Chapter 22: Where in the world is Laser Jack?

  “You know, the Family isn’t just a corporation. We called it ‘the family’ for a reason. It’s a place for samurais to gather, for them to find a community. The Family exists to support samurais above all else, and we accomplish that mission by borrowing what works from corporations, just without all the bad stuff.

  Also, a lot of samurais watching over your shoulder tend to keep people in line.”

  –Ad featuring Samurai Laser Jack promoting ‘The Family’, 2055

  ***

  As I got out, I arrived to find a beehive of activity. The newly rescued were still settling in and finding ways to help. Some joined the militia, others were taking care of the legion of kids, etc…

  I took the time to take a detoxification suite since the drugs wearing off left me a bit fried. It perked me up quite a bit! I’d have to look into getting more for the addicts that wanted to quit. It would be a lot of points, but it would also be a lot of people rehabilitated real fucking quick!

  Then, Johnny arrived at full speed! He went down the corridor in just a few seconds and deposited a couple kids on the ground. “Heya partner! What’s up?”

  I looked around at all the people then invited him over to an empty apartment. Not many of those left. People were packed in like sardines since we’d only retaken a single residential area. I also invited Lila and Robin, a bit unsure about where or how loudly I should have this conversation.

  I settled for ‘shut off mics and our super AIs will share over local comms.’ “Alright, Johnny, something occurred to me that I really should have asked. Where the fuck are all the samurais? I mean, seriously, all these fucking xenos and you’re the only one here? What the fuck happened?”

  He looked at me and I could see his eyebrows furrow under his visor. “They’re… I mean… okay I know there are a lot of ‘em in the sewers. You know, the less powerful that do sewer cleanin’ and low risk jobs like that. As far as I know they’re searchin’ for the source. It’s a darn maze down there so they got lost, I think? If they’d found it they’d have attacked, right? We’d notice for sure…” I looked at him, a bit baffled.

  “That’s… alright, now where are the powerful ones?! I know there are some real badass New-Montreal samurais!” He just looked at me like I was stupid.

  “Well, yeah, there are, but they ain’t here. They go all over, I’d bet tons don’t live in the city. There ain’t no big name samurai in the city at the moment. They’re busy with one thing or ‘nother as far as I reckon.”

  That took all of us by surprise. “...Okay, now, are they on their way?” Again, he gave me a look that made me want to punch him.

  “For a micro-incursion? Nah, they leave that to the less powerful ones, so they can grow and stuff.”

  “What the fuck do you mean by micro-incursion!? We just killed thousands of them!” That seemed to hit a few neurons in there.

  “Actually, I wasn’t expectin’ this many when I came, at all. From all the info we have it’s supposed to be a real minor one, just a small offshoot. The companies that own this buildin’ and a few around it insisted on handlin’ it. The Family didn’t want to fight ‘em on it, I ain’t sure why. They sent a few smaller samurais in the sewers. I guess they ain’t found anythin’ yet.” I fake rubbed my temples on the sides of my helmet. It still helped a bit.

  “So, you’re telling me that no reinforcement is coming to save the thousands of civilians in this building because the companies that own everything around here told the Family to fuck off? Why the hell doesn’t the family have any idea of the real size!? They’re a samurai company for fuck’s sake! They should have… fuck I don’t know!” I said while throwing my hands up in the air in exasperation.

  “Hey, woah, the family has a lot of samurais but it’s mostly samurai support over yonder, they handle the info and all that shit. Plus, the net’s completely out of gas for the entire buildin’, apparently it’s because of the basement where the antithesis broke in.” That stopped me in my tracks.

  Robin’s the one that interjected. “The entire building? That’s not supposed to be… did it go down all at once or gradually?” Johnny shrugged but Bytal answered.

  It went down very rapidly. Not instantly from an AI’s perspective but I suspect that you would define the timeline as instant.

  Lila paled. “That’s an attack. A very, very coordinated one.” Johnny looked confused, but I knew what she meant.

  “Fuck… Johnny, how did you know I needed my ass saved?” That put him back on track.

