Power Hunt (ArcMed Book 1) (ArcOn 3)

by Erinn Price

  “What happened?” Matthew asked.

  “There is a patent claim on Morgan’s nanos. Without Morgan, we have no way of proving that the nanos are not theirs. Her advanced nanos, should prevent them from getting the rights.” Richard said.

  “The Tahers, are they safe?” My brain was still trying to catch up, not only with everything we saw and learnt, but also with the changes in my body. It was only now, that the full attack on us hit me and I realised that Kharim and Sara, might have been attacked as well.

  “They were attacked, but it looked like the teams after them were trying to kidnap them and not kill them.” Richard said. “I had teams watching them and they were able to extract the Taher’s. Currently they are settling in ArcCorp Tower with Toby, as well as in their new jobs in ArcRaD division. Your parents and Scarlet, have taken them under their wing.”

  “My family?” I asked.

  “All are fine. Alexis and her group are doing very well in the ArcOn World Event. Your parents are recovered and are working again. We had little to do with their recovery. Scarlet stopped us from doing anything, telling us to let your nanos, do their work.” I could hear some displeasure in Richard’s voice.

  “We will be there, but we need to be back here as soon as possible.” Matthew said. “We will fill you in personally, when we get there.” Matthew’s voice was firm, telling Richard to back off and wait till we met in person

  We met up with the teams from ArcCorp and they quickly led us to a waiting helicopter. The helicopter flew us to an airstrip, where a jet was waiting. Without having spoken, Matthew and I boarded the jet. One team joined us. On board Matthew and I sat together. We did not say a word, we did not need to. Both of us were noticing how we had been changed. I could see the awe in Matthew’s eyes, as the full realisation hit him. We spent the whole flight testing our abilities and conferring with each other through thought. If I thought my nanos were special, they were nothing compared to the improved nanos, now running through our bodies. The Book of Thoth had been a quest to test humans, to determine if they were advanced enough to cope with the advanced nanos. Humans had needed to evolve, to be able to handle receiving them.

  Chapter 17

  It took us a while to convince the Team Leader, that Matthew and I would be safer going in without them. They could follow far behind, but we would approach and enter the German Main Court building by ourselves. His concern was justified, there was no way that the entire area was not being watched by The Shadow Organisation. They would be on the watch out for me and Matthew, with orders to kill. The number of men they used to try to ensure Matthew and I never left Amarna, guaranteed this. We had been informed that when ArcCorp Teams had arrived at Amarna, the entrance had been gone. Amarna itself had been teeming with groups of operatives belonging to The Shadow Organisation and it had taken the ArcCorp Teams a while to take control of the site. They had been ordered to hold it and more ArcCorp resources had been sent to make sure they did. A perimeter wall had been established around Amarna and the ArcCorp Teams had held it against continuous attacks. With the force in the compound and the technology ArcCorp had dedicated to its protection, Amarna was secure.

  The teams guarding the German Court, paid little attention to an old man and his son as they made their way to the Court building. They had a large courtyard to walk through to get to the entrance, but neither seemed in any hurry to get to the building. The teams had scanned both, but it was quickly obvious they were not the two people, that they were on high alert, watching for.

  I walked next to Matthew, as we made our way to the Court building. We had discussed it and decided an older man and his grandson, would be our best disguises. With our new nanos, we could directly control our own bodies to such an extent, that we could change our features and skeletal structures. I was taller and thinner while Matthew had a crooked leg, making him walk slower and needing a cane. There was no point of similarity between our forms now and our original ones.

  We reached the building without any problems. Entering it, we both went to the bathrooms, I had altered my facial features slightly as we entered, so now I looked like a young girl. No one noticed the slight shifting of features. In the female bathroom, I entered a stall and reverted back to my normal self. My clothing also changed, now fitting my professional scientist look. I left the bathroom and went to the room number Richard had told us the hearing was in. We had no fear inside the building, the interior was AI controlled and there was little to fear. Someone could try to poison me or stab me with something, but I would be able to counter that type of attack easily.

  Smiling, Matthew took my hand as we entered the room together. Richard and the rest of the ArcCorp board, were already sitting in one of the see-through box sections. The court rooms all had boxes like these which could be entered by certain people. These boxes were one hundred percent safe and had the added benefit of being sound proofed. Nobody outside, would be able to hear anything we said, unless we activated the microphones in the box. People concerned about their safety or wishing to be secluded, could rent a box like this. They could be made in any size and with nanos, they could be made at any time, if there was space available. The largest section was an open section where anybody could sit. It was for those who did not want or need the safety boxes. I looked to the left of our box and saw it had about ten people in it. All of them, were looking at me with mixtures of interest and anger.

  We entered our box and Richard immediately stood to hug his brother and then me. “I am very glad that you are both safe. If not for Mason and Lisa promising me you were still alive, I do not know what I would have done.”

  “Sorry, brother. We did not realise how much time had passed, till Morgan figured it out and we learned that what for us had been forty-five minutes, was days for you.” Matthew said.

