Project: MI
Chapter 15

Malcolm went from one screen to another, his hands moving across the keyboards in an attempt to coax some life from them beyond blue screens and static. His base was decently shielded thanks to some well-placed adamantine-steel sheets, but the abrupt power disruption had mucked with his equipment.

Auxiliary power is back online at least, he noted with a grimace. But I can’t afford to run that for too long without the CHC noticing. Rolling his chair over to a switch attached to the wall, he flipped it on. I’ll need to switch to batteries until I get the shields up and running again. Hopefully those aren’t fried as well. They should have had enough protection… Damn it! Who the hell out there was screwing with me?!

A screen lit up and he rolled over to it.

“Okay… Looks like I’ve got camera function back in sector three. Something must’ve shifted in the pile it was in and protected it. That’s good to kno…oh!”

As the screen cleared, he saw a young boy making his way over a pile of garbage, metal pipe in one hand while at the bottom stood Bob. The lighting from the moon was minimal, but it was enough for him to recognize his most regular visitor. He tilted his head to one side, his mind racing furiously.

He won’t be able to get out! The CHC has the entire perimeter sealed off. He’d be caught as soon as he stepped back outside. How can he…?

Realizing he had no other alternative, he got up from his chair. Racing over to his holographic projector—a ring with three light projectors of red, blue, and yellow—he checked its systems before firing it up. Of all his technology, this was the one of only two he was least concerned about being damaged by an EMP blast short of the type set off by nuclear weaponry or being knocked offline by a power outage.

Using his crutch to carefully pick his way through the hills and potholes of garbage in his path, Teruo came to a stop in front of a pile of flat, metallic-like disks sitting in a pile—more than he expected. Standing near it was Bob, looking over him.

“Are you all right?” the robot asked, taking in how much Teruo was favoring his leg.

“I’ll be fine,” Teruo waved him off. “I should be better by tomorrow. Now…” He lifted up one of the disks. “…let’s see what we have here.” Picking up one of the disks, he turned it over, running a hand across its surface.

These are definitely transmat platforms. Hmmm… He shifted it and squinted. Silver Age model. I can tell by the gold inlay. Not as efficient, but mostly devoid of damage. “Where’d you find all these?” he asked, turning up to Bob. “I thought you said that there was only one.”

“Transmat devices are not high priority, and due to the number of layers here it is difficult to maintain an accurate inventory. I noted one transmat platform the last time I passed through the northern section of the yard.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Twelve years ago.” Bob noticed the way Teruo raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Space often folds and stretches to great degrees in the yard. The space in the northern section was significantly smaller at the time and it was easier to travel through. The yard has expanded since then.”

“Of course.” Teruo sat down and placed his makeshift crutch on the ground along with the transmat device before picking up another. “Just out of curiosity… Is that safe?”

“The expanding of space?” Bob asked.

“Yeah.”

“It was deemed a necessary addition as landfills were being filled to capacity faster than anticipated. An old spatial distortion core from the Nemesi known as ‘Empress’ was appropriated to solve the problem. Since then, all remaining debris and technology from the previous Ages were retired here.”

“That didn’t really answer my question.”

“At the minimum, should the distortion core be destroyed, the power and material released would destroy Clark City. At least, that is what the math said at the time, and it is being reevaluated constantly.”

“Now I wish I didn’t ask,” Teruo grumbled, not liking the implication in light of his earlier EMP blast. Flipping over the transmat device in his hand he continued. “You’d think they wouldn’t have let a town spring up around here. Nothing like sitting on a potential volcano to liven things up. I guess this is why I hadn’t heard about how big this place really is.” He placed the device on its edge and ran a finger on it. “Very nice… Bronze Age tech. Less loose with its physics and energy budget, but always more accurate.” He turned its surface back in his direction. “The crack isn’t good but…I may be able to fix that with vacuum welding. Maybe. Depending on the materials used. I’m definitely keeping this.”

