This is the End 3: The Post-Apocalyptic Box Set (8 Book Collection)

by J. Thorn

Kuznetski slunk back in his chair, quivering as he swallowed.

  “Consider it done,” Len said as he gestured to his hologram guards. Four of them stationed themselves in each corner of the room. They raised their arms to shoulder height, and a line of lasers connected from one hand to the other, securing the room.

  “Show us the tunnel,” Gerry demanded.

  The elder man nearly tripped as he rose from his chair and hurried across the polished wood floor to a section of wall. He pressed his hand against the surface and spoke aloud a series of numbers. A red LED light shone from the wall and scanned his face. There was a click from a mechanism, and the wall dropped into the ground. Ahead of them, a precisely cut square tunnel stretched off into the distance. On the floor was a single track.

  He tapped at a control panel attached to the wall inside the tunnel. From within the darkness an amber light shone. It grew brighter as Gerry heard the telltale hum of a magno-train.

  The white plastic carriage came to a silent stop at the head of the access way. “This’ll take you across the City to Cemprom HQ in less than two minutes. When you get there, you’ll need this.” Kuznetski handed Gerry a round disc the size of an antique dollar.

  “You’ll find a single slot at the end of the tunnel. Put this in, and you’ll get access to the elevator that will take you directly to the server room. You should get there before Jasper and his people. To get there through the Cemprom building is tricky and time-consuming. There’s just a single ladder that goes down for half a kilometre.”

  “Hopefully you can protect it from this AI. It can’t be taken offline, so you’ll need to find another way.”

  “You better not be lying about any of this. Len’s security detail is more than capable of slicing you into pieces no bigger than this disc.” By the look on his face, Gerry knew he was being sincere. Sweat continued to drip from his face, and unsightly wet patches circled beneath his arms.

  “I promise you, Mr Cardle, I want you to succeed as much as you do.”

  “Tell me. I’m a dead man according to the system, aren’t I?”

  “The lottery algorithm considered you a winner. It’s in the records.”

  “Good. I want it to stay that way.”

  Before the president had a chance to say anything else, Gerry pushed him aside, opened the door to the magno-train, and waited for Len and Petal to take their seats.

  “Right. Let’s go, then. We’ve got a demon to exorcise.”

  The circular nature of being on another train, heading towards another uncertain future wasn’t lost on Gerry. The memory and the reality merged into one, and as the train pulled away, he did the same as before: watched the light of his past diminish to a dot and finally disappear into blackness. He was dead to the city. Nothing more than a ghost.

  There was only forward now.

  Len looked at Gerry, then Petal, and saw their stern expressions.

  “What have I got myself into?”

  Both Petal and Gerry together said, “The Salvation business, man.”

  Gerry let Petal finish off with: “The pay’s crap, but the satisfaction is good for the soul.”

  Despite Petal’s smile, the fact Gabe wasn’t here with them left a hollow feeling inside Gerry’s chest. How could he sell them out? He didn’t want to believe it, but couldn’t think of a logical alternative.

  Chapter 20

  The president was right. The train took them to Cemprom, and the elevator lowered them to the server room in just a few minutes. The place was quiet, as anything a half a kilometre beneath the earth was. It reminded him of a tomb. He pushed the thought aside and assessed the situation.

  The room was lit evenly by strip lighting and reminded Gerry of one of Enna’s medical facilities as his memories continued to return to him.

  The server itself was surprisingly small and located centrally on a steel plinth.

  Petal scanned the room with her HackSlate, looking for rogue traffic signatures trying to access the server: there was nothing. Nothing but the single stream of data flowing into the city’s network from this server. It was all one way. The server was responsible for the AIA management, and given its size, Gerry knew there must be something special about it, considering the size of the computing power to run a network and track everything across a million citizens.

  She scanned the DigiCard and sent the codes across the VPN to Gerry.

  “Let’s see what she’s got inside,” Gerry said as he took a cable from his duster jacket and plugged himself into the machine. When he clicked the jack-plug into his neck port, there was none of the usual buzz of information. It was smooth as butter.

  He entered the codes, and to his relief, the credentials were good. He was logged in and looking at a terminal window.

  “How’s it looking, Gez?” Petal asked.

  “Not sure yet. I’m still finding my feet. Len, can you watch the entrance in case we get interrupted?”

  “Sure thing.” Len opened his coat and took two pistols from his holsters. He crouched below the entranceway and aimed his guns up into the darkness.

  The server had a very basic interface. The first thing Gerry wanted to do was make sure it hadn’t been compromised. He ran a number of diagnostic checks and was presented with a set of log files. Scanning these, he was relieved to see that it wasn’t on the same system as Jasper’s evil AI as he couldn’t feel that impenetrable mutating code trying to violate him, nor see any peculiar access requests. But still he had to make sure that the city’s citizens were okay.

  He started to enter a set of commands that he’d used regularly in his job at Cemprom when designing the algorithm. It was a group of applications that scanned, recorded, and accounted for each individual. He launched them, entered more of the requested access codes, and was presented with a report. Gerry relaxed into the analysis of the data, finding his Zen moment and spinning out queries with his mind as quick as thoughts. The server complied and delivered its results:

  No AIAs were damaged thus far.

