by J. L. Lyon
“You are a fool if you believe that.”
“Am I?” Radcliffe asked. “Then why has the grand admiral of the World System, the supposed chieftain of all the Great Army, been reduced to begging my help? Your power has waned, Grand Admiral Blaine, as Napoleon Alexander’s has waned. I can no longer gamble on the survival of his empire, and if I am to choose between Sullivan and his sniveling lackeys or Shadow Heart, I can tell you without question to whom I will pledge my strength. We’re done here. Best of luck to you and Van Dorn.”
Radcliffe gave a wave of his hand and vanished from the chair, his transmission terminated.
Derek slammed his fist down on the table, “We’re losing control, Gentry. If I can’t get generals of the Great Army to fight against a rebel takeover of their city…”
“No disrespect, sir, but you do not understand the culture of the Corridor. They do not see things the same as you do in Alexandria. Grace Sawyer came into her power by law. Until she becomes a clear threat to that law, they will not raise a hand to oppose her. Now at least we know that the armies at Corridor North and South will not march on Prime against Van Dorn. We still have a chance to salvage this.”
“How did we get here?” Derek rubbed his face and slouched back in his chair. “How did we fall so low that I can’t even get my generals to follow my orders?”
“Radcliffe wasn’t wrong, sir,” Gentry replied. “The MWR has continually answered the advances of our enemies with inaction. Ever since the Battle of the Central Square, he has been withdrawn and silent, authorizing defensive action only when the east coast cities have been threatened. There are rumors even in Specter that he has lost it. I can only imagine what they are saying elsewhere.”
“I asked him about it, multiple times,” Derek said. “All he says is that he has to ‘draw them out,’ whatever that means.”
“By the time he succeeds, there may not be a System left to defend.”
Derek barely heard him, his thoughts fixated on his own statement: draw them out.
“The Corridor will return to the fold if Grace Sawyer is removed.” Derek stood and commanded: “Computer, display satellite image of Corridor Prime.”
A three-dimensional model of the city came alive on the table, and Gentry moved closer to study it, “What are you thinking, sir?”
“Van Dorn’s forces are here,” he pointed to a position along the river several miles north of Prime. “When he marches south, Bracken and Laban will send their forces north to meet them, outside the city proper.” He pointed again. “Sawyer will want to minimize casualties. It is also likely that she will send part of Silent Thunder to strengthen the core of the defense force.” His hand moved from the likely site of the battle and pointed to the building that rose just beneath the largest arch. “If she listens to her advisors, Sawyer herself will remain at the Stone Hall with only a few warriors.”
He slammed his fist down again on the table, only this time it was not in frustration. The hologram flickered due to the vibration, but rematerialized once the projectors were stable. He pointed at Gentry, “Get me General Van Dorn. I know how we are going to retake the Corridor.”
36
LIZ OPENED HER EYES to the morning, still shocked at first to be back in a comfortable bed and out of the bitter cold. The sunlight streaming in through the window spread warmth across her skin, and she considered just closing her eyes again and losing herself in the luxury. It had been so long since she’d had no responsibilities—since she didn’t have to wake up every morning to decisions of life and death. She could get used to living like this.
Fingers touched the bare skin of her arm, and she rolled over onto her stomach to see Lieutenant Commander Davian watching her, that same expression of awe and desire she had come to expect from him in the last two days since their kiss in the stable. It both thrilled and terrified her, for it was not the kind of desire she had witnessed her entire life. Lust was something she understood, but while there was a physical aspect to Davian’s desire, it was secondary to the emotional. His eyes spent more time on her face than elsewhere, always searching hers, as if trying to reach that part of her soul that she had buried long ago. More than once it crossed her mind that he might love her, and that was the most terrifying notion of all.
He ran his fingers across her back affectionately, tracing the scars that still had not fully healed, no doubt imagining how they had looked when he first found her. There was a certain intimacy in it. He had seen her at her absolute worst, on the very brink of death, and yet he could still look at her like that.
“What's going on behind those eyes?” he whispered softly. “Sometimes I know you're here with me. Other times, you're off someplace else.”
“I was just thinking how thankful I am,” she grinned. “That it was you who saved me and not one of those old men.”
Davian laughed, a deep rumble she had grown to love in the past two days. It was hard to fathom that it had only been that long. It felt like so much longer, though it might be because she saw more of him than anyone else in Corridor Prime.
Grace had been keeping her at arm's length, and it was frustrating though not wholly unexpected. Her responsibilities and problems seemed to multiply daily, and arbitrating between two former enemies while also preparing the city's defenses took up the majority of her time. Still, it stung. Now that Grace didn't need her anymore, it was hard not to feel brushed aside.
Davian calmed down from his laughter, “I'm glad for that one, too. But I know something is bothering you. Is it the man you killed in the forest? You knew him, right?”
“I did,” Liz nodded. “But my only regret is that I didn't kill him long ago. He got what he deserved. Perhaps better than he deserved. There are worse things than death.”
