Chapter 51 – Feedback Loop
Monday, July 29, 2308
After eating, Ashley found a vacant space in the basement to stretch and do her exercises. The maintenance level / basement, beneath the garage, hadn't been wired as there was little point. It was almost entirely self-contained. There was one entrance, and despite some separation walls, it was open and empty.
When Ashley finally returned to the room she was sharing with her brother, she found him still stretched out on the couch. "Geoff, you missed breakfast. There are pancakes out there if you want them. Pretty good.”
"Ash, how's it going?" Geoff's voice was calm, but distracted.
Ashley looked over at her brother, lying on his back, eyes closed.
"What's the matter with you? Aren't you getting up today?”
"I've been up," he said. With his eyes closed, Geoff maneuvered into a sitting position, letting the blanket cover his legs. "I barely slept.”
Ashley walked around the couch. "What? You're serious?”
Geoff reached out, picked up the black metal rectangle and flawlessly tossed it to his sister, eyes closed, like some kind of blind ninja.
Ashley remained silent until he opened his eyes.
Geoff smiled at her.
"Can you show me how?" Ashley asked.
Geoff nodded. "It's easy. Here, sit down.”
Ashley sat next to him, holding the device in her hands.
"Close your eyes and imagine a blank vid screen.”
"Okay," Ashley said, her eyes closed.
"First, you just see black space. Then one word is going to come up..."
Ashley was quiet for a few moments. "What word?”
"Just relax and wait for it," Geoff answered.
They both waited.
Then Ashley caught her breath. "Micron... Micronix.”
"That's its name," Geoff said.
"Its name?" Ash asked.
"Tell it your name.”
"How?”
"Just imagine the letters, then it opens an operating system.”
Ashley was quiet for a few moments.
Then it appeared. A screen in her head, filling her field of vision, it displayed a group of typical computer operating system of icons and folders. The system was named Micronix, below it, a second item with Ashley's full name - Ashley Erin Fox.
Ash focused on the icon above her name and found that it contained several common computer folders, applications, contacts, documents, networks, and utilities. The folder for applications opened, it was filled with basic skills, memory, comprehension, mathematics, reasoning. She opened contacts and a box headed with the words Micronix Op Sys opened and flashed 'Importing Contacts.'
Ashley felt a sharp twinge throughout her head and discovered four sub groups on the screen - family, friends, classmates and acquaintances.
Ashley backed out a level and opened the object named Networks; a box headed with Available Networks opened, listing several. Ashley clicked on the top, a ten-digit number.
The phone in her pocket rang. She fished it out and answered it. An ear splitting feedback loop erupted over the phone and Ashley's voice box. She screamed, threw the phone along with the device, and collapsed.
Geoff had realized what was happening when the phone rang, a moment too late. He jumped up and rushed over to his sister.
Ash was out cold.
"Oh, my God! Ashley! Are you okay?" Geoff listened to her heart, she was still breathing, and despite her being unconscious, she seemed okay.
"Holy shit," Geoff said to no one.
He retrieved the amplifier and phone, setting them on the table.
Monday Night, July 27, 2308
Croswell, Ross and King hung in the air over Angel City.
“So, what’s the story on the ID package,” Ross asked Croswell.
“It’s almost done. I checked on it just before coming out today.”
“What could possibly be the hold up?” Ross asked.
“I needed to get photos of the kids,” Croswell answered.
“Faster, Mr. Secretary,” Ross teased.
“That’s what she said,” King and Croswell said together, laughing.
“Is she coming,” King asked. “By the bye.”
“She is coming,” Ross replied. “She’ll be here.”
“We can catch her up easy enough,” Croswell said. “Here’s the deal. Stanwood finally melted down and went to Miller, who also proceeded to meltdown. They considered hanging Miller out as bait for us, but settled on reactivating the Wolf Pack.”
“Did I hear that right?” Captain Snow asked, approaching from the west. “Be careful what you wish for, huh?”
“Understatement of the year,” King said, raising his hand in acknowledgement.
“How are the kids?” Ana asked Ross.
“They’re fine, fifth wall intact,” Ross answered. “I made them pancakes. Reid’s on overwatch.”
