“Did Bluff get away?” Dalton asked.
Cole held his breath.
“Yes,” Googol said. “He took out the City Patrol agent with a sleeping dart and got away clean.”
Cole relaxed and breathed again. At least his mistake hadn’t caused major harm.
“Using kids like that will only work until the government catches on,” Mira said.
“Which is why I’m reluctant to overuse them,” Googol said. “Over these past couple of months, many of our top spies have been exposed. Several of the key technologies we rely on have been discovered and thwarted. I hesitate to use what limited resources remain to spring Joe. It could inspire City Patrol to ferret out our last assets. But the alternative is more dangerous still.”
“Because of how much Joe knows,” Dalton said.
“It’s his knowledge of Stafford’s daughters,” Googol said. “Our sources in Junction report that finding the five princesses is now the High Shaper’s uppermost priority. It makes more sense now that I know Miracle and Honor both have reclaimed their powers. Stafford is panicking. He’s bringing all of his resources to bear. What he currently lacks is concrete knowledge of their whereabouts.”
“If Joe breaks under torture . . . ,” Mira said.
“His information becomes a lightning rod,” Googol said. “The High Shaper will bring his full strength against the Unseen in Zeropolis right when we’re reeling. It could mark the end of the resistance here. On the other hand, if we can find Constance and help you avoid detection, Mira, we could revitalize the revolution. It’s going to be all or nothing. The first step will be to retrieve Joe.”
“Any idea where to find Constance?” Mira asked hopefully.
“Not yet,” Googol said. “None of us knew about you girls until your mother confided in a few of us earlier this year. When Stafford began to lose his powers, she knew the time was approaching to bring her daughters out of hiding, and she needed allies. I only recently learned how your mother can track your locations. Do your friends know?”
“Yes,” Mira said.
“I found out about the stars when Harmony asked us to send someone to help you, Mira. Your mother has still never asked us to seek out any of her other daughters, though we were led to believe that Constance is hiding somewhere in Zeropolis. I will confess that I have been quietly searching on my own, but she is well concealed. I have no clue as to her whereabouts.”
“She could be anywhere?” Mira asked.
“I have found no record of her,” Googol said. “Constance may have found shelter out in the empty wastes of Zeropolis. She could have an obscure hideout here in the city, or even in Old Zeropolis. For all I know, she might have moved to another kingdom. Only your mother knows for sure, but she has not yet shared that knowledge with us.”
“Can we contact my mother?” Mira asked.
“Not with a communicator,” Googol said. “Those signals don’t carry out of the kingdom. Not even into Junction, where all forms of shaping work to some degree. For sensitive matters, our contact has been through live messengers. Our last interaction came when she asked us to send Joe to help you.”
“Could we send a messenger to her?” Mira asked.
Googol became grave. “It would require the utmost caution. Particularly in the current climate, with your father raging, and the Zeropolitan government closing in, such a messenger represents a great deal of risk. An intercepted messenger could ruin us and your mother together. Your father still doesn’t know she was responsible for hiding you girls all these years.”
Mira rubbed her forehead. “It’s never easy.”
“Seldom, lately,” Googol said. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t try. We just have to make smart moves. Abram Trench would love nothing more than to get his hands on you, Mira.”
“Why’d he side with the High Shaper?” Cole asked. “The other Grand Shapers rebelled and went into hiding. What made Abram loyal to Mira’s dad?”
“I know Abram Trench well,” Googol said. “I served as his chief technical adviser for many years. Abram was seduced by the advantages of siding with Stafford. Abram Trench has no real loyalty to anyone besides Abram Trench. The better I came to know him, the more he brought me into his confidence, the more I feared him. Eventually it led to me quitting and joining the resistance.”
“What gave him away?” Cole pursued.
“The technology he withholds,” Googol said. “I want everyone in Zeropolis to benefit from our innovations. The citizens of Zeropolis could have television, their own Internet, private communicators, and more. But free communication is an enemy to control. So mass communication is heavily limited. Extensive restrictions also apply to individual communicators. Abram has all but eliminated private forms of transportation in the city, and he’s always looking for ways to reduce and track vehicles in the outposts. The list goes on. Abram works hardest to create tech and establish policies that will increase his personal advantage. The longer I worked with him, the better I understood the absolute control he wishes to achieve. I realized he has to be stopped.”
“You mentioned he’d love to get Mira,” Jace said.
“Abram Trench is a master politician,” Googol said. “With how badly the High Shaper wants his daughters back, if Abram could find any of them, he would use the opportunity to create enormous leverage to further his aims.”
“What does he want most?” Mira asked.
“Abram desires complete control of Zeropolis,” Googol said. “He doesn’t care about the other kingdoms. And he doesn’t mind being polite to the High King if it means he can function as dictator here. Abram adores innovation, and his ambition knows no boundaries.”
“You were his main techie guy?” Dalton asked.
“It was a position of great influence,” Googol said. “I’ll humbly admit to being one of the most talented tinkers and technomancers in the kingdom. But I’m not Abram’s equal. The man is truly gifted. Whether he means to use those gifts for the common good is where I harbor my doubts.”
