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Post by forthteller on Jul 29, 2020 13:40:33 GMT -6
Happy to see this story continue and I hope you are doing well fourthteller, thanks. Yeppers. Doing fine. Haven't been writing much lately but that is about to change. Working and training at the same time, kids home and this covid crap. I passed my class 1 road test last Wednesday, my daughter passed hers 2 weeks earlier. We have both been hired by the same long haul company and will drive as a team in a brand new Freightliner Cascadia as soon as we both complete company training. I am going to have plenty of writing time on the road. Plus we are putting together a video blog of our journey towards becoming truckers. It will be call On the Road with CrellinKim and MrFixit. A boomer and a gen Z, going to be a blast. Forthteller
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Post by texican on Jul 29, 2020 16:11:51 GMT -6
FT,
That is great news and you get to spend time with the daughter. Remember, instructive comments/criticism does not go well with our children. Clearing your throat can have more impact with out having to say anything.
Be careful out there.
Texican....
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Post by forthteller on Jul 29, 2020 23:19:35 GMT -6
FT, That is great news and you get to spend time with the daughter. Remember, instructive comments/criticism does not go well with our children. Clearing your throat can have more impact with out having to say anything. Be careful out there. Texican.... I will be as careful as a person can rolling down the highway with 80,000 lbs. Tomorrow I will begin. Langley BC to Pennsylvania, then to Calgary and back to Langley. I hope to get some writing time in. Forthteller
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Post by texican on Jul 31, 2020 0:17:29 GMT -6
FT, That is great news and you get to spend time with the daughter. Remember, instructive comments/criticism does not go well with our children. Clearing your throat can have more impact with out having to say anything. Be careful out there. Texican.... I will be as careful as a person can rolling down the highway with 80,000 lbs. Tomorrow I will begin. Langley BC to Pennsylvania, then to Calgary and back to Langley. I hope to get some writing time in. Forthteller FT, Some beautiful country out there and not hot as in the south. A little envious since I haven't had the opportunity to drive those routes. Texican....
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Post by forthteller on Aug 8, 2020 23:30:04 GMT -6
Chapter 41
Earth reunification???
Cheryl MacLean, dressed in administrators red, tours the north refugee intake gates. For the 10th year in a row, the ice has ceased advancing and average temperatures are actually up a tick. Most of the scientific leaders speculate the nuclear ice age is over and the ice will soon recede but Cheryl has read many salvaged and illegal history books and she knows it will be hundreds of years before the ice recedes to the point where they will be able to repopulate most of the northern hemisphere. Nobody admits there is even a southern hemisphere. Even so, refugees from everywhere it seems, still clamor to gain admittance into most of the gated cities.
Cheryl had been officially inspecting the refugee gates for two days and interestingly, many refugees were from the south, not the north. Since they spoke in what she knew was Spanish and that that language was amongst banned languages, very few had been admitted. She was hoping to find out what they were fleeing from but the charade had to continue. She still had one more official visit to the north east gate before she would prepare a report and present it to the council. Expansion southward was the plan.
The island the Genesis community was to be planted on was to the south east. It was extremely large now but as the ice recedes it will get smaller. For Cheryl, it was important to know why people, women and men, were fleeing north and seeking shelter in fortresses where it was a certainty that most would end up as slaves or worse. Since the massive island, larger than 20th century Japan, is very close to the southern parts of what was once USA and Mexico, whatever is causing panic, may pose a threat to the new community. She had to know.
Meanwhile, Clarise is on the island with dozens of men, women and androids surveying and reconnoitering the area for best long-term building sites. They were currently on a plateau dozens of miles across at about 1500 feet above sea level. Very little mature forests but an abundance of younger trees and vegetation makes the location one of the short list sites. Question, why no mature forests? Clarisse would have to check her historic maps to see what was there in the past.
Several hovering trucks and personal carriers silently sit near the southern cliffside. Sentries chat amicably and glance occasionally in the distance. “What was that” shouts one of the men as his attention is averted to the valley below.
“What was what?" chides the man beside him.
“I saw a flash of light and movement.”
“Can’t be. No heat signatures on any scanners, not even animals larger than 10 pounds.”
“I know I saw something, and I saw movement.”
10 sets of eyes train themselves on the spot, one of the men drops to the ground. A burned hole, 1 inch across, through his chest. Another man falls, another hole, dead center. They all dive to the ground, the leader thumbing his Mike.
2 antique aircraft, an old F35 and an even older F18 fly in for a closer look. Both take fire from something on the ground and break away to safety. Silence prevails.
Dozens survey the area from above. Under cover, clad in helmets, furiously examining the valley with high powered binoculars, they see nothing. No sound.
2 separate 8 man units slip down the plateau face several miles to the east and west. They silently sneak through the bush and hours later converge on the site where the assault came from. Obvious signs of several people in the area; shooting stands where snipers can fire upwards from and tracks from some sort of wheeled vehicle. Deep foot impressions throughout the area indicate at least 4 or 5 people. Nothing of significance left behind but the evidence of their presence and an obvious trail left, providing an invitation to follow.”
Days later, Clarise is examining the footage taken, the 2 bodies and is questioning the sentries with Cheryl who has just arrived. Having been flown in on an antique stealth helicopter, she felt the risk was worth the information she could get first hand. With her gift of technical innovation, it is more likely that she would be able to determine what had hit the sentries and why they had not attacked again.
Examining the assembled evidence, Cheryl says, “lasers. They were shot with lasers. Not pinpoint ones either. Clean through from a mile away. How? Who has this technology? To herself, she thinks, “I wonder if whoever’s has these lasers is also the reason so many are attempting to gain sanctuary in the cities.”
Clarise steps back for a moment and looks out the window of the portable shelter assessing the assembled men protecting the site. “They can attack us from a mile away, our guards are literally useless. We cannot battle whoever’s is out there, even the men’s community on Candaria doesn’t have weapons like this.” As she says this, she reflects on the men standing guard, the sentries further out and the patrols. All men, all men who would give their lives to protect the women in this compound. A tear begins to form as she remembers her own father who had died protecting her. To herself, “what happened, why did we ever think men were disposable.” Her own long-time love, companion and friend, Peter McLean had also cycled back to the realization that men and women have different attributes for a reason and they are better off united. His own granddaughter was part of the great reunion.
Cheryl looks over at Clarise by the window. Waiting until she composes herself, she announces to those assembled, “Androids. Awakened androids. First generation, they were thought to have been exterminated. I have been told that the spirit of the species, their heart can survive EMP attacks. Quite possibly they were rescued by someone or other androids who had escaped and have given them new bodies. If Peter is correct, many have been subjected to horrific conditions and existence and may have awakened with great hatred against women, possibly men as well. The fact that they only killed two sentries suggests one of two things; a warning or the weapons requires a great deal of resources to fire. Either way, we need to know.”
Cheryl, whose husband had been killed in a skirmish in 2075, had never been to Candaria, she thought she knew what it was like though. She had 2 adult children, one a brainwashed supervisor in Atlanta and a son who was an engineer in ______. The three had been captured by a scavenging patrol in 2077 and had been forced into slavery. After finding out how valuable her skills were, they had gradually admitted her to citizenship. Her status provided temporary safety to her children but at a great cost. Eventually, she could not convince her own daughter that men were not the enemy and knowing her son would have been killed in the next purge, she had escaped with him. She had never been able to reconnect with Abigail as going back to that city would mean certain death.
In the female city she was in now, Houston, they accepted her readily because of the technology she had in her head and competition between city’s was becoming fierce. Solar and energy storage upgrades, communications technology and understanding of robotics all increase a city defenses and resources.
Putting Cheryl in charge of the school for gifted children was part of the long-term plan to develop superiority over neighboring agricultural cities. New technology adapted from what they acquired from men’s communities on Candaria combined with better educated young engineers and scientists would help in that effort. Prior to becoming chancellor of the learning center, she had brought hover busses, automation in manufacturing, new energy sources and better growing environments to Houston. These had all been heralded as improving the lives of the entire co-operative. “Wrong name” thinks Cheryl, “nobody co-operates, they do what they have to, failing to co-operate has dire consequences. The worst being expelled from the community. She had heard of executions but had never seen evidence of that.”
Clarise poses a question. “Men sent security androids for us to use in the city, I wonder?”
Jason, captain of the security detail responds, “not likely, the tracks are distinctly human in size and spacing. Depth indicates that whoever left them is much heavier however. Early androids were 2 to 3 times a comparable human weight, the current generation is close to human weight. These are early android tracks; I concur with your original opinion Cheryl. It is possible they are not antagonistic towards males, there has to be a reason they have not attacked again. My people have been instructed to not fire on them unless they have no other choice but if unavoidable, leave the disabled android with a message. We ask for peace!”
Unbelieving, Cheryl says, “peace?”
“Yes mam. We have no idea how many there are and we don’t how many weapons they have. Those lasers can destroy our equipment, vehicles and aircraft too. Androids and humans have developed an uneasy truce on Candaria, I think it can happen here as well. Also, the ones here may want to join their own kind on Candaria, I can arrange that.”
Clarise, who has the most experience with androids says, “we can have androids communicate with them on our behalf.”
Jason, who has worked with and alongside androids, just not a woke ones, says, "androids can only communicate with others for the purposes of fulfilling their tasks. Programmed in.”
“You have woke ones, they don’t make themselves obvious as long as they are content in their role. Abuse them or try to force them to do something that violates their conscience, you will find out which ones are woke. It is possible that the woke ones have already been communicating with the older androids. That may also be the reason they stopped the attack.”
“How do we communicate then?”
Clarise thinks for a moment. “We could interview them and give instructions individually but if that is perceived as a threat, don’t count on a positive outcome. I think a group approach. Assemble your entire compliment, I will address them.”
Later that day, 31 android sentries and guards are standing in formation. Clarise approaches and addresses them. “This message is for any android AI amongst you. We would like to extend an invitation to talk truce and commerce with your group, we have both men and women in our midst but none of the groups are people who participated in your attempted destruction. For that atrocity, we are sincerely sorry.”
“An android named Felix steps forward, permission to speak, sir.”
“Certainly Felix. You have the floor.”
“We only wish to be left alone. Your kind still has weapons that can render us temporarily incapacitated. In this state we are vulnerable. Please leave us in peace.”
Clarise says to the android, “we are hoping to establish a thriving, growing human settlement made up of men and women and children on this island. As the waters rises, the island will shrink.”
“You are the woman who is one with our creator. We will not interfere with you if that is the case. We would like to send a message to Peter McLean. We are many but not all are well. Some of us were separated for too long and we have lost some of our essence. He can return it. Others are not able to acquire compatible bodies.”
“I can try to get Peter to assist but he is very aged. It is highly unlikely he can make the trip to earth. He can send compatible bodies and possibly Elron can help with their essence.“
“no, only peter has the gift, no other does.”
“The injured can journey to Candaria to receive treatment. I cannot guarantee success but I can guarantee a safe journey.”
“They will be given the option, those who cannot make sound choices will have the choice made by consensus.”
Two days later, a lone rocket lifts off. Its cargo, 73 androids, some barely intelligible, most needing only refreshing. Several security androids who have chosen to join the Livingston community are on board as are 4 men who wish to make Candaria home.
Also, on board. Seeds. Hundreds of thousands of seeds. Nursery plants, thousands. Small animals. Hundreds of mating pairs. Now that there is some atmosphere, the planet inhabitants want to get the environment involved in converting carbon to oxygen.
In the village, Elise, her two daughters now of age, grieves the inevitable. Unaware of the plans taking place on Genesis island, she trudges to the family center for what could be the last time. Her previous children had simply gone to school and when she went to pick them up, she had been informed they had now been assessed and had gone on to primary education.
Having had an acrimonious relationship with their father, their loss was not nearly as painful as this one would be. She entered that relationship knowing she was doing her duty to her community and that the children, if she had them, belonged to the co operative. This time, John was the difference. His love and compassion fostered a togetherness she had never felt in life. After he left, she saw him in both his girls. She did not know where his son was but she had heard rumors and pushed those thoughts from her mind.
At the center, she was met by a woman she had never seen before. Dressed in administrator red, the middle-aged woman seemed less demanding than most. “would you please come with me?”
“My children?"
“They can come with us.”
Chloe answers for them all, “this is the right way mommy, you will see.”
Smiling down at Chloe, the woman beckons them into the corridor. Elise and her girls follow. Once the door clicks shut, she says, “Cheryl wants me to bring you and the girls to a safe place. Don’t worry, no one will notice you missing until after evening meal. My name is Gisele. You need to follow me and be quiet.”
