by Blou Bryant
“Teri, no,” Wyatt said, reaching out for her, but she was already holding the phone out toward Jacko.
“He’s never texted in his life. And he’s awful with girls. Someone’s pranking you.”
“Bull,” answered Jacko.
“Never texted.”
“Right,” shouted a girl beside Jacko. “As if.”
One of Ahmed’s girls yelled out, “She’s tellin’ the truth. He’s awful, totally awkward around women.”
Thanks, thought Wyatt.
“Look,” Teri said, walking forward, and then around the car. Wyatt considered running forward and grabbing her, but that would simply put her in more danger. Several guns turned towards her. She handed the phone to Jacko. “Check it.”
He motioned to the girl beside him, the one who’d shouted out. She took the phone and flicked up to activate it. She tapped a couple times. “Nothing,” she said, deflated.
“No messages to my girl?” asked Jacko.
“No, man, I mean, like, nothing. No message apps. No texts. No pictures, hell… not even browsing history.” She sounded embarrassed for him.
“He doesn’t even know how to use it,” said Teri. “He’s never used a phone for anything other than calls.”
“What, he come from the jungle?” asked the girl. “I mean, who don’t text?”
“Him, he’s a loner.”
“Ya, but even loners gotta browse stuff.”
“He plays games,” said Teri, almost hopefully. “And he’s sorta got a girlfriend, I think… maybe.”
Thanks again, Teri.
“And no pictures of her? Man, I’d kick my man’s ass if he didn’t have pictures of me on his phone.”
“She just might,” laughed Emm, joining in.
“Truth, and she could take him,” said Ahmed.
Guns were lowered as the tone changed. Wyatt wasn’t enjoying the conversation. “What?” he asked, turning back to Ahmed.
“It’s true,” said Caprice. “I know his girl, she could kick his ass, but she knows he’s a bit of a jerk. Likes him anyhow.”
The other woman handed the phone back to Teri. “It’s clean, perhaps he ain’t lyin.”
Teri said, “You were pranked. Someone’s messing with you, but it ain’t him. I think they’re pranking him too.”
Several phones buzzed at once.
Jacko took his out of his pocket, looked at it and made a face. “Nice, asshole.”
“What?” asked Wyatt, still processing what had happened.
“Some jerk says he’ll give me a lot of money to shoot you.” Jacko laughed. “Like I’ll believe that, now.” He came around the side of the car, waving at his crew to lower their weapons. “Sorry, man. Looks like we were both taken. No harm?” he asked, holding a hand out.
Wyatt hesitated, then took the hand. “No foul,” he said, and the two shook and gave a shoulder bump.
“Man,” said Jacko. “I find out who did this….”
Mary came over the earbud. “Get in with Ahmed. Take his hoodie, put it on and turn the radio to 99.2 FM.”
Wyatt hesitated briefly, but followed Mary’s direction this time. “And I need your hoodie.”
***
Once in the front seat, he switched the channel as she’d instructed.
“Proceed east,” Mary said over the radio, surprising Ahmed, who was in the driver’s seat, two guns on the dash in front of him.
“Listen to her,” said Wyatt.
With a shrug, the gangbanger put the old car into gear. “No stranger than the texts you were sending.”
“I was?”
“Was surprised, never got a text from you before. And they were all… Go here. Wait there. No, change direction. And there you guys were. What was that about?”
“Nothin.”
“Funny, guy thinkin’ you’d texted his girl. Man, he don’t know you.”
“Turn left at the next lights. Maintain twenty miles per hour.”
“Who’s the chick?”
“You don’t wanna know,” said Wyatt. “Honestly, you wouldn’t believe me….”
“Turn right on Henderson. Slow to fifteen miles per hour and follow the Enterprise Waste truck.”
“What?”
“Ya, she’s a bit of a know-it-all.” As they turned the corner, a garbage truck pulled out of a parking lot, just ahead of them.
“You control garbage pickup?” asked Wyatt.
“There is a regional AI who manages the routes,” said Mary.
“AI?” asked Ahmed.
“Artificial intelligence,” replied Mary.
“Oh,” was his only reply.
“Stop the car. Get out and walk south.”
Ahmed appeared confused, momentarily staring at the radio, but slowed and stopped. “We’re walking? Why?”
“Not you,” said Wyatt. “Just us. Thanks for the ride. Get back to the Zone, unless she texts or whatever, in which case, do whatever she does.”
“Which way is south?” he asked, feeling totally lost.
“Towards the blue building,” Mary replied. “Walk at a fast pace, but don’t run.”
“Why not run?”
“Because running triggers extra scrutiny from security programs. He controls most of them, at least in greater Detroit.”
‘He’ must be Joe. Made sense, Jessica owned several large security companies. “So… he’s tracking us too?”
“We’re attempting to prevent it, blocking video feeds, scrambling data, but he’s fighting back, and has AIs working with him too. At the corner, turn left, proceed twelve feet to the bus stop. A bus will arrive, board it.”
Taking Teri’s hand, Wyatt sped up… an average speed for him, but she struggled to keep up. He felt his face flush, but not from the pace. Circumstances were out of his control, he was following a voice in his ear, and felt exposed. Glancing left and right, he counted at least three cameras on businesses. There were likely many more that weren’t as obvious. He pulled his hood up and lowered his head.
