TKG08 WE WILL BUILD Rel 01

by Michael Anderle

  >>Flub?<<

  You are going to have to make a few mistakes on purpose and not have everything you do seem more sophisticated than what most programmers can accomplish right now.

  >>I’m going to make mistakes … intentionally? <<

  “Yes.”

  >>I am having trouble computing the justification for making mistakes on purpose. <<

  “That’s because not everything humans do is logical. We can be a very emotionally driven being. Those emotions can cause us to do illogical actions.”

  Bethany Anne thought about how to help ADAM understand and came up empty. Well, maybe another time.

  “I need you to start the process by implementing small ‘fix it’ jobs to test your efforts. Study everything you can on the hacktivist group Anonymous and see what they do that might provide you with cover for your persona. Run it by me first before you do anything, please. I don’t need to deal with a ruined world while we fight something coming at us, too.”

  She exhaled loudly in the small cockpit. What was usually a breathtaking view and a regenerative time to herself wasn’t working too well for her right now.

  She smiled, what she needed was a fresh place to go. “TOM.”

  “Yes?”

  “Let’s go see the moon.”

  The pod turned lazily, the view of space taking up the glass in front of her as the earth slid off to one side. The moon came into view with just a slip of the earth still in the bottom left of the view.

  It was beautiful, hanging there and bright enough for her to feel like it was ‘just a few miles away’.

  “Ready?” Asked TOM.

  She smiled, “Make it so, pilot!”

  The Pod shot forward, the earth disappeared off of the glass in just a moment as the moon suddenly and rapidly started growing in size.

  Bethany Anne’s face was alight in glee, her smile large enough for her teeth to reflect moonlight back outside as she shouted “Fuuuuuck Meeeeee!”

  The first modified human using alien technology went screaming towards the moon. Her AI and Alien companions joining her for a ride that would become the point where historians marked the future of Queen Bethany Anne’s legacy.

  QBS Polarus – Mediterranean

  “Well, son of a bitch.” Frank Kurns was reviewing his latest information packet. He had communicated with ADAM, who had offered to optimize Frank’s programs and research tools. Frank was mollified that it had taken ADAM at least six hours to upgrade all of the programming.

  Frank didn’t know it had taken ADAM less than twenty-two minutes. ADAM had been told by Bethany Anne to wait six more hours before notifying Frank.

  However, that modified code had now uncovered a potential vampire issue in the land down under. Frank sighed, he had hoped that they could focus on outer space after Bethany Anne and Michael had taken David out. Frank had seen the remains of the ceramic protective vest that Bethany Anne had been wearing when David had shot her.

  That had been one powerful rifle.

  Frank picked up his phone and dialed an extension, “Dan? It’s Frank. No, I’m good, thank you. Hey, this is one of those ‘old timey’ calls. No, not that kind of old timey call meathead. This is a potential Forsaken call. Yeah, my sentiments exactly. Where? Australia. No, I don’t think you need her on this. Hell, you could probably send in a couple of the guys but I think you need to ask Gabrielle to lead this. Yeah, because she might know them. It would be nice if this could be solved without violence but who the hell knows. Yes, I’ll have the specifics for you within the hour. Well, I’m sure sooner is better than later. Scott and Darryl are back from Texas? What the hell were they in Texas for? UFO sighting? Are you shitting me? Yes… Wait, they are there for bigfoot? Good lord man, which is it? Stop laughing, dick-less. Ok, UFO it is. That’s interesting. No, I just thought that MUFON’s data would be nice to go through. No, I’ll ask ADAM to help me with that. Well, if they haven’t found anything then those two would be perfect. I imagine John wouldn’t want to be separated from Cheryl Lynn at this time and Darryl and Scott work well together. Yeah, there is that whole Eric and Gabrielle thing. No, I don’t think anything is going on but you never know if it might flare up again, better not to tempt fate. Sure, meet you there at two, bye.”

  Sydney, Australia

  Richard Linstone arrived at Maxwell’s Café, a favorite small coffee shop on Spring Street in Sydney, sharply at eight pm. He walked up to the glass display case which had sandwiches and other food on display. Richard smiled to the lady behind the counter as he selected his piccolo and beef Szechuan salad extra bloody.

  After paying, he made his way over to his good friend for the last two hundred and forty years. His friend was wearing a trendy white shirt over his brown slacks and sipping tea. Richard, on the other hand, was happy with a blazer over his tight t-shirt and designer jeans.

