Neon Knights, Page 3

  Even her classes seemed a waste of her time these days. Lexel was so far ahead of her peers that every lesson was more a review for her than something fresh to challenge her mind. There weren’t even any classmates who would miss her she could think of, instead there were only those she would welcome not having to avoid anymore. The only person she could even honestly admit might tear up over her leaving would be Xephaeda. Poor Xeph, she would be heartbroken by her friend leaving; not to mention worried sick on a daily basis about everything she would probably assume might be happening to her.

  Deciding she at the very least owed her best friend a farewell before departing, Lexel had to admit the idea made her nervous. What if her friend tried to talk her out of running off? Lexel slowly realized that her mind was made up, and knew that as it was not even Xeph would be able to convince her not to do something once she decided to. No, the real worry she had to admit was in possibly bringing any potential trouble her friend’s way. Xeph was a lot of things, a great friend chiefly among them. What she was not though was someone equipped to deal with serious trouble disrupting her life. Xeph lived in fear of crossing a street when the traffic guide had yet to signal it appropriate. Lexel shuddered to think of how she might react to anyone official knocking on her door with questions.

  Using even an encrypted communications channel was out of the question though, if anyone traced Lexel down then that would just be another risk leading to her friend. Meeting Xeph in person also didn’t feel like a safe choice either, people would start returning home soon and she refused to allow Xeph to be seen as the last person to talk to her before she vanished. The only option that seemed left was to leave a recorded message for her using their old secret slot.

  “Give me a moment,” Lexel told Zero, who still setting in her living room patiently was watching her. She tried to take a deep breath to compose herself but immediately abandoned the idea as she slid a small thin strip into her terminal and punched up the command to record.

  “Hey there girlie,” Lexel said to the screen with a weak grin. “It looks like something has come up and you can save the ‘I tried to warn you speeches’ for some other time, promise. I am going to be out of touch for a while, but I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye first. Know that I really will miss you, you have been like a scared scarlet haired sister to me and we both know without you there is no telling where I would be right now. I know you will worry about me, but please try to keep it to a minimum; you should be able to admit that by now, if anyone can take care of themselves it’s me. Please, if you could do me a huge favor though; just check in on my mom from time to time. She is sure to need some looking after and I don’t know when or if I will be able to be back. I’ll never forget you Xeph, and if I can I’ll try to keep in touch.”

  Lexel paused for a sigh as she reached up to end the recording before she had to stop to add one last thing to her message. “So I guess this is goodbye for now. Please don’t be upset that I had to say it like this, but should any trouble come this way I want to keep you from being involved in it. Sorry Xeph, promise I will try my best to be as careful as I can.”

  With a single tear trailing down her cheek Lexel turned off the recording and removed the strip of memory from the terminal. She grabbed what she could of her belongings, mainly a few clothes and a handful of things precious to her before turning to look at her terminal one last time. Reluctantly Lexel grabbed the nearest object to hand and smashed it into her terminal.

  Zero was still waiting in the same position when she returned with a bag of her belongings. “We better be going, come on, I have one stop to make and then we make tracks.” As the two made their way out the door Lexel refused to look back, but couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before her mother would notice she was gone.

  Episode 8

  Mr. Graystone’s booted heel crunched under what remained of a door as he stalked his way inside the messy apartment. “Fan out; scan and search for any sign of that meddlesome mutt. I want him found, three cycles ago!” Waiting behind the imposing image that was Graystone a small swarm of drones spread out to obey his uttered command. Floating in mid air metal orbs darted around as beams of light probed and analyzed everything in an orderly manner.

  Flanking Graystone on either side a pair of sleek black and chrome plated four legged robots stepped forward as they melded from the shadows. They were his pride and joy, creations he had customized with his own unique tactical needs in mind. He lovingly referred to them as his ‘Greyhounds’ often treating his pets as his own personal covert-ops agents and private enforcers.

  The Greyhounds base design had originally been built from the tried and true chassis of the New Republic’s Hell Hound model droid. The Hell Hounds were reliable robots in their own right, serving respectfully well in security patrol and even tracker roles. But Graystone preferred something that suited his needs in a more subtle manner, he didn’t trust free thinking subordinates. And he absolutely refused to put his faith in inept underlings who could always develop loose lips or decide to have a change of heart.

  All the guards and defenses in place had failed to prevent that pesky prototype from escaping. If not for some of his prowling pets left to patrol the perimeter Graystone would have missed this little opportunity. It was regrettably unfortunate that his Greyhounds had somehow lost the erratic trail left by Unit Zero even if only briefly. The small delay had cost him precious time he could have used to seal the test subject’s fate. But it was of little consequence now, after its escape he could easily press for the project’s cancelation with virtually little chance of even Honeywell being able to make a case for objection.

  “He isn’t here,” Graystone muttered to himself in frustration. “I want to know what lead him here, find me everything there is to know about who lives here, now.” He trusted that his little Oracle droids could provide him with a detailed report within a few moments, which would leave his Greyhounds to the task of resuming the hunt. “Hounds target Unit Zero; track and terminate.”

