Legacy of a Mad Scientist (39 page)

Miller turned the terminal off. ”He’s probably just
got his hands full.”

Stanwood nodded.

“Well, regardless, if you want to get right to it…
He’s out on D13, Angel City. I’ll forward you the docking
codes.”

“Thank you, Senator.”

“Would you take some water?”

“Some aqua vitae? What the hell, it’s six o’clock
somewhere.”

Miller pulled out the bottle of Connemara and two
glasses.

Monday, July 29, 2308

After eating, Ashley found a vacant space in the
basement to stretch and do her exercises. The maintenance level /
basement, beneath the garage, hadn't been wired as there was little
point. It was almost entirely self-contained. There was one
entrance, and despite some separation walls, it was open and
empty.

When Ashley finally returned to the room she was
sharing with her brother, she found him still stretched out on the
couch. "Geoff, you missed breakfast. There are pancakes out there
if you want them. Pretty good.”

"Ash, how's it going?" Geoff's voice was calm, but
distracted.

Ashley looked over at her brother, lying on his back,
eyes closed.

"What's the matter with you? Aren't you getting up
today?”

"I've been up," he said. With his eyes closed, Geoff
maneuvered into a sitting position, letting the blanket cover his
legs. "I barely slept.”

Ashley walked around the couch. "What? You're
serious?”

Geoff reached out, picked up the black metal
rectangle and flawlessly tossed it to his sister, eyes closed, like
some kind of blind ninja.

Ashley remained silent until he opened his eyes.

Geoff smiled at her.

"Can you show me how?" Ashley asked.

Geoff nodded. "It's easy. Here, sit down.”

Ashley sat next to him, holding the device in her
hands.

"Close your eyes and imagine a blank vid screen.”

"Okay," Ashley said, her eyes closed.

"First, you just see black space. Then one word is
going to come up..."

Ashley was quiet for a few moments. "What word?”

"Just relax and wait for it," Geoff answered.

They both waited.

Then Ashley caught her breath. "Micron...
Micronix.”

"That's its name," Geoff said.

"Its name?" Ash asked.

"Tell it your name.”

"How?”

"Just imagine the letters, then it opens an operating
system.”

Ashley was quiet for a few moments.

Then it appeared. A screen in her head, filling her
field of vision, it displayed a group of typical computer operating
system of icons and folders. The system was named Micronix, below
it, a second item with Ashley's full name - Ashley Erin Fox.

Ash focused on the icon above her name and found that
it contained several common computer folders, applications,
contacts, documents, networks, and utilities. The folder for
applications opened, it was filled with basic skills, memory,
comprehension, mathematics, reasoning. She opened contacts and a
box headed with the words Micronix Op Sys opened and flashed
'Importing Contacts.'

Ashley felt a sharp twinge throughout her head and
discovered four sub groups on the screen - family, friends,
classmates and acquaintances.

Ashley backed out a level and opened the object named
Networks; a box headed with Available Networks opened, listing
several. Ashley clicked on the top, a ten-digit number.

The phone in her pocket rang. She fished it out and
answered it. An ear splitting feedback loop erupted over the phone
and Ashley's voice box. She screamed, threw the phone along with
the device, and collapsed.

Geoff had realized what was happening when the phone
rang, a moment too late. He jumped up and rushed over to his
sister.

Ash was out cold.

"Oh, my God! Ashley! Are you okay?" Geoff listened to
her heart, she was still breathing, and despite her being
unconscious, she seemed okay.

"Holy shit," Geoff said to no one.

He retrieved the amplifier and phone, setting them on
the table.

Monday Night, July 27, 2308

Croswell, Ross and King hung in the air over Angel
City.

“So, what’s the story on the ID package,” Ross asked
Croswell.

“It’s almost done. I checked on it just before coming
out today.”

“What could possibly be the hold up?” Ross asked.

“I needed to get photos of the kids,” Croswell
answered.

“Faster, Mr. Secretary,” Ross teased.

“That’s what she said,” King and Croswell said
together, laughing.

“Is she coming,” King asked. “By the bye.”

“She is coming,” Ross replied. “She’ll be here.”

