Artificial Absolutes (Jane Colt Book 1) Read online

  He had not been as forthcoming as he had professed. He had knowledge about artificial intelligence that he had not told Devin. He also had information about Devin that he had not told Jane. Revealing that information would have served no purpose. However, he was not a good judge of relevance when it came to subjective matters, and he had left information in the Stargazer for the Colts to find.

  A small red machine entered the atmosphere. The Seer regarded it through his binoculars. It had an elongated shape that tapered to a point. Gold markings on its cone-shaped engine indicated that it was from the Republic of Kydera. The machine was a Guppy drone, used by larger spacecrafts to probe planets. It did not have a long range. The larger spacecraft would already be in the Viatian system.

  The Seer climbed into his aircraft and flew away.

  Chapter 9

  The Hostiles

  “Commander, Guppy Seven-Zero-Three has located the target. He’s on the other side of the mountains, in a building that appears to be abandoned.”

  Commander Vega nodded with satisfaction. “Good. Recall the other probes to these coordinates. We will pick them up later.” She turned to the pilot. “Take us to the target’s location.”

  Jane examined a row of android heads, identical but for slight variations, displayed on a metal rack. She recognized the head of an amber-eyed young man as the one she’d seen on the news while waiting at the police station: Jonathan King, the political wunderkind who had obtained a coveted internship in the office of the President Thean, a position whose past alums had become powerful leaders.

  Maybe she was wrong. She’d only seen the portrait briefly, and the faces before her looked too much like impeccably symmetrical wax figures to pass for human.

  It’d make sense to replace him.

  Jonathan King could be President of Kydera someday. Conspiracy theories ran amok in Jane’s mind. If No Name sought power and influence…

  Then why Adam? Religious domination’s the last thing he’s good for.

  Once, Jane had met up with Adam after his meeting with Counselor Santillian, one of his advisors. She waited on an ancient wooden bench in a hallway lined with portraits of the seminary’s most famous graduates.

  Adam looked exhausted when he emerged from the Counselor’s office. “Hi, Jane. Thanks for waiting.”

  Jane folded the slate she’d been reading. “Was she actually there this time?”

  “No. We spoke via video transmission.”

  “How’d it go?”

  Adam collapsed on the bench. “Not well. According to her, I’m lazy. She told me off for not participating in the so-called leadership groups and missing networking events.”

  “Networking?” Jane laughed. “The seminary’s starting to sound like business school.”

  “Some people treat it that way.” He shook his head. “There’s always that one person who would do anything to climb to the top, even at the expense of others. I think Counselor Santillian wants me to be like that. She keeps saying that if I applied myself properly, I could go far. And then she harangued me for wasting my time on volunteer work when I have more important things to do.”

  “Sounds like she’s grooming you to run the next mega-temple.” Jane stood and approached the portrait of a well-known Via Superior who had scores of diehard adherents. “I don’t get why you wouldn’t want to be like this guy. It’d be nice to have everyone listen to you, wouldn’t it?”

  Adam joined her. “I can’t say I haven’t thought about it. They say the higher you climb, the more people you can help. But I’d rather be out there with them than managing from afar. I told Counselor Santillian, and she called me ‘unwise’ and my decisions ‘unintelligent.’”

  “What a bitch.”

  “That’s not fair. She’s just pushing me to be my best, and I appreciate that she cares so much. I only wish I knew why she’s so determined to turn me into something I’m not. I’d be a terrible Superior.”

  Jane agreed. Adam was too freaking nice to be one of those religious leaders who aired their loudmouthed opinions and swayed people’s views.

  So why the hell replace him?

  She stared at the row of fake faces. She imagined Adam’s face lined up on a lab bench like that. A shudder chilled her. “Hey, Devin? This is really freaking me out. I’m gonna get some air.”

  Devin didn’t look up from the vial he examined. “Don’t wander far.”

  Jane left the room and ran down the staircase. She burst out the building’s open door, catching the heat of the Viatian sun with her face. The building had been stuffy, and she was grateful for the wind.

  A splotch of red colored the rocky yellow ground near the Stargazer. Wondering what it could be, she approached it.

  Why’s there a Guppy drone out here? She examined its gold markings. That symbol looks like the one on that warship—

  “Oh shit!” Jane ran back into the building. “Devin!” She zoomed up the stairs. “Devin, they found us! We’ve gotta go!”

  Devin ran toward her. “What is it?”

  Jane pointed back. “There’s a freaking Guppy out there!”

  She sprinted down, out, and toward the Stargazer, no easy feat in her stupid heeled boots. Why the hell didn’t I wear flats?

  Devin grabbed her and yanked her back.

  The ground in front of her shattered into an explosion of rock and dirt. Jane screamed. A red Barracuda soared across the sky.

  Devin spun her toward the building. “Back inside!”

  Another Barracuda fired, splattering yellow earth. Jane felt Devin’s hand on her back, pushing her along as she ran. Luckily, the building wasn’t far. She made it inside as a Barracuda swooped down and blew holes in the concrete walls.

