Specter Protocol

by Eddie R. Hicks

  “All major port cities,” Bashiir said.

  “They’re looking to hijack a ship and head to the Federation.”

  “Or a shuttle and head to the orbital habitats.”

  “Either way, we’ll lose them forever if they get to one of the two safely.”

  Bashiir pulled over, three blocks away from the hotel as Ray instructed. This would have been the perfect time for a raider ambush. The two swapped places, Ray taking the driver’s seat, and Bashiir lying down on the backseat. Ray checked the horizon continually during the switch, hoping his glasses picked up movement or vulnerable icons his eyes didn’t. They didn’t, then again, the enhanced features of his glasses to relay the location of vulnerable devices got transmitted via his phone, and that was still bricked. A soft bricked he hoped.

  “Awake me should you require my assistance,” Bashiir said, and then shut his eyes.

  “Sweet dreams.”

  Ray didn’t drive away, not yet. He needed his phone up and running, now more than ever since they were at the edge of the wastelands. He needed the heads up on raiders, and he needed to have his technological godlike powers back when he returned to Los Angeles. And every minute he spent on his laptop, plugged to the phone, created a bigger gap between them and the truck, which was ahead and entering the city. He worked fast and periodically peeked out the car’s window for signs of people that shouldn’t be there.

  Fifty-five minutes later and hundreds of lines of code, and Ray made progress. A loading bar appeared on his phone’s screen. He set his phone to reboot, and it powered down. And then he waited. And waited. The booting screen popped up. It was promising. Then the date and time appeared and swiping across the screen gave Ray access to his apps and the ability to call or text.

  He raised his hands jubilantly. “Fucking finally!”

  The phone’s signal was weak. Nobody said the wastelands was a great place to get reception. Ray mashed the pedal and continued forward.

  His signal strength improved when Los Angeles was minutes away. His phone made irritating sounds, it received a barrage of missed text messages, and notifications of missed calls. Estrella and Piper were those callers and messengers.

  One hand on the wheel, the other holding the phone, Ray read what he missed. Then he verified it by accessing various news sites. The two witches had been busy when they ventured up north.

  “Shit!” He roared. “Shit, shit, shit!”

  Their car was in Los Angeles now, merging onto multi-level highways, and moving closer and closer to the urban sprawl of sun-blocking skyscrapers. He pulled over and took three deep breaths to calm himself. When his head was clear, and hands stopped shaking, he reached for his phone and began to thumb a delayed reply to Estrella.

  Ray’s laptop started beeping.

  He tossed the phone aside and picked up the laptop. Obsidian had messaged him across the dark web. Ray’s focus shifted to Obsidian. He never got around to texting Estrella back.

  Obsidian: Took you long enough.

  DigiSamurai: What the fuck did you send me to pick up?

  Obsidian: Possibly the worst weapon mankind will ever create.

  DigiSamurai: It’s a TEK suit.

  Obsidian: On the outside yes. On the inside, it’s something far worse. And you fucking lost it.

  DigiSamurai: We’re tailing it, almost in LA now.

  Obsidian: I can see that.

  DigiSamurai: How?

  A prompt appeared asking if Ray wished to accept an attached file from Obsidian. After what he went through to get his phone up and running, he hesitated.

  Obsidian: Take this package.

  His hesitation continued. Lips twisting, mind racing, his eyes looking at his phone, then back to his laptop. Cars on the highway sped past. Ray wondered if they’d be moving again after he accepted Obsidian’s mysterious file.

  Obsidian: Do it now, before it’s too late.

  Ray brought the mouse cursor to the accept button. He waited three seconds and then clicked it.

  Obsidian: Install this into your vehicle, phone, tablet, and laptop.

  The download completed in seconds. It wasn’t a very large file.

  DigiSamurai: This better be good.

  Obsidian: If you want to prevent the same thing from happening to your phone again, you’ll install this now.

  Ray installed the program to his laptop, transferring the installer to his phone, and later tablet. After that he plugged the laptop into the car’s dashboard computer, and sent the file to the car’s main computer, vehicles beyond his driver’s side window rushed past during the installation. When all devices had been updated with the file, Ray returned to his laptop’s screen. Obsidian had more to say in the chat window.

