T-47 Book II (Saxon Saga 6) Read online

  “Yes, so it was said, by the tabs, and other ignorant people. But the military, they haven’t been worried about that for a long time.”

  “What?” Lori said.

  “No, they had a plan to deal with it, if it went berserk. Or so they said,” Amanda said.

  “They did? What? How?”

  “Never really said, just implied, oh, I think, overwhelming superiority, coordinated missiles, heavy assault with other air cars. Something like that,” Ricky said.

  The news stunned Lori. This had started out as a nice evening, and now it seemed poisoned. She breathed in and out, the despondency, so recently eased, slowly seeping back.

  At her silence, Ricky added, “It’s not immortal, Lori. You know that.”

  “I think of it as nearly so. But if the military isn’t worried any more,” and she shook her hand out into the night sky, “Lo, all these years, then who is? And why?”

  “Simple,” Amanda said. “They were afraid it would try to take over the world.”

  “What?” Lori said again, astonished, almost laughing. “The air car? Absurd. Impossible. Crazy. People thought that?” She shook her head, a long smile on her face.

  “Yep, sure did,” Ricky said. “Some still do.” Others there were chuckling, too.

  “Exactly how would they expect it to do that?” Hunter asked.

  “Commandeer the computer net. Run them all, lock out humans, immobilize the net, take over the military apparatus, then the planet.”

  Now Lori did laugh. “You’re teasing me, right?”

  “Wish we were. But it’s true. People, even some pretty well educated, believed that. Some still do.”

  “Incredible. That’s what everyone is afraid of? Eagle One running the world?” More head shaking, slowly in the dark. “They think one processor, no matter how powerful and sentient, could do that? Billions of computers, millions of nets? All at once? Man.”

  “Alien technology. And therefore suspect,” her father, Alan Sloane said. “Xenophobia, I think it’s called.”

  “Stupidity is more like it,” Lori said. “That’s what the fuss is about, now, over Eagle One? World domination?”

  “Yes. Still.”

  “How do we ever counter that? Besides the obvious, that is?” Hunter said.

  Ricky answered, “Denial is useless. We try to ignore it whenever it surfaces, and it still does, from time to time in the tabs.”

  “Eagle One’s programming is so...” Lori struggled for words. “So, other than that, no way could it ever, would it ever, even think of that.”

  “People know it can fly other air cars, and act independently. So they project that to the...”

  “Impossibly creative,” Amanda said, interrupting.

  “Yes, and when Eagle One does fly other air cars, it can do almost nothing else, especially as the number it controls goes up. How in the world could it handle even a dozen other computers, assuming it could access them? And in foreign languages, assorted operating systems, all sorts of protection suites and firewalls, what not? And what exactly would it do? Oh, this is so preposterous, it makes me wonder if we’re dealing with an intelligent race, here on planet Earth,” Lori said, exasperation in her voice.

  “The same thought crossed my mind from time to time,” her father said.

  “The analogy we’ve used is for an elevator system control computer trying to take over and fly a jet cargo liner. Even assuming it has the sheer capacity, it lacks the programming, and even if acquired, somehow, off the net, for instance, ridiculous as that is, it still lacks the physical presence, and direction, to do so.” Amanda shrugged, lifting her hands up.

  “Eagle One is self directing.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Lori said. “It isn’t at all. It is narrowly directed to serving its people, protecting and aiding them, and little else. And it does that so very well. Without that direction, it just sits there. But it could hardly even attempt to do that for the entire world, let alone a tiny, minute fraction of it.”

  “Well, some fear that would be enough. You know, take over an atomics depot, threaten the world, that sort of thing.”

  “But why, exactly, would it even want to do that? What’s in it for itself?” Lori said.

  “Immortality.” Amanda sat with her arms folded. “You don’t know how that scares some folks.” She looked at her granddaughter. “You know how old Eagle One is already? We think it’s exactly 200–of our years, fewer on Florez. And people know that, too, and wonder how much longer it can go on. And if it’ll go on forever.”

  “No, not forever, no way. But for a long time, I hope. Man, I sure hope so,” Lori said, staring at the dark orb in the near distance.

  “The kill switch idea would help. Maybe end the debate for once and all,” her father said.

