114 Neural Network (part three)
Ringo stood next to Lotte and Sato. All the nodes were destroyed, but there was no sign of QJ or Anya.
[Gaia: Ringo] Sato, take Breeze and Enju and check if the cloud has changed.
[Gaia: Sato] On it... What was QJ talking about?
[Gaia: Lotte] He mentioned it once when visiting Naomi Gajendra. An HAI is a Higher Artificial Intelligence. If we had to face one here, I doubt we would survive.
[Gaia: Sato] Like a roided-up LAI? Or a Demi-God?
Sato entered the inner instance through the empty doorway, and the three of them headed toward the cloud.
[Gaia: Sato] Shit... That cloud is solid again.
Ringo frowned; both QJ and Anya were listed as Unavailable. Although intelligent and experienced, the OP Guild Leader relied heavily on QJ because of his ability to make quick decisions. What would QJ do here?
[Gaia: Ringo] Okay. Our primary mission is accomplished. We are unable to assist QJ and Anya at this time. What's the status of the rest of the nodes?
[Gaia: Kenzo] I've salvaged all of them.
[Gaia: Ringo] We'll return to the settlement and be ready to fight. Our priority will be the welfare of the Silverfang Clan.
[Gaia: Kenzo] Thank you.
***********
"Unused Data, just wasting away..." QJ floated in the empty nothingness next to Anya. "No gravity, miscellaneous crap floating around." His sharp eyes scanned their immediate surroundings."
"If she's an HAI..." Anya gripped QJ's hand, leaving the rest unsaid. There was no fear on the Spider Queen's face, just an acceptance of their situation.
"Even if she managed to gather the resources necessary, her current intellect is that of an LAI; it would take her months, perhaps years, to compile everything."
Anya's eyes glowed red with the [Hunt] ability. "I'm glad you are here, Minion. I might be scared if you weren't. Why did she wait so long to strike back at our family."
"She needed the missing piece," QJ replied. With no destination in mind, QJ throttled his jetpack, pulling the Spider Queen.
"Michael Benz?" Anya asked.
"Partly, more importantly, what he was able to gather here in Gaia, away from the eyes of the Exodus Oversight." QJ had figured it out in the last few minutes. "The NPCs in Gaia are LAIs; when the game was disconnected from Exodus, Michael Benze accelerated time to enable cultural and racial development."
"Didn't TAP do the same thing?' Anya asked.
QJ nodded. "Nora must have discovered Gaia and saw her chance. I'm guessing they scavenged and compiled most of the undiscovered content during the acceleration process."
"Which means what?"
QJ gestured to the emptiness surrounding them. "Everything. Who knows what should have been where we are standing? Perhaps a lake or a mountain range, even a major city. The bothersome part is that this would have included LAIs."
Anya shook her head. "How many?"
QJ shrugged. "Thousands... Tens of thousands or perhaps more."
"This was all made possible because Gaia was disconnected?"
QJ nodded. "In hindsight, Nora was probably already working with Benz. The ridiculous graphic of the natives on opening day was probably done intentionally."
Clapping filled the duo's ears as a woman appeared a dozen meters away. She had dropped her nondescript avatar in exchange for her actual representation. "Very smart. You can't imagine how hard I had to push Benz to make him sabotage his own creation."
QJ hefted [Roll Credits] in one hand. "He had to make it so bad that even the diehard fans would jump ship."
Lightning exploded from Nora's hand, aimed at QJ. The Spider Queen stepped in front of him, shielding them both. Instead of following up, Nora stared wordlessly at her targets.
QJ stepped to one side, not wanting Anya to take too many attacks with her Life Shield. He laughed suddenly, drawing even the Spider Queen's glance. "This isn't about revenge. It never was... You developed the transference technique with the financial support of Sidney Horn, but you were duping him also, just like Michael Benz."
Nora Salo grinned suddenly. "You're as smart as I've heard."
"You came after me... But why?" QJ considered what he knew about the death of Sidney Horn and the subsequent arrest of Dr. Nora Salo. "My family must have something you want. Right... it's my Grandmother, Ella Riley. She's the only one who it could be, and she'd do anything to keep me safe, even giving herself up."
Nora's grin faltered. "How di..."
Anya gestured suddenly, wrapping Nora from shoulder to knee in webbing.
