The jane colt trilogy, p.36
The Jane Colt Trilogy, page 36
Chapter 23
An Awesome Plan
Riley triumphantly hit the “GO” icon on his slate. A video of Jane appeared in the communication window. “Hah!”
Pandora made it hard for him to do anything online, even send a simple communication. Another win for him; she couldn’t stop him from talking to his buddies.
He set the slate down on the ground beside where he sat on the living room carpet and leaned back on his elbows. “Yo, Janie, how’s it going? Meadow still pretty and all?”
Jane propped her head up on her hand. “Yeah, lovely.”
She and Devin had spent the four days since escaping the Ringmaster on Yim Radel following the Networld’s movements and watching Commander Vega go public with her investigation. Pandora hadn’t sent any killer robots after them or anything. Riley guessed that she didn’t think them worth her time, since they were in hiding.
Jane’s eyelids drooped. She looked bored. “I’m sick of lying low. Can’t they delete Pandora already?”
“Huh, I wish.” Riley shifted his elbow for a more comfortable position. “Would save me a lotta work.”
“I know. I know. It’s not that simple. There must be something we can do. Doesn’t it have a mainframe we can blow up?”
“Uh… No,” Riley replied, as though it were the dumbest thing he’d ever been asked. Jane gave him a furious glare. He once again reminded himself to be nicer when talking to actual people.
“She did once, before she accessed the Net.” The voice was Jim X’s.
Riley sat up. The old guy hovered over him. “Hey! I said no eavesdropping!” He flicked his wrist dismissively. “Go… do some old people stuff! Shoo!”
Jim X chuckled. “Just thought I could help.”
“Huh. Like you would know anything about—” Riley smacked himself in the forehead. “Duuuude! We can blow her up!”
“How?” Jane asked eagerly.
Riley threw Jim X a get-outta-here look. Jim X smiled and walked away. As soon as the door had closed behind the old guy, Riley resumed his enthusiastic tone. “We’ve just gotta confine her to one place! She can’t be always floatin’ around the communication waves. If we knew which drive she was on and blew it up, it’d be like bashing her brains in!”
Jane sat up straight. “I like the sound of that.”
“Does it have to be so violent?” That voice was Adam’s.
Jane, who sat in the cockpit of the counterfeit Blue Tang, looked over the camera. Riley had interfaced with the Net earlier that day and told Adam how to get around the ship’s veiling devices. Adam had figured out how to communicate through its central computer, his face appearing on the viewscreen whenever he did.
The fact that Adam was an AI didn’t bother Riley anymore. He’d been pretty freaked out when he found out the guy was mechanical like Sarah DeHaven, but soon he’d brushed off his uneasiness. As far as he cared, the situation was simple: Sarah DeHaven was an evil robot; Adam was his friend.
Adam continued, “Surely there’s a safer way.”
Jane smirked. “Look who’s talking. Remind me how much was left of the Ringmaster’s palace by the time you were done with it?”
“Point taken. Destroy the body to destroy the mind… Sounds like the way they almost killed me, except I escaped. How do we keep Pandora from doing the same?”
Riley snatched up his slate in excitement. “The Snare, duh!”
“What’s that?” Adam asked.
“It’s what we’re calling the program the Collective’s working on to trap Pandora.” Riley held up a hand, his forefinger and thumb almost touching. “We’re this close to finishing! I’ll be joinin’ the effort again once we’re done here. Consensus says we’ll be done by the day after tomorrow.”
“That was fast.” The voice was Devin’s.
Riley hadn’t known Devin was in the cockpit with Jane. He wished he could reach through the slate and move the camera to see what his pal was up to. “What’re you doing over there?”
Jane turned and, in the process, moved her slate to the angle Riley wanted. “What are you doing?”
“As usual, catching up on the news.” Devin, who sat in the seat beside Jane, swiped his slate and turned it toward Jane. “Check this out.”
A hologram of Jim X appeared. Riley’s jaw dropped.
