by C. A. Fraser
Lock
By C.A. Fraser
Book 1 of the Quantum Wars
LOCK
Copyright © 2016 by C.A. Fraser
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons or organizations is purely coincidental.
Book cover by: http://www.thebookcoverdesigner.com
Dedicated to:
Kasey. This would not be possible without your love and support. Asher and Morgan for providing me with inspiration even if you did not know it. Lisa for showing me the way. My team for your willingness to help and continued encouragement.
PROLOGUE
He stood in the room staring intently at the screens in front of him. Each displayed a different scene from around the planet. There was a soft green light that diffused throughout the small room lighting it and giving the man’s skin and hair a green tone. The room was small with no adornments minus the screens on the wall. A single chair sat unused in the middle of the room. He watched intently knowing that his observation made no difference but was compelled to do it anyway.
His scouts had been searching for hours and would not stop until he found those he sought. Eyes that held deep intelligence scanned the scenes unfolding in front of him. Some brought a slight smile while others a deepening scowl as each scene triggered a long forgotten memory in the man.
The people he sought were of the utmost importance to him. He needed to find them soon so he could attempt to help them. He was not sure what he could do. It had taken a huge feat of ingenuity to secure a connection to the outside world so he could send scouts through to begin his search. Even now the gap he had exploited could close halting his search.
His scouts had their instructions, connection or not. He knew they would complete them at all costs. He had one seek out former allies for aid in altering events occurring beyond his influence. Others were his seekers working tirelessly to find those he needed.
He retraced his choice to be isolated and hidden. He still did not know if he had chosen correctly. The need for his expertise had been greater than anything else. He felt the stab of loss and loneliness. An old friend reminding him that sacrifice and time were required to accomplish the mission. Time was not a resource he was short on. He knew that paths chosen in this particular endeavor were long and had to be followed to the end before you received the answers you sought.
His scouts swirled and spun through many landscapes. Dry mountains and empty plains shifted to abandoned cities then to ocean views and population centers with bustling activity. The remaining human populations were clustered there. The scouts slowed and began the exhaustive search. He continued to watch the screens. He was fully prepared to spend however long was required to complete the task.
One city in particular interested him and he focused on it while his scout followed preprogrammed directions to a specific location in the city. The city was dying. He could tell that from the dull look of its streets and buildings. It was a slow decline but death was assured for this place. He felt momentary sadness for what once was and pushed it away not wanting to be distracted.
The scout was moving slower now ensuring it remained undetected. It moved cautiously as it approached the location of the humans it sought. It slowly drew up to the building and began to follow the perimeter. As it rounded the corner it stopped short. One of the two it sought was in front of the building next to a transport. He was shocked at the changes in the man and checked twice to make sure it was the person he sought. Next the scout moved up the building silently rising to the apartment it was there to search. It paused at the balcony and scanned inside. He moved closer to the screen hoping she was there.
The scout moved onto the balcony and relayed all it could see sweeping slowly through the room. The scout’s view settled on a sleeping form. The man felt his heart beat faster in his chest and relief flood through him. She was safe and he was not too late to help her. The woman was curled up on the couch resting peacefully. As the scout began to move towards her the feed on all screens went blank. The man sat down heavily in the chair leaning forward with his head in his hands. He would have to find another way.
ONE
The explosion shook the entire building. She felt herself thrown to the ground. She lay stunned momentarily from the sound and pressure. She was not hurt but was having trouble breathing from all the dust and debris. Coughing she struggled trying to get her bearings. As she stood she could hear the moans and screams of the injured. The building was groaning from the damage and she briefly wondered if it was going to come down.
“Father!” the thought raced through her mind. She stumbled forward heading toward what she thought was his office. She blinked from all the dust and struggled through the debris. Some walls were still standing and others were entirely gone. She fought through the haze and saw the door to her father’s office. It was still intact. She felt a surge of elation! He was ok!
She sped toward the door and grasped the handle ripping it open. It was gone. His office, the building, everything was gone. As she looked out into the emptiness and down to the rubble below all she could do was scream as the grief took her. Her father was gone.
Wren shot up from the couch the scream still in her throat. The dream was the same each time. The grief lingered as the dream faded. She fell back down on the couch the material catching her and slowly molding to her form.
Her breathing was still erratic and panicked. She forced herself to regulate slowing down and breathing deeply. When she was calm and breathing normally she slowly rose from the couch. The material quickly flattened and resembled a table top when she glanced back.
