Sofia ran at top speed, and Learner closed fast in on her location when Learner malevolently shouted, “Mitchell, run that bitch down!”
Mitchell pushed the controls forward increasing the power slightly.
Indicating the distance, Learner’s ship’s range finder, counted backwards after locking in on Sofia.
“The powerful hover pads would easily crush her,”
Learner perversely calculated in his own mind; and when the ship raced to cut Sofia down, Learner could see the back of her neck when the range counter reached zero. As the Vril ship sped over her, Learner excitedly mouthed, “Did we get her? Did we kill her?”
Jason watched with great suspense as Learner’s ship soared above the natural defilade Sofia had dropped down into; and without missing a beat, Sofia popped up behind them with a missile in her hand that they prepositioned. Before Learner could react, she launched the missile like a spare, and the warhead sailed through the air, “BOOM!” exploded on contact, displacing a section of the rear cargo container. Jason then fired his weapon, hitting the last of the missiles that were buried in the ground. “BOOM!” The missile exploded with zero effect because the ship veered to the right.
“We are going to have a nuclear event, Learner!” Mitchell screamed.
“Turn around, and punch it, Mitchell.”
“We need to disconnect the Cargo!” Mitchell hysterically howled.
“I know, but we need to get it clear of the Array,” Learner ordered.
“We won’t have enough time.” Mitchell detached the smoldering cargo container; Learner watched the valuable cargo container skid to a complete stop.
The scope’s range finder placed the container less than two miles from Sofia, who was walking back slowly; and as soon as Jason zoomed in on her, he could easily see the metal protruding from her abdomen. At the horizon’s edge a blinding white light suddenly exploded in a deafening, “BOOM!” The explosive force of the first missile had caused a secondary explosion inside the container carrying the nuclear enriched power rods.
Sofia was caught in the open, and Jason screamed, “No!”
From his protective spider hole, he watched the small nuclear explosion belch a massive shockwave, violently ripping her in half.
Jason frantically leaned into the nuclear wind as it roared past. Dust blotted out the Sun, causing his visibility to shrink to no more than fifteen feet as he yelled out for her. “Sofia! Sofia, where are you?”
Nearly stumbling over her damaged body, Jason desperately asked, “Can you hear me?”
“Yes, Jason,” responded Sofia, who was now reduced to no more than a head and torso.
“You saved us both, Sofia! You saved us!” Jason emotionally stated while gawping at her amputated dying tissue splayed all over the ground.
“You are welcome,” she answered. She helplessly looked up at him and pierced his emotional awareness stimulating an empathic response; he sadly stroked her hair as the two momentarily gazed into each other’s eyes before she asked, “How do I look, Jason?”
“You look fine,” Jason tearfully lied.
He then sullenly picked Sofia off the ground, turned his back away from the mushroom cloud that towered up in the atmosphere, and carried her back to the Chameleon. After placing Sofia in his Remediation Sleep Chamber, Jason repaired the Chameleon. He then threw all caution to the wind by surpassing the recommended speed levels as he drove the Chameleon with reckless abandon. With the sandstorm for cover, he navigated the ship with the straightest route, steering the Chameleon close enough to where he could actually look down into Chasm Fat Boy, and see the Vril covert military installation. He figured the Vril would be too preoccupied to give chase anyhow.
“Things are definitely going sideways, Mitchell. Our lives are now in jeopardy.”
“Sir, we might have to explore the idea of abandoning the cause.”
“Those NEPRs were our only hope… we don’t have any leverage.” Learner sighed with a tone of defeat, and continued, “Take us back to Fissure Point, Mitchell.”
P
ART
3
P
OLARI
S
R
ETURN
“Jason, you have a Priority One call in queue.”
“I can only imagine who it’s from
…
let it go into hold, Sofia,” he sarcastically responded knowing all too well, his employer was hailing him.
“Who else would be making a Priority One call?”
he thought.
“Jason…”
“Yes, Sofia?”
“Are you going to have my arm replaced?”
