At the time, Blue Front had taken a government contract to assist with the “peace” efforts in Pakistan. Their corporate recruiter had been fairly transparent about the whole process. “So, it’s pretty simple. You’ll go through Basic and AIT as a marine, and that will lead directly to full-time employment with Blue Front on a four-year contract. They’ll decide how you’re deployed and how you serve. As long as you satisfy your contract, you’ll have options after four years. Sign a new contract, re-up with the actual marines, or get discharged honorably with veteran status.”
Ernesto didn’t want to pass up the opportunity.
Blue Front stationed Ernesto in India just outside the Pakistan border, and it was there that he met a couple of his future business partners. He was bunk mates with Eugene Hammond, a brawny man who had a penchant for using guns that were bigger than necessary. Then, there was Dr. Thompson Douglas. The doctor could have gotten a job at any neurological lab or clinic, but as part of his enlistment, he was guaranteed access to patients with certain neurological conditions.
Ernesto specialized in intelligence gathering, and he fraternized with the locals to find out about potential extremist activity in the surrounding areas. They told him all kinds of rumors and stories, like one about the largest gray wolf that ever lived. It wasn’t all that useful, but with his affinity for dogs, it amused him nonetheless.
Finally, he got word from a poor pharmacist that an extremist group was asking around about manufacturing a sedative from a theoretical formula. The pharmacist said it couldn’t be done, but Ernesto was intrigued. He spent the rest of his time with Blue Front exploring what it would take to make the impossible possible.
With Dr. Douglas’s help, Ernesto made quite a bit of progress, but the drug still eluded them. So, when his tour was about to conclude, Ernesto began making phone calls back home about potential business opportunities with his newfound skills and knowledge.
“Can I speak with Mr. Michael Grant, please?”
Except, contrary to the memory, Michael Grant never came to the phone. Instead, he appeared in the tent in front of Ernesto. Ernesto’s jaw dropped along with his phone.
“You did a good job covering up that cute little story from your childhood. My people said it wasn’t worth violating minor protection laws to dig up your past. They just said you had a little trouble. I get it now—why you’ve always seen yourself as more than just one of my errand boys. But there comes a time when everyone must be put in their place. Your time was twelve years ago, and you’ve evaded me ever since. I won’t make the same mistake twice. It’s time for you to wake up.”
Ernesto couldn’t believe his eyes.
“I said, wake up!”
Ernesto’s eyes shot open and searing pain radiated through his head, making his eyes flutter. Again, he was perplexed by his surroundings. This time, he was strapped to an examination table. It suddenly felt like his skin was being singed off his body. Despite the agony, his eyes darted around the empty white room, finding nothing familiar. There was a sturdy-looking door with an intercom console next to it. Peering down, he didn’t even recognize his own body. His hands were big and felt strong, and he had the oddest sensation below his waist.
Feeling.
He was no longer paralyzed. Stranger yet, he was, in fact, in a male host.
The fire! What the hell happened?
The door opened.
“Good morning, Ernesto.” A younger man came into view. He was wearing a surgeon’s gown.
Ernesto’s eyes shot to the shiny object in the man’s hand, a scalpel.
“They call me Matthew Garfield, and while my initials haven’t changed, the host you see me in has.”
Ernesto sighed and rolled his eyes defiantly.
The man leaned in. “When I found your dying host, I was going to extract all the information from your mind and then discard you. But once I discovered who you are, that didn’t seem like much fun. Instead, I’ve found that there’s nothing more thrilling than reducing a man down to his simplest form. For betraying Michael Grant ages ago, I’m going take my time, slow and steady, to make it clear to you what you really are at your core.”
Garfield shook his head slowly. “You’re not the right hand of God. You’re not a padre. And you’re not even an errand boy anymore. You’re a feral dog.” He exhaled pure evil. “And like all strays, you either have to be put down or housebroken.”
A feeling overcame Ernesto that was so foreign to him, he almost didn’t recognize it. It took him scrambling through memories from his childhood to identify it.
Fear. Soul-wrenching fear.
But true to his nature, he would not show the slightest hint of that terror. He would not scream. He would not cry. He would not whimper. He sure as hell wasn’t going to submit. Instead, he was resigned to the fate that there would be only two ways this would end. Neither would completely satisfy his captor.
This is the power of—
“Now,” Garfield pointed his scalpel at Ernesto’s face and inched closer, “tell me everything you know.”
Chapter 17:
A Host in the Darkness
“Tell me everything you know.” J-A demanded.
She wanted information about Helen, and I had barely had time to get up from the floor and dust myself off. I was in no mood to be given orders while we waited for Helen to be brought to the facility. “With your attitude, it’s hard to believe people actually follow you. Before I tell you anything more, I’d like to know something of my own. What condition did Charlie have? What does that mean for me?”
J-A shook her head. “Playing hardball isn’t going to work. As much as we try to look out for migrators, in this scenario, we must put the host’s needs first. So, I’m not going to tell you anything that’ll make you question the process any more than you already do. That could complicate things.”
