by Clay Moore
“Not just a sense of humor. When we made chutes and ladders, we were trying to do something to the minds of those who intercepted our messages. This is something that can be used on all levels including Hypercom. We don't know if Hypercom can be penetrated.”
“Come on, John. How would you crack Hypercom?"
“Hypercom, the Corporation, is based on Melchor. You can crack Hypercom by going to Melchor. That is where everything comes together.”
“You don't think that they would switch the signals at Melchor do you?”
“All you have to do is create a series of software switches. If it's software all you need is a huge computer that operates extremely fast. You might be able to determine when the switching takes place if you listen very closely to the static after you dial."
"Then you just traipse into Hypercom and data sleaze their extensive multi-trillion credit system?"
"It's a simple as that. However, if our data officers ever got wind that we were going to do this, they would want to come. Whoever actually successfully data sleaze into Hypercom's computer system is going to be the king of the Trons."
"That sounds like a lot of if's, maybes, and hopefulness. We would have to do that only when it was the life of Eridani that was at stake."
"Not even then. It would have to be the destruction of the human species that was at stake. I know the Emir. He trusts us to protect Eridani. But if it were the survival of the human species, then he would pull out all the stops."
"Go ahead and read the contents of that message," said Bullon.
“excellent sir. It states that he has found the escape starship, and it gives the coordinates of where it is. It's a small starship that can only hold about three or four people. And it appears to be under some sort of foliage camouflage. You are correct the suspect that was inside of the green land around the Snake. He also sends the final code as he and his team have been captured."
“Thank you." Bullon cut the connection to the clerk. "Now what we do?"
"I don't think Anton turns these men over to the police. I don't think there is even a police presence anywhere on this planet.”
“Yes, it is a sewer. What police we have are too few to do anything. Mainly what the police do is handle accidents."
“That means that he would have to put our people on ice inside of the Snake?"
"Almost certainly."
“Where would he put them?"
"In one of his hotel room?”
“No, too many egresses. It would have to be a purpose-built prison."
"You would not want to chance a civilian seeing it. If word got out that Anton had a prison inside of the Snake, all of the punters would vacate as fast as they could. They would think that Anton was trying to get more money from them by holding them for ransom."
“Yes, out of the way so that no dung-headed civilian would see it by accident. That means it would have to be within the service areas of the mega-casino. Possibly underground?"
“Yes, underground. I was going to put a detention center in one of our subbasements. Oliver convinced me to let him handle the detention. That way I was guaranteed never to show that I have a prison inside of the Butterfly."
The offset for moment and looked at each other. The central question was, did the team get the team's men? John looked at the other two men intently. This was his decision because he was the ranking agent here. It all depended on Anton. While there was no direct attack against Anton's holdings, he would leave them alive. He had no idea that they were agency men. John realized that Anton had several choices here. There was still active, and there was no announcement to Bullon about their existence. Anton was using these men as a piece in the great game. As John started to think about the order of his moves in the gambit, the more he began to realize that it might make it easier to get the men. When the Unicorn goes up in flames, there is going to be a lot of coming and going and frantic yelling inside of the Snake. Oliver could move into the building and capture the prison level. He could get his men out, and there might be other people who might be very happy to be out of that situation.
"We go as we planned. We can't wait any longer for time to stew Anton. We need a bold move now. That means that we go tomorrow and plant those bombs. Once we do this, it is likely that Anton will evacuate. Whether he will take the time to destroy or order the deaths of our two agents is a question I cannot answer."
“We have to plant nearly 2000 of the bombs that we made," said Oliver. He licked his dry lips. "Three men just can't do that quickly if we have to go old through the whole entire building."
John looked at Bullon and that Oliver. These men had the first security clearance the same as he in the Eridani Secret Service. He was getting a feel for both of them. Oliver was more or less standup station chief. Bullon was more of the happy man that you would never suspect as being an agent.
“What I'm about to tell you goes no further."
Bullon touched a button on his desk. John felt the hyper frequency sound tingle his teeth. "What do you think of my surveillance jammer?"
“I would guess it is quite a bit better than the one that Adolphus brought with him.”
"Should be. The armory spent nearly a year perfecting it. The only way to detect that it is on is to be there during activation. That's when the Ultra high-frequency sound waves affect people's teeth and dental work. Once the sound generator has reached that frequency, most people don't feel it."
