Symbiota Sapiens - 22. Chapter 22

"These predictions are troubling." There was no image, only the voice. Damion.

"What do you think they mean? Do they even matter?" That was the woman, his
girlfriend talking.

"I don't know. The digital prophecies are...vague and strange but they always
matter. If they really apply. The trick is actually understanding what they mean
before they come true."

"That seems the norm for all prophecies."

"Yes. But especially these. They're already built on vague glimpses of the
future, but they're deliberately muddled so that people won't be able to prevent them
from happening. Or, even, sometimes to make things happen."

"And you think they might be talking about this boy?"

"Maybe. His brother certainly seems to think so. My god, that program he built
to catalogue them is a piece of work. Should look into something like it on a grander
scale to match them to more than just one person. Though, I think this program has a
lot of false matches. I mean, okay, the runner and the warrior fits. But...this...
invader of the melding of the minds? And worse, the bits about union and slavery, it
doesn't make any sense."

"Perhaps some of it is important and other parts aren't. But does any of it
have to do with you?"

"Maybe. He's my prisoner. Perhaps that's what the bondage is about. Except,
he's supposed to fulfill some of these predictions before he ever gets free. The joining
of the old and the new. Which could mean anything, really. But the prophecies seem to
think it's very important."

"Well, maybe the bondage isn't just this imprisonment. You said it mentioned
slavery. You implanted him didn't you? Only...it is only the first part, the watching."

"Well..."

"Damion, you didn't!"

"The virus and the attack on the mansion had me worried. This Jeremey is very
clever. Scarily so for one so young...and now he has an Elder with him. I need
leverage."

"But you wanted him to become your ally, later on! And you alienate him this
way?"

"I need to have some hold over him. I didn't plan to actually use the boy that
way. Only...to have Jeremey know that I can if I choose to. If he crosses me."

"If he has outmaneuvered you even slightly only a week after his change, he
will destroy you when he is older. When he comes into his Powers."

"But, you will be attached to him my dear. I've already completed the program
that will allow him to turn you, and it contains a virus that will make him besotted
with you. And you are besotted with me. So, you won't let him destroy me."

"But I thought you didn't believe I truly-"

"I have my doubts. But I want it to be true. If it's not...well...I'll take the
risk just in case you do."

A pause.

"You know just what to say to me, don't you?"

"I'm a very evil man. Devilishly so."

"Handsome too."

"If you say so, my lovely."

There was the sound of smacking lips.

"Oh, you. Stop that! What are you going to do about the boy? And the prophecy?"

"Well, obviously he's going to figure out a way around his implants at some
point. Perhaps the Elders will make him a Guardian, since he is so important in the
digital prophecies."

"Would that reverse the process?"

"I don't know. None of them have ever been turned after the process had began."

"I hope it does. It's not good to have someone as important at that under your
thumb, no matter what you might think. He'll eventually get lose, we know that. At
least he doesn't seem the vengeful type."

"No. But his brother is."

"Yes. You really shouldn't have done that. If these are true, well...you might
have made yourself a lifelong enemy. And if you have...I'm afraid you might end up
on the losing end of these prophecies."

"The prophecies always have more than one possible meaning. I just have to find
a way to make sure that they come true in a way that works to my advantage."

"Easier said than done."

"Yes. But it can be done. Don't worry, I've been handling things like this for
centuries."

"The Elder has been doing it for longer."

"Yes. But he has to play by the rules."

"I worry."

“Of course you do. Even though you know I don’t play by the rules. That’s why I
love you.”

There was another wet kissing noise..

“Damion, oh! Must you?”

“Yes, I must!”

There were more smacking sounds.

“Oh, you...man! OH! Alright, fine then! We’ll just...there, okay, yes.”

I tuned out the rest.

[[[ End italics ]]]

:The virus is starting to work.: I informed Rom.

::Anything?::

:I don’t know where they are yet. I could only hear. Maybe that will improve as
the virus builds its network. But Damion’s unnerved by the prophecy. And...he’s turned
Julian second-stage. Or initiated it, at least.:

::I’m sorry. Are you upset?::

:A bit. Knowing it’s not going to be permanent helps. But his girlfriend is
damn right about one thing. I’m going to fucking well the vengeful type.:

::Keep it hidden. Revenge is best over the long term. Damion wants you as an ally.
Best make use of that. You can afford to play a game measured in centuries, remember.::

:Yeah. And I guess it’s time for the opening move, isn’t it?:

::Are you going to contact him now?::

:Yes. He should be getting to the more enjoyable part of bedtime now. I think
I’ll start my revenge by interrupting at a crucial moment.:

::How petty.:: Rom sounded amused.

