Dreadnought
Chapter Six: A Truth Revealed
Medical Section
N'Tek Headquarters
Drs Martinez and Yevshenko stood over the motionless form of Dr Karland's living weapon system; Dreadnought as he'd called it. Though the things systems were still completely off-line thanks to the discharge from Berto's EMP device they were taking no chances. The plasma cannon had been removed its docking slots on the right arm and Dreadnought was being held down by clamps made of a new ultralight but superstrong synthetic composite material that it would find impossible to break. When they'd first started testing them they'd used Max as a guinea pig to test their strength - after all Max was as strong if not stronger than most supervillains. The results had been very impressive - even in turbo mode and with good leverage Max had been unable to break the clamps or even weaken them. So they were convinced that the clamps would be able to hold Dreadnought. Though to be safe two agents armed with laser rifles stood near the door - after all they didn't know the machines strength.
Looking over the dormant machine Berto couldn't help but be impressed by it. The technological skill used to create Dreadnought was remarkable - but it saddened him to see such genius used in such a way. Twisting science to create a superpowerful weapons system that required a living host to graft onto and control in order to achieve mobility was appalling.
And it was for the host that they were now examining Dreadnought. Had Dreadnought simply been a machine they would have destroyed it by now - but Dreadnought was not just a machine - it was more, in addition to being a very sophisticated and mobile weapons system it was a prison for whomever it was bonded to.
"This is a remarkable peace of technology," Yevshenko commented. "Superb engineering."
"Yes," Berto agreed. "It is such a pity that the genius behind it was used in such away. To create a horror far worse than death for whoever the pour soul inside this thing is."
"We should get started," Yevshenko said. "Our scans show thick layers of armour and circuitry between us and the host. The host is still alive but he's getting weaker. If we don't remove this thing in the next ten hours then the host will die."
"He?" Berto questioned.
"The host is a young male," Yevshenko told him. "Around the same age as you and Max. But who he is I don't know."
"And we have only ten hours to save him. We better get cracking then. I think we're going to be burning the midnight oil on this one."
"Burning the midnight oil I haven't heard that expression in years where'd you hear it?"
"Marshak. Or rather Max heard it and I heard through the bio link." Yevshenko chuckled.
"Alright lets get started," she said after a moment.
It took them nearly three hours to get through the layers of circuitry to the innermost layer of circuitry. The layer of circuitry that was placed directly on top of the host, enough circuitry had now been removed from them to use a specialised program to determine the host's physical appearance.
It was Yevshenko who ran the scan of the host to see if they could determine the hosts identity. The image of a familiar young man appeared on a side screen and Yevshenko's blood suddenly ran cold.
"Berto," she said softly. "You should see this."
"See what?" Berto asked as he turned to look at the monitor showing the hosts real appearance.
When he saw who the host was he gasped and literally saw red. A sharp cascade of emotion raced through him a mixture of shock, disbelief and cold rage. Normally he was not a violent person but if Karland had been in the room with them - not locked up in maximum security - he would have grabbed a laser and sliced the man in half or more likely would have kept firing until nothing was left of the man but charred fragments. So great was his sudden anger and sense of personal insult.
"Pete," Berto hissed in a cool angry tone that didn't sound like his own voice. God how's Max going to react, Berto thought, he's even closer to Pete than me. He's known him since childhood. He's going to explode. I'd feel sorry for anyone who gets in his way when he's that mad. Even if the someone in question was Psycho.
"We'd better tell Smith," Yevshenko said.
"I'll do it," Berto replied after a moment getting his anger under control with a great deal of effort. "In the meantime can you run a more detailed scan. See just how integrated with Pete's body this Dreadnought technology is."
"Sure thing," Yevshenko agreed. "I just hope that the integration isn't to deep or to complex. Otherwise we'd have the most god awful task of separating Pete from Dreadnought in the time we have left." Berto nodded in agreement as he started over to the far side of the room where there was the nearest internal phone.
*****
Jefferson Smith slammed the phone back down on its cradle. Berto had just finished telling him who Dreadnoughts host was and he was absolutely livid. It had been bad enough that Karland had used an innocent person as a host for his diabolical creation, but that he'd actually gone and used Pete was even worse. And Jeff was willing to bet that it wasn't a coincidence that Pete had been chosen - it would be just like Vostok to do something like this, for it would be certain to get his Irish up. Vostok delighted in such things. Jefferson had no idea how Josh was going to react when he told him, no that was wrong he did know. Josh would be both insulted and angry. Make that very angry. He wouldn't go after Karland - he had too much self-control for that - but if Karland were to attempt an escape then Josh/Max would not hesitate to kill him.
"Who was that," Rachel Leeds asked noticing the thunderous expression on Jefferson's face and knowing full well that it meant trouble for someone - hopefully that someone would not be her.
"Berto. They know who Dreadnoughts host is."
"Who?" Jefferson looked straight at her and inside Rachel shuddered at the look of contained fury.
"Pete Costas." Rachel's eyes widened in shock and horror. Oh shit Max is going to be well and truly pissed, she thought, and I can't blame him.
"What!" she breathed. "Has anyone told Max yet?"
"No not yet. I'll do that. Rachel I want you to go into the city and bring Pete's parents here to N'Tek - tell them the truth and tell them exactly what has happened, they have the right to know. Especially as it is very possible that Pete could die before the Dreadnought technology is completely removed from his body." I just hope that doesn't happen, Jefferson thought, because I hate to think what Pete's death would do to Josh. Rachel nodded and stood up.
