Espionage on six levels
Lyra moved to Marsh's prone body and Tally extended a cable. The cable slotted into a neural port at the back of Marsh's neck. And Tally went to work searching Marsh's cybernetic systems.
Jackie looked at the blue puddle pooling around the operative. She squatted over it and a thin Subaquilus tube extended from her ocular cybernetic unit. It touched the pool and drew in liquid. She stood and was somehow aware of the liquid moving through an isolated system within her ocular matrices for analysis.
"This operative has already deleted much from her internal banks. She has two back up systems and a centralized hub where all of her encrypted information is gathered and stored.
"Jackie your help is needed to dig deeper. Please connect through one of my ports."
Tally paused as the squad rotated comm channels.
"Our combined techniques will breakthrough her denfenses."
Jackie walked to Lyra and Tally connected directly into her neural net.
>Closed connection with AI Tally established. Protocol Firewall intrusion initiated.
>Update: Blue substance analyzed there is 99.98% surety that the substance is an experimental form of the narcotic Blue Dream. It has been laced with nanites made of the experimental substance Crysalite. Preliminary studies have shown that this can heighten neural activity to levels normal considered dangerous and cause neural connections that may allow for heightened perception and distorted thought. Individual can feel invincible or be easily manipulated. It is a 87.36% chance that this substance is addictive and could lead to death.
Jackie sent BDJ's analysis of The blue substance to the squad.
Dax sucked his teeth and shook his head, both Aiden and Lyra cursed. Mikael spoke into the squad comms.
"We are ordered to escort her back to her unit."
Dax nodded.
"Let them search her then. Secure her and let's get moving."
Both Jackie and Lyra reluctantly disengaged and Aiden and Mikael moved in. Adien pulled a nylon-subaquilus alloy cord from his upper thigh. Mikael took it as it – he heard Adien's system cut the cord and he used it to bind Marsh.
>There is a 77.68% chance that the nanites within the Blue Dream will be able to secure Operative Marsh's release.
>Update: protocol Firewall intrusion has penetrared Operative Marsh's firewall.
"I think the nanites in Blue Dream will make restraints ineffective commander."
Jackie informed Dax of her findings but Lyra beat her to telling him that BDJ got through the firewall.
"Jackie has broken through the firewall. We may as well she what she has."
"No. We are moving disengage."
"Yes commander." Both Lyra and Jackie disengaged as one and the Tally pulled in all her cables.
Tally sent schematics to all squad members and Jackie's 360-degree view enacted. Her ocular cybernetics began tracking heat and cybernetic signatures at a 100 meter radius.
The team moved quickly and stealthily. They were on a high catwalk mid level in the city when it happened. The city lights were bright in their eyes. A spark went off above them and Marsh jumped from the catwalk.
Dax, Aiden, and Mikael cursed. Mikael and Jackie jumped after her. They caught up with her rapidly and Marsh twisted in the air, her leg coming up and forming into a sleek blade that extended outward as she sliced towards Mikael.
She was too slow. Mikael shifted as his Serpent's Web shot out and pulled Marsh hard to the right. Jackie's cannon formed in less than a breath and two energy shots silently left forward and hit Marsh's blade.
Neon sparks plumed into the air and quickly dissipated as the three continued their controlled fall. Dax screamed into the squad encrypted comms - the sound scraping across their brains like a diamond across glass.
"Jackie and Mikael have here. We are out now! Get it together we get to the ground before those three do!
"I want to be there when that bitch splatters across the ground!"
No one responded they just moved. Aiden flipped over the side of the catwalk and began to climb down scaffolding, Sura walked off the catwalk and her thrusters began going off in controlled bursts. Lyra jumped and held Tally in her hand – the amorphous AI becoming a propeller type device that slowed her descent.
Dax went a similar route to Aiden's and began climbing down the scaffolding along side the buildings. All four of them descended quickly to the next level for below.
Marsh yelled out as the Serpent Web actually touched her skin, it sizzles and blackened and the metal of her cybernetics warped and blistered. She could not see the web so she could not avoid it and she continued to become more and more entwined in the micronetting.
Jackie moved below them, her cannon subtly altering, she shot pressurized air into Marsh's lower back and the double agent wad propelled upward into the Serpent Web. She yelled out as she was completely ensared – her blade leg slashing trying to severe the webbing.
As she slashed wildly she flew sideways and into the side of a building. Jackie winced at the sound of breaking bones and the screech of metal against metal.
