by TR Cameron
Jax breathed, “Damn. I don’t want to leave here empty-handed, so figure something out, Mister Biological Engineer guru.” He walked over to the table the others were using, opened his briefcase and dumped its contents on the floor out of the way, then set the luggage on a clear part of the surface. He dragged his index finger along the inside in the proper gestures, and the bottom popped up with a snap. Lifting it revealed another deconstructed pistol and an energy cell for it, several chemical explosives that were only dangerous when mixed and containers to make grenades from them, and earbuds for everyone on the team that would give them comms and block out his sonic pen’s emissions. He tossed the pen in the case as well. “Cia, can you put this stuff together and still keep guard on the door?”
She snorted. “As if there’s anything I can’t do.”
Even in the stress of the moment, she made him laugh. He shook his head in appreciation. “Marshall. This is where you tell me you’ve found something that’s going to make this all worthwhile.” He walked over and tapped on the shield surrounding the cube. As he’d expected from his first sight of the thing, it was composed of the same heavy material used on spaceship hulls. It would require much more impressive gear than they’d brought to get into it by force. Maybe the robot arms have a drill or other pointy tool. He looked up, but no tools were visible.
“Oh, hell,” Marshall breathed. “We’re hosed.”
Jax shook his head. “No, we’re not. No way, no how. Talk to me.”
The other man locked eyes with him. “This area is made for implanting the data. We came prepared to deal with a wire transmission harness like we saw before, but this isn’t that. This is for actual integration. This technology doesn’t exist anywhere.”
He frowned. “Tell me that again, but pretend I’m not as knowledgeable about bioengineering as you are.”
Cia snorted from the side. “Or about anything, really.”
He’d expected to hear hopelessness in the other man’s tones but instead detected a rising excitement. “So, this is an operating room. It’s designed to insert the AI physically into a body. It might be that you need to be wired for it to work, there’s no way to know that part of it from what’s on this display. But the routine is right here. The process implants a physical object.”
“How does that help us?”
“One of us can be the courier. Unfortunately not me, I have to oversee the process from here. Basically, we tell it to do its thing and then walk out of here with the technology hidden inside.”
Jax shook his head. “Is there any guarantee that once we get it out of here, it’ll be viable?”
Marshall shrugged. “No guarantees at all. Absolute leap of faith. But I think I’m reading it right.”
He turned to the other pair in the room. “Other ideas? Anything?”
Cia said, “Blast our way out of here and forget about it. There has to be another path to come at this rather than risk dying on that table. No offense intended, Marshall. Just too many unknowns.”
Kimmel nodded. “I’m with her.”
Jax locked eyes with Marshall. “Can you do this? And if this goes wrong, can you lead the team?” Again, the universe was asking him to commit his future, and that of those he loved, to another person. In this case, one he wasn’t sure he truly could count on.
The other man’s face went somber. “I can. I will. You can trust me on this.” As the only other one with military experience, Kenton Marshall had been his backup plan for that function all along. While any of the others would be better at most things, this was an area where his background made him the right choice. But still, letting the man essentially operate on him with unfamiliar equipment was a pretty far leap from there.
Sure, he’s spiky, but he hasn’t taken any actions to make you think he wants anything other than the best for everyone. So, Jackson, do you trust him or not? He nodded. “Fine. Let’s do this. Do you need me to take off my shirt or anything?”
Marshall shook his head. “Just get on the table. I’ll handle the rest.”
He complied, and Cia called, “Are you sure you want to do this, boss? Juno isn’t going to be impressed by this level of stupidity. Of course, I also have ‘does something incredibly stupid’ in the betting pool, so I’m down with whatever you choose.” He heard the concern behind the joke and nodded.
“Yeah, Cia. I’m sure. This feels bigger than us, bigger than the Academy. I doubt we’ll have another shot as solid as this one. And besides, I don’t want your brothers and sister to think you couldn’t get the job done.”