  Everything was normal.

  No compromises.

  Jasper’s AI had tried to get in from the wider city network, but the server was completely safe from external traffic. The only way in was direct. Gerry could try to programme some kind of defence in case Jasper managed to get access to it, but the complexity of the AI was too large for him to keep out. The only way to ensure the citizens’ complete safety was to destroy the server. Society would lose its connection to the network and the benefits of their personal AIAs, but at least they’d be alive, and free.

  Searching the power supply and the city’s grid, he had to rule out an EMP. The server was behind several heavy-duty EMP protection circuits. He couldn’t just unplug the machine either, as it was fixed, as one, to the steel column and had a number of back-up energy sources, including the room itself. The walls acted as wireless energy transfer units. He even suspected that this wasn’t even the central processing unit. The computing power was distributed. There could be hundreds of these somewhere, all providing redundancy in a cloud formation.

  Taking it offline was not an option.

  Of course, they could just kill Jasper and his pals, but then that wouldn’t solve the problem of getting rid of the AI from the wider network. No, he’d have to lure them into a trap.

  It had to stop here.

  As he was formulating a workable plan, a shattering noise woke him from his trance.

  Gunfire erupted from further up in the tunnel to reverberate around the small room.

  Len managed to get two shots off before a volley of lead obliterated his face, sending him crashing to the floor in pieces.

  Gerry grabbed Petal and pushed her behind the column. He picked up one of Len’s pistols, crouched to the side of the column, and waited for the first body to come dow
n the ladder.

  “You don’t really have anywhere to go, Gerry. Your time is up. I’ll give it you. You exceeded all expectations. Who would have thought little Gerry would have been capable of so much? Our parents would be so proud, but such a shame the only thing they’ll get now is bits of your body in a casket. Unless you cooperate with me, of course. It’s not too late—brother.”

  “Jasper? What are you on about?” Could he really be his brother, and his parents—still alive?

  A black-clothed man dropped from the tunnel on a zip line and rolled to avoid Gerry’s first shot. He knelt up, pointed a gun at Gerry, and yelled, “Put it down, Gerry, and you might survive the day.”

  Gerry didn’t hesitate and shot the man in the face, spraying parts of his skull up the wall. The heat of the shot boiled the blood so that a red mist fell upon the slumped body.

  “I’ve got many more of them, brother. We could do this all day until you’re out of ammo, which by my reckoning will be in two more shots. Low capacity on those pistols, you see.”

  “I was an only child! My parents never alluded to anything otherwise. Not to mention they’re dead. Now shut up and come down here and face me. Let’s end this.”

  Gerry logged out of the system and wiped his access file to remove the codes.

  Jasper laughed as another body slipped down the ladder. This time Gerry wasn’t quick enough, and the woman ducked his shot, rushed him, and drove him to the floor.

  Gerry fired the pistol, but it struck the ceiling.

  A fist crashed into his face, breaking his nose and dislodging the cable and connection to the server.

  The pain blinded him for a second as old wounds split open. He slumped back, twisting his head to avoid swallowing blood. Another heavy punch pounded into his skull. Gerry’s head bounced off the metal floor. His world spun. His body tensed with a racking pain.

  The woman’s steel-covered fist rose up ready to bring down another blow, but her head jerked back violently, and blood spilled from her neck.

  Petal pulled her spike out, thrust it again into the woman’s chest, and kicked her to one side.

  “Gez, you okay?” Petal asked. She knelt over him, her hands on his face. “Gez!”

  Gerry gurgled, “I’m… okay…” as he sat up.

  There was a noise like the clatter of boots on metal and the whirring of zip lines. Gerry looked up.

  Standing in front of him was Jasper, backed up by five men and women in black clothing and holding heavy weaponry. The tiny pistol, now next to him, seemed entirely ineffective in comparison, but it didn’t stop Petal from reaching over to grab it and levelling it at Jasper’s face.

  “Pull the trigger, little girl,” he said with a sly grin.

  She did. Nothing happened. Out of ammo.

  “I did warn you. You should have paid attention.” Jasper gestured to a woman next to him, and she shot Petal in the leg, sending her spinning to the ground.

  “Strap and bag her. She’s coming with us.”

  “Leave her alone!” Gerry made to stand, but a heavy boot from one of Jasper’s goons pushed down on his throat, pinning him uselessly to the floor like a bug.

  Two more of Jasper’s squad strode around the server.

  Petal lashed out at one of them, catching him in the face with her spike, but another goon had already removed a netted bag and quickly subdued her. They tied her up and pulled her away from Gerry.

  Jasper gestured to the man with a boot pressed at Gerry’s throat. The boot lifted, allowing Gerry to take a choking breath. Gerry rose to his feet with an overwhelming desire to kill every last person in the room, but he was impotent to do anything. Unarmed and injured, backed into a corner, he had nothing left to offer. Unless what Jasper said was true. If he were his brother, then he’d be like Gerry. He’d be able to…

  Backing away with his arms up, Gerry scrutinised Jasper. He had to be honest with himself. They certainly shared a resemblance. He recognised those eyes and the bone structure. There was one way to find out.