“We can catch her up easy enough,” Croswell said.
“Here’s the deal. Stanwood finally melted down and went to Miller,
who also proceeded to meltdown. They considered hanging Miller out
as bait for us, but settled on reactivating the Wolf Pack.”

“Did I hear that right?” Captain Snow asked,
approaching from the west. “Be careful what you wish for, huh?”

“Understatement of the year,” King said, raising his
hand in acknowledgement.

“How are the kids/” Ana asked Ross.

“They’re fine, fifth wall intact,” Ross answered. “I
made them pancakes. Reid’s on overwatch.”

“So,” King said, “the real question is, did Miller
leave his office stained and dirty on purpose, or is he actually
that stupid?”

“Oh, he is that stupid,” Croswell answered. “That guy
is a goddamn idiot, no contest.”

“Wolf Pack, huh? They are serious,” Snow said.

“Are you ready for the good part?” Croswell asked.
“You know why we haven’t been able to find them, all this
time?”

“Spill it,” King said.

“They’re hiding on an orphanage.”

“What?” Ross said.

“No…” Snow was shocked.

“Eight years, near as we can figure, ever since San
Diego. Not all of them, but a few, at least. And Dunkirk, he’d
worked with Bergstrom before Wolf Pack, we suspected him, but we
didn’t have anything solid.”

“Whatever,” Ana said.

“I can’t believe he got the drop on you like that,”
King said.

“He didn’t get the drop on Me,” Ana said.

“What do you call it?” King smiled.

“You want to know what I call it? What I call all of
this?” Ana waved her hand in a circle through the air between them.
“Do you honestly think I’m this stupid? Fox put up a firewall
didn’t he? I’ve been noticing little things. She knew things I
didn’t. Sometimes little bits and pieces slipped through.

“But now, you tell me Fox’s arch-enemy happens to be
hiding out on an orphanage, three days after he makes his kids
orphans. What kind of asshole do you take me for?” Snow asked.

“What are you suggesting?” Croswell asked.

“I’m suggesting that we’re going to fly over there
and realize that Bergstrom has dug himself in so well, that we’d
have to blow up the entire goddamn district just get him to stick
his head out.

“Or we can wait and let the Wolf Pack come to us,
while all our Centaurs are in fucking orbit! You all know we’re
never going to get them here in time and we sure as hell can’t hide
them.”

“It’s worse than that,” Croswell said. “When Fox met
with Conway he arranged to put the Centaurs to work, mining the
hammered bracelet.”

“Oh, fuck you very much.

We’ve got a real bad guy on an orphanage, exploiting
children; lets send in
Astral
. Why don’t we just nuke
it?

“I’ve got news for you, you’re not doing it. She’s
Twelve for Christ’s Sake! You can’t send her into an urban
orphanage; she’s a goddamn ballerina! She has like three weeks of
some lame ass kung fu camp for experience! Fuck you all! If I ever
find out that you had any part in this, I swear, I will never
forgive you.”

Croswell held up his hands. “Ana, none of us knew. I
don’t think even Fox knew. He never would have sent the tanks into
deep space otherwise, I’m sure of that much at least.”

“You’re not sure of anything, James! You can’t send a
Centaur Cyber Tank onto an orphanage! That’s why he’s there in the
first place,” she said.

“I will not tolerate Ashley and Geoff going to an
orphanage. That is not happening. It’s not even on the table. Do
you understand me?” Snow looked back and forth from the eyes of the
men before her.

Croswell nodded, “You have my word.”

“Okay, let’s hear your plan…” Snow said.

“I want to put you three on a rotating post on this
orphanage, to see if Stanwood or Von Kalt show up.”

No one objected.

“And we have confirmed that Von Kalt has the
amplifier he took off Fox when he arrested him. So even though we
managed to clean out all the labs and send them on a wild goose
chase, they’ve had it the whole time.

“Then what does Ashley have,” Ross asked.

“Ashley has the original. Von Kalt got what remained
of Epsilon. Apparently it was left at ground zero. I confirmed with
Carlson up on Kojima Station; the Doctor retrieved it.”

“This gets better by the minute,” Ana said.

“Our only saving grace is that Von Kalt is at least
semi-retarded, or he would have figured out how to use it by now.”
Croswell nodded to King.

