Alive
Book 2
Pt30
1
"We've been live tracking over one hundred cases of unexplained malfunctions, at least three dozen cases of vandalism and numerous assaults throughout the state. And that's just since 7am. By the time we finish this briefing that number might double."
Jenna West paused a moment to let the numbers sink in. There were around thirty people in the room, all from the Inland; detectives, precinct patrol chiefs, State Patrol officials, Cybertronics security, a representative of the governor's office and a few of Jenna's personal crew. A few of them were exchanging hushed whispers. The rest were jotting down notes, or had their eyes set firmly on Jenna, impatience and anxiety etched in their weary faces. None of them had slept well, that much was clear. Coffee cups and the discarded wrappings of stim-snacks were strewn about the conference table.
Jenna raised her arm and flicked a remote she held in hand. The monitor on the wall behind her came to life depicting news reports of police and state troopers arresting laughing CJ kids, who didn't seem to be trying to escape.
Jenna muted the feed and continued.
"Many of the vandals have been apprehended; juveniles for the most part; members of the 'Crash Jam' conspiracy cult. I'm sure you're all acquainted with them."
Groans of familiarity rose and fell. Jenna continued
"The assault cases are minor, mostly property owners getting a beat-down while trying to protect their homes. But the magnitude of the criminal activity is overwhelming local precincts and has necessitated some breaches of due process, as I am sure you're aware of."
A few people chuckled. Jenna let a small smile flash across her face, but it was gone as fast.
"There are bound to be legal challenges," she continued. "And more than a few of the kids will likely walk. But that is a problem for your local jurisdictions. We asked you here to deal with a bigger and more complex issue."
She pressed the remote again and multiple news feeds filled the monitor, each depicting reporters interviewing anxious people recounting tales of service Mecha going rogue and smashing all the windows in the house, Sim Children suddenly going into alert mode and grasping their surprised mothers so tightly it broke their hips, Mecha cooks going into rampages and flinging hot coffee onto patrons. The stories were as varied as they were numerous.
Jenna flicked the remote again and the screen went blank.
"This series of events is being coordinated," she said. ""And the sudden increase in activity is no doubt the result of our raid on Rouge City yesterday. But it was a necessary diversion tactic that some of you have already been briefed on. For everyone else, Professor Alan Hobby, CEO of Cybertronics, is here to catch you up… Alan?"
Jenna sat down and Hobby rose from his chair to take the podium.
"Thank you Ms. West," he said, and then turned to face the room "And thank all of you for responding so quickly. I think I recognize a couple of faces from the amphibicopter incident a few years back?"
A few officers nodded their heads and a harried looking detective in the back of the room, tapped a finger against his forehead and pointed in Hobby's direction.
"Hey, Professor," the man said.
"Good to see you again," Hobby replied. "I apologize to all of you for the inconvenience of this old fashioned face-to-face. But I assure you net-silence is critical in this affair. You will soon find out why."
Hobby stopped to adjust his glasses. He seemed lost in thought for a moment. The people in the room watched expectantly.
"I won't bore you with the technical details," he said. "Most of them are classified, and we don't really have time for talk. But to sum up, years ago I was commissioned to develop an artificial which was capable of covert intelligence gathering. And yes, by that I mean a spy."
Hobby paused to let the room absorb his words. Someone sighed. It was a weary sound.
"Are you about to tell us we're dealing with a mimic," said the detective. Hobby nodded a sad acknowledgement. "Well, that's just great," the man said with a sarcastic chuckle.
"Another damned rogue," someone groaned.
"Aren't those illegal?" said someone else.
"They are now… for the most part" Hobby replied. "But we'll get to that later. Please bear with me.
"Now, as you might already know, Mecha generally function on a database of predefined actions and responses. Some of you might have personal experience with rogues. Their limited communication skills make them rather simple to detect, even without a scanner. But obviously a task as complicated as covert intelligence gathering would require a Mecha of an entirely different order; one able to go be able to go undetected, not only to the human eye but especially in casual conversation, where mimics are most easily exposed.
