Artificial Absolutes (Jane Colt Book 1) Read online

  “Duuuude.” A dumbfounded expression spread across Riley’s face. “I was way off. I thought it was a bunch of BD Tech bad guys!”

  Jim X shook his head. “They never even knew she existed. Kron and I were the only ones who knew about her. That’s why she made me look like a crazed old loon. Kron was smart enough to keep quiet. Even though he said he wanted to stop her, I know he enjoyed seeing what she was capable of. But in the end, I suppose, he represented too great a threat, and she had to get rid of him.”

  Jane stood. “You good-for-nothing bastard. So you let this—this artificial thing wander the Net wreaking havoc? Do you have any idea what it’s done?”

  A pained look cross Adam’s face. Jim X wondered why the kid was so distraught. He sighed—again. “Yes. I have, in my own way, followed her activities. I know the Collective calls her ‘No Name.’ I have no way of stopping her, but go ahead and yell at me. I know what she tried to take from you.”

  Jane narrowed her eyes. “I’m glad Kron’s dead, and I hope your stupid computer catches up to you soon and offs you as well!”

  “Jane,” Devin said in a low voice. His gaze was fixed on the ground. “It’s not his fault.”

  Jane turned to him and pointed at Jim X. “He let this happen! Him and that asshole Kron!”

  Devin looked up at her. “He didn’t create Pandora.”

  Jane didn’t continue her tirade, but her eyes showed her fury.

  Riley stuck his hands on the floor behind him. “Dude, you people should’ve figured out by now that if you name something ‘Pandora,’ something bad’s gonna happen. That name’s freakin’ cursed. Anyhow, if your first AI was such a disaster… Uh… Why’d you make more?”

  More? Jim X furrowed his brow. “We didn’t. Kron couldn’t have recreated Pandora if he’d wanted to, not without taking another decade or so. Like I said, she killed the amateurs who’d written unique parts of her code.”

  “Then… Uh… Where are the other AIs coming from? You know the… uh… humanoid… uh…” Riley looked uncomfortably at Adam and didn’t finish.

  Am I missing something? “I don’t understand. If by ‘AI’ you mean the possibility of lifelike mechanical beings—well, Pandora never had a physical body. Kron wasn’t interested in that aspect of artificial intelligence; he was a programmer, not a mechanical engineer.”

  “So… Uh… She created them?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Nothing,” Jane said before Riley could answer. She gazed at Adam with a tender expression, as if she wanted to protect him from whatever Riley had been about to reveal. Better not to ask.

  Devin leaned forward. “So no one else at BD Tech knew about Pandora?”

  “She would have killed or discredited anyone who did.” Jim X placed his forearms on his knees. “Look, I have no reason to hold back. Like I said, there’s not much to tell. I got bigheaded and let Kron create a monster, and it got loose. That’s—”

  Jane pointed. “Look out!”

  Devin rushed toward Jim X and pulled him to the ground as something crashed through the glass wall. A strong gust blasted Jim X as whatever it was nearly grazed his back.

  Gunfire surrounded him. A gray Betta attack drone lurched violently in the air a few feet above where he lay. It sprayed blasts from its cannons.

  Hello, Pandora.

  Jim X relaxed in resigned relief, as though the sword that dangled over his head fell at last. “She’s finally come for me. You kids should get out of here while you can.” He started to stand, prepared to face his executioner face-on.

  Devin yanked him back down. “It’s not over for you.”

  It occurred to Jim X that he should be dead already. He looked around, confused. The gray drone didn’t target him—it exchanged fire with an armed Blue Tang hovering a few yards outside where the wall had been. A cannon mounted on the ship’s roof spun, following the Betta’s movements.

  Riley lay on his stomach, tapping speedily at a slate. The boy had to be remote-controlling the Blue Tang.

  A succession of blasts hit the back of the fan-shaped drone. The Betta spun out of the room and crashed into the ground outside.

  “Hah!” Riley pumped his fist.

  Devin stood. “Nicely done.”

