Crow's Gambit, page 18
part #1 of Sylphan Revelations Series
“I imagine someone will just make it for you. The fab labs are quite extensive. You know Harvey?”
“I’ve heard the name, but I’ve never met him.”
“Send him a message. He’s in the system. Explain what your specifications are. He’ll get you what you need.”
“And I won’t get in trouble? I am intending to not only fly a drone but intentionally get it blown up. Typically, employers’ frown on those kinds of things.”
Walt laughed. “What are they going to do to you? Fire you?”
He’d been right. No one seemed to care. When she contacted Harvey, he didn’t ask any questions about permission. He just asked for specifications on what she needed and said he’d get it set up. He’d route the controls to the simulation room when it was ready.
Bobby, the technician, had been a little harder to convince. While it was perfectly feasible to control the drone from there Cassie had insisted on having Lizzy’s help. That had generated some resistance to routing Lizzy’s access into the Crow Research network. Eventually Bala and Joe had convinced Bobby.
Bala by using her motherly influence and Joe by promising Bobby Cassie would go out with him. Unbeknownst to her, but clear to everyone else, Bobby had developed quite a crush on her. In the interests of the experiment she had reluctantly agreed.
By now Cassie was able to work with the virtual interface like it was a second skin. With a wave of her hand she dropped into the virtual world. Status data began to scroll in the air to her side. A live feed showed her the drone sitting on a non-descript pavement in an unknown location. Harvey hadn’t volunteered where the drone was, only that it was on an approved test range in the region. That meant the area around it was clear from people, so they didn’t need to worry about anyone getting hurt with debris or a train showing up. It also meant they had approval to fly here so there wouldn’t be any worry about the FBI showing up.
Probably.
“And what are we working on today?” Neil’s disembodied voice asked. Dimming the virtual projection, she could see Neil standing in the back of the room.
Bala and Joe immediately excused themselves from the room.
Forgiveness, not permission.
“Just a little project. Walt is still working on the simulation. I thought I’d test out another theory.”
“And does this theory involve how to compromise Crow Research internal security?”
“I know it’s illegal to fly a—wait, what?”
“You’ve opened up a tunnel through the security firewall.”
“Um, I think this is where Walt told me to ask for forgiveness,” she replied hesitantly.
Neil’s head dropped and he started mumbling. “I knew it was a mistake to introduce you to Waldo.”
He turned to look back over his shoulder at the technician. “And I think I need to talk to Mr. Darrow about having some people fired.” Bobby quickly looked away and busied himself checking some panels.
“Well, what are we doing?” Neil finally asked again in seeming resignation.
“I’m not in trouble?”
“Walt taught me that line before you. He also taught me to trust my people. You trust Lizzy, so I trust Lizzy.”
Cassie started to smile, then frowned. “How did you know Lizzy’s name?”
Neil gave her a patronizing look. “You’ve met Dale and Gloria. They taught me to trust but verify. Do you really think our security measures are that lax? We vetted Lizzy weeks ago on the off chance you would need her help.”
Cassie had to acknowledge she hadn’t really given cyber security much thought. She should have known better. Asking whether Lizzy knew about their scrutiny crossed her mind, but she decided that best to leave until later. Now was not the time to put Lizzy into a panic.
She turned back and looked at the display of the drone sitting, prepped for takeoff.
A pop-up window opened to show Lizzy on her end of the connection. “Okay, what do you want me to do? I assume we won’t be traveling off the range.”
“We’re going to be doing something different with the thrust today. I’ve uploaded a new control algorithm.” Another side window opened, and Lizzy started scrolling through the code. She gave a soft whistle.
“Well, this is unique. What a cute little drone. You’ve had it modified, too. I see what you’re trying to do.” Cassie could see the code changing on the side screen as Lizzy started editing it.
She worked faster than any other coder Cassie had ever seen. “You’ve got the right idea, but it won’t work that way on this drone,” Lizzy explained. “This isn’t one of our jets designed for speed and long range. It’s electric with high induction motors. The torque curves will be different.” Lizzy finished and the coding screen closed. “Uploading to the drone.”
“I should mention we’re not alone,” Cassie said.
“I know,” came the reply. “They’re watching the data stream, but I can’t tell if they are listening to us. If we had your helmet, we could use the embedded cypher key.”
“Don’t worry. They’re on our side.”
“If you say so. So, what are we supposed to be doing here?”
“We’re going to try accelerating the drone in very short bursts and see what happens.” Cassie took control of the drone and powered up its systems. This drone was more of a quad rotor helicopter so it could hover. She very slowed raised it until it was hovering about ten feet off the ground. “A balloon or drone is fine at this height unless it starts moving and picks up some velocity.”
In her heads-up display a large button labeled “Go!” appeared thanks to Lizzy. She pressed it and the drone made a barely perceptible shift to one side before coming to a stop again.
“Upping the gain.” Lizzy said.
The button turned green and Cassie hit it again. The drone shifted farther this time.
“What am I watching?” Neil’s voice came from behind her.
