The Forever Quest (The Forever Series Book 4) Read online

  In the meantime, my fiber affixed to a camera. I instantly came in contact with its computer. That afforded me another insight into Varrank and how his mind worked. I was met by an AI, a very unfriendly AI. Who, I ask you, goes to the trouble and ridiculous expense to put an AI at the interface of a single camera?

  The AI was confused, having never encountered a hack attempt like mine. It tried to block my entry. No way that was going to happen when I was using Kymee’s handy work. I took control of the AI. I hoped he could interpret the whole network for me. One stop shopping, as it were.

  No such luck. Varrank had isolated each node in the system. No AI knew more than what they needed to know to do their job. This AI’s only task was to monitor the view of the person in the hold from that one camera. Silly, but there he was.

  I asked him where the central data was stored. He knew the address but was only cleared to send to it there. He couldn’t pull data back the other direction. That made my hack take much longer than any I’d done before. Stupid criminal mastermind Varrank. He was costing me time I might not have.

  Over four minutes, I snuck past one AI interface after another. I began to worry that someone would detect hack by the sheer number of AI nodes I controlled. No rational computer system would look for such an attack, but Varrank had a one of a kind paranoid system.

  Finally, and with significant relief, I entered the main data cache. I was just starting to download everything when the entire computer system crashed. I think someone hit the main switch and turned the whole complex network off. Unbelievable. It would be impossible for an operation of that size to run without computers, lots of computers. Varrank’s security, communications, and environmental controls were gone.

  Or were they? No, the son of a bitch must have independent backup systems for each component. They weren’t networked, so they couldn’t be hacked. The system would be inefficient, but it would function. Crap. I hate people with more money than luck.

  No one could know I was the source of the intrusion, but they might figure it out with time. I could deliver enough power through my probe filament to power up a few AIs at a time. I started backing out from as far as I’d gotten. As I reached each AI, I turned it on just long enough to fry its core. I also advanced a node or two away in a direction I hadn’t come. I wanted whoever was tracking the hack to have a confusing walk in the dark.

  It took about ten minutes to scorch the hell out of the system. I wasn’t likely to be discovered, but I also wasn’t going to steal any useful information either. My very brief time in central storage allowed me to grab a few petabytes of data, but that was a tiny drop in a very large ocean of information. Guess what I got? The guest lists for social functions for the last three years. Not so very useful in my situation. I also got a list of politicians on some planet I’d never heard of who were on his payroll. Crud.

  I pulled the probe back and thought, What comes next? I was in a cell waiting to be killed. I did not have any information about a threat to the fleet, if there even was one. But what could I do? Well, my first step seemed obvious. Plan one was not waiting in this cell to die. Plan two was … no clue. Plan three was to formulate plan two while running like hell.

  I tested my door. Still locked. I pressed my ear to it. I could hear two or three guards close by. They were talking about the computer outage and wondered if it was another drill. I put my probe fibers on the lock and opened it. It had self-contained codes and power. My, oh my, Varrank planned ahead. I flew into the hallway as soon as the door opened.

  I grabbed the nearest guard and slammed him against the wall. He never saw me coming. The next nearest swung a fist at me while the other raised his weapon. I cracked the closer man’s jaw with my elbow and seized his weapon. Faster than the other guy, I squeezed off a round, and he flew against the wall and slumped to the floor. I’d blown a big hole where his heart used to be.

  I picked up the second laser rifle and quickly scanned the hall both ways. Nothing. Good. I had no idea where my shipmates were being held, and it was unlikely I’d locate them by randomly kicking down doors. Absent a central computer to help me, I had to realize their fates were left to the fortunes of war. I had a mission. I did know which direction I’d come from. I saw an exit and sprinted that way. Remember all the stairs, up and down? Yeah, it was a long run.

