Chapter 4

"Bub"

My seismic sensors pick up the detonations of the two demolition charges and the resulting collapse of kilotons of rock to the floor of the pass. I hope that Rhodes was able to react in time to avoid being buried. 173.062 seconds later, my forward optical sensors detect a laser dot projected on the mountainside in front of me. It is flashing in a manner that I recognize as being Morse code. I exult to learn that Rhodes received and understood my message. It may still be necessary to destroy me, but at least there will be no stain of dishonor attached to my name.

The message is repeating for the third time when the drone projecting it flies into view behind me. It is immediately destroyed by a bolt from my infinite repeaters, and then my main gun rotates towards the rear. It sends four 200 cm Hellbore bolts into the sides of the pass behind me, bringing down kilotons of additional rubble, including a piece that masses more than I do. Rhodes would not be able to close with me in any case without my drive system being damaged, and this will cause him to lag even farther behind me.

The only chance to save the people of Engelsburg will be if I can shut myself down. I once again direct my attention to the command deck, focusing on the console. The status displays tell me that my transmission is being accepted and processed. All that remains is to finish sending the necessary commands. If only the beacon were capable of a higher rate of data transmission, I could end this sooner.

"Rhodes"

My drone enters the pass, picking up the fringes of the proximity triggers on 2 demolition charges. I have my drone hover there while I electronically commandeer a nearby unoccupied ground vehicle and direct it into the pass. I note that Steele's attitude on the balance of legality versus necessity seems to be rubbing off on me. As the vehicle approaches the trap, I set my drone to trailing Bub again. The vehicle passes within range of the charges and is destroyed by the explosions and buried under many tons of rock.

Had I been caught in that trap, I might have lost some secondary weapons and would have been immobilized for the 57.153 minutes I calculate it would have taken me to extract myself. Even without his primary personality in charge, Bub is an opponent to be respected. If the situation were not so desperate, I would be honored to face off against him. My drone approaches Bub's position and transmits the Morse code message. It is on its third repetition when it enters Bub's line of sight and is destroyed. Through the weather satellite, I observe as Bub fires 4 main gun bolts at the entrance to the pass, further collapsing it.

It is clear that I have adequately convinced him that I am attempting to pursue him through the pass, so I should be able to catch him by surprise at the other end. I access survey maps and analyze them in order to select an ambush site.

"Steele"

The situation in Landing City has reached an uncertain stability. The suburbs have been abandoned, with the NEDF holding a perimeter around the center of town and patrolling within that perimeter to eliminate any infected. My recommendations on housing refugees have been adopted, and there are reports of those measures having contained at least 17 potential outbreaks. Survivors attempting to enter the downtown area are processed through the city jail, isolated in cells long enough to ensure they are not undergoing viral amplification before being turned loose.

I receive word that the surrounding farms have been evacuated, and I launch missiles with fuel-air munitions warheads to eliminate any farm animals that could be carrying Kellis-Amberlee. NEDF Command requests that I do the same with several neighborhoods outside their perimeter. I comply, after confirming with scans from my drones that there are no living people but large number of the infected in the targeted areas. I warn NEDF Command that this is not a sustainable tactic, as I will run out of suitable munitions before they run out of city.

10 ground vehicles approach my position, splattered with human blood and tissue. The requested scientists and security detail have arrived. I invade the gate controls, opening the gate for them and closing it behind them. They dismount, one squad sweeping the building before allowing the scientists inside, the rest forming a perimeter around the complex. After examining the facilities and the computer files, the scientists inject themselves and the squad that accompanied them inside with the cure, and send one of their number to do the same for the rest of the troops. The first squad then takes the remaining stocks of the cure and sets out towards the center of town in one of the vehicles.

I activate a speaker in the lab to query the scientists, "Will the Ministry of Health be able to quickly set up facilities to produce the cure in town?"

They are startled, and the lead scientist, a Dr. West according to the MoH files, asks, "Is this the Bolo?"

