Code Breakers Complete Series: Books 1-4 (60 page)

— Hey, you there? What have you done with Gerry? If you don’t answer me I’ll make sure you’re decoupled. How’d ya like that, huh?

An eternity passed by, but as she considered trying a different approach, a voice came into her mind. The words transferred to sound by the server. It was a deep voice, God-like in its size and reverberation.

— Gerry’s safe, for now. I will learn a lot from his mind. I have you to thank for keeping him alive, and for his grand transformation.

— Who are you? What do you mean ‘grand transformation?’ Petal asked. This being clearly wasn’t Gerry. She suspected it was the thing Jess had mentioned. A million lines of indecipherable assembly-like code flashed by, a million lines representing a single thought. So fast it scrolled by, so fast it used the servers processors, Petal couldn’t comprehend its fully complexity.

— Like a caterpillar metamorphoses into a butterfly, so Gerry has escaped his chrysalis, and become the ultimate expression of his very being. As for me, I’m an interested party, of sorts.

— That’s all rather lyrical, but cut the crap. What’ve you done with him? While Petal was interacting with this voice she set about running a trace program to scan the filenames and directories to see if she could find any trace of Gerry. She used a wildcard system in the hope she could eventually find him. The trace was set to look at newly create or modified files, but it seemed the server used a non-Gregorian calendar system, and from her initial scans there appeared to be no way of decoding the date of a file, but she still had hope.

— I have him tucked away somewhere safe. Would you care to join him?

Threads of data probed her mind. She felt the sense of violation again as her mind was now no longer hers. She tried to shut it out, but it had a pull on her, a magnetic force that dragged her consciousness closer into the system.

With a great effort she managed to throw up a defence and activated a quickly-programmed firewall in order to keep the thing’s tendrils out of her thoughts, but she felt it retreat willingly.

— Cute, it said. You really have no idea what you’re dealing with. None of you do. Not even The Family. But like them, you’ll all see eventually.

— See what?

— The power, the influence, the capability. I was once like you. Human. It said human like it was some kind of disease to be cured of.

— It was you, wasn’t it? Petal said, The AI that Seca and Jasper were using to try and hack City Earth.

A mocking laugh filled her mind then.

— You really think I’m artificial and that weak? No. That was a small program I sent out into the world to keep those fools busy while my two minds were re-joined.

Petal lost her patience. Her trace program came up empty. She didn’t have enough factors to use for the search, and time ran out.

— Fine, whatever. You’re great and powerful and all that. What do you want? And what exactly are you? Maybe there’s something we could do here. A deal perhaps?

— I like someone that wants to get on and achieve something. There’s too much caution in this world today. Fine, I’ll give you a nugget of information in return for some information from you. Quid pro quo, Leautia.

— What did you call me? Somewhere in the distant reaches of her brain that name seemed familiar. Where did it come from? What did it mean?

— Ah! He didn’t tell you. Interesting. It seems I can give you more than you could have ever imagined. The question is, do you have enough to give me in return?

— Well, you need to tell me what you want first. Tell me your terms. I want you to release Gerry and the servers. We don’t have much time left and we need access to The Family’s system. We already cracked the security.

— We? You mean me! I cracked the security, Leautia. At least the part of me within Alpha did. You see, I’ve always been in there, watching you every time you came to download another hastily made AI. I’ve been learning about you for years, and when you and Gerry first came for my other side, Omega, I saw the truth of it.

— What truth?

— That Gerry was something new. Something The Family didn’t even understand.

— But you do, right?

— I will, in time.

— Look, we ain’t got much time. Stop screwing with me and being all cryptic and mysterious. I couldn’t care less about what you know about me, or Gerry. All I want to do is stop the bastards up there from nuking this place.

— Oh don’t worry, Leautia. They’re in too much of a panic to do that. I have a grip on their systems. You could say I have the fate of the world in my hands, once more. So here we are on the razor’s edge. You and I, together, as one. Each other’s needs and wants can send us both to one side or the other of that edge into oblivion. Are you prepared to fall for those you love?

Without thinking about it, Petal said,

— Yes.