She made her way to the balcony of the apartment. As she stepped on the balcony the molecular curtain quietly fell in place protecting her from the external conditions and allowing her an unimpeded view of the city. Despite the curtain to protect her, Wren could still feel the heaviness of the late summer air laden with moisture. She felt sorry for anything that had to be in this heat with the humidity so high. Wren was happy to stay in the apartment shielded from it. Her father had given her the apartment as a gift years ago and it had been her sanctuary on more than one occasion.
She was amazed at the changes that had been wrought on the city since she had been here last. Seattle had been a gem amongst all the destruction that had been occurring. Everyone had assumed this city would survive relatively unscathed. It had been thought that yes there would be a reduction in rain and everyone might have to tighten up their water usage, but all in all everything would be ok. The rain had turned against them. The green of the city was gone.
All that was left were grime covered streets and buildings that contained none of their original splendor. She thought back on the changes that had dramatically altered not only the city but their world. The warnings had been there but of course they had been ignored by most. She felt regret fill her momentarily and she pushed it away. There was no time for it. The choices that humanity had made were long over and she could not change it.
She looked up at the sky with its dark clouds and promise of rain. Any rain that came would not be welcomed as it had been in the past. Worldwide pollution levels had finally pushed past the point of being a regional issue. It became a global issue and is what took the hope from the city. The rain was an acidic destroyer that had decimated all but the hardiest vegetation and now was slowly working its way through the city.
Wren turned and slowly walked into the apartment, the door quietly shutting behind her. She moved deeper into the apartment away from
the outside and felt her mood elevate despite the lingering dream. The lighting slowly adjusted and music that she had programmed long ago began to play as she moved into the sleeping chamber.
As the world had declined technology had flourished. The need to cope with drastic changes had spurned an explosion of new tech which dwarfed any prior advances. All fields had seen giant leaps as hopes for stopping the changes in the world were abandoned for survival by people and governments alike. Scientists who had previously been blocked by supposed moral boundaries suddenly found the way clear and eagerly made up for lost time. The world was dying and people were living longer, traveling faster and communing with machines in an effort to survive a harsh new reality.
She walked into the bedroom and the lights and music obediently followed her silently sensing her presence. The room was sparse with only a bed and a small desk. The wall at the foot of the bed was mirrored at the moment and would turn opaque if she wished it but Wren paused when she saw her reflection. She was average height with a thin frame almost gaunt by some standards. Short, black hair framed a smooth face with brilliant blue eyes. Her skin had a bluish hue to it which was the result of the nanids in her system. Nanids... Nanotech pushed beyond the threshold.
The first steps of nanotechnology had emerged before the world had changed. It had moved slowly facing opposition from many sources. The technology had not only been hampered by regulation and protests, but by its very design. The machines had failed for a myriad of design and security reasons. Early users were vulnerable to not only machine failure but also outside interference. Signals in traditional machines could be easily tampered with or simply shut off. The results of these manipulations varied but were mostly unpleasant and many predicted the failure of the industry. Then nanids emerged.
The nanids were a product of the government using private corporation’s technology. The changes in the planet were apparent and the need for adaptation to the emerging environment was paramount. The government scientists had abandoned the existing nanotech and focused on machines based on human DNA. They inserted the DNA machinery into viruses that would eliminate the virus's instructions and cause a symbiotic relationship with the human host cells. The machinery then operated within the cells of the body and did not require any further instructions or external communication. The scientist had essentially mechanized the human body without the machines.
The nanids pushed humanity further than any prior discovery. Intelligence, strength, reflexes, immunity and healing were all improved. There were slight changes in physical appearance and cellular structure and an overall thinning due to the bodies increased efficiency at extracting nutrients and maintaining a higher metabolic rate. The blue hue Wren experienced was common as well. It stemmed from the exchange of gases in the cells and also slight changes in the pigment of skin cells.
There were rare occurrences of specialized abilities or nanid mutations as some called them. They were almost always beneficial and not readily apparent. Most people that showed any ability beyond normal enhancement either kept it secret or went to the government for assistance. Those that went to the government invariably became part of the Nanid Development Program or NDP as most people referred to it.
Human lifespan had also been extended substantially. Wren appeared to be in her early twenties but she was approaching eighty and theoretically had only scratched the surface of her expected lifespan. From what was publicly disclosed the one hundred and fifty-year mark had been surpassed and the people in that bracket were showing no signs of passing anytime soon. The main issue with the early adopters of nanids was not physical or the nanids. It was an inability to reconcile their prenanid perceptions with the reality of an extended lifespan. Mental disorders were common at first as were suicides, but with proper intervention most people passed through this.
