back seat beside her. I can make out every facial expression Abby exhibits and can even see iridescent pink tears flowing down her cheeks.

  “This…this is incredible.”

  “If you will observe the monitor to your right, General, I have pulled up the identities of her captors. They are North Korean extremists with links to ISIS and Al Qaida.”

  I turn my body and watch the life story of the three men unfold in front of me. DANE has every shred of information about them, including known associates, family members, education and even where they ate breakfast this morning, including the serial number of the twenty dollar bill they used to pay for it. I stare at the monitor and let my jaw hit the floor.

  “DANE, can you extrapolate where they are going?”

  “I already have, G
eneral. They are on a back road headed towards an abandoned airstrip just outside of the city. They already have a small jet on the tarmac that is fully fueled and awaiting their arrival. The flight manifest indicates that they will depart for Cuba within the hour.”

  The reality of the situation snaps me from my awe and I feel my cheeks become hot with anger.

  “Alert local law enforcement. I want that plane grounded and the airport sealed.”

  DANE replies immediately.

  “If I may, General, establishing a perimeter will result in a standoff situation that has a ten percent probability of successfully freeing Abby unharmed.”

  I swallow hard before replying. “These scenarios always carry an inherent risk, DANE. When you inform the police, make it clear that we need their best hostage negotiator on site. With any luck diplomacy will prevail and they will release Abby unharmed.”

  “With all due respect, General, I prefer to… how would a human say it… make my own luck. Please continue to watch the monitor and leave this to me.”

  I start to open my mouth to object but no words come out. Instead I watch three CH-47F Chinook helicopters take off from the nearest base — without pilots! At the same time, DANE zooms in on the engine of the SUV carrying Abby. My eyes go wide as I watch the compression in all eight cylinders decrease, bringing the car to a standstill. The terrorists look at one another and shrug. The audio kicks in and I cringe at the sound of their voices.

  “I told you not get American piece of garbage. They make car like electronics. We need Asian vehicle. You two get out and take next car that come down road!”

  The guys sitting beside Abby shrug and get out of the dead SUV. They see a set of headlights coming down the road and smile but not for long.

  The sound of chopper rotors meets my ears as the three Chinooks arrive on scene. DANE’s voice sounds loud and clear over one of their external speakers.

  “You are under arrest for kidnapping and plotting an act of terrorism. Drop your weapons and prepare to be arrested. You will receive no further warnings.”

  The two men look at one another and reach for the holsters at their hips. Their hands barely touch leather when the nearest chopper blasts some sort of high-pitched audio weapon. The two men immediately drop to the ground, clutching at their ears before they pass out entirely. I stare with eyes wide as I watch their vital signs change to match their level of consciousness. The driver slams his fist into the steering wheel and grimaces. He then gets out of the car seat and stares at his fallen comrades with his mouth wide open and looks up at the choppers.