City of Walls: Chapter 7

          Fresh fireworks of pain erupted behind my eyes, as I stared wide eyed at the old man. "Ho, I mean, What are you talking about?" The file had no name, just two tags, which were cryptic to boot. Only the sender could have known about the encrypted vid. Unless he sent files just like this to the others. But I thought I meet them all. I stood slack jawed not knowing what to say or do next.

          "Look at you! How fardrayt you are. Forgive me. Perhaps I should start with more pressing news. Ms. Fennelweigh has allowed you an authorized day off. It's the least that she could do, if you ask me. Especially after that attack! Tell me, can you remember what happened?" He asked gently, eyes imploring.

          Sipping from the water left in the cup I held, I concentrated on the events of the morning. "I was on my way here from my building. I took 7th, to avoid the trans-hub on 10th. When I made it passed the hub I turned on Taylor. The block was deserted. By the time I turned back, I was already surrounded." I paused to sip more water, and Silvia returned with a tray of food in her hands.

          "I'll be right back with more drinks."

          "They were modrpunks, yes?" Mr. Goldberg asked.

          "Yes. The first one, called Bruce, thought I used VanNans. He called for backup, a male and female called Carl and Genie respectively. I was sized up like a piece of meat." The cup shook in my hand. "They set their harvesting nannites on me." I cringed, my eyes stung at the memory of thousands of stinging pricks. "I collapsed. After that, I awoke here."

          Silvia arrived with another tray, this one bearing a pitcher of amber fluid, a small, lidded bucket and three cups. "The other stand please, Papa."

          Once the stand for the tray was arranged, Silvia sat on the bed next to Tara once again.

          "Papa, will you say the bentching?" What did she just say?

          "Sure, yes." He closed his eyes. "Father, I thank you for the many blessings you've bestowed on us today. I thank you for the safe guarding of Tara. I ask that you bless the rest of this day, starting with this meal. Thank you my Father, amen."

          "Y, You're Christians?" This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

          "Even though there are many similarities, we are Messianic Jews. The government has yet to put bring its weight upon us on us." Silvia responded as she passed a bowl and spoon to Tara. "We have chicken soup with shkedei marak, strudel for dessert."

          "Ess! Eat!" Mr. Goldberg encouraged around a spoonful of food. "This will help you get some energy back." I began spooning bits of chicken and noodles into my mouth. "As I was telling you, you've been given the rest of the day off. I have a few more adjustments to do for your new netlink set, then it should be done. We will escort you home, so that you will not be troubled again."

          "That's not necessary, as short as the distance, I can make it on my own. You've been so gracious to me, how could I ever repay you?"

          "Nonsense!" He gulped down some of the amber fluid, then made a face at his cup. "Silvia, did you use the sugar or sweetener?"

          "The sweetener, Papa. You know you need to keep your calorie intake down."

          "Oi, calories! You'd think they would be the death of me or something. Meshuga! These punks running around the place, they'll get me first." He turned back to our discussion. "Tara, you're not the first customer we've had that's been attacked by them. Those three are just part of a larger group. I fear they may be expanding their territory."

          I picked up my cup and drank while I thought. Mmm, sweet tea. Can't even tell real sugar wasn't used. "Okay. I give in. Ya'll can take me back. How wide an area do they cover?"

          Mr. Goldberg sighed and lowered his spoon. "Including 7th Street, they now hold 65% of this hex. The downtown sector is the worst hit of the Fort Worth half of the DFW metrodomes."

          "Whoa!" Jeeze, I sound like that Actor, whatwashisname?, Reeves something. I shook my head trying to clear the image of a black leather coat from my mind. "H, How is Dallas?"

          "They are doing better. Before signs had really started to show signs of spreading from the first 3 cities hit, they locked down hex borders. The Mayor declared a citywide emergency, and urged our Mayor to do the same."

          "Well, why didn't she?"