  I turned one corner and jumped down a flight of steps. I landed nose to nose with a burly, pissed off non-humanoid. He, she, or it seemed to be in the mood to kill something violently. One of its four arms slapped against my throat. It lifted me like I weighed nothing. Two arms grabbed my rifles and twisted them toward the floor. With the last arm, it pounded me in the gut. It was a great fighting machine. Too bad for its family, I was a better fighting machine.

  I attached the probe to it and asked, Where are my friends?

  He was from Quelstrum, sixteen years old, and presently had six wives—my condolences on that count, one being more than enough. Five years in the service of Varrank, captain of guard. Kayla was in Detention A16. Karnean Detention Auxiliary 45G. I took his mental picture of each locations. Then I told him to sleep. That didn’t work, which has never happened before. My easy out was off the table.

  I dropped the rifles, freeing up my hands. I punched the arm holding me by the neck. I felt the bone shatter. He released me with a howl. One fist punched me against the wall, and his huge foot rose to slam me backward. I caught his foot mid-flight and stopped it like he’d handed it to me. The look on his face was precious. He knew there was no way I could do that. Most satisfying.

  I didn’t leave him in suspense long. I flipped his foot, and he face-planted loudly. I crushed my boot to the back of his neck, and the fight was over. I retrieved my guns and sprinted toward Kayla’s prison. Yeah, you had to know I’d save her first. Karnean was only on my time-permitting list.

  I had a brief fire fight with a pair of guards not long after but arrived at Kayla’s room in one piece. I picked off the three guards before they even saw me. I blew the handle mechanism off the door and kicked it open. I shoulder-rolled into the room and came up pivoting, a rifle in either direction. Immediately I dropped both guns and put my hands in the air.

  Shit.

  Varrank sat passively in the far corner. Kayla kneeled to his side, a pistol pressed against her head so hard her neck cocked off to one side. Two guards had weapons trained on me.

  “Impressive,” said Varrank, “that you got this far and that you so wisely surrendered.” He put his pistol under her chin and raised her face up. “Pity, in reality. A laser blast through her pretty head would have been a kinder fate than she’ll receive. But,” he stood, “such are the twists of fate. Don’t you agree, Jon Ryan?”

  I said nothing. No advantage in it. I was watching closely to see if they would force me to completely blow my cover. If I killed Varrank, logically I should be free. But I had a suspicion that this wasn’t the real Varrank. I doubted he’d take such a risk. Maybe a body double, maybe an android. If I sliced him up and he wasn’t the boss, my strategic advantage would be gone.

  Without another word, Varrank walked calmly out the door. The guards muscled Kayla and me to follow. They led us to a smaller room, more like a personal office. By the time we arrived, Varrank was sitting behind an ornate desk, sipping something from a fancy cup. More guards flanked him. Note to self: this might be the real Varrank. They prodded us to stand a meter from the desk.

  Leisurely, he set down the cup. “I’d ask you to make yourselves comfortable, but I don’t wish you to be.”

  Asshole.

  “You have accomplished three very amazing feats, Jon. I must express my admiration. First, you escaped, albeit temporarily. That has never been done before. Second, you killed one of my Quelstrum guards in single combat. Costly, but impressive. Third, for a briefest of moment, you entertained me. For that I thank you. If I did not have cruelty and savagery to occupy my mind, boredom would be my single harshest complaint.”

  “
You’re welcome, buddy,” I said flatly.

  “Ah, such paralyzing humor. If I were given to mirth, I’m certain I’d be on the floor by now.”

  Asshole. Oh, I said that already. Jerk asshole.

  “I will ask you once civilly, Jon. How is it you managed those first two feats? I am wondering, too, if the demise of my computer system is not your doing also. If it was not, it would be a monumental coincidence. I do not believe in coincidences.”

  “I’m sorry. Are you done asking, or are you going to continue your speech about your personal inclinations? I for one am enthralled so far.”

  Varrank glanced at the guard behind me. He slammed the butt of his rifle into my upper back with convincing force. I crumpled to the floor, staying in character. Slowly I stood back up. I gave the guard the evil eye as I did.