[Aimed-Shot]
(Headshot Bonus)(Critical Hit)
QJ has hit the target for 33,013 damage.
Fire Scorches your target for 6,602 damage.
Nora's face showed shock and pain as an orb formed around her. "You hit me!"
QJ smiled nonchalantly. "Your avatar has to follow the rules of a gaming world; with all the other changes Benz made, there's no way he had time to alter that. This is the part where we fuck you up."
Anya nodded in agreement.
Nora freed one arm before drawing a monofilament weapon, slicing through her web bindings like paper. The orb around her disappeared, and she tore open a doorway with a slash of her arm. "First, I'll wipe out that fucking town, then all of OP will fall before me."
The would-be HAI leaped through, followed closely by QJ and Anya.
QJ squinted against the glare of the midday sun, immediately finding his bearings.
[Gaia: QJ] Incoming! Near Lake Kenzo, chasing Nora.
[Gaia: Ringo] Let's take the fight to the air.
[Gaia: Kenzo] I'll do what I can from down here. What are her abilities?
[Gaia: QJ] Listing what I've seen. The lightning strikes are also stun, dodge as soon as she raises her hand.
Nora Salo (Potential HAI)
Mele Attack: Monofilament Blade.
Ranged Attack: Lightning Strike.
Movement: Spatial Doorway and Flight.
Defense/Healing: Orb.
***********
Naomi Gajendra sat around the kitchen island at the Riley Residence with Quinn, Tal, and Felix. Soma while Anna sat nearby with Ella Riley. Since it was the middle of the night, everyone was attending virtually.
Tal frowned at the stream. Nora Salo slipped through their hands while in federal custody, and now she was back. "QJ implied that this was about Mom."
Naomi shook her head slightly. "I'm not sure what the connection is. Perhaps QJ was hypothesizing."
Tal snorted. "Perhaps, but that kid is almost always spot on. Mom died in the real world when Quinn was nine. In that moment of death, her anchor to the real world was released, and her titanium-encased crystal Implants enabled her to exist long enough to bend time."
Quinn nodded in agreement. "She used a TAP ability to stretch out that moment until I arrived."
Felix Soma handed Cale to Anna. "When it comes down to it, all the TAP abilities are programmed and coded; there's nothing mystical about them. Ella's ability to alter time was copied to her implants when she used it."
"Right!" Quinn grinned suddenly. "QJ said it would take months or longer to compile the data necessary for Nora to evolve into an HAI. If Mom's implants hold the key to manipulating time, they are the key to Nora's plan. QJ also said it wasn't an HAI or even two HAI."
Felix Soma exchanged nervous glances with Naomi. "She wants to become an actual AI."
"An AI in today's world would become a virtual dictator, " Quinn cursed. Actual AI development was deemed too dangerous, and every world power heavily regulated the entire industry. The dozens of companies chasing that carrot were shut down by international mandates. "If forming an HAI takes several months, then I assume even more time is necessary for an AI."
"Scary shit," Felix admitted. "Because Gaia is disconnected and has no players linked in, the ability to alter the flow of time is just code. If our guess is correct, Ella's implants would hold the key. I assume they are stored somewhere?"
Ella nodded. Her face was calm as she watched the stream. Had they managed to grab QJ, she would have given them the implants to keep him safe. "After this is over, we will destroy them publicly."
***********
A blast of power extended outward from the skies over Lake Kenzo, throwing large waves in all directions. The Afternoon darkened until the sun was replaced with a single glowing person standing in the open air; a goddess had come to the Lands of the Goddess.
QJ exited the slashed doorway, leading Anya upward as they prepared to defend.
[Gaia: QJ] Taunt and any threat generation will be useless here. Just try to deflect her attacks and keep the clerics safe. Nora isn't a gamer or an NPC, but she might realize that healers must die.
[Gaia: Dessi] Wow... I don't like anything about that statement.
[Gaia: Enju] Same, but I understand.
Nora stood in the sky without using any skills or exerting effort, her sharp eyes focused on QJ. "I should have paused my plans and dealt with you first, " she said.
"It's too late," QJ responded, stowing his jetpack and equipping his [Glide] ring.
QJ banked into a steep dive with [Roll Credits] extended.
[Aimed Shot]
(Headshot Bonus)
QJ has hit the target for 48,566 damage.
Fire scorches your target for 9,713 damage.
