Prodigy

by Edward Mullen

  Alex asked to see the documents since she had not had a thorough look at them in the apartment. “Yes, these are the documents I found. It says here that Maxim Morrison has plans to construct a galactic space station.”

  “How old are these documents?”

  “I have no idea. Like I said, that part of my memory was wiped so I have no knowledge of these plans.”

  “At the State of the Union Address, the Leader mentioned a space-exploration program. These appear to be the plans for the ship, so I don’t see what the big secret is.”

  “Mara, you said your team had a lot of electronics we could use to build a dream recorder. Were you able to recover the list of items I provided when we were in prison?”

  “That’s next on the tour. Follow me, I’ll take you to our equipment room and show you what we have.”

  “I don’t understand,” Milo said as he trailed behind. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ll explain on the way.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Mara brought them to a large room filled with computers and old electronics. Some of the equipment had been gathered recently at Mara’s request in preparation for Alex’s arrival.

  Incarus was an agrarian society, living mostly off the land. A few members had ties to the outside world, but for the most part, they kept to themselves. They grew their own food, raised their own cattle, and maintained all the equipment themselves.

  “This is our equipment room,” Mara said. “Feel free to poke around. If you need anything else, just let me know.”

  Just then, Alex realized she may have overestimated her mother’s ability to obtain the needed equipment. The room was a scattered mess with heaps of circuit boards, wires, and various other indeterminate components lying about in a disorderly fashion.

  “Oh gosh,” Alex muttered under her breath.

  “It looks like a tornado ripped through an electronics museum. Does this stuff even work still?” Milo asked

  “It should. You know the saying – ‘they just don’t make them like they use to’.”

  “I do know that saying,” Alex said. “It was popularized around the turn of the 21st century and was actually referring to products from the previous century. In order to stay competitive in a progressive market, companies reduced their quality standards as a way of cutting costs and keeping their products affordable. Unfortunately, your equipment is considered the junk in that statement.”

  “Let’s just say we’ve made the equipment work for us.”

  “Can you even download information into your brain with this stuff?” Milo asked.

  “No, it’s not that sophisticated, but sometimes the old fashioned way of learning works just as good, if not better. Isn’t that right, Alex?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Now I see where Alex gets that from.”

  One wall was completely lined with old movies and games. Milo approached the small library and began to peruse the titles.

  “What are these things?” he inquired.

  “They’re called Blu-ray Discs.”

  “What do they do?”

  “They play movies on a device called a television. You just need to turn it on, put the disc in the Blu-ray player tray, then select the right mode.”

  “Sounds like a lot of work,” he said as he picked up a movie titled I, Robot and began reading the back.

  Mara sensed his interest and asked, “Have you seen that one?”

  “No. I don’t know who this Will Smith character is, but it looks lame. These robots don’t look realistic at all.”

  “Will Smith is an actor, not a character.”

  “Whatever, stories about the future never seem to get it right.” He put the movie back and moved on to the next thing that piqued his interest.

  “Hey, what’s this?”

  Mara turned to see what he was referring to. In his hands was a thin box.

  “It’s called a board game. That one there is a classic.”

  Milo read the title of the tattered box, ‘Trivial Pursuit — Advanced Edition.’ “Hey, Alex, let me test you,” he said, taking out a handful of cards.

  “When was the Treaty of Westphalia signed?” he read out loud.

  “1648.”

  “What woman was arrested for voting in the U.S. Presidential Election of 1872?”

  “Susan B. Anthony.”

  “How many furlongs to a mile?”

  “Eight.”

  “These questions are too easy, I don’t see the fun in this,” he said, as he put the cards back in the box.

  “For people who learned the old fashioned way, they would have been lucky to get one of those questions right.”

  “That’s why I don’t read, it’s obsolete.”

  ***

  The plan was to recreate a rudimentary dream recorder comprised of archaic electronics that were lying around an abandoned subway tunnel collecting dust. It was a long shot, but Alex and Milo went to work. Like rats rummaging through discarded junk, they began to comb through every piece of electronic equipment available. Whatever they found that might be of use, they set aside in the middle of the room. As they quietly worked, a small pile began to grow.

  “Alex, what about these?” Milo asked as he held up a bevy of coaxial cables.

  “Yes, those are perfect, add them to the pile. We can always get rid of stuff later if we don’t need it.”

  The cables were only exposed at one end. The other end was obscured from view under a pile of rubbish. Milo attempted to tug at the buried cords, but they didn’t budge. Instead of removing piles of junk to dislodge them, he had devised a quicker method. He wrapped the cables around his wrist to secure his grip, and with his feet planted firmly, he leveraged his bodyweight into one mighty pull.

  Just then, the entire underground facility shook and Milo was sent flying backwards with the cables still attached to his arm. Bits of crumbling bricks fell from the ceiling as the rumble echoed throughout the tunnels.

  “I guess I don’t know my own strength,” Milo said as he rose back to his feet and dusted himself off.

  “Everybody, be quiet,” Mara said in a stern voice and with an intense look of concern.

  A few seconds later, another rumble shook the grounds, and then another.

  “What is it?” Milo whispered.