  Amber eyes flashed briefly signaling his command had been accepted and understood before the deadly duo silently slipped back into the shadows to obey his order. Graystone always smiled with satisfaction as he watched them go to work, he treasured the fact that they never questioned him. But, then again he had programmed them himself and personally saw to it that there was no way for them to even be able to do so.

  “Clear out,” Graystone told his obedient orbs still buzzing around the apartment. “I want that report within the next three minutes and I want all evidence of our visit wiped clean in two.” As he stepped back out through the doorway he couldn’t resist taking a moment to enjoy himself. “Oh, and make sure this door is replaced immediately – have it billed to one of my anonymous accounts. I would hate for anyone to think me rude or inconsiderate.” The notion made him chuckle to himself.

  While Graystone was busy delighting in his own humor his Greyhound's were already hard at work hunting their prey. Lexel had only just managed to secure her secret message as she and Zero considered what their next move should be. The pursuing predators carefully approached their target, keeping their sensor masking systems active as they prepared to engage.

  Following their primary combat programming the Greyhounds primed Midnighter grenades for release before dropping their masks. The devious devices were designed for covert engagements, once deployed they would blanket the area in thick darkness, completely rendering a target blind. This tactic had served Graystone’s secret soldiers well in safeguarding his interests for a long time.

  But the would-be armored assassins had never encountered any prey quite like the prototype Zero. As they moved towards them his advanced sensors registered the distorted motion that some of his other systems couldn’t account for. Something in his circuits made his solder tingle, Zero couldn’t explain it but he found himself instinctively taking a defensive position.

  Lexel opened her mouth to question the sud
den change in Zero’s demeanor but an explosion of inky blackness engulfed her before the words could form. Terror alone held her mind as she found herself unable to find any trace of light or any idea what was going on at all. She felt a sudden surge of motion around her and then realized she didn’t have any idea what could be attacking them, or if it was after her or Zero.

  The muffled sound of metal clanging on metal brushed her ears and Lexel had to resist her imagination from running wild in an attempt to understand what was happening. Unseen in front of her Zero bravely battled the twin terrors. While they held the advantage of onboard weapon systems, Zero quickly found they had sacrificed much of their armored frames in compensation. The Greyhounds lacked the benefit of his resilient frame, of his reinforced chassis designed to far exceed anything his operational requirements might need. They had never been designed for a head on battle like he had, instead they were meant to take advantage of stealth.

  Zero lacked the offensive weapons his opponents brought to bear, but there was no matching his brute strength. The Greyhounds attacks met waiting armor and found it defying them, laser blasts barely scorched him when they connected. Other shots went wild as he continually evaded them. After several long moments, Zero maneuvered himself into a final pass between his foes and found both anticipated attacks instead finding a waiting home in their partners.

  Still sputtering with sparks the limp bodies of the Greyhounds laid on the alley floor as the grenades induced darkness dissipated. Lexel had to look on in wonder at Zero who was standing triumphantly beside her.

  “We, um, I think we should get out of here before something else shows up,” Lexel stammered half to herself. “A logical assessment,” Zero agreed. Together they quickly made their way out of the alley in silence. Lexel couldn’t find the words to address what just happened, but made a note of it to try to as soon as possible. She had to find out what had just happened, and more importantly exactly what she had just gotten herself into.

  Episode 9

  At first Lexel and Zero traveled in complete silence, but after a few blocks the growing pressure of so many questions soon became too much. Zero was the first to break the self imposed quiet that had trailed them after fleeing the scene of their almost-ambush. Cautiously he considered their surroundings, he was still wary from the last encounter, as they tucked around a corner.

  “I am unable to identify our attackers; there is no previous record of them within my database,” Zero informed Lexel with an almost audible edge of regret in his voice. “But their attack pattern is consistent with an attempted removal of a target using stealth; however I can not conclude which one of us was the likely target. It is likely that either they did not anticipate my presence or the effectiveness of my defensive capabilities.”

  “Has anyone ever told you that you talk a bit much,” Lexel interrupted. “Seriously, you are probably the chattiest robot I have ever heard of! Not that I have heard of all that many talking robot dogs mind you, but I figure there can’t be another one who talks so much.”

  Zero’s optics narrowed in as close of an approximation to blinking as Lexel presumed the curious creation could manage. “Is there something wrong with my speech? I could alter my response parameters to meet a more concise format if you prefer. My base programming requires me to provide extensive feedback on my experiences and to provide assistance in its analysis.”