“We’re going straight to SYNTECH and they’ll replace all your parts,” said Jason as he wiped up the fluid leaking out of her exposed abdomen. Looking down at the damage she had sustained, he ambiguously wondered if SYNTECH could even fix her. He continued saying, “Sofia, when they get done with you, you’ll be good as new.”
Jason grabbed the small duffle bag, stuffed a few personal items on top of the contraband Cork had given him at Dronski’s Café, and then spoke plainly. “I think that’s everything, Sofia. We should hurry and get you there but fast.”
“First, you should listen to the Priority One call before we leave.”
“Right, retrieve the call from hold, Sofia.”
A bureaucratic looking man popped up on the display and spoke forcefully. “Jason Bjorn, I am Under Secretary Harold Ainsworth. The Office of Earth Transport and Trade Commission requests your immediate presence at our Office’s location on Level 5.” The screen turned black and Jason angrily thought,
“Go fuck yourself, you tight ass-looking fucker!”
“One more thing, Sofia, I’m going to cover you with a solar sheet. I don’t want too many questions.”
“Yes, Jason,” Sofia responded compliantly in a diminished tone.
Jason placed the reflective poly-tech blanket over her mutilated and disfigured body. He then hastily pushed the Medical Hover Board carrying Sofia, out of the exterior hatch. He continued saying, “Put the Chameleon in Passive Mode… so the mechanics can access her to do all the necessary repairs.”
“Yes, Jason.”
After leaving the Level 4 Central Transportation Hub, Jason made a beeline for the Level 5 portal. During this time he deeply contemplated on his unseen future because he knew the deal had gone badly with Learner, endangering his prospects in life.
O
VEAM
P
ARK
A seemingly endless array of gleaming platforms, gave the appearance that they floated in overlapping layers of humanity. People happily navigated between white polished concrete decks by means of interconnected stairways or a conveyance system. Green potted foliage dressed and decorated large concourses. Tiles glistened through sparkling waters of the occasional, carefully placed fountain; their sounds declared and effervesced an overabundance of noise. They fizzled and bubbled with frothing splashes of life not seen anywhere on the surface. People dwelling on Level 5, enjoyed a rich existence; they lived among an attractive campus-like setting, and descending Levelers referred to them as, “Those in the Ivory Tower,” but inhabitants there considered themselves as Oveam Park residents.
Jason could easily traverse the entire level by using the interconnected web of interlocked escalators, elevators, and light rail systems. A beautiful amalgam of architectural form and function pleasantly blended the transportation system neatly into the level’s periphery. Overwhelmed by the profusion of spectacular views, Jason could never get tired of looking down from the platforms into the inner part of the level. The large open center gave way to an orchestra of terraced green parks, pedestrian walkways, and small lakes. Twelve miles across, a slight haze seeped through the horizon, virtually obscuring the other side; from any vantage point, Oveam Park residents could by no means ever tell that they lived miles below a barren wasteland.
Jason loved the darkest hours of the night, when all the tri-level homes and multi-level tenement buildings dimmed; and the stares of the zipper like Milky Way Galaxy gathered, and stretched from horizon to horizon on the artificial sky: the remarkable show blazed like no other.
“Night-time views are far more spectacular here than any other false skies projected below,”
Jason thought as he hurriedly pushed Sofia up a ramp leading to the Lite-Rail entrance.
The door opened softly to the crowded car, and people stared strangely at him as he maneuvered her Hover Med Cart onboard.
“Excuse me,” Jason politely remarked as he squeezed through the crowd of people.
“The mechanic from HOVERTECH is hailing you.” Sofia spoke from beneath the poly-tech blanket startling a woman standing next to him.
“I will call him back later, please put him on hold, Sofia.”
“Yes, Jason.”
“What do you have under the blanket, mister?” the startled woman inquired.
“It’s called, None-ya,” Jason reproachfully replied.
“What’s a None-ya?” she inquisitively asked.
“It means, none of your damn business,” Jason sarcastically answered.
“She walked right into that one,”
Jason thought while pushing Sofia out of the Lite-Rail car, and into the main lobby of SYNTECH; the Lite-Rail System’s convenience was amazing to him as it traversed right to the front door of SYNTECH.
“Here we are, Sofia …front door service.”
“I like it short and sweet,” she stated.