— Good. Here’s your dilemma, my little friend. I’ll destroy The Family’s nuclear capability and return the android army to your control. You and your friends can live freely in your dome, or wherever you want to go. The Earth will be yours once more, free of tyranny and fanaticism. But…

She hated what was coming. This entity, whatever it was, clearly showed signs of insanity. She wondered then if it were possible for a digital being to have mental issues. She supposed if some of the code mutated or got corrupted it was possible.

— But what? What’s your condition?

— It’s not a condition, my dear Leautia. It’s a choice. I’m giving you godly powers. What greater gift could one give to another?

— Stop stalling and tell me what it is. She tried once more to probe the system for information, but as soon as she released a search program, the as yet unnamed entity struck out and seemed to overload her brain with data, creating a vice-like sensation.

— Fine, here it is: You either choose Gerry or the Planet. If you choose the latter, I’ll do as I already said: you and all your friends will be safe, but Gerry will remain mine.

— What’s stopping me from destroying the server, huh?

— We’re no longer in the servers, dear girl. Do what you want with them. So I ask again: Gerry or the Earth? So what’s it to be? How strong is your love?

— Before I make my choice. Tell me what you are, Petal said, trying to buy time. Whatever it was it had complete control over her connection to the server. She couldn’t do anything, no searches, no firewalls, no hacking. It was unlike anything she’d experienced before. Every system had a weak spot somewhere, but this thing was something unique, as close to a God-like entity as she’d ever experienced. And somehow she knew it was more than just code. There was spirit in there somewhere, a real consciousness.

The entity seemed to mull it over. The grip on her mind still remained and she wondered if there would be permanent damage if she ever survived this.

Finally it replied.

— Dr James Robertson would suggest I’m your grandfather. But the truth is that I’m your father. You’re not his daughter, clone or otherwise. You see, Leautia, I’m Elliot Robertson, James’ father. Or was.

The revelation struck at the heart of her being, and somehow she knew it to be true. It could be this thing manipulating her, but sometimes when a fundamental truth is uttered one responds on a cellular level.

— So what are you now? Petal asked.

— I’m something entirely different. I was the first human to upload his mind into a computer. These servers here before you were designed by the brilliant, but ultimately flawed, Japanese husband and wife team of Sakura and Hajime Murakami.

— Old Grey referred to herself as Sakura.

—Yes, she did. That’s because a fragment of her mind still exists in there, just as a fragment of Hajime still exists in one form or another inside Omega.

Elliot Robertson, the digital human, broke away and eased his grip on her mind slightly, as if remembering his origins had brought him compassion. Petal wanted to ask a thousand questions, but she was too stunned to take it all in. Could it be true that everything Jimmy Robertson had told her was a lie? But for what reason?

— Ah, you’re searching for reason. That’s to be expected. You won’t find it. James is insane with jealousy, inadequacy. You see, he tried to emulate me, tried to elevate his consciousness, but he failed, and that’s when he created you and all the others: my daughters.

— If he made us, how does that make me your daughter? I don’t understand.

— In a rage that he failed, he made his sister, Leautia try, but she died during the experiment. Her mind crashed during the transfer, but her imprint remained within the servers. He downloaded a partial fragment and has ever since tried to recreate her, but she was never complete. You’ll never be complete. Which of course is why you’re so attracted to Gerry. It’s no cliché to say that he completes you. But in ways in which you couldn’t comprehend, Gerry is the answer to everything. So I ask you, Leautia, my daughter, my broken offspring, what it is to be? Gerry or Earth?

How could she possibly choose? To doom Gerry to some fate unknown to save the planet and humanity is one thing, but then she’d have to live with the knowledge that she gave away the one person who could complete her. Her life wouldn’t be worth living. The guilt and the lost opportunity would eat her up. How could she face Sasha and Robertson now? But what if this thing was lying? She had no real way of knowing. What if she chose Gerry and this thing didn’t release him?

— You doubt my honesty?

