Phoenix Phire

"Or, more specifically, Origin's Relay." Syntax paused in a very life-like manner, drawing raised eyebrows from the rest of the group. Although many of her mannerisms seemed more copy than instinct, there were times when the budding AI nailed it. "The Relay will escape before I can alter the code."

Dex brought up the city map with a grimace. The implication of Kenji being a Relay made his heart pound. An AI was bad enough, but add to it the ability to move from place to place, and it could add up to a modern-day coup. "There are too many unanswered questions. What sort of limitations does it have? How long can it function? What are the effects on the host's body?" He rattled off the ideas running through his thoughts while scanning a map of Detroit.

"There!" Stiletto pointed to a long bridge that crossed the Detroit River.

Built in three sections, the Omaha Bridge was supported by steel girders on both ends anchored deep into the cement-laden pools excavated to serve as the base for an impressive engineering achievement. At two hundred meters in length, the stationary beginning and ends of the bridge were fifty meters long. The center section of the bridge pivoted and rotated a full ninety degrees counter-clockwise to open. As a result, cars on the bridge would enjoy a majestic view of the polluted river while ships passed safely beneath it.

Thumper moved the navigational platform to the bridge while Dex used his virtual interface to find Omaha's guidance system.

Stiletto peered over his shoulder, watching the deft movements of his fingers as he effortlessly bypassed bridge controls. "Wait until they get onto the center structure."

"I got something here!" Gadget spoke from the edge of the platform where he and Mongoose were examining the video feed they received from the Relay. The older hacker pointed at Kenji's image. "See this?"

Gadget zoomed in on a handbag that was belted to Kenji's hip. At first glance, there was nothing out of place about the bag. However, closer examination brought a sudden chill to the air. A close-up view from the back of Kenji's neck showed that something was jacked into the base of his skull. Moreover, that line extended downward into the bag strapped to his side. "That could be anything..."

"Maybe it's life support," Dex spoke without looking up, not aware that the group was staring.

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Gadget muttered a curse while nodding. Slightly dissatisfied that he hadn't come up with that. "You could be right. However, I think it's safe to say that Kenji has checked out. The procedure we discovered called for frontal lobe alteration."

Mongoose said something in Spanish while shaking his head in disgust. "He's been lobotomized."

Gadget nodded in agreement. "Pretty close, at least to the point where life-support is required. This is fucking... I don't know what to call it. Scary as shit? FUBAR?"

Mongoose suppressed a shiver. "So Kenji is a vegetable?"

Gadget shrugged slightly. "There's no way to say for sure outside of an examination. My best guess says yes."

Dex paused, taking a moment to check on the progress of the black SUV. "I know the data is scant, but we need to move forward with some sort of plan."

Gadget glanced at the rest of the group, waiting until they all looked up. "Make a statement, best guess so we can form a plan. Let's go around the circle."

Since Quicksilver wasn't present, Dex and Stiletto's recent gains put them in the driver's seat.

"I'll start off easy," Dex stated. "Kenji is a Relay, and we need to stop him here."

"More than that," Stiletto continued, "this is an opportunity to grab him."

Gadget pursed his lips slightly. "If Quicksilver were here, she could use her contacts to try and set something up. I don't think we can stage a quick-grab without her."

"Nova." Mongoose frowned when he said it. "Her Secret Service contacts might be able to round him up."

Thumper waited until the silence said it was her turn. "That puts Kenji in the hands of the Secret Service. Do we really want that?"

"It is possible that a detailed examination of Kenji may lead to the discovery of AI involvement." Syntax was the last to speak; her input was like a splash of cold water.

"Yeah... I'm against using Nova's people." Dex finished the discussion since it had come full circle. "I'm into the bridge controls; check Kenji's bag for any kind of interface."