More than a century down the road nanids were now common and accepted. Children were raised with the knowledge that the human lifespan was much longer than ever before.
Small groups still protested the use of nanids as an aberration but again the necessity of surviving a newly hostile world silenced most. There were isolated areas of the planet where nanids had not been allowed. These places varied regarding reasons and philosophy but one thing was certain lifespans were short and survival hard. Wren had seen a few in her time and always left with a sense of loss and sadness. She sighed as she turned from the mirror. Her mind turned to her father.
How long had she been searching for him? It had been over twenty years. Her father had been pivotal in the nanid development and implementation. Some gave him credit for the nanids of course others blamed him for them. The truth lay muddled in the past. Wren knew he had played a pivotal role, but he was far from the mastermind pulling all the strings of a nanotech revolution. Then he had been killed. A terrorist attack had occurred at the NDP headquarters and he was caught in the blast.
Wren shook her head. She did not believe it. She knew he was still alive. She fell back on the bed and closed her eyes tracing the last twenty years. Stephen Fore. Her father. She had searched so long and found nothing but a few clues to a riddle she did not understand. He was just gone. Wren felt the bed conform to her, softening and subtly adjusting to her frame. The comfort did little to ease her. Her mind twisted and turned down old paths searching for a clue or something that she missed. Images of her father spun through her mind. He was not an imposing figure at first glance. Medium height, light weight with dark hair and hazel eyes. Then you spoke to him. There was the difference. Passion coupled with a sharp intellect transformed him. He was fascinating.
She remembered hanging on the words of the stories he would tell and how it always seemed he was as excited as she was. Friends and family loved him. From the interviews and questioning she had completed while searching she knew everyone he worked with had the same reaction. Profound respect and admiration for a man who was fighting to make things better for everyone. She missed him.
Fighting back tears she sat up and rubbed her face to stop the thoughts as much as the tears. She needed to get moving. She never stayed in one place too long. It felt like she was giving up the search if she settled too much. She moved into the main room and began gathering her things thinking of where the search would take her next.
“SIA.” Wren spoke. Most humans had an artificial intelligence they used as an interface for all systems they interacted with. Wren was assigned SIA from amongst the family’s AI years ago and now felt as if it were more a friend than servant.
“Yes Wren”, the program replied smoothly in a voice that was neither too masculine or feminine. The program spoke to her through her neural implant. The nanids had enabled many enhancements that would have been rejected by the body before.
“Please contact Simon.”
“Yes Wren. One moment please.” It replied quickly.
Wren resumed packing the few things she needed. As she did she thought of Simon. He had been a part of the Fore family since before she was born. Her father had rescued him ten years prior to her birth. He had been on a nanid deployment mission in New Miami when a massive storm had come ashore and destroyed large swaths of the city that were unprotected. This was prior to the Maelstrom event that had wiped out huge sections of the South Eastern United States. In the chaos after the NDP had mobilized all staff in the area to assist with the recovery.
Her father had been in charge of rescue operations in the south of the city. That is where he had found Simon. The area had been utterly destroyed. They had found Simon wandering down a road covered with remnants of buildings and people’s lives. He was three years old, alone and completely unharmed. Stephen had taken him to the temporary shelter for care and to locate his family. No family had survived the storm. They searched all government records and completed a DNA matching to find any remaining relatives but turned up nothing. At that point Stephen asked to take him in.
“Connection complete.” At the sound of the AI’s announcement Wren turned to
the closest wall. The walls color dissolved and left an image of Simon in its place. He smiled and looked relieved. She did not know why he worried so much.
“It has not been that long.” She grumbled. She was both irritated and glad that he was concerned. She looked at her oldest friend and protector. He was a decade older than her but benefited from nanids as well so still looked very young. His features were shocking to most now though. She remembered him before the explosion. Auburn hair, freckled skin and green eyes.
Now due to excessive nanid exposure during the attack on the NDP headquarters his skin was an orange red color that reminded her of the setting sun. She still wondered if they would ever find a way to reverse it. She had her doubts as to whether he would allow it. His eyes were the same though she could always look into his eyes and find the resolve and determination to continue.
“I know,” Simon replied. “It is my job though.”
She sighed and grabbed the small pack. Simon was all she had left. After her father’s reported death her mother had become despondent and withdrawn. All strategies to rouse her from this depression had failed. Then the suicide attempt had occurred and Wren almost lost her mother as well. With no other options left, Wren had placed her mother in stasis until something could be done to stop the breakdown of Natalie Fore’s mind.
