Artificial Absolutes (Jane Colt Book 1) Read online

  Jane shoved a blanket off the couch and sat down. “I know. I know. You’re a genius. Happy now?”

  “Uh… Yeah. Thanks.” Riley stuck his slate in his pocket. “Anyhow, Jim X himself greenlit the Pandora Project. Oh, and he didn’t actually retire. He was ousted. Went nuts around the same time and was asked to resign.”

  Adam took a seat beside Jane. “The Thiel family ran BD Tech for generations. Jim X was the last of them, and everyone thought it odd that he retired without naming a successor. Looks as though he didn’t have a choice.”

  Jane leaned forward. “What happened to him?”

  Riley plopped down on the carpet. “I got my hands on some BD Tech memos. Jim X was sending out crazy-ass messages to his fellow bosses and then denying he’d done anything. So, they thought he was nuts.”

  “But he wasn’t,” Jane said. “Someone was faking them.”

  “Yup.” Riley pressed his thumb and forefinger together in a pointer. “Here’s what I think went down: Kron wanted to mess around with AIs, and Jim X said yes.” He arced his forearm in slightly jerky motions as he spoke. “Kron realized the best programmers were people like me, anti-establishment genii who won’t sell out, so he went around as Mastermind fooling the Collective. Some secret inner circle at BD Tech came up with the idea of using the AIs to gain influence but didn’t want Kron involved, so they took his work, offed the demons, got rid of Jim X, and then… I dunno… began building things.”

  Adam rested his elbows on his knees. “I think we need to talk to Jim X. He probably knows who’s involved, and that’s why they had to discredit him, so no one would believe him if he said anything.”

  “Why didn’t they off him too?” Jane asked.

  Riley rolled his eyes. “Duh, he’s too high profile.”

  Jane, annoyed that he spoke as though she were dumb, shot him a glare.

  Riley grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. Anyhow, I agree with Uh-Dame here. Let’s go to Wiosper.”

  “Not yet,” Jane said. “First we’ve gotta get Devin out.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Riley’s face sobered into a grim expression. “Uh… Yeah. Been working on that too. Citizen Zero even tried hacking the courts and stuff, but it’s hard because… Well, you don’t care about the techie stuff, but it’s hard.”

  Adam looked at Jane. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but our petition’s not going well. They told me there are things in Devin’s past proving he’s more than capable of murder. It’s classified because it surrounds an undercover ISARK operation.”

  “That’s bullshit.” Hit by a sudden energy, Jane stood. “This is the part where I’m supposed to come up with an excuse to leave, but I can’t think of any good ones, so I guess I’ll just see you guys later.”

  She left and started for the elevator.

  Halfway down the corridor, she stopped. The last time she’d gone that way, she’d been running from a menacing robot after seeing Adam taken away. Seconds before, her life had been normal. Flinging Adam’s door open that day had been the last moment of her once humdrum life.

  Damn, I miss the days when my biggest worry was over whether I wanted to spend the rest of my life as a corporate drone.

  “Jane!”

  Adam approached. He probably had more to say about the failing petition. In no mood to face reality, Jane sped away.

  “Jane, wait!”

  She pressed the button by the elevator. As soon as the doors parted, she slipped in. She hurriedly punched “G” for Ground, and the doors closed before Adam could catch up.

  As the elevator moved, Jane stared at the carpet that hid a maintenance hatch. The memories of the afternoon when she’d crawled through the conduits crowded her mind. She’d already beaten No Name twice—first by escaping the deep blue machine, and second by rescuing Adam. She could do it again. An odd feeling pressed against the inside of her head as she brainstormed ways to break into a maximum-security prison. It was some kind of madness, at once frightening and exhilarating.

  The doors opened on the ground floor, and she speed-walked across the campus, mentally running through the various far-fetched scenarios.

  “Jane!” Someone caught her by the shoulder.

  Startled, Jane whirled and pulled the stunner out of her pocket. Seeing Adam, she lowered it. “What?”

  Adam released her. “Where are you going?”

  Jane stormed down the path. “Never you mind.”

  “Jane, please…”

  Jane’s rage ignited. She spun to face Adam. “What do you want me to say? Do you want me to break down and wail about how they’re gonna kill my brother? Well, they won’t—I won’t let them. I’ll—I’ll bomb my way in if I have to! If that doesn’t work, I’ll blow up the whole goddamn city, and we can all go down in flames! Then future generations can write ballads about how the flawless Kyderan justice system turned a nice little office worker with a song in her heart into a ruthless terrorist!”

  Jane laughed, although she didn’t know which of those bizarre things she found funny. “Kidding! It’ll all work out in the end, right? That’s what you’re here to tell me, isn’t it? The Absolute will float down from the clouds and wave away our problems, and we’ll all live happily ever after!” She shoved Adam’s shoulder. “So where’s the divine intervention? If your Absolute Being is so great, why’s everything so freaking screwed up?”

  Adam just looked at her patiently, apparently unfazed. “Would you really want someone—even someone perfect—controlling your world, as though you were one of those AIs? Would you want to be like Sarah, who’s unable to think or decide anything?”

