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“Anyone know what the target is yet?” Lucas questioned, all business now.
“There’s someone here to apprise you of the details.” Jack held his hand up as the door to the guest bedroom opened and Ian Richards, Kira, and former SEAL team leader Reno Chavez stepped into the room.
Tall, still powerful, with black hair and piercing blue eyes, Reno looked every inch the fine, incredibly instinctive SEAL he was. Retired or not.
“Damn. Royalty in the house,” Lucas murmured around a bite of pizza, the sincerity in his tone apparent despite the muffled delivery.
Stepping forward, Ian and Reno greeted each man, then sat down at the kitchen table with Kira and Jack.
“The target is this.” Reno opened a hard-copy file and laid it out on the table.
The three other men gathered around it, going through it slowly. There wasn’t a lot there. A few images of a scientist, the outline of a female skeleton with notes and notations, and behind that, a schematic of sorts filled with a computronic diagram.
“AI,” Lucas said, his voice low as the other two continued to read. “Android or bot?”
“Not just AI,” Hayes whispered in disbelief a second later, his gaze rising to meet Reno’s. “Fuck me. That’s a human duplicate. How the fuck…?”
“It’s being slipped in a piece at a time, according to our intel, to preserve the secrecy of the project in the case of an unexpected inspection of computer or digital shipments. And they’re being real careful, because they’re aware information on it was leaked to a contact at the CIA. It’s to be assembled somewhere close by, the location provided by someone within Crossfield-Dawson, with possibly several high-ranking employees participating.
“This, gentlemen”—he tapped the diagram—“is a human duplicate prototype, programmed to carry out its assignment, go into hiding, and shut down until remotely activated to perform again. It’s a sniper and explosives expert, equipped with all known hand-to-hand combat styles, proficient with knife, sword, or claw hammer if need be. It has no individual scent; animals will sense only the electronics and won’t sound an alarm. It automatically jams security systems and can move virtually undetected. It has a carbon-based lead internal structure that messes with X-rays and gives all appearances of basic human build.
“It’s the perfect weapon. And potentially, the end of life as we know it, if we don’t find it, disable it, and disassemble it in time. We have no clue to its mission, or its full capabilities. The only way to learn those things is to find the AI itself.”
Jack stared at the image just as he had the first time Kira and Ian showed it to him, after he’d signed his agreement to the mission.
This was what the world was coming to, he thought. It was no longer armies, teams, or, hopefully, a few men with consciences. It was this. Unfeeling, undetectable, and nearly unstoppable.
And if they didn’t find it and disassemble it in time, only God knew the ramifications.
“This ain’t possible,” Hank muttered. “Shipped in pieces? That would indicate bot, not replicant.”
“Who?” Lucas asked, the meaning obvious.
Who had created this abomination?
Sliding several photos from another file, Reno answered, “That’s one of the things we need to know, but we suspect it’s this man—Chinese-American, based in Bangkok. Orin Chin. Billionaire and close associate of China’s president—along with the owner of a French biotech research firm, Oswald Renier.” Reno sighed. “You need to get in place, because intel says whoever within Crossfield-Dawson is involved will be looking for men they trust to back her and provide interference once she’s activated, if she’s detected, to complete her mission. So far, we have reason to highly suspect Crossfield, but we’re not certain if Dawson is involved in the transportation or not.”
“Why Crossfield and Dawson?” Lucas asked. “Their reputations in the area are solid. Former SF, no records. What makes you think it’s them? And why ship it here? Barboursville? Really? Hell, we’re like the back of beyond compared to other places.”
“CIA has been tracking Crossfield for several years now. Weapons shipments, drugs, and human trafficking shipments, just to name a few, have been going through the area to an unknown location, then shipped from there to other areas. He’s careful—only his men oversee the transport into and out of the area, and he chooses his cargo wisely. In this case, though, he was specifically named by our contact as being involved.”
“Why does the AI need any form of protection if it’s that well programmed?” Hayes questioned. “Seems well able to protect itself if you ask me.”
“According to our contact, it will need backup and possible oversight of some sort. That’s information we believe only Crossfield and those controlling the unit will have.”
“And they just had to make it female,” Hayes whispered mournfully. “Motherfuckers. Pardon my French, ma’am,” he said to Kira, his voice low. “But it took pure black evil to do that shit.”
“A pretty, fragile-looking little blonde,” Reno amended. “And, there’s reason to suspect she’s capable of operating beyond her original programming. We have evidence she may have the ability to not just understand but to portray emotion. She could be capable of evolving intelligence with the possibility of becoming self-sufficient.”
“Fuck.” Lucas made the word sound like a prayer.
“Exactly,” Kira assured the SEAL. “Once it’s found, Ian, myself, and Reno will bring in a team with the know-how to disable the power source and ensure activation can’t occur. If it does occur, then we’re screwed if it goes into protection mode.”
“The four of you, with your backgrounds, psych profiles, and history of authority issues will be perfectly suited as far as Crossfield is concerned. But on the off chance you’re not, your ability to make certain other teams consider you too much of a risk to face will put you in the exact position to be chosen. And Jack’s connection to one of Crossfield-Dawson’s employees will ensure they don’t overlook him.”
“We already have a hit on Jack’s background,” Reno stated, his gaze musing as Jack met it. “John David Porter, Ms. Porter’s brother. He has access to certain Homeland Security files through his position as DA, and he’s investigating Jack. He’s already received the background we put in place. Expect problems.”
Expect them? He had a feeling they were already there.