  Gripping her wrist so tightly it hurt, Devin dragged her into one of the rooms.

  She shook her arm in protest. “Let go of me!”

  Devin released her and looked out the window. “Fuck.”

  Barracudas landed outside. Jane rushed into the room across the hall. Devin followed. Barracudas landed on that side too.

  She gasped and instinctively grabbed her brother’s arm as two cannons emerged from the top of each of fighter ship, aimed straight at the building.

  Commander Vega clasped her hands behind her back and extended her neck proudly. Her Barracuda team surrounded the target. He had no choice but to surrender.

  She was unhappy with the method by which she had located the target. A few hours after his escape from Kydera, a representative from BD Tech had contacted her, claiming the command center had asked for the company’s assistance. The company had internal methods by which to track the target’s Blue Tang, and they’d located the vehicle in a Viatian junkyard. Although Commander Vega was suspicious of the company’s motives, it was not her job to pursue the matter.

  An unexpected second person accompanied the target: a woman. According to the case file, Devin Colt had no accomplice. The woman was doubtless a Fringe criminal he’d bribed or intimidated into helping him trade his Blue Tang for that pathetic-looking Stargazer. Commander Vega would be more than happy to clear the galaxy of one more outlaw.

  The Granite Flame hovered above the area before the building, high in the atmosphere but well within the target’s visual range. Commander Vega ordered the communications officer to activate the external screen, which was used to broadcast ubiquitous messages. The warship’s underside appeared in a rectangular area of the viewscreen. Two red gates retracted, revealing a wide screen that projected an enormous video of her face. Massive speakers extended on either side. Her voice would be heard for miles.

  “Attention, Devin Colt. This is Commander Jihan Vega of the RKSS Granite Flame. You are surrounded by Barracuda fighters. If you do not surrender, I will have no choice but to fire on you. You will probably not survive
. Come out with your hands behind your head. You have one minute.”

  Jane punched her brother in the arm. “Do it, you idiot!”

  “Like hell!” Devin strode toward the exit.

  She rushed to block his path. “You are not going out there.”

  “She’s not giving me much of a choice!”

  Jane shoved him back as he tried to go around her. He might’ve been willing to surrender, but she sure as hell wasn’t. “What about Adam? What about Sarah? How am I supposed to find them and clear your name on my own? Don’t you dare ditch me, you jerk!”

  “Listen—”

  “I’ll tell them I’m your accomplice. They’ll believe me. Goddammit, Devin! If you don’t do it, I swear I’ll go down with you.”

  Commander Vega waited. Forty seconds had passed.

  Forty-five.

  Fifty.

  “Devin Colt, this is your last warning.”

  “Commander! We’re receiving a video transmission from the planet.”

  “Put it through.” Perhaps the woman wished to surrender even if Devin Colt was too foolish to. “Shark Team, hold your fire.”

  A skewed image appeared in a section of the viewscreen. The target stood behind the woman—or rather, the girl. She couldn’t have been much older than twenty. Devin Colt gripped her arm tightly with one hand and held his other arm against her throat. The girl looked pleadingly into the camera and mouthed, “Please help me.”

  Bastard.

  Colt’s face was cold, expressionless. “Hello, Commander. This is my sister, Jane. If you fire on me, she dies as well.”

  The transmission ended.

  “Sonuvabitch!” Commander Vega didn’t know whether Jane Colt had been kidnapped or manipulated by her older brother into joining him. Having looked through the girl’s file the previous day, Commander Vega knew Jane was innocent. What kind of monster uses his own sister as a shield?

  “Shark Team, disengage!” She would rather risk the target escaping than endanger the girl’s life. Admiral Landler would probably reprimand her, but her abhorrence of collateral damage was well known. He would excuse the matter once she had apprehended the target. And Jane Colt would live.

  It was time to send in the ground troops. “Open a communication with the Flame Team.”

  “Yes, Commander!”

  “Attention, Flame Team.” Commander Vega made no effort to hide her disgust. “We have a human shield situation on the ground. Man your Remoras and use caution when entering the building. Acquire the target, but do not allow any harm to come to the hostage.”

  “Yes, Commander!”

  Commander Vega narrowed her eyes. When she eventually caught Devin Colt, she was determined to see him face the ultimate justice.

  The triangular Barracudas retracted their cannons. Jane elbowed her brother. “I told you it’d work!”

  “Yeah, good plan.” Devin looked stormy.

  “You didn’t have a choice, bro. I didn’t give you one.” A low rumble. Two wide crimson shuttles with long wings emerged from the Mega. “Ground troops?”

  Devin nodded. “Let’s move.”

  Jane followed him out of the room and into the stairwell. “Hey, this could be a good thing, right? Now someone official will know about the AIs. That’ll make them investigate the things you were investigating, No Name and stuff. They’ll figure out you were framed.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it.”

  “What’s the plan?”