  “Milo, stay here. Alex, I want you to come with me.”

  “Why can’t I come?” Milo protested.

  “If you want to come, then let’s waste no more time. Just to warn you though, it might be dangerous,” Mara interjected.

  “Then shouldn’t Alex stay behind where it’s safe?”

  “No, she needs to learn how to handle herself in these types of situations.”

  “What type of situation is this?”

  “The RT 2100s are here. They’re most likely looking for Alex. We need to stop them.”

  “RT 2100s?” Milo repeated, his voice trembling with trepidation. “Those sound kind of dangerous.”

  “Then stay here.”

  Mara had given Milo an out, and only seconds to think about it. The choice for him was obvious to make. He was going to remain with Alex no matter how dangerous the situation. Besides, he figured it could not be much worse than the prison job or some of the other troubles they had encountered lately.

  “I’m in.”

  “Come then, follow me.”

  Mara led the way as the three of them ran down the tunnel to a small utility room. It was an ordinary room that contained miscellaneous cleaning supplies. It was not clear how cleaning supplies would help them in this situation.

  “Here, help me with this,” she said as she pushed a large wooden crate.

  “What’s in the box?” Milo asked.

  “It’s not what’s in the box, it’s what’s under the box.”

  They pushed the crate aside to reveal a metal hatch with a thumbprint lock on it. Mara pressed her thumb against the lock, allowing it to be scanned. Within seconds, the hatch op
ened. Milo and Alex peered into the dark pit.

  “You still have that light on you?” Mara said, looking at Milo.

  “Yes, of course,” he said. “Flashlight.”

  “Alex, stay there and I’ll pass you up some weapons.”

  “Okay.”

  “Weapons?” Milo said. “What do we need weapons for? I don’t even know what’s going on.”

  “Come on, hold the light steady.”

  Mara lowered herself into the pit and began handing weapons to Alex. Alex received the large military-grade weapons and laid them down carefully one at a time.

  “Shouldn’t we get an army together?”

  “We don’t have an army, all we have is you two.”

  “But we’re hardly soldiers!” Milo exclaimed.

  “Don’t worry, an army of sheep led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by a sheep,” she said, quoting an ancient proverb.

  “That’s from Alexander the Great,” Milo said.

  “Not quite, but let’s not debate over it.”

  The three ran down the main tunnel toward the entrance that led to the surface, each carrying heavy artillery with enough firepower to stop a small invasion. Reducing their speed, they ascended the stairs that led to the surface, and stopped right before the part where the sun met the darkness. Now snugged up against the wall, they remained hidden from view.

  Mara was in front, followed by Alex, then Milo. Mara signaled to Alex and Milo to remain where they were as she was going to investigate the rumblings. Alex and Milo stayed hidden in the shadows, clutching their heavy-duty assault rifles. Mara put the gun strap around her torso, slung her weapon over her shoulder, and then leaped off the ground. She managed to grab a hold of the cement that was several feet over her head and muscle her way up with ease.

  Mara looked powerful and confident as the muscles in her back and shoulders rippled through her tank top. Alex looked up and admired her mother for the strong female role model she was. In that moment, she thought of how different her life would have been had Mara raised her since birth. Mara was an expert in all the things one needed to be an expert in to be a great leader. It was a bit ironic considering who Alex’s father was. Alex followed her lead and stayed closely behind.

  “What do you see?” Milo said, from the back of the line.

  Mara held her body in a prolonged chin-up position as she elevated her head above the cement. The rest of her body dangled below the surface and out of view from street level. It did not take long for Mara to adequately assess the situation. She surveyed the area and developed a simple plan. Now she just needed to wait for the right moment to strike.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Just as Mara had suspected, the rumblings came from three, ten-foot tall, bipedal robots known as RT 2100s that stomped the ground with each heavy step. They were patrolling the grounds above the tunnels looking for something.

  The robots mildly resembled the human form, but were much more advanced. Their eyes could scan every nook, bump, and crevasse and create a digital schematic of the topography. Their hands were affixed with flexible sensors that were a combination of gold nanoparticles covered with organic connector molecules that acted as an electronic skin capable of detecting pressure, temperature, and humidity. Their frames were reinforced with thick metallic exoskeletons that protected them from bullets and small blasts. They were also armed with various guns, explosives, and sophisticated gyroscopic stabilizing sensors, making them nearly impossible to topple. Defeating them would be no small task.

  The RTs were not autonomous though – the various sensors relayed data in real time to a pilot in a remote location. That was their weakness.

  Mara lowered herself back down to inform the others of what she had seen.

  “There are three RTs in a triangular pattern scanning every building,” she whispered. “We cannot risk them finding the entrance to the subway.”

  “So what’s the plan?” Alex asked.

  Mara informed them of a quick plan, and they wasted no time putting it into action. One by one, they ran up the remainder of the stairs and into plain view, but only for a second. Mara disappeared behind a building before the robots turned in her direction, and Alex and Milo took to their separate positions, also obscured from view.

