by C. A. Fraser
Wren blinked unsure what she was looking at. As she stared at it the shape elongated and a tendril emerged from the source slowly moving to the small table next to her bed. Wren glanced to the table unsure if she should lose sight of the light. The box she had seen Simon carrying at the platform was resting on the table. The light tendril stopped short of touching the box and slowly retreated back to its source.
Wren turned from the light and focused on the box. It was protoplastic which meant it was sealed and would only open for its intended recipient. It also meant it was essentially invulnerable since the amount of force required to open it would destroy the contents of the box. She stepped closer looking at the box. It was a small rectangular container with a dull black finish and no visible seams. She extended her hand to pick it up and hesitated pulling it back. Maybe she should wait for Simon to find out why he had it. Shaking her head, she silently berated herself for doubting.
Wren picked up the box to open it. At her touch seams appeared on the box confirming that it was intended for her. As she began to lift the lid off the box a tendril from the light source touched it. How had she missed that? Wren felt the shock of connection momentarily and then everything was gone again.
FOUR
Nathan Landis was sitting in his office looking at the mountains surrounding his company’s compound. The compound was located outside the remains of Denver. He surveyed the closest mountains and the looming Rocky Mountains behind those. It was still a beautiful site even though it did not compare with the former glory of the area. There were no longer any snowcapped peaks and had not been for many years. Spots of green still held out but this land was hard and arid now with little precipitation. He lowered his eyes down the mountains and across the flat plain surrounding his site. They came to rest on the buildings and fences that made up his new home.
“This is where I change the world and myself.” He thought as he turned from the window back to his desk. The area his compound was located on had been known as Rocky Flats in the distant past. The government of that time had used this site to create nuclear weapon components. The government had oversight but used private corporations to do the work. It had been contaminated by continued accidents at the plant and eventually shutdown. There was a massive cleanup to remove all contaminants. Thereafter the site was kept protected from general access to prevent exposure to any remaining pollutants. Over the years with more pressing matters the government had abandoned the site. Almost all traces of both the facility and contamination were gone. The memory of it was not. The few remaining people in the former city and surrounding area stayed far away preferring not to chance what was here. Landis smiled to himself they would not stay away if they knew what was here.
He was so close to taking back his life’s work and then showing all of humanity what destiny he had planned for them. Nathan had started his company after an accident in college had left him a permanent paraplegic. He had thrown himself into finding a way to repair the damage. For years he had worked and built a company capable of doing just that and was almost to a break through when Fore and his government group had stopped him.
The smile faded to a frown and then a scowl as Nathan’s thoughts turned to the past. The government had squandered his work. In their haste to save themselves they had acquired his technology and rewarded him with contracts, money and land which was a pittance compared to the value his viral blueprint. He had found a way to use a virus for human enhancement. His tech had allowed for nanids to emerge. He felt the old anger seethe in him. He had not been able to control how his tech was used. His plans had been laid to waste. Worse he was unable to heal his body and erase the tragedy of his past. Finally, the unlimited profits and guaranteed customers he had been so close to having were gone as well. Most of all he had been robbed of his chance to control the world. His mind turned to his blueprint and its perfection.
The viral blueprint had been an adenovirus variant that he was in the process of engineering to function as a tool for not only enhancement but also a way to control the human receiving it. It was a simple and elegant solution to the problems facing humanity. Then the NDP took his work and the government prohibited his further expansion into the field.
Nathan slammed his fist down on the desk in front of him. They would not stop him. This compound was the culmination of all his work. It was disguised as a geothermal project for his company. The facility was a front supposedly working on a new cutting edge power generation system. Nathan smiled and pushed himself back from his desk the wheelchair he was in moved quietly back. He placed his hand on a blank screen on the right arm of the chair. If he had implants he would have had a protochair that would respond to his thoughts moving of its own accord to where he needed. He refused to use anything other than his own technology for enhancement only allowing certain therapies to extend his life if needed. He was over ninety years old but appeared to be in his early fifties.
Nathan navigated out of the room into his facility. The compound was relatively small covering several acres of the flat plain with nondescript buildings made for utility not appearance. As he proceeded to the elevator he wondered what would happen if the current government found out about what he had done underground. The real compound was a massive facility dedicated to its true purpose. The elevator doors quietly slid open and then closed behind him as a he moved into the elevator. The elevator began to smoothly descend.
“The Leviathan.” Landis thought. The name fit the task. It had been a huge undertaking that took years to complete.