  Obsidian: Serge Smith has access to Yoshida’s private military command codes. He can bypass a lot of systems you can’t.

  Ray grimaced at his screen and typed a reply before Obsidian continued.

  DigiSamurai: Who the fuck is Serge Smith?

  Obsidian: The hacker that got the better of you in Alaska.

  DigiSamurai: Can I drive now?

  Obsidian: Is your car protected with my program?

  DigiSamurai: Yes.

  Obsidian: Then proceed. Prepare yourself, only you can stop Smith now.

  DigiSamurai: From what?

  Obsidian: From what I didn’t finish typing when you interrupted me with your questions. Your own apps.

  Ray merged with the highway’s traffic. Less than two minutes later utter chaos erupted. Vehicles came to a screeching stop, others drove off overpasses, and streetlights flashed random colors. He hit the brakes ahead of a truck that had overturned onto its side. And then a black van backed up, rushed over the median, turned and sped forward. It was on a collision course with Ray’s stolen car. He was almost certain its driver was screaming out in sheer terror.

  The vehicles on the highway became charging weapons regardless of whether their operators wanted it. Everything got hacked. Everything but the car Ray drove.

  Obsidian’s update protected him.

  Forty-Nine

  Miyuki

  Miyuki smiled. Beyond the twin ruby irises reflecting off the truck’s windshield were enormous skyscrapers welcoming those to the city of Los Angeles. Their captured truck arrived in the city. They evaded the searching Alliance military ships out in the wastelands thanks to Serge’s hacks, disabling their scanning equipment. Somewhere in the massive sprawl was the cyborg witch Estrella Rodriguez, and Yoshida’s forces doubling back to search for their fleeing truck. The Specters had a limited window to speed down to the Port of Los Angeles, hijack a shuttle, and return to the Federation, and she doubted Portia would let them get that far.

  Not that any of that was Miyuki’s problem. She’d gladly remain behind so long as Estrella was alive, in fact, it’d be in her best interest to leave the team as soon as possible. Staying aboard was suicide, and she had no plans on doing that again in life.

  “This traffic will compromise us,” Yanmei hissed, facing the traffic on the freeway ahead.

  “Naw, it won’t,” Serge said and checked his tablet, grinning at the new screen that popped up. “I just finished decrypting Partington’s phone flies.”

  “What did you do?” Yanmei sounded curious.

  “Snatched a few of his apps,” he said, and with one hand holding the tablet he tapped one app. A confirm prompt appeared on the screen, he held his thumb over it. “Watch this.”

  He thumbed the prompt.

  Almost like a magic trick, the cars ahead pulled to the side. She heard others crashing behind. Miyuki turned around to see the avatar telepath sitting elegantly in the lounge with hands not glowing white. The vehicles moving erratically wasn’t Portia’s doing.

  The big Australian broke into laughter. “I’m in the city’s grid! Traffic lights, cars, barricade deployments, detour panels. Ray Partington had a bunch of apps that give ‘em access. Now it’s mine!” Silence fell. Serge grimaced. “C’mon, celebra
te! These were apps Partington refused to share with the hacking community! Now I fuckin’ got it all!”

  “Just get us to the port,” Yanmei groaned, sounding uninterested in Serge’s newfound power.

  “Oh, we will be there soon, don’t you worry.” Serge put the truck in autopilot, freeing his hands to interact with the stolen apps from Ray’s phone. “Oy this is fucking fun! Like Christmas came again.”

  Serge now had the command codes for Yoshida’s private military and now the city in his palms. He had become the most dangerous person alive in Los Angeles. He laughed as shuttles dropped from the skies, searching helicopters spun aimlessly, and slammed into buildings. Miyuki turned away from the explosive blast that followed. More people died that didn’t deserve it. And the one that did was still alive.