  Jane grimaced. “Oh, great. Now you’re getting all philosophical on me. You go ahead and pray, then. Let me know how that works out. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some laws to break.” She pointed at him emphatically. “Don’t try to stop me.”

  “I won’t. But what are you planning to do?”

  “Um… Bang, bang, ka-boom, oh-no-the-prisoners-are-escaping?”

  Adam gave her an incredulous look. Jane, realizing how ridiculous she must have sounded, laughed again.

  He waited for her to quiet down. “We’re not through yet. Let’s not rush into anything… extreme.”

  “I know, the law’s the law—but Adam, the law is failing, and I’m sick of dealing with those goddamn idiots.” She looked up at the sky and blinked back a sudden surge of tears.

  Adam sighed. “As am I. So what happens now?”

  Jane brought her gaze back down and said offhandedly, “Like I said. I’m gonna bomb the prison.”

  “Jane, please.” Adam put a hand on her arm. “Don’t be absurd. Your brother gave himself up to save your life—”

  Jane threw him off. “And I let some chemical poison me so I could run with him! If it’d killed me—fine! But the jerk went behind my back and called the authorities, so I don’t see why his oh-so-noble deed matters!” She glared at Adam, expecting the daggers in her eyes to chase him away.

  Adam returned her stare with one that was equally firm, one that told her he wasn’t going anywhere. “What do you think he’ll do if something happens to you? Are you going to engage in an eternal cycle of self-sacrifice?”

  Jane broke her gaze and shrugged. “Sure. Until we all go down in flames.”

  The insanity faded, leaving her with a paralyzing dread. She approached a nearby bench, collapsed in it, and covered her face, doing her best to banish the fears and doubts and frustrations storming every corner of her consciousness. What should I do?

  Adam joined her on the bench. She uncovered her face and turned to him. He didn’t say a word, but somehow, knowing he was there reassured her. He looked across the campus at the colorful Via temple. His expression brightened, as though he’d been touched by a new light.

  Jane won
dered why she couldn’t feel it too. She had to admit, she envied him. She wished she had someone truly unfailing to hold on to. Atheism was no match for wishful thinking, and she considered asking the Absolute for help.

  Instead, her mind paraphrased Citizen Zero, of all things: If this is a mistake, I’ll make one more mistake. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.

  Chapter 18

  If This Is the End

  Devin recalled the time, years back, when he’d wanted nothing more than to end his sorry life and not have to face his disastrous self anymore, to find release in oblivion and never again wrestle with rage or tangle with sorrow.

  He’d tried to leave life forever, without caring if anything lay beyond. At fifteen, he’d seen everything ahead for him: nothing but more meaningless, invisible pain, with barren emptiness as the only alternative.

  No point in telling anyone. People who spoke up wanted to be saved—and he didn’t. So one night, without forethought, Devin ran a blade down his wrist and watched with fascination as blood gushed to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

  He smiled wryly. At last, something he could see, something his parents would see. Maybe they’d even be sorry. He hadn’t planned it, but since he had started—might as well finish. He didn’t care if what he did was wrong. It meant escape.

  Devin sliced again. And again. Vertical cuts bled faster. The world dimmed as his body drained.

  A small voice came through the wall, his kid sister singing to herself in her room next door. She was a funny little girl, always following him around, looking up at him as if he were some kind of hero. No matter how many times he’d tried to brush her off, he’d never been able to shake her. He’d ignore her or even yell at her to go away, but she just smiled each time, knowing he didn’t mean it. As much as he hated to admit it, he liked having her around, even though he’d rarely responded to her childish ramblings.

  If there’s an afterlife, I’ll sure as hell miss her.

  Then it hit him—she’d miss him too. If he died, she’d never understand why. Or worse, she will. If his actions opened her eyes to all the ways in which life could be worthless, it could damage her forever.

  It could destroy her.

  I can’t do that. Devin forced himself to get up. He made it into the corridor and stayed upright long enough to see his mother’s shocked face before collapsing.

  Never again. Even though my life’s already over—even though it never began—leaving’s not the thing to do. So… I’ll linger.

  As each year rolled into the next, the memory and scars faded. The shadow that nearly consumed him fell behind, but it wasn’t something Devin could ever recover from; it was a burden he’d carried ever since, a perverse desire that stalked him.

  Faced with his impending execution, he found that, in spite of everything, he wanted to keep fighting. But if this is the end, I’m not sorry.

  Jane stood before Devin on the other side of his cell’s transparent wall. What could he say to her that wouldn’t bring her more sorrow? He wished he could tell her how much she meant to him, how she was the reason he’d survived as long as he had, but that would only worsen her grief once he was gone.

  After an uncomfortable stretch of silence, Devin chose his words. “Everything’s fine, Pony. The justice system hasn’t failed. I deserve what’s about to happen, and I don’t want you grieving for me.”

  Jane pinched her lips. “How can you say that? You’re innocent.”

