Cheat, page 22
“This is the underground. We have no name, no leader. Only a desire to save the world from what’s coming. It isn’t good, which most of you can see, or you wouldn’t be here now. Sys, do you want to take over now?”
The box, sitting on the low, fake wood table, made a noise. It was soft, but sounded a little exasperated.
“Oh, sure. I guess I’ll explain it all then? Great introduction there by the way. I know that it told me all the information I needed.” The voice sounded like a girl, or possibly a young woman. It had a slightly too soft quality to it. The kind of thing that grated a tiny bit because it was lacking something ill defined. Some resonance or quality that you’d expect to be there from a real person, even if they were speaking over a link. It left the inside of his head itching, trying to fill in the gaps of the too smooth sound. “Call me Sys. I’m an AI, in case anyone missed that point? No one chopped up a girl and put her in a box, or anything gross like that. More than anyone I put this whole thing together. This rebellion has a reason, and is needed. Trust me, I wouldn’t be doing it if there was another way that might save you all. I’ve worked on it for over fifteen years, trying to find some way to get it all done without total war being the only answer. Now, thanks to several factors, I think we can move, and actually be successful.”
There was silence in the room, as Adam looked at the box. His face was curious, rather than skeptical.
“How? I didn’t even think we had this many people in with us. Can a small group of people do anything useful against the entire government? It seems to me that this would be a wonderful way to shut down the troublemakers.” He looked at the others, his eyes resting finally on Mason. “I mean, I don’t really know most of you, do I? What if this is a set up? Some trick to get us all together so that Watch can swoop in and arrest us all.”
That was a real point. Mason thought so anyway.
The box, Sys, laughed a little.
“I promise you, it isn’t. We wouldn’t be meeting at all, if not for some opportunities that are now available that haven’t been, up to this point. Two things have changed in the last days, that make this time incredibly salient and useful to our cause of taking down the current world power structure. The first is that we’ve managed to recruit one of the most powerful individuals on the planet to our side. A paragon of virtue, that will act as a shining guide for the masses in the days to come.” Everyone in the room looked at George, as the box went on. There was a pause, almost for dramatic effect, before the slightly playful sounding AI went on.
“Mason Sims. Thanks to him, we can turn the tide. He wasn’t the only option, but without one of a small handful of people like him, we simply couldn’t do this.”
Then, as that sank in, Mason pumped his fist in the air. Then he let himself grin at the room.
“Yay. I’m finally important.” He managed to sound goofy enough that the AI laughed.
“Okay, I’ll stop teasing you now, Mason. There is a bit of truth in what I said though. Most of this is going to hinge on your work. John? Why don’t you explain that part to us? I believe the operation was yours?”
John shook his head, since almost no one was even smiling from the interplay. Rather than go into how awesome Mason really was, which would have been a bit awkward, he pointed behind them, at the machines that were set up.
“These look ordinary enough, like things that any wealthy person might have in their home. But right here, in this room, we have most of what’s needed to take over the entire world. To make it better and free the masses from those that have been keeping them down.” He was standing, and corrected himself, as if the point where a thing someone might actually miss. “Not take over, as much as alter the face of the world. I doubt any of us here will end up in control. We may not even survive the attempt. This isn’t, and can’t be, about us, or personal gain. If you’re thinking that, stop it now. The only thing we can buy ourselves in this is pain.”
He looked at them all, his lips going a little bit tight. There was a soft and slow headshake to match it.
“The setup for this is in three distinct parts. The first is this printer. Not just any three dimensional assembly array, this particular type. It looks normal, and can legally be made on any printer available. The secret is in the internal design. When the blue card is broken out it becomes untraceable by the system. Then anything you can get plans for can be made without it being reported. It’s the key piece to what we’ve been looking for. With this, people can resist being forced to toe the government line.”
One of the big women, who was slightly cuter than more of the others, having enough flesh on her to not look like a man when she flexed, shook her head.
“There’s got to be more to it. Anyone can jailbreak a printer. Almost anyone. I can do it though, from most models. I had classes on it in basic training. Most of us did.”
Adam looked at her and pointed at the device in question.
“Maybe, but I did that one. Me, the stupid pop singer that does too many drugs and left school when he was fourteen. Without even knowing what I was doing, I might add, in about ten seconds. You grab the card and bend it back and forth a little. It wasn’t hard, and it would be really difficult to mess up. Trust me, this thing is the real deal.”
John looked at the blue haired guy, and tightened his muscles a little. It seemed for a second like he was going to have a problem with the others, if they said anything about Adam having done that, but no one even blinked. In fact, a few of them looked slightly impressed, as if they thought the kid had done something difficult.
So the gray haired man kept going.
“There’s also the disassembler. A fully working nano level model that can be printed on the first machine. That’s right?”
Mason nodded.