  “Spoken like a true ‘bot; that is something we are going to have to work on. It is going to be a dead give away that your some advanced tinker-toy fresh from a R&D lab.” Lexel shuffled her feet as she looked around, the corner of her mouth pulled tight as she failed to completely mask her growing worry. “Just tell me, as simply as you can; is it possible that those two back there were only meant to deal with me? I mean, didn’t you say they did not seem adequately armed to confront you?” Lexel had to ask, as much as she hated to hear herself say the words. The little voice inside her was certain that it wouldn’t take a fully armed strike team to deal with one little old girl, and it wasn’t exactly being polite about it either.

  “Yes,” Zero began to reply after a brief pause to ‘blink’ again. Lexel hoped he wasn’t doing it solely for her benefit because she found the whole act somewhat disturbing. “It is a sound assumption that you might have been the primary target as the weapons brought to bear were better suited for dealing with soft or lightly armored targets at close range. However, it is also possible that my reaction impaired our adversary’s ability to make full use of their tactical strengths.”

  “Please tell me that was the short version,” Lexel said with a groan. She had to hold a finger up to gesture for Zero not to answer because she was sure the verbal wonder would do so if she did not. As she found her other hand firmly pressed against her forehead she had to push the image out of her mind of her mother in a similar pose. It was anything but helpful right now and truthfully she hated comparing herself to her mother.

  “Okay,” Lexel sighed, trying to order her thoughts. “Let’s review; we don’t know what attacked us. We have no real idea even which one of us they were after for sure. Does that about cover everything?”

  “It bears stating that if you were the primary target that without my intervention our attackers would have been successful,” Zero added. Lexel couldn’t argue there, even though she really wanted to. She had to admit that knowing what Zero could do in a game was one thing but it was quite reassuring to see he was just as skilled in a darkened alleyway. And as for herself, well already she was forming a working plan to get them funds she discovered.

  Lexel had to confess she never expected to be handling a situation like this nearly as well as she was. Sure there was a part of her that just wanted to hide somewhere and close her eyes until it all went away. But reality had a harsh way of reminding you that nothing was ever that easy. And if life had any more surprises in store for her, well she was determined to at the very least try to prepare herself to meet them.

  “Do not be afraid,” Zero’s electronic voice suddenly shattered her train of thought, prompting her to almost jump at being so startled. “If anything moves to threaten you again, I will stop it. I have added a new directive to my primary functions; to protect and defend you from harm.”

  Lexel wasn’t sure what to say to Zero about his sudden declaration, but it puzzled her slightly. It didn’t exactly make sense – logically at least. “Why,” she found herself asking the metallic mutt. “Wouldn’t it be more efficient to focus on your own preservation? We aren’t playing games anymore, Zero.”

  “You are correct,” Zero confirmed with a nod, his eyes never wavering from hers. “But you are my friend; my core could not resolve the loss of your existence without irreparable damage to it.” The pedigreed prototype ‘blinked’ again and tilted his head slightly as he considered Lexel’s reception to his explanation before remembering what she had said about talking so much. “I do not want to lose you.”

  Lexel smiled at the sentiment and more so at the fact Zero seemed to be learning. “Maybe you are pretty smart after all, for a science project that is.”

  Episode 10

  “I have an idea,” Lexel told her determined defender as she motioned for them to head on down the street. “There is an underground arena somewhere in low town, they call it NaN. I hear things, see things mentioned when running the nodes; it exists but doesn’t exist.” As they walked on Lexel struggled to explain it to Zero. How could she put it into words; it was a legend, a myth among the streets.

  “That is a contradiction; your statement can not be possible,” Zero objected as a can rattled, rolling away from his foot to bounce off a nearby wall. Lexel gritted her teeth and took a quick breath before trying to make the logic-locked lab rat understand. “While you are right technically, you are wrong in reality,” she countered. Lexel spun on her heel, stopping dead in her tracks to focus her full attention on Zero.

  “NaN is not a place; it doesn’t exist as a location. There is no sig
n, no building; they have tried to shut it down for years but nobody can ever find it to do so. But it does exist; I know it for a fact. NaN is, like I said, an underground arena among other things. From time to time hidden feeds surface to showcase fights or other events to lure in new blood and the like. There is a lot of money to be made but it isn’t without its share of risk. Tourists and people from the street vanish all the time trying to make it big in the games.”

  “That isn’t going to happen to us though,” Lexel reassured Zero with cool confidence. “I have seen you fight, and with my advice there isn’t going to be anything that can stand a chance against us.” Zero carefully considered everything his new companion told him, but found himself unable to completely reconcile the notion that they were looking for something that didn’t exist. It made his transistors twitch just thinking about it; how would they find it if it couldn’t be found?

  “The trick is going to be finding NaN, and I know a lot about tricks,” Lexel proclaimed with a wicked grin. “We just need to find ourselves a public terminal or some way of accessing nodes and I think I can work some magic.” That was going to be the challenge she knew; finding a workable access point wasn’t like finding trash in the street. Most people carried their own hardware; almost nobody used public terminals anymore which meant they were few in number and even fewer functioning. But if she could find one she could patch up just enough – well it was bound to be no longer listed on the grids, which could mean less chance of being tracked.