Chapter 25

Alice was a powder keg about to blow when we reached the hanger. When the gate to my billet slid open, she let out a slow exclamation and smiled in wonder.

She started asking an absolute ass ton of questions. Rapid fire. So much so, that I couldn't even answer before another was asked.

Eventually, I motioned her to silence and asked her to wait a minute while I did some things with the armor. She calmed down with a little embarrassment, as I climbed into the armor and closed the hatch.

It felt good to have silence and a moment to myself. The last day had been... odd to say the least.

"Who's she?"

Toby's mechanical voice broke the silence.

There goes my moment of alone time.

"Her name is Alice. She is a friend of mine."

"Why does she keep touching the Calipso?"

I looked at the 360 external view screens. Alice was grinning like a foolish person and touching or poking the armor everywhere. She looked like a kid who had just found the coolest darn thing to ever exist.

Alice was in love with armor. I've come to realize that quickly. She has a laser focus on her goal. I smiled and answered Toby.

"She has never seen an armor like this. She is just excited."

Moving the topic of conversation along I started giving Toby tasks.

"Toby, give me a general rundown on system status starting with shielding."

Toby took all of .1 seconds to answer.

"Shielding will be at full functionality within 36 hours. Maneuvering systems are fully operational. Sensor systems are fully operational. Power distribution systems fully repaired. Fuel level is at 59%."

Fuel consumption while sitting hadn't been light. The armor hadn't truly been sitting doing nothing anyway. It was putting the finishing touches to the repairs. I had toby reroute more power to repair systems while the armor sat here.

Without maneuvering and sensors as well as a few dozen other systems sucking up power, the repair systems could hog all the power for their own use.

By sacrificing the extra fuel, the repairs would be finished very soon. Shields were the last system to be complete. In every other way, the Calipso was fully repaired and ready for service.

"Have there been any people investigating the Calipso?"

"No. It's actually been pretty lonely. Like the old days at Icarus base."

Good. No lookie-loos.

"Can you scan the area we are in currently and find any surveillance equipment?"

I didn't like the idea of being spied on in my hanger birth.

"I have run multiple sets of scans and found no indication of surveillance equipment of any kind inside the birth given to us."

Another good thing. The city defense forces seemed to play by the rules.

After a second or two of thought, I produced the computer tablet from my pocket and waved it a bit.

"Toby, can you securely connect to this device wirelessly?"

I needed a way to stay in contact with Toby at all times. My implant could probably do the job just fine. It would probably take nothing more than a thought to accomplish it. However, the idea of my mind being connected to Toby's like that still gave me second thoughts.

The screen of the tablet flickered for a split second and then returned to normal. A moment later Toby's voice sounded out from the tablets tiny speakers.

"Of course I can! What do you take me for?"

A sly grin split my face. Toby was my ace in the hole when it came to operating inside a city. Every city had a network in one form or another. Toby would be the tool I used to swim in those networks like a fish in the sea. I already had a few tasks planned for him.

"Is the connection secure? What is the likelihood of you being discovered when interacting with the city's network?"

Toby paused for a moment before answering.

"It is nearly impossible to be discovered while simply connecting to the network of Anarchy city. I have already been connected to the network for 16 hours. There are indications of other AI connected to the network, but all signs show them to be low-level AI. Their programming is much less advanced than mine from my estimations."

Toby had already been dipping his fingers into the Anarchy City network. I had to remember in the future that if he didn't have standing orders from me, Toby tended to be free-spirited. I let my surprise at Toby's independent action drop.

"Those other AI are less advanced than you? Does that mean you could control or invade the network and its attached databases with impunity?"

Toby let out a robotic chuckle.

"No. It's not that simple silly goose! Those AI are less advanced than me. That's true. But it doesn't mean they can't defend themselves or their systems. A lot of those AI can be defeated by me and invading their systems wouldn't be much of a hassle. But others within the system are not so easy to handle.

The humans who set up some of the AI systems connected to the network have used brute force methods to ensure the security of their data systems.

The AI they use may be less advanced, but when those same AI are installed in systems with inordinate amounts of processing power, their ability to defend those systems and the data within is improved. Some of these systems even have multiple AI running in parallel. It's barbaric and wasteful but an effective workaround to the problem of low-level AI."

I kind of understood but felt lost on the finer details. Toby noticed my lack of understanding and began speaking as if he was talking to a toddler.

"Ok buddy, look at it this way. Those AI are the commanders of their fortresses. They are entrenched within layer after layer of defensive traps and firewalls. Those systems are like walls and soldiers. I may be a much smarter commander than those AI, but I do not possess the soldiers and equipment that some of these AI systems possess. All I have to work with is the systems contained in the Calipso. The Calipso has a powerful system, but compared to some of the server farms supporting the AI controlling high-level systems in the city, it pales in comparison.