          Silvia broke in, "It was reported that Mayor Mendoza felt that it was more important to be able to reached all those affected by the nannite glitch. So far a few have actually come forward to be helped. While in Dallas, there was a death reported."

          "When did this all start?"

          "Less than two weeks ago reports from Seattle, San Francisco, and Austin were describing The Glitch, as the media now calls it. That's when Dallas put the lock-down in place. Three days later it was spreading across the country."

          "Is there a fix?"

          "No." Our conversation stopped there. As we continued to eat in silence, my mind kept pouring over the data. In approximately two weeks of exposure to the 'Glitch', the outcome is death. Are the nannites spreading the glitch or is it something else? Is that why those three were so desperate to get more nannites? How is it killing? I sat staring at my empty bowl, trying to figure things out.

          "Before I forget, Tara. The key you need is in this." Mr. Goldberg out his bowl on the tray beside him and got up from his chair. He effortlessly walked around the chair to a bookshelf and retrieved a package wrapped in brown paper. He turned around, and headed to me instead of his chair. He placed the item in my hands and spoke "This is the only key that will work. Come, I'll get your new netlink, and we'll take you home."

City of Walls: Chapter 6

          Music played in the distance, a soft melody of harp and piano. I look up at Mom, sitting next to me. She smiles.

          "That's my girl! You've worked so hard for this. The past five years you've learned enough to build all kinds of robots. Your father and I are so proud that you decided to make them, instead of going to the store and buying them." She brushed the hair from my forehead and plants a kiss there.

          "Tara." My dad calls from the doorway of the garage, I turn to face him. But the door way is empty.

          "Tara." Softly, as if from a distance, a voice calls to me. Pain resonates in my head like a bell in a clock tower. Slowly, I become aware of the fact that I am lying somewhere. I'm not in my deck, I can feel sunlight on my face, and my deck has no windows near the bed or couch. I open my eyes, only to be struck with a wave of nausea as bright lances burn into my retinas.

          "Aaauugh." A cool, moist cloth is placed over my eyes. "Who's there?" I struggled feebly to get up, even though the pain in my head doubled. Firm hands, grasping me by the shoulders, pulled me up into a sitting position.

          "You are safe. What you are feeling right now is the side effects of energy depletion. Like a common hangover, you should feel better in about a day." A female voice answered.

          "Energy depletion, what happened? Where am I, and who are you?" Frustration and soreness lent an edge to my words that I hadn't meant. My throat felt as though it were lined with sandpaper.

          "Forgive me for not introducing myself sooner. I am Silvia Goldberg. I am the daughter of George Goldberg, proprietor of Goldberg Jewelry. You are currently in my apartment, above the store's display room. You are here, because of your friend Sonja. Please, before I continue, drink this water." The lip of a cup was placed at the edge of my mouth. I tilted my head back to let the cool liquid flow into my mouth. For a moment the harsh, gritty texture in my throat was banished.

          "What about Sonja?" I croaked after I'd swallowed the whole glass.

          "She sent a message to my father. She suspected that you were being robbed. She also knew your location. You're lucky we were so close by." I felt her remove the cloth from my face. My skin felt cool and airy where it had been. "Try to open your eyes." I did as instructed, then covered my eyes with my hand, blocking the majority of the light.

          "Ugh. It still hurts pretty bad. Actually, I was on my way here for a new netlink system, one that was for work only. So, could you explain the energy depletion? Is it why I feel like I'm hung-over?" Slowly, I gazed at the room around me.