  “There was a bunch of activity online, attacks on tons of different sites and servers to destroy bounties and requests and stuff. Laser Jack wouldn’t tell me who it was about and I suspect he doesn’t know since the attacks were samurai grade and mixed with the destruction of other bounties…”

  He glanced at Lila but didn’t mention her. “So we knew there was a new samurai. For you specifically, I suspect he didn’t tell me your name ‘cause he’s a sadistic asshole and wanted to see what’d happen. On the other hand, he knew who you were thanks to a few still images from cameras here and there that are hardwired.”

  “God fucking dammit… If they only got still images…” I muttered under my breath.

  Yes. I suspect we are being jammed very thoroughly. I believe you know the nature of the jamming for the hardwired servers?

  “Fucking shr3dders…” I muttered loudly enough to be overheard.

  “Shredders?” Asked the innocent puppy in the room.

  “It’s a type of program that shreds information coming out of or through something. Some shit is hardwired because it needs to be or because this place is old. If you don’t want videos taken, you send shr3dders to those servers or you install them on the actual piece of tech. You can even place devices carrying them on the hardwire and scramble well enough that no one can actually tell.”

  I started pacing. This was really, really fucking bad. “They essentially chop down and reconfigure videos into little bits that can’t be found with a normal search. You can get still images and short clips because it’s hard to truly destroy information, but that’s it.”

  “Problem is, a camera does the same thing when it malfunctions, so it just looks like a fucked up camera. If they all just shut off it’s suspicious as fuck but shr3dders? They’re subtle and only visible if you hardwire into the cameras themselves.” I had to fucking think, move the images of nude Robin aside and really use my brain.

  “So, you think that someone is preventin’ samurais from helpin’? Why?” Lila was less of an optimist than I was to say the least, but she was also a realist and she knew this fucked up city well. That meant I trusted her opinion, even the pessimistic as hell estimates.

  “Because this is the slums. People make the mistake of thinking there’s always a reason to do something, but usually, there’s a dozen. Especially when corpos or governments are involved. The people in charge of the building might want to empty it, then renovate and sell it. Someone important might have fled here.” Lila slumped on the bed and rested her back against the wall as she kept talking.

  “Having a gang that’s not corruptible to all hell might be a threat. Could be a company that wants to test out new anti-antithesis guns. Maybe they want the megabuilding empty for a big project. Might be avoiding a lawsuit for whatever’s in here. Shit, could just be a short-sell. Perhaps, all of the fucking above!”

  “They find the old hive hiding down there and see an opportunity, kill a dozen birds with one stone. Blow a hole in the basement and keep feeding the hive until everyone’s dead. If they don’t die from the hive, kill anyone who tries to escape. Fuck, they’ve probably been doing that since the start. If they don’t let survivors approach close enough, long range cameras won’t pick up the murder since this zone is restricted.”

  “Hell, they probably waited for the right time, have contacts in the family to let them know when all the big samurais are away. Those contacts are probably helping cover this shit up. They might have been feeding it for months! That could explain why this hive is so fucking insane. Then, when it’s time, they poke the bear and blow a hole in the ceiling, then the aliens take the path of least resistance to the outside.” I could see it in her eyes as she relived some very dark times. Hope left her like a slowly deflating balloon.

  I took over after that. “There are many companies involved and a good thousand ways to make ridiculous amounts of money from a damn megabuilding because, well, it’s a megabuilding! Johnny, what do you think someone could do with a damn town empty of anyone unprofitable with a claim to any property in it except the corp?” I asked the poor little innocent young man.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  He just looked dumbstruck. “That’s… I’m sorry, what? That ain’t possible, I mean, you’re talkin’ about the mass murder of innocent people! That shit doesn't fly!” Robin had a dark look on his face, memories of how the place used to be before the purge going through his mind.

  However, he gave Johnny a sad smile. “People can be stupid and greedy. Also, Johnny, remember, this is the slums. We’re not people, we’re street trash. They’re just doing cleanup. I think they had to severely underestimate samurais to do this and/or have connections in the Family for protection. Probably underestimated the antithesis as well.”

  Our resident cowboy sat on the bed, his face showing deep consternation and denial. “How… how would they feed the hive? I mean, it takes a lot of…”

  “Sewers Johnny. It’s not hard to redirect sludge to the hive I bet.” I said, pounding nails into his coffin. “Altany, can we send out a drone? One with messages?”

