Lee piloted the VLR a few meters above the surface of the calm ocean. Its rotors blasted a trail of spray behind them as the dark bulk of Benevolent 1 faded into the sun-bleached horizon.
“I hope I've done the right thing,” muttered Raymond under his breath.
“Raymond, Odetta.” Odetta introduced herself, hand extended.
Raymond shook her hand and felt an immense burden fall from his shoulders. He no longer had to pretend to be Rutger. For over two years he had kept his true identity hidden, playing the part of the thuggish mercenary, immersing himself in the vile character so thoroughly sometimes he forgot who he was. Now it was over, he could let his guard down. He felt lighter as if he had lost some physical weight. His head spun with his old personality resurfacing, full of questions.
Underlying everything was the distressing feeling he had abandoned his mission after two years of intense undercover work, just when he was getting close to Lago. “Odetta,” he said, shaking her hand awkwardly.
“What the fuck have we got ourselves into?” She asked looking at Lee.
Raymond shrugged and looked at their pilot, still naked, manipulating the VLR controls. They were gaining altitude, ascending into the bright blue cloudless skies. He had many questions, he asked the simplest one. “Where are we going?”
“We just flew over Easter Island; the factory ship was in the South Pacific heading for Santiago.”
Raymond realized he was still hearing Lee's voice telepathically. “Please, talk like a normal person, your voice in my head is too much at the moment.”
“Apologies,” Lee shouted out loud. “I thought we would head for Canada. We can meet with John and make plans. Black Robin has an extensive network in Canada. It’s a good place to hide.
“BPI will be after us, Lago will take this personally,” said Odetta.
“They have two VLRs in pursuit from Benevolent 1, but I can lose them.”
“Biggest corporation on the planet after us with the Masama itching for a fight. Is Canada the best option? We might lead them straight to Black Robin.” Raymond pointed out.
“We don't need to worry about that now; I have plans for when they get closer.” Lee did not elaborate.
Raymond looked at their pilot. Naked, pale and skinny. Black hair and black eyes. Frostbitten fingers and toes twitching on the VLR controls. He found a plastic poncho behind the seat and tossed it at Lee. “Only clothing we have I'm afraid.”
Lee looked down at himself as if only noticing his nudity for the first time. “Oh sorry, I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable. I may have the odd lapse when it comes to basic human niceties.” He glanced over his shoulder.
“I don't mind,” said Odetta. “Seen much worse.”
“Why is Lago this desperate to capture you, what exactly are you Lee?” Asked Raymond.
“I am still mostly biological, but a small piece of an artificial intelligence entered my bloodstream and saved my life. It was conceived inside the printer OS on the Moon, it’s called HEMI. More energy than mechanics, but it has made me stronger both physically and mentally. To what extent I am still not sure. I am yet to discover the range of my capabilities. Remember I am only a couple of days old. I suspect Lago intended to exploit my enhancements, turn me into a weapon of some kind.”
“Did you cause the Masama to attack each other?” asked Raymond.
“Yes, when I got close I found I could hack their telepathic network without them knowing it. I made them believe their companions were threats. They are used to reacting instinctively to the sensory information they receive telepathically they have neglected the senses they were born with, it was easy enough to trick them into fighting each other.”
“But Goran and Batac?” asked Odetta. “You could not get into their heads?”
“No. Goran is linked with the Masama, but I could not sense his thoughts at all. He has some sort of firewall mechanism. I don't know what it is. Batac, as you know, is not connected, I can see into his head, but he is like a wild animal, his brain is disjointed and unpredictable.”
“No argument there,” agreed Odetta.
“If you can control the Masama, why didn't you just have them attack and kill Lago?” asked Raymond.
Lee sighed and glanced back at them both. “When I was hanging from the rope above the ocean, witnessing the death and destruction of the Black Robin crew beneath me, I was devastated and furious - as you must have been. My human reaction was to strike back. A life for a life, an eye for an eye. But that is not the answer.”
“Oh, don't give me that crap!” Odetta spat. “Killing is not the answer... Lago is a monster! Getting rid of him and his asshole thugs would be doing the world a favour.”
“I have to agree,” said Raymond. “Killing Lago would make the world a better place; it's what we have been working towards for years.”
“I understand how you feel but you must look at the bigger picture. There will be another Lago, and another, then another dictator even worse than Lago and do we try to kill them all? Earth has suffered enough killing and enough wars. History has proven this endless cycle of violence and revenge does not work. It just makes us better and more efficient at killing each other. It turns us into our own worst enemies. Things have to change.”
