Chapter 5

Found

BJ was drowning! He was struggling and clawing his way to the surface of the thick, grey, clinging sludge that was doing its best to drag him back and keep him entombed.

As he broke the surface the sludge disappeared like a bursting bubble and now that BJ's mind was free from the effects of the inhibitor drug normally administered by the malfunctioning auto-dispenser, everything became crystal clear in microseconds.

BJ's military training snapped on instantly, as he held his emotions and reactions completely in check, offering him an opportunity to mislead the fail-safe systems designed to engage at the slightest abnormal physical or emotion response.

Seven times this had occurred that he could remember and each time he learned a little more and stayed a bit longer before the malfunction was discovered.

"This time things would be different," he told himself. "I will get out of here, yet, and find Jess if it's the last thing I ever do in this life."

BJ didn't really know how long he had been here until he learned how to use the neural shunts that connected him to the vast distribution centre, without setting off intrusion alarms. Carefully he checked the date and found it had been four months this time and that he had twenty two hours before he was due to go on shift again. At that time the fail-safes would find him malfunctioning and administer the inhibitor drugs and he would once again become the mindless zombie.

She would be sixteen now he thought and he drifted into the memory of that night, that night, when she was taken.

"No, not taken, saved more like it, from your own self-pity. Remember that she is still out there, and alive; with some city boy and the city itself, looking after her," he grimly thought to himself.

Checking his heart rate and stress levels, he used a form of pre-battle meditation to make sure that he maintained his body function at completely neutral levels.

A bit over six years ago after one of his self-pity fuelled binges, BJ returned to Jess's spot in the alley to find her gone. One of the alley regulars said she was real sick and some kid had taken her as part of some do-gooder city programme.

In a fit of self destructiveness BJ had got drunk and tried to kill himself by jumping off one of the city bridges. As with most of BJ's life at that time, his self-harm attempt didn't work out, and BJ was washed up on the banks of the river a couple of clicks downstream. He was found unconscious and transported to a clinic, where he underwent a series of tests.

BJ's brain was found to be in exceptionally good order, considering the years of drug and alcohol abuse to which he had subjected himself. A single word phone call was all it took and BJ was secretly spirited away and records of his stay at the clinic where obliterated. Large money transfers were made and BJ was sold as a living processor into the illegal organic data processing facility.

Powerful drugs which completely suppressed the ego were administered, neural shunts were installed, connecting BJ's subconscious brain to the facility data network and BJ became one of three living computer systems for an automated distribution centre.

Every now and then the auto drug dispenser failed and these organic computers would often regain consciousness. The change in physical and emotional state was quickly observed by monitoring systems and fail-safes designed for just this eventuality administered the missed medication.

BJ's dispenser had failed eighteen times in the past six years but BJ could only recollect seven and the first three of those were short lived because BJ struggled to free himself and was quickly re-medicated.

After twenty minutes of battle prep meditation BJ had complete control of his mind, body and emotions.

"Time to go to work and get my ass out of here."

BJ carefully interfaced with the administration systems and accessed the communication centre. After checking to make sure that his presence was still undetected BJ sent a text based communication message to every Police precinct in the city.

The message contained information about where he was, how much time he had before discovery and what was going on at the distribution centre. BJ had also found out that a high ranking city official was a major stakeholder in the illicit organic data processing trade and highlighted this in his message, hoping that that a covert approach would be taken.

While BJ was able to give the address of the warehouse he was unable to give specific location details. This was a major concern for BJ and his plan required that he somehow find out his location within the complex.

Once he finished his call for help, he carefully interfaced with a mobile maintenance unit, taking full control of it and its on-board audio visual recording devices and logs. Then, after accessing the floor plans and maps of the business complex, BJ set about trying to find his location.

"This is it, if I don't pull this off, there will be one less organic computer running this complex in a little over twenty-and-a-quarter hours."

BJ had faced death many times during his military career so he accepted that death was a real possibility and the odds were stacked against him because he didn't know his current location.