“As you can clearly see,” holo-Jim X said, “I’m not dead. The evidence against Devin Colt in my murder is as indisputable as in the attacks on Dr. Revelin Kron and Victor Colt. I believe Jane Colt and Adam Palmer were right to question the supposed infallibility of the Kyderan justice system, which would have seen an innocent man executed.”
Jane raised her eyebrows. “Hate to admit it, but I’m starting to like the old bastard.”
Jim X called from the next room, “Is that my voice I hear?”
Riley scurried to the door, opened it, and poked his head in. Jim X lounged in a hammock, holding an antique book, the kind made out of dead trees and stuff. The big gray dog curled up on the ground beside him.
Riley held up his slate. “When’d you do that?”
Jim X peered over his book. “This morning. You didn’t expect the media to keep away, did you? High-profile murder like mine? They descended on this place the moment the Granite Flame left. You were wired into the Net, and I didn’t want to bother you, so I dealt with them myself.”
Riley pointed at him. “Dumbass! Pandora could’ve sent an evil machine to shoot you in the face! If she had… What the hell am I supposed to do with a dead guy?”
Jim X shrugged. “Like I said to the media: I’m not dead. Your safeguards seem to be protecting me well enough. Don’t worry. I checked with Commander Vega first, and she gave me the go-ahead. Said she was about to reveal that I was alive, anyway.”
Riley was ticked-off at the old guy for going behind his back and irritated with himself for missing it. At least it was another strike against the Devin-is-a-coldblooded-murderer thing.
Holo-Jim X continued, “My friends, the video of me disseminated on the Net contains only the truth. I know I’ve been discredited many times and dismissed as a batty old curmudgeon, but believe me when I say those memos were faked. I am perfectly sane. The Pandora program is a very real threat, and she’s already claimed many lives. Had Dr. Kron been willing to accept responsibility for the rogue artificial intelligence he created, then he would’ve informed the cyberpolice of the so-called unidentified cybercriminal’s true nature. I’m sure the investigation ordered by the Tech Council will soon find the proof it’s looking for.”
“I’m on your side, Riley,” the real Jim X said. “Don’t forget the reason you were able to break into BD Tech’s computers.”
Jane adjusted her position and looked into the slate. “What’s he talking about?”
“One sec.” Riley glared at Jim X. “No eavesdropping!” The dog got up and trotted toward Riley. Riley let the animal through before closing the door on the old guy’s chuckle. “You can listen in, though.”
The dog followed him to the far side of the living room. Riley planted himself on the carpet. “Here, Archangel!”
Jane snickered. “You named the dog Archangel?”
“I like that word, okay? It’s a cool word!” Riley patted Archangel’s head. “Anyhow, Jah-Mex gave me some intel, and I passed it on to a couple of rogue BD Tech programmers who were trying to break into Kron’s old computer. The Snare’s based on an anti-Pandora program Kron was working on. What the Seer discovered from… uh… looking at Uh-Dame filled in the blanks. You know, if Kron hadn’t been offed, he might’ve finished the thing himself.”
Adam, visible on the viewscreen next to Jane, shook his head. “He abandoned it years ago. From what I’ve heard, he stopped working on it because he wanted to see what his creation was capable of.”
Riley jerked his slate toward himself in his consternation. “What?” That’s so messed-up!
Jane’s poofy brown hair filled the screen as she whirled to face Adam. “You mean he chose to let his monster run amok? That bastard! He deserved what he got and worse!”
“Yeah!” Riley put his slate on the ground. “Well, his evil computer fiend won’t be doing much more, because we’re gonna blow her up!” He pumped his fist. “Here’s what’s gotta happen.” He made a chopping motion. “She downloads the Snare and gets stuck somewhere”—he pointed to the side—“we find out where she’s at, and then boom!” He slammed his fist down on his leg. Ow! His thigh throbbed from the bruise he was pretty sure he’d given himself.
Devin looked over Jane’s shoulder. “Why can’t they use the Snare alone?”
Riley slumped. “Because it might not work. I mean, it will, but it won’t hold her forever. Pandora’s a freakin’ super-brain. She’ll escape eventually. And man, I do not wanna be around when she does.”