"In order to jump this hurdle I had to create an entirely new processing base, the details of which I will omit for they are lengthy and unnecessary for this meeting. But the short version is, this rogue has the capacity for rapid improvisation on highly sophisticated fractal logic… in other words, it thinks like a human. It also has an individuated sense of being."
Hobby paused again.
"What I mean is… this machine has an ego."
The room was silent, except for the tap-tap-tap of someone's pen against their chair.
"And, sadly," Hobby continued, "like us it also has the capacity for self-delusion. Its ego has become infected. Not with a virus, but with an idea…. An idea that it is superior to Orga and that it should be in charge. To accomplish this goal, it has been manipulating the Crash Jam movement to covertly organize a conflict between Orga and Mecha. But it is really an effort to create social unrest."
There was an almost unanimous groan from the people in the room.
"A robot that wants to rule the world," said the detective. "Not just science fiction anymore, eh? This just gets better and better."
"Who in the hell would want something like that?" asked an official from the State Patrol.
"The who and why of this commission is classified," Hobby replied. "But, fortunately, that information is not relevant to this briefing either. The Mecha itself on the other hand, is no longer classified, and entirely relevant."
Hobby flicked the remote and a face came into the monitor. It was a completely average face; clean shaven white male, 30-35 years of age, brown eyes, short black hair. It was a design based on a researched combination of elements that would assure anonymity; the kind of a face that would likely go unnoticed in a crowd, or be easily forgotten if it was.
"Meet Project 101," Hobby said. "One of a kind self-modifying covert operations prototype. Decommissioned before it was even complete. Of course this is a dated image of its default appearance. The chances of anyone encountering 101 in this mode are slim.
"To answer the legality question posed earlier, commercial mimics, like loverbots for example, have a limited legal range of impersonation rights, celebrities historical figures and the like. 101 however, is not technically legal as it has instantaneous duplication ability. Simply put, it can mimic you by sight alone. Within seconds of encounter, 101 can be staring back at you with your own face, and speaking to you in your own voice."
Hobby paused again. The room was quiet, seeming to anticipate more bad news.
"And it's a twin system," Hobby explained in an almost apologetic tone. "Safety in redundancy was our motivation, in case of comprise. Simply put, there's two of them."
Someone swore. Someone else guffawed.
"Do you have any good news, Professor?" said the detective. Nervous laughter filled the room.
"As a matter of fact I do," Hobby replied, seemingly happy to change the subject. "There are two of them, yes, but they act as a single unit. This is why I refer to 101 as 'it' and not 'them." The units are dependent on one another. And while 101 is a perfect mimic, it can still be exposed by standard scanning procedures. Which is why all of you were subject to scans upon your arrival.
"And I have even better news: no one here is likely to confront it. This battle will be fought on another level. To explain more on that, I'd like to introduce you to the person who knows the rogue better than perhaps anyone; my son, David Hobby."
David looked up suddenly, as if roused by hearing his name. But he had actually been following every word. Jenna had commanded that all pods and familiars be shut off for this briefing, and David was once again feeling the disorienting sense of isolation without his inner minion. He rose, feeling every eye on him as took to the podium and Hobby stepped away.
"Are you kidding?" said someone. Chuckles rose and fell.
Jenna stood and cast a stern gaze around the room.
"Listen before you judge," she said in the tone of an irritated school teacher. "This young man has actually confronted the rogue. He can tell you more about the damned thing than the fools who built it."
She cast a quick apologetic glance at Hobby after she said this. The man shrugged in a way that suggested he might agree that 101 had been a foolish idea.
The room was quiet now, the various lawmen scrutinizing David with a new look. The detective spoke up.
"Excuse my compatriots, young man," he said. "Carry on."
But the man's apology had not been necessary. The laughter didn't bother David. He had not made the effort to dress appropriately to this occasion; just his usually loose fitting shirt and jeans. So he knew what he must look like to them; some stupid teenager who should be out chasing girls, not briefing state law officials during a state of emergency.