  Was this the true price for revenge? One life for hundreds of others? Would Miyuki’s big brother approve? She grimaced and thought long and hard about that, and the answer she concluded, was probably. She hated that answer. It was a reminder that Nobuo had taken the lives of many in his campaign in the Alliance, and it was something she didn’t approve of when she heard it.

  She looked at her cyberware enhanced hands. Miyuki had finally understood what drove her brother to kill; he joined a team of insidious people that put him in that position.

  She retreated to the lounge and stood beside Portia. “Was this part of your plan?” she asked.

  “Not exactly,” Portia whispered, shaking her head. “But it will draw Yoshida closer to us.”

  Miyuki clenched her fist and placed it to her chest. “People might die.”

  “You’re getting what you want,” Portia spat. “And so am I. I’m not bitching, so you shouldn’t either.”

  Their truck pushed deeper into the city’s freeways, driving across overpasses, immune to the chaos around. Military aircraft continued tumbling from the skies, cratering the roads below. Cars crashed to let them through, others were simply flung away when Serge sent the truck speeding through like a battering ram. Those that were lucky to escape from their vehicles, scattered screaming at the truck. Some had to leap off the overpass. Their screams stopped seconds later.

  “Outta the way!” Serge roared at them.

  Something loud rattled her ears, and she felt rocking vibrations on the floor. Miyuki moved to the front carefully while repeated tremors shook her movement.

  “Did you do that?” Yanmei asked Serge.

  “Naw, that wasn’t me.” Another rumble. The view of the city and twisting highway over and underpasses bobbed up and down. “There!” Serge pointed at the dashboard computer screen displaying what was behind. Missiles and gunfire from hovering helicopters, red and orange fireballs rising when their explosive payload hit. A speeding car escaped the wrath of Yoshida’s military. The car was gaining on the truck. “They got a person of interest in that car.”

  The screen zoomed in, enhancing the view of the helicopters firing at a fleeing car. Odd considering Serge had hacked all vehicles in the area.

  “Why aren’t they hacked?” Miyuki asked.

  Serge glanced at the helicopters shooting at the car. “Not sure about the car, but the helicopters just arrived and are slightly out of range.”

  “Then why does that bike still have control?” Yanmei pointed ahead. “It should be in range.”

  Miyuki looked at what she pointed at. The three watched a red motorcycle approach, fast. It was facing the truck and its rider didn’t seem to care that if they didn’t move to the side, Serge would ram them.

  “I don’t have the foggiest idea,” Serge said and checked his tablet. “Its onboard computer is vulnerable like everything else, but…” His tablet’s screen flashed with error messages. “An AI is blocking me! Fuck me dead!”

  “That’s Rodriguez.” It was Portia. She had joined the three in the front and stood behind Miyuki.

  “You sure about that?” Miyuki asked her.

  “Positive,” Portia confidently said. “Rodriguez’s Lady M’s personal attack dog.”

  Yanmei reached for her rifle. “I’ll handle her—”

  “No!” Miyuki interjected, her voice loud enough to make Serge leap in his seat. “I will take care of Rodriguez.” Miyuki pushed Portia aside and reached for her pistol, assault rifle, and ammo clips. “You keep moving.”

  She slapped a fresh clip in the pistol and flicked the switch on, and then did the same with the rifle. Both weapons synced with her HUD.

  Fifty

  Ray

  Ray kept his eyes to the road as he sped forward, the best he could with the conditions on the freeway. Spun-out vehicles, people waving their hands for help, smoke lifting from random areas, ships and helicopters dropping from the skies for no reason, it reminded him of those cheap apocalypse movies he used to watch in college, and the car he drove was that one car that escaped it all. A low battery charge warning blinked on the dashboard. He tried not to let that distract him.

  The truck he’d been in pursuit of since leaving the north came into view. It was driving just as fast as he was. The truck slammed into hacked idle cars, and shattered glass sprayed from the windows. The truck and the car Ray drove were the only vehicles with freewill on the highway. It was the truck the hacker, Serge, operated. His lenses picked up plenty of vulnerable targets inside as well as the truck itself. He’d do something about it if the range between him and the truck wasn’t so great.