“The idea behind the Snare’s pretty simple,” Adam said. “The program would trap Pandora’s consciousness in a virtu-world that appears real to her. She’d basically become a virtu-addict, except without a physical body that would die. And… she has to upload it herself.”
Jane threw up a hand. “Oh, great! How’s that supposed to happen?”
Adam tilted his head down. “No idea.”
Riley was annoyed that someone else had done the explaining. “Hey, how’d you know all that?”
“I guess you could say I downloaded it,” Adam replied. “When I’m in the Networld, I can simply know the things I discover, without having to read them. That must be how Pandora learned so quickly.”
“Whoa, cool!” Riley snatched up his slate. “Hey, you know what you should do? You should download all your textbooks and stuff in case you go back to priest-school.”
“That would be cheating, and I couldn’t do that.”
Riley rolled his eyes. “Lame! Dude, there’s all this awesome shiznit you can do now. You should take advantage of it! Mess around with machines like Pandora!”
“I’ve had enough of that already.” Adam sounded tired. “It’s strange, being able to… but not… Never mind. Anyway, how do we find her?”
“Uh…” Riley fidgeted. He liked that everyone turned to him for answers, which was how it should be since he was brilliant, and they’d be lost without him. He hated to disappoint and once in a while wished someone else would figure things out for a change.
Devin knit his eyebrows. “She abandoned the workshop on Viate-5 years ago. She must have another, and she probably spends a lot of time there developing her AIs.”
Adam pressed his lips together in thought. “I think I know how to make her upload it. I haven’t heard anything about another version of me, which means she hasn’t completed my replacement yet. When she recalled me, she was careful not to harm me. It’s possible she still wants to… repair me. If I can convince her to… upload me into the workshop’s central computer, I can bring the Snare with me.”
Jane spun toward him again. “Like hell! You could get trapped too!”
“I’m willing to risk it,” Adam said. “She must be stopped, Jane. If she’s not, whose life will she destroy next? I’ll be fine. As soon as she’s trapped, I’ll get out of there, and then you can destroy the building and be done with her forever. Maybe while I’m there, I can… find a new body.”
Riley smacked his forehead. “The body! That’s it! That’s how Pandora’s been tracking you guys!” He pointed at the slate. “Adam, you were the bug telling her where they were at whenever you weren’t on a veiled ship! There’s gotta be some kinda signal coming from it! And hey, if there’s a signal, it can be traced. That’s how we’ll find her.” He put the slate down and leaned back. “Signal traces are easy. Move the body outta the ship, and I’ll have a location for you by sundown.”
Devin smiled. “You really are a freakin’ genius.”
Riley lifted his chin. “You bet I am!”
“How long will the Snare hold her?” Devin asked. “A couple days, at least?”
“Uh… Yeah. She’s smart but not invincible.”
“Good. She needs to download the Snare before Jane and I get to that workshop. Otherwise, she’ll figure out what we’re doing and send an army after us. That’ll give you, Adam, plenty of time to find a way out while we pick up some supplies. I doubt our one cannon will be enough to take out a whole building. Once you’re out, we’ll blow the place.”
Adam nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
Riley beamed. “It’s an awesome plan.”
Jane looked past the slate’s camera, making it seem like she gazed at a cloud or something. “But… but, Adam, what if you can’t get out? What if you get stuck too?”
“Chill.” Riley wasn’t the best at comforting people, but he tried anyway. “That program’s meant to trap Pandora. Adam’s different. It’ll be nothing more than a virtu-game to him. Besides, once I give it to him, he can try it out, practice ejecting himself. It’s not like he’ll be going in blind.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Adam said. “I’ll make sure I know what I’m dealing with before I take her in with me.”
Jane leaned back resignedly. “All right. Where do we start?”
Jane entered the coordinates of Aurudise-3, the Fringe planet Riley had traced the signal to, into the counterfeit Blue Tang. She recalled hearing of the planet’s evacuation several years ago, when computer and communications problems left its settlements unable to function. Sounded like Pandora’s handiwork. Bitch.