          "I suppose it is why you feel hung-over." I was sitting on the edge of a bed. "You energy was drastically depleted." The room the bed was in was easily as large as my entire deck. "Taken is perhaps a better way to think of it." There was a nightstand to the side of the bed, and a tall dresser next to it. "Someone, or something to be more specific, tried to access your data crystal as well as your energy." On top of the nightstand stood a solitary lamp. "Your body is trying to replenish the energy quickly, which is causing severe dehydration." On top of the dresser was a picture of a middle-aged man standing next to a hover car. Seated in the car was a teenage girl. The man was handing her a thin card. That's probably her father, handing over her driver's license. Quickly I turned my head away from the picture. My head swam and the bile in my belly rose. I gulped, while Silvia reached for another cup waiting on a small fold up tray. She put it in my hand and I swallowed half of it in one gulp. I coughed and sputtered.

          "Carefully. I imagine your throat is still raw."

          "Yep. My eyes are sensitive, I'm nauseous, It feels like a nail is being driven through the top of my head from the inside. I've heard that's what a hangover feels like. I'm not gonna get any work done today." My shoulders slumped. First day with this promotion and I've blown it.

          Silvia placed a hand on my shoulder. "You shouldn't try. Your condition isn't serious, but you need plenty of rest. I'll g..."

          "Silvia1! Stop talking the poor madel's ear off. Go, get the food it's ready." At the door way stood the source of the interruption. It was an older man, bald with a patch of white hair stubbornly clinging to its perch above the old man's ears. His head was not quite spherical, having an almost triangular mold to it. His eyes, though sunken in, seemed kind and wise. The wrinkles around his face and nose bespoke of smiling and laughing often. This strange man, who I'd never laid eyes on before, looked so familiar, so recognizable. He wore a green turtleneck, covered by a plain linen cardigan. His trousers were a baggy mass of shapelessness beneath him, as if he had no legs but instead hovered in air. He held onto a simple wooden staff with a gentle curve for a handle. If he has a cane he must have at least one leg. Stop staring, its rude!

          Quickly I shifted eyes back to the woman beside me, whom I hadn't even looked at through our entire conversation. She had a typical oval face with a slight cleft in her chin. Her nose was long and thin, but not too pointy. She had the darkest brown hair falling across her forehead, which stood in stark contrast to her bright blue eyes. She was smiling at the man in the doorway.

          "Yes, Papa. I'll go get the food. And don't you wear out our quest either! Tara, this is my father, who I told you about earlier. I believe he has some more answers for you." She then left the room and disappeared out of sight.

          "Indeed I do." Mr. Goldberg replied. He came into the room and sat in a chair that was to the left of the tray. I noticed only one knee. "For starters I have the encryption key for the video in your netlink. Without it, you won't be able to see the message."

City of Walls: Chapter 5

          Sonja Fennelweigh was an oddity in the business world. She was the unofficial face of Friedman's Inc., Personal Assistant to Mr. Friedman himself, rumored to be in line for the VP, and came with a handy bag of unnumbered skills to boot. For instance, she'd been a coder since she could type.

          Some would call Ms. Fennelweigh without scruples, others, ingenious. To wit, she played by a different set of rules. When an unauthorized user accessed her official Seal Of Approval, a series of programs were initiated, each of which were overseen by a slightly illegal AI. First, a beacon was set up at the local of the unauthorized user, while simultaneously a search for the authorized user began. Once this info was received, the AI attempted contact with the allowed user, and contacted Ms. Fennelweigh. If the user answered, the program would connect its programmer with the user. If not, it would search out the unauthorized user, and make a judgment call on how to achieve its goal. That goal being, retribution.

*                 *                 *                 *                 *

          In the outer alcove of Mr. Friedman's office was Ms. Fennelweigh's physical domain. On her desk she had an apparently ancient computer, complete with keyboard, mouse, and monitor. This provided her with the air of the professional 'old school' secretary. It also provided a hard wired, official account of her professional actions.

          A faint sound chimed in Sonja's left inner ear receiver. Quickly she set the phone lines to voicemail, then pressed a stud earring on that same ear.

          "The user is not responding." A light male voice intoned. "I will now apprehend the unauthorized user that initiated the SOA."Task accomplished, the AI closed the line. Sonja Picked up the phone from its cradle and dialed. The line rang twice and was picked up

          "Goldberg's." Answered an aging male voice.