  “Never,” Amanda and Lori said simultaneously, looked at each other and smiled.“And it’d only work on Florez.”

  “You sure?”

  “So they said.”

  “Still, it would help.”

  “Then I guess the status quo will continue. I’m not gonna let someone I don’t know, and can’t trust, have the fate of Eagle One, and whoever is flying in it, in their own narrow-minded thought process. One that might be compromised, by bribe or blackmail, at any time. What if that had been the case?” and she waved her hand outward again. “We’d all be dead.” She looked at the faces in the dimness of the candles and low watt lights on the deck. “I’ll take my chances the way things are now, and just try to deal with them as best we can.”

  Amanda, Ricky, her mother, and Hunter all nodded. Only her father sat, his head still, a little worry look on his face. Finally, he nodded, too. “OK, so that’s what we’ll do,” he said.

  Throughout the conversation, Hunter’s parents, Marne and Isaac, also guests on the catamaran, said little, not being as familiar with the air car as Lori’s, could add little. They sat, listening, fascinated.

  With a little fanfare, Halina appeared, carrying a tray with a half a dozen bowls of flaming baked Alaska on it, stirring up cheers from the diners.

  Lori muttered, “Take over the world, imagine.”

  Halina said, “What? Who?”

  Lori said, “Yeah, that’s what I said, too. Now, this looks good,” and she leaned forward a little to see the dessert as the blue-yellow flames flickered and went out.

  Sitting back with coffee following the dessert, Lori wondered what Eagle One would think of the idea, and wondered if there was a way she could talk to it about taking over the world. She doubted the air car would give it any credulity, just dismiss the idea with a short denial, as it always did for something so out of the ordinary, or impossible, it was not worth more time or thought.

  Still, the news, the information, rumbled through Lori’s mind, upsetting, all of it, but beyond her ability to do anything about, at least at the moment. But she knew she’d try, if the opportunity ever arose.

  Captain Rob asked what they planned to do tomorrow, have they decided?

  Everyone looked at Lori. “What would you like to do?” they asked her.

  “I though we were sailing to Grenada. Aren’t we?”

  “Sure, we can, better get going at first light, a storm warning is posted for later tomorrow, we don’t want to get caught in that.”

  No one said anything for a minute or so.

  “Wait, what?” Lori said. “So, then, why not leave tonight? Get ahead of it. Sail now? Would that be better? Can we?”

  “We could do that,” Captain Rob said. “Just a little tricky getting out in the channel in the dark, but I’ve done it before. Once.”

  “Lori, sail at night?” her mother said.

  “Yeah. Be fun. Beat the storm. I’ll help.” In reality, she didn’t care when or where they sailed. She just wanted to get going, not sit around here, with speculation on Eagle One.

  “No, you won’t. You will sit and rest. Or sleep. Whatever you want,” Hunter said, a bit more sternly than he meant to. “OK?”
he added.

  Lori felt the sharp eyes of seven people on her. She said, “Yes. What’s better, Captain, leave now, or in the morning?”

  “Leave now. If you want to go to Grenada. Or if you want to change direction, and head north, tomorrow is fine.” He waited a moment. “Up to you.”

  No one spoke again, obviously waiting for Lori to decide. She did.

  “Captain, anchors aweigh. At your convenience.”

  “Aye, aye, Ma’am,” Captain Rob said. “Alert the passengers,” he said to Halina.

  Both sets of parents stood up. “OK, time for us to go, then. We’d planned to stay on the island overnight in any case, have reservations, so guess it’s time for goodnight. And goodbyes.”

  “Oh, you have to leave?” Lori said, a bit perplexed. “We can stay then, if you want.”

  “Nope, we really can’t,” Isaac Lindbloom said. “The boat sleeps eight, not ten. Even if we all got cozy...”

  “Real cozy,” Marne Lindbloom said, laughing.

  “...it’d be tight. No, we’ll go ashore. But we’ll catch up with you for the weekend, if not sooner. Hunter, call the water taxi?”

  “I can use the air car,” Lori said, gesturing forward.

  “Nope again. I enjoy the ride in the dark, and we’ll have time ashore for a cocktail or two. Maybe check out the entertainment at the resort. Now, you all have a real nice sail, stay away from the storms, hear?” He went to Lori. “And you, my dear, you rest up, get some sun, take it easy, promise me?”

