Crystal Conquest (10 page)

He was being pestered and toyed with. He was being slowed.
But he knew there were decisive ways to stop him, and thankfully he was being
spared those methods.

Inserting the web connect back into his com, he used the
most commanding voice he could muster. “Stop. I want to talk.”
Thump
. “I’ll
get out right now and find a pedal bike. It’ll take me most of a day, but I’ll
get to Crystal Research. It’s inevitable. Let’s do this face to face.” There
was no thump.
They’re listening!

He heard some onlookers shout in anger when the utility
vehicle pulled out of the parking spot and onto the street. Keeping an eye on
his com, he tracked his progress as his opponent drove him to the expressway. He
tried to maintain the appearance of confidence, but nervous anxiety kept his
heart pounding as he speculated about what might happen next.

He touched nothing on the vehicle and made slow movements
when fussing with his personal stuff. “I’m reaching for my water,” he said,
anxious that his actions never be misinterpreted.

Once on the expressway, he exhaled in relief when his com
showed he was headed in the right direction to reach Crystal Research. His vehicle
pulled up behind a van, and two large trucks drifted in and shadowed him on
either side. Glancing back, he saw a van following behind and understood he was
boxed in. His opponent was in charge, and he was along for the ride.

The caravan traveled at a modest pace relative to the other
traffic on the expressway, and from what he could see on his com, he estimated
they’d reach the complex in about half an hour. Feeling a mixture of fear,
excitement, and anticipation, he laid his head back and closed his eyes. The
adrenaline coursing through his veins prevented him from resting.

And then the fear returned. It bordered on panic. Up to this
point, he’d been playing a game he could quit at any time. He’d crossed a line.
It’s their rules now.

Sid gazed out the window as his car zipped
along the winding rural road. The crowd of buildings and businesses had given way
to rolling forested hills. Twenty minutes out from the Crystal Research complex,
this was his favorite part of the ride. He started thinking he’d spend time up at
the lodge while he was in the area. The lush mountains with their gorgeous hiking
trails beckoned him, and he was eager to oblige.

“Hi, Sid,” he heard in his head. “It’s good to see you.”

The “see you” phrase caused Sid to turn. Criss sat next to
him. “You’re looking a bit peaked there, sport,” said Sid.

He knew Criss used tricks with light to project his image,
and he generated his most life-like illusions using photon casters and spectrum
emitters. These technologies, found in everything from informational displays to
security systems, were so commonplace that Criss had a broad range of options
he could exploit to create a realistic presence.

“Yes,” he said. “This is the best I can do when speeding in
a car through a secluded forest.”

“Why are you here at all? I don’t need to see you to talk.” The
realization flipped Sid from his somnolent state of scenery-watching to an
active state of alert.

“I want to give you a heads-up,” said Criss.

Sid swung a bent leg up on the seat as he turned to face
Criss and hear the news.

“I have a body.”

“Bury it quick before it starts to smell.”

Criss looked at him with a deadpan expression.

“Okay,” said Sid, disappointed his wit hadn’t earned a smile.
“Fill me in.”

Criss briefed him about Crispin. “He’s stronger, faster, and
more resilient than a human. When I’m connected with him, he’s me and I control
his every action. When I’m distracted or away, he’s guided by Juice’s new
crystal. In that mode, he’ll be reliable, able to follow instructions, and be a
good team player, but he won’t be a creative thinker or much of a
conversationalist.”

It took Sid a few moments to understand the subtext of the
conversation. “You’re proposing your robo-guy as my backup when I confront
Lenny?” He mulled the idea, but just for a second. “I appreciate the offer and
all, but I think I can handle this on my own.”

Criss thrust his chin at Sid’s com. “Can I show you?”

Sid watched a brief demonstration of Crispin in action. “Not
bad,” he said as a miniature three-dimensional image of Crispin tumbled from
the ceiling, sailed into a dome made of triangles, and flipped and twisted in
spectacular fashion out onto the floor.

“Beyond providing support for you,” said Criss, “my
motivation is to expand my experience with the synbod. The best way to identify
deficiencies and improve his design is to get him out of the lab and into the
real world. This encounter will help me with that.”

They chatted some more about Crispin, and Sid grew
comfortable enough with Criss’s proposal that he shifted his focus to the
mischief maker.

“The young man is committed to locating me and making a play
to possess me,” said Criss. “It’s a personal contest for him. His actions suggest
he’s more passionate about this challenge than anything else he’s ever tried.
Juice insists I treat him gently, and Cheryl backs her up. With such stringent
limits on my defensive actions, eventually he’d make his way here and find a
way to confront Juice about me.”