“That is total bullshit!” Odetta gave her customary sneer. “Things have to change? How do you propose to get assholes like Lago to change? You should have killed him while you had the chance.”
“Wouldn't it be much more effective? For Lago to stop his polluting and exploitation? For him to use his power and wealth to help people and help the planet? With his resources and influence, we could pull it back from the brink of destruction. Think what an example that would be to the rest of the world, if a tyrant such as Lago can be transformed into a caring conscientious leader. He wanted to use me, now I intend to use him”
“Don't be ridiculous. He will never change; you don't know what you are talking about,” argued Odetta. “When he mowed down your friends with the harvester on the Moon, that was just him having a bit of fun, for his entertainment. He is a sick and twisted megalomaniac. You can’t change him.” She was angry and exasperated at their missed opportunity.
“I'm not talking about simply changing his mind; I'm talking about changing his mind,” said Lee.
There was silence in the cabin as Raymond digested this cryptic statement. Odetta shook her head and mumbled curses under her breath. They saw a land mass appearing ahead of them. “What’s ahead?” Raymond changed the subject. “Central America?”
“Panama, we will head North over the Caribbean then up the Eastern seaboard to Quebec.”
“So, you think you're somehow going make Lago change into a better person? What other superpowers do you have?” asked Odetta, voice heavy with sarcasm.
“I don't care if you believe me or not, but I know I am right. You are both free to do whatever you choose when we land. You are not indebted in any way. I appreciate your help and if you choose to stay by my side we will prevail, but you must trust me.”
Raymond and Odetta sat in silence exchanging frustrated looks. The tension was tangible. “Odetta,” said Raymond. “Was it also your mission to try to kill Lago?”
“No, I was originally part of Goran's crew. Recruited a long time ago in Mexico although I didn't have much choice at the time. Black Robin covertly approached me soon after and convinced me to spy on my new employer, give them warning of Masama activities and BPI projects. I'm not sure if my information was acted upon or not. But the longer I was there, the more I was trusted, the more valuable I became. I was supposed to be extracted before all this...” She gestured vaguely at Lee. “But then I was sent to the Moon and things started moving too fast.”
“How long have you been undercover?”
“Too fucking long, longer than I ever expected and long enough to know we should have killed Lago when we had the chance!” She said raising her voice and glaring at the back of Lee's head. “But I guess that opportunity is now long gone, no longer our problem.”
“We might get another chance,” muttered Raymond. “You are telepathically linked, right? How did you keep your identity secret?”
“The implanted transmitter is only linked to specific parts of the brain. The sensory cortex, motor cortex the frontal lobe, cerebellum... I forget what else. It only utilizes those areas involved with the senses, and muscle movements. The rest of your brain, the bits that look after memories, emotions, and reasoning are not connected to the transmitter.”
“I was due for an implant; I thought they would read my mind and blow my cover.” Raymond looked out at the narrow isthmus below. Panama, the thin thread of land connecting two continents passed beneath them.
“I was connected all the time, but I was never worried about them finding my secrets, when we were operating as a team, telepathically, that was all there was. There were no emotions, no memories. I forgot who I was when I was operating on that level and some of them are that deep all the time. The Masama are... I don't know how to put it. Batac was right; they are turning into something not entirely human. They just do not use those emotional parts of the brain anymore; they think they are far superior to your average human. They treat anyone not on their telepathic wavelength with scorn and contempt. They are living in their own world most of the time.”
“Well put Odetta,” interrupted Lee. “They are living in their own world and they are becoming less human because they are not using parts of the brain that make us human. It is pure reaction to stimulation, biomechanics and risk-reward. When I tapped into their telepathic network it was like machine code, no reasoning, no emotion.”
“Tell me about it, dullest bunch of bastards I have ever come across, but when you are operating permanently in their structured telepathic world you don't know any different, you don't know what you are missing.”
“But I saw some of them smirking at Goran's new optical field,” said Raymond. “That looked as if it could be humour.”
“No just vanity; they are extremely narcissistic, and competitive. Obsessed with their own bodies, augments, and improvements. They spend all their spare time masturbating over weapon attachments. Goran does look ridiculous though.”
“They are becoming more dangerous,” said Lee. “That sort of collective conscious acting on instinct alone has the potential to spiral out of control. It may only be a matter of time before they decide they don't want to take orders from Lago. Could be dangerous for him as well as society at large.”
“I think they need orders, they need some sort of direction and they enjoy the work Lago gives them,” said Odetta.
