Contest (The Stork Tower Book 6)

by Tony Corden

  “What experience do the human controllers need?”

  “They need to have a PAI implant. That is the only requirement given. All operators are required to complete a three-month virtual training course with RVH. This is an additional cost.”

  Leah was quiet for a bit then said, “Tell Leon I’ll get back to him. I want to run some stuff past Dad, John and Jimmy before answering. Is there anything else?”

  “Yes. Amy, Wisp, and I think you need a break from all the pressure. You haven’t allocated the time between four and five this afternoon as of yet so we have booked that time to try out the Tower’s ski slopes. They are waiting for your approval before arranging for Thad, James, Zack and a few others to join you.”

  Leah said, “I don’t have the time.”

  “You do. I ran the idea past Dr Roberts, and she agrees it is important to give your brain downtime in addition to the NREM3 sleep.”

  Leah said, “OK, but only for one hour. If Thad can’t make it then reschedule for when he can. Is there anything else?”

  “John received notice of a delivery scheduled for later today. Apparently, the White Rabbit Brewery has sent you several crates of their dark ale along with samples of their other offerings.”

  “Dad’ll be thrilled, but I bet Mum will have a fit. She’s never liked alcohol, she’s always hoped Conner and I would follow suit.”

  Once Gèng had discussed all the new messages, Leah moved to the area Gèng had set aside for her studies and asked Gèng to recreate the room from the night before. Leah started to rework the material until she came to the section she’d been considering while running in Dunyanin. The thought had surfaced when considering how the individual movements of her legs, tail, head, and even ears and tongue combined into the flowing, undulating run of the glitchwolf. Each body part viewed separately was moving back and forth, up and down in a pattern, but they all had to also conform to a larger, and in the final analysis, more overly determinative pattern.

  Previously Leah’s quaternary braid formulations described how each of the fundamental scientific models fit together. The formulations were cohesive, consistent and described mathematically what the interactions were, and when unpacked they made sense within the observable universe. What they always lacked, in her mind, was beauty. They lacked the simplicity of Einstein’s E = mc2 or the elegance of the golden ratio. They fit together through complex interactions rather than seamlessly fitting together as if they were made for each other.

  The new expressions derived using the framework of the hyper-cylinder didn’t change the scientific theory, but they described it in a new way. A way, that, to Leah’s thinking, was more elegant and yet provided a deeper explanation, or understanding, of the interrelationships. Yet, to Leah, it was like looking at a tail-less wolf running through the forest, or a wolf with no ears, a piece was missing. Some small theory was missing, it needed some additional piece, or some change of direction within the framework to complete the picture, to flesh it out.

  Leah spent time reviewing her assumptions. First, she considered the assumption of homogeneity. While the overall homogeneity of the universe was almost obligatory to evaluate, manipulate and formulate theories from observable data, Leah considered the effect of applying a few basic variations. Almost immediately, it was evident that even a simple change caused a disproportionate amount of dissonance, as almost every equation within braid theory relied on homogeneity as did practically all attempts to explain observable data within the universe.

  Leah found a similar dissonance when she considered the possibility that the universe was anisotropic. Allowing even the simplest variations in measurement directionality played havoc with all current explanations of the observable universe. On a whim, because of her insights into the inter-relationship between Aether dimensions and leptonic spin, Leah allowed for anisotropic behaviour at the quantum level focussing on leptonic directionality. Treating left and right-handed fermions asymmetrically she made several changes to the popular Rovelli-Hau-Morrison expressions of the Higgs Field which assumed isometric behaviour. Not only did the dissonance disappear, but her quaternary braid expressions predicted the possible existence of naturally occurring bounded hyper-cylindrical aether dimensions.

  Before Leah could review the fundamental principles relating to the static nature of the universe, Gèng informed her that her time was up. Leah reluctantly left the room and lay down in her favourite chair before logging out of the Pod.

  HOME - REAL WORLD

  Marie was waiting in the room. Leah smiled at Marie’s bald head and said, “I thought you’d be in a Pod instead of watching over me.”

  Marie responded, “Honestly, that’s where I want to be, but John’s still worried enough about you to want someone in the room at all times. He and Lacey are interviewing several people at the moment who are also interested in learning from Mia. As soon as we have enough people who John trusts then I’ll probably not be rostered here anymore. Don’t let it worry you though. Now, can I help you out of the Pod on my own, or do I need help?”

  Leah wasn’t sure, but she found she was slightly more mobile than before and she was able to get out of the Pod with only Marie’s help. After a shower, Marie went to get some food while Leah continued to ponder the theoretical implications of changes to the way she tried to view the universe. She needed to do some experiments or even have Dr Ellis do some. When the food finally arrived, Leah just chatted with Marie about how to help Marie’s PAI to develop. After another shower, Marie helped Leah back into the Pod.

  SURVIVAL SIMULATION - CYBERSPACE

  Leah spent ten minutes refreshing her knowledge of Survival and practising in the simulation before entering the Survival portal. If her distances were correct, she was two-fifths of the way to the edge of her zone within Survival. Leah made stops for water and food, but other than that, Leah pushed herself not only to maintain her previous pace but to increase it. Altogether, she jogged and climbed for a full six hours before looking for a safe place to log out. Evading the known predators had become almost second nature, and Leah estimated she’d doubled her distance from the original crash site. She had about twenty kilometres to go before she’d be inside the one hundred kilometres zone around her mother.