  “Next time, the guard will blow your arm off at the shoulder. Now, as I was saying, I will ask once civilly. If your answer does not satisfy me, I will torture Kayla to death before your eyes. Then I will torture you. How did you escape? As you know, the computer system was off, so my many cameras cannot provide me the answer.”

  I was playing with atomic fire here. If I bluffed or was flippant, Kayla would suffer the consequences.

  “I opened the lock with a tool designed to do just that. Your people patted me down, but they didn’t search me, if you take my meaning.”

  “Where is this unit?”

  “I think I dropped it fighting with the guards outside my door. I don’t have it.”

  “Isn’t that a convenient story?” Without looking back, he told one of the guards to have the area searched. “I do hope we find you little toy.”

  “Ah, if you do, I’d tell them to wash their hands after touching it. A word to the wise.” Nice. My shoulder didn’t explode.

  “As to killing a Quelstrum barehanded. That’s not remotely possible.”

  “What can I say? I’m a dangerous fellow. If you bring me another Quelstrum, I’ll be happy to demonstrate. Really happy.”

  He eyed me curiously. He must have been wondering whether he would do that.

  “No point, I guess. I don’t want to waste one. And my computer? Did you do what is technically impossible—disabling it?”

  “I did not. That would be impossible, even for me.”

  He sipped his drink again. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t believe you solely on your word of honor. I will allow you a few hours to contemplate your options. If you do not put a smile on my face with your answer, the horrific demise of First Officer Beckzel will begin. My guard will now search you properly. Then you will be taken to a more secure location to reflect.”

  When he said now search, he meant it. I was stripped naked right there in front of everyone including Kayla and, well, let’s say they left no stone unturned. I was glad Toño had designed me to pass such an indignant screening. Ouch.

  They allowed me to dress, then a troop of guards marched me to a new location. It was way down in the bowels of the palace. The elevator ride must have dropped twenty floors below ground level. When we stepped off, I could smell things I’d rather not have smelled. Dank mold, excrement, and fear. Lots of fear. Old fear, new fear, desperate fear, hopeless fear, tearful fear. And death. The space, for it was a huge cavern, smelled of death. I was in the bad place.

  A rifle muzzle pushed me down one corridor, around a corner, and to a platform. To my great surprise, Varrank stood on the metal platform next to a set of stairs that descended into the darkness below.

  “This location is secure. Once you walk down these stairs, they will be withdrawn. You will be suspended on a platform a bit larger than this. There are no furnishings there or other creature comforts. If you should try to escape, please know you will die most assuredly. I have a collection of incredibly voracious snakes in the pit below the platform.”

  “Falzorn?” I said without thinking.

  “Why yes. I’m pleased you know of them and their Hirn name. This way I don’t have to explain what will happen if you fall into their midst.”

  “Nothing good and nothing for very long.”

  “Precisely. The walls of the chamber you’re suspended in are highly polished, electrified metal. There is nothing to hold onto, and if you somehow could, you’ll be electrocuted. On the other side of the walls, should the impossible happen and they are breached, are thousands of liters of water. If released, the falzorn will float to the top of the chamber.”

  “And provide the falzorn a nice snack dog paddling on the surface.”

  “Again, you mind grasps reality so quickly. You will be brought to me in an hour. Either you will speak freely and copiously, or you will see a spectacle that—I assure you—you will not forget. As a token to hold with you and bolster your intention to be forthcoming, I leave you with these.”

  He handed me a stank of neatly folded clothes. They were Kayla’s clothes. All of them, underwear included.

  “She is, as we speak, lashed to a stainless-steel table awaiting your decision.” He poked the bottom of his chin with a digit. “Perhaps I shall wait for you there.” He glared at me. “One more fact for you to picture as you decide.”

  He started to leave.

  “One question. Why are you here to personally tell me about this cell?”

