The Gift (33 page)

“Okay, Dan. You did the right thing in telling me as soon as you knew. Now, please do whatever you need to do with the EG to fill in some of the holes in our knowledge. Tell your team they’re doing good work.”

Web closed the connection as he started walking back toward his squad. When he arrived, the soldiers stopped talking and came to attention. “At ease. Hell, rest. It’s going to be another long day.” Each member of the squad found his own way to be comfortable while keeping his attention on Web.

“Do you all now understand what a replicator is and how to create the model I sent you plans for?”

Their reply was a chorus of “Yes, Sir!”

“Good, because we’re going to have a little contest. I think you’re going to like it. I know I will. I’m sending you the plans for drones that can be constructed using your replicators, once you’ve finished building them. Each of the drones is the size of a small insect. How small of an insect, I will leave to your discretion. The smaller you make them, the less chance our subject will have to spot them and destroy them. However, the larger ones will be able to move faster and function longer. Regardless of your choice of force mix, each drone is capable of scanning its area of operations on a variety of wavelengths. Naturally, the larger ones will have a larger area of operation, but you will not be able to make as many in any given run of your replicator. As you build your replicator, consider the trade offs. Keep your plans to yourself. I want a diverse recon force.

“Once each of you has a sufficient number of drones, and I will measure that by replicator run so I don’t bias your force mix decision, you will send them to the area where the ship was seen to depart from and begin looking for our target. We’ll start with a batch size of one hundred runs and adjust as we go if that turns out to be sub-optimal. Once your first batch is on its way, you will create another one and send it to the next target location. You will continue creating batches until you reach your control limits. I don’t know what those limits will be, but you will see from the design of the drones that they are semi-autonomous. I expect us to be able to collectively field millions of the little bugs. I think you’ll agree that should make it considerable harder for our subject to remain undetected.” Web smiled and paused. He was not disappointed by their enthusiastic response to his assessment.

“Hua!”

“Captain Johnson, you will be responsible for coordinating the search. Ensure that soldiers have some coverage in every square of the search grid, but allow them to select the destination of every fourth batch. You do not need to coordinate with me on adjusting the batch size as you see fit.”

Captain Johnson acknowledged his orders.

“Now, on to the terms of the contest. I think you’ll agree I’ve made it interesting. Our industrious research team at Peterson has developed a device that will disable a gifted person for a time. I’ve reviewed the design with my gift and the best I can tell is that the target will experience pain similar to being tased and confusion similar to be in close proximity of a flash-bang when it explodes, but I don’t like to carry a weapon I’ve never seen used. So, here is what we’re going to do. The first one of you to get a batch of drones to the initial search grid will be the first one of us who will fire the new weapon. The last one to do so will be the target.”

That elicited a mixture of groans and laughter. Soldiers are a strange bunch.

Web waited for the noise to die down before continuing. “The first prize is a bit of fun, well at least for everyone but the slowest among you. The second prize is much bigger. The man who finds Sam’s team will be awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and will be promoted. If the winner is an officer, he will be promoted to the next full rank. If he is already promotable, it will be to the grade above that. If the winner is enlisted, he can choose between the same deal or the next open spot at Officer Candidate School, where, as the only gifted candidate in the Army, he will undoubtedly become the distinguished military graduate.”

Web looked at the stunned expressions staring back at him, taking the time to look each man in the eyes directly before finishing. “I know what some of you are thinking. Can I deliver? I assure you I can. As soon as we finish here, I will be briefing my CO. For those of you who don’t know who that is, he’s the four star general currently in charge of the U.S. Space Command.” Web let them absorb that for a moment before continuing. “He’s going to be pleased. He will then brief the National Command Authority. They will be pleased. Gentlemen, the president will know your name and rank if you are the one who finds Sam. Hell, he may even pin the medal on you himself. The contest starts now.”

Web walked toward the door to the armory as the group dispersed. He had a call to make.

