The Void

CHAPTER 33

Hammerson watched the blip of the helicopter approach the mountaintop with his special delivery onboard. Chilton’s cauterization drop was a few hours away, so there was still a slim chance his dumb idea might work.

Grey had protested to high hell, but at the end of the day, his technology was there for offense and defense, and not to sit in the laboratory and have the eggheads endlessly tinker with it.

The scientist had also complained that the technology was still only in second-level testing, and they weren’t sure about the neural link componentry. That meant that when it linked to a particular person, it became psychologically bonded, and in this case, that was to be Alex Hunter. He would become its homing beacon, its target, and best friend. It could be programmed to be his assassin or his guardian angel.

But Grey had been emphatic in his warning — the humanistic logic models were still very much experimental. The emotive patterning they inserted could work as hoped and provide independent as well as team-based thinking, or it could retain vestiges of the baser types of human emotions, such as pride, envy, hate, and even love and anger. It would feed off Alex’s psychology patterns — he would be its supercharger.

Hammerson had joked about his pair of Colt 1873 single action handguns at home, and how he loved them and was sure they loved him back. Grey didn’t pick up on the joke and had sounded anxious, bordering on panicked.

Hammerson smiled grimly, as he recalled the scientist’s agitation.

“Jack, the technology is more than just a weapon. It could think for itself. It might simply decide to become overly protective, and stop Hunter doing what he needed to do. It might even turn on him.”

Hammerson could picture the small scientist wringing his hands, as he spoke.

“The risks are enormous,” Grey had said.

“Everything we do has risks. Even not acting has its risks,” Hammerson had responded softly.

“We just aren’t ready to…”

“Stop talking now, Walter. Generate the neural link to Captain Hunter, and lock it in, that’s an order.” Hammerson sighed. “You wanted a field test? So now you’re going to get one. If it works, my team might just be given a lifeline. And if it doesn’t, then it’ll be just another piece of shit to add to the great steaming pile the mission has turned into.” Hammerson’s voice became rock hard. “And my team will all be dead. Understand?”

“Yes, sir, I do. Good luck, sir,” Grey had said. “Let me know if there’s anything else.”

“Will do.” Hammerson closed out the call.

Now he was focused on the screen, counting down way too fast — there would be a vacuum bomb burn on the crater top, now in t-minus 183 minutes, just over three hours. There’d be nothing left in that crater but ash.

The HAWC data squirt was translated onto his screen. He looked at the time stamp and grunted — it was good the Arcadian had anticipated the drop, but he didn’t know they were already executing it.

The problem was, Alex had wanted an extra hour, that they didn’t have, and what they had left was already counting down. Minutes and seconds counted in this job. Hammerson just prayed his care package wasn’t going to arrive too late to make a difference.

Goddamnit, his HAWCs better be out by then.