Plague Planet (The Wandering Engineer) (75 page)

When they had production going smoothly and no signs of problems
from those who had the nanites, Helen transmitted the data using a public
encryption key Sprite set up. Soon Landing, Gotham, and Metropolis each had
medical Nano factories up and running. Her staging augmented individuals in
each of those cities was finally coming into fruition.

They sent out regular updates with the encryption, and after a day
the major cities reported the first nanites were being injected into the
population.

The team also started work on an airborne nanite designed to
protect the animals on the planet. It was slow going however, there were too
many animals to try to protect, and each nanite pack would have to be designed
to work with each species. Doctor La Plaz called it an impossible task, and
focused on the killer nanites instead. Eventually the other doctors agreed and
gave up the project. They would just have to accept some losses in the animal
kingdom, there was no way to protect them.

...*...*...*...*...

Sprite caught the telltale implant signature of a familiar Veraxin
just as Defender noted it. “Great, what does he want. Like we need the
complication right now,” Sprite muttered to the other AI.

Defensive systems coming online,” Defender reported.

“Why?” Irons asked turning as a karat was placed on his HUD. He
slowed his turn, immediately noting the tag assassin and red threat assessment.
Not good, he thought, looking around the room. There were dozens of people with
him, all working on various projects.

“I thought I'd just stop by to look you up Irons,” Ole Blue said.
Irons turned fully, raising an eyebrow. “What, can't a pair of old timers
talk?” the Veraxin chittered.

Irons snorted. “Something tells me you aren't here to talk old
times,” Irons replied warily. He looked around with his implants, noting the
people were now looking up, stopping what they were doing to poke others or to
look for possible cover. Not that they'd find any with nanites involved. There
were too many people here to shield.

The Veraxin cackled. “I just thought I'd pass on the message. It
seems you're going to be meeting your maker soon,” the Veraxin said, lashing
his body with active scans. He went over to Kong's bar and picked up a bottle
and poured himself a stiff shot.

Defender put up a false front, absorbing the scan and sending back
a false return. From the outside the Veraxin would only see a basic military
implant. The Veraxin looked at him, somehow amused by what he had seen. He
downed the shot and then poured himself another.

“Now?” Irons asked casually, watching Defender spin up his shields
to full and ready his systems. He was at half power, he regretted that, but
there wasn't anything he could do about it now.

“Oh no, I figure you can be a hero. Get your glory. Then when
they're done throwing flowers at your feet and forget about you, we'll have
that date.”

“Really?” Irons asked casually. “Why not now?”

“In due time admiral. In due time,” the alien cackled. He downed
his drink slammed it down onto the bar and then walked off into the night.
Irons watched him go.

...*...*...*...*...

Solaximara: survived the plague and came out on top. He was
secretly smug over the entire ordeal, he'd taken credit for a lot of the work
Hank and Nohar had put in.. Some of his followers had died, the otter twins in
town, Maggie the bar maid, but others who had normally looked at him with
contempt now tolerated him. Kong was one such being, he could be useful later.

It was a pity his barmaid had died however, he could have used her
right now, she had been about to go into heat. Besides, she would have helped
keep Kong on his side. He sighed.

Backing the admiral seemed the right way to go, Governor Oman's
star was clearly on the decent and fading fast. His abandoning the population
to save his own hide had backfired. Even though his puppet master Osiris was
trying to spin it as a means to keep command and control, it wasn't washing
with many.

What really amused him was the media. Jerry Richards and a handful
of reporters had shown up in Hazard now that the major crisis had passed. They
had done interviews with the survivors, many pointed out the sacrifice of Rajar
and other Neo's.

Solaximara had milked the story for all it was worth, holding a
brief silent vigil for the young Neolion and for all of the others who gave
their lives so that others would live. The young lion's was particularly
touching, it showed he not only gave up his vaccine to save a young mother with
cubs, but he had then been infected, and instead of seeking treatment he'd
stayed at his post, contained in his hazmat suit until the virus had killed
him.

The red Neolion didn't let his sacrifice be in vain, he planned on
egging Hodges and others into making a memorial to the stubborn will to live,
with the Neolion as the centerpiece. He already had a sculptor lined up.

Then there were Neo's like Nohar, Hank McCoy, and Jerry, all prime
examples of hard working Neos. Yup, the tide of political change was changing,
and he planned to ride the crest when it did.

...*...*...*...*...

Phoenix passed over the site of the ground zero infection. Sensors
peered down through the atmosphere, probing with uncaring eyes. The AI however
did care, and what he found disturbed him. He immediately put a call in to
Sprite.

“Admiral!” Sprite said anxiously, making Irons pause.

“What now?” Irons asked, holding a hand up to indicate to the
others in the room that he was talking with someone else. Nohar nodded. Helen
rolled her eyes.

“We're in deep admiral. That damn thing, it's all been one
distraction! The viruses... it's genius!” Sprite said.

“Slow down commander, start slower. Remember who you're talking
to.”

“Right, sorry. We don't have a lot of time. The viruses and
nanites are distractions for the real endgame.”

“Wait, what?” Irons asked, blinking. His right hand rose palm up.
A holo appeared, projecting the image of the planet from space.

“I just got this from Phoenix,” Sprite said. A box karat appeared
around something and then the image zoomed. As it did the image shifted so the
ground was now palm down. “And again,” she said, zooming once more. An image
formed, one of an alien artifact under the cover of a building.

“What the hell is it?” Nohar asked.

