{"id":6128,"date":"2021-01-16T20:59:44","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T12:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benjamincheah.com\/?p=6128"},"modified":"2021-01-16T20:59:44","modified_gmt":"2021-01-16T12:59:44","slug":"hunters-of-the-void-chapter-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/?p=6128","title":{"rendered":"Hunters of the Void Chapter 6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The flight back to the hotel was long and circuitous. Sirens echoed in discordant choruses through the empty streets, the first responders finally confident that the wrath of the New Gods had passed. The Angel at the controls pulled a series of high-speed high-precision maneuvers, staying far from police vehicles and away from the city\u2019s sensor net.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A half-hour after the exfiltration, Zen, Kayla and Alex strode into the lobby of the Wellington. The Angel remained in the gravtruck. The humans lingered in the lounge, making small talk, while Kayla surreptitiously checked her eyeshields. The microcams she had installed inside the room and the hallway outside showed no sign of intruders. Then again, following Will Connor\u2019s not-so-recent brush with a Liberated spook, she didn\u2019t trust the feed completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They headed up to the room. As Alex waited outside, Zen and Kayla cleared the suite. They checked every corner, every closet, everywhere a man or monster might hide. Only after they were satisfied did they invite Alex inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They gathered in the living room. Zen drew the blinds. Kayla turned on the television, tuning it to a foreign language movie channel. Alex took one step further, removing a jammer from a trouser pocket and turning it on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, at last, they could speak freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou want to let us in on your plan?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe best case scenario was that we exfiltrated the biocomputer code and printed one without being detected,\u201d Alex said. \u201cThe worst case scenario was the Void Collective tracing us and sending a kill team. I was prepared for both.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zen said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex placed his hands on his knees. He appeared relaxed, but his fingers seized his kneecaps in a death grip. He stared at a spot halfway between and behind Kayla and Zen, observing them in his peripheral vision, waiting\u2014inviting<\/em>\u2014them to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like you to be traced. Even by the New Gods,\u201d Zen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA conventional computer performs one operation at a time. The best quantum supercomputer today can perform one million<\/em> simultaneous operations. A DNA hybrid supercomputer has a theoretical capability of one billion <\/em>operations. The finest encryption protocols are useless against the Void Collective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow is this possible?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cParallelism. A quantum computer uses qubits, quantum bits, a unit of information that exists in a quantum superposition. Where a classical bit can only hold one value, a qubit holds two. A qubit can perform two operations. Two qubits entangled together can perform four<\/em>. With a small number of entangled qubits, a quantum supercomputer can perform hundreds, thousands, even millions of operations at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA DNA computer uses biological molecules instead of chips. Information is represented using the four-character genetic alphabet, in contrast to 1 and 0 in classical computing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen performing a task, a conventional computer must examine all potential pathways one at a time, following every branch to its conclusion. A DNA computer doesn\u2019t have to. It grows to explore all<\/em> pathways at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy analogy, consider a brute force attack. When attempting to guess the password for a secure account, a traditional brute force attack tries countless possible permutations, one at a time, until it hits the correct password. In contrast, a DNA computer can theoretically attempt all<\/em> possible password permutations at once.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla whistled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDamn<\/em>. That makes the Void Collective the best hackers in Babylon. In the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCorrect. Even the Singularity Network cannot compete against their cyberwarfare capabilities. It is how they have managed to secure so many secrets. The same secrets you exposed to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey grew overconfident in their tech,\u201d Zen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich was why they scrambled to develop a next-generation hybrid biocomputer. You didn\u2019t just eliminate their cybernetic supremacy. You turned their own strengths against them and destroyed one of the few advantages they enjoy over the other New Gods. They know that if their rivals sense weakness, they will act swiftly and ruthlessly. They may even band together to destroy the Void Collective once and for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Void Collective thus views all threats to the hybrid biocomputer project as existential risks and will act accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you planned for this,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said it so plainly, so matter-of-factly, that he might as well have reaffirmed the existence of gravity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny physical penetration carries the risk of compromise,\u201d Alex continued. \u201cAfter you were detected and ejected from the building, the VC\u2019s next logical step would be to sweep the entire building for signs of intrusion. They must have detected the packet sniffer Zen installed in the water dispenser.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey chose to leave it in place,\u201d Zen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo they could trace me. Us.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow did you plan to counter that?