“So,” King said, “the real question is, did Miller leave his office stained and dirty on purpose, or is he actually that stupid?”
“Oh, he is that stupid,” Croswell answered. “That guy is a goddamn idiot, no contest.”
“Wolf Pack, huh? They are serious,” Snow said.
“Are you ready for the good part?” Croswell asked. “You know why we haven’t been able to find them, all this time?”
“Spill it,” King said.
“They’re hiding on an orphanage.”
“What?” Ross said.
“No…” Snow was shocked.
“Eight years, near as we can figure, ever since San Diego. Not all of them, but a few, at least. And Dunkirk, he’d worked with Bergstrom before Wolf Pack, we suspected him, but we didn’t have anything solid.”
“Whatever,” Ana said.
“I can’t believe he got the drop on you like that,” King said.
“He didn’t get the drop on Me,” Ana said.
“What do you call it?” King smiled.
“You want to know what I call it? What I call all of this?” Ana waved her hand in a circle through the air between them. “Do you honestly think I’m this stupid? Fox put up a firewall didn’t he? I’ve been noticing little things. She knew things I didn’t. Sometimes little bits and pieces slipped through.
“But now, you tell me Fox’s arch-enemy happens to be hiding out on an orphanage, three days after he makes his kids orphans. What kind of asshole do you take me for?” Snow asked.
“What are you suggesting?” Croswell asked.
“I’m suggesting that we’re going to fly over there and realize that Bergstrom has dug himself in so well, that we’d have to blow up the entire goddamn district just get him to stick his head out.
“Or we can wait and let the Wolf Pack come to us, while all our Centaurs are in fucking orbit! You all know we’re never going to get them here in time and we sure as hell can’t hide them.”
“It’s worse than that,” Croswell said. “When Fox met with Conway he arranged to put the Centaurs to work, mining the hammered bracelet.”
“Oh, fuck you very much.
We’ve got a real bad guy on an orphanage, exploiting children; lets send in Astral. Why don’t we just nuke it?
“I’ve got news for you, you’re not doing it. She’s Twelve for Christ’s Sake! You can’t send her into an urban orphanage; she’s a goddamn ballerina! She has like three weeks of some lame ass kung fu camp for experience! Fuck you all! If I ever find out that you had any part in this, I swear, I will never forgive you.”
Croswell held up his hands. “Ana, none of us knew. I don’t think even Fox knew. He never would have sent the tanks into deep space otherwise, I’m sure of that much at least.”
“You’re not sure of anything, James! You can’t send a Centaur Cyber Tank onto an orphanage! That’s why he’s there in the first place,” she said.
“I will not tolerate Ashley and Geoff going to an orphanage. That is not happening. It’s not even on the table. Do you und
erstand me?” Snow looked back and forth from the eyes of the men before her.
Croswell nodded, “You have my word.”
“Okay, let’s hear your plan…” Snow said.
“I want to put you three on a rotating post on this orphanage, to see if Stanwood or Von Kalt show up.”
No one objected.
“And we have confirmed that Von Kalt has the amplifier he took off Fox when he arrested him. So even though we managed to clean out all the labs and send them on a wild goose chase, they’ve had it the whole time.
“Then what does Ashley have,” Ross asked.
“Ashley has the original. Von Kalt got what remained of Epsilon. Apparently it was left at ground zero. I confirmed with Carlson up on Kojima Station; the Doctor retrieved it.”
“This gets better by the minute,” Ana said.
“Our only saving grace is that Von Kalt is at least semi-retarded, or he would have figured out how to use it by now.” Croswell nodded to King.
King explained, “This ass-clown hasn’t activated a single filter or effect. He’s satisfied with digital augmentation and basic intrusion. He walked one of the wired mercs off a balcony, but mostly he’s reserved himself to the net. Kid in a candy store, with no concept that daddy’s account will buy toys, power tools and guns, if he wanted.”
Croswell nodded. “I was going to put the three of you on it, but I think instead… Ana, I’d like you to take a permanent position over Saint Vincent’s. Take a trailer and anchor it close enough, but not too close. You guys go out to this orphanage, D13, and do the same thing. I’m going to go visit Stanwood and see if I can get him to reconsider all this nonsense.”
“Ready… Break!” King said, laughing.