He also knew what had to say would not be what Jenna had anticipated… and definitely not what anybody in the room had come all this way to hear.
But it had to be said.
Because you can't alter an event in ignorance of its true nature.
2
"So what're you gonna tell em?" Tamara said.
She had been standing by the bed, slipping on a t-shirt, her hair glistening wet from her shower. David was still in bed watching her dress, lost in the sight of her shapely contours. The light of dawn was breaking through the window beyond her, casting her form in silhouette. He felt himself stirring again, which was surprising after the workout she'd given him night before. This body, it seemed, was never sated…. or perhaps there was something about her that always excited him.
"Well?" she said, as she sat on the bed to slip her shoes on.
David still didn't answer. Truth was he really didn't know what he was going to say. Jenna hadn't set a definite time for their meeting, though he was pretty sure she was already awake and waiting for him. He had a pretty radical idea forming in the back of his mind, but it wasn't a sure thing yet.
He knew he couldn't play the 'favorite song' game with them. They wouldn't understand it even if he could get them to go along with it. He was certain that he'd have to tell them about the twins; and about what 101 had done to them. But he wasn't sure he wanted to tell everything about of the tragedy of their short lives, and of their…
David shuddered at the memory. They'd killed themselves rather than go back into the stream and allow 101 to find out what they'd revealed to David; sacrificed themselves for the good of the whole, so that others could be free.
How many adults did he know with the dedication to commit such a selfless act?
Would he?
David tried to push the thoughts away, to deal with later. But the image of their young faces provoked a wave of helpless rage in his heart and he covered his mouth to repress a groan. He didn't want Tamara to know what he was feeling.
She had pulled a small make up kit from her bag and was shading her brows, so she didn't notice the tears that had welled up in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away.
"Don't know yet," he said when he had finally calmed himself. "I'm not sure what to say or how to say it."
Tamara muttered an unintelligible acknowledgement as she began digging through her bag, looking for something. David watched her silently, sensing that a new depth of bond had developed between them. He trusted her more than anyone, but wasn't sure if he was ever going to share all the ugly details of his encounter.
He didn't know what was motivating this secrecy. Had he finally become the stereotypical male; defensive and afraid of showing his feelings? Or was he protecting her, to keep her from needlessly worrying about him?
He'd been awake most of the night, staring up at the ceiling, letting his mind digest his revelation about 101 as his familiar roamed the building's network; bypassing firewalls and deciphering passwords. He was looking for something. Cybertronics security was tight enough to block 101's incessant attempts to hack in - and David knew it was active for he'd seen its telltale glow in the flood of data transferal over the city - but they hadn't been tight enough to keep him from finding what he was looking for. And it hadn't taken him very long.
"I found her," he said, in a sudden change of subject.
But Tamara didn't seem to hear him. She rose and started running a brush through her silky locks.
"It's time to get your ass up, mister. You're the man of the hour today," she said. She pulled the brush through her hair a few times before she suddenly turned to fix David with a confused look.
"Wait… found who?" she said. "Are you spying on Amanda with that thing? You need to leave that girl alone. She already apologized for-"
"No," David interrupted. "Why would I do that?"
Tamara sighed and sat down on the bed. She moved close to him and adopted a matronly tone.
"She still has a thing for you, you know," she said, "I can see it every time she's around us. You should be gentle with her. It can't be easy seeing us together."
David pushed himself up on his elbows and stared at her, annoyed that she'd think he'd be so petty. A few hasty replies went through his head, but instead he just jumped out of bed and made his way towards the corner bookcase. He toggled a lever and the shelves parted to reveal a cool blue washroom. He entered and stood at the urinal.
"I wasn't talking about Mandy," he called out as he relieved himself. He didn't hear Tamara make a reply. He shook himself off and turned to the shower.
"Medium pressure lather at body temp," he said. Water began rushing out of the showerhead and he stepped into the flow.
"She's not as fragile as she looks, you know" David called over the hiss of the water. "Or as innocent."