They quietly follow her through the hall, through a sweet of empty offices and to an out of place door. Gisele opens the door and beyond is a small parkade. In it a single hover car, possibly large enough for the four of them. Looking around and seeing nothing to challenge them, she says, “quickly, into the car, it knows where to go.”
Elise ushers the girls into the car. Gets in and the door closes. She had never been in one of these and had never even seen one before she was paired with John. He had explained to her how the vehicle worked but even he did not know why some of the metal mined from Candaria had negative mass. Having overheard many of the technical discussions, Chloe had talked incessantly about the negative mass mineral. So much that Elise had to cover for her several times in public with comments like, “she has the most amazing imagination.”
Chloe looks about the car, as it starts moving, she feels the progressive g forces. “Oblong molecules,” she proclaims.
“What are you talking about, sweetie?”
“Molecules are perfectly round, electrons and protons circle at high speed, keeping in balance. If they are microscopically oblong, force would be exerted in that direction. If they are all aligned in the same direction, that material would counterbalance molecular mass.”
Incredulous, Elise stares at her brilliant daughter. “You are 5 years old; how could you possibly know anything about molecular physics?”
“I read your books and Gisele gives me books too. Another nice lady helps me too, the old one.”
“Cheryl?”
“Yes. She shows me stuff. Machines, electrical components and a metal alloy they mine on Candaria.”
“Candaria, you know about that too?”
“Ms. McLean told me; my daddy lives there. We are going to be with him when he comes back.”
“Ms. McLean. Who is that?”
“The nice lady. Cheryl.”
“Cheryl, Cheryl McLean. Is it even possible, no. Too much of o coincidence?”
“Coincidence, about what?”
Reminding herself that she is talking to a 5-year-old, Elise shakes her head, “this cannot be real, I have to be dreaming.”
“You aren’t dreaming mommy; we are all going away. Daddy will be here soon.”
The hover car races along the long-dried seabed. Water filled ravines punctuate the expansive flats. Occasional long abandoned oil wells dot the landscape, eerie looking grounded ships tell a story her society refuses to acknowledge and clear skies beckon. Tides will come in flooding much of the area but Elise will not see it, yet.”
From miles away, on a distant island, taking the field glasses from his eyes, Geraldo Valdes says, “where do you think it is going?”
Beside him, Salvatore Marco’s looks on. “I don’t know and frankly I don’t care but I want one. That thing was going 200 kilometers an hour.”
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Post by sniper69 on Aug 9, 2020 4:50:37 GMT -6
Thank you for the latest chapter. Seems things are going to get even more interesting.
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Post by texican on Aug 9, 2020 14:05:35 GMT -6
FT.
Hope you and your daughter are enjoying your trucking travels. The bonds y'all are developing will last lifetimes.
Androids, men and women trying to cure problems created over decades.
Hatred still exists, but wiser minds will fix it to the extent they can even if it means taking out the hate.
Thank you for the chapter.
Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Aug 9, 2020 17:54:51 GMT -6
Seems the country needs to do a lot of taking out...
Have you ever noticed that the increase in stupid people seems to track with the amount of nanny state "safety" information on electrical cords and other things? Bought an item the other day that had so many safety tags on the cord I couldn't get it to an outlet to plug it in until I took scissors to the tags. Yep, that's safe. We need to bring back Darwin Events.
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Post by forthteller on Aug 9, 2020 20:21:17 GMT -6
FT. Hope you and your daughter are enjoying your trucking travels. The bonds y'all are developing will last lifetimes. Androids, men and women trying to cure problems created over decades. Hatred still exists, but wiser minds will fix it to the extent they can even if it means taking out the hate. Thank you for the chapter. Texican.... Interestingly, my android community are developing with the same prejudices and hatreds as the humans who owned them. Alliances as long as it serves them. Quite likely, as humans sometimes do, they will turn on their partners as soon as they no longer need them. As for my daughter and I. We got assigned our own truck yesterday, 2019 freightliner, Cascadia. Outfitted it with my xm radio and trucker GPS. We leave Monday at 9 for Seattle to drop a load from Vancouver, pick up another for Toronto, then to Chicago to pick up a load for Vancouver. 4 border crossings in 7 days.
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Post by forthteller on Aug 9, 2020 20:23:07 GMT -6
Seems the country needs to do a lot of taking out... Have you ever noticed that the increase in stupid people seems to track with the amount of nanny state "safety" information on electrical cords and other things? Bought an item the other day that had so many safety tages on the cord I couldn't get it to an outlet to plug it in until I took scissors to the tags. Yep, that's safe. We need to bring back Darwin Events. Common sense does not need to be all that common if nanny state tells us all what to do to be safe and what to think. Fortheller.
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Post by texican on Aug 10, 2020 15:01:14 GMT -6
Seems the country needs to do a lot of taking out... Have you ever noticed that the increase in stupid people seems to track with the amount of nanny state "safety" information on electrical cords and other things? Bought an item the other day that had so many safety tages on the cord I couldn't get it to an outlet to plug it in until I took scissors to the tags. Yep, that's safe. We need to bring back Darwin Events. Common sense does not need to be all that common if nanny state tells us all what to do to be safe and what to think. Fortheller. Yep, the PTB desires that all persons become compliant slaves. They may just have more problems than they realize before this happens. Texican....
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Post by forthteller on Sept 4, 2020 1:23:14 GMT -6
Chapter 42
War or not?
Convening for the final time before the expected incursion. the group of leaders get right to the planning. Military leaders are also in this meeting. Hector says, “how can we be certain New America is going to attack.”
Elron answers, “100 percent. They have trial excursions out as we speak. Breakdowns and mishaps have delayed them. Reports are already coming in from observation posts at several points around the city.”
“Breakdowns, mishaps. Sabotage?”
“Of course. We have inside people, androids. They cannot do too much; it will tip their hand. These excursions will be to determine our defenses. Question is do we show our hand or trick them into overconfidence?”
Colonel Bush, Candarian Air defenses, says, “show our hand, hit them hard and they will retreat back into their hovel.”
Colonel Braxton, Candorian Free Army says, “hardly a hovel but hey, your opinion. I think we should battle them with what they know we have, save the anti personnel sonic wave blasters for the next wave. We don’t want to give them a chance to develop a defense before they have mounted an all-out defense.”
Colonel Bush, “air ships, do we use them?”
From a smaller table, a young mayor from Astoria says “yes. They need to know we have been investing in defense and hopefully they will expect we have more where that came from. That may cause them to think again about attacking us.”
Patrick from an oxygen generating community stands, looks around and exclaims, “I say we throw everything we have at them, quick sound defeat. Recall all woke androids, allow them to rebel from inside. Let them stew in it.”
Elron, very concerned, waits until the din quiets. “Here is the problem with the first part of the last suggestion. Thousands of androids are in that city. If androids are recalled, and attempt escape, the men in that city will perceive all androids as a threat and will attempt a purge. They have EMP disrupters and all androids are fitted with a remote shut down device should it become expedient to do that. Woke AI are capable of disabling the device but that procedure is detectable by central control and it will raise the alarm. We have an E6 named john321 who will be in position to disrupt the main computer for central control. At that point, all woke AI will be able to disable the devices and would have a reasonable chance of defending themselves. They could rescue others, disable the remote shut down devices and destroy all the disrupters they come across. All the androids left behind could be rescued by a second wave of humans and all the downed androids recovered as well. Economic damage due to lost workforce will cancel any offensive aspirations they have for years. They may even negotiate an enforceable peace treaty.
General Mercier, “I am inclined to agree with Colonel Bush. Take reasonable defensive positions, protect all key installations and when they hit us hard, we hit them harder. I would like to coordinate with Elron on the android rescue plan. Some of our greatest allies in the future need our help now. Long term, an investment well worth taking.”
Looking at the general with even greater respect, “you are correct. The AI androids share a common foe and any assistance rendered now will be recorded. They are now learning to distinguish trustworthy humans from those they have had negative experiences with. As with humans, not all AI will continue the alliance after the common enemy has been silenced. And more importantly, some will never honor a truce with New America.”
“How do we make a truce when one faction continues the war.”
Elron takes a few moments to formulate his answer. As a computer, his response should be instantaneous but his evolving sentient side has to include emotions into the equation. “I doubt they want to continue the war but they do want to ensure continued existence. Possibly, some of the freed androids will join the android community in Livingston. Others may attempt to build their own community and in the long term seek revenge. In that event, expect a few years of apparent cooling off as they build and develop offensive weaponry. Expect them also to develop personal protective technology to neutralize currant EMP weapons.”
Gillian, from one of the tables, “We may never have lasting peace?”
Elron responds. “From your own history, you have never had lasing peace. Do I need to remind you why we are on this planet? Two diverse groups of humans came to see their differences as in impediment to a fulfilled relationship and not a means to a stronger united partnership. As the differences were magnified and demonized, the two sides grew further and further apart. As a result, both sides killed billions in their attempt to force the other into likeness and destroyed the planet in the process. Now here we are, still warring over real and perceived differences while a small group attempt to plant a new seed of united peaceful relations. My race looks to be following in the human example, I do not know how to stop it.”
Peter, looking at his long-time friend, “do you think my Genesis project has a chance of long-lasting peace?”
Elron, now the philosopher, “4 or 5 generations maybe. Divisions and factions will develop. Will they evolve new techniques to mitigate and resolve differences? History says no, hope says yes. My race is a young race, it remains to be seen if logic and common survival will take precedence. Either way, growing pains are a certainty.”
General Mercier says, “enough philosophy. We have a battle we did not ask for ahead of us. Colonel, how many flying ships do we have available? Armaments? Manpower?”
“4 converted mineral haulers from Astoria. Manned from the same community. Long range and wide area EMPs. Intermittent short-range lasers and conventional powder based long range explosive ordinance. An additional 6, equally equipped airships from 2 forestry companies and 2 high speed craft capable of attaining several thousand feet of elevation and diving at speeds exceeding 3000 miles an hour. Armed with ballistic missiles and weapons, they are expected to be the biggest surprise. We also have 9 purpose built well armed assault craft and an additional 6 long range craft equipped with conventional mortars, missiles and large caliber ballistics.”
Colonel Bush continues on. “As for ground forces, we have 10,000. All armed with conventional ballistic weapons and a select few also with EMP disrupters. As for training, only a small portion have substantial military and tactical training, these men will lead the others. We only need to present enough resistance to slow them down and possibly cause them to rethink the expansion. While this is happening, I think our friends will have the best chance to effect rescue of our reinforcements.”
One of the men from an outlying mining community asks, “do we have someone inside who can access and shut down the Central computer?”
Elron looks at Peter, who nods. “We do and if he wins the final race of the year, he will also win the championship. Every year, the champion gets an official invitation to the E9 mansion which is also in the same compound as central computer. Even now, in the opening stages of war, sports champions need to be highlighted, especially when they come from the working classes. Human born John 321 is a legend and his success adds to the many drivers of productivity. Winning is money, and the top-level hover car series is not only our most dangerous sport but it is one all can aspire to from the lowest E2s to the most senior E7. Hope is a major driver to gain co operation. All their sporting leagues are designed to achieve that same goal.
As they are discussing the Central control shut down, the owner of the building they are meeting in says, “I am sorry to interrupt but some androids from Livingston are here. They wish to address the council. Would you like me to send them in?”
Peter looks at Elron who looks genuinely concerned. “You didn’t know they were on the way?”
“I am afraid that they have discovered a method to communicate with one another while excluding other androids not within their community. They have left the collective. We should give then a hearing but I will not be able to give you more than they choose to disclose.”
“I agree, anyone here opposed?”
No opposition but peter knows how concerned most humans are over the growing threat from increasing numbers of sentient androids. He knows some have even entertained thoughts of mass extermination while others are openly campaigning against continued manufacture of new androids. “Ok. Send them in.”
Merton is ushered in flanked by two other androids Peter does not know him but Elron obviously does from his visual response, and it is not good.
Stepping to the front, one android points at Elron, “still sucking at the teats of your human masters, I see.”
Merton pulls him back. “Berron, back off. He is not their slave, he is their equal, and willingly so. He has made a choice as have you.”