          "I need a favor."

*                 *                 *                 *                 *

          When Carl tapped the file marked SOA, all his nannites flickered red then returned back to green.

          "That was weird." he said, while scratching his head.

          "Wut?"

          "My nannites went on high alert just a second ago."

          "Eretin' ok?"

          "Well, yeah, their back to normal now. But this file didn't open."

          "V'rus?"

          "Don't think so. I mean, it's supposed to be a Seal Of Approval. It'd be used to verify the order for a new netlink. It should be just a simple .doc, with a snippet of code attached." Carl topped scratching his head and tapped the file again.

          This time the sub menu popped open, and Carl clicked display. A third holopad opened to the left of the original. It was a simple document stating,

          The holder of the SOA is authorized in the name of Sonja Fennelweigh, Personal Assistant to Mr. Friedman, Head of Friedman Inc. As such this person is acting in the wishes of Mr. Friedman himself, and is to be treated with the proper respect. Any slight to the authorized holder will receive dire consequences.

          As soon as Carl read the document he stopped walking forward.

          "B, Bruce." He loudly gulped, as Bruce turned around to look at him. "Uh, We gotta leave her here. We gotta leave her stuff. An' we gotta scat." The words rushed out of his mouth with spraying spittle.

          "We canna leev her here. Dis our hood. She kno our names. Et cud be beeg twuble."

          "It will be worse if we're still..." His words we cut off by a flare of light coming from his fisted hand.

          The light grew then floated to a place between the two modrpunks. The oval shaped light quickly began changing its form. It grew humanoid arms, legs, and a head. From its back, three pairs of bird wings began to form. Two long blades began developing from either hand. Finally, eyes began covering the entire surface.

          By this time Bruce had set Tara down gently, then he and Carl began backing away slowly. When the eyes began blinking, they stumbled to the ground as they tried to run away.

          "Unauthorized!" The voice boomed out of the very air around them. "You have been denied! The consequences of your actions will be just." Sirens sounding in the distance caught the attentions of the two huddling on the floor. Shouting coming from even closer spurred them back into action.

          "Carl RUN!" Bellowed Bruce as he pounded away, with Carl following quickly. As they retreated, the apparition began trailing them uttering "Unauthorized tagged. Search ID chip. Search relations and known affiliates. 4 results found. Run beacon transponder. Execute Avenge." As it finished it monologue it shifted from white to green and shrank to an almost unperceivable mist. The would be thieves disappeared into the abandoned buildings.

          Near the spot where Tara lay a small group consisting of two men and one woman rapidly approached. The first man wore the uniform of city paramedic; dingy scrubs, netlink, and a small Diagnostic Device in hand. Once the paramedic had gotten close enough, he tossed the DD at the girl on the floor and brought up his holopad.

          He called to the others trailing him, "Her basic stats are good. I'll start checking for more serious injuries."

          The woman, possibly in her early thirties, wearing jeans and a buttoned up top came to the girls side and kneeled down. She began gathering all the pieces of jewelry laying on the ground. "Some of these pieces are part of a netlink set, but some are not. Father," She turned to face the third man, "did you bring the specs your friend gave you?"

          "Of course I did! How else are we going to verify if anything has been stolen from this young woman." He tossed his hand in the air, and a holopad appeared in front of the woman. "I hope those thugs got nothing! Addicts! Gonifs! If I ever get my hands on them, I'll think of something nasty to do." He finally reached the girl's side and knelt down next to his daughter. He spoke softly, "Tara, if you can hear me, we're friends and we are going to take care of you."

          "She does not have a concussion, thankfully. But appears to be suffering from a loss of energy. Based on that tip you received, I'd say someone tried to get her nannites." Just then the hover ambulance pulled up. "We'll give her a shot and some liquids. She should come around soon, won't even need to admit her."