  65

  Chapter 65

  December 18, 2073 - Morning - Part 1

  STORK TOWER

  Once she was back in the Tower, Leah reviewed the information she had on Linc Gerard and made copies of the files she’d taken. Gèng had checked and found out that in Ascendent-time it was midnight and winter in the Caffè Gambrinus and she dressed Leah in a pair of black high-waist wide-leg long palazzo pants with a matching black blouse. She covered the outfit with a calf-length Burgundy coat of felted alpaca wool and a matching scarf. Ascendent had suggested Leah arrive a few minutes early to finalise her membership.

  ASCENDENT - CAFFÈ GAMBRINUS

  The reception area when she arrived seemed more ornate, although it had the same large rosewood counter and the word ‘Ascendent’ written in flame across the back wall. Behind the desk stood two women who looked to be in their twenties. Something about their movements suggested they were the players, not AI, and that they recognised Leah as a person, not just a name in front of them. They exuded a barely controlled excitement. As Leah approached the desk, one of the women said, “Welcome to Ascendent, Ms Carroll. My name is Gianna, and I have been assigned as your personal concierge here in Ascendent. With me is my alternate, Maeja. If for any reason you would prefer a different concierge then Ascendent would be happy to arrange that. We are responsible for ensuring your experience in Ascendent is of the highest quality. How may we assist you this evening?”

  “It is a pleasure to meet you both. Please feel free to call me Atherleah. Sometime I would appreciate a brief tour of Ascendent, however I have an appointment I must attend. Would one of you please direct me to the Caffè Gambrinus?”

  Gianna stepped around the counter and said, “We look forwar
d to showing you the club when it is convenient. Please follow me.”

  As Leah stepped after Gianna, Gianna turned and said, “One of the concierge’s roles is to help facilitate any meetings you might have here. Today you are meeting Major White, who is a founding member, and his guest, Linc Gerard. Major White has booked a rear booth with a full privacy screen. Mr Gerard is not a member. The Caffè Gambrinus is one of the premier locations to meet guests within Ascendent. All drinks and meals incur an additional cost. Major White has called this meeting, so any costs incurred are automatically billed to him. It is considered poor taste either to offer to share the cost or to order more than is appropriate. I would suggest you remove your coat and scarf before taking a seat and hand them to the waiter. Keeping them with you will not be noticed due to the privacy screen, but is the expected behaviour for members and guests.”

  Gianna had continued to lead Leah from the room as she spoke. Ascendent arranged the length of the journey to match Gianna’s speech and allowed time for a response from Leah. When she didn’t say anything, they arrived at a wooden framed double glass door with gold etching. Gianna opened the door and led Leah to the waiter. Gianna said, “Raheem, this is a new member to Ascendent. Her name is Ms Carroll, but she prefers to be called by her first name, Atherleah. She has a meeting scheduled with Major White.”

  Raheem nodded and said, “Atherleah, please follow me. Major White has arranged a full privacy screen so other guests will not notice you as we walk past them.”

  Leah thanked Gianna and followed Raheem through the busy caffè to a secluded booth in the back. Both Major White and Linc Gerard were already seated. Both stood as she entered. Leah was glad Gianna had explained what to do, and after removing her coat and scarf, she handed them to Raheem before saying, “Major White, thank you for the invitation.”

  Turning to Linc Gerard, she said, “Marshall Gerard, thank you for agreeing to the meeting. My name is Atherleah.”

  As they all sat, Linc said, “Please call me Linc. I’m technically only on leave, but most people have stopped calling me Marshall. Major White here said this had to do with the Mafia. That you want to discuss this with me means it has something to do with the Castellis. I know who you are and while you’re probably one of the best-known figures in the multiverse at the moment. I’m sceptical you would have much on the Castelli Crime Family. What is this all about?”

  Leah paused for a moment, then picking up the menu said, “Linc, I usually like to get straight to the point, but why don’t we test the waters a little first? I’d love a coffee and some dessert.”

  Line nodded and looked down at his menu. Leah said, “Major White, you’ve been here before. What would you recommend?”

  “Atherleah, please call me Frank. I’m not the best judge of food, but my wife always has the sfogliatella. She likes the traditional citrus and cinnamon flavour.”

  Leah nodded and said, “I’ll try that, and maybe a cappuccino to go with it.”

  Frank must have called for Raheem because he appeared immediately to take their orders. Leah said, “So Linc, you are right. I do want to talk about the Castelli family, but I would like to know how connected you still are with the authorities. I have some material which I believe could break the family, but I can’t have it get back to me. Have you still got the connections to those with power to do something?”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. I’d say it depends on what it is, but for some reason, something or someone always seems to tip the Family off, and my information only catches the small fry.”

  Leah said, “What’s the talk at the moment in the Family?”