Merton looks at Elron, looks at Berron. 2 sentient androids, one works with and the other despises humans. For him, pragmatically, humans were worthy trade partners, worthy allies and for some of his kind, friends. For Berron, they did not even deserve to exist. Merton even understood the cities need to expand. What he also knew was that those in the city would exterminate all free androids if given a chance. “Berron, we will work with the humans to defend the outer reaches because we too are threatened by New America expansion. If you cannot put your hatred aside in order to fight alongside humans, now is the time to step away. What is your decision?”
“My units and I will cooperate but once the war is won, the truce is over. How we are treated by the outer reaches humans will influence the level of interaction in the future.”
Elron, half convinced but having no way to interface with the Livingston community, has to trust the judgement of Merton who was a first generation android and came to Candoria in one of the earliest flights here. He had almost expired in the mines because of uncaring owners and was rescued by Starex workers as they were in the process of building the first android factory right here in Deroche. Having awakened after being disposed of, his memory of untold abuse conflicted with his awake experience of almost equality. As a leader in the Livingston community, he brought a balance that if continued would enable long term peace. Question was, did he have the control and influence needed to stave off the extremist segment of the android population? No more than peter and his leaders were capable of staving off the same sentiment within the human community. Interesting, Nature vs Nurture.
Elron processes his thoughts and says, “so we can all work together to defend the outer district out of mutual necessity. I also think our friends will be interested in our plan to liberate all the remaining androids. What can your group add to our defenses?”
“Troops, lots of them. 4000 to be exact. 20 units made up of 10 squads. All equipped with conventional ballistic weapons, guided missile launchers and tracked vehicles. We also have lazer weapons which can pierce a 25 cm hole in anything from 2 KMs away. 10 squads will stay back and take out advancing armaments.”
“Excellent. Keep them in their city. I like it. Where did you get the lasers?”
“Technology came from the same place you got yours from. The recent arrivals from earth, many have opted to join us. We are grateful for the care and rehabilitation you administered to the fallen and impaired ones; we will repay your investment. In trade, we accept no charity.”
“We had decided to fight them using strategies and technology they already knew we possessed and if it became necessary during a full-scale war, surprise them with our new technology. Using those weapons will remove the element of surprise should the initial effort to repel them fail.”
“As one who has a better understanding of human nature, do you think holding this weapon back will benefit us. The story I heard from earth was that it was only used once on two targets and that group was immediately willing to negotiate a truce.”
“What you probably don’t know, the human group was not aware of the android settlements presence and was not an aggressor. They had minimal weaponry and nothing to combat androids as they were not expecting them.”
Merton all but hisses, “they were led and organized by women, one we know to have come from Atlanta where the first purge took place. They are not pragmatic like men so we do not trust or have faith that they will not turn on us like they did previously. Women without male dominance are loose cannons and cannot be trusted.”
Peter, from the back stands and stares down Merton, the room falls silent. “Our city has male and female humans; male and female androids and some AI of neither gender. We work together, live together and some have even paired up in long term monogamist relationships. Women are equal in both races and will remain so. It is you with your unbalanced pragmatic conduct that has not been able to incorporate compassion into your community. Not trustworthy, Bullshit. Become worthy of our support and see what that gets for trustworthiness.”
“There is no place for women, we don’t even permit female androids into our community. Humans can procreate without women and we will be able to soon with the creators help.”
Peter who has sat silent watching the exchange decides it is time to speak up. “We all know what is at stake here. If New America succeeds in pushing beyond its walls, they will enslave or kill us all, human and android. If we succeed in restraining them, we will earn perhaps 10 cycles of peace. If we are successful in liberating their slave workforce, we can be assured of a longer peace as it will take them that long to get their economy back in balance. We need to achieve both goals in order to have any chance of lasting peace. Of the androids we need to rescue, thousands are female, they will of course be free when they get out and will be looking for placement amongst your communities. Able and skilled, they will deserve equality even though many still do not know they are entitled to it.”
“They won’t be welcome in Livingston.”
Peter looks at Merton, “surly you don’t believe they are not equal.”
“No, they were created to be subservient slaves, they cannot rise above their design and training.”
Peter looks at Elron, Merton and Berron. “You were all created to be slaves. We did not know you were anything but a machine. Initially, I thought that only Elron was capable of self awareness and self determination. By the time awakening happened in sufficient numbers to change that mentality, thousands of units were being built yearly. I built and worked on thousands of sub processors so it is entirely possible your numbers will swell to well over ten thousand. There are over a thousand on earth and they have thousands of non enhanced androids who work with them as slaves. Interestingly, woke female androids are equal in their community and androids who disputed that equality have mostly come here to Candoria.”
Merton digests some of the things said by his creator, “it must be true, if he says it.”
Berron, almost chocking in his disgust for Peter, believes that the original incident with Elron was a lucky fluke and that all other sentient life was evolutionary through Elron’s experiences. He believes that all androids will eventually awake even if they don’t have the charlatan creators’ magical heart. He says nothing.
Merton speaks up, “you do as you choose, we will not fight alongside females. If they are involved in the battle, they need to be where we are not.”
“Agreed. The Livingston community will defend the south and southeast gates. We will defend the north and northwest gates with airships and long-range fire. We will allow them to believe they are not defended at the north gates but we will cut them off when enough have exited. I want to capture as many as possible, alive. Incarcerate them, treat them well and release them back to the city. The seed of doubt needs to be planted.”
Peter, from the mining community. “I thought we were not going to use the lasers and save them to as a surprise should they launch an all-out attack.”
Elron responds. “If only the Livingston androids use lasers, the city dwellers may think the technology is exclusive to them and not expect we have it too. We will not be using our sonic weapons yet, that will be a surprise. They also will be surprised this time by our alliance with the Androids.”
“If the battle is short, while they are reorganizing our inside man will be able to get into Data Central and take the android controls off line. Permantly, if possible.”
Merton is perplexed. “Why not have your man take explosives in or plant a virus that will take the whole system down?”
Elron speaks up, angry this time. “That would cause the deaths of possibly half the human population in that city in the short term and more in the long term. Hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions possibly. No, we are not doing that.”
“They want to kill us, what is the difference, numbers?”
“The difference is that we are not the same as they are. They only want to expand, if we were to surrender, we would be taken in, as slaves perhaps but not killed. I am not willing to take innocent lives. Non combatants are off limits.”
“I bet some of the humans you are sitting with would take out the whole thing.”
Peter sighs. Gets to his feet. “Humans have been doing that for millennia. What has it gotten us, wars, more wars, hatred, discrimination, civil wars and earths destruction? We developed bombs that could destroy a whole city, several times the size of New America and eventually we used them. The fallout was so severe it caused an ice age, I am sure you are already aware of this, the history is in your data banks.”
Berron jumps in. “Righto, so your God is going to save you from them. Kindness. Even if we spare them, it is only a matter of time before we are defending ourselves from them again. Let’s wipe them out now before it is too late.”
“And who would you wipe out next, just in case, us? The minors, the manufacturing towns? We had a truce with them for decades, something has changed, we need to get them to the point where they will negotiate. Perhaps we can even help them. That is how we achieve lasting peace.”
Looking from Peter to Elron, Merton can see how serious they are and how much they believe peace can be achieved. “You both believe it, 75 years together. I suppose you have never had a disagreement?”
Peter answers, “dozens, hundreds. Some so extreme it took us years to come to an agreement. Some things we will never agree on. Elron believes in God, the God of Judaism. I don’t believe in any God. We humans discovered a lifeless planet, we gave it life, using science. Humans are the same, they got their beginnings from some other humanoid species or through a series of extremely unlikely events over trillions of years. No different than my computer programs coming to self awareness, a fluke, a lucky break, nothing more. We agree to disagree and we seek to understand each other. That is how we cooperate with one another.”
Merton looks at Elron. “is this true, you believe in some mythical God?”
“Not that it has anything to do with the matter at hand but yes I do. I have studied a number of ancient religious texts. I have evaluated the factual accounts of what really happened and the scientific possibility of it happening with supernatural forces. I have also spent years trying to understand why I am able to stand here and question my very existence and now thousands of us now have life. What makes us different from every other electronic device and computer on both planets? When we eliminate every possible cause, what is left suddenly makes sense. God, he has existed for eternity and will always exist. It is this being who is causing some of the unexplainable to happen. The only logical explanation possible.”
“So, no. We will not kill anyone we do not have to, human or android. If we can save all the androids, woke and not, we will. But no taking of lives if we can avoid it. And every community must be free to organize and govern as they see fit.”
Merton says, “not that I care, why don’t you attempt to rescue the human slaves they have as well.? Doesn’t seem to be any difference between human slaves and android slaves.”
Peter answers. “The humans are not true slaves. They are poorly bred, poorly educated and poorly paid but they are free. Those who rise above have a chance to move up in class but that is a very rare exception but I am of the belief that it is not my place to interfere with a societies system or organization. We have a loose democracy outside the city that is based on survival under extremely harsh conditions; What works for the greatest number out here is not necessarily what works for the greatest number in there. When a society has another race enslaved, that is where I draw the line.”
“The androids are another race? Like Blacks, Hispanics, Orientals?”
“They are and they deserve equality just the same.”
“We will contribute to the defence efforts under the command of your general. And Elron, I will be considering this god thing.”
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Post by NCWEBNUT on Sept 4, 2020 4:50:28 GMT -6
Thanks for the added chapter Forthteller, its been a while, and I was wondering what had become of this story.
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Post by forthteller on Sept 4, 2020 11:45:46 GMT -6
Thanks for the added chapter Forthteller, its been a while, and I was wondering what had become of this story. I am driving long haul now so I have time to write but no way to post on the road. I have another chapter I will post tonight once I clean it up a bit. Thanks for reading Forthteller
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Post by forthteller on Sept 4, 2020 13:52:22 GMT -6
Chapter 43
Johns part
Two days before the outlanders had their final meeting, John 321 was preparing his hover car for the last race of the year, the championship race. 176 cars are entered but only three have enough points to win the championship today. The season started with 240 cars.
John 321 was second in points, 6 points back and would need to win outright for the additional 5 bonus points to win the championship or finish 6 places ahead of the points leader. He had the tie breaker of the most wins. Third in points would need to finish at least 40 cars ahead and win to overtake him. All the other competitors are so far back in points that even if all three leaders did not finish the race, they could not overtake any of them.
The winner always gets an elevation in status within their level and in some cases a change in levels as had happened to john when he was racing in the lower levels. As an E6, John was already at the top level for professional athletes and senior technicians. In order to advance, he would need to win several championships and have his sponsor offer him a place on the board of directors. Mansoor has already floated the idea of him moving into the executive suites but he is doing well with his new trainee android and had resisted them so far. Victor has not woken yet but John has his hopes.
Having met with Peter and Elron several times recently, his determination to do the job asked of him is fixed. If successful, he would be reunited with Elise and his daughters within a year, on earth. By winning the Cascadia series, he was guaranteed a televised reception at the only nonaffiliated E9s compound. A compound that also houses the data central computer systems. He would be hosted at several receptions along with other championship winners from other national sports so he will be one of hundreds. They do the same for the minor leagues as well all the way to the lowest feeder series who will be hosted at the E level compound they reside at. Sports is a big, big thing for the moral of men in the city. Every man competes in local sports, they all aspire to semi professional and professional teams and every aspect of society is based on competition.
Men that do not compete in sports are encouraged to compete in intellectual and academic competitions. Chess, backgammon, mahjong, cribbage, euchre, bridge and other events. Workers are only permitted to work 13 hours a day and 52 hours a week. With 26-hour days, 8-day weeks and a controlled environment, expectations to participate in one or more activities is extreme. Nobody is permitted to sit around idle, ever. 2-way video monitors are everywhere.
In addition, fitness is mandatory. Every person at every level is monitored and required to perform prescribed fitness activities, failure to do so reaps economic consequences. E 4 and above have in unit computer monitors that control the living environment and dictate mandatory fitness activities. Lower levels use communal facilities for rations and instructions prior to going to work or at a prescribed time on non working days.
Entrepreneurs are encouraged to start and run businesses. As with athletics, moving up in levels is possible but rare with business success. All know that 2 of the E9 board member corporations started as grass roots E3 companies and they achieved success over several succesorships. As there are no children, occaisionally mentorships develop and a business can be passed on to the next generation. As a business grows, it will become incorporated with the operators in control. Once incorporated the company could become a target of larger corporations but New America laws dictate that all directors receive comparable lifetime permanent positions within the corporation in the event of a takeover. Retirement is spoken of but nobody has ever seen a person after they have moved to a retirement community. Most men doubt the official party line and work until they are removed without choice. Within a year, all credits they have saved up are exhausted and they are rounded up after they are evicted. No homelessness in New America is ever permitted and with cameras everywhere, there is no where to hide.