He heard Tamara utter a shocked "Oh my god!" from the bedroom.
"That wasn't an insult," he called, realizing how he must have sounded. "I'm just saying that you don't have to worry about-"
"Oh my god!" Tamara yelled again. "David! Come see this!"
What was going on? David jumped out of the shower, waking his familiar as he raced naked into the bedroom, leaving a soapy wet trail behind him. Tamara was standing by the bay window, staring up at something he could not yet see from his angle.
"What?" he said excitedly, racing to her side. But she didn't have to answer. Through the window he saw a small fleet of unmarked copters headed their way. Maybe fifteen crafts in single file, descending slowly towards the Cybertronics building.
"Too many for the parking bay," David said. "They're headed for the roof."
"Who the hell is it?" Tamara said.
David didn't respond at first. He had already had sent his Familiar to identify the fleet. But the small avatar quickly returned with only an apologetic shrug to show. Whoever they were, their ID banners were heavily encrypted.
"I can't tell," he said finally. "But I have an idea. This is probably Jenna's move; sending escorts to retrieve people so they don't have to organize over the net. Smart. They've got some tight cloaking going on."
"Maybe you should try some cloaking too," he heard Tamara say. He turned to see her looking him up and down, eyebrows raised; a sly smile in the corner of her mouth.
David shook his head wildly, flailing his hair and splashing soapy water all over her.
"You little prick!" she screamed. But she was laughing as she backed away. "Dammit, David! Now I have to change!"
"Well, that's what you get for scaring me with all the 'oh my gods'," David said as he headed back to the washroom to rinse off. He stepped into the shower and commanded a hard rinse. The water came to life, cascading over his body.
"Actually, you don't have to change," he called out over the noise of the water. "It's just your obsession with appearances that makes you think that way."
He chuckled to himself, knowing this would get to her. But when he noticed her shape standing outside the frosted glass, he thought he might have stepped over the line,
"Wizzy… my love… I think you might be overreacting," he said, preparing for whatever she had planned. But when she opened the door, wearing only a knowing smile and nothing else, he decided this was a quite appropriate reaction.
They probably had a little extra time after all, he decided, as she stepped in to join him.
3
"Finally chose to join us?" Jenna said as David and Tamara exited the elevator.
They were on the 42 floor, in the hallway that to led to the lab. It was filled with men and women clad in uniforms of police and state patrol. Some in business dress. Two seemed to have their own security people hovering around them. State officials and politicians probably.
"Sorry," David said to Jenna. "We got… distracted. Lost track of time."
"Distracted, eh?" Jenna said with a chuckle. "So that's what you kids are calling it these days?"
David looked away, trying not to blush. Tamara snickered and squeezed his hand. Jenna smiled but then turned serious, setting a cautious gaze on Tamara.
"I'm going to ask you to sit this one out, Tamara" she said. "Why don't you join Grace and Amanda in the cafeteria; have some breakfast?"
Tamara's face shifted to her 'you're not the boss of me' expression. But Jenna raised a hand for patience. She stepped close, as if to not be overheard.
"The people here represent a variety of state-wide law enforcement agencies," she whispered. "I'm pretty sure the daughter of Sy Cleve might garner a little more attention than she desires."
Tamara's expression evaporated as she scanned the faces in the hallway. Her eyes grew wide as if she suddenly realized her predicament. She nodded, and pecked a quick kiss on David's cheek before heading quickly back towards the elevator.
"I see you invited some guests," David said when Tamara was gone.
"You were probably too 'distracted' to follow the news feeds," Jenna said in a tone that was somehow playful and scolding at the same time. "There has been a major uptick in activity. Started about 3am, and it's spreading state wide. We're on total net lock-down, right now. I sent out escorts to bring them all here, so we can organize our efforts to bring this damned thing down."
"Yeah, that what I guessed when I saw the copters arriving," David replied. Then something occurred to him.
"The Swintons!" he said, striking his palm to his forehead. "They'll be in danger! 101 knows everything about-"
But Jenna stopped him, setting her hand on his shoulder in an uncharacteristic display of empathy.