“What do you like, short and sweet?”
“Our journey here. Jason…”
“Yes, Sofia?” he responded softly.
“Will you still love me if they cannot make me as beautiful as before?”
“I loved you for saving my life, and nothing will ever change those feelings, Sofia.”
S
YNTECH
“Mister Bjorn, it seems your SYN has been severely damaged.”
“Really, I hadn’t noticed.”
“You don’t have to get sarcastic with me, sir.”
“Sorry, but I am having a real bad day.”
“Well, your day is about to get even worse, Mister Bjorn.”
“Fine, give me the bad news.”
“We would like your permission to power down your SYN.”
“What are you saying? You want to kill her?” he begrudgingly yapped.
“The damage to your SYN’s bio-carbon system and chassis, is almost too severe to repair.”
“What about her neural net or operating system?”
“They seem to be intact and in good working order,” the Technician replied coldly.
“OK, I want to repair her then.”
“Mister Bjorn, the costs would far exceed the amount of just powering her down and buying a new model.”
“No, I won’t have it…you will repair her at all cost.”
“Alright, but even if we try, we can’t promise that we’ll succeed, and any work done will be billable.”
“Like I said, whatever the costs. Also, can you do any reprogramming?” Jason inquired.
“Why, what are you thinking?” the Technician asked.
“She seems to be very jealous in nature…she believes, she’s in love with me.”
“Those characteristics must have been imbedded during the initial build, and those specific attributes were taken from your DPHQMS.” She responded to his question.
Memory affected by the long journey, he dumbly asked, “Again, I’ve had a long day, please remind me what that means?”
“The Desired Preferential Human Qualities Mind Scan we did on you was used to program your SYN; based on your needs and desires we created your SYN.”
“I didn’t order a sex toy but a co-pilot,” Jason reproachfully mouthed.
“Well, we can do additive programing. However, anything already programmed has been imbedded into a very complex neural network.”
“Basically, you can’t remove her jealous nature.”
“Correct, Mister Bjorn.”
“Great…”
“Was there any additive programming you would like?” she asked.
“There are two more aspect I would like to improve; her use of combat arms, and also, I want to give her free will.”
“We have found that those two make for a very bad combination, Mister Bjorn. We can accommodate the free will, but I will need to get an approval for the combat arms.”
“What about the security models or combat models you sell?”
“What about them, Mister Bjorn?”
“They have knowledge of using weaponry,” he responded.
“They are for specific clients, who are approved for their use.”
“I am not asking for a full autonomous Combat SYN but I am looking for peace of mind, knowing my SYN can defend herself.”
“She already has all those features, except the use of combat arms, and you will need to get approval.”
“Fine, I will do just that!” Jason responded with a contemptible lift of the chin, and fidgeted in his chair.
“The next thing I need for my report, is cause?” the Tech asked.
“What report? Aren’t we talking about saving my SYN here?”
“Well, Mister Bjorn.”
“Please, call me Jason.”
“Jason, we have to report all damage or the mistreatment of Synthetic People to the Office of Earth Population and Census Commission.”
“I don’t understand…why would you have to report my damaged property to them?”
“Although the SYN is your property, we take all incidents to SYNs seriously… We need to know what caused the damage to your SYN.”
“What are you implying?” he suspiciously asked.
“Nothing, Jason…however, since the Polaris Corporation investigates all alleged accidents involving synthetic people, we here at SYNTECH, will not be held liable for the actions of the SYN owner.”
“I see…this is all about making sure you’re not blamed if one of your products starts running around causing mayhem.”
“Yes, that is true…however, synthetic people are not actual people but nor are they just mindless robots…your contract stipulates that you be held liable for their well being.”
“Listen, I assure you, I did not intentionally harm, Sofia.” Jason waved non-negligently.
With creased brows, Jason watched the Technician furiously write something down on to her scroll pad, and he wondered about her implications, and thought,
“Perhaps involving her in my dangerous activities with Learner was wrong?”
“This concludes our session here, Jason Bjorn.”
The two stood in unison when the Technician coldly continued saying, “We’ll let you know the status of your SYN within the next twenty-four hours.”