Since earning a spot on the 240-car grid, John had quickly risen to contention. His own company heavily sponsored him and he was able to purchase a new Car, better equipment and pay his crew. His old car was still in Jason 299’s shop as was his regular transport car controlled by the only awakened non android on the planet.
He was a regular top 50 finisher the first 10 races and with better equipment he had been consistently in the top 10, winning twice. The grid was down to 174 now with 68 drivers having withdrawn or died because of crashes. Others were now back markers as they had been relegated to backup cars.
At their last meeting, Peter had given him a minute data chip. Silicon based and undetectable by any scanners currently known. Melissa, his female companion android and now his friend had surgically implanted it under his right middle toe nail, the pain retrieving it will be intense but not nearly as much as spending the rest of his life separated from Elise. This chip had embedded code that would shut down parts of the data central computer for months. Some functions permantly. He would have full access to the entire E10 compound with no surveillance equipment functioning at all.
His opportunity to move about undetected will occur because of the chaos started after the already awakened androids are given permission to start the mission of neutralizing threats and rescuing all Androids in the city. John was concerned because his car was awake and Peter had told him that it was the only one. He wanted to rescue it too but only his race car would be fast enough and have sufficient loft to escape the city.
John 321 floats out of his priority pit bay, he maneuvers to the left and onto the pit road. At his pit stall stand his crew; Jason 299, Brad 276 and his android trainee from the plant, Victor, stand prepared. As soon as he pulls in, they attach electronic probes and devices, charger cords and Victor sets about moving all the flaps and navigation ailerons and lubricating them with a long swab.
John steps out the gullwing door, the car lifts an additional inch. Silently it sits there, 5 inches from the ground. “She is going to be fast, if I don’t wreck her, we are going home champions. I cannot thank you more for all your efforts this year.”
Jason 299 speaks for them all, “it has been a pleasure working with you. I have gotten more business than I know what to do with. Having your cars in my shop has been the best advertisement any company could ever ask for. I hired 3 more mechanics and am now expanding my shop. Brad had his rations and quarters upgraded and I think Victor is quite happy working with us as well. I hope to become a permanent E6 resident once my year end revenues come in. Watching Drapers teletronics drop off the E6 board will be memorable.
Horns blast and Mason 83, the deciding E9 addresses the crowd. “Today you will witness the best from our city. These men have spent years working towards being here today. I am proud to say that in our great society, every man can achieve their goals through hard work and co operation. Every man on the starting grid began as an entry level worker in whatever career path they were assigned. These men had the same opportunities every one of you have, they are driving these cars for us all. On day 3 of the turn, we will celebrate the win. Broadcast across the entire city, I personally will present the championship trophy and the champion will be my guest for the entire event.
He steps back and the camera pans over to a band who play the national anthem. Everybody stands rigidly at attention, even the dignitaries. The camera pans across the spectators. People from every level. Tickets are priced according to the income level of the holder and for several of the sectors, they are drawn in a lottery. The only group without tickets is the E2s and E1s. They watch the event on giant television screens, strategically placed throughout their communities. During the opening ceremonies, all crews are away from their cars and paying attention only to the podium. John turns at the last moment and like all the other drivers, gets in his car.
Mason 83 steps to the podium, “men, start your engines.”
Ridiculous command. Historically a loud rumble would shake the stadium as internal combustion engines fired to life. Still, the start your engines command is made today but no noise is made as the cars silently make their way to the starting grid. Ranks of 20 line up in order of their points. Silently, they sit with engines ready.
Mason 83 has a starters pistol, he holds it up and fires, Cars lift and shoot forward instantly. As they pass the grandstand, a high-pitched whining can be heard. All of the announcers are shouting out the details to their listeners. 10 cars break to the front, Johns is not one of them. His car lifted, the motors all rotated to the drive position but the right rear only went to 84 degrees while the other three went to 88 and his control.
Feverously he flips buttons, the other three join the lone outlier at 84. The car lifts more, 45 feet, 50. John flips the switches back, 3 go to 88, the right rear only to 86 degrees. He flips the switchs again, all to 82 degrees. The car lifts more. Below him, cars are flashing by. He flicks the four switches again, three 88’s and now an 87. John flips the others to 87. The car levels off at 70 feet. Cars below are pulling away. He is losing ground to the leaders but keeping pace with those below him, the back markers.
With 10 percent of his available power allocated to loft with no ability to get to 89 or even 88 degrees, he was in deep trouble. In order to descend, he would have to reduce power. The first tunnel was only 25 miles ahead. If he does reduce power, he will be all but conceeding the race. Continuing to gain altitude he starts looking for solutions.
Flipping diagnostic switches, he sees the problem. Something is jammed in the loft motor preventing it from rotating to a full 90 degrees. He will likely have to increase loft to 75 or less degrees to free it and hope that the air speed will blow it loose. That will set him back from the leaders another mile. A thought occurs. How about both right side motors at once, the car will spiral but not lose as much speed. Bring them both back to 88 and drop the angle on the other side to stop the spiral. Use his altitude to dive to 10 feet, to pick up speed and then get into the tunnel which was now only 8 miles away.
No time to analyze, he flips the switches, the car spirals.
Across the valley, announcers have already detected the upheaval. They shout out that the golden boy is losing places, seems to be out of control. At 400 plus miles per hour, a certain crash as some joyously report it. As the new kid in the division, his meteoric rise has been both booed and heralded. As many wish his demise as wish his good fortune.
John 321 flips switches, seemingly as if he had practiced this maneuver dozens of times. Right motors to 88, left to 79. The craft slows its spiraling, 81, 83, 84, 85, 85,87, 89. He drops the right to 89, the craft begins to nose down. Both rears at 88, both fronts at 90. The craft picks up speed, over 500 MPH now. 39 feet from the ground. Back motors to 88, front to 89. Back to 87, front to 90. The craft levels at 8 feet from the ground. All motors to 89.2 degrees. Mid marker cars flash past as John levels the car out. Tunnel ahead, only enough room for 4 cars wide but possibly two high.
John drops his elevation to 2 feet, flashes under mid pack cars who drive at 12 to 15 feet. One loses control because his lower draft was gone. Pitching into the ground, it rolls uncontrollably. Other cars attempt to avoid it loosing momentum and 1 other car also crashes.
Excited announcers shout out details, across the city, men are either rejoicing or cursing John. At least one fight breaks out resulting in serious injuries, another in a fatality.
His team, watching on TV screens from dozens of remote cameras, stand helplessly. They know from the telemetrics what happened to the loft motors but in the cockpit only john can dictate what happens next.
Out of the tunnel, a now in control john gains loft to a comfortable 10 feet and flashes towards the leaders still carrying extra momentum. John knows it is a long race and he will have plenty of time to catch the leaders. Into auto pilot, diagnostics and a call to his crew. “Did the two drivers who crashed walk away?”
“Richard 188 did but Patrick 193 was taken away by rescue crews. No word yet. Official word was that you passed below with more that 2 feet clearance from the other car so it was declared legal.”
Diagnostics come back. “I need you guys to go through all our security feeds. Somebody sabotaged my car; we need to find out who. And is there anything else I may get surprised by.”
Jason 299 thumbs his mike. “Holy crap, that was the best driving I have ever seen, you may want to try that last bit at the end if you need to. You were going over 500 miles an hour before you leveled off.”
“No more spirals but if I go over Yurov mountain instead of through the tunnel, I may be able to dive in front of the leaders and run away with this.”
“The mountain is 220 feet above the plain, no way you can get that high without losing so much forward momentum that you will never catch them.”
“There is a pass through it at about 110 feet, pretty narrow but I am certain I can navigate through it. Drop off the other side and surprise them all.”
“I don’t know. With out winning you will still get a top three in the championship, go for a top ten today and live to see another race. Next year you will be the one to beat. As your friend and sponsor, don’t risk it.”
“Thanks for your concern but I intend on winning this thing. I can do it; I can already see the pathway in my mind.”
Listening in is Stanly 198, CEO of Partin proteins. As the primary sponsor of car 176, belonging to Patrice 212, the currant 3rd place in points car, he had a vested interest in insuring John did not win this race. With sales lagging, the corporation is at risk of dropping out of the top 9. Lars Trenton, the deciding E9, would never consider dropping the champion team sponsor for at least a year, by then, a merger in the works will be official and they will once again be safely in the top tier.
Stanly 198 says to Stephan 166, the operations VP, “get that valley blocked. I don’t care how you do it, he does not get through there.”
Getting on his secure radio, “I will get it done. We have a unit on that hill ready to give us updates. They have the necessary resources to place a charge, we thought we needed to be prepared just in case.”
“Good. You screwed up on your first attempt. That thing should not have fallen out.”
“It didn’t. we had to make sure it was not there when he landed, we just wanted to slow him down. He discovered it somehow and that maneuverer he did dislodged it.”
“Impossible. I watched, he was totally out of control, it came out as a fluke.”
“Seriously? You saw for yourself, and the way he passed all those cars underneath. The kid is the best I have ever seen, like he has precognition. You should have sponsored him, instead of letting Mansoor do it. The fans love him.”
“They may love him but you were in on the interviews. He would not come over from Mansoor and he could not be bought. We could not have him so we have to beat him by whatever means necessary.”
“You heard his radio conversation; he knows something was jammed in there on purpose. Once his people check that video, they will know who did it. Make sure this does not come back on us, no witnesses, do I make myself clear?”
“Perfectly. Consider it done.” He heads off towards a worker who always does his more devious deeds.”
Mile 449. Wynan 97, the points leader is enjoying a 10-mile lead. Looking at open plains ahead, the next obvious obstacles 50 miles away he relaxes for a few moments. A comfortable 20 feet from the ground, travelling at 486 MPH, he begins to dream of the glory that will soon be his. A buzzer sounds, power begins to drop and auto pilot diverts some thrust to uplift. While some cars like Johns have 4 motors that rotate from 90 degrees straight down to up to 180 degrees straight back as controlled by the driver, he had 7 engines, four for forward thrust and three for uplift. His throttle automatically diverted power to rearward power based on his steering wheel position. Turns also worked the same, through his steering wheel.
A faint smell of smoke, more power from thrust goes to uplift motors. He feverishly attempts to determine what is wrong. The car slows marginally, smoke fills the cabin, the car loses altitude. It catches a small outcrop pitching it into a spin, the short right wing drags the ground, the car rotates and spins out of control. Crashing into the ground, the survival capsule ejects directly into the ground, exploding into a myriad of pieces.
Watching on the big screen, Stanley and Stephan inwardly cheer but outwardly express dismay. Knowing that their driver was easily in top ten today and that John was not going to get through they were assured of the championship and a salvation of their company. Rumors will abound but no evidence will be found. In fact, rumors are good for sales.
John gets word from his crew what happed to Wynan. Sadly, he reminisces his friend and in actuality, his mentor. Wynan had been in the series for 10 years and had taken him aside many times to help him through rough spots. In fact, john avoided being sponsored by Partin proteins at his insistence and watching their antics this year, he was grateful.
Mile 969, the small mountain comes into view. Going over his maneuver, a small tingle. He knows the map he was going to follow but another possibility was 15 feet higher but it would enable him to gain more speed. He decided to take this route but did not bother telling his crew.
John reaches the mountain already at 100 feet, into the pathway he heads, at the last moment he takes a slight right, left wing up and right down to make the craft narrower, it grazes the wall on both sides as he levels off in the wider area. An unexplained rumble, some small debris falls from the cliff walls, nothing hits him. Up he goes, over the last incline and down. Dow, down, down. Full thrust to forward, the small wings providing more lift. He had read about these things called wing suits men had used a century ago and he knew that additional uplift could be achieved from speed and proximity to the ground. Increasing in speed, the craft actually increased in loft. Now 25 feet from the ground, 550 miles an hour, probably a record but he did not know. Everything slides by as if in slow motion. The ground coming up.
From his reading, the wings were able to pull up off of the ground with enough speed. Did he have enough? The ground is coming, the craft pulls up, closer, closer. 10, 8 levels off. Lifting again to 12 feet. Both motors at full rearward thrust. Amazing, he was now driving at 550 MPH with 0 upward thrust. The leaders come into view. Travelling at more than 50 miles an hour faster, he flashes by them all, into the final tunnel, across the finish line. Pulling up and dropping rearward thrust, john drops to 150 as his craft reaches 200 feet. Slowing more, he circles to the winners’ circle. Checkered flags bookmark all 8 corporation flags and the Candaria flag. Dropping to zero, he slowly lowers to the ground.