  Riley beamed. “Thanks. Ready to go?”

  Devin glanced around the destroyed room. “Are you sure there’s no way… Pandora can figure out what’s happening down here without actually seeing it?”

  “Yup. I smashed up all the smart house stuff, so now it’s… uh… just a house.”

  “Good.” Devin pulled Jim X to his feet. He looked Jim X in the eye with an authoritative stare. “All right, here’s what’s going to happen. We’ll make her think you’re dead so she’ll stop hunting you, and then you’re going to do everything you can to let the galaxy know the truth about her.”

  Jim X laughed. “Don’t you think I’ve tried?”

  The Blue Tang landed outside the shattered window. Two gray Bettas crossed the ocean in the distance, heading toward the mansion.

  Devin watched them. “Jane, get to the ship.” He sped toward the room’s exit.

  Jane started toward the Blue Tang. Adam remained still, as though lost in a trance. “Adam! Come on!”

  She rushed to him, grasped his wrist, and pulled him along as she ran. Jim X thought he saw a flash of mechanical parts in the exposed area of Adam’s shoulder. He wondered how a prosthetic could be so lifelike, then dismissed it as the dim light playing tricks on his aging eyes.

  Devin took the large black bag Riley had sat beside before.

  Riley grabbed Jim X’s arm. “You’re comin’ with me, old guy.”

  Jim X glanced around, perplexed. “What’s going on?”

  Riley grinned. “They won’t even look for a body.” He said into his slate, “Ready when you are, Devin!”

  Jane hoped the approaching Bettas would find Jim X a worthier target than she was so she wouldn’t have to take them out before they witnessed what she wanted them to. She steered the counterfeit Blue Tang toward where Devin stood in front of the mansion and brought the ship to a hover behind him.

  Jim X stood behind the transparent walls of his mammoth house. As the drones drew closer, Jane was certain they would see him too. Devin took a rocket launcher out of the black bag, placed it on his shoulder, and fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the mansion.

  Boom.

  The mansion disappeared behind the giant cloud of black smoke. After a brief pause, he launched a second grenade. It burst into an enormous explosion, bringing down the walls. A third took out the steel frame. A fourth incinerated the remaining debris.

  The Bettas seemed to be getting funny ideas about going after Jane’s ship since their intended target had been destroyed. They veered toward her. She hurriedly gunned them down, glad the pirates hadn’t exaggerated about the cannon’s firepower. When she finished, she pulled the lever to open the ship’s door and extend the ramp.

  The attackers were gone, and not much remained of the mansion. Devin nevertheless fired a fifth grenade. He walked up the ramp as a colossal fireball rose behind him.

  “Man, you’ve got some nice shit!” Riley jumped onto a big fancy couch while Revelin panted happily beside him. Huh, he’d have to teach that dumb dog to answer to something less evil-sounding.

  He marveled at the view of the stately mountains. Swanky places like the mansion he occupied belonged in holodramas. He’d never dreamed of seeing one in person, let alone living there. Yet there he was, lounging around in one of the many swish abodes on the Thiel estate.

  Jim X stood in the doorway between the living room and the next one, which held a menagerie of exotic pets. He looked amused as he stroked a fluffy tan feline. “You should see the one I have by the canyon.
”

  “Ugh, you evil corporation dudes have too much.” Riley left it at that, much less willing to bash rich people when he was permitted to enjoy the goods.

  He looked out the transparent walls into the sunset. Where would his buddies run to? They’d known the bad guys would probably try to off Jim X before he could talk, so they’d gone in with a plan to fake his death.

  During the journey to Shimshawhenn, Riley had downloaded all the dirty details about the Thiel estate—blueprints, schematics, and stuff. That first grenade Devin fired had been a harmless distraction so the bad guys would see Jim X disappear in an explosion and assume he’d been blown up. Riley had taken Jim X down to one of the estate’s underground transports and driven the hell away. He’d steered the transport to the current mansion—which he had, of course, unplugged ahead of time. All he had to do at present was lie low while figuring out how he was supposed to expose something invisible.