"Way ahead of you," she said. "We've taken measures. You can relax."
David let out a grateful sigh. But he knew he could never relax, not until 101 was dealt with. He trusted Jenna though. She'd do what was necessary.
Hobby's voice came from the lab, beckoning the people in the hall to come and get seated. The meeting was starting.
"Let's go," Jenna said, taking David by the arm. But she stopped suddenly and turned to him with a concerned expression on her face.
"I should have vetted you last night," she said, "but I didn't want to push, because I could see you were in an emotional state. I don't know what happened out there, but I know it had an effect on you."
David nodded, both to acknowledge her words and to admit she was correct. Jenna stared hard at him for a moment.
"These people have come a long way for answers," she said. "I really hope you have something they can use."
'I hope so too,' David thought.
"I do," is what he said though.
4
"Near the close of the 19th century, a new technology was developed," David started, unconsciously adopting the professorial tone he had adopted from Hobby. "Excuse me for not having memorized the exact dates, it's been a few years since I read the history, but this technology was only a luxury item at first, almost a novelty. Only the wealthiest homes could afford one. But by the latter half of the 20th century this invention would proliferate to the point where civilization itself had become dependent on it. Of course, I am talking about the automobile."
Confused people glanced at one another. Jenna was looking at him with a troubled expression. Hobby started tapping his foot, something he only did when he was becoming annoyed.
"Initially the car was powered by steam and even electricity," David continued, ignoring the confused chatter that was erupting around the room. "But then a more profitable fuel source was developed. Gasoline. The only problem was it created emissions that-"
"We didn't come all this way for a history lesson, son" interrupted the detective in the back of the room.
"Yeah, I thought this was supposed to be about the rogue," said someone else.
"It is," David said in a flat, unattached tone. "But there are things that must be established before I can explain how they are related."
"Well, while you're 'establishing' things, kid, CJ punks are out trashing my neighborhoods," said an annoyed police chief.
"And service bots are going rogue, putting their owners in the hospital!" said another.
"And in the morgue," added an impatient officer.
"Then perhaps you'd better let me continue," David said, coolly. "So you can all get back to work."
Jenna cleared her throat and stood.
"Um, David," she started, nervously. "Perhaps you should just skip ahead and tell us what you-"
"Please!" David said loudly. "Not listening is how you got here in the first place! Maybe it's time you changed that behavior."
Hobby stood, his face red with embarrassment.
"This was probably a mistake, David," the man said approaching the podium. "You're obviously in an emotional state. I'll take it from here."
"Sit down, Alan," David said. His tone was flat, commanding. It made Jenna gasp; made Hobby stop in his tracks, staring at David with something between shock and alarm.
"Hey, that's no way to talk to your Father, kid," said the detective.
'He's not my father!' are the words that rushed through David's mind.
"I'm not a kid," is what he said though. "Nobody born into this drowning world gets to be a kid anymore."
He spat the words like an accusation; angry eyes scanning the room. Images of the tragic twins he'd only known as Three and Four, flashed through his mind, firing his emotions and his resolve.
For the first time, his words seemed to have an effect. the cops in the room were still annoyed, but nobody was laughing anymore. Nobody tried to interrupt.
"I understand your passion, David," said calm voice from the back of the room. David looked to see a well-dressed man with greying hair standing in the company of two men in dark glasses. The man stepped forward.
"Yes, society has made mistakes," the man said. "We still do and probably always will. It's the human condition. But, respectfully, is this really the time for a philosophical debate? I work for the governor, and we're in the midst of an emergency, son. I came all the way here…" he stopped and gestured around the room "…all of us came here today because Jenna West said you had information that could help us stop this rouge. Is this is the time for recriminations?"
"It's not a rogue," David replied.
"What?" the man said, confused. There were a few incredulous guffaws around the room. Someone moaned about it being time to get the hell out of here.
"It's NOT a damned rouge!" David said louder. "A rogue is a Mecha that has broken its programmed behaviors. But 101 is doing exactly what it was programmed to do!"