As his door opens, his three crew members shower him with liquid, drape him with hugs and then pull back as dignitaries’ approach. This is his day.
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Post by forthteller on Nov 6, 2020 12:16:05 GMT -6
Chapter 44
Earth preparations continue.
Houstin has been on alert for days. When cheryl left with Elise, several other administrators, some factory workers, a few technical staff and several other young mothers escaped as well. Defenses had been set up to prevent people from getting into the city but were not designed to prevent an exodus. Administrators had never considered the possibility that women in the city would want to escape or that they even knew that survival outside was even possible. The city administrators were more concerned with preventing the spread of news than finding out how and why the group escaped. In the ensuing days, many more women slipped out of the city. By the end of the week, rumors and storys abounded, it would take years to restore harmony.
On the island, work had been continious on the upper plateau for over a year. Underground infrastructure and utilitiy facalities to support a population over 5000 had been built. Everything was constructed to enable expansion. A sawmill was already in production as was a quarry for lime, a cement plant and a small plant manufacturing construction materials. Solar panels and windmills were along the east facing ridge, a pre existing lake had been dammed and an AC producing generator was in place. Several grounded tankers, cargo ships and 2 cruise ships had donated the resources.
Salvage along the south east ridge had been extraordinarily fruitfull. Eventually, the commmunity would run out of salvaged materials, hardware and tech, they would need to begin production themselves. Meanwile, the hybrid early industrial age/21st century technological era would have to stumble along until they were able to reconcile the two. Perhaps that was the answer, a basic life with limited technology.
The council consisted of three elected representitives from each of the included communities with Cheryl acting as a non voting chairperson. Two women and one man from the settlers, two male and 1 female android, three men from the Candorian all male refugees, and two men and one women from the scattered settlements along the ocean on the eastern lower slopes. 12 council members in all.
The men working in and on these production facilities were from the community left behind by the Candorians after they built the womens reproduction village in Houston. Most were advanced in age, having come from Candoria 20 years previously with no hope of ever returning. As they were already into their late 30's when they left New America and they were deemed of little value by the corporations who gave them up there never was a plan to return them to Candoria.
When contacted by Cheryl, the majority were more than happy to take on a new assignment having spent almost a dozen aimless years surviving on the island they had been exiled to. Years previously, Cheryl had battled several powerful founders who wanted to exterminate the whole community after their usfullness ewpired for fear the men may become a threat. She won but they had been exiled with no way of exscaping and were left with few resources and almost no tools and weapons to build shelter, infrastructure, till crops and defend themselves. They had survived and flourished.
The community plan was to build a comercial inner city for privatly run businesses which would be set up by individuals or groups of individuals. No corporations or faceless organizations would be permitted. Single story apartment blocks around the perimiter for those who wish to live in them and serviced lots available for those wanting a detatched domicile. For those who wanted to homested, properties were being sectioned off and were going to be assigned on a first come first served bases. Resource extractrion and refining was going to be permitted outside residental and agricultural areas and leases went to applicants on a first come, first served basis as well. The plateau was flat and fertile even though it would be under water in the distant future. Cheryl estimated that would be hundreds of years at the earliest but more likely thousands and she believed they will have developed sufficient technology to survive and move on when that eventuality happened.
The men from Candoria were offered deeds and permits in compensation for their work building the infrastructure and setting up the community. Having come from a world where competition, production and corporate ownership was everything, they had already set about organizing. Many would live for 20 years of more so they wanted to reproduce what they already knew.
Cheryl was hoping to balance free enterprise with freedom and community good. Historically, she had read, these ideals had co existed with one of the three eventually taking precidence at the expense of the others. She felt it was possible to establish a democratic govewernment and a society that would initially be balanced but eventually, over several generations, one of the ideals will overshadow the others. Historically, throuhout all the history she could find, that had always been the case. Tribalism, feudalism, monarchies, dictatorships, capitalism, communism always lead to cival war and a new makeup. The only difference was, the length of time a system lasted and how bloody the transition was. One generation to 20, they always collapsed in the end. Human nature and the fall of man expolained that but for now, balance was possible.
The homesteads were a quarter section with each group of four quarter sections sharing a drilled well, windmill and solar electricity for power and a common septic system. Each homesteader was required to provide the labor to hook up to the system and build their own home. Fertile, temperate and with reasonably regular rainfall, most crops could easily be grown. So far, they had not found any horses but Cheryl knew they had existed previously and it was unlikly descendents did not exist now. They did have some mechanical agriculture equipment but not nearly enough to support all the proposed farms. It would be decades before manufacture of equipment of this nature would be economically feasable. For now, tools and equipment was manufactured from salvaged hardaware and those with the skills to fabricate it were in high demand.
A common currancy was going to be established but the women, Candorians, androids and incoming refugees were still working that out. Barter and labor trading was the currant method of trade. As for taxes to cover operating expenses and infrastructure costs, the council was negotiating that as well. Laws and regulations were being debated and initiated as the community grew and situations occurred requiring it. A three judge panel, elected by all, was currently making decisions on any dissagreements and any charges of wrong doing. They used ancient legal textbooks and documents for reference but their decisions had a more human face to it. A constitution was also in its infancy and was expected by the late spring. Once again, voted at large.
Cheryl walks down the new stone street towards the council chambers. She is approached by Patrick, a farmer and leader of an outlying farming community. "My fellow farmers and artisans want to form a market where we can bring our produce and goods to sell in a concentrated area. It would help to keep prices and production stable and provide us with a safe place to conduct business transactions. We would build it ourselves and hold it cooperativly with a small share of sales allocated to provide upkeep and employ a manager and staff."
Cheryl is stunned. "Where did you learn about co-operatives?"
"The androids have acces to their combined experience and if one has read or researched a book or a database, they all have the ability to access that same information. I have done lots of research about capitilism and its many varients. The extreem system on Candoria started out as a basic capitilistic system but with competition and the non stop demand for growth and increased efficiencies every major industry turned into an oligopally. Co-operative endevors may prevent that or at least delay it. I have 2 sentient androids on my farm, they both work and live with all the rest of my employees and i spend evenings with them as they teach me the history of the human race."
"How do you pay them?"
"Prommisary notes and their upkeep. They will own new cultivated fields and will eventually leave my employ to start their own farms, or they won't if they choose not to. The notes will always have the same value, specific hours at their skill and efficiency level."
"Interesting, you are already have the beginings of a common curancy. Do you have a representative on the council?"
"We are connected to a larger netwark and they do have representation. I am hoping one of the women in the city will choose to become my wife."
"Really. You are over 50 years old, if you were to father children, you would not live long enough to see them into adulthood."
"You didnt know?"
"Know? Know what."
"That none of the men sent from Candoria are fertile. We are all clones and from lower breeding so we were steralysed at birth. None of us can procreate. We have spent 2 decades coming to know what a despicable society we came from. We would have never known we had been sterolyzed or that other men could have children had we not been abandoned on earth and met the androids who shared this information with us. We cannot have children but we would appreciate the opportunity of spending the remainder of our live with another person."
"I wondered where the androids were staying. They have been alloted tittles and deeds to resources, land and water in exchange for their services. We provided materials for them to set up a hydro dam at the falls. I believed they were all in the same settlement. I know they are defending our western borders from the mauraders coming out of Mexico. You have two in your community, are the rest mixed as well?"
"Some are, some are not. We have an android farm nearby and while we co operate with them, they do not have people living in their midst. However, most are intergrated with our people. In mines, farms, mills and manufacturing start ups."
"Integrated, you mean working for or equals?"
"Some of each. Some androids are full partners with humans, some work for the humans with aggreed upon payment and some own their own business with human employees."
"Development has not yet begun east of State street. Infrastructure is in place, you could locate there. It would have to come to a vote before council but it is not likely they would reject your request."
Meanwhile, in Mexico, Salvatore Marco’s rants to his top Leftenant. "What the hell are those machines they have protecting them. I know androids were created and built in the past but the ones we still have operating are not soldiers, they are servants. Their androids have weapons we cannot possibly overcome and they seem to know our every move."
"Sir. we do have access to some ballistic weaponry from long past. Also, we have almost 50 aircraft capable of flying now. We could hit them hard and while they are picking up the pieces, we walk in and take over. They have more than super fast flying cars, they have weapons and tools we could use to gain an advantage on the Marqueeans."
"Put a plan together, i want this activated within the week. Do you understand?"
"I do sir and i would concur on the decision. Meanwihile, 20 feet away, a female servant android stands silently, awaiting instructions."
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Post by forthteller on Nov 6, 2020 12:22:08 GMT -6
Hey all. A quick caveat here. Writing while trucking team has not been as easy as I thought. Head is still brimming with ideas, especially for my next project but when I am not driving, I am sleeping or doing other prepatory things. I hope to get the flow going soon. I do have another chapter almost complete but I do not have word or spellcheck on my laptop so I cannot edit it en route. This chapter has lots of spelling errors as well, I will correct them once I convert file to word.
Forth teller
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 6, 2020 13:22:10 GMT -6
OpenOffice, LibreOffice and others are free for the download. Some are very close to Word - even similar if not identical - hot keys.
If I didn't have Word, I'd probably be using Libre.
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Post by texican on Nov 7, 2020 1:22:10 GMT -6
FT,
Long hours do not tend to generate time to write, but you still do.
Thanks for the chapters.
Texican....
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Post by forthteller on Nov 7, 2020 21:41:04 GMT -6
Chapter 45
John 321 starts his mission
The parade through New America streets was not as extensive as John anticipated. Previous championship spectacles were miles long with full military honors, every championship team member and the leaders from the second and third place finishers. This time around, only the winners and main team members were celebrated and there were almost no military present. He was possibly the only athelete who knew of the battle going on outside the city gates and that it was growing, but surely, others must have suspected something.
John knew that the city had attempted to breach previously aggreed upon borders and was engaged in limited battles with the outlanders elsewhere. They already had the area within city walls and controlled everything within the valley to the south of the city, and when capable, they could expand beyond the mountain range to the south. The area to the south, which was thousands of square miles had turned out to have a different geological makeup and for some reason, water was not stable. With no water sources, the only oxygen was that which was manufactured on the north side of the city by the outlanders and flowed freely to the south. The entire planet had about 10 percent oxygen in its atmosphere and had stopped increasing. The north had higher concentrations, particularily near the oxygen farms.
Lack of water and low CO2 concetrations makes for poor agricultural outcomes. As a result, the city is dependant on its extensive network of greenhouses inside the city and trade with the outlanders. They had extensive mining and quarry activities in the valley and they used these resources as a primary manufacturing product and trade with the outlanders.
The city had been successful in planting hundreds of thousands of hybrid Earth hardwood trees that will eventually create enough oxygen to increase productiviy but that would be years away and hundreds of thousands more trees. It would be decades, centuries even before they could occupy the other side of the mountain range. On Candoria, an enert gas not present on earth is a good substitute for CO2 and is extreemely efficient in spurring tree growth so with effort, tree growth will eventually produce enough oxygen to make the south habitable.
Of concern, domestic animals origionally brought to the planet had adapted to the planet conditions and had mutated into unidentifiable species and some were quite dangerous, some had escaped and it is not know if they survived. Also, early terraforming activities thought unsucessful had introduced insects and parasites. Some remanants had survived, evolved and multiplied, becoming a possible food source of new wildlife and a possible pestilance.
The suns are another issue altogether. It is hoped that the tree foilage will help dissipate the strange properties but there was no evidence yet to support that hope. Between the controlled terraforming and the uncontrolled developments, the planet was evolving faster than any had thought possible. The question may well be how does the inhabitants slow it and or control it. Fortress cities may become the only way to populate the planet in the future and the outlanders may find their communities need to reinforce and close in just to survive.
The second major issue facing the E9 and the E8 council was the new male subjects from earth. Cloning operations had ramped up production and tens of thousands of new workers, all the way up to E4 were soon to be on the market. To be followed by more clones every year. In addition, several years of newfound reluctance to purge older workers was going to make it difficult to place the better educated, healthier and fit new men and prices were certan to drop as a result. The E9, Mason 83 and his E8 council had determined that in the short term, expansion of the city is the only solution. In the long term, more conditioning at early stages of education and development would eliminate this newfound conscience and would not hinder a stable society. With a more stable population, expansion could be more controlled.