“True enough,” his expression hardened. “And this man...what did he—”
“It's Grace,” Liz cut across him, eager to steer the conversation away from Rowan for multiple reasons. “She is shutting me out, and I don't know why.”
Davian rolled over onto his back and sighed, “I told her it was a bad idea.”
Liz pulled the sheets around herself and sat up, “You told her what was a bad idea? You mean you knew she was shutting me out and didn't say anything?”
“She isn't shutting you out,” Davian replied. “She's giving you space to rest; to work out things on your own.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You've been through a lot, Liz. And not just since nearly dying in the Wilderness. You left the World System, prosecuted a war against them for Sullivan, and then he betrayed you and left you for dead unless you could work your way into Silent Thunder. Now here you are. After the year you've had, can you blame Grace for not wanting to place you in the middle of the tensions between us and the Great Army?”
She frowned and pulled her knees up to her chest, “Or perhaps she thinks I will take Sullivan up on his offer.”
“She trusts you more than she should,” Davian said. “In fact, she wants you to join Silent Thunder. She's just afraid you will say no.”
Liz paused, unsure what to say. Lack of responsibility had been refreshing after all she had been through, but it wasn't the kind of life she could abide for long. She belonged at the center of the action, not on the sidelines.
“Will you?” Davian asked. She turned to him with questioning eyes. “Will you refuse her, when she asks?”
Her first inclination was to say yes, but in truth she didn't know how she should answer. She loved Grace, but joining the Silent Thunder rebellion had never been in her plans. She liked the thought of placing her allegiance where it was earned, not where it was owed. But she saw no reason to tell Davian any of that, not after his little slip, “You said Grace trusts me more than she should. Does that mean you don't trust me?”
He hesitated, and that was all the answer she needed. Exasperated, she threw off the covers, stepped out of bed, and began gathering her things.
“Liz, wait,” D
avian protested. “I didn't mean...where are you going?”
“Why? Need to keep tabs on me?” she slid on her clothing, relishing the disappointment on Davian's face as her body was slowly hidden. Perhaps he was the same as all the others, after all.
“You know I don't,” he said. “Please, just stop for a second. Can we talk about this?”
“There's nothing to talk about,” she made her way over to the mirror and did what she could with her hair. “I'll settle things with Grace so you don't have to babysit me anymore.”
“Don't be ridiculous,” he said, getting out of bed himself. She forced herself to look away in indifference, despite how badly she wanted not to. “If you and I have a problem then we should talk through it. You don't just walk out and act like—”
“Please, Davian,” she had been moving toward the door, but stopped for a moment to face him across the room, the unmade bed a buffer between them. “Let's not pretend this is anything more than what it is.”
The light went out of his eyes, and her heart hurt as she heard her own words. Maybe he did care about her as much as she thought. Maybe she cared more about him, too. Davian swallowed and crossed his arms, “So what is it, exactly?”
She stared at him in silence, tempted to take back what she had said, to apologize and try to make things right. Perhaps afterward they could have a serious conversation about what was happening between them. Wasn't that what normal people would do when they felt these things?
But she was not normal, and she was a coward.
She turned away from him, and before she could think twice about it the door had closed behind her. She paused for a moment, listening, hoping he might come after her, but there was no sound from within. So she continued on down the hall, past her own room and out of the residential suites. She had business to attend to at the Stone Hall.
- X -
Grace couldn't remember a time when she had been more tired. The demands of her position as magistrate were beyond anything she could have imagined, and with the lengthening shadow of war that stretched in their direction she barely had a moment of peace. There were so many things to consider, to weigh and keep in balance, that something was bound to drop. Or explode.
First on her agenda was a meeting with her remaining officers to discuss the part they would play in the battle to come. Those men respected and trusted her, but also had gone out of their way to insist that she must use her power to bring about the downfall of the World System, not perpetuate its oppressions. The hardest part about it was that she agreed with them. She wanted nothing more than to declare from the Stone Hall that all the people of the city were free and no longer bound by Systemics. But she might as well hand her armies over to Van Dorn right now, and offer up both herself and her people for slaughter.
There would be a time for change, but that time was not now.
The elevator doors opened to reveal the corridor that led to the Stone Hall, and her first sight was of Liz standing by the door at the opposite end, waiting. Grace stepped out, her entourage of guards behind her, and smiled. She had been hoping to find some time with Liz today. She remained the only person in the city that Grace could truly be honest with, and that included Davian and Crenshaw.
“Liz,” she greeted her with an embrace and resisted the urge to laugh. No matter how many times she hugged her, Liz always seemed surprised at the gesture. She released her and turned to her guards, “Can you two give us a moment?”
“Respectfully, Magistrate, you already have an appointment with the officers of Silent Thunder.”
“They will wait on me for a few minutes,” Grace said. “I won't be long.”
The guards acquiesced and stepped away, giving the two of them some privacy. “I'm sorry about the last couple of days. I'm getting up to speed on things, and I thought you could use the time to rest.”
“You shouldn't have,” Liz replied. “You said you needed me, and you were right. Don't make your position weaker on my account.”