“They’re calibrating the system’s response,” Cassie heard Bala answer. She must have slipped back into the room. “See those small tanks she’s had installed on the back? I’m guessing bursts of compressed gas for added maneuvering thrust.”
“Okay, I think I’ve got it.” Lizzy said in Cassie’s ear. “I’m going to use a larger gap between bursts but it’s going to seem pretty jerky.”
Cassie switched to the virtual joystick control and the drone started twitching its way across the field. If you didn’t know better, you’d think you were watching a stop action movie that was missing frames. The drone slowly picked up speed. She banked it around and started back down the field. This time she went faster, and the jerkiness died down a little.
“I’m shrinking the gap a little bit. Things should smooth out,” Lizzy said.
“Shouldn’t they have been flamed by now?” asked Neil in the background.
“He’s right.” Lizzy said. Obviously, she was being fed their voices as well as Cassie’s. “That last pass was fast and high enough we shouldn’t have a drone now. I thought you said we were going to get a drone blown up. That’s the whole reason I showed up today.”
Cassie just smiled. Lizzy’s tone could be described as pouting.
“Okay, let’s try something else.” Cassie brought the drone into a slow spiral climb. The elevation gradually increased until the drone was so high, they started getting buffeted by high winds.
“How are they doing that?” Neil asked behind her. “What’s their elevation now?”
“They’re very clever,” answered Bala in a hushed voice.
Cassie was starting to have trouble controlling the drone in the wind.
“We’re about out of gas,” reported Lizzy. “The wind shear is too strong. A big gust is going to get us zapped. If there is anything else, you want to try now is the time.”
“Noted,” she dropped the drone into an unpowered dive. The speed picked up quickly as the drone approached the ground. Finally, Cassie directed the drone to try and pull out of the dive. She banked it to the right as the ground continued to grow closer. The accelerations increased on the drone’s structure as it tried to bank. Warning indicators flashed in Cassie’s peripheral vision. The drone had a light construction and the stress was at its limit.
Unexpectedly there was a flash. The main image automatically shifted from the drone camera to the field’s stationary camera. A few small pieces of flaming wreckage bounced down the pavement. Lost connection indicators floated in the air beside Cassie.
A graph popped up at Lizzy’s apparent instruction. It showed the output from the drone’s acceleration sensors during the final banking.
“I think you’re on to something Cassie,” Lizzy commented. “It’s been fun, but I’m going to duck out of here. Your new friend’s attention makes me nervous. Send me a note later.” And with that Lizzy’s connection window closed.
Cassie deactivated the virtual interface and turned to the gathered crowd in the back of the room.
Neil was wearing a frown.
Bala, however, was behind him, smiling warmly.
“You owe us two drones now,” Neil stated. “That’s coming out of your paycheck.”
Cassie sighed, then looked back at him confused. “Wait. I’m getting paid?”
Neil finally broke a smile and left the room.
Bala walked over and gave her a motherly hug. “Good job, Cassie.”
Chapter 29
AFTER THE DRONE TEST, the rest of the team scurried in different directions. Everyone appeared to have something important to do.
Cassie sat on one of the couches watching them work, a warm glow of satisfaction on her face. Bala and Harvey had a rapid conversation making sketches on a white board and then Harvey disappeared to wherever his manufacturing facilities were. After lecturing Wang to get something to eat and giving Cassie a smile, Bala headed off to consult with the chemists about something. Finally, only Cassie and Joe were left.
“I know that look,” Joe called from his workbench where he was reclining back in a chair. His voice had the same easy drawl he always used. “You’re bored.”
It was true. The high from the drone experiment had faded, Walt was still running his numbers, and no one needed her to do another simulation just now, so she found herself with nothing to do after days of non-stop work.
She glanced at him.
He was turning a small box over repeatedly, studying the circuits and wires inside of it.
“What’s that you’re working on?”
Joe glanced at the box and shrugged. “No idea. Found it on Andrew’s bench. Some physics doodad.”
“You don’t have anything to do either huh?”
“Nah. My skills are in other areas than research.” He set the box down and stretched. “Think I’ll go home for the day. I can drop you off somewhere if you want.”
“No, someone might need something. I should be here.”
“They can find you.” Joe rolled his eyes. “They can always find you. Trust me.” He leaned forward and the chair came upright with a snap. “Besides, what are they doing to do? Fire you?”
For the last several days, Cassie had only seen the inside of the Crow Research building and the townhouse she sometimes slept at. The urge to take a break and go anywhere else became overwhelming. It was unlikely they would be running any more simulations today. And Joe was right, they could always call her if they needed something. A smile spread on her face.
“You don’t know a place called Frontier Park, do you?”
It was the day of the Ragnar’s Daughters concert.
Joe scratched his chin. “You mean that outdoor amphitheater where they have the concerts? Yeah, it’s not that far from here. Why?”
Cassie pulled out the cash card Dale had originally given her. She spun it between her fingers. “I think I have a concert to get to.”