  Linc sat up a little straighter and said, “They lost something. I’m not sure what it is, but it has them spooked. They put out a contract on some hacker, the last thing I heard was they were calling him Vernyx and the contract is now worth two million dead, and five million alive.”

  Leah leaned forward and said, “So Linc, and this is the important question, what would you do if you had what this ‘Vernyx’ apparently has?”

  Linc went very still, then said, “What do they have?”

  Leah paused and then sat back as their order arrived. After taking a sip of her coffee, she said, “Supposedly, if you can believe it, someone broke into one of their secure vaults and among other things has a ledger which lists every informant and every official on their payroll. It’s apparently very detailed and gives account numbers and even descriptions of what particular payments were for. For example, eight years ago, it names the Marshall who was paid one hundred thousand VCr to find out the names and addresses of a fellow Marshall’s closest relatives.”

  Linc’s face turned white. He said, “What was that Marshall’s name?”

  Leah said, “I promise to give it to you before you leave here no matter what you decide, but I need some other assurances first.”

  Linc said, “What sort of assurances?”

  “Another file lists over ten thousand people who have been enslaved by corrupting the code used by their PAI. I want your assurance that you will make every effort to have the authorities set them free.”

  “That’s fairly simple, it will only take a simple message with the information.”

  “I know, but both the people who control the slavery codes and the Castellis will know within moments who sent the data. I don’t need the additional attention at the moment. They are already trying to kill you, so I figured you’re already in their sights. Full disclosure: the hacker has other files which the Castelli family will want even more than the one I mentioned. If you think they are coming after you hard now, then it’s nothing to the fervour they will show when you reveal the ten thousand names. It’s been just over twenty-four hours since their files went missing and the contract’s already at five million. I suspect it’ll at least double every twenty-four hours until someone cracks. To be honest, as well as a way to set the people free, I’m also thinking of using you to divert the attention from myself.”

  Frank was looking at Leah in horror. He said, “That’s cold, Atherleah, you’re going to be painting a target on his back.”

  Leah shook her head and said, “Not really Frank, I’m painting it right on his forehead.”

  Linc had leaned back into his chair to evaluate Leah. Finally, he smiled and said, “It’s a deal, Atherleah. You are good, I will say that. I did my homework, the Major here is supposed to be a sharp operator and you fooled him. You almost fooled me as well, and that isn’t easy to do. I think I wasn’t fooled because I’ve had more experience with the everyday cutting edge of the criminal crowd than the Major here. He’s mostly dealt with the people at least one step removed. How long do you need?”

  Leah shrugged and said, “At least two or three days. More would be better.”

  Frank was looking between the two and said, “Will someone please tell me what I missed?”

  Linc leaned forward and said, “The misdirect. Every con sells a lie; otherwise, it wouldn’t be a con. The very best cons aren’t ever discovered, but the lie is always the weak link.”

  Frank said, “What was the lie?”

  Linc said, “The lie depends on the mark. Every mark has some facet of their character, some piece of knowledge, some expertise which can, if used, bring the con undone. The lie stops them from applying it by trading up; hence, the misdirect. It takes the mark’s attention away in that instant when they’re most likely to spot the inconsistency. If I understand what Atherleah wants, it is for the Castelli family to be stopped and for the slaves to be released.

  “She used you to get to me, and she’s using me to get the Castellis. My involvement is a given. She knows once that list of people hits law enforcement, I will do everything in my power to bring those people down. Almost certainly my profile will put me in the crosshairs, especially if there is evidence of collusion at the highest levels in the death of my family. Leah expects me to be killed because if I read this right, they’ve known where I am and what I’m doing all along.” />
  Linc looked over at Leah, who nodded slowly. She said, “They have two informants who are close to you. One informs for money, the other because they’ve threatened his family. It seemed strange that you’d managed to stay alive for eight years, so I figured you were the lightning rod. They passed off small fish to you to keep everyone from looking too deeply into their affairs.”

  Linc shook his head and said, “I should have known, but I wanted them so bad.”

  Leah smiled and said, “As you say, a classic redirect.”

  Linc turned to Frank and continued, “You, on the other hand, are a professional soldier and soldiers don’t like civilians being in danger. Atherleah’s a civilian. If you realised that Atherleah was going to get targeted by the Castellis, you would inject yourself into the situation, either to protect her or to deflect their attention yourself. She needed you to think she was safe. Saying it wouldn’t help because you needed to come to the conclusion yourself. The misdirect was Atherleah explaining how they would hunt me down. Here’s how I know she is good, because the misdirect was also the lie. You focussed on me and not her. You forgot that she was known by you and by me and that all the information would show I didn’t have a clue how to hack the files.

  “You became so focussed on her callous attitude you forgot she’d done nothing except maybe buy herself some time. Possibly, she’d even kept me alive by setting the Castellis the task of needing to get information from me. When you’re caught you always give the information up unless you have a suicide pill. Thinking she was callous took the edge off your concern and directed your protective character at me. Her only mistake, and even then I’m not sure it was a mistake with you, was reinforcing the misdirect with the forehead comment. You needed it, but it only made me suspicious. Sixteen-year-old girls aren’t supposed to be that cold.”