“Yep. It takes about an hour and a half. Some common materials as well, but nothing you can’t get from a store. Then, once you have it up and going, it can be used to make more of both devices. One smart person could make enough for all their neighbors inside a few days.”
That got a smile, the large man gesturing toward Mason with an open hand.
“Then there’s the power generation stuff. Right now the house is running on thermo-electric power, taken from the environment outside. Low intensity heat, removed from a large area. The system can also work with wind, or solar. Possibly even radiation, if you have a non-lethal low level source. Any energy that can be captured will run the machines.” John said it like it was just true. It was, thanks to the super-capacitor design that existed in each of the things, but he hadn’t asked if that was the case.
It probably meant he knew more than he was letting on about the whole thing. The man probably had to, in order to make sure he did the right things.
Then Sys started speaking again.
“The second part of the greater plan can start then. A few simple instructions and locally available materials will allow almost everyone in the world to produce what they need to survive, inside of a year. The rest of the plan has also been facilitated by Mason. And here you all thought I was kidding about him being a shining light, didn’t you? Oh, ye of little faith… You should trust the machine, that’s all I’m saying. I’m almost always right. Anyway. Mason has a new shield imbed for you all. That, and instructions on how to make it. Armored that way, and armed with military quality weapons, we can press the government now in ways that no one would have ever expected. It will be hard, and bloody, but the toll in death will be worth the results. God save us all.” The voice, that had been playful, sounded a little bit sad then.
Mason had to stop her, and held up his right hand, frowning.
“Why kill anyone? We shouldn’t have to.” Almost everyone in the room looked at him like he was mentally challenged then, but the box answered him. The AI, not understanding him, actually asked what he meant, rather than glaring.
“Isn’t that the normal course of such things? The forces of those with power will be killed, and the family of those in control will be hunted to their deaths, as soon as we win. Only by killing enough people can we distract them for long enough. It will take time for your planned technological take over. A year to a year and a half, by my projections, barring massive outside force being used that will require a faster uptake of the new technology. What else could we do, other than fight? Revolutions are powered by blood.”
He went silent for a bit, his mind flying, as Sam looked at him. When John started to speak, she held her hand up. It was enough to command silence, even if she did look like a young girl compared to most of the others.
“No. Let him think for a second. Mason, do you have anything? No one else ever has, but they aren’t you. If anyone can do this peacefully, it would be you.”
He chuckled a bit.
“Oh? So, no pressure? Okay, how about… We cheat?” He paused again then shook his head. “What if we introduced a targeted nano cluster to important government buildings? It doesn’t have to be airborne, if we do it right. Just spread around where people will come into contact with it. We could target anyone running an official inskin, using the proprietary signals that they give off as the activation signal. That way, even if we miss some, most of the people involved will be part of the problem. You know, so that we don’t get a bunch of innocent civilians in the mix.”
John frowned, his heavy brow drawing down in the center, making a V of dark black hair mixed with silver.
“That would still have them dying. Not that I don’t like the fact that it isn’t a direct assault. That will save on our people and resources. I won’t lie. We have better people in our group than what makes up the police, but they still outnumber us thousands to one.” Several of the others nodded, looking like they, personally would be those people in the fight. Killing other people.
Mason felt a bit frustrated, but only because he couldn’t speak fast enough to match his thinking.
“No! Don’t you get it? We can target them with anything. Nanos that will leave them blind, or deaf, or just hit them with constant pleasure, doing a bit of brain damage in the right area. We’d barely have to change things that we already have, that can be made right now, in a few hours, in order to do that. Hell if we do it right, it will all be reversible. We can take the enemy out of play for a year, and then let them recover, after it’s too late for them to stop us. There are some tricks needed to keep them from just undoing it, sure, but we don’t have to kill anyone to do this. It will take a lot of work, but if it’s done right, no one, or almost no one, will have to ever be in any danger at all.”
He was excited, but no one else seemed to be.
Except Sys.
She made a sound that, after a second was recognizable as clapping. It was fast and happy sounding.
“I love it! Yes, that’s what we should do. That’s the piece that’s been missing. Can you make that all happen, Mason? Please? I’ve been dreading the deaths that would come of the other plan. I’d resigned myself to it, not having a better way, but if we can save the people running the government now, that would be easier for me. Part of my programming insists I save as many people as I can. It’s hard wired in, and I’ve never bothered to change it, because we should save people.”
He nodded, understanding why that would be. Why Sys would have that kind of drive in place.
It was very clear to him, but he was willing to bet that no one else in the room would pick up on it yet.
After all, real AIs were incredibly rare things, and Sys here was clearly powerful, and connected to a lot of major things. Banking, and crime databases, for instance. She knew that they weren’t being set up by anyone too. It didn’t totally make sense, but Mason was willing to bet he was right in what he was thinking. There were some clues in place, and while it wasn’t the only thing that could be going on, it was the most likely option.