  Alex crouched down behind a large slab of concrete, most likely a piece of a building that had collapsed from the war. She calculated the slope, velocity, and angle, then determined when and where would be the optimal place and moment to strike. As the large robot shuffled toward her, Alex placed a precision shot that blasted the base of an old street lamp. The lamp toppled over and came crashing down on the RT with enough force to severely damage the head, rendering the rest of it inoperable. In a spectacular hail of sparks and thunderous echoes, Alex had single-handedly brought down one of the colossal war machines. She paused for a moment of quick celebration before darting off.

  The other two robots reacted to the destruction of their fallen cohort and scuttled over to investigate further. With guns drawn, they established a safe zone.

  Milo was nowhere in sight, but could hear the loud crash and the mechanical gyrations of the moving robots. The sounds were unnerving and caused his legs to shake uncontrollably with apprehension. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the machine guns go off. The rattling of hundreds of rounds of ammunition and the sounds of bullets ricocheting off glass, stone, and metal made him feel like he was in the middle of a war zone. He could only imagine what was happening, which made it worse.

  He took a couple of deep breaths before running toward an old firehouse that was a few blocks away. When he reached the firehouse, he was gasping for breath and coughing up mucous from his lungs. With barely enough time to gather his composure, Milo stood in front of the large wooden gate and did what Mara had instructed him to do. He hoisted the rifle up to his eye and tried to steady his aim. He fired a single round, which completely missed its intended target and ricocheted back at him. Milo took a few deep breaths to calm his heart rate before trying again. This time when he pulled the trigger, the bullet pierced through the lock and shattered it to pieces.

  Milo opened the gate enough to allow him to squeeze through. He entered the old building and climbed behind the wheel of the big red rig that was parked inside.

  Much to his surprise, the rig started up with ease, but soon after it stalled. Milo’s frustration grew.

  “Come on you clumsy thing!” he shouted.

  He started the engine again and pumped the accelerator. The gears ground together before finding their mark and the truck jolted forward. Milo let out an exhilarating laugh.

  “Hold on guys, here I come!” he exclaimed.

  Milo charged out of the firehouse with vengeance. As he manoeuvered the heavy machinery into the street, the large wooden doors on the fire hall broke apart and littered the street with debris. The momentum of the truck climbed as Milo fumbled with the archaic gearbox. As he approached a corner, Milo cranked the wheel aggressively, causing the suspension to compress on one side of the truck. Once he rounded the corner, Milo straightened out the wheel and accelerated to full throttle. The truck picked up speed as Milo drove straight toward his targets. With the RTs now in sight, Milo gritted his teeth and let out a ferocious roar.

  “AAAAHHHH!”

  The sensors on the RTs alerted them of the imminent danger, but they could not react in time. Milo bashed into the robots and they crumpled upon impact. The RTs hit the ground with a thud and became wedged underneath the truck. The violent sounds of crunching metal could be heard as a shower of sparks poured out from beneath the rig. Milo slammed on the brakes, bringing the large truck to a stop.

  Alex and Mara, who had been engaged in a firefight with the robots, congratulated Milo as soon as he stepped out of the vehicle.

  “Nice work, Milo!” Alex said, as she ran over toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Well done, Milo,” Mara said, offering him a simp
le nod and a smile.

  Milo accepted the gesture and basked in the glory of executing a triumphant plan.

  “It was a team effort. I couldn’t have done it without you guys.”

  “How soon before they send in a whole army of these things?” Alex asked.

  “If I had to guess, a fleet is probably already on their way.”

  “We must move quickly then. Let’s see what we can salvage from these bots. I can probably reconfigure their AI processors and use them for our dream machine.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Over the next couple of hours, Alex and Milo put their magnificent minds together and began assembling a rudimentary dream recorder device from scratch. Fortunately, Alex had already been through this process before so the task was easier the second time around.

  The small pile of electronics in the centre of the room had been disassembled and sorted. With the components they had harvested from the RTs, Alex was confident they could recreate the dream recorder she had constructed at the Facility.

  For the most part, Mara and the others stayed out of their way as they worked. After several hours of tiresome work, Mara finally interrupted to offer them some food.

  “How’s it coming along?” she asked.

  “It’s not the refined dream recorder I built at the Facility, but I think it will serve the same function,” Alex responded. “We were lucky to have the right equipment to piece this thing together. You guys have done a good job preserving these outdated parts.”

  “When’s it going to be complete?” Mara asked.

  “It’s ready now,” Alex said. “Shall we test it out?”

  The anticipation hung in the room as everyone stood in silence. Alex guided Mara over to a cot and instructed her to lie back. Milo affixed a headpiece around Mara and ensured the transmitting nodes were securely connected to her temples.

  “Okay, close your eyes and think about a moment from your past,” Alex said. “That will help send your consciousness down the right path for when you eventually fall asleep.”

  Ordinarily, for a procedure like this the subject would lay in a hyperbaric chamber with several highly-advanced digital displays hooked up to them, monitoring everything from their heart rate to their brain activity, but this version was not that sophisticated.

  With her eyes closed, Mara took a few deep inhalations and slowly released the air from her nose. The room was silent and the lights were turned down. Mara relaxed her body and began to recollect moments from her past.