“Very good." John was starting to enjoy himself. This was the first time that he actually really worked with a team of agents other than Vivana. "The Eridani High Guard when it built the Battlesuits realized that some sensors that they were jamming into the armor would be too much information for a human mind to grasp during combat. The engineers decided that they needed some sort of computer assistant to distill the information and to make clear to the pilot driving the Battlesuits where the problem needed to be fixed. So, this engineer had some of the software engineers build a framework for AI. This suit AI started life with the private during his indoctrination and initial training. Both entities learned one from the other until they became a solid team. A rank private and a basic Battlesuits with basic armaments, but having that AI could hold down battalions of ancient armies. A Marine takes his AI from suit to suit and job to job. When I left the Marines, they allowed me to take my AI. They knew what I was going to do with it. They knew my plan to put the AI on my ship. The data stick on which my AI resides is the largest that I can buy. Her name is Rosie. I believe she wants to introduce herself to you."
"Hello gentlemen, my name is Rosie. I am a suit AI. I reside inside the Eagle. I can fly the ship, and when allowed so I can shoot the weapons. If there is anything that I can do for you on this mission, I will do."
Bullon just about tipped out of his chair. Oliver's job dropped and had not been restored to its proper place. Bloom was the first to come to his senses. "Your ship can fly itself?"
"As far as I know she is the only one that can do so. I have a louder a lot of leeways because it makes operating the ship by myself a lot easier. However, I do not allow her to fire the weapons in a combat situation. She flies the ship, and I shoot the enemy."
"How many people know about this?" Oliver was still holding his mouth open after he asked the question.
“Just a few people in headquarters, and on Faraway. Now you two are in on the secret."
"Why are you telling this to us question" this time Oliver managed to shut his mouth after the question. That was kind John new.Oliver was getting over his shock.
“As well as being an AI she has full access to all of the computer services my ship has to provide. I remind you, gentlemen, that my ship has a navigational computer. That is a very fast calculating engine. Now watch as I tell her what I like for her to do.
“Rosie, I have a theoretical calculation I like for you to perform. You have a schematic of the Unicorn?"
“Yes. What would you like me to do with that?"
; “I need you to run an analysis of the building’s structure and its resistance to a 500 kg distributed explosion. I would like for you to calculate where did we should place each quarter brick bomblet. My goal is total destruction. You have an estimate for me about the time for calculation?”
"The calculation should take no more than 30 seconds after I set up the problem for the navigational computer.”
“Are you telling me that you are capable of using your navigational computer to perform calculations other than hyperspace calculations."
John was going to answer, but Rosie decided that she would respond. "You see, agent Bullon, the navigational computer is just that a computer. When hyperspace calculations are performed by the navigational computer, it makes use of the high-speed processors, memory, and storage to calculate the precise moment, direction, and speed required to enter hyperspace. All that is is a program. It is stored in the navigational computer's storage. And all you have to do is create a program that uses the operating system of the navigational computer to perform large-scale calculations."
Oliver looked stunned. Everyone knew everyone knew that you just could not get the navigational computer to do other kinds of computations. Then he understood why Rosie could get these calculations performed. The ship, the Eagle, is sitting on the planet in the Starport. There was no need for the navigational computer to run the Hyperspace program. It could be reprogrammed and used in this fashion."
John noticed that Oliver had come around. He looked at Bullon and realized that he, too, understood.
“Rosie, set up the program and run."
“How would you like the output rendered?"
"I'm going to need plans of where to place the bombs, and I need it in a format that the Slate can handle."
"Will do. The program is complete. The navigational computer has accepted the program. I need final permission to have the navigational computer perform the program."
"You have permission. Execute."
Oliver let out an utterly incredulous cry. "She needs your permission to do this?"
“I told you that Rosie and I are a team. I could've just given her the problem, and she could have done it on her own. However, whenever I am available she is to ask for permission to do things outside of her job."
"What is her job?" Oliver was having a tough time wrapping his mind around the fact that Rosie was not flesh and blood.
“Rosie is the brain of my ship. Anything having to do ships function she has full permission to perform whatever it takes to alleviate the situation. When she has performed that function, she is supposed to inform me. She does that quite often and usually in sarcastic tones when it is my fault."