:You have no idea. I’m not getting laid because of him. He’s not going to get
any either if I can help it.:

::Don’t make a habit of it. You don’t want to give away your source of
information for so small a price.::

:No. Just this once.:

::Good luck. I’ll take the opportunity to get in contact with David about
Elena.::

:Cool.: I closed the connection to Rom.

:Kid, you still have Damion’s contact information?:

::Of course. Should we give him a call?::

:Yes. Make sure it’s jarring in it’s urgency.:

::Oh, I think I can do that!:: The AI smirked into my head.

A moment later I felt Damion’s smooth voice insinuating itself into my
consciousness.

::Ah, young Jeremey. I was hoping you would take up my offer once you’d had
time to think on the benefits available to you.:: He sounded composed and suave.
Still...just a tiny edge of irritation at the corners of his voice. Maybe wishful
thinking.

:Oh. Yeah. Um...well I’m not ready to just jump in at this point. But...I’ve
gotten into something of a situation and I need some help. And...I really don’t trust
the brotherhood of guardians. Especially with this.:

::In trouble already? You’re barely a week old! You aren’t under suspicion by
the mortal authorities are you? Surely your AI can at least manage a suitable
identity...::

:No, nothing with them. It’s...there’s an immortal. A really old one, I think.
He’s got zombies all over the place in New York and here in Boston. Normal people
he’s controlling somehow. And he’s got Julian.:

::I’ve heard something of this. Rumors. A reprogramming of the Esseren that
makes them build things in mortals to control them. Impossible though, the programming
is quite solid, the Esseren won’t work outside the host.::

:No. He modified Caretakers to do it. Redefined what they see as a “healthy”
human being so that they build this stuff inside them. I don’t know how he distributes
it. Maybe a drug. He got Julian with a needle...look, this is off the point. Can you
help me?:

::Information for information, Jeremey. Nothing is free in this world.:: Damion
chided.

:Sorry. Well the rumors are true at least. I've had my AI do some analysis of
the whole thing, software and hardware. Julian helped.:

::Your brother? How could he help?:: Damion asked, bemused.

:He's not just some stupid mortal you know. He figured out how to talk to the
AI and they're quite a team, actually.:

::I see. Your brother...and the AI.::

Damion sounded shaken. Good, let him think on that. Joining of old and new, indeed.
Now to play my part as the desperate child begging for help.

:Yes. Look, I have all sorts of information. Even blueprints of the implants, how
they work, how they're built, the modifications to the Caretakers. Modifications that
will allow you to detect them. They're there in New York too, that's where we first
ran into the godfather.:

::You should have sought advice on this from someone older than you as soon as you
discovered it.:: Damion told me sternly. Ah, the inevitable probe. He wanted to know
about Rom.

:Well. Actually we kind of ran into someone by accident, in New York. He's smart
but he's a little kid. Though I guess he's ancient too. Weird. He's helped out some but...
I'm not sure I trust him. He showed up at a really convenient time...:

::Coincidences are always suspicious.:: Damion said approvingly. I ignored the
hint of condescension in his tone.

:So. I'm asking for help. I'll give you all the information I've got on this if
you'll help me get Julian back.:

::I see. Well. This is a serious problem. I can't just ignore it. I'm not going
to get overly involved though. Whoever is behind this sounds very advanced. I prefer to
know my enemies before they know me. But there are ways to find people. I'll see what
I can do.::

:I'm on a time limit. He wants to trade in less than a week.: I told him.

::Trade? What does he want?::

:I haven't taken an attachment yet. He has someone picked out he wants to be made
immortal.:

::Oh. That would be tricky. It has to be something you actually want to do.::

:Yeah. I suppose he's worked out a way around that somehow.:

::Very well. A week then. I'll see what I can find out.::

:Thank you.:

::You'll owe me.:: Damion corrected me.

:Yes.:

The connection closed.

::I think you're getting good at that.:: The Kid told me.