When he had renewed his viral research he had quickly realized how Stephen Fore had accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. Stephen had used the Quantums to assist him. Of course that had set Landis on this quest and now it was completed. He had proceeded with his work once more. The only other variable was Fore. The man was not dead Landis knew that. Nathan had planned an explosion that day at the NDP but not two. When the first explosion rocked the building he knew he had been out maneuvered. When his bomb detonated it was to no avail. The only interesting development was the nanid reaction of Simon Fore, and even that reaction was not overly captivating. Nanid reactions had been observed before and Landis was aware of most. His tech would not have that problem. Every variable was covered and controlled in his development. There would be no error it would be perfect.
His mind turned back to Fore. He had searched for years but there was no sign of him. He had paid people very large sums to find the man and nothing ever turned out. There had been some leads but nothing concrete. Fore was the only thing that gave Nathan any pause. The man had ever been a thorn always just one step ahead.
“Not this time,” Nathan smiled. This time he was ahead and there was no stopping him.
The elevator reached the bottom of the shaft it had been descending in. It softly came to rest the doors opening without a sound. Landis rolled forward into the room in front of him. His smile widened a he moved closer to the center of the room. It was a vast chamber that was dimly lit. The few lights that were present led to the focal point of the room. A massive black column rose out of the floor in the center of the chamber fading into the gloom above. This was his final attempt to recover what had been taken from him. A quantum computer that could process faster than any so far. An artificial intelligence which could make the computational leaps he needed to complete his solution before it was too late. Landis had the AI patterned off of his neural processes to make sure it would be in line with what he was striving to accomplish. He needed the AI to understand why it was so important that his life’s work was completed perfectly. He circled the column its dull black finish seeming to absorb the surrounding light deepening the gloom in the chamber.
When Landis reached the side of the column opposite from the elevator he slowly rolled up to it. He put his hand out placing it on the surface of the column. The first sensation was a light vibration and then cold. There had been several reasons for placing the computer far undergroun
d. A stable temperature was needed to ensure appropriate function. It minimized interference from outside both human and naturally occurring. The less background radiation to shield the computer from the easier it was to proceed and also trust the results. Landis knew the other quantum computers were positioned similarly he just did not know where. Their locations were a closely guarded secret but Nathan had been able to obtain low level intelligence on how the Quantums were maintained. From there he had relied on his team to design the quantum chamber and the connected nanotech facility. Both could run indefinitely powered by geothermal electrical systems that tapped the heat of the earth and passive maintenance systems that required little to no upkeep. The Quantum and nanotech facility could run for thousands of years uninterrupted safely hidden away.
Nathan pulled his hand back and the solid surface of the column faded to reveal a small room with several screens. A monitoring station was centered on the wall so he could interact with the Leviathan as needed. It was fully connected so if he desired Landis could control the entire facility from the chamber. It was rather archaic but necessary until Landis had received his new nanotech enhancements. He rolled forward into the room and spoke as he stopped.
“Leviathan, Update.” His deep voice wavering with excitement. Nathan leaned forward in the chair anticipating the answer. He knew he was close the final steps had been moving forward for weeks now.
“It is complete.” The reply from the quantum was quick and delivered in a deep voice similar to Nathan’s. Nathan leaned back relief washing over him. All his work was complete and now he could take his place as the first of the new generation of humanity. He would be whole again and then would restore humanity to its proper place. Rolling back out of the room he spoke to the Quantum, “We will proceed in the morning.”
“As you wish, Nathan Landis.” The deep voice replied formally. Nathan smiled. The Quantum was definitely patterned after him recognizing Nathan’s preference for appropriate communication.
As Nathan made his way back to the elevator he opened a communication channel to his security adviser.
“Curtis,”
“Yes sir?” the man replied in a voice which belied his expertise and training. The voice had a nasal quality but was soft and nonthreatening.
“Meet me in my office. We need to speak with the Fore girl.” Nathan said as he rolled onto the elevator and began his ascent.
Wren sat on the edge of her bed looking down into the open box. Tears were slowly drying on her pale cheeks. She had let them fall untouched until no more came. Now she stared at the one item in the box. It was a picture of Stephen and her as a child. They were at the Fore’s vacation home located in the mountains of what was formerly Southwest Colorado.
She remembered the day vividly. It was one of the few times her father had taken a break from the NDP. It was time filled with joy for her even though it was an entirely different environment from when her father had grown up in that area. The changing climate had taken its toll on there as well. The vast forests that had covered the area had thinned due to drought, fires and infestation.
The beauty had remained just taking on a more rugged and haunted appearance. Forests of pine and aspen had receded to the high mountains and been replaced by more drought tolerant grasses, brush and evergreens. The Fore home had been built high in the Rockies next to a lake whose water had long ago disappeared. Backed by high mountains and forests Wren’s time there had been a constant adventure.