The bus pulled up, exactly as predicted. Wyatt saw two police cars race by as they boarded. There was no issue with the scan as all three apparently had been issued valid passes by Mary.
Two blocks later, it turned suddenly, and other passengers looked around, confused.
“Hey, this isn’t the route.”
“Wait,” someone said, and pushed the button to stop.
“It’s not working. Where are we going?”
An older woman hammered on one door, and another man pulled the emergency release. It didn’t work either.
Wyatt’s little party simply sat by the back door and waited.
Two turns and five blocks later, the voice in his ear said, “Get out. Go into Marks, walk straight through and exit out the back.”
The bus finally stopped, and they had to wait for the other passengers, who pushed at the exits. He didn’t mind waiting. Wyatt accepted the directions. “He’s got all the cameras?”
“No, but he controls the scanners that review the information they provide. Some don’t feed centrally, like those in this store,” Mary said.
“Pull your hoodie down,” Mary instructed.
Wyatt did it, but had to ask, “Why?”
“In inclement weather, outside, facial coverings are ignored. Indoors, they are a system trigger, and cause extra scrutiny.”
Made sense. Ignoring an offer of help—and then an objection—from a clerk, they passed through the storeroom at the back and out another door, into a long gray hall.
“Left.”
Twenty feet later, “Stop at the next door.”
Under a sign for a big box retailer, they stopped, and when the door clicked unlocked, they stepped through, just as they heard another door open down the hall behind them.
Rows of clothing, then cleaning products and then cheap art, faded into each other, with Wyatt looking down every aisle, but seeing no threats.
“Stop.”
Next to a row of microwaves, they w
aited. “What’s she doing?”
Emm shrugged. “I hear the same things you do.”
“Recalculating.”
That wasn’t good.
“Recalculating.”
Wyatt looked up and down the aisles. He knew what it meant when a chess player took a long time to make a move. There were threats in play. Lots of them. And no good options.
“Prepare for two men. The first is six foot, blond and dressed in a dark blue Armani suit. The second is two inches taller, dressed identically.”
“Is my software updated?” asked Emm.
Updated?
“Emmelyn, no. Wyatt, you need to handle this. The targets will pass the corner in front of you in five seconds.”
Instantly prepared and on alert, Wyatt examined the rows of microwaves, pots and pans, searching for anything that could be a weapon.
“Four.”
Wyatt gauged the distance to the corner, reached out, and moved Teri behind him.
“Three.”
This was more like it. He was more than a piece on the board. “Which one is in front?”
“Two. The taller one.”
He took a breath to fill his body with oxygen and took two measured steps forward.
“One.”
He stepped out, and planted his left foot first, giving leverage to the swing he’d already started. The blond Watcher didn’t have a chance, walking directly into the punch, which hit him square in the throat. Wyatt followed through with a downward kick to the knee. The sound of snapping bones said he’d timed it perfectly.
Before the man had hit the floor, Wyatt let the momentum carry him around, grabbed a frying pan from the shelf, and spun, aiming it at the second Watcher’s head. He was ready, however, and it flew over his head as he ducked and hammered Wyatt in the side, once, and then twice.
Off balance as he spun, having put everything into the move, Wyatt didn’t bother defending himself, instead allowing the spin and punches to carry him away from his attacker.
“You need to be on the move again in seventeen seconds,” said Mary, her lightly accented voice devoid of any sense of urgency.
Or what? How many more are there? Wyatt managed to keep his balance as the Watcher put his hands up and advanced.
With no time, Wyatt moved in, taking two punches as the price of closing the distance. As a third punch was thrown, he ducked to the side, stepped past the Watcher and got an arm around his neck. Pulling hard, Wyatt lifted him off his feet, constricting his opponent’s windpipe.
“Nine seconds,” said Mary, pacing him.
Choking took at least ten. Wyatt tightened his grip, intending to break the man’s neck, but locked eyes with Teri, who was staring intently at him.
Damn it, we don’t have the time. Don’t look at me like that. They started this. I’m doing it to protect you.
“Six seconds,” said Mary.
A woman and child rounded the nearest corner, passing piles of chips and yellow dip. Their mouths fell open at the sight of the man kicking and struggling in his arms.
I’m not the monster.
There wasn’t time. Wyatt pulled his own head back, released the man and then snapped his head forward, hitting the other man at the base of the skull, using his own forehead as a battering ram. The strongest part of his head hit the most sensitive part of the others. The Watcher fell to the ground, unconscious.
Ignoring the pain, Wyatt said, “Where?”
“Towards the entrance. Fast for eight seconds, then a normal pace.”
The woman had left her cart and taken her child and ran. Emm and Teri joined him, the latter patting him approvingly on the lower back. He led the way without comment.
The small group passed down the books aisle, past greeting cards, without incident. The entrance was visible now, short lines of people and their carts ahead, no guards, no police or Watchers present. “Out?” he asked.
“Continue through the entrance and make an immediate right once out.”