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI routed all the data we received from that sniffer through my laptop. The same laptop I set up at the warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou wanted<\/em> to lead them to your operation? Why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHad our intrusion gone undetected, we would now be in the possession of a hybrid biocomputer capable of penetrating the VC\u2019s networks. If not, I would immediately execute my deception plan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla crossed her arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd what is this deception plan?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA threat actor who targeted the biocomputer data would logically be expected to attempt to create one. I merely showed the VC what they wanted to see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you destroyed the lab in front of the VC,\u201d Zen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. Investigations will conclude that the explosion was caused by hydrogen. The fuel cells were punctured during the firefight. The hydrogen leaked out and rapidly evaporated, filling the warehouse with hydrogen gas. Tragically, the defenders failed to notice this. A stray spark ignited the hydrogen, destroying most of the warehouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe investigators will find evidence pointing to a makeshift lab. A destroyed laptop, printers, a modular cleanroom, the remains of the biocomputer I attempted to build, and a few bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe bodies of Angels,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlus a human cadaver. One that uncannily resembles me, liberated from the morgue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla recoiled. Zen blinked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere did it come from?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had stored it in the freezer. I took it out after you left and propped it by the fuel cells. By the time the warehouse had blown up, the cadaver had reached room temperature. The investigators will only recover the head, DNA samples, perhaps a severed limb or two. Any irregularities can be explained by blast damage. They will also conveniently find personal effects scattered around the warehouse, enough to identify the body as me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zen grinned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlex, you magnificent son of a bitch!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex rocked back and forth, his lips twisting into a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t know you escaped?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou killed the only VC operatives who could have witnessed my escape. Most of my Angels stayed behind to engage the remaining Elect long enough for me to leave. There is no BOLO on the police dispatch system, only the standard orders to cordon and search the area. Had the VC noticed my departure, they would have enlisted the police to hunt me down. We can confidently assume that they did not notice my flight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey noticed ours<\/em>,\u201d Zen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. But you were in North Valley, far from the warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re looking for us, but not you,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe VC may think you\u2019re dead, but they know<\/em> we\u2019re alive. They may think the code is still out there,\u201d Zen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo not worry. The moment I received a copy of the biocomputer plans, I disconnected my laptop from the network we established for this operation. I transferred a copy of the plans to a flash drive, uploaded the plans to the secure site from a second computer, and allowed the VC to compromise my original laptop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis laptop also contains correspondence between myself and a pair of freelancers. The correspondence will show that I recruited them only to provide overwatch for my operation. I did not share any details of the biocomputer with them. There is no evidence that another copy of the plans exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy God\u2026 You thought of everything, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex rocked himself faster, more vigorously, his eyes gleaming with delight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world believes I am dead. The VC believes that they have eliminated a hacker who obtained the plans to their biocomputer. They believe that their biocomputer remains secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am still in possession of the biocomputer plans. I can build a biocomputer anytime I wish. A biocomputer the two of you can access freely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla gaped. Zen\u2019s jaw dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2026 well\u2026 Thanks,\u201d Zen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have done much for the nation. For us. Consider it a token of appreciation,\u201d Alex said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey may still mutate the biocomputer code,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey might. On the other hand, they still think I am dead. That matters more than the biocomputer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFreedom seems important to you, huh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter you were sent into \u2018protective custody\u2019, I used every tool, information and marker I had at my disposal to manipulate the New Gods and their cronies. I removed everyone who could have prevented the creation of the Temple Commission, and everyone who could have hindered them. I identified those who could have retaliated against the STS and gave them to Special Counsel Temple and ensured their prosecution and conviction. I published on the Dark Web the secrets even Temple could not expose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll this came at a cost. The New Gods are after my head. I am perhaps the only man they hate more than Yuri Yamamoto. I had to go underground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow I am dead. I am free.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zen looked at Kayla. She looked back. Alex continued rocking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was the first time she had heard of this. They had lost all contact with Alex after they were sent to the Box. She had assumed that he had worked in the shadows, that he made use of the information before the authorities could process it all, but this\u2026 She hadn\u2019t expected this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Zen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI only did what was right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy did you do it?