But don't worry Caleb. Many of the systems connected to the network do not have such brute force methods to protect themselves."

So Toby couldn't give me the keys to the city. It was a shame but also expected. If a city's data systems would roll over so easily, the networks never would have been installed in the first place.

"Alright. I think I understand Toby. It's complicated."

Tapping my fingers on the right side armrest of the pilot's chair I thought for a bit.

"Toby, I'm going to let Alice into the Calipso's cockpit. Monitor and record all of her actions while inside. Assign a system user ID that allows her to use the simulator as well as access the user manual data for the Calipso. She should also be able to open and close the cockpit. Restrict her from doing anything else to the Calipso. If she attempts to install anything on the Calipso's systems or access systems restricted to her, inform me immediately."

After another moment of thought, I continued.

"Don't reveal your presence to her in any way. Stay absolutely quite and do nothing more than watch her. The only time you should act is if she should attempt to damage anything, steal data, or take control of the Calipso."

After Toby gave a confirmation of my orders, I clicked the button to open the hatch and swung out in an arch to land on my feet in front of the Calipso. Alice stood in front of me with gleaming eyes. I smiled and hooked a thumb over my back.

"Wanna take a look?"

She started to shake as if her anticipation would kill her should she wait one second longer. When I stepped aside to allow her entry she bolted into the chest cavity of the Calipso and took a seat.

Cramming myself into the side of the cockpit just enough to see the panels of buttons and the smaller screens suspended in front of the pilot, I gave her a quick rundown on the systems. The systems where multiple times more complicated than those new world armor. It increased the difficulty of piloting but allowed for much finer control.

Eventually, she got the hang of the interface and I showed her the simulator systems. She was ecstatic. Even more so when I took a step back and informed her she could have some fun with the simulator.

Cutting off her sputtering joyous exclamations and thanks for allowing her to use the simulator, I clicked the external hatch button and the chest cavity of the Calipso seemed to swallow Alice.

After stepping off the legs of the Calipso and finding a wall to sit against, I pulled the tablet from my pocket and watched the screen. It showed a live image of Alice nearly foaming at the mouth and beside herself with excitement. She was showing a truly silly sight inside the cockpit. She must have thought she was completely alone.

Eventually, she calmed down and after reading the user manual's basic systems and maneuvering sections, she activated the simulator.

It gave me a little shame when she began to run the basic maneuvering course set up for new pilots in the simulation better than I had at first. Chalking it up to her having a lot of study where I had none, I let my ego drop.

Alice was an odd girl. Very odd. When she believed she was alone she dropped all decorum and shouted and whooped within the cockpit like a child. She looked more like a child with a toy than someone operating a machine of war.

Deciding that Alice didn't intend on pulling any funny business and feeling a little shameful for spying on her without her knowledge, I asked Toby to inform me when she exited the simulation and pushed the live feed data into a separate tab on the tablet.

I wanted to know when she would drop out of the simulation because when she did, she would get a live feed of what was happening outside the Calipso and be able to watch and hear my conversation with Toby. Toby should be kept a complete secret for now. Even from Alice.

"Toby, I want you to start compiling data from the network. From any and all sources available. Avoid any actions on the network that put yourself at risk of discovery. I want no one to know what you are and what we are doing."

Toby's chipper voice responded with a sing-song tone.

"I started this task yesterday. While the task is still not complete, a lot of low-level data has already been compiled and sorted. I have already invaded multiple data storage systems connected to the network and set up back door access to them. Every minute the data extracted from the network grows more complete and detailed. Sadly a lot of confidential and secret information is simply not stored on lower level systems. Most of the data I have compiled so far is a mash-up of scraps taken here and there among a multitude of different systems and pieced together."

I guess Toby's free spirit could be useful. It had saved me a lot of time today, though, I still warned Toby to avoid making decisions like this when it was possible to ask me before taking action. I cut him some slack this time seeing as we were out of touch with each other for a day.

"I have a few tasks for you then. First, I want you to make a list of all smugglers, for hire private helicopter pilots, identification forgers, and any smaller but experienced mercenary outfits that could be of help with smuggling. The mercenary outfits should be ones with positive reputations and also be known for their discrete and honest nature."

Toby accepted the order and began working on it. I could see the data begin to scroll across the tablet's screen and begin to grow.

"The second task is to find any and all information brokers who would likely be interested in buying map data. Compile a detailed list of their contact information."