Placing the device alongside its Silver Age brethren and picked up the next one. This piece was a shining gold piece with a silver center. Teruo tossed it aside like a Frisbee almost as soon as he picked it up with a look of disgust.

“Golden Age. Model T-304. I recognize this crap anywhere. I’d have better luck duct taping someone’s molecules together.”

“It was by far in the best shape,” Bob said, following the disk’s flight path until it crashed into a nearby refrigerator. “Could you not work around it should the others fail to operate or have equipment to function with? Golden Age technology is the most numerous and is…robust.”

“I could, but not that piece. Model T-304 Transmat Platforms killed people 99 percent of the time they were used. In one war they were altered and turned into a weapon to use against heavy mech bots because that was all they were good for. I’m surprised one of the original models actually found its way here. I thought they were all melted down in the Silver Age.”

“With the amount of technology the Golden Age produced, eventually one was bound to survive an upgrade,” Bob noted. “I have a cousin that is still in his original Bronze Age design. He requires battery-life support to continue functioning. He claims that any change to his structure ruins his historical value.”

“Weird.” Teruo sighed and looked over the remaining three disks. These ones were in far rougher shape, with chips and spidery-cracks all along their surfaces.

All late Bronze Age tech. They used honey-comb cells in their creation for better memory and energy usage. There’s no way I can fix those without having an entire industry at my command. Oh well. At least the two I have is usable and fixable. Two out of six isn’t bad. Better than I figured.

“All right.” Teruo hoisted himself back up, picking up his Transmat Platforms and sticking them in his book bag. “After this, there’s the focusing lens and I’ll need to strip down some war bots and power transformers and after that I’ll say that I’m in business.”

“It is getting late out,” Bob reported. My internal clock states that it is rapidly approaching midnight. Do you have a credible excuse for your location?”

Teruo winced. He actually didn’t. John was out, but there wasn’t much of a chance that he would stay out.

If anything, he’s probably back home by now. I don’t see how work could keep him busy this long.

He pondered his situation for a moment. Just dealing with the CHC’s movements had been problematic, and he lost so much time because of it…

Oh shit! The CHC is still out there!

Teruo’s expression went from numb horror to grim resignation quickly.

“Shit,” he muttered, pressing a hand against his face. I don’t believe this… How could I have been so stupid? So…in a hurry…and not sleeping enough. Every moment when John told him to go to bed early because he was a ‘growing boy’ played through his head, contrasting it with every instance when he snuck outside to visit the junkyard or stayed up to work on a project. It was as if his brain were scolding him for his disobedience now.

C’mon brain… Cut that crap out and start thinking of a way out of this. I don’t think I have the time to just sit this one out. He rapped on his skull for emphasis, but for the moment it appeared ideas were going to be long in coming.

Fortunately for him, the world outside his head operated on a shorter time plan.

“Is there something I can help you with?” spoke up a voice behind him. Whirling about in surprise, Teruo brought up his pipe in a defensive gesture and then nearly collapsed as his injured foot again reminded him that it wasn’t up to bearing his weight just yet.

“Mister Maher,” Bob greeted, tipping an imaginary hat at the man suddenly behind them as he caught hold of the boy, preventing him from falling. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Who…?” began Teruo, readjusting his crutch. How did he get here without me noticing? Who is he? He looked the man over with a critical eye. Tall, dark hair, and wearing loosely fitting clothing.

Teruo also noted that the man wasn’t casting a shadow.

A hologram? A memory tickled his mind. A memory of a hatch swinging open to allow a costumed girl to enter. Was this man connected?

“Some introductions are in order, though this isn’t the place to do it,” the man named Maher replied. “And if I’m to understand, this isn’t the right time either.” He glanced at Bob. “Is the CHC still surrounding the junkyard?”

“Yes,” nodded Bob.

“So you need an exit,” continued Maher, returning his attention to Teruo. “It just so happens that I can provide you with one.”

“A stranger offering free candy?” Teruo asked, pushing away lightly from Bob so that he was now standing on his own again. “What are you going to do next? Tell me your name so that we’re ‘not strangers’?”