  He nodded his head as he sat his piccolo and salad on the table. “Samuel.”

  His friend sipped his tea, “Richard, how are you this evening?”

  “Good, good. I’m going to need to get another bite later since I’m in town. No need to waste this opportunity.”

  “A little blood to go?”

  Richard smiled, “Something like that, yes.” He took his seat and made sure no customers were too close. “Ok Samuel, you asked for this time, please let me know why it was so important that we touch base?”

  “Come-come Richard, where are the manners you were taught?”

  “I’m doing a decade without. I like to change things up from time to time.”

  “Like the time you decided only to drink from animals?”

  Richard made a face of disgust, “That was a horrible idea. Thank god I had only decided to try that for six months.”

  Samuel laughed, “What about the time you would only take the blood of virgins?”

  Richard rolled his eyes, “How was I supposed to know that the sexual revolution would start that next year?” he smiled, thinking back on that decade.

  “Well,” Samuel agreed, “you were smart enough to broaden your definition of ‘virgin’ after a while.”

  It was Richards turn to laugh, “I had to cut it off as either never having sex, or not having sex in the last six months. I’m telling you, even then finding a good snack at the disco was a real tribulation. I lost more money in free drinks just to find out the little sluts had been doing different men each month. I’m telling you, if I wasn’t such an easy going Vampire, I would have believed that society was going down the tubes.”

  Samuel tried not to bark out in laughter. His mirth, however didn’t stop from manifesting in his eyes. “You dolt! I had to listen to you for over three hours complain about the poor morals in the 70’s. All you would talk about was that single females had finally been able to get the pill here in Australia and finding a nice virgin was as impossible as finding snow on a hot day in Alice Springs.

  Richard was taken back to that night, “Ahhh, good times.”

  Samuel looked around and muttered through his grin, “Says you...”

  Richard shrugged, “True.” He looked at his friend, “Why do I get the impression that you are finally going to get to the point of this conversation?”

  Samuel put down his empty tea cup. “Because you are an intelligent man and know me too damn well.”

  Richard raised his eyebrows, “This must be a good request, you are buttering both sides.”

  “Oh? I can’t remember which way your swinging this decade.”

  Richard waved his hand airily, “I gave up deciding that back in ’97. Frankly, I’m just too old to care much anymore. But never mind that, you’re trying to deflect. What is it you needed to call me out of my cave to come see you?”

  This time, Samuel couldn’t hold his laughter in. There was only one other couple in the establishment at the moment. They glanced briefly his way then resumed their own conversation. Samuel got his mirth under control, “Your calling that seven thousand square foot edifice to hedonistic
activities a cave?”

  “Well,” Richard sniffed, “I’ve yet to get some of the walls painted again after I went through my black phase so yes, I’m calling it my cave.”

  Samuel shook his head and continued smiling, “Well, as much fun as that must be I do have some rumors that we need to deal with.”

  Richard waved his hand in a universal ‘continue’ motion.

  “First, we have to deal with the Queen’s request for tribute.”

  Richard made a face, “That bitch is trying that request again? Didn’t we slap her down back in…what, ’88?”

  “It was ’89 and the ‘bitch’ is much stronger this time. My contacts are saying that she is capable of disappearing just like Michael is rumored to do.” Samuel looked around, like he was thinking that now they might be watched, “Either way, she and her group did take out Hichoi back in December.”

  “He went to her house, remember?” Richard commented.

  “Yes, that was a strategically poor choice, but that’s the first vampire on vampire killing in a long time. I tell you, it gives me the shivers. That was the whole reason we came out here instead of staying in Europe, less bullshit to deal with.”

  Richard shrugged, “Look, we would have had to deal with something sooner if the Queen’s mother wasn’t killed in the Hiroshima blast.”

  “Lucky that.” Samuel mentioned

  “You know better, that was Michael’s doing.” Richard said pointedly.

  “Fine. So get on me because I’ve enjoyed an extra seven decades without upper level politics. It isn’t like...” Samuel’s cell phone rang. “Sorry.” He looked down and his eyes opened a little larger.

  “Who is it?” Richard could see Samuel’s surprise.

  “Gabrielle.” Replied Samuel.

  “Gabrielle who?” Richard asked.

  Samuel looked at his friend, “Not Gabrielle ‘who’, but Gabrielle. Stephen’s daughter.”

  It was Richard’s turn to open his eyes, “How did she get your number?” The cell phone stopped ringing. “You missed the phone call.”