The second task I gave Toby was less important than the first. I needed the smuggler contacts and the rest of that data to work out a way to get my mother out of Grey rock city and bring her here.

The second set of data I requested was purely me being a sore loser. I had tried to make a deal with Varris knowing he would likely not be trading in good faith. It was a massive mistake and I paid a hefty price for my foolishness. That didn't mean I wouldn't strike back if I could. And I could.

Nothing said I couldn't go and trade the data I just sold Varris earlier today, to every damn information broker in the city.

There wasn't a way to do it before finding out what toby was capable of achieving within the network and city data systems. If I traded the same information to every broker in the city while assuming my own identity... I would make some enemies.

Now that I had toby to cover my tracks, I could anonymously sell the data to just about anyone I damn well please. Once someone realized the data was no longer exclusive, it would be too late and Toby would have already disappeared like a ghost within the system.

We didn't even have to be all that crafty about it. I watched as the broker data started to propagate and scroll down the tablet's screen. There were dozens of brokers within the city. After separating out Varris from the list of contacts and setting another task for Toby to investigate the man with a fine tooth comb, I began to send inquiries to all of the brokers using an anonymous system ID which couldn't be traced that Toby had set up for me.

At one point a gave up writing the messages myself and tasked Toby with the job. I had him send the mockup data and anonymous contact information as well as an attached price. I set the price at 5 thousand.

The data was worth more than that, but it wouldn't matter. If even half the brokers agreed to pay a few thousand I would rake in a massive profit. I had no intention on haggling over every last gold and intended on selling the data to as many people as fast as possible. I would drain all of the profit the market could offer for the data away before Varris could make a move. If the broker only agreed to pay a few thousand... ok! Who cares!? It won't even be worth a hundred gold within a few days. Let's see how Varris liked them apples.

The data would have to be sold as fast as possible though. It wouldn't take long for people to catch on and begin trying to track down the asshole selling the same data to everyone in the city. Without the cloak of anonymity that Toby offered, I would never attempt this.

With the information brokers all messaged, I began to sift through the mounds of data provided by Toby on the first task given to him. I also added a new task for Toby. He began investigating Nicholas and the group that had tried teaching me a lesson today, while I moved on to the data already being compiled.

Private contract pilot data. Mercenary group personnel and track record data. Smugglers and human traffickers. There was a mountain of data to go through. I would need to pick and choose my options carefully. My mother's life was hanging in the balance. Should I choose the wrong people to hire, she could be put in a lot of danger.

As I slowly scrolled through the data, from time to time I would check on Alice while she operated the fake Calipso in the simulations. Watching her squeal with delight at hitting a digital target made me chuckle. She was an armor maniac!

After a half hour or so of Alice running simulations and me scanning through data, the first brokers began contacting me. It began as a trickle and soon became a torrent.

Dozens of brokers began requesting a meeting and even began haggling on a price immediately. I denied all requests for a meeting. Any request for my personal info was also shot down. Many of the brokers lost interest immediately. Nearly half dropped the chat and stopped responding. I didn't care. I knew many wouldn't accept such an arrangement. I didn't need all of them though.

Those that stayed and continued negotiations wanted some assurances. Most want the data first, then payment would be received. While I didn't really care TOO much about being ripped off here and there, I still wanted to get as much as possible.

Eventually, with Toby's help sorting it all, I had worked out a deal with 15 brokers. The deals varied greatly. Some wanted to pay a smaller deposit up front for the data and pay in full after receiving it. Some wanted to receive half the data up front before payment.

It was a mess and definitely not my finest haggling at work. It didn't matter. The first objective was to screw Varris good. The money was nice, but it was almost secondary. Plus, the longer these negotiations dragged on the more likely someone would notice something was up. After that, all offers would dry up fast. It was sloppy work, but it didn't need to be nice and neat.

After an hour and a half of haggling and bullshitting, I threw in the towel and just accepted all of the deals that were not obvious attempts at getting the data without paying at all. The price I had agreed for some of them to pay was so low it was laughable.

Toby set up an untraceable unaffiliated bank account and worked his AI magic to clean all the transfer data and allow the gold to be transferred into my own account at a later date.

All said and done, I received 21 thousand gold. The numbers sat on my tablet screen and seemed to wink at me seductively. I smiled and laughed.

A good portion of those that had paid a down payment before receiving the data never paid the second installment. Even a few of those who received half the data chose to not pay at all. About half of the brokers pulled stunts like that. I didn't care. The deed was done. They would soon find out that even if they only paid a few thousand, they had still been shafted good and hard. There would be many rage-filled screams tonight. Not my problem. Blame Varris.