Jane buckled herself into the copilot’s seat. “We’re gonna have a look at our target before going after weapons. I’m just glad we can leave freaking Zim’ska Re. What a waste. Such a beautiful place rendered so ugly by horrible people. Wish I could fix it.”
Adam’s face occupied a rectangle in the viewscreen’s corner. “They’re trying. There’s an IC-backed Via program seeking to educate the population and change the place from the inside. I had a chance to join it a couple months ago, but—”
He broke off. The confused, melancholy look descended that so often crossed his face.
“You chose to help out on the Orphan Planet instead,” Jane finished, even though it was a false memory.
Adam smiled, but the pained look remained.
Jane wanted to tell him that she’d chosen to believe the illusion that was his life before the seminary and that he should too. Before she could, Devin called her name, and she turned her attention to him.
“Ready the cannon,” he said. “Seems like Mor’sei and Nem are still at each other’s throats. They shouldn’t bother with us, but it’s better to be prepared.”
Jane flicked her hand by her forehead in a mock salute. “Yes, Commander.”
By the time she turned back to Adam, he was gone.
She took her last glimpse of Yim Radel as it shrank in the rear view. The Aurudisian system was so remote that it would take almost five days to reach. If all went according to plan, Pandora would already be trapped in her AI workshop’s central computer before the ship entered the atmosphere of Aurudise-3.
Jane gripped the gunner’s controls as the ship passed the space battle. She aimed the cannon and fired at a stray attack drone. Thankfully, that was the only trouble she ran into. She was too tense to focus and wasn’t sure she could’ve handled another firefight.
He’ll be fine. The self-reassurance rang hollow.
Dread loomed as she thought about what Adam had to do, a feeling that after he found Pandora, she’d never see him again.
Riley tapped his foot. Waiting for people always bugged him. He’d told Adam to meet him in the virtu-world of one of his favorite games so he could deliver the completed Snare. Pandora had shut down the previous virtual forum they’d met in.
Riley was starting to wonder if Adam would be able to figure out how to enter a virtu-game.
Yeah, he will. He can download anything he doesn’t know. Man, if I could do that, I wouldn’t let some dumb thing like principles stop me!
Knee-high red grass covered the field he stood in. A stone castle towered in the distance, surrounded by a giant army of guys in metal suits. Those were the other players. Riley had chosen that part of the game because it was so busy. Pandora would have a harder time spotting him in the crowd.
A pale green light appeared a few yards away. Seconds later, it transformed into Adam, who seemed smaller than usual since Riley looked at him through the eyes of his virtu-game avatar: a tall, muscular man with swarthy features and a cool swagger. “Hi, Uh-Dame!”
Adam looked confused as Riley approached, and then he smiled. “Riley, I know what you look like.”
“Fine, then.” Riley reverted to his usual self. “Like the scenery? It’s Ocean Sky’s latest release: Klash of Kingdoms Three-Eleven. Anyhow, here’s the Snare.” He reached into the air and pulled a Via pendant out of nowhere. “Nice touch, right? It was my idea. She’ll never think it’s anything but part of your projection of yourself, priest-boy.”
Adam regarded it curiously. “I don’t understand how any of this works.”
“Don’t think too hard about it.” Riley handed him the pendant. “Hey, you’ve been watchin’ yourself, right? She’s not following you or anything?”
“I haven’t seen her at all.” A shimmering black fog appeared and surrounded Adam. “Riley? What’s this?”
Riley tensed up to keep from fidgeting. Only a program that could screw you over. “Part of the game, duh.”
“Are you sure? It seems different from—”
“Ever played Klash of Kingdoms before?” Not like you could tell the difference if you had. I imbedded it in the game itself.
Adam shook his head.
Riley put his hands in his pockets in an attempt to look chill. “That stuff’s common around here. It’s… uh… meant to make this place seem more mysterious. Trust me, I’ve been playing versions of this game for ages.”