  Loud thumping noises roared above. Ray felt the vibrations in his chair. Attack helicopters lowered, and their weapons locked on to his car. They weren’t hacked. Most likely just entered the chaos and were out of range of Serge’s cyberattack. And his car not being affected by the hack and continuing to drive through the turmoil, rather than away from it, probably drew the helicopters’ attention.

  “Shit!”

  A loud voice over the helicopter’s external speakers spoke. “Stop your car! Pull over and come out with your hands up!”

  And lose Serge? Ray took his chances and upped his speed. They wouldn’t risk using weapons with so many civilians nearby, many of them still trapped in their hacked cars. And for a moment, as Ray accelerated forward, keeping up with Serge’s truck, he thought he was right.

  The helicopter’s cannon rotated, and roared, red tracer lines streamed out. The shots kicked up chunks of pavement next to the car, some rounds punched holes through the windows and shattered glass rained upon him. Ray ducked for good measure. The panic had him drop his phone, the only thing that’d get him out of this. He had to leave it where it fell, keeping his hands on the wheel and eyes on the road were his best chances now. Putting the car on autopilot was risky at that point.

  “Why are you shooting at me?!” Ray yelled to no one in particular. He pointed to the truck. “Those are the bad guys!”

  Keeping a hand on the wheel, he reached to the floor, aimlessly looking for the fallen phone. These were warning shots, the next would be a kill shot. He patted the floor in search of the phone. Both hands were needed on the wheel again, a hacked van backed up. He turned, avoiding it, its wheels spinning into action as the thumping roar of the helicopter’s blades continued above. During the turn, he felt an object tumble and hit his foot. It had to have been the phone. Ray reached for the object. It was his phone.

  Disable Helicopter

  Malware disrupts a helicopter’s ability to function correctly, forcing the user to reboot systems. Note: Requires command codes or strong botnet.

  Disable Guns

  Disable Missiles

  Disable Propellers (Currently unavailable)

  Missiles launched. Ray thumbed the app’s confirmation screen and hoped the command codes he acquired from Serge’s malware worked. Flashes of red-orange glow from the left and right, their blasts and vibrations flung debris in every direction. The car rumbled. He lost control, then gained it back, straightening the path to keep up with the truck.

  The codes worked. They were safe for now, and the helicopter’s weapons were temporarily
disabled. Taking out the propellers required further development of that app. He made a note to get back to that once this was over, assuming he’d still be alive. Bashiir was snoring in the backseat. Ray looked behind, shocked to see him still asleep with a blanket of broken glass comforting him.

  “Yo, dude!” Ray shouted at him as his face returned to the chaotic and fast-moving highway. “You might wanna wake up!”

  Bashiir’s snoring continued. Ray was on his own for the pursuit.

  There was a clearing ahead, a wide empty section of the highway where the truck and Ray’s car, closing the gap, were the only vehicles seen. And behind were the four pursuing helicopters, whose locked weapons were about to come back online, assuming they were smart and rebooted their weapons systems. Ray took his chances and hoped they were dumb. He was getting closer to the truck, and minutes away from being within hacking range of it. His glasses gave him the estimated distance in meters, the numbers were counting down. Just another 27 meters to go.

  The road ahead exploded from the sudden missile fire. He was certain the blast threw the car off the highway for a second. A part of the road ahead crumbled and collapsed. Only a wide gap remained, bits of the road raining down to the highway below, thanks to the missiles. The helicopters were forcing him to stop. He kept driving forward, the digital speedometer rose to the car’s maximum speed. The gap in the road wasn’t that big he thought. He hoped the speeds they were traveling at would carry them across.

  “Bashiir! Wake the fuck up!” Upon second glance as they neared the hole, Ray concluded, they’d probably fall. Unless Bashiir awoke. “Bashiir,” Ray yelled to his sleeping body. “I need some IW powers for this fucking jump!”

  Bashiir grunted himself awake. “What?”

  “Bashiir! Give this car a boost or something!”

  “What is going on?” Bashiir sat up, yawning, then wincing at the glass that covered him.