Web waited until 09:00 precisely before calling General Campbell. He’d spent part of the time waiting preparing his written summary and the rest building the first of what he decided he’d call a counter-gift rifle, or CGR for short. He was as indoctrinated into the world of acronyms as anyone who’d spent a career in the military. He never gave it much thought, until he had to talk with a civilian.

“General Campbell’s office,” a woman’s voice answered the secure phone. Web recognized it as that of the general’s aide-de-camp, Technical Sergeant Amy Warren.

“Hi Amy, it’s Colonel Web. I have a scheduled meeting with the CO. Is he available?”

“Hi Sir. Yes, he just finished another call. I’ll connect you right away.”

“Thanks, Amy.” It was always a good idea to stay on the right side of a general’s aide.

A few second later, the phone clicked twice and General Campbell said, “Morning, Eric.”

“Good morning, Sir. Bad night, but it’s been a good morning.”

“Then our mornings have been very different, indeed. The only reason I could get away from my last call is that the NCA wants an update from you. Well, some of them want an update. Some of them just want your head. I’m hoping your update will keep me out of the latter camp, and not just because my head would be next. Get me up to speed.”

“Yes, Sir. There’s a lot to go over, but I’ll start with the best news. The tool the FCT has been working on to access the Maker's knowledge, the EG, has been completed.”

Web explained the capabilities of the EG as he understood them, the construction of the replicators and drones as well as his completion of the first CGR.

“That’s a lot of progress for one morning.”

“I think so, Sir. I believe that with the help of the EG team; we’ve turned the tide. There are two more things, Sir, and they’re big ones. I wanted to update you on our progress in capturing Sam before telling you.”

“Why does it sound like you’re playing me, Eric?”

“I’m not, Sir. There’s just been a lot of discovery in the last couple of hours and some of it is speculative. I wanted to give you the most salient facts before briefing you on speculation or capabilities that may not come into play in time to make a difference.”

“Okay. You’ve done that. What are the two other things?”

“It is possible, perhaps even probable, that Sam was the first person to merge with a gift.” Web stopped there. He knew his boss would want to absorb that information before continuing the conversation.

About a half a minute passed before General Campbell said, “So, if we capture him and his team, we’ll have the first, control of the Worldnet and the only known EG on the planet? If we don’t, he’ll build a gift ship and launch it from U.S. soil. We either pull off a hat trick or we have nearly every country in the world with the means to do so waging war with us. What do you need to improve our odds?”

“More gifts for the personnel working with the EG and more gifted soldiers on sight here, Sir.”

“Gifts are about the only thing I can’t give you. Every politician or power broker in the country wants one. They see it as an insurance policy, and the president is well aware of that. So long as they don’t die in a nuclear blast, the gifted will become effectively immortal. I couldn’t even get one for myself now if I wanted one, which I don’t.”

Web couldn’t say he was surprised. “Sir, only gifted people can access the EG, and only gifted people can build and manage the devices created from knowledge gained by accessing it. Gifted individuals are our critical constraint.”

“I understand that. You understand the way the world works. We can’t expect politicians to put common sense and the good of the nation above their own desires. It’s not going to happen.”

“I understand, Sir. Perhaps the last thing I have to tell you will provide you enough leverage to convince the president to change his mind. When I asked Doctor Garcia, the head of the EG team, if there was any available information on weapons he told me there wasn’t, at least not directly. When I asked him to look for information on defenses, the only thing he found was ships.”

“Ships? What kind of ships?”

“Interstellar ships, apparently. He said they looked like the gift ship. I don’t know much more about them than that, Sir. As I said, I’ve had the team focused on capturing Sam and building a ship like that is almost certainly not going to be something we can do before Sam builds the gift ship.”

“I thought only the first person to merge could build a gift ship.”

“Apparently that constraint is unique to the gift ship, not ships in general. We could learn a lot more if we had a team working with the EG on just that problem. It might be possible to build something that could help in time to matter if we did.”