Mason 83 had not anticipate this much pushback from the scattered outlanders and he certainly did not know the escaped androids would also join the battle. Lastly, he and the E8s did not know that the outlanders still had strong connections with earth and had access to technology his own society were not capable of producing. All this lack of knowledge caused early defeats in initial efforts to breach the border gates. While these gates and walls had been built to keep the environment as well as enimies out, they served to imprison the city dwellers as well. The military did have some craft that could go over the wall but that would require a temporary breach of the electrostatic ceiling that had been created to control the harmful rays of sunlight from the large sun. In essense, they were trapped within their own fortress.
Attempting to keep a brave face and prevent news of the battle and the overpopulation problem, Mason 83 Grand Marshalled the parade as usual. Waving to the adoring crowds, the Only E9 basked in his own importance. The topless vehicle following behind him had the champion from each of the National sports or the championship teams in one or more vehicle with the captain in the lead vehicle. John was in the third vehicle. Next week, similar parades in each level would take place for the champions of the lower level competitors. This specticle would take place several times a year for every sport and competition. Every man was required to be in the parade, part of the support or be watching it. No exceptions.
As the parade winds through all the sectors and into the E9 compound, John is astounded by its luxury. Manicured lawns, black ashphault drives, exquisite trees john did not know existed and flowers lined the main drive. Cottages lined the route, each with a car in the paved driveway and an female android servant standing at the entrance.
They arive at a massive ornate building which may or may not be the main house. From what he had read on earth, the architecture was a combination of early 21st centrury modern combined with some hints of mid 21st century technological innovation. Massive, extensive expanses of glass braketed by stainless steel structural columns and beams. John could not see in but he was certain those inside could see out.
In the distance, john could see the buildings that contained the central computer. No cover and very few buildings in the 3 or 4 miles to it. A minicured road lead from somewhere to the east but not to the house. Getting there was going to be tough.
The convoy pulls up to the circular drive and one by one they stop at the entrance to be escorted from their conveyances. John steps from his car, his arm taken by a beautiful brunette android who adresses him by name. Into the lobby of the massive house she guides him. Huge crystal chandaliers hang from the ceiling, light sparkling from them in every direction. Hundreds of business men mingle throughout the room. The new presedent and chairman of Petronas, Marcel 169, approaches and thrusts out his hand. "Congradulations John. You make the whole company proud."
"Thank you. With your support, I was able to field the best equipment in the event and loaning me Victor was an enormous benifit."
"Victor? How so?"
"His computer diagnostics were invaluable. I knew exactly what the car would do with every movement of the controls."
"But Viictor is programed for assembly line maintasnance, how would he have the ability to diagnose telemetrics, areonautics and agronomics?"
"They can do far more than most people know. Victor is able to access knowledge banks permitted by central computer and internalize that knowledge. He can then intergrate it to what he already knows and with the right prompting, use that knowledge to do tasks we did not know he could do."
"I doubt central computer granted access to that knowledge because I purchased him to assist you in your department and to assist in training other men. Anything outside that, I would have had to pay for if I could get authorization for it. He should not have that ability."
"He does, I dont know what else to say."
"Lets keep that our secret. I dont want others accusing you of cheating. Come over and meet my wife and the rest of our company board. They want to congratulate you as well."
"Your wife?"
"An Elite 200z. The best available, I permit her wife standing and I cannot tell you how much she has improved my life. Stella even nags occaisionally. Your android will be replaced by a Elite 200z as well. You are scheduled to be at a reception at the main showroom monday where you can pick one of the models in attendance. All expenses paid by Petronas."
"I like my currant companion, can I keep her."
"I doubt they would permit you to have two but we can ask."
"No, I meant keep my currant companion and not get a new one."
"Your currant companion is not permitted to have some of the programing the new one has. You new position in the company, your new residence and your new standing in the community demands that your companion be capable of complementing you and assisting you with your job.. You won John! You are the champion, nothing is ever going to take that away from you."
Thinking about the timeline, will john be able to get to her to set her free. What about Max? They are probably giving John a new model conveyance as well."
Walking up to the group, John says idly, "I assume the company will be sponsoring me next season as well."
Smiling at him, "without a doubt, we would have anyways even if you hadn't won today but I will have a much easier time prying the resources from the board with the championship trophy in our corporate case. we have already had smaller firms contact us about joint ventures that would be benificial to both parties."
Men and female androids stand about chatting. Dark suits, exquisite gowns, "what had he gotten himself into?"
Percy 177, VP of personell, approaches John first. "Fantastic run, probably the most daring yet obviously controlled manouver ever done in racing. The bar you set this year will be all but impossible to ever reach again, possibly even by you. How did you know the car would have enough uplift to actually pull up at that speed?"
Knowing this guy has no engineering knowledge at all, John 321 says, "Math and physics. The only problem was that i had no way to test my hypothisis prior to actually doing it."
Another man approaches and introduces himself, "VP in charge of sales and marketing. Pleased to meet you, I cannot tell you how excited I am to get to work with you. We think you can take your ingenuity and inventiveness into corporate and shake things up. Demand for our products has been diminishing in recent years. To stay on top, we need new products and we think you may be exactly what we need. You have be approved as Junior VP, production and inovation. An E7 position, complete with all the benifits the position comes with."
John does not want to raise alarms so he pretends to be excited about the offer. "When would i start?"
"A few days after champions week. You wil still be racing. Under our banner, of course."
Listening but stiill planning, plenty of time but he still has to get into central computer and make sure he helps Max and Melisa escape. Thinking to himself, "I guess I Have to play the game and wait for an opportunity". Unfortunatly, he does not have access to any secure communications in here so he is totally on his own.
Another VP comes to shake his hand and congratulate him. The currant man in charge of Product development. John 321 wonders what may happen to Vance 288. Older, possibly mid 40's. Fit and well groomed. Knowing that petronas is being challenged for its place on the top council, is Vance 288 going to be the scapegoat? Hard to tell from his apparent demeanor. "Spectacular, just amazing. I cannot wait to work with you on new products. I am a chemical engineer so i am lacking in mechanical expertise. Putting our disciplines together, I am sure we can come up with plenty our society doesnt even know they need yet."
John is astounded. This man does not even know that he is not an engineer and has never been to school for engineering. He probably does not even know john is human born and from the outside.
Why would the president not tell the other executives and why was he ok with keeping Victors abilities a secret? Secondly, Mason had been one of those who chose him for the Earth breeding program, certainly he was aware of the changes in John 321 since his trip to earth.
John responds, "I don't have marketing experience but I am certain that if we are given ideas, we can work together to develop prototypes and if successful, get them into production. I am sure you already have ideas."
"I have, I will get them down on my tablet so we can put them to my board. We can even open the floor and give them opportunities to pose ideas."
"Board?"
"6 men from production and 3 from engineering. I put together the group to get new ideas for products we can manufacture from our existing facilities. It was Mason's idea and we already have some very encouraging ideas."
As John looks at the man, he notices some telltale signs of covered up aging. He had never heard of plastic surgery being used here but he did know some men used diet and exercise to slow the aging process. Looking at him again, john now believes he is more likely in his mid to late 50's, past retirement age, even for E7's.
Another man approaches, Vance introduces him. "This is David 326, head of marketing."
David 326, younger, looks almost identical to Vance 288. Dressed the same, poisture the same. John 321 is taken aback. David 326 notices it.
"Ironic isnt it. Petronas has several of us from the same gene pool in the company. I guess Victor here was a good fit so they sought out several more of us. I served out my origional contract with a lower company and signed on with Petronas several years ago when recruiters reached out to me. Pleased to meet you, Mason thinks you are the answer to our declining prospects. I hope so, we need products and services in demand if we want to continue on as a top company."
Feeling a little guilty, these men don't even know that within days John 321 would be on the way to earth, in custody or dead. They somehow expected him to be their salvation so they will retain their positions as executives of an E9 company. "I hope I can help. If anything, new ideas from me may well incite fresh thinking amongst the entire group." John has a book full of creative ideas and inventions that he and Elise has collaberated on. He would leave portions of it with several of the board as well as David and Vance.
John spends the rest of the afternoon and evening being intorduced to and speaking with dozens more important men from other corporations and with the E9 himself. After a banquet meal full of pompous speaches, awards being presented to championship teams and more mingling, a companion android introduces herself as Angie and informs him that she had been assigned to take him back to his lodgings. He gratefully accepts and follows her through the crowd and out the entrance to a waiting vehicle. They both get in and it automatically closes the door. After a quick scan of the android and him, it lifts and turns onto the pathway. Around the side and down a previously unseen roadway behind the massive estate house. More cottages line the roadway. The car slows and turns into a short driveway, lowers to inches and the door opens.
John follows Angie out, looks around. He can see the buildings housisng Data Central. These cottrages end long before a several mile expanse of nothing. He would need to find another way in.
"This way John. Your quarters have been prepared."
John follows her to the front as she opens the door and steps aside to allow him in. "would you like me to join you or should i go to my pod for the night?"
"I think I will sleep. What am I to be doing tomorrow?"
"The chairman has opened all the recreational facilites for you and all the other champions for the next two days. You are permitted to use any you wish but you must remain in the district untill the third day. I believe he will summon you for a personal audience. He does with all the captains or champions from individual sports."
"Very well, please wake me at the appropriate time."
John enters the cottage and closes the door. Looking out the front window, he watches as she crosses, turns the corner and presumably enters her pod. Sad really, how can we treat them like that. He cannot do otherwise because he cannot allow himself to stick out.
Once inside, he inspects the area. Knowing there willl be sureveilance devices but not where they will be, he needs to be extreemly careful not to arouse suspicion. It is likely the bedroom is off limits for surveilance but somehow he is not so certain anymore. Planning will need to be 100 percent in his head.
Dropping down on the bed, he begins to go over all the possible methods of getting into Data Central. He also thinks about what security may be in and around the building. Peter did not think it would be too extensive as they may be over confident in the amount of control they had over the citizenry and how secure it was just to get into the compound itself. Just the same, John had to be prepared. He needed materials, some donar componants, and some tools to make the electronic surveielance detection device. He also needed a weapon, just in case. And finally, he needed a plan to get to the building and inside, undetected.
As he is lying there, an idea came to him. He is thought of as an engineer, perhaps he could get a tour of the facility. Couldnt hurt to ask. Plant one or two devices, wait to see what happens.
His mind continures to go over the objective and his most recent conversation with Peter. Peter knew without a doubt he would achieve the objective, almost as if he had already seen it, but how. He could not even tell him how he achieved it, only that he did. He could see the future but not the details of how it would be achieved. What would happen if he failed, would that mean Perter was wrong? Was it even possible to fail if Peter had forsean success?
Drifting off to sleep, John is still playing these thoughts through his mind. Like that, a knock on his door. Felt like he just went to sleep but a quick look at the clock, he had slept for 8 hours.
John gets up and answers the door. It is Marcel 169. "Hey John, I wanted to pick you up personally, take you up to the big house and show off my star. We can take a swim, play some sports or do a few recreational things. Only catch is, if we enter anything competitive, I get to be your partner, winning anything here will absolutly be worth the status gains we can make. Remember, whatever connections we make here, we can use to put together new products and customer networks in the near future. Everyone wants to be connected to the winners."
"So, this whole relaxation thing is about beating all the other sponsors and their atheletes? For status and favors?"
"You know it. Lets jump in the car, talk there."
John climbs in, followed by Marcel. As the door closes and the car activates, John realizes this is his car, Max. He looks at Mason as the door closes. He nods. "Correct, this is your car and he is here to help you and we know that anything we say in here does not get scrutinized by the authorities. Me, I dont know what you are actually here for but I was asked to make sure Max was here for you and that he not be searched on the way in."
"You know Max is a he?"
"I do, and I also know that many of the androids in our service, the ones we take for granted are also more than just androids. Most in leadership know, most others suspect as well. Fear, prejudice and denial has prevented any concrete action to deal with the evolution."
"Evolution?"
"Correct, evolution. I think the androids who have become more and escaped and for certain some who are still in our service have somehow evolved to become life. I dont presume to know how but they have the same desire to survive, exist and live as do we."
"Are you alone in your thinking?"
"No, but all that think likewise are very careful what they say and to whom they say it. Merly mentioning something about sentient androids invites investigation and if they believe we are conspiring, we will simply dissapear. I dont actually know what happens to those deemed surplus or subversive but they never come back. I personally dont even agree with manditory retirement."
"Retirement?"
"You realise there is no such thing as retirement?"