  “Can’t that brilliant mind of your figure it out?” He laughed the cruelest, most bloodthirsty laugh I’d ever heard. “Because I love to see the faces of those I confine here when I tell them how very hopeless their chances are. The looks I’ve been gifted remain with me as such pleasant memories.” His smile disappeared. “One hour.” Then he left.

  I was pushed to the head of the stairs and jabbed down them. After I reached the platform, the guard left with the retracting stairs. Once the mechanism was secured, the lights went out. Nice. Horribleness served in the dark.

  I realized I was in a pickle. I’d never been so hopeless. I could not escape, even if I used my fancy toys. I could see well enough. I could burn the metal walls, but I’d be swimming with falzorn shortly thereafter. I could scale the walls with the command prerogatives, but where would I go? I’d probably hit a metal roof I dared not open because there could be water above. No falzorn play for me. Once was one too many times.

  And in an hour? What was I going to say to save us? Nothing. If I told God’s truth and showed him exactly how I did it, he’d kill us all just as dead. I might kill Varrank or his double, save Kayla temporarily, sure. But could I blast my way out of this fortress? No. I knew I couldn’t. Android or not, some sniper would end my journey before it really began.

  For the first time, I had to face the fact that I might have met my match. There might be no miracles left in me. It felt bad. As bad as Varrank would have hoped.

  I checked in with Al, for the last time.

  Al, where are you?

  Aboard Shearwater.

  No. Really?

  I was contemplating shore leave on Deerkon, but from what you report, I decided to stay put.

  You find anything out about that plot against the worldship fleet?

  Yes. All the details, names, places, and favorite colors of key personnel. I was waiting until your birthday to surprise you with the information.

  Didn’t think so. Look, I’m kind of in a jam…

  Kind of? Your powers for understatement haven’t declined over the centuries, boss.

  As I was saying, I’m in a jam. If I don’t make it out, your orders are threefold. One, blow this palace to hot smoldering dust. Two, alert Mandy Walker about whatever we know. Three, return to Azsuram and speak with JJ. Play him the holo I made a couple years back. Can you do that?

  No.

  Al, this is not the time. Will you do those three things?

  No. He made a clearing of the throat sound, like I there was something else.

  Why won’t you do those three things, Al?

  Because you’re not going to die there. You’ll escape and outlive me.

  That’s for the vote of con
fidence, but I think not.

  Confidence schmomfidence. I know you, have all my life. You’ll kick some ass and make a thrilling getaway. Trust me, I’m a computer.

  I’ll bear that in mind. Oh, and Al.

  Yes, replied the AI after a pregnant pause.

  I love you.

  Captain Ryan, I have seen love in the context of Sapale and you repeatedly. I am filing a formal complaint with the UN when we return for your rude advances on my sexual integrity.

  I know you do too, pal. I know you do too.

  I sat a while longer, wracked my brain a while, then I gave up. I’d play it by ear. If I didn’t have to face those evil falzorn, I’d die—

  The falzorn. Oh, yes. Man, I could be evil when I wanted to. Someone cue the muahahaha.

  Like a fine Swiss watch, the guards came to extract me precisely on time. They lowered the stairs and yelled for me to come up quickly or they’d start shooting. I took the stairs at a trot. When I got to the top, a guard motioned me forward with his rifle. I stepped through the door with my hands behind me, angling to keep my back away from their view.

  After a we’d walked a short while, one of the guards behind me barked out, “Put your hands in front of you.”

  The party halted.

  “I’d really rather not,” I replied.

  “I didn’t ask you. I ordered you. Hey, what’re you holding back there?”

  I heard his thunderous footsteps rush over.

  I brought my left hand in front of me and held out a bundle of twenty-five falzorn tethered on very short fibers. I determined that’s how many I could roll in the probe filaments using said filaments, never having to touch one of the devils with my skin.

  It turned out each man in the detail was familiar with the little demons. They screamed and ran. They ran fast. Two even dropped their weapons and worked to jettison their utility belts as they disappeared.

  Well, look at that, I said to myself. A fully charged laser rifle there on the floor. I picked it up.