“Derisive?"
“That is correct agent Bullon. She can be caustic, and her wit is as sharp as a laser. If you try to match wits with her, you will come out the worst."
A very clear and pleasant chime was heard. John smiled as he saw the perplexity of both Bullon and Oliver.
“Calculation has completed."
“Rosie," said John, "I need you to answer some preliminary question. Was a solution found for dealing with the 500 kilograms of explosives?"
“Yes, a solution was found."
“How long will it take three people to plant all that explosive in the pattern suggested."
"Well, gentlemen, this is rather an interesting situation. It states that only about 200 kg is required. It seems that the sub-basement number one has several insecure pillars holding the subbasement's ceiling. It is believed that you can collapse the building in on itself by blowing up approximately 10 of these pillars. That will take approximately one of your bomblets per pillar. As to fire, there is a Radamite storage bin almost directly underneath the center of the building. If you place for of your bombs this storage, it is calculated that you will envelop the building and flame. The timing is crucial you will need to detonate the bombs on the tank, and then the bombs on the pillars. No more than two seconds between each detonation."
They all sat there stunned. Even John was not prepared for the computer to provide an alternative to this plan. He shook his head and spoke. "Gentlemen, the end has not happened yet. We still have to perform this part of the mission. Did you people find pilots uniform for me, preferably one from the same pilot service that Anton will use?”
"Yes, it's the same color, but it's not the same service. We have the uniform and the peaked hat. You put this thing on your gonna look like some god damn Radamite Republic dictator."
“It always seems that the civilian services are trying to look more like a military, and the military services are trying to look more like civilians." Bullon chuckled after he said this.
“We are going to make this work for us," said John. Civilians are not going in know one civilian uniform from another. If it looks somewhat close, then I can play it right."
John looked Oliver straight in the eye. Once you are out of the blast zone, I want you to one for the collapse and burning of the Unicorn. Once that happens I need you to get to the main entrance of the Snake. You and your two partners are going to stand in that way with your submachine blasters. No-wait-do you have assault blasters here?"
Oliver smiled a feral smile. "Yes, when we can't find any blasters on the planet that match what we need that is when we get it from Eridani. We were able to obtain about 25 7.5 mm assault blasters. With 50 round magazines.”
“Do you have enough ammunition for them?"
"I say that we each carry 300 rounds of ammunition each. I don't suspect that civilians are going to do much to us. All we have to do is cut a few down. Is that the plan?"
“The explosion is going to put those people into a frantic state of mind. You're not gonna be able to yell loud enough to get their attention. You might have to shoot a few rounds in the air. 7.5 mm assault rounds to make a deafening noise in the building.
“With your parents at the front door, Anton is going to realize that he needs to evacuate. By that time I will have already secured my position. And just for your knowledge and what to tell you what I'm going to do."
Anton looked at the man tied up in the chair before him. Anton had walked in as the last restraints were tied onto the hapless agent. When his man had finished and stepped back. Anton began his interrogation.
“What were you supposed to do in the forest?"
No answer came from the man.
“Okay, I see you're going to be a hard man to break. I don't even know your name. What is your name?"
Silence from the agent.
Anton stood up and took off his suit coat. He hung it on a hook that was by the door in the interrogation room. He came back to the single metal chair and sat on it.
Anton stood up and put on some medical gloves. He walked over to the agent, that's what he had to of been. No groundlings within the green area around his mega casino unless they wanted to die. He could've been a new groundling, but that was unlikely. The man's clothing was too proper. When a person went to the groundling's area, they were already working on their clothing. There would've been soiled areas as well as threadbare sections of his clothes.
Anton lifted the man's head up so that he could see it by the light of the single harsh lamp hanging from the ceiling. The agent flinched from the light bu;b. At least his men knew to use the separate rooms to prepare the agents. Anton turned the man's head from left to right. He noticed the cuts and abrasions. The cuts were fresh and still bleeding. Anton waved over the medic to get the bleeding stopped. He didn't want this man suddenly passing out from loss of blood.
Anton stripped off the gloves as he walked back to the chair. He lowered himself into the chair with as much grace as he could. He tossed the gloves into the awaiting bucket. The medic tended to the agent's cuts and bruises. The agent knew what he had to do. He had to stanch the blood flow but not assuage the pain.