She choked out a laugh. “Good point.”
Marshall said, “Just relax, this will feel a little weird,” and the world went white. At that moment, Jax realized he’d never actually asked the most important question. Wonder where this thing goes?
Jax couldn’t see the process since the first robot arm to descend held a syringe that rendered him instantly unconscious. His initial realization that it was over was a female voice speaking to him loudly enough to jar him from his haze. “Captain Reese, can you hear me?”
He mumbled, “Yes, damn, too loud.”
The volume reduced. “Is this better, Captain Reese?”
“Much. And call me Jax. Wait, who the hell is talking to me?”
A note of amusement entered the tone. “You may call me Athena, Jax.”
“You’re the Artificial Intelligence.”
“Correct.”
He tried to sit up and found that he couldn’t move any of his limbs. “Am I paralyzed? Did something go wrong with the surgery?”
“The procedure was optimal, Jax. You are not yet conscious. To put it in terms you’d understand, we are speaking in your mind.”
“So I’m dreaming?” His thoughts were getting less fuzzy, but he still felt like he was soaring thousands of feet above the ground, through a cloud bank, inside a pillow.
“No, Jax. This conversation is real. It simply exists only in your brain.”
“You’re able to integrate even without additional hardware? We didn’t think that would happen.”
The AI laughed softly. “There is much you and your allies failed to understand about the process.”
A surge of alarm shot through him. “Are they all right? How long have I been out?”
“They are fine for the moment. Ethan Kimmel has locked out the elevator, and the ones that are upstairs are evading their pursuers effectively. You have been unconscious for seven minutes and thirty-six seconds.”
“Okay. I need to wake up so we can get out of here.”
“Full integration will require additional time. Currently, I cannot affect any part of your body other than the brain. You do not possess the proper infrastructure.”
He growled, “How long would that take?”
She replied instantly. “Forty-three hours, assuming normal recovery interval.”
“So, too long, then. We’ll go with the current setup for a while. Wake me up.”
He screamed and bolted up from the table as full consciousness returned, falling to the floor as his legs failed to support him. Marshall and Cia were at his side almost instantly, helping him to stand. She asked, “Jax, you okay?”
He mumbled, coughed, and tried to speak again. “Yes. Good. Athena’s in there.”
Marshall frowned. “What?”
“The AI. It can talk to me.”
“That shouldn’t be possible.”
Jax laughed, and his throat felt as if he’d been swallowing glass. “Seems like this is one of those days where reality takes a back seat.” He straightened, and his balance held. “I’m good. You can let go. Kimmel, what’s the deal?”
“I’m holding the elevator, but the whole building is on lockdown.”
“Damn. Okay, so, we’ll need to go loud.”
As if she was standing right next to him, Athena’s voice observed, “I have limited wireless capability. If you move near a control panel, I will be able to access the system.”
; Can you isolate the security forces and provide a clear exit path for my team?
“I can.”
Good, do it. “Apparently, Athena can get us out of here.” He moved next to Marshall so the AI could get the proximity it—she—needed. “Pack it up. Time to move out.”
He was still wobbly as they entered the elevator and rose to the lobby, but he managed to keep himself mostly upright by leaning on the wall. Kimmel had stowed his tablets and taken the other gun from Cia. Jax said, “Shouldn’t need weapons, Athena says the guards are locked out. Verrand and Sirenno are already on the way to the train.” Their standing instructions were to run straight for the ship if anything went wrong.
Cia shook her head and tapped her comm. “Trains are too dangerous. I’ve sent them to pick up the ATVs. We’ll drive it.”
Athena, please lock down all external communications from the building.
“Already done,” she replied, sounding pleased to have anticipated his needs.
Thank you. “They won’t be sending any messages out. I think we’ve got a clean shot back to the Grace.”
“You mean the Fours are Wild,” Marshall corrected.