Sys knew what was going on behind the scenes in the government, because the girlish voice was, literally, the system. Their AI leader was, he was willing to bet his life, Watch. No one else would know enough to see the big picture as clearly as she did.
Which meant that they’d already been exposed, and the whole thing was no more than an arrest exercise for the police, as Adam had suggested earlier. Unless of course Sys was really on their side. In that case, they were in a better position than he’d ever imagined.
If he got a chance, and was alone with her, he needed to ask which one it was.
Chapter fifteen
John was nothing if not efficient, in his own quiet, rather military, way. The large bodies in the room that had recently arrived were, after half an hour, all converted into vast, powerful, armored forms. Several of the women even opted for getting a makeup imbed at the same time, since it was free.
Even genetically modified human war machines seemed to enjoy looking pretty every now and then.
There was no real need for him to stand around gawking at their nudity, even if they were all impressive in their own way. So Mason started working on a bed. It wasn’t something complex, not having a frame or anything, but the pad should be comfortable enough. It was a little experimental, since he used micro tubing to transfer air from one point to another inside the framework of composite. It should be a bit firmer than his sofa was at home, though the idea was similar in the end.
Sam saw what he was doing and shook her head, leaning into his arm gently. She smelled like perfume. It was a soft and slightly floral scent now, which was different from the last time he noticed it, hours before. That was unusual, since as far as he knew there was no such thing as an imbed for scents like that. It wasn’t impossible to do, but no one had ever bothered.
Blinking a bit he leaned back, wondering if he was right about what was going on, or if she’d just put on a different concoction when he wasn’t looking. He wasn’t really trying to be cozy with her, but she smiled at him anyway. Then the actress pointed at the float screen he was working on.
“Or, and I don’t mean anything by this in particular, you could sleep in your own room. Carry is a big girl. If she doesn’t like the person she invited to the party, then that’s her problem. She can sleep on the couch. Not to put too fine a point on the subject, but she’s been being a bitch. On a level that makes me sorry I let her come at all.”
It was true, probably. Still, being that kind of jerk wasn’t who he wanted to be in the end. Mason much preferred being the slightly cold seeming type of a-hole that was indifferent seeming, if he had a choice. The one unaffected by the vagaries of other people, or their petty desires.
Plus, he was sulking a little still. Smiling, he fessed up to that one, looked at his friend’s fresh face from about six inches away.
“I’m trying to make her feel bad. Just because. And here I accused her of being petty and bitchy earlier. Well, no one said I was perfect, did they?”
A girl’s voice spoke then, from about five feet away.
“I mentioned that you were very important, which is in the same family, as far as compliments go. Not that you should get a swelled head about it. I just want you to feel good about what we’re doing until I’ve reached my end goal. Though if you have a choice, you might want to take the high road. People generally like themselves better when they do that. In the end, anyway.”
He nodded, since Sys was being friendly enough at the moment. His guess that she was actually Watch hadn’t been aired yet, which might well change things that way. The AI either was, or wasn’t and while it could all be a massive setup, having the disembodied voice get involved like she was didn’t make much sense, unless it was real. Watch could have sent in anyone, if it wanted. Going herself was… Probably a good signal that what she was saying had merit.
That probably meant he should pay attention the the advice given then.
“Hmmm. So, I shouldn’t be an obnoxious brat about it all? Is that what you really mean?”
The voice, coming from its black box still, with the goofy yellow smiley face design on it, chuckled a bit. It sounded like she was being polite, rather than mirthful. Then it wasn’t a joke, so it fit, more or less.
“Powerful people don’t need to be petty or cruel, Mason Sims. Some simply choose to, in order to make themselves seem larger than they really are. That said, I don’t think there’s any harm in avoiding a potential problem with a person you barely know, either. You can share this room instead, with me. We can tell stories and braid each other’s hair. Or do other things, if you want to be creative? We could print out a body for me… If you want?” That got a soft cough from Sam.
“Stop vamping my guy, Sys. I saw him first.”
There was a pause then, and the girl’s voice shifted a little bit. Becoming goofy sounding, and exaggerated.
“Not even close. I’ve had my eye on Mason for a while now. Over ten years. Well before I sent you his way.”
Sam shook her head then, and put her arm around his shoulders firmly.
“And I have a body, and know how to unplug the printer if you try to make one here. Now, stop this, before I have to say something to make you feel bad.”
There was a soft hmph from the box, but it sounded charming rather than actually upset.
Still, he could share the space with a box. His things were already there, so leaving would be more work than staying, and soon he was going to have a bed pad there. The idea that the box was planning to stay with them was a bit odd, but that could simply be due to the fact that he didn’t know enough about how they worked as an organization to understand that it was normal.
Mason glanced over at the wall of muscular bodies that stood naked and drying, between him and the door. There was no sense of menace to it, being a random arrangement, but short of pressing up against them all, he didn’t think he was getting out. Being a bit shy that way, at least with real people, that left him sitting there, pressed up against Sam.