Thumper stepped over the side of the platform and headed into the distance. It would be several more minutes before Kenji arrived at the bridge. Since they were all sharing audio and video PIPs with each other, she spoke aloud to no one in particular. "If this is Kenji's life support, then hacking it will definitely kill him. I wish Quicksilver were here."

Gadget and Mongoose both nodded without realizing it. Quicksilver was more hardened to the realities of the darker side of life than the rest of them.

"Don't worry; I'll do it," Dex spoke without looking up. He didn't like Kenji, but he considered this a mercy.

Dex gained control of the bridge's center section and used the T-6's PIP to check Thumper's progress. She was mirroring Kenji's movements, no more than a meter away from him. "Find something we can use?"

"Yes. Shit-poor design." Thumper tried to smile, but the sense of foreboding hanging over them prevented its development. "The signal is a direct line, so I can't touch it. Unfortunately, however, the power supply was left unsecured."

"Patching Quicksilver into our Audio feed." Although Syntax wasn't directly plugged into the T-6, she could interact with anything that accessed v-Earth.

"Contacting some friends of mine, they'll be on-site in an hour. Quicksilver jumped in like she was in the middle of a discussion; her friendly tone caused everyone to relax instantly. There was a slight pause in the feed like she was having a private chat on the side. "You okay with disconnecting him, Dex?"

"Yes," Dex replied quickly. "If this were to happen to me, I'd expect you to cut the cord."

"Me too, Partner."

"Coming up on the bridge, Dex." Thumper's PIP showed a close-up view of the inside of the black SUV. "Going to record everything that happens inside the vehicle once we start."

Dex already had control of the bridge's functions. V-Earth allowed him to access it directly, something that Origin couldn't do. Kenji would have to jack directly into the controls to override his hack. Unfortunately, that was impossible since the interface was on the far side of the bridge exit.

Bridge traffic was acceptable, bumper to bumper, but the traffic flow was about thirty miles per hour. The warning lights started flashing yellow just as the SUV moved into the center section. The edge barriers on the far side didn't engage until the closest vehicles exited the bridge.

"Got them." Dex received the green light for bridge control, and it set in motion with a sudden lurch.

"Kenji is speaking! Turning up the audio feed." Thumper focused her PIP on the human Relay.

"What is the problem?" Kenji's voice sounded familiar to Dex's ears, but there was something off about the delivery.

"The bridge is turning. We'll be delayed for a while. Nothing to worry about; it's bad luck on our part." The passenger who was seated next to the driver turned to address Kenji.

"No. This is deliberate. This avatar has been discovered." Kenji paused for a brief moment. "Silence the driver and then neutralize Kenji."

Dex's actions prevented any further discussion as he managed to hack the power supply. Kenji slumped forward as if his body had suddenly become boneless. "Holy shit..."

The inside of the vehicle suddenly became a battlefield. The driver responded to Kenji's words faster than his passenger; his huge fist impacted the man's temple before he could unholster his sidearm. The two struggled for several moments before the driver's initial action resulted in him ending the contest by wrenching his opponent's head to one side. The sudden crack of bone caused all of the Bottom Feeders to jump.

Thumper's feed showed the driver's pale face, his skin glistening with sweat. Then, a moment later, he bent forward and hurled onto the legs of his dead passenger. "Patching into his car."

Within seconds, her voice entered the audio system of the vehicle. "You can hear me?"

The man jumped slightly, staring at the car's speaker. He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve; although his appearance was brutish, his quick adaption to his situation indicated intelligence. "Yes. What do you want?"

"We know what Kenji is. If you cooperate, we can come to an agreement." Thumper's voice was soothing. "Let's exchange demands."

The driver nodded before arming himself with the sidearm his passenger had been carrying. "I just want to leave."

Thumper smiled despite herself; she was expecting a demand for money and perhaps free passage somewhere. "How about this? We'll get the bridge back online, and you park the car somewhere safe."

"Then I can go," the driver asked?

"Yes," Thumper replied. "Then you can go."

"Tell me where to park."