Grace nodded, relieved but at the same time concerned. There was something going on with Liz, something beyond her normal withdrawn and stoic tendencies. She seemed hurt, though she hid it well. Did she feel that strongly about being out of the loop the last couple of days? Or had something happened with Davian?
Grace knew what was going on between them. Davian had told her as much, not wanting to bring any further tension between them by her finding out through some other means. At first she had been shocked at how quickly it had happened, but she took it in stride. She loved them both, and wanted the best for them…even if it wounded her barely healed heart to do so.
“Are you sure you want to wade into the middle of this?” Grace asked. “The road ahead is not going to be easy.”
“I never wanted easy,” Liz replied. “I just want to do something that has meaning. Let me help you. Please.”
“Alright,” she said. “I do need you, but the last thing I want is for you to serve me. I need a friend, not another subordinate. Someone I can trust to be honest with me—but only in private, away from the ears of those whose loyalty depends on their service.”
“You know you can rely on me for that,” Liz smiled. “But there is something else we must discuss. Something that has been bothering me since we arrived here…about the Code Zero.”
Grace took a look back at her guards to make certain they were out of earshot. Every time she had mentioned the Code Zero she had been met with silence, as if she spoke of something forbidden. Now that it was over, few desired to remember that it had happened. Which, of course, only made her want to know more about it.
“What is it?”
“Every officer in the Great Army is required to take a course in Systemics to understand how the selection process works. It’s not complicated at the highest level. You take your Operations Potential Exam, and the System’s central computer places you in an occupation based on a balance of your aptitude and the expected needs of your city. When positions of higher-value are vacated, the computer selects successors all the way back down the line. However, an individual’s entire life is based on preparing for their role. That is the simplest explanation of how the System works, but underneath the surface it becomes so much more complex.”
“Go on.”
“The computer uses more than just the OPE to determine aptitude. It watches and gathers intel on our actions, our behavior in certain situations, our emotional states, everything. We are essentially a package of data that it consumes, judges, and moves within society according to its programming. But it takes more than software to achieve something like this. No human mind could keep up with all that data and make something useful out of it. But it takes more than a machine to understand human behavior and learn from its mistakes.”
“What are you saying, exactly?” Grace asked.
“The System’s central computer is an AI, Grace. The most advanced artificial intelligence ever created. It watches us, learns from us, and catalogs us. It knows every documented person on this planet individually, and sees them as a part of the larger picture.”
“How?”
“Through technology. Every surveillance device in existence can theoretically be appropriated by the central computer. The base server of the AI is in Alexandria beneath the palace, but in truth the entity is everywhere. In everything connected to the grid. It is probably listening to this conversation at this very moment.”
A chill traveled up Grace’s spine. “The way you talk about it sounds almost like how someone would speak of…”
“God?” Liz asked.
Grace nodded, trying to quell her discomfort. It seemed wrong to even make the connection between a being like God and this machine, but if others knew of this…
“Some will think so,” Liz echoed her thoughts. “The people of Corridor Prime are fanatics, devoted to the notion of Systemics beyond anything I have ever seen or heard of. So far it has been to your advantage, but it may become a danger. It is a fine line
between devotion and worship, given the right circumstances.”
“Yes, but we don’t really know where the people stand, not yet, only the rulers and the soldiers. A point my officers in Silent Thunder continue to make. But tell me about the Code Zero. What has you concerned?”
“Well,” Liz looked away uncomfortably, as though afraid of what she was about to say. “In the class that we take, there is a short discussion of the Code Zero. The AI is programmed to choose the best person for a given role, so as long as there are options a Code Zero should never take place, and it never did until just a few weeks ago. What has me alarmed, Grace, is that in my class, the instructor made an offhanded comment about what a Code Zero would mean.”
A few beats passed, underscoring Liz’s reluctance to continue. But Grace would pull it out of her if she had to, “Tell me, Liz. I don’t care how crazy you think it sounds.”
“He said that it would be a warning that the AI is…waking up.”
Grace's eyes narrowed, “Waking up.”
“Becoming self-aware.”
“But it’s a computer. A machine. It does only what it has been programmed to do by humans.”
“A Code Zero indicates that it has broken the bonds of its programming,” Liz said. “The AI made a choice to select no one, and then another choice to select you, someone who not only had not been trained as a ruler, but who was not even a citizen of the city! There are supposedly strict programming rules in place to prevent things just like this, but they are failing. Something has changed.”
Grace didn’t want to dismiss Liz’s concerns out of hand, but what she was talking about did sound crazy. So does the notion of a weapon that can destroy the world, she thought dryly. Something is only crazy until it actually happens. Then it is too late.
“What do you suggest we do?”
“We can’t do anything directly, not yet,” she looked around nervously, but had little concern for the guards. Was she afraid of being overheard by the machine? She leaned in closer and spoke quietly. “The server is beneath the palace in the heart of Alexandria, and can only be shut down from there. But, Grace: it will have to be shut down. And when it is, Systemics, the OPE—all of it—will be gone. It cannot work without the AI. You need to understand that now, and be thinking ahead to that day.”