“What’s the minimum that you’d need?”

“Nine, Sir. Everything the Makers built seemed to revolve around nine.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Perhaps lust for military power will overwhelm lust for political power. If there’s nothing else, forward your written summary to me immediately and get at least one person working full time on understanding what it will take to get a functional ship in play.”

“There is one more thing, Sir. I think it would be prudent to implement what we discussed before my departure.”

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Jim placed the chair he’d brought over from the dining area near Sam’s and took a seat. “I don’t know what you two talked about, but it must have been a hell of a conversation.” When Lisa and Sam had returned, it was obvious to everyone that something had changed between them, but no one had said anything. Until now.

“Your daughter’s a hell of a woman, Jim.”

“You best have good intentions, Son.” Jim gave Sam his best over-protecting father look, forgetting for a moment that he was wearing the body of a man in his twenties. His boyish face attempting such an expression made Sam laugh.

“That face might have been a bit more effective before you looked half my age,” Sam said.

“Yeah, I suppose so. Seriously, though, she’s been hurt…”

“I’m not going to hurt Lisa, Jim. Besides, she’s probably tougher than I am. She has got me thinking things I never thought I’d think again.”

“That’s not a bad thing. You two might be good for one another. I know I’m enjoying having Esther in my life.”

“She seems to enjoy having you around, too. For the life of me, I don’t know why.”

“I would have thought it was obvious. I’m the best looking guy here. We’re both incredibly shallow.”

“I’m never going to get one up on you, am I?”

“Nope. Despite this young-looking—and ruggedly handsome, I might add—face, I’ve got a few decades on you.”

Sam laughed. “Yeah, I guess you do, though I must say it’s getting increasingly difficult to remember that.”

Jim looked over at the rest of the team before returning his gaze to Sam. “You know, they get a little concerned when you spend so much time by yourself.”

“I know, but it can’t be helped right now. I do my best thinking alone. Even if I’m surrounded by people, I tune them out. I’d rather they think I’m a bit odd than think I’m being rude if they try to talk to me and I ignore them.”

“I can respect that, but don’t stay over here too long after the Rigby’s wake up. The new folks need to know their leader is sane.” With that, he left Sam to himself.

Sam watched Jim walk back to the table. He’d left the extra chair. Does he think I look less alone with an extra chair here? Sam wondered. Well, it did increase the odds that Lisa might come occupy it for a time. Sam smiled to himself at the thought.

Adia interrupted his positive contemplation. “There’s unusual activity taking place at the armory, Sam.”

Thinking that Adia never interrupted him with good news, Sam replied, “Let me guess. They’re packing up their toys and going home?”

“No, but it’s nice to hear levity in your voice. Lisa appears to be a positive influence on you.”

“I don’t suppose I could hide that fact from you if I wanted to.”

“No, Sam.”

“All right then, we’ll enjoy it together. What’s the bad news?”

“It would appear your government has completed the EG. Would you like me to replay the events that led me to this conclusion?”

“Please.”

Adia selected the closest point of view behind the soldiers standing in before Web during his speech and stimulated the appropriate sections of Sam’s brain. For Sam, it was as if he was there.

When the remarkable playback finished, Sam asked, “It’s a good thing Web likes to hear himself talk. What’s happening there now?”

“Web has just returned to the formation of soldiers and is talking to them again.”

“Show me. Start where he began.”

Adia did as he requested and Sam once again felt as if Web was briefing him right along with his team. Sam continued observing Web throughout his call with General Campbell. Adia switched points of view as Web moved. Although it was a bit disconcerting to Sam, he had accepted it as fair trade for such excellent intel. He would have preferred to put sensors directly on Web, but Adia told him it was not possible. Web’s gift would detect them and destroy them, like any other threat. Not only would the attempt prove useless, it would inform Web of their presence.