  Devin attempted a smile. “I may not be guilty, but I’m not innocent either. There are things I haven’t told you, things I know you’ve always wanted to ask but haven’t dared. I’m a monster, Jane. I never wanted you to know, but you deserve the truth. This is probably your last chance to hear it, so I’ll give it to you straight. I should have done it years ago, instead of waiting until… the end.”

  Jane stubbornly set her jaw. “It’s not the end.”

  “Jane…” She couldn’t know how hellish the past two weeks had been as he’d come to grips with reality: He was going to die for something he never could have done. He had to let go of the notion of justice. Everything he’d fought for had been in vain.

  No, she couldn’t be sorry for him. The only thing to do was to tell her the truth he’d hidden through the years. If she knew, she would never forgive him, either. “Remember how I told you I got mixed up in a gang?”

  Jane nodded.

  Devin clasped his hands behind him and looked past her. “It started with Legion, the cybergang. Then I joined Faceless, a group of mercenaries who controlled Legion and used the information they got through hacking for their own illicit purposes.”

  He paused. Jane had to believe he’d been a willful criminal, not a clueless kid who’d fallen for a charismatic leader’s well-produced lies. His confession wasn’t to garner sympathy, and so he left out the rest, even though he wanted to tell her: I only got involved because one of my professors at university introduced me to them. He was more than just a teacher. He was my mentor, my counselor, and I trusted him.

  “Justice, Devin,” Professor Cythral had said. “It’s not in the lithe lies of the powerful. We call the legal system ‘justice,’ but you and I both know it’s the most laughable of misnomers. The laws were written by people, interpreted by people, and people are flawed, biased—ridiculous, even. Justice transcends our human institutions, and you can help us find it. I know you only want to do what’s right, to seek something more than the prison of material success your parents distorted your world to fit you into. We were all born as slaves to these systems, but there are ways to move beyond them, and if you follow me, I’ll show you how.”

  I didn’t know he was working with Faceless or that he’d founded Legion to help the warlords Faceless worked for. I was too trusting to realize his wise-and-understanding persona was an act and that he only came up with his “cause” to recruit idiots like me.

  Devin gathered his thoughts and continued, “I did everything I could to help Faceless with their heists, including looking up blueprints. So there you go: That’s how I knew about the conduits.” He forced another smile.

  Jane tried to return it. “I knew it! I knew you were a thief!” Her eyes betrayed her sadness.

  “I’m also an extortionist.” Devin tried to sound offhand. “I used Mom’s senatorial access to help Faceless blackmail politicians and their staffers.”

  Please understand, I only did it because I thought the money and bought influence went to a Fringe planet in dire need of aid, to send supplies to famine victims and aid the local resistance so they’d stand a chance. I thought everything we did was to defend those the good guys had abandoned.

  “They’re suffering,” Cythral had said. “Many of them have lives worse than death. They’re forced to choose between starving in the countryside and making the treacherous journey to the cities, where they are inevitably attacked and tortured. Nobody in the IC even cares. A few self-righteous activists parade around with horror stories, but nobody does anything meaningful. Why should they? They have their own problems. What we’re doing will be condemned if we’re ever caught, but we’ll make a real difference.”

  Devin had known too well how little got done because people were wrapped up in their agendas, so he’d willingly gone beyond the law. They told me they only stole from the wealthy and manipulated policymakers in order to bring relief to the desperate, and I believed them because I was another stupid kid looking for a greater purpose.

  “They suggested we rob Quasar, and I agreed. I was their in because of Dad, just like I was their in with the Kyderan government because of Mom.” They lured me in because of our powerful parents. Everything they did was so I’d trust them enough to get them what they needed.

  “We answered to a pair of warlords, the Voh Nyay Twins. You must’ve heard of them. They’re the ones behind the Keptella bombin
gs eight years ago.” If I’d known, I would never have had anything to do with them.

  “Dad caught me in his office downloading access codes. He stopped me, but he didn’t call the authorities. The next time I went to see him, he disowned me.” I tried to tell him and Mom why I’d done it. I didn’t expect them to forgive me, but I thought they might at least understand my intentions. They wouldn’t hear it. I didn’t know what to do, so I turned to the only person I thought could help.

  Jane seemed to have something she wanted to tell him. Devin waited for her to find the words.

  “I was there,” she said finally. “I heard what they said.”

  “It wasn’t pretty.” Devin tried not to think about his kid sister hiding by the door, listening to their parents screaming at him, hating him. “I became useless after that, and Faceless decided to use me to get money from our parents.” I never saw it coming. I went to meet Cythral, and he knocked me out. When I came to, I was chained to a wall, surrounded by members of Faceless.

  “You’re not the first to have fallen for our act,” Cythral had said. “Legion’s full of saps like you, all working for a terrorist regime in an attempt to find purpose. It’s laughable how easy it is to reel you kids in, to bait you with ideals and stir up your undirected anger. I must say, though, you were our biggest catch by far.”

  “Why would you do this?” Devin had asked.

  “Partly for money, partly for entertainment. Personally, I loved seeing how far you were willing to go for your little cause.”

  I wanted to die right there instead of having to face what I’d done, wanted to blow out my brains for being so fucking stupid.