Closing fast on Nora, QJ feinted with a slash and blasted by her when she dodged.
[Grappling]
A small cable wrapped around Nora's neck, suddenly yanking her downward. QJ dived toward the rocky shore of Lake Kenzo with his target in tow. Switching to his jetpack, he fired it up less than ten meters from the ground.
The ground shook with the impact as Nora Salo cratered into the rocks.
[Nora Salo has been stunned and has suffered severe damage.]
While QJ retreated, Nora climbed to her feet only to have multiple grappling hooks restrain her.
Lotte has [Grappled] Nora's left arm.
Sato has [Grappled] Nora's right arm.
Ringo has [Grappled] Nora's right leg.
Jigsaw (Nina) has [Grappled] Nora's left leg.
[Gaia: Ringo] Going up!
[Sniper](Headshot Bonus x Critical Strike)
Chainy has hit the target for 25,888 damage.
Chainy has hit the target for 76,121 damage.
Chainy and Tempest opened up on their prey as OP dragged her into the sky above Lake Kenzo. Anya stabbed [Fang] deep into Nora's neck before retreating with a flap of her black wings.
[Queen's Toxin has infected Nora Salo.]
Nora Salo screamed, her voice drowned out by the sudden clap of thunder as electricity filled the air.
[Lightning Storm]
The four cables restraining Nora glowed brightly momentarily before releasing and sending four members of OP plummeting downward.
[Sato has been stunned.]
[Ringo has been stunned.]
[Lotte has been stunned.]
[Jigsaw has been stunned.]
Dessi accelerated and caught Ringo as QJ swooped in to grab Lotte. Enju was close enough to catch Nina, leaving Sato in a freefall toward the water below.
Anya swooped in at the last moment before impact and grabbed Sato's wrist. His feet skimmed the water as she flapped hard to gain altitude.
"I FUCKING HATE GAMERS!" Nora Salo's face turned red as she shouted toward the heavens.
[Gaia: Ringo] Heh.. bitch...
[Gaia: Lotte] Bitch...
[Gaia: Jigsaw] Bitch!
"I will show you real power!" Nora Salo waved her hands, rendering a half dozen tears in the sky; the air was filled with the high-pitched shrieks of car-sized bats.
Kenzo stood on the banks of the lake, watching the battle overhead with his stylus in hand. He began dragging his drawings into the air.
"Shit!" Breeze stepped in front of Enju when the nearest bat dived toward her. Before the Chero could defend, it was suddenly captured inside a giant glass orb by Kenzo and dropped harmlessly toward the lake below.
The creatures fell from the sky one by one. Kenzo stared upward at Nora Salo, smiling like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar.
[Gaia: Breeze] You're badass, Kenzo!
[Gaia: Jigsaw] No kidding.
"You..." Nora's eye shone brightly, and the air around her cackled and popped with electricity. "Die, you worthless brat!"
[Gaia: QJ] Protect the healers!
Lightning enveloped Nora's limbs, her hair standing obscenely on end as she drew deeply on whatever fueled her overwhelming power. Lightning suddenly blasted outward from her.
[Interupt]
A giant glass orb formed around Nora; instantly, it shone like a second sun, pushing away the darkness amid the sudden silence.
The glowing lightbulb hovered for several seconds before growing dim and plummeting downward.
QJ and Anya pursued closely, stopping a dozen meters above the lake's surface as the orb splashed into its depths, throwing water in all directions.
The lake rippled outward for several seconds before exploding in a surge of power, sending a tidal wave of water over the settlement. Before it could land, a glass dome formed over the structures, causing the water to impact harmlessly and flood in all directions.
A bedraggled form floated up out of the water; her body was blackened and soaked to the bone. Terrifying hatred, thick enough to see, emanated off her in waves of evil. She screamed and slashed downward, tearing open a doorway before stepping through it.
Ringo watched as QJ and Anya sped toward the doorway.
[Gaia: Ringo] Want us to follow?
[Gaia: QJ] No. It could be a feint...
[Daiya/QJ] She's smart, but you're the gamer.
Ringo nodded and motioned toward the OP members.
[Gaia: Ringo] Gain some altitude, get ready...
[Gaia: Sato] Why does QJ think it's a ...
Nora stepped into the skies above Lake Kenzo, her miserable appearance made worse by the sudden appearance of webbing that completely covered her head.