:At what?:

::That. The way you handled him. And how you gave him just enough information to
work in your favor and put him off balance, but not enough to be useful to him at all.::

:Oh. Thanks. I guess I'm learning to be manipulative.:

::Well. About time you caught up with us.::

:Us?:

::Julian. Me.::

:Oh. Yeah. You are aren't you?:

::You love it.::

:I love it when Julian is. And I suspect that's just because I love everything he
does anyways. You...I still say you're supposed to just do what I tell you to.:

::Oh I do. In my own way.::

:Right.: I snorted in disgust.

A few minutes Rom returned to the apartment.

"We have a safehouse. Let's go." Was all he said.

"Let me grab Julian's laptop." I slipped it into its bag and followed him outside
to a taxi.

"You've got to be kidding." At least the driver wasn't an autonoid. But this didn't
seem smart at all.

"Trust me." was all Rom said.

The taxi took us to a hotel in the center of town, where we checked in under a false
name.

:This is our safehouse?:

::No. This is for the FBI agents that followed us here.::

:Fuck! I've been so distracted with intrigue I haven't been paying attention to
the area.:

::Don't worry. They're not the threat you were looking for. Just mortals. They're
interested in the incident with the autonoid army when they took Julian.::

:They're still a danger.:

::A minor one. Your AI noticed, I noticed. We compared notes and came up with a
plan to counter it. Not important.::

:Okay. So we're not staying at the hotel.:

::No.::

We walked up to our room and Rom led the way to the window. We made our way along
the side of the building, some eight stories from the ground, until we reached a
maintenance scaffold on the other side of the building.

Once on the ground, Rom calmly led the way to where cars were parked. A brief burst
of radio waves and a chirruping sound indicated a keyless entry activating on a nearby
minivan. Rom checked the meter.

"An hour and thirty-two minutes left. This will do."

We climbed in and Rom had it running in seconds.

"Now where?"

"Second layer of subterfuge."

"So there were autonoids."

"No. More mortals. But not FBI. Someone else. People who know what they're spying
on."

"You mean they know about...us?"

"That we exist, certainly. What exactly we are, what we are doing...probably not.
But there have always been some small group of mortals that are aware of us on some
level. And, naturally, want to know more."

"Don't you think we should...know more about them? I mean, mortals knowing, it's
dangerous. They could tell others."

"These secret societies and agencies and organizations thrive on knowing secrets
nobody else knows. They aren't likely to tell. Especially when their knowledge is so
limited. No. They will wait in the shadows hoping to catch glimpses. Going after them
would only give them more information and make them truly dangerous."

"So I guess these people will be harder to lose."

"Oh yes. They'll be using full satelite coverage. As well as cameras hidden all
through the city."

"Fuck. So...how do we get away?"

"We only need to lose them long enough to change our appearance."

"Oh yeah. Okay...what do we do?"

"Nothing particularly subtle. We get where the satalites can't see us, then we
disable their cameras."

"The tunnel."

"Right on the first try. Don't worry, this is planned down to the last detail."

We drove slowly towards the tunnel. Once we were underneath it was simple. Rom
pointed out the six nearest surveilance devices to me.

"What should we do?"

"Electromagnetic spike."

"How?"

"Your standard transmitter is versatile enough to do it. It's capable of pretty
high output. Just overwhelm it on every frequency, and keep doing it until we're done."

"Okay."

"Wait a minute. This has to be timed just right...ok. Now."

I targeted the six cameras in my mind and, with some help from the AI, figured out
just what Rom was talking about. A moment later, six narrow signal beams were aimed at
each camera, flooding them with static energy that would make everything they picked up
turn into "snow" and white noise.

"They're down."

Rom slammed the brakes on the minivan, and immediately set off a chain-reaction of
rear-end collisions behind us. The oncoming traffic immediately slowed, seeing the pileup.

Rom leapt out the door and jumped across to a utility truck with the logo of a cable
company on the side. Some odd energy coming from him momentarily flashed outward and I saw
the motorists nearby seemed to be briefly stunned. We both quickly changed our appearance,
and with a jerk of the handle we were inside the rear of the truck.

"Wait a moment..." Rom cautioned, and then the van started moving again. We waited
another second to verify that traffic had once again resumed movement.

"Okay, turn it off."

I ceased jamming the cameras.

Rom dug into a couple crates and came up with a worn-looking cable-company hat,
a small toolbox, and a large spindle of cable wire.

"What the hell?"

Rom handed me the company hat and nodded as I put it on my head.

"Disguise."

Minutes later we were cruising down a residential neighborhood, and eventually we
pulled to a stop outside a non-descript house. Rom opened the side door of the van before
the driver could get out, and convincingly struggled to haul the spindle of cable out
the opening and up towards the side of the house.