  “I do,” she said, as Mr. Lindbloom hugged her.

  When they all said goodbyes, she heard Alan telling the same thing to Hunter, then saw him speaking, with a finger raised, to Captain Rob.

  Ilene and Alan, Lori’s parents, elected to leave, also, stay on the island, maybe join them later. Amanda and Ricky wanted to remain on board, said they looked forward to an adventure.

  The water taxi arrived, a sleek zodiac piloted by a teenage girl in cutoff shorts and a shirt, with a golden retriever for a mascot. The group climbed aboard, and with a few shouted last goodbyes, zoomed off and away, and were hidden in the night.

  Lori watched them go, and Captain Rob said, “Everyone ready?” Hearing no objections, he called out, “Stand by the anchor line,” and pushed a button, starting the engines. He flicked a number of switches, dials and gauges came on at the pilot’s station, running lights glowed, Halina ran forward, watching the anchor cable, and waiting for the signal to release the clips.

  Eagle One beeped Lori on the radio.

  “What is happening?” it asked.

  “We are departing this harbor.”

  “In the dark?”

  “Yes. Do you want to remain on the deck, or go aloft?”

  The air car drifted up and away, and Captain Rob nodded. It said, “I shall fly overhead at 30 meters.”

  “Lori, can you ask the air car to guide us over the channel? I can upload the route and chart segment.”

  Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Dangerous? Lori said, “You need to do that?”

  “No, but it won’t hurt. We got the GPS, but another set of real-time input is always good.”

  “OK, go ahead,” and she gave him the frequency, and told Eagle One what was happening.

  Halina gave an all clear, the Captain called “Cast off,” to her, and the boat began to move, hardly a ripple in the calm sea, just the low rumble of its engines showing anything had changed.

  Tarue came to the open companion way, but could see nothing, other than the rear running lights, a point in the blackness for her, and she dropped back into the well lit salon. Lori stood at the rail, looking into the India ink water, and up at Eagle One, an amorphous glow overhead, a low watt strobe flashing in white in the night. The boat followed the air car, the screen at the pilot’s station showing the bottom contours in weird shades of green, easy enough to route along over the deepest ones, she knew, nothing much else visible in the dark, just a few bright blips on the screen from nearby moored boats. They motored out of the anchorage, soon passed the headland, and the ship began to roll a little in the low swells of the more open sea. The captain called for the sails, Hunter and Ricky helped release the clamps, and the winches ran them up the mast. The engine throttled back, and died. They moved on, whispering through the night, the breeze quiet, but firm, warm and unseen, with a billion stars ablaze overhead.

  “Oh, this is nice,” Amanda said, and others murmured assent. “I’m glad you suggested it.”

  The party sat and talked, enjoying the night sail, watching the occasional wash of whiteness from a breaking wave, otherwise alone in the darkness.

  By ten o’clock, Lori was nodding, half asleep, and now a little chilled, too, from the breeze. “How long will the sail take?” she asked. “Will we be there by morning?”

  “Probably not, unless we can maintain more than 10 knots. Breeze will pick up in the passage, so we may be able to. But we’ll be there in the morning, for sure.”

  “OK, good. Well, I need to get to bed, and sleep. Big boss’ orders. Goodnight, all.” She made the rounds, kissing everyone, and Hunter came down to the cabin with her, got her settled, and sat on the bed for a moment.

  “You coming to bed, too?”

  “Maybe later. I’m taking a watch, midnight to two a.m.”

  “Oh. Want me to take the next one?”

  “No, I want you to get a good night’s sleep. Plenty of help on this here boat tonight. You rest up, and we’ll have fun tomorrow, OK?”

  She kissed him deeply, and he shut the light as he left. Lori slept immediately, thinking she’d enjoy the rocking of the boat, but she never felt it. She did feel a cold, long shape join her in the bed at some point, but it left her alone, and was gone when she checked later in night, as the darkness began to fade, and they sailed on.

  She awoke to quiet, and a boat hardly moving. Her watch read after nine a.m. Oh, man, did I over sleep or what? But she still felt tired, and debated turning over for another spell. She wondered where they were, and decided to find out. The air felt warm, fresh, and smelled of land and sea. She sat up on the edge of the bunk, put on a tee shirt, and shorts, and went up on deck.