“If they insist you play nice, I guess we can’t drive him
into a tree.”

“I had a nice deep ravine picked out.”

Sid laughed. “That sounds so perfect.” He brought his leg
down and slumped back in his seat, tossing around possibilities in his head.
“Why not get law enforcement involved? Get them to call his folks with some
ominous-sounding accusations.” He thought through a list of ways he could
handle it, then looked back over at Criss. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Now Criss did smile. “Lenny has skills, Sid. I’ve studied
him and find that, even though he’s young, his natural talents with crystal
technology put him in a very exclusive group. If we focus his determination and
provide guidance and seasoning, he might become one of the greats.”

“What? You’re saying he’s a savant?”

“That word is commonly used to describe someone who has strong
capabilities in one area while being weak in others. Lenny is a genius across
the board.” Criss pretended to straighten the cuffs on his simulated outfit. “Though
he does lack certain social skills.”

“Introduce me.” Sid watched a projection showing Lenny break
into a utility vehicle and connect his com to the car nav. “The kid’s kind of
clumsy,” he said at the end. “But I do see the determination and creativity.”

Sid became silent and turned to watch more trees fly by. Over
the past two years, he’d grown to trust and even rely on Criss. He’d never heard
him give such high praise to a human.
This kid may be special,
he
thought,
but he’s still a pain in my ass.

“Rather than create additional spectacles out among the
general population,” said Criss, “I’ve chosen to escort him here. We’re an hour
ahead of him.”

Sid saw a huge osprey’s nest built high up in a lone dead
tree and squinted to see if he could get a glimpse of the bird. “What’s the
endgame?”

“Lenny is largely compliant with authority and, as I said, a
rare talent. Let’s talk with him. We’ll have to introduce the idea slowly—make it
seem like a natural progression—but perhaps we can get him involved in a crystal
development project. There’s plenty of work to do, and I’m confident we can
find something so exciting it becomes a distraction that displaces his thoughts
of me and his grand quest.”

Sid turned and, in a clear display of skepticism, bent his
head forward and looked out from under his eyebrows. “You believe that?”

“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” said
Criss. “It’s not a bad strategy. If you prefer, I can create evidence of
criminal activity that would keep him imprisoned for decades. It will ruin his
life, but it will stop this behavior.” Criss waited a moment and added, “And
who knows. He and Juice might hit it off.”

“Like romance? Juice is thirty-two and Lenny is what,
twenty?”

This time Criss laughed. “No, I was being silly. Juice
prohibited me from using physical challenges, but I don’t believe she’s thought
through what happens next. It leaves me with choices like ruining Lenny’s life,
creating intricate illusions of a reality that doesn’t exist but may fool him
into thinking his quest is over, or exploring the possibility of bringing him
partway into the fold. Juice will prefer we give the last one a try.”

“So what’s funny?”

“She’s going to find herself envious of Lenny’s skills. Her
natural inclination will be to try and teach him about her work. But he’s the
sort who’s sure he knows it all and will find her instruction annoying. It
should be quite a show. I’ll be happy if they don’t come to blows in the first
weeks.”

Sid nodded. “I can see that.”

“If we go forward with the idea, I’m hoping you’ll hang
around and play referee, at least at the beginning.”

They topped a rise and started descending into a splendorous
wooded valley. Sid could see the three main buildings of the complex grouped at
the base of the hill.

“You know,” said Sid as he started to improvise a plan. “I
don’t think I want to do this here. Drive Lenny up to the lodge and let’s meet
him there.”

“We’ll have to stop and pick up Crispin. He can’t magically
appear and disappear like me.”

“Okay.” He changed subjects. “How’s Cheryl doing?”

“I apologize again for my failure and the danger you both
experienced.”

Sid didn’t respond. He knew Criss understood the question.

“I’ve scrutinized everyone at Lunar Base and continue to
watch with vigilance. Those involved in the counterfeit-parts scam are in
custody. Hop, Jefe, and Dent have succeeded in insinuating themselves into
their assigned positions in a credible fashion. Cheryl is working well with Hop
in the defense array command center and seems happy with his performance.”

“She’s going to stay there for a while. I could tell from
her behavior.”

“You know I won’t involve myself in your personal
relationship,” said Criss.

Sid drifted into a glum funk as he thought about being away
from Cheryl, then he saw the exit to Crystal Research fly past. “Hey. Weren’t
we supposed to swing by and pick up your robo-self?”

“Synbod,” corrected Criss. He pointed at an angle out the
front window. “Here he comes. I’ll be joining you again momentarily.”