King explained, “This ass-clown hasn’t activated a
single filter or effect. He’s satisfied with digital augmentation
and basic intrusion. He walked one of the wired mercs off a
balcony, but mostly he’s reserved himself to the net. Kid in a
candy store, with no concept that daddy’s account will buy toys,
power tools and guns, if he wanted.”

Croswell nodded. “I was going to put the three of you
on it, but I think instead… Ana, I’d like you to take a permanent
position over Saint Vincent’s. Take a trailer and anchor it close
enough, but not too close. You guys go out to this orphanage, D13,
and do the same thing. I’m going to go visit Stanwood and see if I
can get him to reconsider all this nonsense.”

“Ready… Break!” King said, laughing.

Ashley’s Journal Monday Afternoon, July 27, 2308

That was pretty weird. I realized what I’d done, even
as I was doing it. It looked like Geoff did too. It felt like I was
plugging a fork into an electrical socket only the phone was the
fork and my brain was the socket.

I’m not too thrilled with this little toy.

When I woke up, I was alone. I found Geoff upstairs
in the kitchen, finishing the rest of the pancakes. At least he’s
eating.

I can’t believe our parents are gone.

We don’t talk about it.

He seems okay.

I told him I was not happy about getting my brain
fried and he actually laughed. The rest of the afternoon went
pretty fast. It’s already dark. Geoff spent the day in
Micronix-land while I did a complete second session; I stretched
again and did my full practice.

We watched a movie and napped. It was lame, some
secret agent chasing some super weapon. Shit, I’m living that
movie. No wonder my dreams are all messed up. There was some kind
of cable with knots that hurt to look at. The cables were made of
light, and everything else was complete darkness. That’s what I get
for sleeping in the middle of the day, as mom would say.

It’s after nine and Ross still hasn’t returned.

I cooked frozen pizza.

I haven’t touched the Micronix or the phone since
this morning. They are sitting right where Geoff left them. He
seems to have no difficulty accessing it without holding it.

I have zero interest in exploring the cyber-verse as
represented by that black tool-of-vengeance. To me, it’s a knife;
maybe a bit more fancy, but still and primarily, a knife, for
cutting.

Midnight, Late Monday, Early Tuesday July 28,
2308

Inside the surveillance trailer, Ross ad King sat
before panels of spectrometers and scanners.

King tapped on Ross’s arm as a cruiser approached the
district. Ross magnified the image of the cruiser’s cockpit. Sure
enough, it was Stanwood and Von Kalt.

“I’m going,” King said.

“Go,” Ross replied. “I’m going to call the
secretary.”

“Patch me in,” King said and triggered the hatch.
“I’m guessing he never got that meeting.” King activated his phase
cam and vanished before he stepped out of the trailer. The hatch
closed and Ross was alone.

“Mister Secretary,” he said, as the communications
terminal came alive.

Croswell had given up his battle armor for the more
conventional Washington uniform of three-piece, double-breasted
terillium weave.

“What have you got Major?”

“The First Sergeant is inbound on our tangos, let me
patch him in.” Ross looped in King’s codec; he accepted the link. A
third window appeared on Ross’s terminal as King patched in his
helmet camera.

“First Sergeant?” Croswell asked.

“Yes, Sir,” King answered, without actually
speaking.

King had entered the expansive parking structure. He
slowly approached the government vehicle from just a couple of feet
above walking height.

On the screen, Stanwood and Von Kalt had just docked
and were exiting the vehicle.

King stayed with them, and by proxy, so did Ross and
Croswell.

Both Ross and Croswell were amazed. The massive First
Sergeant moved himself into tiny spaces and stayed with his prey
flawlessly. He never made a sound, never obstructed an elbow, a
knee or a heel. It was like Magic.

In less than three minutes, King had followed
Stanwood and Croswell as they were greeted by Bergstrom’s staff and
led to his not-so impenetrable lair.

While waiting in the antechamber, King inquired as to
his firing parameters and Croswell replied, “Under no
circumstances. This is reconnaissance only.”

“Understooooood,” King replied, sounding every bit
like a sullen teenager who’s just been told he cannot throw a party
while the parents are out for the evening.