“My father works with too many men like that,” Mira said. “We’ll stop him. The first step is to free Joe?”
“Yes,” Googol said, his demeanor changing from thoughtful to businesslike. “Our opportunity will come tomorrow. He is currently at City Patrol Headquarters. He’ll be transferred to a holding area. I believe we will be able to gather enough details to intercept Joe en route. The City Patrol will then have proof that we’re still listening. If we succeed, such a bold crime will invite retaliation.”
A soft ping, ping, ping began to chime. It made Cole think of the ding he sometimes heard in elevators.
Googol’s face froze. “No,” he whispered. “Not now.”
“What is it?” Mira asked.
“That’s the alarm,” he said, his voice detached. “Highest alert. This base has been compromised. We’re under attack.”
CHAPTER
11
CONTINGENCY PLANS
“Please tell us you’re joking,” Jace said.
“Sadly, no,” Googol said, standing up as the pinging continued. He didn’t seem too anxious, but he began to speak more quickly. “Something about the way we brought you in or monitored Joe’s arrest must have given up our location.” He gathered equipment off the desk. “It’s a blow. This was our last fully equipped base of operations in the city.”
“Do you have an escape plan?” Mira asked.
“I always have contingency plans,” Googol said, removing a few small black boxes from a drawer and pocketing them. “Otherwise they would have nabbed me long ago. Here at zerobase, we have excellent defenses to slow any intruders.”
Cole relaxed a little. Apparently it wasn’t time to run for their lives yet. “You have secret ways out?” he checked.
“We regularly use three ways into the base from the surface,” Googol said. “We’ve re
served three different ways out for emergencies. All who work here know about one of them, a smaller circle knows about the second, and only two other people know the route we’ll use.” Googol came around the desk and went to the worktables. “Would you four mind helping me carry a few things?”
Cole, Dalton, Jace, and Mira hurried after Googol. They wove around the worktables as he picked up objects and handed them over. He gave them several crystals and a variety of gadgets.
Among other things, Cole received a short tube of dark metal. Googol unscrewed a cap at the base to reveal a button. “Keep that button covered,” Googol said, replacing the cap. “Do not press it unless you are pointing the other end at your worst enemy.”
“I want one,” Jace whimpered.
“Don’t worry,” Googol assured him. “I have plenty of volatile toys.”
Highwire returned to the room holding what looked like an extra-large trapgun. Behind her came Roulette and a fairly tall teenage boy with Asian features. Both carried smaller trapguns.
“If you’re ready, we should go,” Highwire said.
“The evacuation?” Googol asked, still sweeping the worktables with his mechanized eyewear.
“In progress,” she said. “First lines of defense holding strong.”
Googol picked up a couple more devices. “I was tidying up.”
“Tidy,” Highwire said with a smirk.
“You sound like a CK,” Googol replied, shaking his head.
“That’s a compliment,” the Asian teen said. “Good to see you, Googol.”
“Hello, Trickster, Roulette,” Googol murmured, stepping away from the table. “Nice of you to join us.”
Cole took a second look at the teen after hearing him addressed as the gaming-hub champ. The boy looked relaxed and friendly.
“Why do we always see you when the sky is falling?” Trickster asked.
“Damage control is the story of my life,” Googol replied, striding toward the door. “Let’s go.”
The soft tone kept pinging as they left the room and walked briskly down the hall. Googol led the way. Highwire brought up the rear, her giant trapgun held ready.
“What does this mean, losing the base?” Roulette asked as they walked.
“It hurts us,” Googol said. “I can’t say I’m shocked, given the events of the past couple of months. We’re missing something. Until we figure out what, this will keep happening. We’ll have to get by with our smaller safe areas and less activity until we solve this.”
“Won’t less activity make this harder to solve?” Trickster asked.
“You begin to understand our predicament,” Googol muttered.
Roulette turned to Cole. “Not a long stay at the base.”
“Nope,” Cole responded, concentrating on not dropping anything, especially the weapon. The gear wasn’t too heavy, but there were too many items to carry them comfortably.
“You’re the gaming-hub expert,” Jace said to Trickster.
“Somebody has to do it,” Trickster said. He glanced at Mira. “And you’re our top secret guest.”
“Sorry if I caused this,” Mira said.
“It’s not your fault,” Googol said. “I don’t believe they’re aware of your identity yet. It’s either our sloppiness, or City Patrol’s excellence. Maybe a little of both.”
The group went through a couple of doors. Cole didn’t see any other people. The only sound besides the polite alarm was their footsteps. Without anybody talking to distract him, it seemed like a fire drill at an empty school.
Googol stopped at a thick door of tinted crystal set in a metal wall and handed some of his gear to Trickster. Then Googol inserted a small, clear cube into a square socket. The crystal door slid upward.
They passed through the doorway, and Googol hit a button that shut the door. He walked to a round socket in the wall and placed a crystal sphere inside. A section of the wall opened to reveal a smaller room. They all entered, Googol pressed a button, the wall closed, and the little room sank.
“An elevator,” Dalton said.