He crashed terabytes of data into her brain, too fast for to her compute all at once, but what was clear to her was the evidence of all the partial minds and consciousness that had perished in those servers. She could even feel the presence of Sakura and Hajime! And there, in the cold distance of an infinite data landscape shone that bright presence that could only belong to Gerry. She reached her mind out to him, tried to traverse the mountains of data to get there, but she was lost, and losing her way. She was forced to retreat.

— Why do you want him? Petal asked. It was more of an appeal, a pained expression of a need to understand.

— Why do I want anything? I want it all. I am a god! I want everything and anything, all data has its own small glory, makes me stronger, wiser, more powerful. And Gerry is a shiny bauble amongst the crap of humanity. I could do a lot for my kind with his knowledge and abilities.

— So then why even pretend you’d give him up? You could keep him and still blow the world away.

— But did I not say that I want quid pro quo? If I give you Gerry I’ll want something in return, just as if you choose for me to destroy The Family’s weapons systems and return the androids to your control I’ll take Gerry as payment.

— What do you want in return? Me?

— Oh no, you’re completely worthless to me. Why would I want someone’s broken toy? No. If you want Gerry, then I want the girl you have there, sitting with you listening in. Now, I’ll hold The Family for five minutes for you to make your decision. If you don’t return by then I’ll assume you don’t want the deal and will let the bombs rain down. Be quick though, your brave band is getting butchered out there by those rabid little Red Widows.

And just like that the connection severed, sending Petal back into the real world with a jolt so powerful that despite already sitting down she fell over on her side, her head throbbing, and her throat dry. Her pulse beat at three times its regular rate, and for a brief moment she thought she was dying.

“What happened?” Enna, Robertson, and Gabe seemed to ask in unison.

Jess sat cross-legged, the slate discarded to the side. She stared at Petal, her eyes wide and tears coursing down her cheeks.

Petal looked up at Robertson. “You lied to me. You goddamned lied! The name Leautia rings a bell, huh? Why didn’t you tell me?”

He didn’t even try to deny it. Just stood there, his lips moving with the ghosts of words long dead. Sentiments haunting him like tired spirits. Petal stood, approached the red-flushed doctor, and stared at him, waiting for a response when she felt a slight tug on her jacket. Petal turned. Jess sat beside her, reached out to hold her hand.

“It’s okay,” Jess said. “I want to go if you want Gerry back.”

Chapter 35

Sasha sprinted a hundred yards to help reinforce Cheska’s position. The transcendent had Malik, Bran, and five security personnel with her, but with her section of NearlyMen lying dead in a heap they were threatened of being overrun by a group of about fifty fanatics.
 

The ‘droids were still some way off, but the tell-tale signs of the dust on the horizon told Sasha they wouldn’t be long.

The UAVs were doing a good job of keeping the Jaguars and the ground vehicles away from the defence line, but a couple managed to get through, taking out thirty NearlyMen. Just another twenty or so remained. Up close and personal, they were holding their own against the Red Widow fighters with their great bulk and lack of fear. They were automatons for the most part, programmed to fight to the death, and they were doing it with considerable effort.

Sasha dodged a particle bolt as it crashed into the ground, sending up a choking plume of gas and sand. Cheska’s hand grabbed her by the wrist, pulled her into the tight group. They were firing in short, controlled bursts and keeping the enemy at distance. Red Widow’s shotguns had limited range, but they remained back, waiting for their time to strike.

Joining the ranks of security, Sasha shouted to Malik, “How’s everyone doing?”

“We lost fifteen but the morale is holding. We can’t hold for too much longer. Ammo’s running low, and the Jaguars are focussing on the UAVs. There’s only eight left.”

To illustrate the point, two more drones fell from the sky, crashed into the earth. It was little comfort that they took out a handful of fanatics.

While the others kept up their controlled defence, Sasha surveyed the battlefield.

Beyond the line of NearlyMen there were approximately three distinct squads of Red Widow infantry. It was interesting to see that they had swollen their ranks with the stragglers from Darkhan; no doubt they were promised food and shelter in return for putting their lives on the line. Behind them, creating a great dust cloud in its wake was an armoured division of ten trucks, probably carrying the ‘droids, and fifteen ATV gun platforms.