  Everyone greeted her with kisses, and tales of the night sail to St. George’s harbor in Grenada.

  “Man, we were flying, you should have seen this boat moving, it was amazing,” Ricky said, standing at the rail, gesturing with a cup, which slopped coffee up and out.

  Lori glanced at the white-speckled green hills, and tidy town, but looked forward to see her air car. Eagle One sat on the deck, immobile. High overhead, a pale sun climbed in a murky sky.

  “What would you like for breakfast?” Hunter asked her, looking a little sleepy, and unshaven.

  “I’d like to take Eagle One into town, and find a place on the water,” she said.

  “Good. Let’s go. Bring Tarue and the kits?”

  “Bring everyone. Think they’ll be mobbed?”

  “No, I already checked that out with the harbor master. They’re cool here, will leave us alone,” Captain Rob said. He added, “I think.”

  “If not, we’ll be back,” Lori said, gathering up her family and guests, and heading for the air car.

  They returned late in the morning, laden with packages, the kits in high excitement over their reception, gifts, and attention. But Lori saw the look of worry and anxiety in the faces of Rob and Halina. So did Hunter.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “Storm’s intensifying.” He gestured over his shoulder, back out to sea, to the west. “Unusual direction, a rare one, but it’s gathering strength, will be a tropical storm in a few hours, and maybe a hurricane by tomorrow. And it’s heading this way.” He motioned to a repeating display on the screen at the pilot’s desk, a weather sat image, all yellow and red.

  “We shoulda stayed in St. Lucia?” Lori said, her voice disappointed.

  “Who knew?” Rob said, raising both hands.

  “What are o
ur options, now?” Hunter said.

  “We can stay, ride it out here in the harbor, it’s pretty well protected...”

  Hunter gave him a frown.

  “...but I’d suggest you all go to a hotel in town, or on the other side of the island, even. You’ve got a day, at least.”

  “Or?” Lori said.

  “We can try to outrun it, head back up north, see how far we get.”

  “Go back the way we came?”

  “No, go to the eastern side of the islands. I don’t want to get caught with a lee shore to starboard, and would prefer to be on the leeward side of the islands, and could find a safe harbor there, if we had to.”

  “Yeah, until the storm passes, and we get the backside of it,” Hunter said, calling up a chart on the screen. He studied it for a moment, turned to Lori and said, “What do you want to do, Darling?”

  She looked at him, and said, “Your boat, your call.”

  “You get enough of Grenada?”

  “For now,” she said. “It’ll be here again.”

  He smiled, and nodded. Turning to the captain, he asked, “What course do you suggest?”

  “South around Point Salines, then up north or northeast. If the storm turns north, we can go to Barbados if we have to, or make St. Lucia, or even Martinique in a couple of days if it continues south.” He looked at Lori, then Hunter, and went on. “Can sail more, or putter around there, see how the wind and seas hold, go on to Dominica, and Guadeloupe, have the grand tour of the lower Lesser Antilles. Whatever you’d like, Sir.”

  “And if it catches up with us?” Amanda said, concern in her voice.

  “If we’re too far out at sea, we’ll get everyone off in Eagle One,” Lori said immediately. “Think it’d come to that?”

  “At sea, you can never take anything for granted. But OK, for now, we can try to outrun the storm, see how far we get till we have to look for a protected anchorage. Captain, get underway immediately. Anyone want to leave now, I can get an air car from town, get you to a port, or wherever you want, for pickup,” Hunter said.

  No one spoke up, so he said, “Let’s go.”

  Again, the coordinated hustle of raising the anchor and lifting the sails, and they gathered speed, heading south. Eagle One drifted along overhead, as it had the night before. Lori noticed the swells much larger today, though still languid to her eye. To the west, gray clouds hung in a menacing manner. They jibed in the middle of lunch while passing close to the point, the waves creating great cascades of white water when they broke on the rocks and cliffs. Around the point the seas calmed, but so did the breeze, until the captain brought the ship further out, away from the land, raised the genova, caught the wind again, and they sailed north-northeast, beating a course that would take them away from the storm.