Mikael quickly pulled back a now inert serpent web. He and Jackie righted and slowed.
Mikael sucked his teeth into the encrypted comms.
"She isn't slowing."
They helplessly watched her hit the black walkway. Jackie, Mikael, Dax, and Adien made it to the spot at the same time.
Marsh spit blood as she tried to move.
"Kill me Dax. You know them. They will find a way to use me."
"You work for them, why not continue your service."
"Damnit! I don't want to end up like Jack! You owe me for him Dax."
"It's because of him that I haven't stripped your cybernetics from you and watched you die. Now you want to die in his name."
Marsh coughed, blood sputtering from her mouth as she slowly began to choke.
"I need to be completely brain dead Dax." She spoke softly. She didn't beg – she spoke like a person who knew that they would get their way.
Dax turned away but his eyes flicked toward Jackie and Mikael.
Jackie shot Operative Marsh in the cerebral cortex without hesitation.
In a building high above the fortress island – in the opulent plateau city of Pase de Corazón, a multi-faceted black crystalline door slid opened and Dr. Patrick McGregor entered a plush office. He walked across a plush carpet with determined steps, his expression sever, his heart pounding in his chest.
He came to a large curving desk made out of a synthetic supple black wood that he himself helped to create. The desk had actually been a gift to his nephew.
Dr. McGregor looked at him now. Not sure what to say, how to being, or if he could even talk to this man that he had once loved so much.
Alexander Simms smiled broadly when he raised his head. His synthetic eye twinkled oddly in the dark. Alexander chose a hot pink tone instead of his natural sea green color and it often startled Dr. McGregor to see it.
"Uncle! You so rarely come to see me since I took over the family. Come let's talk." He stood, his smile broadening, and went to embrace his uncle.
Patrick McGregor gave a half-hearted nephew, patting his back as if placating the younger man.
"I need to speak to you Alexander."
"Fine! Fine! Of course! Sit, would you like a drink."
"No. Just a bit of your time."
Alexander paused, his head cocked slightly as he looked at his uncle and slid in a seat across from him.
"This sounds serious."
"It is. Alexander, why is the company going after my protège? Please do not deny it. My sensors picked up Orion's cybernetic signature. I know your watchdog and enforcer has been monitoring her."
Alexander Simms looked at his uncle for a long time, a soft smile playing across his lips. This man was an important pillar in his life and to see him this concerned for a Nexus Directive asset was rather intriguing.
He uncrowded his legs, then crossed the in the opposite direction, his eyes remaining focused on his uncle. He nodded when his uncle did not flinch or back peddle.
He exhaled. "She is a company asset. She was chosen to house the latest line of personal AI and neural net technology."
He shrugged nonchalantly at his uncle's shock.
"I am sorry uncle. These things are experimental…" He shrugged, fanned his palm and opened his arms wide. "…until they are not."
Patrick McGregor shot up from his seat, he opened and closed his mouth several times. Then he pursed his lips and side. "I thought… I thought better of you Alexander. I thought you would be better than both of them put together."
He looked down, his shoulders slumped, and slowly walked from the room. Alexander stopped himself from saying anything.
He wanted to comfort his uncle, he wanted to scream that he was better than his father and grandfather – but he couldn't.
Not even his precious uncle could know.
Alexander Simms rose from his seat and went to a far wall in the office. When he became president and head chairman of Nexus Directive he kept this office just for this space.
He pressed his synthetic eye to a slot, they pink iris slid to the side and a connector extended into the slot and an AI with BDJ's voice spoke.
>Main office of Alexander Simms now secure. There is no probable outside access and Operative Kieran of Cyborg Progress may initiate any transmissions.
"No transmission. Simply store information for later date.'
>Awaiting information.
"The Resistance Movement: Cyborg Progress, is funded by Operative Kieran. Find him. He will help you."
>Information saved.
"Wait until the predetermined moment and deliver it to Nexus Directive Asset 4986J."
Alexander Simms – Kieran – typed quickly and then entered his code.
>Understood. Information will be delivered as requested at specified time.
He disconnected from the link and a door slid open. Several syntho-skin suits, and specialized masks hung in with a room laced with sterilization gases and mists.
Alexander entered and took down the Kieran "skin".
He would need to go down to New Andes and make sure she had access. Yes, Kieran would give her access to Stratus Bastion. Alexander Simms needed to stay out of things for a bit longer.
End of Arc: Who is Kieran?