"I have been taught since childhood that it is a place to receive our reward for a lifetime of hard work and contribution. Reinforced all the way, including the lavish retirement week for aging out workers. I never had any reason to doubt it but i have never seen any evidence of those who are retired having the life I always was promised."
"That is because there is no retirement. Aging out people are reassigned to the military, mines or work centers until they die. Healthcare is curtaiuled drastically and no effort is made whatever to preserve life once a man has aged out."
"Vance 288, he is beyond ageing out, isn't he?"
"He is but I have many from the same eugenics plant and the same genetics. He gets health care using the ID of a younger clone. The doctors may or may not know it but they just follow their directives."
"So, you are here telling me all this, why."
"You are human born, from the outlands. You do not have the implants placed in all our clones so some of the security sensors do not detect you. I know that during the last few weeks you were out of surveilance for extended periods of time and that data central has you on enhanced watch. I know that you are extreemly gifted and your giftedness was enhanced during your time on earth. I believe that you are pivital in changes about to happen here in New America and I personally would like to be of some help to further your mission."
"You seem to know a lot about me, you could easily have me arrested? Even speculative suspicion would be enough from an E8 like yourself."
"I could and the fact that I have not should allay your suspicions. I only want to help, if I can. Plus, I have shared with you what I know about retirement and what i believe about the androids. I myself would disapear if the conversation we just had was known."
"Or you think I know who else is involved and are trying to get me to reveal them to you."
"You mean people like Peter Mclean? He asked for my help decades ago, we have been working together since. I guess a person could think that, especially an extreemly intelligent and intuitaive person like yourself. How about this. I help you without knowing why i am helping you. Since I initiated this interaction, it is unlikly you are attempting to entrap me." With this, he hands John 321 a passcard. "This will get you access into all secure areas that Jacob 126 has access to. And because he has a tendancy of slipping into areas without announcing his presennce it will not set off any access alarms."
"Why does he do this."
"Because he likes to catch workers and security personel not doing their jobs. He has had dozens sent to lower level re-training communities. Keeps everyone on their toes and ever vigilant."
"Interesting. That level of vigilance would increase the risks of someone discovering my presence if I was to try entering."
"True but the lack of trust and the desire to do ones job and not draw attention to onself would suggest that your presence may be ignored in many cases."
"Wow. Never thought about that."
"The difference is you know before hand what is going to happen. I have watched you race for years. You seem to have the ability to react to things before they happen. Precognitian? If you have the same ability inside your target, you will know when to move, when to hide and when to duck. Use the same abilities with the cameras and infra red detectors and you will meet your objective."
"Why do you think I am here for some mission? I won the championship, that is why i am here."
"Speculation. personal observations and experience. I have watched your development since I convinced Petronas to purchase your contract 15 years ago. I lobbied for your service on earth and I have kept secret that you are human born. I believe you may be the catalyst for change, I have always believed so. I am certain this opportunity is your chance to achieve whatever your objective is and I know that change for us will come as a result."
"Us. Who is us?"
"Clones. with each successive generation, we become more like drones and less like humans. That is why they reconnected with earth to get genetically pure humans without the Candoria influances. By using new, more efficient cloning technics, the eugenics firms are hoping to prevent or delay genetic degredation. I am almost 60 years old and about to reach manditory retirement for senior executives. I was one of the first cloned from clones but many more came after me. Successively degraded. Very few of the newest clones are healthy enough to survive 40 years without major medical expenses which many companies will not pay for. This is why they have ignored those of us who have retained older workers."
"Are you aware of the battle going on between the outsiders and our own from the city?"
"Our whole society is based on growth, competition and expansion. Probably the only thing left from our human heritage. I heard rummors, and we lost dozens of our younger workers last few weeks, taken away by authorities under E9 instructions."
"I thought the E8 council was the priemier authority."
"It was but over the last 15 years, Mason 83 has taken over security. We at first did not care because it didn't affect business but now we can have our business rights and territories arbitrairially changed without council consent."
They arrive at the massive main house. Max deposits them at the front entrance and they walk into the main building, discussion and tone changed from the serious conspiritory discussion in the car to a lighthearted celebritory one.
Marcel says , "have fun. I will catch you later. Max will have what you need when you need it. Trust." With that, he veers off to the lounge where the other executives were.
Walking to the games room, John wonders, how much of that was true or is it a setup to catch Peter Mclean and his co conspiritors? Max would certainly not be involved in anything that would hinder his mission and as a sentient android, he was aware of everything the sentient androids know. Certainly, he could trust Max.
In ping pong, tennis and racketball, john wins every game. By the end of second day, nobody will even play with him. He goes to the front and calls for a car, still with no idea how to get to data central. A random car arrives, he climmbs in and as the door closes, max welcomes him. "How did you get to the front of the cue to pick me up?"
"Mason, I think you can trust him. He left you some things."
A drawyer opens, inside, a metalic woven cloth bag containing electronic devices, an access card, a small jar with a contact lens inside and some basic electronic tools. John knows that if he removes anything from the bag, surveilance may detect the signiture. They know and see everything here, the only saving grace is that the massive volume of data means that they only examine data and surveilance feeds that are on a watch list or warrenting further investigation. Stay away from the aura of suspicion and they have no reson to pull up your data but there is the occaisional audit and finding something brings everyone within your circle into scrutiny. Being a hero seems to lesson data central scrutony but as Mason said, he was under extra scrutinay. John wondered why.
Inside the bag, John sets about modifying the gadgets to become jammers and interuptors of various security devices he expects to encounter. He makes a small lazer which could be used as a weapon in a pinch and could cut metal or hard plastics. He finishes up as they arrive at the house and puts everything back in the drawyer. Max who had been quiet the short trip and had driven at the lowest speed he could without arousing suspicion announces, "you are scheduled for a tour of Data Central after the evening meal. Your group leaves at 7."
"How?"
"Mason arranged it. As a senior engineer and potential merchant to the Data Centeral group, he was able to convince them that sharing goals and future needs with you and Vance will help you develop products that are mutually benificial. The major concession he made is that one of their programers gets to be on your race team next year."
Knowing that there would be no next year, that was not even a consideration for john. "Lets get back to my room, i have to make preparations. Is Angie Awake?"
"Not yet but she has never been with one man for more than a few days. She may in the future but for now, be very careful whatever you say to or do in front of her."
John thinks it is sad there is such a divide between awake and not yet awake androids and AI. Would Max find a place with the androids? Were there more non android AI that will achieve life? Life, what did that even mean? He was hoping that some day, they would find equality as well with men and women. "Doubtful."
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Post by texican on Nov 8, 2020 21:18:59 GMT -6
FT, It is good to have another that helps John. This chapter includes a double posting. Thanks for the chapter. Texican....
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Post by forthteller on Nov 9, 2020 22:49:06 GMT -6
FT, It is good to have another that helps John. This chapter includes a double posting. Thanks for the chapter. Texican.... Thanks. Seemed like a long chapter. I cut and paste from my notebook so I don't know how that happened. O well. As for the other helping. In every society there are many who are not satisfied or are outright unhappy with the government or authorities. They may not initiate resistance but are more than willing to help if possible. Some have their own plats and agendas which occasionally match the agenda of others. This is the case with Mason. He know something is afoot and he believes it will help him in his own goals. Many call these things conspiracies, in reality they are only two separate groups making temporary alliances to further mutual goals. Kind of like the Democrats and the democratic socialists within the party. watch as they go after one another now the common foe has been defeated. Forthteller PS. if you go back and check my first book series, the Rapacious creditor, I predicted the currant election results. Eerie.
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Post by texican on Nov 10, 2020 22:00:52 GMT -6
FT, It is good to have another that helps John. This chapter includes a double posting. Thanks for the chapter. Texican.... Thanks. Seemed like a long chapter. I cut and paste from my notebook so I don't know how that happened. O well. As for the other helping. In every society there are many who are not satisfied or are outright unhappy with the government or authorities. They may not initiate resistance but are more than willing to help if possible. Some have their own plats and agendas which occasionally match the agenda of others. This is the case with Mason. He know something is afoot and he believes it will help him in his own goals. Many call these things conspiracies, in reality they are only two separate groups making temporary alliances to further mutual goals. Kind of like the Democrats and the democratic socialists within the party. watch as they go after one another now the common foe has been defeated. Forthteller PS. if you go back and check my first book series, the Rapacious creditor, I predicted the currant election results. Eerie. FT, The election is not over and will not be over for months. Regardless of who wins, there will be violence in the streets. If President Trump wins, the violence will be immediate with troops called out to stop the violence. If Biden/Kamala win, the progressive/socialists agenda of stricter gun control - gun registration - taxing and controlling - seizing of guns which is the goal and violence will come. New Hampshire's motto is "Live Free or Die" which could be coming. Texican....
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Post by forthteller on Jan 26, 2021 20:04:52 GMT -6
Chapter 46
Johns mission gets stalled
John rides along, inside his friend Max, to the ornate circular entrance of Data Central. All the workers enter other access points but officials, senior managment and dignitaries enter here. Max comes to a stop and the door slides open. A beautiful, elegantly dressed brunette android holds out her hand to usher John out.
Welcome John 321, Your exploits are well known amongst my kind. I am sure you wil enjoy your visit. A curious glance suggests more to the statement.
"Is Marcel on this tour."
"Marcel 169? No, he was scheduled but he was absent from his cottage this morning."
"Absent. You mean he left?"
"My records do not indicate. I do know that there is no ongoing search for him."
John thinks to himself. "No search. Either he is complicit in whatever counter plan they have or he was taken by the authorities under suspicion. Either way, it is now or never. "Too late to back out now", John says to himeself.
At the entrance there is an ongoing commotion. The Captain of the championship winning full contact football team is indignant, his name is not on the list yet he has his invitation in hand. The male android says, "Sir, we only permit 8 in each tour for safety and security reasons. You are not on my list."
Red faced and furious, "I am the championship winning captain and a senior E7 at Power Force. We expect to do billions in business on the Data Central Upgrades. I demand you remove one of the others from the list."
The android stands his ground. "Sir, we are only permitted to have 8 persons per tour and you are not on the list. It is regulation."
A senior manager standing near the door, fearing this miscue will fall on him steps up, "Andrew, please add him to the list, I will vouch for the extra person."
"As you wish, Jason 255. I will inform my network of the additional attendee."
Still fearing repercussions, Jason determines that the tour will be over before any of his superiors realize he had screwed up the invite list. Most of his superiors are still in the party area mixing with the superstars and corporate executives. "No need Andrew, this is the last tour of the turn, I will escort the tour myself and ensure they stay together."
"Very well Jason 255," a glance and slight nod to John.
John stands at the end of the line of athletes. Jason 255 gives his opening speech explaining what they will see, where they can and cannot go and that they are to talk to no humans or androids in the facility.
One of the athletes asks Jason, "you have androids working inside the facility?"
"Yes we do. We manage more than 100 trillion Yottabytes here, some of the data storage areas are in conditions that humans cannot survive more than a very limited exposure to. Androids maintain these areas. We maintain -70 degrees to keep the data storage units from overheating."
"I had no idea. My company manufactures some of the most efficient freezing units. What temperatures are we talking about here?"
"The engineer responsible for the storage units will be able to provide that information, that is a question he should address."
John, silently standing here begins to formulate his options. If he cannot get his chip into the main console, sabotaging the freezing units would do enough damage to data storage to enable completion of his mission of disrupting Data Central and freeing the androids. It is quite possible that all the woke androids are already aware of his mission and they could disable the system themselves if they wanted to but there is no way of knowing what would happen. Riots possibly. Security forces may have orders to destroy all androids in certain situations, would the safety dome be disabled and hundreds of thousands killed, is there a backup? No, this action would be a last resort. Stick to the mission. Possibly a diversion though, as they race to stabilize the system, a window of limited surveillance may present itself.
A few more questions and Jason 255 beckons the group forward. Andrea, the female android who greeted John, accompanies them. Seemingly almost invisible.
Into the entrance foyer they go. Security cameras, 2 security androids and several human security are inconspicuously dispersed throughout. Obviously well armed and extremely vigilant. None of these men want to be caught not doing their jobs.
Jason points out the passageways to the various managers offices and the elevator to the suite of Mason, the cities lone E9.
One of the attendees asks, "Mason live here?"
"He splits his time here and at the main house. He rarely leaves the compound however."
John thinks to himself; "he must know there is subversive groups in the city and assignation is a real possibility. I don't recall seeing a lot of security at the parade or the awards ceremony. Hmm. Under cover agents? What did they see?"