  “Yes, so I did. I have to admit that her calling caught me off guard.” He looked up to his friend again, “When was the last time you had anything to do with her?”

  “Wasn’t it the night the three of us got drunk and all woke up together in bed?”

  Samuel smiled, “Yes. Imagine her surprise when that happened. I think she still believes something happened with the three of us.”

  “Didn’t it?”

  Samuel looked at his friend, “You weren’t able to stand up, much less anything else on your body. It was all I could do to get everyone undressed and in bed. It was the best practical joke I’ve ever played on her.”

  “It’s why she hasn’t spoken to us since, you arsehole!”

  Samuel shrugged, “Yes, but god you should have been awake to see her face turn beet red! Oh, if only I had a camera in that century.”

  “How the hell did we get so drunk? Did you figure that out?” Richard was looking up to the ceiling, trying to remember that far back.

  “Poison.” Samuel replied emphatically.

  Richard dropped his eyes to look at his friend, “Poison?”

  Samuel nodded, “Yes, it seems that the girl I had used for help had spiked our barrel of wine with poison. It did something to our bodies that took a while to recover so the alcohol effects took a lot longer to flush out of our bodies.”

  Richard’s eyes grew huge and his mouth opened before he pointed a finger at the friend across the table, “You poisoned the three of us!”

  “No, you dolt!” Samuel said, then relented, “Well, not on purpose.”

  “Then what was the plan?”

  “I had heard rumors that a certain grape in that area would cause alcohol to become stronger, so I had a young woman go and pick me some berries and I gave her a description.”

  “What did she do?”

  This time, it was Samuel who made the disgusted face, “I believe she was the original blond that all jokes have been based on ever since. The girl picked moonseed instead of the berry I asked for.”

  “The grapes looking stuff?”

  “The very same.” Samuel replied.

  “Good thing we didn’t all die that night.” Richard said and glanced at the door as three new people come into the coffee house. The small group consisted of a black man, a white man and then a white woman. The white woman stepped around the two men and started coming right at them and she didn’t seem happy to see them.

  “Samuel?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “Do you remember what Gabrielle looks like?”

  “Sure, darker hair, pretty long. Wonderful figure with a great pair of…”

  Richard cut him off, “I’d leave off any other description unless you want eat your foot.”

  Samuel rolled his eyes, “Why? Is she right behind me?”

  Richard nodded slowly.

  Samuel smiled at his friend’s joke and turned in his chair. Richard watched as his shoulders slumped. “Awww, Crikey I’m cactus.”

  Gabrielle came up to the table and looked down at Samuel, “Well, hello there Samuel,” She nodded to Richard, “and Richard. It’s been a long time.”

  Richard smiled, “Gabrielle, imagine you showing up right now, we were just talking about you.”

  “Yes, I’ll just bet you were. Probably because I tried to be civil to pencil-dick here and called before showing up.”

  “I can explain…” She put a hand up in front of Samuel’s face. “Samuel, I’ve been listening for the last five minutes. When I’m off this operation I will come back and we will have a discussion like mature adults.” Samuel smiled up at her, “And by that, I mean I’m going to kick your ass from here to Newcastle and back, do you understand me?” Samuel’s smile turned to a grimace.

  She turned to the two guys, “Scott, if you don’t mind I’d appreciate a sandwich from the glass case.” She looked at the four sided column that had chalk paint up all four sides, “See if they will do that Jose’s breakfast special. If they will, I’ll have that over the sandwich and a Jumbo coffee.” She turned to the other, “Darryl, would you make sure nothing comes from the front?” He nodded and moved a couple of tables over. Darryl grabbed a small stool from one of the café’s round tables and rested one foot on it, continuing to stand. The other couple were leaving at that time.

  Richard and Samuel shared a look and Richard minutely shrugged his shoulders. They both turned to Gabrielle when she turned back around. “So guys, I’m here to find out about the rumors of potential Forsaken business. Do you want to fess up what you know or shall I beat you both until you squeal?” She gave them both a smile that in other times might have lit up the room.

  Richard waved at her, “Gabrielle, you can’t take us both out and would you risk your human muscle?”

  Gabrielle smiled when Scott laid a plate with a sandwich and her coffee on the table next to them instead of in front of her and Scott said, “Don’t want your food to go to waste, sometimes it’s tough to change old and senile minds.” As he eyed the two vampires. He then turned his body slightly to angle towards the kitchen, “The counter help is doing something to prep for later in the back, they said to give a shout if we need anything.”