Wren sighed wishing to retreat into those memories and knowing she could not. Not after what she had seen. The entity that had contacted her when she opened the box had communicated directly through her neural implant. It was hard to understand everything she was shown by it. Its main message had been a warning for the future and humanity. It had shown her a future earth without humanity and devoid of life. There was a hint of a solution from it but not anything concrete. The flow of information had been so great Wren knew she had missed important pieces. She did not know what AI the entity was, but she was sure it had been a quantum. She did not know which quantum but ruled out ODIN. She had dealt with ODIN before and this did not follow with its conduct. The scope of what it had shown her was almost beyond her comprehension. The one thing it did confirm was she needed to find her father and soon.
Stephen’s knowledge was pivotal to whether humanity survived what was to come or not. Her father had kept certain aspects of the nanids isolated from everyone and everything including the Quantums. With his disappearance that data was gone as well and the entity had indicated that knowledge would be required for humanity and the world to survive. After the entity had finished communicating with Wren she had looked in the box and the picture had revealed the next step in her search.
Wren stood to leave the room when SIA’s voice stopped her.
“Incoming communication, Wren.”
“From who?” Wren tried to remain calm wondering if it could be her father.
“Nathan Landis.” The AI replied. Wren’s mind spun. What could that man want. His hatred and disdain of the Fore’s and the NDP was well known. Wren felt as if things were moving too quickly and she needed to move decisively if she did not want to be ran down.
“Can you filter out my physical changes, SIA?” Wren asked wondering why she wanted to hide the change as she asked it.
“Of course Wren.” The AI’s reply carried no judgement just unwavering dedication. “There will be a small delay however.”
“That is fine. Bring him online.” Wren stood tall in the middle of the room as the wall in front of her shimmered and coalesced into an office with two men in front of a large desk. It was as if a door had opened and the room was now part of the house she was in. She always felt betrayed by the illusionary quality of quantum communications. Wren could see mountains through the glass windows behind the men. They were bleak and dry with little green and no snow. She focused on the men. One was Landis. She recognized him from the few times they had met and also various news stories. He was sitting in a manual wheelchair instead of a new implant linked chair which she found odd. He had aged from the last time she had seen him which was unusual in the time of Nanids. It was the same angular face with piercing eyes but now topped with a full head of silver hair. As she observed him he regarded her with obvious disdain.
Wren turned her attention to Landis’s companion and was shocked to see a familiar face. Curtis Reynolds the former deputy director of security for the NDP. The man was medium height with dark hair and hazel eyes. He looked exactly the same as the last time she saw him. SIA’s voice broke her observations
“Connection online, Wren.”
“Nathan Landis. How are you? It has been years.” Wren spoke evenly covering her surprise at seeing Curtis. She smiled with what she hoped was warmth.
“Save the formalities, Ms. Fore.” Nathan said his deep voice sharp, stealing all warmth from the exchange. Wren felt her smile grow. He had not changed at all. Always straight to business. She found it momentarily amusing.
“Well what business is it that drives you to contact me, Nathan?” Wren replied standing with her arms relaxed at her sides breathing slowly allowing the smile to fade naturally. She would not let him provoke her and knew that her lack of formality would irritate him and hopefully give her an edge in the conversation.
“Please Ms. Fore. There is only one reason I would be contacting you.” A scowl briefly creased his features as he replied. Nathan rolled forward the chair responding to a movement from his hand. He leaned forward staring intently at Wren.
“Your father is alive.” He paused looking at Wren trying to gauge her reaction. Wren kept her face smooth and continued to control her breathing.
“Well it is nice to have someone else on my side for once.” Wren said dryly forcing a slight smile. “Surely this is not why you contacted me.” Nathan’s features were unmoved by her sarcasm.
“Tell me where he is Ms. Fore.” The man said the steel of his eyes trying to for
ce her to reveal the information he wanted. Wren returned his stare briefly and then moved her eyes to Curtis and the surrounding room. She could feel her new vision slowly begin to adjust to the features of the other room. She could see Curtis’s connection to the local network and also observed no such connection with Landis.
“I have no more of an idea than you do, Landis.” She replied turning back to the man. She could see his irritation building at her response and informal manner.
“Why would you need to contact my father? It was my impression that my family is not very high on your list of friends.” Wren said hoping to gain a clue to his intent.
“It is time for him to return all that was stolen from me.” Landis leaned back in his chair still staring at her. “That knowledge is critical to the survival of our species. Now you need to reveal his location to me.” He said authority filling his voice. Wren shook her head. He was convinced she knew where her father was. She looked at Curtis.
“Is he always this stubborn?” she asked looking at the man she knew well from her time at the NDP. Wren saw Curtis suppress a smile as he looked at her.