  “No idea.”

  She smirked. “Any conduits we can climb into?”

  Devin looked over his shoulder, expression amused. He entered the chemistry lab on the top floor. Jane ran in after him and carefully maneuvered around the glass apparatuses. Outside, the Barracudas left as the Remoras landed. Red-clad soldiers in black boots, round helmets, and protective vests exited the shuttles.

  Devin pulled a black laser gun out of his bag.

  Jane glanced at it uncomfortably. “Where’d you get that?”

  “Had it in the Blue Tang.” He pressed the edges of his bag shut. “Don’t worry. I won’t shoot anyone.”

  Jane reached for the stunner in her pocket, only to find it missing.

  Dammit! Must’ve left it in the Blue Tang.

  Devin raised the gun. “Go under the table.”

  What’s he up to? Jane crawled under the table beneath the window.

  Devin hesitated, suddenly looking nervous. His expression firmed, and he fired repeatedly at the window. Shattered glass pounded the table above Jane’s head and tumbled to the floor.

  She looked up questioningly. “What was that for?”

  Devin watched the window. “Hopefully, they’ll come up here while we go down another way.”

  Jane crawled out and ran toward the door. Devin pulled her down. A burst of white light wiped out her vision. Apparatuses shattered. She screamed.

  “It’s only a stun blast.” Devin sounded calm.

  Broken glass and spilled liquids surrounded her. “What do they have, a freaking stun cannon?” She started to get up.

  Devin grabbed her shoulders. “Wait.”

  A second blast flew through the window. A nearby apparatus exploded. Jane held up her arm to protect her face, and her skin burned as a liquid splashed onto it. Pieces of glass scraped her wrist. “Ow!”

  “Jane!” Devin reached into his bag, grabbed a bottle, and poured the water onto her scratches.

  “Knock it off!” Jane pulled away. “I got scratched, for crying out loud!”

  “The Seer said those liquids could be toxic.” Devin ripped off his office shirt, revealing the black T-shirt underneath, and used it to hurriedly wipe her arm.

  Jane yanked the shirt from him. “This is no time to be paranoid!” She sprang up. “Soldiers with guns coming at us, remember? Now let’s go!”

  She dropped the shirt and sprinted out of the room. Devin passed her in the corridor. He leaned against the wall by the stairwell, looked down, and then gestured for her to follow.

  As Jane rushed down the stairs, she held her arms out for balance and fixed her eyes on the steps to keep from tripping.

  One flight down… Two…

  She crashed into Devin, smashing her nose against his T-shirted back. A blast hit the wall in front of them. Shit, that was close!

  Jane ran up the stairs and turned into the nearest corridor. She couldn’t hear her brother behind her, so she looked back.

  Devin backed up against the wall beside the doorframe on the level below. He held his gun by his shoulder. White blasts flew past him. He looked out into the corridor, undaunted by the chaos. The moment the blasting stopped, he stepped into the doorframe.

  Bang.

  Jane jumped.

  Devin rushed toward her. “I took out his weapon.”

  She didn’t move. “When’d you learn to shoot like that?”

  Instead of replying, Devin pushed her out of the stairwell. He stood against the doorframe, firing down the stairs as blasts from below hit the walls, aiming high, as if aiming to miss.

  Jolted by an abrupt sense of unease, Jane turned. A soldier entered the corridor from the staircase at the other end. “Look out!”

  Devin ducked. A blast hit the wall above him. He quickly straightened and fired several times. The soldier darted back into the stairwell.

  Boots pounded up the stairs. Jane ran. Two soldiers emerged from a stairwell in front of her. Devin shoved her into one of the rooms.

  Except it wasn’t a room. It was a freaking elevator.

  “Shit.” Devin pushed her behind him.

  Several blasts whizzed past. Jane nervously backed up against the wall as he exchanged fire with the soldiers. She looked around. This isn’t my first time tra
pped in an elevator…

  The vent in the high ceiling was clearly unreachable. A lotta good that’ll do us.

  Devin followed her gaze. He fired up at the vent.

  Jane gasped. What the—

  Snap!

  The ground dropped as the elevator fell.

  She bit her lip. No more screaming.

  “Commander Vega!”

  She turned to the officer, concerned by the alarm in his voice. “Yes?”

  “Three unidentified Barracudas are approaching the target site from the South-West. They are unmarked and heavily armed. I believe they are hostile. They are not responding to attempts to communicate.”

  Who would attack us in such a remote area? “Deploy Betta Unit E. Attack mode.”

  The elevator tipped. Through the open door, Jane saw the wall, then the crooked corridor, and then the wall again. Something clanged.

  Devin grabbed her from behind and twisted her around as the elevator hit the ground, slamming her body into his.

  It took a moment for Jane to regain her sense of up and down.

  Devin looked dazed. He’d apparently taken the full impact against the corner of the elevator, cushioning her. “Sorry, should’ve warned you. You okay?”

  Jane got off him. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.”