“But you tapped into their telepathic link Lee, you can control them,” said Raymond.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Only when they are close enough, and only by fooling their senses. I don't think I could control them all, I don't think I would want to.”
“Do you remember much of your life before you were infected with this AI, Lee?” asked Raymond. “Did you always have such a holistic view?”
“I don't see myself as infected and yes, I remember everything better than ever. I am still basically the same person - it's just that now I have instant access to the planet's entire database. I have the planet's knowledge, its recorded memories, as well as my own, and I seem to have unlimited brain capacity to digest it all.”
“Well good for you, I hope your huge brain has filters. There is a hell of a lot of bullshit bogus information out there,” said Odetta.
“I have had an incredibly well-developed sense of scepticism all my life and a healthy mistrust of everyone.” Lee gave a smile. “But to answer your question, my old life was unambitious and uninteresting. I was one of the most boring people on Earth and the Moon. The most fun I had was on my own, standing on the surface of the Moon, trying to see the stars, wondering what I was looking at.”
“And now you are going to try to change the world,” said Odetta.
“Yes, speaking of which,” interjected Raymond, “what are your plans, Lee? What do you intend to do when you meet the Black Robin people?”
“Ah, yes, well, hold on a minute... we have company. The two VLRs are gaining.” Lee was studying the radar graphic. “I think I will try to lose them in Miami.”
Lee banked the VLR, swooping lower towards the sparkling ocean below. They had just passed over Cuba and could see the long string of swampy mangroves that made up the Florida Keys. The islands were like a discarded trail of litter left behind by the mainland. It was a hot and sticky westerly wind in the Gulf of Mexico. Raymond watched the turquoise ocean zoom past fifty meters below as they sped towards the Straits of Florida.
“Two missiles launched, ETA eight seconds.” Lee was calm as if he was doing a weather report.
Raymond looked back but could not see the missiles or the pursuing aircraft. A tense eight seconds ticked passed with Raymond expecting to be roasted alive in an explosive fireball any second. Nothing happened. “What happened to the missiles?”
“I had to let them get close before I could hack into their operating system and send them into the sea.”
“How close?”
“About sixteen meters, same as the Masama. That seems to be about my range.”
“Sixteen meters is a bit close for comfort.”
“Four more missiles launched, this time I will try to send them back where they came from, see if that will deter our pursuers at all.”
Raymond peered helplessly behind again but could see nothing but clear blue sky. The missiles were travelling too fast. Anxious seconds went by before he asked, “What happened?”
“I turned them around and sent them on a course to narrowly miss our chaperons, the missiles flew down each side of the VLR fuselage then exploded, missing by about twenty centimetres.”
“Should put them off.”
“No, they are still following, matching our speed, waiting to see where we go.”
They banked east and hugged the coastline as the long thin string of islands grew more substantial and turned into a solid looking landmass. Raymond could see waves crashing on the golden shore below as they screamed overhead. Lee then banked west heading inland and he could see the skyscrapers of Miami looming ahead to the East. Still impressive, proudly glinting in the sunlight all these years after being abandoned. Rusted rooftops and caved in warehouses zipped past beneath them. The rotors whipped up spray from the stagnant brown water below.
Raymond watched Lee push the VLR faster and lower, narrowly missing the twisted antennas and battered satellite dishes protruding from the empty buildings. The buildings grew in height as they neared the city centre and Lee was now flying straight down the middle of submerged avenues and boulevards. They had fleeting glimpses of the carcasses of gutted apartment buildings on either side as they flew around corners, banking sharply with each turn, sending flocks of angry seagulls spiralling into the air.
“Where are they?” asked Raymond.
“Close, we will lose them in the city centre, strap yourselves in please.”
They turned into a long straight, lined on either side with the crumbling facades of old art-deco buildings. The dirty brown salt water was eating away at the foundations of these once grand old buildings. A few had collapsed creating islands of rubble covered in guano.
Raymond caught glimpses of the VLRs bristling with weaponry, one right behind and the other above. Lee banked hard right towards the looming skyscrapers of the old city centre. They zoomed past the empty office buildings, dark towers of rusted steel and tainted concrete, all the glass and prefabs long since smashed and rotted, leaving only rusty red metal skeletons. Lee accelerated hard out of each corner coming within centimeters of the hollow buildings. Raymond strained against his seatbelt, fighting for equilibrium as Lee hurled the VLR into another sharp turn, then another. Lee sat unmoving and upright as if he was bolted to the seat. His flimsy poncho flapped around him.
“Credit to this pilot, they are keeping up with us,” he muttered.
