Chapter 593: Stock Car Race (2/2)
The Agent nodded.
”You, Flowerpatch, nobody else,” Torturer said. When Flowerpatch opened her mouth he shook his head. ”You use a nanite body so that you don't interact unexpectedly with things. It would take most of us days or weeks to learn to use a disaster frame, you can interact without force projectors or hard light projectors. Go in, with some Agents.”
”I need his notebooks and clones of his drives,” Flowerpatch said.
”Done,” Torturer said. ”Tomorrow, you have three hours. Disturb as little as possible. Stay away from that janky mat-trans, the creation engines, and that scorched up quantum system.”
Flowerpatch nodded.
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FIVE MONTHS PRIOR
Delta pinged Flowerpatch, who took only a few minutes to arrive. She knocked on the door and Delta was surprised to see that Robbie wasn't with her.
”You need me?” Flowerpatch asked.
Delta nodded. ”I've been reading Sam-UL's notes and comments,” he said, motioning at the copies of the actual paper sheet notebooks and the copies of the computer systems they had fabbed up. ”It took me nearly two weeks to figure out that the big list of random characters at the back of that notebook was his logins and passwords.”
”All right,” Flowerpatch looked around, then moved over to pull a rollaway chair away from a desk and sit down. ”Why do you need me?”
”The strange matter coating, it's been bothering me. He doesn't list why he needed it, but he was fairly careful in his searches,” Delta said. ”I asked Vanishing Point and a few others about some of the search strings he did.”
Flowerpatch nodded.
”The strange matter coating is listed as having been used for scientific probes at one time,” Delta said.
”Hellspace, and whatever left Herod stunned for two days only able to mumble about violent and purple,” Flowerpatch said.
Delta nodded. ”Correct.”
”So they used the mat-trans and were exposed to Hellspace and someplace else?” Flowerpatch asked.
Delta nodded. ”Which points at a rather ugly supposition.”
”That the SUDS isn't in this universe, or even this dimension,” Flowerpatch guessed.
”Right. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense. Probably a bubble universe,” Delta turned and tapped a computer. ”At the time, they were examining 'extra-dimensional spaces' for a clue on how to move faster than light in this universe.”
”Pop in another universe, move fifty miles, reappear in our universe fifty thousand light years away,” Flowerpatch nodded. ”Jumpspace, hyperspace, Hellspace, all of those, that's how they worked.”
”OK, here me out,” Delta tapped a drawing of overlapping circles. ”What if they found an extremely limited dimension, with a tiny universe, and put the SUDS there?”
Flowerpatch raised an eyebrow. ”You'd need the spooky particles and strange matter for sure.”
”And if so, I think I figured out what's up with the spooky particle that's been driving everyone nuts,” Delta said.
Flowerpatch raised an eyebrow.
”When a particle is generated in our reality, a mirror duplicate is generated in the other universe and loaded into a SUDS communication array,” Delta said.
Flowerpatch nodded slowly. ”The old 'paired quark' system.”
Delta smiled. ”Exactly.”
Flowerpatch was silent for a moment. ”That's... that's a big deal.”
”That's not why I invited you, though,” Delta said. He pointed at one of the LCD 2.5D monitors. ”I had a breakthrough.”
”What kind?” Flowerpatch asked.
”I got the system to talk to me,” Delta said, smiling.
Flowerpatch focused on the monitor. It was a menu with a half dozen options.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
MILITARY ACCESS
RESURRECTION SYSTEM TECHNICIAN
were just the major ones.
ADMINISTRATION
MAINTENANCE
DATA INFORMATION SYSTEMS were the other three.
”I'm going to try to get into the admin files,” Delta said. He pointed at the screen. ”It's a text GUI, no pointer, not touchpad, no nothing. Straight text.”
Flowerpatch nodded. ”Did you document how you got here?”
Delta nodded. ”And I have a list of passwords and logins that Sam-UL had,” he said.
Flowerpatch frowned. ”You know, we didn't ID a lot of that hardware,” she said.
”If the kid got in, I can get in,” Delta said. He tapped a few keys. ”See, there, the login.”
”At least get one of the Agents in here,” Flowerpatch said.
”I don't trust them,” Delta said. He tapped in a login and password.
CERCOG PROTOCOL PASSWORD appeared
”Sir-Kawg?” Flowerpatch asked. She frowned and stood up, moving toward the door. ”I don't like this.”
”It should be one of these single passwords,” Delta said, consulting the copy of Sam-UL's folder. ”He had logins with passwords that are connected by lines to other passwords. Here, I'll try this one.”
Delta typed it in and the computer beeped.
UNAUTHORIZED INTRUSION - POWER DOWN TERMINAL AND AWAIT SECURITY
Flowerpatch moved against the door. ”I don't like this, Delta.”
”Dammit,” Delta hit a complex set of keys and the interface dropped back to the original. He typed in a quick password and login.
The door opened behind Flowerpatch and one of the Confederate Scientific Intelligence Agents bustled in, her hand filled with an ugly old style magac.
”Don't!” she snapped, leveling her pistol at Delta.
Delta looked over even as he hit enter. ”What? I'm trying to...”
HACKING INTRUSION DETECTED appeared.
CERCOG PROTOCOL ENFORCEMENT appeared underneath.
The Agent fired her pistol, hitting the case of the computer tower, blowing chunks of metal and plastic all over the floor.
Two other Agents peeked around the door.
”I think I...” the Agent started to say.
Flowerpatch felt a weird fzzzt on her nanite molars.
A figure appeared in mid-air, floating several inches off the floor. It was in a raggedly black cloak, the hood pulled up. It held a long curved blade on a long wooden handle in one hand. Its head and hands were completely fleshless, pale white bone gleaming in the lights.
A booming deep laugh echoed around everyone.
The figure reached out with one hand, a finger extended, and touched Delta's projected image.
Delta just vanished.
There was another laugh and the figure vanished.
”What was that?” Flowerpatch asked, feeling the tingle of fear race up and down her spine.
”Black ICE,” the Agent said. ”Older design, nasty stuff.”
Flowerpatch nodded. ”Did it eject him from the system?”
The Agent touched her earpiece, then shook her head. ”No. He's gone. Deleted,” the Agent looked at Flowerpatch. ”He's dead.”
Flowerpatch frowned. ”How did Sam get by that?”