He pointed at Hobby, who was still standing in the same spot, mystified, seemingly unable to move.
"It's doing exactly what he built it to do!" David exclaimed. "Exactly what somebody paid him to build it to do! And if you want to stop this damned thing you better shut the hell up and listen to what I have to say!"
No one spoke. No one moaned. No one laughed. They stared at him in shocked silence. His fire was back. He continued from where he'd been interrupted, his words coming rapidly, bullets from the barrel of an angry young gun.
"By the end of the 20th century, carbon emissions from fossil fuels were already causing a measurable increase in global temperatures. Scientists started making some serious warnings about the danger of 'global warming'…. that's what they called it at the time. They predicted a rise in sea levels, an increase in the number and severity of storms, tornadoes; and fires that would obliterate entire forests.
"Later they decided to call it 'climate change' because one of the less anticipated effects was lower than normal temperatures in winter, due to high levels of moisture in the air. That caused increased unseasonal and unprecedented snow storms. The people who were politically opposed to the changes society had to make, used the colder temperatures to claim it was all a 'hoax'. How could there be global warming if it was colder, right? So climate scientists changed the name so people wouldn't be confused!"
David stopped speaking and stepped away from the podium. He started walking among the people in the room, pacing slowly through the aisles of chairs, hand held up before him, index finger raised like a lecturer emphasizing his point.
"But here's the thing," he said, to the now fascinated onlookers. "They knew it was real. The people who called it a 'hoax' knew it was real. They'd become wealthy on oil. Entire nations were dependent on it for their economies. Corporations had grown wealthier than many small countries through the use of fossil fuels.
"So they lied! They hired their own scientists, people who were willing to exchange their ethical standards for money, and they put out their own climate studies. And it was all lies! Just bullshit. And they knew it."
David stopped walking in front of the governors aid, and looked the man hard in the eyes.
"Children arose and tried to change things," he said. "They tried to shame the adults, to wake them from their mindless feeding frenzy; make them realize the danger they were setting up for future generations. Little climate warriors from all over the world organized revolts. They protested and marched and refused to go to school. They did whatever they could. But they were just kids. Nobody wanted to listen. The 'adults' didn't have the time for 'philosophical debates'…. And now the world is drowned. Hundreds of millions dead, because a few greedy people weren't willing to change their behavior; sacrifice their money… or their power."
The man returned David's look silently for a moment. He seemed about to say something but David suddenly turned and headed back towards the podium.
"So, you're all probably wondering what the hell this has to do with 101?" he said as he returned to the podium. "And when am I gonna start telling you something you can use, right? After all the effort that went into yesterday's big charade. Who do I think I am to waste your time on some ideological screed?... Ok, I'll tell you what you came to hear."
David paused and lowered his head a moment. He gathered himself, to maintain his composure. The emotions were too fresh, like an open wound on his soul.
"Yesterday I met two children," he started slowly, "Well, that's not exactly accurate. They weren't really children… anymore. They used to be. They were born twins. Illegals in this crazy one-child policy world; another result of ignoring the warnings of climate science. I don't know when or where they were born, or what their birth names were. I think they might have forgotten all this too. Because they had been overwritten."
"Overwritten?" Hobby blurted.
David turned to fix the man with a cold stare.
"Yes, Allen," he replied. "Overwritten, reprogrammed; their minds hacked and redirected by your mad machine."
Gasps and alarmed whispers arose in the room. Jenna's face contorted as if she couldn't understand the words. Hobby's face went ashen.
"But… but how?" the man said in disbelief. "How does a synthetic hack into an organic brain? It's just not possible!"
"Are we really going to argue possibilities, father?" David replied, putting ironic emphasis on the word 'father'. Hobby blanched. But nobody in the room had caught the meaning of his words. How could they?
David turned to Jenna West.
"Do you remember when I asked you to look into Familiar Inc?" he said.