Toby cleaned all traces of our presence associated with the deals and I wiped my hands of the whole situation. I guess we could have stayed at it longer and roped in more buyers, but I didn't want to drag this out. Toby was an advanced AI and I trusted in his ability. However, if he began to draw a lot of attention the full might of Anarchy cities network security systems might possibly find a way to track Toby down and cause a lot of problems down the road. Better to play it safe.

Adding in the 21 thousand gold we had just scammed out of more than a dozen brokers and the 7 thousand Varris had paid, I had a hair under 28 thousand gold at my disposal.

For a while, I sat contemplating the number and rejoicing at my turn in fortunes. From a little street rat with barely a few silver to his name to a man with nearly 30 k and an old world armor.

The number awed me for a long time. The awe quickly dissipated when I began to browse new sections of the net data being compiled by Toby.

The network of Anarchy city was used for more than just data storage and making calls among civilians. It was the leading way some of the larger industries in anarchy city sold equipment and also how mercenaries exchanged data, bought equipment, arranged jobs. There where online shops with detailed inventory of military and civilian equipment for sale. Job request boards for smaller mercenary groups and many other methods of contact between the different entities of Anarchy city.

The net seemed to be the best way to sell or buy high-end equipment or find mercenaries to hire. To those with the knowledge to do it, you could set up and arrange all of this just from the net. Of course, gold made the world turn round, and nothing was cheap.

Searching the net for a rifle similar to the one used by the Calipso I was shocked to realize the weapon didn't even have a duplicate within the city. The most similar option cost nearly 11 thousand gold. God damn! You could buy and equip a small squad with basic armor and weapons for less!

The nearly 30 thousand gold I was so gleeful over just moments before, seemed paltry now.

Overall, the experience with the network was highly rewarding. It offered me the set of tools needed to operate in this city. I wouldn't have to rely on other people to set up trades and gather information. With Toby's aid, I had an information gathering apparatus better than even most of the larger mercenary guilds had available to them.

After nearly three hours of digesting information fed to my tablet through Toby, I checked the live feed of Alice in the cockpit. She was currently doing some odd repetitive motions with the digital version of the Calipso. I sort of understood her actions. She was trying to commit certain reactions and maneuvers to muscle memory.

With my thoughts on Alice, I began to think about my current situation in regard to her family.

Leaning against the wall and turning the tablet screen off, I sighed and evaluated my decisions over the last day. It wasn't pretty. I had been very sloppy over the last day.

First, there was rose. Honestly... She was the least of my concerns. It's possible she approached me with ulterior motives, but something told me she was just chaos incarnate. She was wild to the core. At worse, she would rope me into an embarrassing and stupid situation. Annoying, but not all that horrible.

Then there was Nicholas. He was a total asshole. And a vicious one to boot. His being married to Rose, a woman who seemed intent on sexually harassing me at every turn, should have sent me running. His oddities on that front alone should have told me I needed to keep my distance.

Getting wrapped up in other people's lives was stupid. These people were not friends. Normally I prided myself on my caution and forethought. Normally I would have separated myself from this situation as soon as possible. At first, I thought it might be possible to befriend this couple, even as odd as they were they seemed alright.

That was until Nicholas took offense at me interacting with Alice. I should have known better than to trade with Varris under those circumstances. I should have walked away. But I didn't. I created more trouble for myself. I chose to stay and surround myself with chaos. Why did I do that?

The answer was obvious and brought me to the third member of this odd family. Alice. I had to admit to myself that if a pretty young girl wasn't present, I never would have allowed myself to be drawn in like this.

The situation had spiraled and become messy. I now had a pissed off father with a lot of connections and ability of his own, dead set on fucking with me. Who knew how this would affect my stay here in the long run. It had all happened in less than a day.

What exactly was I doing? I had more important things to worry about. Mother being a top priority. Finding a place and setting up shop in Anarchy city was another thing I needed to accomplish.

It had only been a single day and not much time had been wasted, but thinking back on the last day... It was slightly pathetic. I had spent the last 24 hours scheming ways to spend time with Alice despite her father's animosity. It seems a pretty face was all it took for me to stop thinking properly.

Which brought me to the decision I needed to make. I needed to create some space. From Rose, Nicholas, and sadly but most importantly, Alice.

Would I break my promise? Go ghost on her? No. I wasn't exactly a man of my word. It's not like I hadn't broken deals in the past. I'm no saint. But my deal with Alice held meaning for me. More than many other deals I had ever made. Was it because of her pretty face? Or because she was actually a great help in learning? Was that just an excuse? Maybe it was because I believed she was genuinely a good person and a possible great contact to have for the future?