They entered a narrow cavernous street, rusting skyscrapers on either side and a grey concrete mountain at the end. Lee accelerated hard and straight towards the huge concrete building. Raymond closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, at the last second before impact, Lee pulled the protesting VLR up in a stomach-churning vertical climb. The fuselage gave off showers of sparks as they lightly kissed the concrete. Lee battled with the VLR controls, holding the craft in a vertiginous high-speed loop as it sped up and over. They flattened out upside down just in time to see the pursuing aircraft beneath them. One was following at enough distance to avoid smashing into the building. The other pulled up hard attempting the same manoeuvre as Lee.
The pursuing VLR almost made the steep climb, flying vertically up the side of the building. Close enough to rip away the missiles and weapon mounts on its underside in an explosion of sparks. It hugged the side of the building, bouncing off the surface and scraping its way to the top where it caught and twisted, smashing into the top floor. A spinning rotor blade broke free and ricocheted towards them at blinding speed. Before Raymond could even yell a warning, Lee wrenched the controls, but the blade smacked into the side of their VLR taking out one of the rotors. The wrecked VLR lost all momentum as its engines failed and it began falling back down the side of the skyscraper. It hit the shallow water below, landing upside down with a huge steaming splash.
Lee righted their crippled VLR and zoomed away, the remaining three rotors screamed as he wrestled with the controls. He executed another series of sickening twists and turns and wove a convoluted path through the watery streets of the old central city. The other pursuing VLR had lost its velocity and was now nowhere to be seen. Lee found a stable enough rooftop just above the waterline that was partly concealed by an old motorway flyover. He gently landed the VLR and powered down.
“They won’t expect us to stop, we will wait here for a minute and inspect the damage.”
The sun was setting in the west casting dark shadows across the waterways. Between the misshapen buildings, the sinking sun shone dark crimson on the dirty water reflecting a dramatic judgmental sunset. Raymond watched Lee try to repair their VLR. It did not appear to be badly damaged; one rotor blade was bent out of shape but not irreparable. “I can fix this,” said Lee.
A large black crow launched from its vantage point on the flyover. Its ragged squawking bounced off the surrounding buildings, echoing down the street. Seabirds watched from their nests, perched in crumbling window frames. Their dried guano caked down the building frontages looked to be the only thing holding them together. Raymond sat in the bizarrely peaceful red Miami dusk. “Raised sea levels are bad for humans but good for the bird life.”
“I guess they are a bit more adaptable than us,” said Odetta.
“No reason why we can't adapt too,” said Lee from underneath the VLR. “I think we’re going to have to, adapt or die.”
Odetta sat down next to Raymond as Lee continued. “There are some fringe communities here in Miami trying to adjust, living on the water, raising fish in sea cages. They are adapting although they are not at the top of the food chain anymore. The crocodiles and the alligators have also adapted to their environment.”
Raymond nervously looked around at the dark water that surrounded them.
“That should do it,” said Lee emerging from under their VLR. He had physically bent the rotor blade back into shape. “Also, I thought it might be time to give John a call.” Lee climbed into the VLR and adjusted the comms until he had a signal. Raymond watched him close his eyes for a second then activate the microphone.
“Hello,” John's filtered voice came through. “Lee is that you?”
“Yes, we are in Miami. I am with your colleagues Raymond and Odetta.”
“So, first you lead BPI Masama directly to the rendezvous point in the Antarctic, resulting in the deaths of twenty-eight Black Robin people, now you have abducted my two best undercover operatives who were working their way closer to our objective. Blown their cover, endangered their lives too, and I suppose you want to be rescued?” yelled John through the tinny speaker.
“I am sorry for the deaths, there was no way I could have arrived on Earth undetected, but I won’t make excuses. We need to meet.”
“I should let you rot there but I need my people back.”
Raymond had been scanning the broken cityscape, the last rays of washed out sunlight painting the buildings pink. He detected the movement just in time. “Incoming!” he screamed as the missile bore down on them.
There was a high-pitched screaming noise, Raymond and Odetta jumped clear of the VLR an instant before it was engulfed in a ferocious ball of flame. They flung themselves off the rooftop, the blast just searing them before they hit the shallow water and disappeared underneath. Raymond re-surfaced just in time to see the flaming body of Lee flying through the air. The thin poncho he had been wearing was ablaze and his head was on fire as he flew off the rooftop and into the water where he disappeared in a cloud of steam and sizzling noise.