Maher chuckled. “If you want to be caught, then by all means, step outside and do so. Or if you’re confident, you can reactivate one of the war bots lying around here to distract them. You’ll need a decent power source, of course, but I’m sure Bob can find something for you.”

Teruo scowled. Although he would have thought of it, it wasn’t an idea he would have liked. There were too many things that could go wrong and if someone died or got hurt because of it…

Time is really not on my side either, he thought irritably. “All right,” he replied. Reaching behind him, he pulled out his Doctor device. Its end glowed blue as he activated it, “but if you try anything funny I’m bringing the house down. Got it?”

“No worries. In fact, it may be in your interest to see my lab. I’ll prepare something for you to look at before you go.” He turned towards Bob. “Will you guide him to the nearest entrance?”

“Of course Mister Maher,” Bob replied with a nod of his head. With that, Maher winked out of existence, leaving only a few sparkling shards of light.

Definitely a hologram, Teruo noted. He looked at Bob. “Who is this Maher guy?”

“He is a heroi with abilities much like your own. I suppose he’s your predecessor. He set himself up here around twenty years ago. He’s been in and out ever since, but he’s always come back.”

“Hmmm…” Teruo’s frown deepened. Someone like me. Does that mean he’s got the same smarts? I’ll need to be extra on my guard then.

“All right,” he said, gesturing ahead of them. “Lead the way.”

The journey to the entrance of Maher’s base of operations didn’t take long, leaving Teruo to wonder whether the man had control over the junkyard’s spatial warp. The shift of the local terrain—more specifically the garbage—from the ruins of previous ages to the more contemporary citizen refuse was disturbingly noticeable. To Teruo, the smoothness at which it occurred, something he had never given a thought to before now, gave him chills.

Did he know that I’ve been visiting from the very start? he wondered as Bob removed a pile of garbage from off a metal hatch. How much has he been helping me? Is he responsible for the weird gateway?

So many questions and unfortunately so little time to explore them.

There’s always next time, provided that there even is a next time…

Bob threw the hatch open with a nasty creek, and gestured for Teruo to enter.

“You must go alone,” he said. “My transmitter would be blocked within his base, and that would draw unwanted attention.”

That’s good to know, Teruo thought, filing the thought away for future reference. “My drone bot is still out there, by the way. It’s compiling a list of material for me. If you find it, could you keep it safe for me until I can get it back?”

“I will do so,” Bob nodded.

“Bob? This…Maher… Is he on the level?”

“You will be safe with him,” Bob said. “You are hardly the first young heroi to work with him.”

“Really?” Teruo’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t pry any further. Given that Maher appeared to be working secretly, it was highly doubtful that Bob would reveal anything to him just because he asked.

“Really,” Bob replied before waving. “Maybe you’ll meet her someday. Until then, I hope he can help you.”

Her, huh? That’s interesting… I’d say that this guy is definitely connected to what I saw the last time I came through here. He wondered who that girl was…

Bob helped him climb onto the ladder, and he dropped his crutch down the hole. Once he was secured and confident that he could climb down the rest of the way without too much trouble, he bid Bob farewell and began his descent. His injured ankle throbbed all the way down, but he made it without difficulty. Using his Doctor device as a makeshift flashlight, he quickly retrieved his pipe-crutch and began to make his way down the long corridor. His heart beat a steadily increasing drumbeat as he went. The darkness was all around him, and the light from his Doctor device cast strange shadows with claw-like curves. Eerie blue light grew and shrunk, following his every movement.

I am the wolf, with great big eyes, thought Teruo. All the better to see you with.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel and he hastened his approach. In the longest minute he could remember, he finally broke into a large, well-lit room and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Here…I…am…” he panted, stepping past the threshold.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” spoke up Maher—this time in the flesh—as he stood up from his desk and approached him. He gave the boy’s ankle a careful look. “Do you need that taken care of? You didn’t break anything, did you?”