It was complicated. Generally, I hated complicated. So I made a decision. It wasn't a full fix, but it would help me create the distance needed to step back and handle my priorities.

I finished my musing and ran through what little data on Nicholas toby could find, all of which while lacking in detail, painted a pretty terrifying image of him. The man was basically a folk legend among security forces and those mercenaries aligned with the council.

Just as I flipped a page to read the rest of a partially destroyed report by a council member using glowing words to talk about Nicholas, Toby informed me Alice was shutting down the simulator. I turned off the tablet and stood as she exited the Calipso.

"It's amazing!! It's like I'm in a dream. Thank you, Caleb. Really, thank you. I'm sorry for taking so long. I lost track of time."

I shrugged.

"That was the deal, right? Don't worry about it."

Walking over to the Calipso, I slapped its leg with the palm of my hand.

"From now on you can come here whenever you want to use the simulator. Besides opening the hatch, the manual, and the simulator, everything else is locked down for now. The simulator doesn't eat up much power so don't worry about that."

Alice's eyes grew large and her mouth opened a little.

"Really!? I can come here whenever I want?! But... that's too much. I've only caused you trouble since we met. I didn't earn this."

I laughed.

"Don't worry about it, Alice. I knew I was signing up for some trouble when I decided to start butting heads with your father. It was my choice and had more to do with keeping my word and being hard headed, than anything to do with you."

That wasn't the complete truth but she didn't really need to know that. After some talking, I was able to convince Alice to accept the offer and we left. We walked the streets as darkness began to set in.

"I guess we should find an inn or hotel now."

She seemed to feel awkward at her own suggestion. I guess it was weird to go find accommodations with a man you barely knew. Though, it's not like we would be sharing a room. That was beside the point though.

"I think you should go back home. It's not right to be out of your house overnight like this. Your parents must be worried. I know you are mad right now, but your parents love you. Besides... if you stay out all night with me, your father is likely to hate me even more."

My last sentence along with the clownish eyebrow wiggle I added, forced a laugh from Alice. It took a little more effort to persuade her, but eventually, we made our way back The Lonely Crow. We stood outside for a moment as Alice prepared herself to walk in.

"Alright, this is where we part ways. Try to work things out with your dad. He is a complicated man, but he is only trying to do what he thinks will protect you. Don't worry about my issues with him for now."

I didn't know what else to say. Alice seemed taken aback.

"What do you mean? Part ways? Aren't you coming in too?"

I looked her in the eyes for a second and shook my head.

"This situation is a little too... complicated for my liking. It's nothing personal Alice. It's just, I have a lot to handle in the coming weeks, and your father isn't likely to make my life any easier should I stay here. I think it's for the best I find somewhere else to stay."

I could see the dejection on her face. It wasn't the look of a girl about to lose contact with a guy she fancied, at least from what I could tell. It was a look of embarrassment and shame for the actions of her father. Actions that had forced me to leave.

"Why did you let me use the Calipso like that and set it up so I could use it whenever I want? I understand you made a promise, but if you can't even be friends with me because of my father, you must know I wouldn't hold you to the promise, right?"

Cocking my head to one side and scratching the back of my head, I laughed at Alice a little.

"Haha. Who said we couldn't be friends? We made a deal. It's not you holding me to the deal, it's me holding YOU to the deal. I'm not done receiving lessons from you miss teacher. Besides..."

I pulled my tablet out and wiggled it in front of her.

"Just because I don't live here anymore doesn't mean we can't communicate. You can even visit me if you like. We will both be using the simulator a lot and will probably be testing out things together. This isn't goodbye."

Her expression brightened a bit and a small smile was shown.

"I guess your right. Dad doesn't even need to know we are still talking. I guess that could work. I can send you the lesson plans wirelessly and we can talk over the network. If we need to meet we can arrange it. This is actually kind of fun to think about! I've never really kept a secret from my dad before!"

The more she thought about it the more she seemed to like the idea of pulling one over on her father. I doubted it would work though. Her father would realize eventually. He was a shrewd man. It would buy me time and space though.

Alice double checked to make sure she had put my contact information into her tablet properly and waved goodbye before entering the inn. I waited a few moments and began walking.

With the problems Nicholas provided to me somewhat handled for now and Toby monitoring any and all moves made by Nicholas in the coming days, I felt more assured. More in control again.

As I walked down the wide street while heading towards a good inn Toby had found, I thought long and hard about my next moves. The next few days would be busy ones. Everything had to be handled perfectly. It was time to get my mother and nothing would distract me from that anymore.

Every minute wasted was another minute mother was alone.