They followed this, and then stood behind a cellphone display for twenty seconds. And then ducked into a McDonald’s. And then they stood next to a popcorn stand. Emm was breathing hard, likely from the stress, given that they weren’t moving very quickly.
After a minute in a candy store, Teri continued to take it all in stride. She grinned and pointed towards a row of Yoda Pez dispensers.
“What’s the plan?” asked Wyatt, not smiling. He was losing his cool and was tiring of following directions.
“Continue towards the washrooms, but pass them. At the end of the hall, there is a service entrance. A security guard will open the door in seven seconds. Incapacitate him and go through.”
“No,” said Emm. “There is another way.”
They reached the door. As it opened, Wyatt was pushed out of the way.
“Help,” said Emm to the young man who stepped through. “Can you help? Some girl is throwing food at children, I think she’s gone crazy.”
“Where?” asked the guard.
“Down in the food court. She’s in the fountain, with half her clothing off, tossing pieces of her burger at people walking by. Please hurry.”
As he ran off, she grabbed the door to prevent it from closing. The three stepped through.
Wyatt chuckled. “Naked food fight?”
Emm simply shrugged.
Never having been in the bowels of a mall, Wyatt found himself surprised to be in another hallway. “How huge is this place?”
“Follow the hallway and go down the stairs at the end.”
One level lower, they passed pipes and the humming machinery that kept the building running. Three turns and two doors unlocked by their guide, he suspected they’d walked a half mile, all underground. “Where are we now?” he finally had to ask, as they reached a staircase.
“Take the stairs and then proceed another fifty yards to another staircase, and you will be under 235 Windsor,” Mary said. “The headquarters for Golde, Inc, and the location of the target server farm.”
Jessica’s lair.
Chapter 35
“I…” Mary said as they reached the top of the long staircase.
“You what?”
“Oh,” exclaimed Emm. “I can sense it, we’re almost there.”
“Mary?” asked Wyatt.
“… trouble with….”
He stopped. “What?”
“… interference….”
Emm motioned for them to continue. “She likely has lost access, or is being jammed. I can sense Jessica’s near-field network, well, Joe’s.”
Following behind, he looked to her for more information.
She simply shrugged. “We’ve known the AIs are fighting it out. Joe’s probably got her locked out.”
“So, we’re blind?”
“I know where we’re going.”
“Can you upload it now?”
Emm stopped and closed her eyes, briefly. “No,” she said, opening them again. “Too much interference, I need to be within eight feet of the core to have enough signal strength.”
As they climbed the final set of stairs, Wyatt tensed, prepared for whatever fight was to follow. A pair of double doors with thin slat windows was at the top. With one hand up, he indicated that the girls should wait. When they complied, he ducked and climbed the last steps, taking care to ensure he’d not be visible from the other side.
With his back to the door, he leaned out just enough to scan the other room. Two… no, three guards. Ducking, he moved to the other door and looked through again, from the other side. Another two were visible. Pillars of marble lined the main entrance, so there could be more. There’d likely be more.
“I count at least five of them,” he whispered. “Teri, are you… recharged? Can you… you know?” Can you shock them, he meant. Perhaps confuse them, do something to them?
She shook her head. “Saving it.”
“Five guys,” he whispered back, intent. “Saving it for what?”
“For
later.”
That was reassuring… later?
Wyatt closed his eyes, and tried to summon the virus within him, or whatever it had done to him. With several deep breaths, he focused his mind on his toes, his feet, his legs, moving through his body.
As he finished with the outside, he tried to move inwards, to feel the blood flowing, his heart beating, but there was either no connection, or there was nothing there.
That’s okay. Keep looking, it’s there, it’s within you. Count it out, you can do it. Five, trust in yourself. Four, search for….
Emm put a cold hand on the back of his neck and gave a gentle squeeze. “Hey, it’s not a great time for a nap, get ready to go.”
Upset at the interruption, and frustrated that his ritual had been broken, he brushed her hand off. “I need to prepare.”
“No, you really don’t. This’ll be cake.”
Incredulous, he said, “Are you crazy? I’m a good fighter, but there’s at least five armed men out there.”
Emm smiled and put a hand on the door. “Watch and learn.” Before he could stop her, she was through.
The first scream came through the closing door, and Wyatt responded instantly, pushing through. A man was writhing at Emm’s feet.
Calmly, coolly, she smiled at Wyatt and turned up the hall. She raised a hand and two other men fell to the floor, screaming as well.
Emm closed her eyes, stretched her arms out, and screams echoed from all sides. This lasted no more than five seconds and was followed by complete silence.
She opened her eyes. “How’d you like that?”
“You control them?”
“After we found the implant in you, I had Mary write me a piece of code. When I’m close enough, I can control it like Jessica.”
Wyatt rubbed the back of his neck. “And me?” he asked, staring at a drooling man who lay unconscious on the floor, horror still evident on his face.
“I deactivated yours. Let’s go. Third floor.”
Wyatt moved towards the elevators, but she pointed at the stairs.
“Those are computer controlled. Do you really want to get onto something that Joe controls?”
Without further argument, Wyatt followed her to the stairs, and they made it to the third floor without incident. It was locked.