“I’ll be fine.” Teruo hopped, adjusting his balance. “Nothing that a good night’s sleep won’t cure.” He glanced around the mess that was the room—a laboratory of sorts, full of all kinds of odds and ends from wires to bubbling chemicals. Teruo found himself feeling very much at…home here.

Business is business though.

“I…ah…heard a rumor that you can get me past the CHC blockade?”

“I can do better than that, but first…” Returning to his desk he ejected a disk from his computer and quickly put it in a protective sleeve. Curious, Teruo hobbled forward to get a better look at the information displayed on his screens. On one was an all too familiar image of a mist-filled city, and next to it was a grid-like layout of what he assumed was the same city.

Teruo was snapped away from his study as Maher approached him with the disk in hand.

“Here,” Maher said, handing it to him. “From one genius to another, you’ll want to take a look at this when you get home.”

Teruo raised a suspicious eyebrow, accepting the CD cautiously. “What is this?”

“Information that I think would be good for you to see.”

“Why are you giving this to me?”

Malcolm gave him a sly smile. “For the same reason I’ve been giving you every piece of information since we first met.”

Teruo tilted his head to one side, confused by this. Malcolm chuckled. “I suppose a hint is in order.” Tapping a button on his keyboard, the closest of his computer screens changed to reveal a cartoonish, orange-furred, fox face.

“No way…” Teruo breathed in dawning comprehension. “Kitsune? You’re kitsune?!”

“The one and only.”

“But your IP…” Teruo broke off as he took in Malcolm’s devious grin. “I…see.” He narrowed his eyes at the man. “What did you get from me?”

Raising his hands, Malcolm gave him a slow applause.

“Sorry if this hurts. I really do consider you a good friend. If it helps, it didn’t start out that way and I did give you information because I wanted to feed your curiosity.”

“I was just convenient though, wasn’t I? For whenever you wanted info from the CHC…” His eyes widened as a terrible thought occurred to him. “Oh gods…” He ran a hand through his hair. “My bot! I let it loose in there!”

“It was convenient,” Malcolm admitted. “Some of the information you got from me couldn’t have been gathered as safely. The audio helped as your drone was often a…fly on the wall, so to speak. People are looser with their tongues when they think they’re behind safe walls.”

“I could be executed for treason!”

“You’re too valuable for that,” Malcolm said dismissively. “You have no idea about your potential. All those tests you’ve been taking are only starting to tap the well. They want this from you.” He tapped his head in example. “A dead brain is a useless brain and people like you are rare. Too rare to risk losing.” Getting up from his chair he beckoned the boy to follow him. “We can talk more later if you’d like. We should get you home. You can’t risk your caretaker discovering that you’re missing. Especially with your small window of opportunity here and your…injury slowing you down.”

Teruo swore under his breath, following the man. Everything about this whole thing stunk and he hated the idea of dropping everything at once, but… If I get out of here, I’ll be back on top of this. Anger flared in his chest. Maybe even get this guy back for using me.

Yes. He rather liked that idea.

Rounding the desk, Teruo stopped dead in his tracks. Past the entrance into a new room was a glowing disk approximately six feet in length with four smaller disks integrated into it. His caution evaporated almost immediately and he approached it, his expression one of awe.

“This… This is a working transmat platform?” he asked, his tone just barely above a whisper.

“A short-range one,” Maher admitted, his hands playing across a control panel. “I can’t afford to draw too much power from the grid, as it would be noticed. It’s also not as good as the ones from the Bronze Age. It loses a lot of accuracy the further away you go, so this is strictly within the range of, oh, about twenty to thirty miles at best. Fifty if I’m not bothering to hide where I am.” Maher looked at Teruo. “But for your purposes I can transmit your molecules straight into your bedroom.”

Teruo craned his head to one side as his mind took in the device, translating each and every bit of it with quick glances.

“This is a type 16 Alpha D. The last ‘government approved’ transmat rated for civilian use before the Great War of the Golden Age. One way only. It’s even in perfect working condition. This is…amazing.”