  I could see the others sit forward, paying complete attention to what Matthew was saying. “Time alteration? Or did you go to another dimension?” Eric asked.

  “I think you need to explain it to us from the beginning. But try to make it as concise as possible, we do not have much time. Firstly, Morgan can you prove the nanos are yours?” Richard asked.

  “Oh, yes. Do not worry about that.” I let a confident smile cover my face. I was actually looking forward to this.

  “Okay. The necklaces were not only the key to realising that they were after the Book of Thoth, but also a key that needed activation, to allow us entrance into an alien compound.” Matthew said.

  “Alien compound?” Eric asked.

  “Apparently these aliens are all over the world. Thirteen compounds in total, though some of them seem to have been destroyed. Each compound set clues and trials of some kind to test civilisations, to see if they were ready. They have been here for centuries, but with their technology it has only been a few hundred years for them.” Matthew said.

  “So, aliens with advanced technology have just been waiting for us to find them, leaving clues through a treasure hunt?” Lisa asked. “Why?”

  “According to the one we met, to save the human race and through us, themselves.” Matthew said.

  “Could it be?” Richard pondered, “It has to be, they have to be the ones that have been helping us. Leading us in a direction to be able to find them. Did you learn anything else?”

  “No. We left then, as that was when we found out we had been gone for five days. We need to get back there as soon possible.” I said. “I got the feeling that time was crucial.

  “You are correct, we get that feeling as well.” Richard said. “We know Yellowstone will erupt soon, we are not sure exactly when.”

  “What, it is going to erupt? But that would likely mean the end of most life on earth.” I said. “Why did you not tell me before? I could have been working on a way to try prevent it erupting.”

  “That is exactly why we did not tell you. Lisa and Peter, know it will erupt with certainty, there is nothing that will stop it. If we had told you, you would have changed your focu
s to stop it, you would not have believed us. We needed your focus to be on exactly what you were doing. Eric and I feel this to be the absolute truth, your technological advancements are crucial. None of us can explain why we know this, it is the powers and abilities we have had since birth. It is what brought us all together and also allowed us to build ArcCorp.” Richard informed us.

  Just then the side door to the room opened and I saw everyone stand as the judge entered. I saw two guards carrying in a glass container with a ball inside. It was a nano ball. I smiled as I saw it. It was my missing signal booster NND. I looked in the box of our opposition. The board of a company called Sytek. Obviously, they worked for, or belonged to The Shadow Organisation.

  “Good afternoon. Court is in session, case number NT14T822102. Sytek vs. ArcCorp concerning patent application for Advanced Nanite Technology. ArcCorp is opposing the application, stating the technology is theirs, stolen by Sytec. This is a serious accusation and I hope ArcCorp is prepared to accept the heavy penalties if their charge is proven to be false.” The judge said.

  “We are my lord.” Richard answered.

  “Very well then, let us begin.” The judge said.

  “My lord, may I speak? I can save this court time and prove without a doubt that this technology is mine.” Morgan said.

  The judge studied Morgan before saying, “This is unusual and not according to procedure, but if it can save time, then it is worth consideration.” He looked to the people standing behind him and both moved forward to whisper in his ear.

  “Very well. If you can prove without a doubt the technology is yours, the application will be rejected outright. If you cannot then the application will be granted immediately. Do you agree?” The judge asked.

  “We do, my lord.” Richard answered promptly.

  “We do not my lord. How do we know she won’t illegally manage to influence our technology or use tricks?” The lawyer from Sytek said.

  “Is this technology yours, or not?” The judge asked. “It seems to me, that if it is as advanced as you claim it is and it is yours, then you should not have any problem accepting this quick and easy resolution to your application.”

  There was some conversing in the Sytek box, before the lawyer said, “We agree but with these conditions; she is not allowed near the item, nor anyone else with her, her proof may not require her to directly interact in any manner with our device and we are allowed to give her tests to refute any proof she gives.”

  “Agreed.” I said.

  “Proceed.” The judge said.

  They had a field around the nano ball, which prevented anyone from hacking the nanos. The field also blocked me from connecting completely to the nanos, but I did not need to. I had built a backdoor, one which could not be overwritten and which no one else would be able to find.

  “Just so they do not claim afterwards that this is one of their triggers, could you request Sytec to inform you of any trigger songs or poems they coded into their technology.” I requested of the judge.

  The judge looked to Sytek and the group was once again conversing. “My clients have one trigger phrase and a trigger sequence of numbers.” The lawyer said.

  “Please write these down on the touch screen in your box. Let me assure you, this information will not be seen by anyone. The Court AIs will be the only ones with this information.” The judge said.

  It was just a formality, as everyone knew any confidential information could be given to the Court AIs, guaranteeing the information stayed confidential. The AIs would never divulge any information given in such a manner. I saw a person stand up and move to reach the screen, where he used the special pen to write the information down. No one could see what he wrote, so there was no chance of someone gleaning the information in this manner.