Sid leaned forward so he had a clear line of sight in the
direction Criss had pointed and saw a man dressed in military fatigues
sprinting across a field. “Wow, that guy is
moving
.” He turned to look at
Criss, but the seat next to him was empty. He looked back at what he now
realized was Crispin, and his jawed dropped as he absorbed the sight.

He’d never seen a person move so quickly or run with such
grace and form. It was like seeing the vid of a seasoned sprinter at double
speed, except everything else in sight continued to move in a natural fashion.

The car pulled into a turnout along the side of the road and
came to a stop. Crispin sprinted toward the car and, when he reached the edge
of the field, dove into the air in an astounding leap. He had his arms extended
in front of him, his hands side by side, giving the impression of someone taking
off to fly. He soared up over a narrow culvert between the field and the
roadbed, passed above the car, and landed with a solid thud on the ground next
to the car door.

“Holy shit,” crowed Sid in amazement. Crispin opened the
door and sat down.

* * *

Since Lenny’s view out the windows
was blocked by the vans and trucks surrounding his vehicle, he kept his eyes
glued to his com so he could track his progress down the expressway. He held
his breath as he watched the expressway exit for Crystal Research approach, and
exhaled in relief when his car and the vans in front and back took it. The
trucks didn’t follow but continued straight on the expressway to destinations
unknown.

The exit ramp fed onto a smaller road that carried them in
the direction of the research complex. They drove for a bit, and the car continued
past the Crystal Research turnoff.

“Hey,” he called, looking back. “You missed it.”

The nav didn’t respond. He leaned his face against the side
window and studied the road speeding by below, gauging the likely outcome if he
were to jump. It didn’t take a genius to conclude that broken bones and a
concussion were among the best-case scenarios.
I wouldn’t be able to get the
door open anyway
, he told himself, placating his subconscious.

“Where are you taking me?” he said to the front console. He decided
that sounded whiny and switched to his law officer impersonation. “Take me to
Crystal Research immediately. I order you to obey.”

The car, traveling along a heavily wooded stretch of road, began
a gentle drift to the side. The drift continued until one set of wheels dropped
onto the hard dirt shoulder at the edge of the roadbed. The car trembled as the
wheels bumped along the unfinished surface. Lenny, his whole body shaking,
watched the trunks of giant pine trees whip right past the car window.

Panicked about what was coming next, he returned to his
whiny voice. “Oh, please. Don’t hurt me.”

The violent ride alongside the massive trees terrified Lenny
so much that he lay down, curled up on the car seat, and closed his eyes.
Moments later, he felt a marked bounce, and the familiar smooth quiet of normal
travel returned. Still frightened by the experience and outmatched in this
setting, he remained curled on the seat, telling himself it was all okay and he
should play it cool until an opportune moment presented itself.

After what seemed like hours—but, he judged, was probably
closer to fifteen minutes—Lenny detected the nose of the car angling upward. He
lifted his head and looked out. The car was indeed climbing a hill. The vans
were no longer in sight, and dazzling mountains with forest and meadows rose in
every direction around him. He recalled that his travel pattern nib had shown undeveloped
forest just north of Crystal Research, and it seemed he was now entering that
preserve.

The car tracked along a curving arc of road, slowed, and
turned into a private driveway. The drive wound through more woodland and, like
a grand unveiling, opened into a large clearing. The car followed the driveway
around a small pond and proceeded toward a large, rustic building nestled at
the back of the property.

The building and grounds reminded Lenny of a country getaway
hotel, or perhaps a large bed and breakfast. As they drew closer, he saw that the
exterior of the building had the appearance of rough-hewn logs.
Looks nice,
but that’s manufactured material
, he thought, rebuilding his confidence by
calling out his captor.

Still, the lodge was gorgeous. A squarish three-story central
building had gabled two-story wings attached on either side, giving it a formal
look that contrasted nicely with the old-time air of the log-cabin-like
construction. Lenny, normally oblivious to the beauty of well-kept gardens, noted
that bushes and flowers adorned the foundation of the building and also trimmed
the edge of the grounds in a broad ribbon, providing a visual buffer between
the green lawn and the wilds of the forest beyond.

The car slowed as it passed through a formal covered entrance
that extended from the house out over the driveway.
A rustic
porte cochere
,
Lenny thought. The car didn’t stop but drove under the porch structure and continued
around behind the building.

Studying the lodge, Lenny couldn’t see anyone peeking out through
even one of the dozens of windows gracing its exterior. The grounds appeared
deserted. The car drove straight to the open door of a garage, pulled in, and as
the door shut behind him, the car and his com shut down. His world darkened,
and he was left with a faint glow of light coming from some unseen source
outside the car. He tried the manual latches, but the car doors remained locked.