I glared. “I have a right to know. Otherwise, you’re just as bad as Atlas.”
She tilted her head and squinted at me. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. I understand that, growing up with your disability, you’ve had people holding your hand your whole life. Well, sorry, kid. That’s not how the world works. People have to wade neck deep in shit all the time, without warning or consent, and they don’t even get the courtesy of someone holding their nose. You heard how Karachi was. Right now, we need to focus on bringing back Charlie. And now, apparently, this Natalie.”
My blood boiled, but I chose my words carefully. “I’m not sure what’s going to make your cause fail first. Your condescension or your hypocrisy.”
Tony butted in. “Dammit, we’re on the same side! We need to work together.”
I turned to him. “Then, you need to meet me half way and stop the cloak and dagger bullshit. Sure, the videos were persuasive, but it’s tough to trust someone who doesn’t consider the feelings of those around them.”
J-A got loud. “Feelings?! We’re building a world-wide movement to challenge the power structures that took decades to establish. The procedures we have in place are for everyone’s safety. You saw it yourself. One minute, you can be surfing the Net and the next, you’re running for your life. Worrying about feelings is going to get you and others killed. So, don’t come at me with your bullshit feelings.”
Her words stung. Anger filled me, but so too did discomfort. They were familiar feelings. At first, I couldn’t quite put my finger on where I recognized them from. But it quickly came to me. It was the same sensation I had trying to make Charlie’s past right. Strangely, the discomfort actually felt good, and that could only mean one thing.
She was winning me over.
Regardless, that was the last thing I was going to tell her. Instead, I was about to go back on the offensive when we were interrupted by a woman I hadn’t met. “J-A! You’re gonna wanna see this.”
“Can’t you see I’m busy, P-W?”
“It’s R-J. We found him outside the front entrance. He’s a little roughed up, but he’s talking. The surveillance showed that he was alone.”
For the first time since I’d arrived, the smug confidence melted away from J-A’s face. It was replaced with a combination of concern and uncertainty. I even detected the slightest bit of humanity. It was satisfying and unsettling at the same time, and I was as curious as ever.
J-A darted out of the room behind the woman, and Tony followed. I naturally tagged along, and to my relief, Tony explained what he knew.
“Six months before they recruited me, they’d sent their best engagers and hackers on an important reconnaissance mission to one of Atlas’s main data warehouses. No one returned. But strange things began happening a couple months after.”
“What kind of strange things?”
“Mainly, migrators like Helen and you. Well, they didn’t shift quite as fast. Our outside recruiters began reporting dozens of candidates who seemed to be experiencing shifting two and three times faster than normal. Now, you see how J-A is. She was certain it was some kind of trap by Atlas to infiltrate our ranks. But the council insisted if the prospects passed all screenings, they should be allowed to join. The Shifter Alliance was half its current size before the failed mission.”
“So, who’s R-J?”
“He was one of the hackers on that mission. Now, be quiet so we can listen in from the hallway.” We leaned against the wall just outside the room.
J-A spoke as stoic as ever. “Where the hell have you been?”
Glad I wasn’t the only one she treated this way. Through labored breaths, R-J agreed with me. “Ah, yes. Three things you can count on. Death, taxes, and J-A’s interpersonal skills. Don’t worry. I’m fine. Nothing Doc and a little rest can’t fix.”
“Cut the crap, R-J. What happened on the Atlas mission?”
There was no immediate response.
“I’m…I’m sure A-A told you what a clown I was, and she probably blamed me for getting captured.”
A long pause.
“No one made it back…until you showed up.”
R-J painfully coughed. “Shit! Damn? I knew it.” He swallowed hard. “We found Gaia, J-A. We found Gaia.”
An even longer pause.
She huffed. “P-W, get him quick-cleaned and brought to the computer lab. Keep two sets of eyes on him at all times.”
J-A stormed out and down the hallway. “This day just keeps getting better. Tony, Charlie-Ryan, let’s go!”
It was jarring to be called by that name, and despite how she’d treated me leading up to that moment, I didn’t hesitate to follow.
Tony inquired to J-A. “What did you have in mind?”
“Our priorities have shifted,” She shook her head. “Something’s not right, but I need more information. Charlie-Ryan, do me this favor, and we’ll discuss Charlie’s history before the awakening.”
“What favor?”
“We need to tap into your computer hacking skills.”
My eyebrow went up. “I’m not a hacker. I just know data processing.”
“Tell him about EZHack, Tony.”
We continued walking, and Tony sighed. “EZHack takes plain language and translates it on the backend real-time. It means that people with speed and accuracy for data processing can be some of the best hackers.”
“EZHack? Why does that sound familiar?”
“The Virus Rush from years ago that nearly took down the public net. Those viruses were rapidly developed and deployed on the initial EZHack platform. Shortly after, the dev suite was made illegal and its creators jailed. But the code was infinitely replicated across the net, making it impossible to fully eliminate. It’s still the best tool for covertly gathering information on the net.”