  “Okay, let’s all just stop and think about this,” Gerry said, trying to buy time, allowing his mind and body to recover from the violence so that he could think straight. Then he thought about his and Petal’s VPN connection. His dermal implant was still active. In the back of his mind it blinked away, waiting for instruction.

  “Take her up,” Jasper said.

  Two of his people attached the zip line to Petal and sent her up into the tunnel. They followed behind, leaving Jasper and just two of his guards. That made the odds a little more even. Jasper moved to the server, took a slate from his pocket, and plugged in the trailing cable from the server. He turned to one of his people. “The codes?”

  He fished around his flak jacket, checking his numerous pockets like a best man at a wedding trying to find the rings. He eventually pulled out a DigiCard and handed it to Jasper, who gestured expertly across the slate’s surface.

  “I see you’ve had a bit of an upgrade,” Jasper said, referring to Gerry’s neck port.

  “I code better with a direct connection.”

  Jasper laughed, shaking his head. “If only you knew. I fear it’s too late, though. You have the expression of a radical. You’re too far gone.”

  “For what?”

  Jasper ignored him. “You did quite the job on Seca. I saw it on the video feed. A little bit stabby, aren’t you? I wonder where you get that from?”

  “If you’re trying to say we’re alike, then you’re far madder than I thought.”

  “Aren’t we both killers? Haven’t we both done extreme things for those we love?”

  “You don’t love anything. That’s why you’re willing to slaughter an entire city.”

  “They’re an abomination. I’m doing this for humanity.”

  “Even if that means killing my kids? They’re your family too, after all.” He hoped that would have some effect, but Jasper just smiled and shook his head.

  “They’re not your kids, Gerry. Just surrogates to keep you in your place. Just like your wife isn’t your wife, but a defected agent. She works for me now. Good in bed too, huh?”

  As much as it hurt, Gerry wanted to keep him talking, buy more time. While Jasper carried on with his taunts, Gerry accessed his VPN. No response from Petal, which was to be expected. At least she was still alive. He scanned the room and found the IP addresses of Jasper and his guards. As he’d hoped, they too were sharing a VPN for communications. He directed his implant’s transmitter to one of Jasper’s men’s comm unit and was blocked by the firewall.

  “If things were different, you could have helped me take down the Family, make them pay for what they’ve done. We wouldn’t have had to be enemies over this. Even Seca was just a pawn to be extinguished. You and I could have given humanity a fresh start. One without interference…”

  Gerry nodded, kept eye contact and watched Jasper grow ever more animated as he tried to access the server. It was taking longer than it should. He hoped Kuznetski had given him the wrong codes.

  “If you are my brother, why did it take so long for you to tell me? You were at Cemprom for a while, why not say something then?”

  Gerry continued to probe the firewall as he kept Jasper talking. He noticed a particular port in the firewall open up to receive a message from another member of the team. Gerry noted the signature and encryption code of the data stream, replicated it, and programmed a Helix self-replicating exploit.

  It slipped through, and he felt the connection. One more bridge to get to Jasper…

  Jasper looked down at his slate quizzically and entered more data as his face began to redden. He glared at Gerry.

  “What have you done?”

  Gerry didn’t know if he meant the server or his trying to access his VPN connection. “You’re the
genius here. You tell me.”

  Jasper flared his nostrils and turned to the woman on his left carrying a pistol. “Shoot him in the leg.”

  Almost before he finished the command, the woman pulled the trigger while wearing a smile on her face. Gerry collapsed to the floor as a slug smashed his knee to pulp. He gripped the mess with his hands, stifled the scream, and shut his eyes as he wished for the pain to pass. But it continued to build. Searing heat travelled up his leg, burning every nerve ending as it went.

  “Now, give me the codes, or I’ll take the other leg,” Jasper said.

  Gerry pointed to Petal’s HackSlate on the floor. That Jasper hadn’t noticed it before was a good sign. He was distracted.

  Inside Gerry’s head something tingled, and he smiled. Mags was back.

  - Mags, what happened?

  - The EMP fried some of your neural paths. The latent NanoStems have repaired them, and I’m back online. The pain you experience was just what I needed to get going again. Shall we get to work?

  He felt complete again and, despite the pain, focused his mind on the task at hand. Together, his mind and his AIA spun code as one, easily skipping across the bridge and into Jasper’s comm unit.

  - Wait until he downloads the AI into the system, and then execute program #081, Gerry said.

  Program #081 was his lure, and he hoped he had just enough time to make it work.

  - Execution ready.

  Lying in the corner of the room, Gerry’s heart skipped a beat, becoming irregular. He thought he was dying. It didn’t seem like his heart would stand the stress, yet he pushed himself further, sending his mind into the stream of Helix code once again. Through Jasper’s comm unit, he watched as his brother downloaded the colossal AI. Its black, writhing tentacles of multithreaded viral code swarmed the CPU, penetrating its defences as though they were nothing more than paper soldiers.