  I suspect there is already a massive security presence at all exits and strong anti-air surrounding the building, in theory to protect the civilians, of course. Since it would be calibrated to model ones and lower to prevent this scenario, I suspect it to be a non-option. I am guessing they also let the infection spread to other megabuildings to justify ‘cleanup’. This would help them justify a stronger external presence.

  “Okay, so, we have a few problems to solve.” Lila looked at me like I was an idiot.

  “Hum… Panda, we’re fucked. We find a way to bug out. That’s our only option.” I retracted my mask to look her straight in the eyes. I had more steel in my gaze than ever before.

  “No. Fuck no. Jesus horse-cock sucking cum gargling prolapsing Christ no!” I think Johnny wanted to puke.

  “Pandear, they have an army…” Robin said softly, which broke my heart. Not that he’d doubt me or whatever, but making my darling lose hope was something I couldn’t forgive.

  “No, we have an army! A samurai-grade equipped army! They have a fake security force that can’t legally shoot us. As long as the jammer is active, we might have combat, but when it goes down, we win in an instant. Oh, fuck yes! Altany! Corporate clearing groups, can you force our acceptance as the designated one?”

  Legally, I do not have to force anything. The residents were meant to pick the corporate clearing group and pay for it according to the bylaws. It was meant to be a cost saving measure for the company. If the price could not be paid by the residents, goods from the dead and living would be sold to cover the amount due.

  The company might cover the rest. Confiscated goods usually make up a majority of the pay for these groups. Of course, they do not declare all the goods taken, and even though there is meant to be a system made to reclaim confiscated goods, it is very rarely enforced. They are little more than looters that provide a service in general.

  “True, but this would make this our corporate territory post-incursion! At least until the clean-up is done.” That was part of PMC training, better to tell your soldiers how to not get strip searched and all their goods confiscated.

  With one realization, I started laughing! “We’re basically corposec for these floors, aren’t we?”

  As of… now you are. The self-propagating virus I uploaded using all enforcers as vectors should have reached the building servers through device-hopping. I suspect the one to erase bounties and listings reached outside in the same way. Some of the security forces may be moving in and out of the jammed area and carrying the virus.

  They may have noticed the previous one and try to prevent another incident. This will fail, of course, but may delay delivery. We can also expect political movements that may prevent Laser Jack from acting. I also set up your corporate clearing group/security contractor firm the same way. Welcome to Red White and Black Solutions incorporated.

  You’ve been contracted for the entire Peach Trees megabuilding. To be clear, I did not make those setups illegally, I simply made a virus that could do the job for me outside of the cordon. It will make things easier in the future.

  “Fucking corpos…” I muttered but I was still excited. Why excited? Well… “This means a massive breach of contract for anyone with a lease, doesn’t it?” I had a shit eating grin. Robin and Lila were still staring at me in dumbfounded silence.

  Yes, in a staggering amount of ways. No resident has the funds to legally fight it, of course, which is why these companies were not worried about potential survivors outside of their cordons. However, I can act as legal representation, of course.

  As an example, for a class-action lawsuit. I’ve amassed plentiful evidence of several thousand violations, many from before this incursion as well. I suspect I can beat the competition when it comes to pricing. How does ‘buy a better helmet’ sound to you? I’d prefer not being shot out of your brain. The possibility becomes more likely every second.

  “Deal!” I answered with a laugh. “Think you can set up a short-sell?”

  I’m your lawyer, of course I can set up a short sell. The problem will be finding the funds. Liberating them from some of the organisers of this should be fairly easy. It would be illegal trading in some ways but since you are a vanguard, we can skip past that. To do this properly, I would need at least three hundred points spent in your cyber-warfare catalogue.

  “Done.” I said without hesitation.

  I will send some stealth compressed daemons to gather funds and create the accounts. Actually, I was done long before I finished that sentence. I kept the parameters subtle to give them more time and make sure the short positions are accepted. If the organizers of this notice, they may start to unload their shares too quickly for maximum profit.

  That finally broke through to Lila who started laughing. It was a cathartic, manic and happy laugh. Robin came back to himself and asked the question hanging in the air. “Ok, wait, I’m sorry, what does that actually mean? Like, we’re suing the people that own our floors? Then what?”

  Lila kept on laughing. She ended up falling from the bed, but she was winding down. I added a little bit of info “That will drop the price like a rock hence…” I waited since she was trying to answer.