For a moment, she wondered if she should call Gloria, but the thought of having a bodyguard shadow her around a concert wasn’t appealing. Besides, Gloria would stand out like a sore thumb at this particular concert.
A quick call had determined Susan already had plans. Too bad. Cassie reluctantly asked Joe if he wanted to go. His reply boiled down to there were only two kinds of music and “retro, hippie, hard rock” was not one of them.
In the end she had decided to just go alone. It was a spontaneous decision, so no one should know she was there, and it would be easy for her to blend into the crowd.
It’d be fine.
An hour later she had secured an outrageously priced ticket and was walking through the admission gates to her first, and probably only, Ragnar’s Daughters concert. The opening band was already playing, some small East Coast group she had never heard of.
She eyed the tightly packed crowds in front of the stage as they bounced and undulated in unison. There wasn’t any need to wade into that maelstrom just for the opener. She found a low retaining wall along the back of the amphitheater and staked out a spot to wait.
The crowd had the normal eclectic mix of hair styles and colors. Old concert shirts and a few leather clad individuals willing to brave the heat. There was also a mix of military uniforms and those in camouflage.
The concert, it turned out, was a benefit for military families and service members were scattered throughout. Which is why she didn’t initially notice the uniformed man approach.
He sat down beside her and set a small device on the bench between them. She could feel a low buzz that seemed to be coming from inside her skull, cutting through the bass reverberations of the music. Turning to look at the man she felt her muscles responding sluggishly, as if she were stuck in tar.
“Miss McIntyre. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Her first thought was to run. She darted her eyes around the crowd. There were quite a few people passing by or sitting near them. If she started screaming, surely someone would notice and help—if they heard her over the music. Of course, this person could likely just produce a badge from some agency and announce he was arresting her. Very slowly she managed to look at the man and scanned his clothing. He wore a khaki military uniform and sat with a disciplined posture.
“Who are you?”
“You can call me Lieutenant Smith.”
She gave him a patronizing look. “Seriously?”
“You can call me a dirty son of a bitch. I could really care less.” He smiled at her. “Fine, my name is Sanchez. You could say I’m with the opposition.”
“You mean the people who tried to have me killed?”
“Not directly, but yes.” He turned to watch the crowd around them. His lips curled down slightly in a frown as two scantily dressed women with black hair and lipstick strolled by.
“And is that why you’re here now? Another attempt? Or do you expect me to believe you’re here for the band?”
“Actually, I find this music strangely distasteful. But no, I’m not here to harm you either. My specialty isn’t in that area. It’s in negotiation. The earlier attempts on your life were made by overzealous parties I have been sent to apologize for. We now believe the best course of action would have simply been to talk to you and explain what was at stake, instead of driving you further into the arms of Darrow. You know by now he intends to fly the XS-9. We’ve been delaying that effort, but we believe sooner or later he will succeed.”
“You don’t think it’s going to get zapped on take-off by the Sylph?”
“Quite the contrary. We are afraid there is a high probability he will get past the Sylph and into orbit. His chances have increased greatly thanks to you coincidentally.” He shifted his body several degrees toward her so he could talk to her more directly. “I’m afraid we can’t let that happen.”
She kept glancing around the crowd of people. Looking for a quick way out. Where was concert security when you actually needed them? “You think the Sylph will attack in retaliation?”
“Let’s just say it would not be in the best interest of the United States for him to succeed.”
“Well that’s fairly enigmatic.”
“Fair enough. Yes, Miss McIntyre, personally I believe the Sylph will retaliate.”
She tried to edge away from the man, but her legs wouldn’t move. No matter how hard she pushed her lower body seemed to be paralyzed. She stared at her legs willing them to move.
The man tapped the top of the small box between them. “Neural paralyzer. Don’t worry. The effect is temporary.”
Her breath quickened as the panic rose in her chest. “What are you going to do?”
“Make you an offer actually. Obviously, we could eliminate you as a threat at any time.” He tapped the box again. “That’s messy though. And wasteful.”
“How terrible for you.”
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” The man went on unfazed. “Like I said, we would like to explore another option.”
“Let me guess, work for you instead?”
“Work for the military?” He chuckled. “Oh no, I don’t think you would get through the indoctrination process. However, we do have influence with several universities and corporations. What would you say to a full sponsorship to the university of your choice and a respectable job with a research lab after graduation? On a non-aerospace related topic of course.”
“I’d say...” she paused. That was the very thing she had been trying to achieve since Grandpa had died. Yet now that it was being offered to her by both Darrow and Sanchez, the prospect didn’t seem as attractive.
The man misread her hesitation. “Oh, I quite understand. It’s a lot to consider.” He took a small card out and carefully set it down next to her. “Take some time to think about it, but not too long. Like I said, others in my group are more ... zealous.”
He stood and picked up the small box, slipping it inside his jacket. Taking a moment to straighten his cap, he stopped to study her. “Is it really that important to you for mankind gets back into space?” At her hesitation he continued. “Look at all the good things that have happened because of the Sylph.”
“What are you talking about?” The pitch of Cassie’s voice rose in incredulity.