  Once he was done, the judge nodded at me. Smiling, I began to softly sing, “Hush little baby, don’t say a word, mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird and if the mockingbird does not sing, mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.” I had long ago incorporated trigger songs into all my NND’s. The songs ranged from ancient to modern, though I tended to like the older songs and nursery rhymes. All NND’s had a hidden set of five different songs. I had another proof, which would work, but this was more fun.

  As I sang, the ball reacted. It morphed into a small baby, then into a clear bird and finally into a large object which was obviously a ring. The NND, stayed black, but even without colours, it was clear that the device had changed to match my signing. With the song, I also triggered a program, which reverted the nano’s programming, back to its original programming. I felt the link re-join with me, in the Sytec box, there was angry gesturing and it looked like they were having heated arguments.

  “My lord, they must have hacked into our system somehow.” The lawyer eventually said.

  I looked to the judge and saw he was not buying this, but as it was possible he had to let that statement stand. “If you can show, when or how that would have been possible, the court will repress what was just seen. Though it must be noted, that your system does not seem as advanced as you claim, if it is subverted so easily. Can you gain control back?”

  “No, My Lord. My clients have been locked out completely.” Came the grudging admission.

  “My Lord, I have more proof. Please ask the Court AIs to magnify an image of one nano, as much as they can. Then to use ultra-violet light to look at it.” I said. I had used my internal nanos, to write my name on each nano. It would only show up on extreme magnification and under ultra-violet light. Without my internal nanos, it would never have been possible given the minute sizes involved. New nanos, copied the existing ones exactly, so every time a nano was then made it had my name. The judge requested the Court AIs to do so and to show the image on the screen on the back wall. Before long an image appeared, my name clearly visible.

  “The Court AIs will be able to confirm that my name was written on creation of the nano, not added afterwards.” I said.

  The judged queried the Court AIs and the response was, “The statement of Miss M. Dumont is true.”

  At these words, the judge said, “The court finds in favour of ArcCorp and deny Sytek their patent application. Instead the patent is granted to ArcCorp. All information on this technology is sealed and can only be released by ArcCorp. Any other company using this technology, shall be doing so illegally and will face prosecution.”

  With that the judge hit his gavel to conclude proceedings and he left by the door he came in from. “We have teams waiting outside. I suggest you get out the same way you got in. If anything happens, head for our teams.” Richard said.

  Everyone felt like we needed to get out quickly, before the Shadow Organisation could arrange anything. I called the NND to me and it easily smashed through the container holding it. I headed for the bathroom. I needed to change as quickly as possible and not give them time to figure out who I was. I changed myself into an elderly lady and left the bathroom, through one of the other doors. This bathroom had three entrances in total. I headed outside and was pleased to recognise Matthew next to me, he had completely changed as well and was now a fit looking Asian man. Together, but not looking like we were together, we headed outside. The courtyard was packed with people moving to the Court and other buildings around it.

  I suddenly got an immense sense of danger. Simultaneously, I felt my clothing ripple, acting instinctively. A hood shot up behind me. Matthew sensing the same and seeing my body’s instinctive response, grabbed my hand and called out for the teams to converge on us and to cover us. We raced towards them. I saw a few had activated their shields, holding them out as they searched for the danger. We were a few steps from them, when I felt my body and system fail. A second later I felt a pain at the back of my head and then I felt nothing more.

  Matthew watched in shock as Morgan collapsed next to him. Blood blooming from the back of her head. He knew she had been shot, but he was struggling to process it. Within seconds the ArcCorp team reached them a
nd surrounded them, but it was too late. Morgan had already been shot in the head. He fell down next to her and noticed she was naked, he took off his coat and draped it around her. Her naked state worried him more than the fact that she had been shot in the head. It meant that her nanos had gone inactive, they would not be healing her. Her inactive nanos meant she was either already dead or had lost connection with her nanos. Feeling for a pulse, Matthew prayed it was the latter. Feeling her pulse, he gave a brief prayer of thanks. She was still alive, but as he scanned her system, he saw she was in a critical state, her body was shutting down. Using his own nanos, he inserted them into the back of her head, where the bullet hole was. He would not be able to heal her, but he could stop the bleeding and try to stabilise her.

  “We need to get her to a hospital.” Matthew said.

  “We cannot move Sir. They have us surrounded and pinned down, they are also shooting everyone in the courtyard, they do not seem to mind who they kill.” One of the Team Leaders said. “Also, our shields will not last for much longer, they are taking a hammering.”

  Matthew looked around and noticed what he was talking about. The shields allowed one to see through them, but from the front they were solid black. The courtyard was a war scene, with people injured and dead, visible all over. People had taken cover wherever they could, and chaos reigned. Matthew saw many of the people were returning fire in the direction of the shots. Germany had been a country of war and rebelling for hundreds of years. Its people were fierce, the Shadow Organisation may be established in the country, but it did not mean they owned its people. If the people of Germany learned of the Shadow Organisation and of them caring so little for their people, the Shadow Organisation would be in for a hell of a fight.