  “We… oh god… we buy them!” Robin turned to her, eyes wide.

  He’d figured out the plan, he just couldn’t believe it. “That’s… that’s insane. I mean, completely, utterly insane. We…” He was babbling so I decided to let him stew for a bit. I turned to Johnny, my brain going back to action.

  “Johnny, I need to know, how did you get in? Do you think they know you’re in here and most importantly, do they know why you’re in here? Hey, buddy?” The poor boy looked completely adrift.

  So I slapped him. Or, well, his helmet. I had to go a bit extra hard. With my very heavy gauntlet. “Hey! What in damnation…?” I took him by the shoulders.

  “So you’d wake the fuck up. We got a job to do. I’m a protector and you’re a bringer of justice. We both have a fuckton of work ahead of us, now, focus!”

  That shook something in him. He still looked a bit bewildered but I’d hit a cord. I didn’t do great at… people, in general, but I had my talents. Like, Robin claimed I had a knack for knowing what would hit someone close to home.

  “Alright partner, let’s do this. Alright, hum… Probably know I’m in here, not why. So, first priority? I gotta talk to Laser Jack. Pretty sure our AIs can talk to each other through the jammin’.” I nodded.

  I suspected he’d go for that. “The problem is, we can’t wait for reinforcements. We need to clear a larger section of this place and evacuate the lower floors. Our problem is there are too many damn stairwells. If they’re coming from below, we need to barricade them and I just don’t know how to do that sustainably. I’m thinking, maybe if I find more of my enforcers? Maybe I could put one at each and…”

  “Or just blow ‘em up.” A beat of silence followed that suggestion.

  “Or blow them up. Thanks Johnny. Should’ve thought of that. Alright, so, hum, we need to keep one for the civilians to use. If we can reduce… wait shit, if we stop them from going up relentlessly, they’ll focus more on downstairs and the people hiding there.” Johnny then asked a fucking good question.

  “Why are they going up so much?”

  Bytal and I suspect this is because of its environment. It has no need for food, hence it focuses on safety and expansion. The problem is that it is restricted to this megabuilding. The ground floor exits must be blocked. ‘Up’ is the path of least resistance in this case.

  For this plan to work, they must be confident that they can contain it. I suspect the sewers are blocked in a multitude of ways to force it into this building. It attacks this position because it is the strongest resistance closest to the hive. It has probably started to create hives on multiple floors. Clearing this building will be an arduous task.

  “Alright, that’s for later, for now people need us. So, the plan… actually, we just have to block off a bigger section for now. Really, we just need to funnel them into a couple places, maybe put some turrets down if more ranged cunts arrive… or… we could just avoid the main plaza entirely…”

  “That ain’t really an option, right?” Johnny asked with apprehension. Did he not believe in my awesome planning abilities? I almost felt insulted!

  On the other hand my last plan started and ended with ‘mosh pit!’.

  “This section’s only got one exit. I’m guessin’ that ain’t an accident. We got plenty enough folk to man more than one position, even more once you equip the six enforcers we recovered that ain’t got new stuff yet. That don’t mean there’s another way past those walls.” He said, stating the obvious. Well, except the newly rescued enforcers! I didn’t know about that! I wanted to finish my conversation quickly to check out who made it!

  I looked at him with an evil grin. “Just blow ‘em up!” A few neurons connected and he laughed.

  “Damn copycat. Alright, we’ll ask our AIs for non-load bearin’ walls, then open a section we believe we can defend.” His voice descended into muttering while he looked up, clearly checking something on his augs.

  Before I could even ask Altany, she answered the question.

  Jean-Pierre, Aisha and Fatima, Albert, Akira and Sofia. They were all injured and had to recover, like you. I’ll have them be in the advance team when you open the next section so you can check on them personally without wasting any time. I am still compiling their requests for choice of equipment.

  ‘Thanks. I feel a bit bad that…’

  You were busy and there wasn’t time. Roger overlapped very well with Johnny Law’s style but you advised Johnny on what to get the other two. I am not surprised you don’t remember. Your mental state grew very hazy around that time.

  Fucking hell could she read my mind or was I just that predictable? Probably the latter. Should I be more unpredictable? Yeah, no.

  Before any heroics, I highly recommend you do some upgrades. This would include a better helmet.