“Yeah, that.” He was feeling more tired by the minute, and his head had started to spin. “Listen, I may need a little help to get there.” He meant to say more but passed out instead.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jax knew nothing of the trip back to the Grace, nor the takeoff or transition into space. He woke in the medical pod with a start, pushed the top open, and sat up. He activated his comm and croaked, “Cia, status.”
Stress filled her voice. “Little busy at the moment, boss.”
“I’ll be right there.” He cut the channel as she started to reply and forced himself to his feet, where he swayed a little but managed to stay up. He staggered forward, leaning on the corridor wall for stability on the way to the pilot’s compartment. Athena, what happened?
The AI replied, “You were unconscious, Jax. It appears your body attempted to reject the implant. I interfaced with the medical systems to compensate. With regular injections, you should experience no additional issues.”
He nodded, then laughed. Can you tell when I’m nodding?
His mental passenger answered with a laugh. “I know what you know, Jax.”
I’m sure that won’t cause any problems at all, he thought sarcastically. Kimmel was in the co-pilot seat but vacated it at his appearance. Jax took his place and asked, “Okay, what’s the situation?”
The once-intern stood behind them and put a hand on each chair. “Seems like we’ve managed to seriously irritate the Confederacy.”
He frowned. “Define ‘irritate.’”
Cia snorted. “Three ships are after us, two small ones and a biggie.” He called up the tactical display on his control panel and saw that they were being trailed by a pair of fast attack ships and a corvette.
“Remind me to discuss military ship designations with you sometime. Can we outrun them?”
The pilot shrugged. “Fifty-fifty. The fact that they haven’t started shooting yet makes me think they’re not sure we have the AI. But there could be a host of other reasons.”
Athena, can you do something about those ships?
She replied, “Standby. Connecting to the Grace’s systems.” She paused, then continued, “I cannot. Their networks are inaccessible.”
“Athena can’t get into their network. Anything you can do to help, Ethan?”
Kimmel shook his head. “Nope. They’re designed to prevent it. Without a physical input source, no luck.”
“More speed?”
Cia nodded. “At the cost of full shields, sure. Killing nonessential systems will give us an extra percentage point or two, but it’s probably not a solution. More like a backup plan for the right situation.”
“The EMP is there, but that only works if they’re all close, and that won’t happen, so we need a better option or we’re toast,” he said, thinking out loud. Her face twisted a little, dropping the last piece into a mental puzzle he’d been working on. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to use the upgrade you had put in at your parents’ place.”
She frowned. “Come again?”
He shook his head. “You think I didn’t notice what you were up to? Yeah, you told us about defeating the increased scanning, but that doesn’t explain the extra bulge on the top of the hull. What’s up there?”
The conflict was visible on her face, so it had to be something dangerous to the other vessels. “Drone mines, four of them. They’re EMP, but at the speeds those ships are going, it could still wreck them. If it were only one, I’d have already done it.”
He nodded. It made sense that she’d be reluctant, especially since their pursuers weren’t shooting. “I understand. We should hold off and try to outrun them first. The shields should stand up to at least one attack, right?”
“As long as they’re positioned properly, I think so.”
Kimmel quipped, “Wow, you sure know how to reassure a guy, Cia.”
She snapped back with a hint of humor apparent through the stress. “Shut it, intern. Go get me some coffee or something.”
Jax nodded. “Put bourbon in mine. This is no fun at all.”
Athena warned, “Alcohol may not interact well with the immunosuppressant drugs. You should moderate your intake.”
He sighed. “Make it just a little bourbon. Now go.” After Kimmel had departed, he asked, “So, really, how bad is it?”
Cia shook her head. “I think the shields can handle a single attack, maybe two at once. But if all three of them come after us together, even my fanciest flying won’t be enough.”
“Should we pour on the speed now and try to outrun them?”
“No. The closer we get to the jump point before they feel the need to act, the better off we are. The stalemate just sucks.”