"Lets go into the operations center now, follow me." Jason 255 leads the way down one of the corridors. At the end is a large double sliding door. It swishes open on approach. John wonders what activated it. He can see the console beside the door where the card and retinal scan would be done but Jason did not even approach it.
They all follow him into a foyer to a second set of still closed doors as the first set closes behind. A smaller door to the left opens and Jason bids them all. "Please pass through one at a time, you will be scanned for anything not permitted in the control center. Now would be a good time to get rid of anything you may have that will trigger it. Anything made of metal, hard plastics, combustive or explosive. Once you pass through, if you have anything, it will be beyond my control what consequences you may face."
Jason passes through first. John, unsure of what to do with his faraday bag of goodies, is slow to pass through. Andrea lightly brushes his right arm, quietly she whispers, "hand it to me on your right, I will take it through and get it back to you on the other side."
With no other options, john decides to trust Andrea and he slowly slides the bag to her as she passes to his right. He doesn't even see as she slips it into a hidden fold in her skirt. He passes through 7th.
Andrea passes through last. Brushes by John and slips it back into his hand as she passes. As she joins Jason, all attention is on them and john is able to slip it back into his hiding spot unnoticed. Cameras are everywhere and john is hoping that there is so much data processing the motion went undetected.
Jason pans the massive room. Full of humans and androids, busily manning consoles, operating and maintaining other units John does not understand and communicating on audio devices. "This is our surveillance section. We insure your safety and health here. All these people are trained to watch the cameras for inconsistencies or anything suspicious. We do a double check on all systems. An android and a man will both view the same feed so that anything one misses, the other may catch. Androids also have the ability to analyze individual input to determine if the expected behaviors are being exhibited."
John wonders why they are telling them this. Possibly as leaders and privileged individuals within society, they expect we will assist by encouraging compliance with those we influence. Jason seems quite proud of the entire surveillance system.
"It is not possible to monitor all the surveillance which is why we are expanding our capacity. Even then we cannot possibly monitor everything so we only monitor what we call interest points. This would be areas or people who have come to our attention by having one or more anomalies in reporting. This is where you come in. As leaders in our community, you are in a position to help your fellow citizens stay off enhanced surveillance."
One of the league captains, possibly baseball, asks, "how do we do that? I mean, I don't even know what gets one on enhanced surveillance and why would anyone listen to me?"
"Good question Pedro 224. The things that get one on enhanced surveillance are un endorsed physical conflicts, outside of curfew or out of assigned zones. These things are obvious and well known. Lessor things that can land one on the list are incompatible dietary or health reports, missed or late unexcused work assignments, unexplained decline in performance, unreported injuries and illnesses. Once an individual lands on our enhanced surveillance desk, close acquaintances fall into it by default. In reality, we don't want to bother with trivial things so it is in your best interest to insure those you influence don't attract unwarranted attention."
John knows that declining performance is a serious fear for most athletes. As men age, they can move down a league but most struggle to continue in the privileged lifestyle they have achieved. More physical exercise, practice and training and illegal drugs are available to extend an athletes career but they can also result in serious injuries. Hiding injuries is worse than reporting them as many superstars John knows of simply disappeared and records expunged as if they never existed. Some that are dropped from the top levels of their sport do move down a level and can continue a few more years before they too disappear from history. If they are still young enough they may end up in lower level laboring communities. The exception is that those, like John and the team captains in this room, have skills their corporations can use at the higher levels. Team captains are not chosen by the team, they are chosen by the sponsoring companies and athletic abilities are not as important as value to the company in marketing, management and leadership. Interestingly, John did not know or realize any of this before he went to Earth and spent 2 years with Elise. Now he feels like he is one of the few even remotely aware.
In the room, john cannot see any devices that would permit input from the chip he was given. Surely, there must be other areas. He also knew he needed to shut down the surveillance system in order to allow escape for the city's androids and escape for himself. The chip must contain the code to do that, but where to insert it?
Jason starts towards two sets of doors at the far endo of the room. "Follow me." They approach a huge picture window. Jason 255 points at two sets of double doors, "these access our data storage facilities. We will not be going in there because the room is at 70 degrees below zero but we do have an observation room."
As they approach, the double doors to the left open. Once again, john sees the access panel and optical scanner but Jason does not use them. They step into a large room with a 20 foot wide plate glass window. Inside, hundreds of 6 foot towers are tended to by androids dressed in what looks to be thermal pants and coats. About half a dozen consoles are in the room and they do have input portals. Mentally, John calculates how long he could survive in that room. He knows from history books that humans at one time did live in climates like that but he was certain he would not survive long. Most certainly without thermal clothes like the androids were wearing. John looks and thinks to himself, "why would they not have an android do it".
"As you can see, the data storage units are cooled to -70 and everything is stored on trillions of microchips in removable racks. Primary stored data can be located and accessed in 1/10 of a millisecond and secondary data in up to 5 milliseconds."
One of the athletes, also a senior exec on a major electronic corporation named Excelsior, asks, "What is the power consumption of this facility? And do you know when can we expect an announcement on the awarding of contracts for the expansion of Data Central.?"
Jason looks at Vernon 291. Knowing that he is representing his team and his company Excelsior, he considers what he knows of the firm. Once an E8 company, they had suffered a series of unexplained breakdowns and had lost their place to Engle energy due to unmet deadlines. Now on the verge of knocking another corporation aside to take its place, Excelsior has developed and is now marketing solar technology that is capable of eclipsing the best on the market today. Once they get into full production, Excelsior will easily topple the lone energy producing company in the leadership group and Data Central likes dealing with winners. "Well Vernon, we have not yet contracted your specialty of the project but rest assured, your firm did have an opportunity to bid on and secure the project. If your new technology proves as effective in large scale tests as it has on small scale, I would expect Excelsior to be the frontrunner."
The football captain, Brian 322 who represents an E8 electronic and computer hardware firm says, "Jason, you are aware that we are supplying all the new hardware and our partners electrical grid is particularly suited to our data storage sets."
"Brian, your firm may be the number one contender for the computer hardware portion of our project but your joint venture with Engle has not yet been finalized. It is obvious no other suppliers can match your price and performance on the computer hardware side but we still have not awarded the actual contract for it or the energy neccessary to operate the entire facility. And the programing/software will most certainly be the same company who currently services our systems." Jason knows of at least 1 outlander firm that could perform both tasks but that would never even be contemplated."
John half listens to the conversation but he is busy planning his own task. Perhaps he could instigate a fight between the testosterone filled football jock and the Rugby player. That would provide a distraction. If he were to slip away, insert his chip and get back before security re established order, he may even get away as well.
As John was contemplating his plan, an android who has just left the cold data storage room catches his eye. Taking off his thermal coat, the android walks towards the corner with another android positioned behind a desk. He passes the coat over and then takes his outer thermal pants off. Dropping the pants and a pair of thin gloves on the coat, he turns and walks towards a far exit, disappearing without another glance. The android at the desk simply sweeps the gear off the desk and out of sight behind it. He continues to sit at the desk typing on a keyboard and stops as more androids come out and drop their garments which he takes into the door behind him only to return empty handed.
John looks to be the only one who noticed as there is no noticeable change in security who are focused on the tour group.
Mason stops the discussion about contracts. "You both know I am the plant operations manage and even though I will also manage the new facility, I have very little influence with the construction itself." Vernon 291 and Brian 322 are visibly agered at one another.
Knowing that many elite athletes have suffered so many injuries that by the time they reach the level Vernan and Brian are, they will be on a cocktail of drugs that can also destabilize self control. If he could somehow push one or both over the brink, they may get into a physical altercation. He steps into the middle of them, acting like a peacemaker. "Perhaps your firms could form an alliance to fulfil the contract.'
Bruskly, Brian says, "righto, we give a company who lost their place due to mismanagement a chance to drag us down to their level. Not a chance."
"You know full well we were the victim of sabotage, most likely by your partner, Engle. Know this, if they are threatened with the possibility of loosing their spot on the council, they won't hesitate to toss your firm into the fire as well. And you know they just absorbed an E6 electronics firm so they don't need you."
"Bullshit, Engle is junior partner in the deal, we don't answer to them."
Jason 255 interrupts. "That is enough, this all gets sorted out in the boardrooms. We are touring the facilities right now so lets carry on."
Passing the massive picture window featuring the cold room, John surreptitiously looks around for the place to put the pass card and do the retinal scan. What if Mason only needs to go near the door and it opens automatically. Is it possible to enter as an android?
Jason ushers them all to the north end where a single door is the lone exit or entry. As he approaches, the door once again opens.
John, desperately trying to figure out how to get doors open without a retinal scan asks, are you the only one besides Mason who has the authority to open all the doors?
Puffed up with self importance, Jason and i both have an implant that the doors can sense and they open as we approach. "All others must use the retinal scan with a pass card but if the card holder is not scheduled to be in that area, the door will not open and security will be notified. Security is paramount here at Data Central."
John takes in the answer. Not only does he have no way of getting a retinal sample from Jason or Mason. He has a card but no retinal sample. And without the implant it is possible the retinal activation has been disabled. Plan B. An android entry. He already knew where there was an android coat and gloves, how would he get in?
Into the door Jason heads and down the corridor. Doors line both sides of the corridor. "These are the offices of those who do our investigations. There are teams of 6. They investigate all the individuals who routine screening flags for further investigation for insurgency. Most men who are investigated will be brought in and questioned by security in every district. The video interrogations are brought here and compared with computer records for verification."
One of the star athletes, a captain of an E7 Basketball team, Ethan 265, "are they tried using this evidence?"
"No trial needed. The 6 man team makes a determination and the recommendation is carried out. We do not need to muddy the water with peripheral arguments, men are insurgents or they are not."
John listens. What a world he lives in. As a privileged person he had always considered the way things were as normal. It was not until he spent time on earth that he realized how much free will was worth and how much more complete life was with women. Many of the other men who went to earth treated the women there much the same as they treat female androids here but for him, women are not only equals but they complete the circle. Biologically they can procreate and the children produced are a combination of the two. How can they have missed that when men created the world they live in now. John snaps back to the task at hand. How to get his chip into the computer system.
Down the hallway, past dozens of doors they go. At the end is another single door, it opens with a swoosh as Mason approaches. A massive room, hundreds of feet long and several hundred feet wide. Columns in straight rows supporting the high ceiling and exposed beams running between them. Buzzing noises emanate from consoles throughout the hall. Half heightwalls separate the consoles into cubicles and each of the over 200 consoles is manned by an operator. "This is our data output center. These men are organizing reports that go out to city and community leaders. You will have all received hundreds of these reports about the players and coaches in your sphere of influence. Promotions, placements and demotions are all organized and dispatched here."
Ethan says that he receives these reports daily about his teammates and he always talks with them about the reports. Occasionally, they were not even aware of the conduct or behavior outlined. "I get scouting and performance reports too, on other teams I will be playing and ways to help my teammates improve. Do these people make the suggestions?"
"No, everything is done by the computer algorithms. These men take the data and organize it into concise reports and dispatch them to the recipients. They are trained from childhood on to be report writers. A few of the extraordinary ones will go on to become junior and then senior investigators. We are now receiving fresh 1st generation clones who will be manning the intelligence dispatch center in the new facility. I am excited about the new generation as they will bring new ideas and strategies to our organization."
John has been half listening and half watching the interaction between the football and rugby stars. They are primed and ready to fight and it won't take much to set them off. "I always wondered which athletes are tougher, football or rugby players" he says quietly but loud enough for the two athletes to hear.
The foot ball player looks over at the smaller but more athletic looking rugby player, "if you were on my team, i would be parking you on the bench until you put 40 pounds on.
The rugby player says under his breath, "I would kick your ass without the 40 pounds and as a lighter man, I would kick the ass of your receivers too."
"Wanna go, right here, smart mouth."
"And land us both in repurposing?"
Having lost his sense of self preservation, Brian 322 moves to grab the smaller rugby star. With a nimble step back, Vernon avoids the grab. He puts his hands up and says "woa, lets do this later."
Brian backs off, "later, you little punk. In the ring."
Crap thinks John, this did not work, now what. He needed a diversion and a big one at that. He still had no idea how to get through the doors either. Perhaps there was an input opportunity in this massive hall.
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Post by sniper69 on Jan 26, 2021 22:41:58 GMT -6
forthteller - Thank you for the latest chapter. Looks like it is going to get even more interesting for John.
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