The water was only head high but there was rubble and twisted metal underneath. The rooftop where they had been standing had been partially destroyed and the VLR fuselage had disappeared altogether, blown into pieces of steaming metal that sunk beneath the dark waters. Raymond looked around through the dissipating smoke as he found his footing but could not see the other VLR. It would not be far away. Odetta's head surfaced from the brackish water unscathed. They both looked around for Lee. Eventually, his head popped up, or what was left of it. The side of his face had been burnt badly. The skin around his eye socket and cheekbone had been cooked away exposing bone underneath. His cheek was ragged and bloody revealing his teeth behind the blisters and cauterized flesh. All the hair on his head had been burnt away and there was steam rising from his scalp as the water evaporated making him look like a skinny skeletal puppet from hell.
He smiled a rictus grin. “Thatsh wash closhe.”
They stumbled around in the water, working their way closer to each other for no other reason than to offer comfort. Odetta was close enough to get a good view of Lee's ruined face. “Fuck,” was all she could say.
“Just a flesh wound.”
'Not much flesh left. Well we are totally fucked now,” said Odetta as the drone of the approaching VLR grew louder.
Raymond wondered just how badly Lee was burnt below the water level. He didn't seem to be in any discomfort. As they got closer Raymond noticed the huge blisters on his scalp receding and the fried skin on the edges of his gaping wounds creepily regenerating. “You're growing your skin back!”
“Might as well not bother,” muttered Odetta. “These bastards will want to finish us off.”
The VLR slowly appeared from behind a building a block away, approaching warily. Like a disgruntled blowfly, the black shape was silhouetted against the pale orange and mauve evening sky, framed by the surrounding buildings.
“They must know exactly where we are, why don't they open fire?” Odetta wondered aloud. “Surely they are not still planning on taking Lee alive.”
“They are probably getting instructions from Lago. They have gone to a lot of trouble to capture him,” said Raymond. “Us, on the other hand...”
The VLR hovered, stationary. Either still deciding what to do or just taking their time, toying with their prey. There was a splashing sound in the dark shallows and Odetta looked around in a panic. “What were you were saying about alligators?”
They waited for their fate, silent in the water, the light dying around them. Just when it seemed as if the VLR might have decided to leave them to the local predators, a flurry of dark objects flew across their field of vision toward the machine. At first, Raymond thought it must be a flock of big crows but some of the objects connected, resulting in dull clanging and smashing noises. The VLR had been hit by something solid and struggled to right itself after the unexpected attack. Then another flurry of projectiles looped into it, accurate this time, producing multiple hits. The VLR spun out of control, cockpit smashed and smoke billowing from its fuselage. It gyrated wildly, crunching into the side of a building sixty meters high. It fell in a tangled, screeching heap to the watery street below, landing with a muffled crash in the shallow water.
“What the fuck just happened!” yelled Odetta.
“Did you have anything to do with that Lee?” asked Raymond.
“Abhsolutely not, If I didn't know better I would shay there ish shome shelestial being watching over ush,” bits of bloodied skin caught in his teeth.
Raymond noticed the burnt skin was regrowing amazingly quickly, but Lee still had a ragged hole in the side of his face. The poncho had been vaporized in the blast leaving nothing but a scorched ring around his neck.
The city fell quiet as the destroyed VLR settled into a pile of creaking twisted metal at the base of the building, causing a ring of small waves in the surrounding water. There didn't appear to be any survivors. Another splash from behind prompted them to wade quickly to the remains of rubble still above water level and clamber up. Then further splashes as something big went to investigate the crashed ship. They stood there dripping in silence as the last vestiges of a deep red sunset disappeared, plunging them into darkness.
After a few moments, a faint light appeared just above the tranquil surface of the water where the wrecked ship lay. The light seemed to hover above the water, casting golden reflections on the surface. It was moving toward them. As the light got closer they heard soft splashing sounds. They remained silent, transfixed on the light. Raymond had no idea what was approaching them. As the splashing sound grew louder, a hazy illuminated shape materialized out of the darkness. A man was standing upright in a small wooden dingy. He had a long wooden pole and was propelling the dingy through the water towards them. The light was coming from a burning candle in a glass jar at the bow. The man was dressed in a dirty robe that may have once been a bed sheet. He had unkempt grey hair flowing over his shoulders. A begrimed black and grey beard bristled around his open mouth, which revealed a few yellow teeth within. He held the pole out in front of him, cushioning the impact as the dingy made contact with the concrete they were standing on. His unblinking eyes stared madly at them; his expression of confusion mirroring those of Raymond and his companions staring back.