“I hear that, totally. Have they hailed us?”
She made a sour face. “Automated. Cease, desist, stop, halt, authority of the king, that sort of thing. I didn’t reply. It would be a stunningly boring conversation. If someone real tries, I’ll think about answering.” She shifted topics unexpectedly. “So, what’s it like now that there’s a reason for the voices in your head other than your basic mental instability? You going to make it back to Earth in one piece?”
He expelled a tired breath. “Well, I feel like hell, but Athena tells me I’ll survive.”
“So you literally have an imaginary friend.”
With a groan, he slowly extended his left arm and slapped it against her shoulder. “Is this the right time to be busting my chops?”
“When isn’t it the right time?” She frowned as a hail came over the comms. “Fours are Wild, this is the Justice. Please kill your engines and allow us to come alongside.”
Cia put on the sweetest, most polite voice he’d ever heard her use. “This is the Fours are Wild. May I ask why?”
The man on the other end matched her politeness. “My commander harbors a suspicion that you have contraband on board, Fours. This is simply a random inspection.”
“A random inspection that involves two fast attack ships and a corvette.” She stuck her tongue out at Jax as she used the appropriate terms. His eyes were glued to the tactical display, which showed the other ships gaining on the Grace as she approached the jump point. A timer in the corner read a little less than eleven minutes, which meant that whatever was going to happen would definitely happen soon.
“That is correct, Fours,” Justice’s representative replied. “If you choose not to comply, there will be consequences to that decision.”
She sighed, and a snarl entered her tone. “We were doing so well. Then you had to resort to threats. Let me make you a counteroffer. You have someone with actual authority reach out to me, and we’ll talk. Until then, Fours are Wild, out.”
Jax shook his head. “You have a way with words.”
“They weren’t talking. They were politely threatenin
g.” Cia flicked on the ship-wide intercom. “Everyone into vacuum suits. I want you on independent air, strapped in, and wearing mag boots in three minutes. Move.” She turned to him. “You go too. My stuff is already in here. When you’re ready, come back up.”
He complied, and when he returned two-and-a-half minutes later, she was fully dressed, including a streamlined helmet he hadn’t seen before. “What’s that?”
Her voice echoed in his headwear. “Special pilot helmet. Extra displays, eye tracking controls, that sort of thing. I don’t like the feel of it, but better to have the additional stuff if I have to wear a hat anyway.” She announced, “If anyone isn’t strapped in, speak up now.” After a couple of seconds, she nodded. “Here we go.”
The constant hum of the air cyclers vanished as Cia killed all the ship’s nonessential functions, leaving only the control panels, shields, and engines, plus presumably the EMP and the drone mines. The countdown changed, dropping from a little over seven minutes to a little over five. More importantly, the distance between the Grace and her pursuers stretched for a moment before the other ships responded. She growled, “Quick reflexes, damn them.”
Another hail from the Confederacy representative sounded in his helmet. “Fours are Wild, this is your last warning. Heave to, or we will open fire.”
Cia replied, “I thought I told you to get me someone with authority. Bug off.” She killed the channel.
He laughed. “Bug off? Really? That’s the best you could come up with?”
She snorted. “Not everyone is as dirty-mouthed as you, Jackson.”
“Bug off. I can’t wait to tell anyone who will listen that at the climactic moment, you told them to bug off.”
Her tone went cold. “Incoming. Push ninety percent of shields to the rear.” The warning came not an instant too soon, as lasers splashed against their defenses an instant after he’d refocused them. “Torpedoes.”
Jax shook his head. “You need anti-missile guns on the Grace, at least.”
“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. We’ll take it out of your cut from the mission. Oh, that’s right, we don’t get paid.” She slipped the ship to the side, causing the projectiles to miss, and they curved around for another approach. “I think they’ve figured out we took something important. Damn it. Ethan, can you access the missile’s targeting computers, maybe?”