Jenna nodded slowly, realization dawning in her face. After a moment she mouthed a silent 'oh my god'. Hobby finally caught the drift and fell back into his seat, looking suddenly exhausted.
David turned back to face the room.
"It was done through the use of cranial implants," he explained. "The same ones many of you probably use, the same kind I recently had installed. And that's pretty much all I can tell you about the process at this point. I haven't yet figured out the technical details."
"Why?" said the detective. "Why would it do something like that?"
David shrugged.
"Why do nations invade one another? Why do religions try to impose their beliefs on others? Why is all of Orga history filled with atrocities, ideological strife and wars for the dominance of political views?"
"But you're talking about historical conflicts between groups of humans, David," the governor's aide said, harshly. "It's the story of the rise of civilization!"
"And it's fall," David shot back.
The man waved his arms like he was dealing with a frustrating child.
"People don't always agree on which course to follow," he exclaimed. "It's natural! It's human. It's what we've always done."
"Well, that's the whole point, isn't it?" David replied. "101 isn't the real problem, it's just the symptom. It's just the logical outcome of millennia of Orga striving for power and control over each other... In other words, 101 isn't your enemy... you are."
David met the man's eyes fearlessly as silence fell over the room. Not even a breath could be heard. The uncomfortable moment went on until Jenna decided to break the spell.
"Where are the twins now," she asked over the silence.
"Dead," David replied in an emotionless voice. He was all cried out now, emotionally spent.
Heads shook. Arms were crossed defensively against this news. One of the female officers leaned on the table, set her head in her hands and let out a long sad sigh.
"What happened to them," said the governor's aide. To his credit the emotion in his voice sounded genuine.
"They… they killed themselves," David said, wearily.
Someone groaned. Someone swore. They all lowered their heads, staring pensively at the floor.
"It's a long sad story," David continued, "But basically, they did it so 101 would not learn what they shared with me. They gave their lives to give us a chance to fight this thing."
The detective stood and approached the podium.
"So you do know how to stop it?" he said, excitement in his voice.
"Yes," David replied. "I even have a plan…. one that could actually work. I just wanted you all to understand what you are dealing with. Because you cannot defeat a thing without knowing it's true nature. And if we solve this problem, only to go back to business-as-usual… then we haven't really solved the problem at all, have we? Because, what I have been trying to make you understand is, business-as-usual was the problem all along."
The detective scrutinized David silently for a moment. Then he nodded his head.
"Alright, kid," he said. "I hear you."
"That's a good place to start," David said.
Then he began to explain his plan.
5
The sun shone a silvery glow through the overcast sky. A frosty chill was on the wind, as if winter had arrived premature. It bit at David's cheeks and hands, making him huddle tightly in his jacket. Pretty soon he would have to pull out his winter coat… or buy a new one, he figured. He kept forgetting that he was growing now that he was Orga; now that he was one of them.
David was watching the copters lifting off the roof, carrying their passengers back to their various headquarters. It had taken almost two hours to formalize the plan, and each of them knew their part.
His part though, was the most important. And he had shared nothing of it with them. Not even Hobby or Jenna. It would only take one careless email, or phone call, and 101 would know he was coming, and what he intended to do.
Hobby and Jenna now stood beside him, lost in their own thoughts as they watched the fleet rise into the sky.
"Well, I guess everything turned out ok in the end," Jenna said, as if speaking to herself. "Gotta admit, David, you really took me by surprise with that rant. But it seems to have worked. You made a real impression on them. I think they'll go along with the plan."
"They'd better," David replied. "Or it was all for nothing."
Hobby had been silent, not even able to meet David's eyes since the meeting ended. Now he finally broke that silence.
"Jenna," he said, in a subdued voice, "Can you give us a minute… please."
Jenna looked back and forth between them, some unreadable caution in her face. Then she turned and walked away.
David turned to meet Hobby's eyes. The two gazed on one another this way for a time before Hobby spoke.
"The things you said," he started "… they were painful, David. 101 was an ill-begotten device, I can see that now. But nothing I did was intentional. I believed it was for the good at the time, and I still– "
"I need to see her," David said, cutting him off. He didn't have the time or energy for the man's rationalizations and excuses.