“Is that what they use on the Anono domain on the Darknet?” I may have tried a little too hard to impress him.
He snickered. “The Darknet might as well be public. We’ll be working about two levels deeper.”
I nodded, letting the slight embarrassment dissipate, and then, we made our way to a computer lab where J-A pointed for me to take a seat in front of an ancient terminal. I couldn’t help but make a face at the physical keyboard in front of me. “Does this even have a holo interface?”
J-A pressed a button on the back of the machine, and it jolted to life. Fortunately, the virtual keyboard appeared in front of me.
“Listen to me, kid.” J-A pointed to the computer. “The trick to data processing through EZHack is to think of it like a Q&A session. You ask a question. It gives you data back as the answer. You need to try to comprehend that data and continue asking questions until you get the information you’re looking for. Do you follow me so far?”
“Yes.”
“Now, EZHack was built using old AI to make it difficult for people to skew the results. But that means the responses aren’t always helpful. Start with broad questions and refine them as you get more data. If you asked, ‘how do I build an autocar?’ it might respond with a list of parts that you’ll need. A follow up question could be, ‘how do I assemble the given parts into an autocar?’ It might respond with a schematic and a list of tools. You then might ask, ‘what are simple step-by-step instructions to assemble an autocar using the given parts, schematic, and tools provided?’ Only then will you get to the specific information you want. That’s a simple example, but you’ll be getting back a lot more data that needs to be processed and responded to.”
I was confused. “Sounds like you could do it yourself. Why do you need me?”
“That’s where speed and accuracy come in, two things I’ve lost over the years. For security reasons, EZHack uses a three-second connection stream for data transfers. Each question opens a new connection stream with a new timer, but once you hit four seconds, the connection is severed. We can only capture results from the last inquiry. The system prevents you from querying the same topic for forty-eight hours, so it’s important that we get what we’re looking for the first try.”
I took a deep breath, and my eyes became wide. “Okay. What am I looking for?”
“If what R-J said is true, someone must have wanted us to find the Gaia system, and there will be a record of that somewhere on the Net. We ultimately need to know when it came online and when it went back offline. Hell, maybe we’ll win the lottery and even find out who did it.” She shook her head. “When you’re ready, type, ‘What is the Gaia project?’ and tap search. You’ll know you’re on the clock when data gets returned. And, kid…”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t screw this up.”
I could only reply with a muddled positive affirmation. It had been a few months since I processed data, and having the eyes of J-A and Tony on me added an unfamiliar pressure. It was like a job interview that I hadn’t prepared for or even knew about up until a few minutes prior, and the anxiety began to mount.
What if I mess up? What if I fail?
“Something wrong, kid? Don’t tell me you just can’t do it.”
Just can’t do it? Just can’t do it?!
I shook my head, then cracked my knuckles and took yet another deep breath. “I’m not a damn kid!”
Zip!
My hands engaged the virtual keyboard with intensity.
WHAT IS THE GAIA PROJECT?
Chunks of data blurred across the screen. I was having trouble keeping up for a second, but the follow-up question just seemed to come to me. Instinctively, I synced my breathing with the flow of data.
Inhale.
WHAT IS THE GAIA SYSTEM?
Read data.
Exhale.
“Good job, k—er, Charlie-Ryan!”
Inhale.
WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE GAIA SYSTEM?
Read data.
Exhale.
Inhal
e.
COMPARE CURRENT STATUS TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR OF STATUSES?
Read data.
Exhale.
“Wow, look at him go! Maybe the fastest I’ve seen.” R-J must have entered the room, but I was too engrossed to look or respond.
Inhale.
WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE GAIA SYSTEM?
Read data.
Exhale.
Inhale.
WHO ACCESSED IT OVER THE LAST YEAR?
Read data.
Exhale.
“That’s enough, Charlie-Ryan.”
The connection closed, and I was still panting to the rhythm. The information didn’t make much sense to me, so I asked the burning question. “Did I find what you were looking for?”
I turned to find J-A with her hand on her chin, deep in thought.
With two guards behind him, R-J stood in a black robe. “A user named Minos_Yass brought the system online at the exact time we were hacking in. He also brought it up and then down last night when I escaped. It’s probably not a coincidence.”
J-A dropped her hand and gave a stern look to R-J. “Sit down.”
He complied, and the guards followed closely behind.
“Who captured you?”
He put his hands up. “I don’t know. It was dark. They jumped me, and I blacked out. I woke up in a cell with nothing but a bed and a toilet. They slid three meals a day under the steel door. Once a day, the lights would go out and a voice would come over the speaker in the ceiling. In the beginning, he asked me random questions. Like ‘What’s your favorite sports team?’ and stuff like that. Two weeks in, and I began to get loopy. I had to do pushups and jumping jacks until I was exhausted to stop the panic attacks. I was getting into a routine when the beatings started. I didn’t have a clock, but they seemed to occur about twelve hours after the voice. Masked men burst through the door and hit me with batons. After a few minutes that felt like eternity, they’d leave.”
Between Two Minds: Revelation Page 28