“It should be. I worked hard to find it.”

Teruo ran a hand over his mouth. His brain was racing now, taking in all the possibilities.

“With just the proper modifications to the power and transmitters, this could send me anywhere in the world. I could even upgrade it to a two-way…!”

Teruo was broken out of his stream of thought by Maher’s tsking noise. Looking up, he saw the man shaking a finger at him.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m not letting you compromise my work here for your projects. You’re mostly on your own with that. I’m sending you home as a courtesy because we’re friends—or at least I hope we still are. Anything more will cost you.”

Teruo stared at him blankly for a second before finally nodding, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration, but accepting of the situation.

He adjusted the weight of the book bag on his shoulders and he heard the clink of the transmat disks within.

But… The platform would cut my work time down considerably, he thought mournfully. Just finding something like this is going to take forever. Hel, it’s going to take a while just to build something decent!

Maher coughed politely and gestured to the platform. “If you don’t mind, could you get on? It’s rather late out and you need your rest.”

“What do I need to do to be able to use this?”

Maher blinked at him. Teruo took that as a good sign.

“I’m sorry?”

“You said it would cost me. What’s the price?”

Maher seemed to consider this for a moment before finally speaking again.

“Sleep on it and then get back to me. I’ll think of a price then, if you’re still interested. In the meantime, I have things to do. Things that need fixing, thanks to you.”

Teruo blushed at that, but nodded. He was still rather uncertain himself as to whether or not this was a good idea.

“All right,” he replied, getting onto the platform. “Send me to Oz.”

“Off to the Wizard you go, down the yellow brick road,” Maher replied, tapping a button. A swirl of gold light surrounded Teruo’s vision. There followed a sense of his consciousness first floating, and then dissolving, brick by brick, before finally coming back together in the familiar surroundings of his bedroom. Dizziness swamped him then and he staggered to stop himself from falling. He heard the clink of his two disks as he righted his balance.

“Steady there,” he said shakily, waiting for the rest of him to settle down before using his crutch to help him get over to his bed and nearly collapse on it. The weight of his entire jaunt came crashing down on him. The softness of his bed whispered sweet seductions of sleep to him.

Got a lot done today, he smiled, pushing himself up, resisting the call of deep dreams. But before I pat myself on the back too much about everything I discovered… Got to take care of some things. Got to hide my treasure.

Sliding his backpack off from around his shoulders, he shoved it underneath his bed. It was far from the most elegant solution, but for at least five hours or so it was beyond reproach. Plenty of time to catch a nap.

And the disk…

He held it in his hand, eyeing it carefully. This was by far the one thing he felt the least comfortable about.

Forcing himself up, he went over to his desk and slid the disk beneath a special compartment he made beneath a drawer. As far as he knew, John had not yet managed to discover it.

Turning, he staggered and went down onto one knee as he put weight on his injured ankle Grating his teeth, he massaged the limb, cursing himself for his seemingly endless strings of careless behavior. He couldn’t help but wonder if his offer to Maher in order to use his transmat platform was at all a smart decision.

Before he could pursue the train of thought any further, he heard a gentle thump from outside his door. Turning, he saw a shadow move beneath the doorframe, just barely noticeable within the shadow that filled the hallway.

John’s probably just checking in on me, he thought, heading back over to his bed. Better hop in before he…

The door burst open a second later and the flashlights from a dozen soldiers flooded the bedroom as they stormed in, shouting for Teruo to get down on the ground. Shocked, the boy reflexively did as ordered. There was no room for argument here. Anything else would only invite another kind of bad decision that Teruo hoped to avoid.

As a soldier circled above him and began to cuff his wrists together, a man entered the room to observe the scene. Clicking on a small ear piece, the man spoke and Teruo’s ears perked in recognition.

“Director Daria?” began Agent Coleman. “We have the heroi Teruo Kato in custody. You will have him at central command shortly.”

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