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planted his feet on the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And fixed her with his unblinking stare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am human. The New Gods are not. They seek to make slaves of us all. I can\u2019t allow it. I will not<\/em> allow it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything I have done, I did for humanity. I targeted only the New Gods, their properties, and their puppets. I played them all against each other. I fought a one-man war against them on cyberspace, the only kind of war I can fight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never knew you were an idealist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was why I recommended that the PSB recruit him,\u201d Zen said. \u201cHe\u2019s one of the few people with the guts to challenge the New Gods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we first met, I thought you were some kind of black hat mercenary hacker. I guess I was wrong,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo mercenary will oppose the New Gods. Working for them is far more profitable,\u201d Alex replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI appreciate everything you have done for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did only what I could do. What I had to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your next step?\u201d Zen asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will need to reinvent myself. I already have a backup identity prepared. We will all need to lie low for a while. But when the heat dies down, I will resume the war.\u201d He blinked. \u201cAnd, as it happens, I have a list of targets. Once it is safe to prosecute these targets, I may need your help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo they belong to New Gods?\u201d Zen asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWonderful. And you, Kayla?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the past two years, she had followed her heart. And her heart followed\u2026 Call it intuition, conscience, or even the Voice of God. Whatever it was, a powerful feeling had brought her here, to Babylon. A feeling she couldn\u2019t articulate, only sense, pulsing in time with her heartbeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was meant to be here. To do something important. To carry out Yuri\u2019s wishes: to hold the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was this it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This wasn\u2019t it. But it was, however, a stepping stone. Another link in the chain of events that had to happen before it came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She still had her mission. And this was part of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMe too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex smiled. A genuine smile, with wide eyes and flashing teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWonderful. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, either we hang together or we hang separately,\u201d Zen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd on that note,\u201d Kayla said, \u201cwe have access to a network you might be interested in. A network of former STS operators, committed to opposing the New Gods. We could make introductions, see how we can all work together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease do that,\u201d Alex said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGotcha.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex\u2019s smile grew wider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor two years, the Void Collective thought they were hunting us. Now we<\/em> will be the ones hunting them<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThem and the rest of the New Gods,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves,\u201d Zen said. \u201cThe New Gods will be combing the streets for us. We have to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, of course. We\u2019ll resume this discussion later. You have my email address. Contact me when you\u2019re secure,\u201d Alex said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex was the first to leave. Zen and Kayla had already packed their things for a quick getaway. They gave Alex a five-minute head start, then grabbed their bags and left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex\u2019s gravtruck was already gone. Zen and Kayla\u2019s vehicles remained in the underground parking lot, parked side by side. They inspected the vehicles thoroughly, checking for bombs, listening devices, any unwanted surprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At last it was time to go. Zen held out his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla shook it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks for coming,\u201d he said. \u201cAppreciate your help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnytime,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They departed. He took to the skies in his gravcar, heading east. She drove southwest, jumping from one expressway to another, and raced down the highway leading out of Babylon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind her, the lights of the city glowed like a constellation of cold stars, bright and fixed and dazzling, accenting the darkness of the night. Before her, the open road stretched into the infinite night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019d only recently arrived in Babylon. Now she had to leave it again. It was the second time in as many years. But, from the depths of her soul, the same depths that had sensed the call of Babylon, the call to war and duty, she knew she would return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading HUNTERS OF THE VOID! For more stories in this universe, check out BABYLON BLUES<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The flight back to the hotel was long and circuitous. Sirens echoed in discordant choruses through the empty streets, the first responders finally confident that the wrath of the New Gods had passed. The Angel at the controls pulled a series of high-speed high-precision maneuvers, staying far from police vehicles and away from the city\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[68,106,143,168,172,216],"class_list":["post-6128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-babylon-red","tag-cyberpunk","tag-free-story","tag-horror","tag-hunters-of-the-void","tag-military-science-fiction"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6128"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6128\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}