With the knowledge that Technica would help me, I could continue on my mental path to get Sophia back.
“We need to find them, in order to help Sophia. Can I link to your big computer downstairs, while you try to get approval, even if it is unlikely? Send them the footage, say that it was given to you by Metis, whatever is necessary.” I blurted out, while my mind was creating the basis of a plan.
Technica nodded and quickly showed me to a huge data-connection downstairs, next to another terminal. If I could use my nanites to directly connect with her system, good, if not, there was a terminal for me.
Luckily, I had grabbed all the nanites in either workshop, carrying them all inside me, so I had more than enough to let a tendril extend from the main-processing structure in me, the large cluster of nanites that had replaced my spinal cord and linked into my brain, and connect that tendril to the data-connection.
It took Galatea and me a moment to figure out how to interface with the supercomputer and how to make it do what we wanted. Once we had that figured out, I let myself slip into a trance, not trying to mull over some scientific concept but to figure out where Sophia had been taken. For that, I needed to process insane amounts of data while acquiring more, breaking firewalls to get at camera-recordings while at the same time trying to acquire camera-footage in the area they might currently be in. But, two and a half hours, by car, that covered an insane area to search through.
So, my approach was slightly different, instead of going after the footage from nearby the college, I used all the processing power I had at my fingertips, or rather, connected to the back of my head, and went to the biggest source of surveillance-data on the globe. The combined satellite-surveillance by the transatlantic partnership. In recent years, with the decline of the European Union, the partnership had been more and more US-centric and their satellite-surveillance had been mostly absorbed by the US-military.
Now, a determined Powered, aided by an AI was taking a serious run at their footage. Their firewalls to watch the footage were adequate but no match for Galatea and me, not in our current state. I did, however, take some extra precautions to make sure that the hack could not be traced to us.
Once I had their current footage, I dove in, searching for a single SUV of relative average colour and model. My personal processing power could not keep up with the demands of the supercomputer and I felt a tiny part of my mind tell Galatea that we needed more power. Images whirled through my mind, different SUVs in different locations, taking the locations and searching for cameras in the area, breaking through firewalls to look through those cameras, being disappointed because it was the wrong SUV.
My mind was screaming with the effort to process the amount of information and I felt something wet drip down my face but I pressed on, singularly focused on that one task. The connection, the shared, mental space, I had with Galatea dug deeper into my mind, allowing me to meld more and more with her, so I was able to process information even faster.
I felt as if my head would either burst or catch fire but my concentration did not waver. Finally, after a far too long search, I struck gold. An SUV of the right model was parked in front of a remote building, some sort of farm from the looks of it. When I looked for cameras in the area, I found one close to the crossroads where that SUV had to have left the main road.
It took me a moment to find out where that camera stored its data and break into the storage but once I saw the SUV leave the road, I was almost a hundred percent certain that it was my target, unless they had switched their license-plate or transferred Sophia to another car. I quickly expanded my search for cameras in the area and found only one more that could help me, a wildlife observation camera that allowed web-login but did not save what it was seeing, only live-streaming it. That camera was far away and its sight was partially obscured by foliage but it was better than nothing. With enough zooming, I was able to make out two more SUVs in front of the building.
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My mind was just slowing down when I heard a gasp in front of me. I could not really focus on that gasp, as my mind was not only slowing down but also registering a complaint about abuse of resources with a headache that could only be measured on the Richter-scale. For a brief moment, I contemplated slamming my hand against the wall, so that a different pain would distract me from the pain in my head. But, focus was slowly returning to me until my eyes showed more than vague shapes and I saw Technica standing there, now in armour but also looking decidedly pale. At the same time, a strangely sweet smell was tickling my nose and my mind registered more than just the pain in my head but also pain in all other parts of my body, mainly my neck and back. When the added pain hit, I could not suppress a pained moan.
“What on Earth have you done?!” Technica screamed.
“I found her.” I managed to squeeze out, despite the pain. Galatea was in a state similar to me, only that her pain was purely bleed-through from me but she managed to tell me what had happened. I had severely overclocked the nanites and managed to push them to the point that their normally incredibly efficient circuitry had produced waste-heat and quite a bit of it. I had not quite cooked myself from the inside but in the tissue around larger amounts of nanites, I had caused some severe damage.
In addition, I had instinctively done something similar to my own brain, apparently causing the headache I was feeling and the copious amounts of blood running down my face from my nose and eyes. There was even some bleeding from my ears making me suspect I had experienced something similar to a stroke.
“What, what are you talking about?” Technica asked, her voice worried and a little scared.
“I said I found her. I meant it, when I said I would do anything.” I squeezed out and, with a small groan, displayed the location I had found on the nearby terminal. That simple connection and operation took quite a bit out of me, my mind just wanted to fade away for a bit, but that would have to wait until we were on our way.
Technica obliged me and checked the map and started cursing.
“Dammit!” Her first reaction to the map was not positive, so I looked at the map again, not just treating the location as a set of positional data but considering the outside implications. The SUV had crossed one of the open, European borders and now a different powered organisation was responsible.
“Did they call us in? Or allow us to assist, however that is organised?” I asked, my voice still strained.
“I talked to both their Powered Association and the local police. Cathal, the local leader, would be happy to have us, but his hands are tied. Their Powered Association is only tapped for law enforcement if other Powered are involved or on request. The local police blew me off, not even interested in the information I had.” Technica was almost growling in anger as she explained. “But, it would not have mattered anyway, not if they crossed the border.”
“So, we go in on our own. We do not have time!” I stressed and tried to rise, cursing the ground below me for trying to dodge away from me. Why could it not hold still?
“You are in no condition…” Technica started, but I interrupted her.
“I will be, once we get there. They took her because of me, because of our connection. If we wait too long, they can prepare the unavoidable trap but if we hurry, we might be in time to strike before they can set it up.” Luckily, the wall helped me to stay on my feet, not dodging away like the stupid ground was still trying.
Technica sighed, a deep sigh that spoke of surrender. “We can take my copter, it has enough range. I will fly and you can rest until we get there.”
“Good. Give me a second.” I reconnected to the computer and left a present behind, once again placing my legacy with someone else, just in case something happened to me. Afterwards, my head hurt again, but I felt better, knowing that my debt to Technica would at least be partially repaid if I did not make it back. If we both failed, well, the Guild-council would undoubtedly check up on everything but I was quite sure that Technica alone could deal with anything they threw at her. She was, after all, a Guild Councillor.