"I'll leave at once," she said and left the room. She was grateful that she would not be the one to tell Max that his best friend - the one he'd known from childhood - had been used by Ivan Vostok and Joseph Karland as Dreadnoughts host.
Jefferson watched her leave, then he stood up and headed for the hidden lift that led straight down to the topmost levels of the real N'Tek.
A couple of minutes later he was walking down the corridors of the underground complex towards the Team Steel Operations room. The look of contained fury on his face deterred those agents he came across from speaking to him.
A moment later he walked into the empty ops room. Striding over to the console where Berto normally sat Jeff turned it on. The videoscreen flashed on and abruptly it seemed like he was in the driving seat of Josh's car. From the looks of it he was driving through heavy traffic towards one of the cities numerous shopping malls.
"Josh," Jefferson said into the microphone.
"Yes dad," Josh responded immediately sounding a little surprised that it was Jeff using the bio link to communicate with him not Berto.
"Josh get over here. There is news about Pete." The image on the vidscreen changed slightly so that Josh was now looking at Laura who was sitting in the passenger seat. Then the view turned back to looking through the car windshield.
"We'll be right there," Josh responded.
*****
A Short Time Later
Jefferson Smith looked up from the reports on his desk - which he wasn't really reading - at the sound of a knock. Jefferson took a deep breath, and let it out slowly - he knew who it would be.
"Come in," he called after a moment.
The door opened and Josh came in and he wasn't alone. Jefferson wasn't surprised to see Laura in tow - he'd seen her when he'd called Josh and she'd been as worried about Pete as everyone. She would have insisted on coming over, not that Josh would do anything to stop her in this instance.
Jefferson smiled in grim greeting.
"Ah good your both here. That was quick."
"Yeah well you did say you had news about Pete," Laura reasoned. "And we were only a block away from the ferry terminal."
"Josh close the doors please," Jefferson instructed his son. Josh immediately did so. As soon as the doors were closed Jefferson reached under his desk and pressed a hidden control there. A metal shield abruptly blocked access to the doors. Additional shutters appeared over the windows. The overhead lights came on to compensate for the loss of sunlight. His father activating the office security isolation system surprised Josh - and filled him with a great sense of foreboding. Something wasn't right, really wasn't right, and that something involved Pete.
"What's going on dad," Josh asked turning to face his father. "Something bad has happened to Pete hasn't it?"
"Yes," Jefferson confirmed wondering exactly how he should broach this so that it would make sense to Laura. He looked at the beautiful Chinese girl who was regarding him with intelligence and great patience but with a faint hint of nervousness. "Did Josh tell you about Dreadnought." It wasn't really a question Jeff knew. Ever since Laura had learned the truth about who and what Josh was nearly a year ago - Josh had tended to tell her about what he got up to on missions. Particularly if it was something that bothered him. Jeff didn't mind Josh doing that, he knew that Laura would not tell anyone else.
"A little," Laura replied shivering as she recalled what Josh had told her about the biomechanical weapons system that bonded to a Human being. "Enough that I'm glad you stopped that thing."
"Dad what does Dreadnought have to do with Pete," Josh asked then the realisation dawned. "Your not saying…" he started to say.
"Pete is Dreadnoughts host," Jefferson finished. "That is precisely what I am saying."
For some reason Josh was not really surprised by his stepfathers revelation about Pete and Dreadnought. He'd suspected from the moment that he and the rest of Team Steel had been briefed on Dreadnought that the machine's host was someone close to him. That didn't stop the sudden cold fury that gripped his heart or keep him from literally seeing red. How dare Vostok and Karland use Pete as a host? When I get my hands on them, he thought thinking of all the things he would do. Like perhaps use Karland for turbo practice. Calm down Josh, he told himself, you can't use your nanotech powers on Karland or even Ivan Vostok out of a desire for retribution. If you did then you'd be no better than them.
Jefferson watched without surprise the cascade of emotions that passed across Josh's face. He imagined that he had looked the same to Rachel when he'd first been told who Dreadnought's host was.
"Is Pete alright?" Josh asked after a moment his voice cool and collected which was in away more frightening than a bellow.
"Not at the moment. The last word I had was that Yevshenko and Berto are trying to remove the Dreadnought technology from his body. They called me a few minutes before you two came in. The inner layer of circuitry is physically interwoven with his flesh. In addition theirs technology spread out inside Pete's body - probably designed to keep him alive so that Dreadnought could continue to function. They have to get it all out if he's to live. Unfortunately we don't have much time. Just six hours."
"Why only six hours?" Laura asked trying to keep her own rage at Pete's fate under control.
"The EMP discharge that disabled Dreadnought has done a lot of damage to the things circuitry. The circuitry pathways are collapsing in somekind of slow cascade reaction - probably some sort of self-destruct. In six hours the circuitry will stop functioning all together. When it does Pete will die. Unless we remove the circuitry first."
"Have Pete's folks been told," Josh asked after a moment hiding his sudden terror at the thought of losing Pete.
"I sent Rachel to go and get them just before I called you," Jeff responded. "They're coming and will be here soon. In the meantime do you want to see Pete?" They both nodded.
Jefferson smiled slightly expecting the answer. Standing up he led them over to the concealed lift. Josh of course already knew where it was, he'd been in it a number of times. For Laura however this was her first time and it would only be about the third time that she would have seen the real N'Tek.
As soon as the lift started down with them inside Josh changed to Max. He did so reflexively without even thinking about it, he was so used to going into Max mode whenever he went down to the real N'Tek that these days he changed to Max automatically. It was just as well. For his conscious thoughts were occupied by his concern for Pete and his anger at Karland for using Pete in such a manner.