“A sender,” Jace corrected.
After some time descending, the wall opened again. A large lab waited beyond, brightly lit, with crystal worktables and no people.
A humanoid robot stepped into view from off to the side, standing a bit taller than Googol. Its yellow, rounded contours left it bulky through the chest and shoulders, but more slender in the legs and arms. The only features of the smooth face were a pair of glowing eyes protected by a tinted crystal panel.
Cole felt somewhat intimidated. It looked like the robotic version of a linebacker. If it attacked in this close space, Cole wasn’t sure what they could do.
“Welcome, Googol,” the robot said in a male voice so natural that Cole wondered whether it could actually be a person in a costume. “The password, please.”
“Green pastures,” Googol said.
“The guests are here on your authority?” the robot inquired.
“Correct,” Googol replied. “The key elements have been removed?”
“Everything besides me and the little guy,” the robot said.
Googol started walking across the lab. The robot fell into step at his side. The others followed. Twisting so he could point out the people he named, Googol said, “This is Cole, Jace, Dalton, and Secret. They deserve top priority protection, with Secret at the tip-top. You know the others.”
“Pleased to meet you all,” the robot said. “Especially you, Secret. I’m Outlaw.”
“Why are you called Outlaw?” Googol asked theatrically.
“My existence contradicts the AI Accords,” Outlaw answered.
“Freebots are illegal,” Googol explained, still walking. “Here in Zeropolis, we were skilled at constructing adaptive neural networks long before earthlings had dreamed of BASIC. We can make very smart machines. Extremely lifelike, if not actually alive. Which led to Aeronomatron and the fall of Old Zeropolis. As a consequence, the AI Accords were adopted, limiting the use of artificial intelligence. Machines with AI are not permitted mobility, are forbidden access to weapons, and their communication with other thinking machines is limited and strictly monitored.”
“I break all of those rules,” Outlaw said with smug relish.
“Working outside the system should include some advantages,” Googol said, pausing at a gleaming steel door and pressing a cube into a socket. The door slid upward. “Outlaw is one of them.” He paused. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want another Aero either. But to fight a strong enemy, we need strong allies. Besides, you’re not going to try to conquer Zeropolis, are you, Outlaw?”
“Like I’d tell you,” the robot replied.
“He has attitude,” Googol said, leading them into the room.
“Learned it from the Crystal Keepers,” Outlaw said.
“That’s right!” Trickster said, slapping the big robot on the arm.
Cole entered a room with a few benches and a worktable. Tall, metal lockers lined the walls.
“We’re suited up,” Roulette said. “Do we need more?”
“Not you,” Googol said. “Them. They’re in deep. This base failed them. We need to help them protect themselves.”
“Or kill themselves,” Trickster said. “Or give themselves away. Is this a good idea?”
“It is if you help them,” Googol said. “They’ll need a crash course in safety.” He tapped a button on his vision gear. “We have time. The defenses are holding nicely.”
“Sorry I’m late,” said a little robot, the voice male but much less manly than Outlaw’s. “I was making sure the last of the bots got away.” Barely taller than Cole’s waist, it had a body the shape of a gumdrop, green with white highlights, though it looked a bit banged up and scratched. The robot scuttled on six insectile legs, each with a rubbery hoof at the end. Seve
ral small sensors poked out of the top, above three glassy eyes. It pulled a cart.
“This is Sidekick,” Outlaw said. “He’s, well, my sidekick.”
“Not everyone can be the hero,” Sidekick said good-naturedly. “I’m really good at sanitizing, though.” As with Outlaw, Cole was struck by how lifelike the voice sounded.
“Don’t be fooled by his modesty,” Googol said. “Sidekick’s AI is just as sophisticated as Outlaw’s, though I housed it in the shell of a used cleaning bot.”
“What I lack in size, I make up for in dents,” Sidekick said brightly.
“Please place the items we brought from my office on Sidekick’s cart,” Googol said, taking his own advice. Cole and the others added their items as well.
“You mentioned giving us something?” Jace prompted.
“We detoured here to equip the four of you with exo rigs,” Googol said. “Subtle exoskeletons that hide under your clothes but will enhance just about every physical attribute you possess. They fall far short of a full battle suit, but can still be extremely useful. The Crystal Keepers use them routinely.”
“Wait a minute,” Jace said, turning to Roulette, eyes narrowing. “You’re wearing one now?”
“Yeah,” she replied. “Almost always.”
“No wonder you’re so good at those games!” Jace cried.
“The rigs aren’t a replacement for skill,” Trickster stated adamantly. “If anything, they require more control. You have to learn to work with the suit, and to understand the limits. With rigs you can run faster, jump higher, react quicker, and survive more damage. But you can also wreck more spectacularly. And you can give yourself away. Unless you lost a limb or need them for other medical reasons, people aren’t supposed to wear mechanical augmentations.”
“All true,” Googol said. “Might we suit them up as we continue? We’re still under attack.” He walked toward some of the lockers against the wall. “Lockers one through four. I deliberately had the prep bots leave our newest model in the appropriate sizes. Those who know the drill, pick somebody to help.”