I followed, the toolkit tucked under my arm.

The cable guy rounded the car and saw us there.

::Make him think we're his co-workers.::

:I'm not stupid, I figured that out.:

"Hey, John, right?" I read the nametag.

"Yeah. What you doing here?"

"We ran out of mainline. Thanks." I nodded at the spindle Rom was still wrestling
with.

"I was supposed to do an installation..."

"Uh, no man. We're in the middle of it. We called for someone to bring us more
cable."

"No...right here, see? Installation and setup." John showed me the work order form
on a clipboard.

"Hmm. Looks like some communications got crossed. It was just supposed to be a quick
delivery...sorry you got stuck coming out here. If you want you can finish it." I offered.

He hesitated, then shook his head.

"That's okay. You guys have already started. I'll just...take a break and get going
on the next job."

"No problem." I said.

He nodded at me and headed back to the truck.

::Help me with this.::

I turned and helped Rom wrestle the spindle inside the front door of the house. Rom
walked back and closed the door, locking it, then turned to me with a grin.

"Welcome home."

"This is the safehouse?"

"Yeah."

"What about all that?" I waved outward towards where the truck had been.

"Oh. We'll be dealing with all sorts of business for the next hour or so. I put in
requests for service for the telephone, cable, water, heat, various take-out restaurants,
a package to be picked up, laundry and groceries to be delivered. You should put on a new
face and deal with them. I'm too conspicuous as a midget."

I stared at him.

"You arranged for all sorts of businesses on the other side of that tunnel to be
sending someone to this address right now. So we could snag a ride on one of them while
we were going through the tunnel."

"Yes."

"May I ask why the fuck? Isn't that overkill?"

"The people watching you know some of our tricks. Like changing our appearance. Or
whiting out the cameras. So they will have tracked every vehicle coming out of that tunnel
after the whiteout until they could get people in there to go over the area with a fine
toothed comb. I'm sure they watched that little scene in front of the house just now and
checked that vehicle off their list of suspects when the cable guy went along with it."

"Oh. But won't they notice that more delivery vehicles go through there and come
here?"

"Well. I'm going to cancel the ones I can. But the rest...will avoid the tunnel
because we just caused a major pileup there."

"Okay. You win. Nice one. How did things go with the Brotherhood?"

"They're in. David has agreed to let Elena work with us, and he'll order her to
follow my lead. We'll be free to handle the initial negotiations for your brother and the
first assault. That's a courtesy to Julian, they think it's important to get him out first
because of the prophecy. Otherwise they'd find out his location and ride in like an army.
Instead, he and Denna will be in the area as liasons to the local chapter of the
Brotherhood. They'll be on standby to sweep in when we give the signal."

"Okay. So we just have to figure out where Damion is holding him. And work a plan
for how to rescue him before we call in the calvary."

"Yeah. Damion will eventually tell you, to arrange the trade. But that will put us
at disadvantage. You won't have time to put everyone in place. Better to know ahead of
time and set it up. Arrive when he tells you, but with your backup already in place. Then
you can negotiate from a position of strength."

"Sounds good. I guess we're depending on my virus. Did you tell them that?"

"No. Only that you have a secret source of information."

"You know. I think we could actually make use of that. If Damion suspects I know
too much, his first assumption won't be a virus that's letting me access his senses."

"You want to make him suspect one of his people is a spy."

"Better. His girlfriend. This is all about me turning her immortal so he can see if
he should trust her. He's half expecting her to turn on him. Like he did on Elena."

"That might unbalance him. That might not be such a good thing. You want to put him
at a disadvantage, not make him desperate. That's not good for anyone."

"No. I'm thinking more in lines of...making him less sure if he wants what he is
negotiating for. If he thinks she's a spy...he'll suspect that turning her is what I had
intended to do anyways and that I'm playing the whole situation against him. He could
change his demands. If we have a threat over him, his goal for her will be less important
to him. He'll be more likely to want to escape with his hide."

"We can't let him escape." Rom said sternly.

"Then don't let him succeed. My concern is getting Julian back unharmed." I
shrugged.

"That is important. But he is dangerous." He insisted.

"I know. I'm willing to work towards that goal as well. But that comes second. A
distant second. I'll accomodate, but I won't compromise when it comes to my brother."

"I understand. We'll work it out."

"Good."