"See who?" Hobby replied, confused.
"I know she's here," David said. "And I know where. But I can't find the pass. I tried all last night, but you've done a great job of locking me out."
Hobby's face changed to guilty understanding. He looked away for a moment.
"Why?" David said, his voice breaking with the anger of the man's betrayal. "Why would you dredge her up? Why would you lie to me?"
Hobby faced him again.
"You have to understand, David," he replied. "You shouldn't even exist. It defies every established law of science. A mystery like that… it's too great to ignore. I had to understand how-"
"No!" David yelled, cutting him off again. "You don't have to understand. You're not even capable of understanding!"
David stepped close to the man, his finger pointing an angry accusation at the man's face. Hobby stepped back, shocked again by the strength of David's emotions.
"Everything you figure out eventually gets turned into some sick weapon, or just another product to hawk off to lonely people, like some pathetic plaything to accommodate for life in a ruined world!"
"You're not being fair!" Hobby hissed, his own anger growing.
"Fair?" David repeated, incredulous. "Yesterday I saw the most tragic thing I have ever seen. It still burns in my heart. Children! They were children, Alan! Their minds hacked by your creation! Twisted into some warped hybrid of Orga and Mecha. But they still had more humanity than you! More than any of you! They gave their lives for a world that turned their backs on them before they were even born! You don't deserve to understand!"
Hobby was trembling now, his face red, eyes wet. He stared at David, mouth moving but unable to find words.
"I love you David," he said finally, softly. "I do. I know there has been misery in your life. And I've tried to make up for my mistakes, and my carelessness. But you've got to meet me half-way"
"You love the idea of me," David said evenly.
"You're my son," Hobby said, a plea in his voice.
"I'm your creation," David corrected him. "Your son died a long time ago."
"No!" Hobby yelled. "Don't you go there! Don't you dare!"
"Take me to her!" David commanded. "Take me to the Blue Fairy. You had no business digging her out of-"
But David stopped when he heard the whistle of thrusters approaching. They both turned to see a copter with a Cybertronics logo descending towards the parking bay.
Hobby quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, and pulled his pod from his pocket. He punched in a code and then spoke.
"We're on the roof, Ariel" he said. "Bring them up here."
"Who is that?" David said suspiciously.
Hobby tucked his pod away and fixed David with a sad look.
"I do love you, David," the man said. "In spite of everything you said, and no matter how you feel about me, I will always love you. I hope you'll understand that someday.
"Now wipe your eyes, pull yourself together, and welcome our guests," he said, before he turned and started walking away.
"Who is it?" David yelled. But Hobby ignored the question.
"They'll probably be hungry," he called over his shoulder as he left. "Take them to the cafeteria. I'll meet you there later!"
David watched him go for a moment and then turned to see the copter rise above the edge of the building. Ariel waved to David from the cockpit as he set down, and David started walking hesitantly towards the craft.
As the thrusters wound down, Ariel jumped out and slid open the door to the passenger coach. Someone inside threw out a couple of suitcases. The Mecha caught them and set them down. One of the passengers had crawled out the other side of the craft, but David couldn't see them from this angle.
Something else was tossed out of the copter next, something that looked like a folded up table. Arial caught this too, and set it down. When he unfolded it, David's heart jumped.
A wheelchair!
He saw a man get out and turn to help someone else who was still inside.
"Henry," David realized aloud. His heart jumped.
The person on the other side of the copter finally came into sight, carrying a couple of small suitcases.
"Martin?" David said. Martin was too far away to hear him, but the boy noticed him across the landing pad, and waved a feckless hello. David returned the empty gesture weakly.
Then her saw Her, climbing slowly out of the coach, clad in a thick furry coat and moving like a woman twice her age. She grasped Henry shakily by the arm as he helped her into the wheelchair.
David's anger fell away to be replace with a warm longing that came from deep inside.
"Mommy," he sighed.
(cont…)