  Riley picked up a shiny gold figurine from the shelf and examined it. “So here’s the deal. As long as you’re here, Pandora can’t see you and will think you’re dead. I’m sticking around so I can keep you hidden. I saved your life, so… Uh… You have to listen to me.”

  “Fair enough.” Jim X put the cat down. “You know what? I like you, kid. You’re the first person who’s ever been straight with me.”

  “That’s because I’m not some ass-kissin’ tool who just wants to get stuff outta you.” Riley angled the figurine in the light. “Although now that I’m here, I will be taking advantage of your awesome shiznit. Oh, and… Uh… I’m renaming the dog.”

  “Be my guest.”

  Riley suddenly remembered what he was supposed to do. He grabbed his slate and typed some commands.

  A video window appeared. “This is Commander Jihan Vega of the RKSS Granite Flame. Who are you, and how did you get this confidential contact information?” Commander Vega was kind of scary, with her piercing black eyes and no-nonsense voice.

  Gotta look confident. Riley squared his shoulders. “Hi… Uh… I’ve got some intel on the recent homicide on Shimshawhenn.”

  “Are you referring to the explosion that was sighted at the Thiel estate?”

  “Uh… Yeah.” Riley took a breath. “Look, I know this isn’t your usual gig, but I think you should come out here and check it out yourself.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Devin Colt’s involved, and I know you were kinda interested in what’s been going on with him. Just… Uh… Trust me. There’s stuff here you’ve gotta see.”

  Riley couldn’t tell what Commander Vega’s hard expression mean. He did his best not to fidget.

  Finally, Commander Vega responded, “Very well. I’m on my way.”

  Chapter 21

  Disappear Again

  “Freaking bullies!” Jane fired at another gray drone launched from the Wiosper warship. Evidently, the authorities spotted the explosion by the Diashin coast and knew the fleeing Blue Tang was responsible. It seemed that even though the ship was untraceable, the cannon, which she’d forgotten to retract, was not.

  After taking off, she’d gone for the gunner’s seat so she could be the one doing the shooting. She yanked the controls. The cannon twisted as a Betta swerved behind the ship. She squeezed the trigger. A bright purple blast narrowly missed its target.

  “Dammit! Freaking Wiosper sons-of-bitches!” Jane aimed the cannon again and pulled the trigger repeatedly, firing far more times than was necessary to destroy the drone. “Take that, you little bugger!”

  “Relax, Pony,” Devin said. “It’s just a drone.”

  Jane kept her gaze on the tracker. “I know. I’m just sick of getting shot at! Wish we’d had this cannon the last few times. It’s making this whole running away business a helluva lot easier! Face it, bro, my black market Blue Tang is infinitely better than yours.”

  “In my defense, I was only sixteen when I found that one.”

  A drone barreled straight at the ship. Jane aimed the cannon and fired twice. She fell back against her seat as Devin flipped the ship to avoid crashing into the debris.

  “Not holding back next time!” She sat up. “Hey, how come the Wiosper guys haven’t noticed their warship was hacked? The Bettas that attacked us on Shimshawhenn were identical to these jokers.”

  “They probably think we did it.”

  “That sucks.” Jane fired at a Betta. It kept coming, along with a second drone right behind it. She let loose another ridiculous volley of blasts and reduced them both to dust. “Take that!”

  Jane wondered if she should worry about the inappropriate enjoyment she got out of dangerous situations. She noticed something of a pattern whenever she had to run: she’d first panic, then the rush would come, and the next thing she knew, she was having a blast while getting blasted at.

  She targeted another drone. “I think I’m some kind of weird thrill seeker. This isn’t so bad!”

  Her blasts missed. The ship pitched as the drone hit its side. Her head banged into the wall beside her seat. Ow! Spoke too soon.

  Devin veered the ship. “We’re almost at the tunnels.”

  “Where to after that?” Jane asked.

  “I guess we have to disappear again.”