“You of all people in this room might of guessed. I thought the
Xeno AI, there has to be one here, I thought it was making a bunch of nano
factories. But it's not,” Sprite said, overlaying the image with a
gravitational scan. The scan was all shades of colors, with white being the
highest intensity. That white was in a recognizable pattern, at least to
someone like Irons.

Irons instantly recognized the readings and swore softly. “It's a
damn planet buster. How the hell did they program that thing...”

“Wheels within wheels admiral. The organic virus package was to
throw us off the scent and make people scatter away from ground zero. The
nanites were stage two, they kept making new viruses as well as themselves.
Like you said, had we gone in with a nuke it would have kicked them into the
atmosphere to seed the entire planet.”

Irons nodded, catching on. “And the... you said Xeno AI driving
this thing used all that as a cover to build the bomb. Smart.”

“Very smart. Also very much almost done admiral. I can't be
certain from these readings...”

“I can,” Proteus responded. “Admiral by my estimate the nanites
are near completion. About twenty three standard hours away from deployment.”

“Shit,” Nohar breathed. “We went through all this for nothing?”

“No, we'll kill it.”

“It won't be easy admiral,” Sprite cautioned, highlighting
structures around the perimeter of ground zero. “Gravity emissions here, most
likely shield emitters.”

“Which explains why the EMP wasn't effective,” Irons replied.

“Exactly,” Sprite replied triumphantly. “Ideas?”

“Not a whole lot we can do. A bomb will be shrugged off.”

“Ion blast admiral?” Nohar asked.

“Nothing around to make the ion cannon with. I'd love it but no.
Same for a gravity bomb. It would take the shield down but might set off the
planet buster.”

“Ideas?”

“One very stupid and possibly suicidal one,” Irons replied grimly.

...*...*...*...*...

Nohar looked at the little red air car they'd appropriated for the
task. Ironically it was the one the admiral had been using since he'd arrived.
Someone had borrowed it with his permission, but now here it was. “You sure
about this?” he asked, arms crossed as he turned to John.

Irons was busy wrapping coils of appropriated copper and
superconductor wire around his waist and across his torso. Hopefully if his
plan worked Proteus would be able to use it for feeder material for additional
shielding since most likely his shields wouldn't have enough power.

“It's all we've got.”

“You mean you're all we've got sir,” Nohar said, golden eyes
troubled. “I wish there was another way,” he said. He'd seen the images of the
nanite fields. There was no way across that, no way and still be alive on the
other end. Lava was less scary than that silver sand. He was fairly certain
this was a one way trip.

“You and me both. But we can't. That thing is only vulnerable now
because it's on the surface under that shield bubble. The nanites around it are
defending it and daisy chaining material to it to build the damn thing. I'm
betting once it's online the Xeno AI will have the nanites bore into the
ground, passing the bomb down a tube to the core.”

“Shit,”  Nohar muttered.

“We'll get it done.”

“Try to come back in one piece,” Nohar said, clasping arms with
the admiral. Irons nodded. “And if at all possible, bring the car back? It's a
rental,” he stage whispered.

Irons laughed as they broke the handshake. Nohar stepped back and
came to attention and saluted. Irons straightened and returned the salute. “Good
hunting sir,” Nohar said as Irons broke the salute.

“I'll be back,” Irons replied, climbing into the air car and
starting her turbines.

...*...*...*...*...

“This is the damnedest do or die thing I've ever heard. Is this
going to work?” Helen asked. She stuffed her hands in her pockets, but kept
clenching them. She was scared, more scared then she'd ever been in her life.

“It'd better,” Nohar replied.

“Will he be back?” Helen asked softly, eyes troubled as she
watched the red car climb into the sky.

Nohar churred for a moment, shading his eyes to watch the car
climb. “I hope so,” he murmured. “I hope so,” he said again after a long
moment, and then turned away.

...*...*...*...*...

Sprite watched through the admiral's eyes as he piloted the air
car closer to ground zero. “This has got to be nuts,” she murmured. She was
charting locations for the admiral to land after phase two of his plan. He
would need a safe place in that sea of hostile nanites to land and go to ground
before phase three. So far she wasn't at all sure about phase one though. They
had to survive it first.

Irons grunted. His hands clutched at the control yoke as they went
through a patch of turbulence. “Any other ideas?”

Sprite sighed. “No, that's the problem, I'm coming up empty. But
this is the damnedest do or die thing I think you've ever thought of admiral.”

“Or at least the damnedest he's come up with yet,” Proteus
interjected. Irons snorted.

“Any other objections?” Irons asked. “Defender? You might as well
weigh in on this,” he said.

“I have nothing to add admiral. This is the only prudent course
left,” the AI responded. Sprite blinked on the admiral's HUD, clearly
surprised.

“No try to get to the shuttle?”

“As you pointed out the nanites have no doubt compromised it. It
could crash or self-destruct or at the very least contaminate Phoenix and other
ships thus compromising your safety as well as the safety of others. Until it
is certified safe we can't chance it. This is the only option.”

“That's it?” Sprite demanded. “Just like that?” she asked. The
AI's smoldering eyes turned to her.

“There is nothing left but a hail Mary as the admiral likes to
say.”

“Amen,” Irons replied. “We're almost there. Prep for nanite
defense and shields. Proteus is the package ready?”

“All set admiral. Waiting on your order,” the AI responded.

“Good. Let's deliver the football to the end zone.”

“And shove it right up the Xeno's ass,” Sprite growled. Irons
grunted in amused approval.

...*...*...*...*...

An hour later Irons wasn't so eager as he felt the little red air
car shudder. “That's not turbulence,” he said.

“Nanites in the air have infested the car's systems. I suggest you
abandon before this ship crashes admiral,” Proteus said.