BJ knew that there were regular breakdowns and repairs of the distribution centre systems so he scanned the records and found that a sorting system was being taken off line for repairs.

"Well, I guess I'll start my search from there," he thought to himself.

Jess burst up from the tangle of cushions, arms, legs and bodies with a strength that belied her small size.

"You what?" she also most shouted. "Did I hear you correctly?"

"Yes, Jess! I have found BJ! Or, more correctly, Con1 reported a very unusual message received by the Transit Hill Precinct a few minutes ago. I have analysed it, and it seems that BJ has been trapped in an illegal Organic Computer System for the last six years. He is attempting to escape and he estimates he currently has a maximum of twenty hours to complete his escape. He believes that he will be killed once it is discovered he has made contact with the outside world," Ohai explained. "I have downloaded the entire message into the system in your bedroom, Jess."

Jess sprang out of the tangle, and rushed to the bedroom without a word, leaving Ohai with a very uncomfortable emotion of not knowing whether she did something right or wrong.

'She'll be fine, Ohai, and so will you. Welcome to the world of 'family.' It's been my experience that good or bad if you tell it like it is, then things always turn out okay, even if things are a little bumpy at the start."

"Now, tell me about the message, and let's get planning what we are going to do," Marz continued. "And leave Jess to me, when she comes out. She's going to want to go right now, and we can't until we have a plan."

"Okay, Marz," Ohai agreed. "You begin a list of critical path decisions, rescue equipment and tools we may need and I will attempt to connect to BJ and get more information regarding his status. Oh, and I have already asked Con1 to pre pack a full selection of nanites and nanomechs in case we need them."

While BJ began organising his thoughts based on the data Ohai provided through their direct link, Ohai connected to and hacked the distribution centres firewall and entered their computer systems in seconds without a trace. She spread herself through the networks using all of the plants sensors and monitoring equipment to watch for anything out of the ordinary.

'There he is, ' she smiled to herself.

She watched a maintenance unit lagging behind a detail of units obviously going somewhere with purpose. It was also occasionally scanning the area as if watching for something.

BJ was surprised when a unit of his type stopped turned around and came straight towards him stopping directly in front of him. He struggled to maintain his composure when the unit tapped out a message in BJ's Black Ops Unit battle code.

"Friends coming, need Intel, Jess is with us."

BJ extended a port clamp and plugged into the other maintenance unit. "This is secure, who are you?" he messaged.

"My name is Ohai. I am with Jess and Marz, her brother, from the City programme. We will come to get you. I need Intel on your status so we can bring the correct equipment and tools to your rescue. Can you talk to Jess? She is reading your message. She will ask me to do what I am now doing, so she can talk"

Calming himself, BJ replied, "'No' to talking to Jess, right now. Tell her I love her, and I am stupid, and I am sorry. I need to maintain balance or I will be discovered and re-medicated, I need three minutes to calm my body. I will return to provide Intel. Thank you for coming, Ohai."

"You're welcome, BJ. I will be here when you return. I will attempt to find your location while I wait."

Leaving part of her attention to monitor the unit she controlled, Ohai refocussed on surroundings at home. She was just in time to see a frantic and pale Jess storm into the lounge, demanding that they go and get BJ, right now.

Turning to Ohai, Jess implored that she trace back to the place where he was and make sure he was okay, and to let Jess talk to him.

"Jess, come and sit down. BJ is fine. I have talked to him already, and he said he loves you, and he is stupid, and he is sorry. He can't talk right now, because the emotional and physical stress would get him re-medicated."

Jess burst into tears yelling, "Stupid, I'll give him stupid. Oh, God! I have missed him so much! I will kill him!"

Just then she felt Marz's big strong comforting arms go around her and he began to whisper in her ear.

"It's okay, genius girl. We will get him home, safe. I will hold him down, while you kill him if you like. Better still, it would be less messy if we just tipped him out of his wheelchair, and let a bus run him over him. The city would pay for the clean up then, as well."