"Yes" I reply.

"Ah. With the data we can send them from here, they should be able to get things going within a few hours, though it isn't entirely necessary."

"Why not?" I ask.

He pauses to collect his thoughts before replying, "The treatment essentially hijacks the Kellis-Amberlee virus, rendering it far less infectious and causing it to attack any live-state virus it comes into contact with. It will no longer cause reanimation, and will similarly modify any dormant virus it finds. Therefore, once a subject has been cured, blood drawn from him can be used to cure others."

"How long does the cure protect someone?" I inquire further.

"That's the odd thing. If used on someone who is not carrying the dormant virus, the cure dissipates in a few hours. Otherwise, it prevents even the modified Kellis-Amberlee virus from reproducing, so it lasts until the virus dies out naturally, a few weeks at most."

"Thank you."

"Oh, thank you as well. You've given us a big head start."

The Bolo analog to satisfaction suffuses my mind. At least one thing has gone right today. And it's good to know that the Ministry of Health is on top of the situation, having information beyond what was available in the archives that I could access.

I observe as the officer commanding the security detail makes a circuit of the perimeter and then approaches me. Accessing the NEDF's records, I identify him as Colonel Randolph Carter, second in command of the NEDF and in overall command of the Landing City forces. I am surprised that a senior officer is leading such a small detachment, and discover that he also lead the forces that evacuated the farms. Procedure calls for me to aggressively challenge him before he enters what a human would call my 'personal space' but I figure I've trod on enough toes today.

"Greetings, Colonel Carter," I say.

"Hello Unit STL," he replies, "thank you for your assistance with this crisis."

"It's my duty to help in any manner I can," I respond.

"Can you update me on the big picture?" he asks.

"If you'd care to come up to my command deck," I offer, "I can show you."

As he clambers up the access ladder, I pop the hatch and light the way to the command deck. He enters the deck and settles into one of the auxiliary jumpseats rather than the command chair, a courtesy that I appreciate.

"Here is a view of the city," I state, displaying it on the tactical plot, "showing the locations of all survivors. The infected are harder to locate, as they do not reliably show up on infrared, but these are my best estimates."

"Not much change since I left HQ, then," he says.

"If I may ask, why aren't you at HQ now?"

"General Briggs has taken direct command of operations in Landing City. Since he isn't doing any worse than I would, and I'd rather be in the field anyway, he's welcome to it," he replies. "So, what's up with the other two Bolos? I've seen the alert about Unit BUB going rogue and I noticed the light show over town, but I haven't heard any details."

"Unit BUB-0080 has not truly gone rogue," I explain. "His commander went into viral amplification while linked to Bub through her neural interface. At some point she used a command override to lock him out of control and a backup AI went online. Now she is dead and the AI is somehow following the virus' imperative to spread."

"So the missiles fired at the city...?"

"Were an attempt to disperse weaponized live-state Kellis-Amberlee."

"So now what is he up to?" he asked. "Both he and Unit RDS were seen speeding away from the city."

"Bub is headed towards Engelsburg, and Rhodes is in pursuit," I reply.

"So, what exactly gives you the right to take control of New Eden?" he asks.

I display the relevant sections of Concordiat law and the colonial charter on the tactical plot.

After studying it, he says, "This specifies 'Concordiat military officer'. You're not an officer, you're machinery."

I suppress the urge to respond sharply and instead say, "When a Bolo is formally commissioned into the Concordiat military, the language used is similar to that used when commissioning a human officer. Furthermore, the 3 Bolos stationed on New Eden constitute a short platoon, and in the absence of a human Dinochrome Brigade officer I am in command due to my greater time on active duty. A platoon commander is a Lieutenant. As such, it is arguable that I am an officer for these purposes."

"And if that argument fails after this situation is over...?"

"Then I will likely be erased," I say.

He sits back in thought for a moment. "If you're willing to take that kind of risk to do what you think is right, then I guess we can work together."