  “Wherever we end up, we’ve gotta find a way get rid of that freaking Pandora program. At least now we know why they can’t seem to figure out that Quasar’s central computer was hacked and all the forensics faked. But what the hell are we supposed to do? It’s not like we can delete it.”

  “The Networld created her. Maybe they can find a way to destroy her.”

  “Why do you keep referring to it as ‘her’? It’s a freaking computer.”

  The revelation that the unseen enemy doing its best to destroy her life was a disembodied computer program left Jane with an empty sense of injustice. Her father had been shot and her brother nearly executed because of something without a face she could confront or a body she could see behind bars. Several soldiers just doing their jobs and numerous programmers who didn’t know what they were getting into—and possibly scores of others she’d never know about—had been slaughtered by a merciless phantom.

  There’s no justice in this freaking universe.

  And then there were the AIs…

  “Jane!” Devin interrupted her ruminations.

  Jane’s absentminded gunning failed to clear the path to the interstellar tunnels, which grew larger on the viewscreen. “Sorry!”

  She focused on taking out the last few Bettas that stood in the way of escape. Once they were gone, she quickly retracted the cannon. “Whew! It’s too bad we couldn’t take Jim X up on his offer to let you hide out on his big fancy estate. Would’ve been nice to chill there instead of always running out to the Fringe. Lucky Riley.”

  “Yeah. But we don’t want to be around when the authorities and the media descend.” Devin swiped the navigation chart, flipping through a directory of planets and floats.

  Jane peered at the chart. “Can I pick where we go this time? Because the last Fringe float you took us to made Travan look like a freaking palace.”

  “I was looking for weapons, not aesthetics.” Devin stopped swiping. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Zim’ska Re.” Jane gave him a hopeful smile. Please, bro? Pretty please? “I know it’s scary and all, but I’ve always wanted to see it. We’d never be able to go as legit travelers, so why not hide out there as fugitives?”

  Devin knit his eyebrows. “It’s a warzone. You think Uyfi Float was bad? At least it has some form of authority.”

  Jane slumped in disappointment. “Ah, you’re right.”

  A hint of a smile crept onto Devin’s face. “Then again, the lawlessness does make Zim’ska Re the ideal place to disappear.”

  Jane straightened eagerly. “Yim Ra
del’s pretty safe. Hell, Quasar got its hands on a fish from Fuy Lae, so it’s gotta be okay. As long as we lie low and avoid Mor’sei and Nem, we should be all right.”

  “I guess we’re going to Zim’ska Re.”

  “Yes!” Jane pumped her fist.

  Devin found Zim’ska Re’s information in the directory. He glanced over it and then steered the ship through an interstellar tunnel. Alarms rang. He looked down at the control screen, expression confused. “Take the controls. I need to check something in the engine room.” He flipped a switch to turn off the alarms, halted the ship, and got up.

  Jane took his place with some apprehension. “What’s wrong?”

  “Could be nothing.” He headed for the cockpit door.

  Jane looked down at the status report on the control screen. No wonder he was concerned; it was blank.

  Dammit! That’s what I get for buying off-brand. Well, at least it flies.

  Devin left the engine room, relieved after finding that the alarms were due to a minor computer glitch. He stopped as he passed the living quarters.

  Adam sat on the floor, leaning against the wall as he absentmindedly fiddled with a Via pendant. He’d barely spoken a word since finding out he was an AI. Devin wondered if he should be concerned. Concerned about what? He’s mechanical.

  Devin hadn’t been entirely surprised—unlike Riley, who’d shouted in shock until Jane yelled at him. The possibility that Adam was an AI had crossed Devin’s mind after he’d spoken with Kron. He’d dismissed the thought because Adam hadn’t been on that list of actives, and because it’d been clear the kid wasn’t the type to seek influence or control, unlike the others. Perhaps that was what “special case” had meant.

  Sarah had been an AI the entire time. It made sense that Adam had been, too. The transmission fragment stating that he was “slated for replacement” must have been some kind of recall, and Pandora must have removed him from the list after deactivating him.