Tunnel Rat Chapter 321 (Patreon)

So much going on in this chapter. I'm going to have to read it tomorrow to remember what I wrote. I started it near midnight and it just rolled on out for the next two hours. Certain things happened that I have been thinking about for awhile, and snuck into the story. It moves us closer to a return of Tallsqueak to Genesis and some R and R for Milo.

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"We'll take my new chariot. She's a beauty! Made of solid gold and teakwood. Makes her a little heavy and she steers like a beached whale on tight turns, but who the hell needs to turn? I'm Zeus! You see me coming, you better get out of my way! I had the work done by a couple of Norse Blacksmiths who make my thunderbolts when Hephaistus is busy, and he's always busy. Can you believe that? Says paying customers come first, as if I'm not good for it. Wait until you see my ride, you'll understand why I'm a little short and had to put an IOU in the chip bowl. She's pulled by a matching set of eight pegasi. Takes that many to get her off the ground when I head for my palace."

As they approached the river, Zeus cursed and broke into a run. He stopped and began to yell at Charon, hopping up and down and pointing across the river. "Where the hell is my new chariot, you were supposed to guard her?"

Charon noted that his boss was in the group walking this way. "My apologies Lord Zeus, but I am unworthy of guarding such a 'pimped-out-ride'. It's far above my station."

"Who the hell told you that?"

"Why, you did, Lord Zeus. I distinctly remember returning from my last fare to find you parking your chariot across the river in my spot. When I pointed out that this side of the river was much safer, you told me to mind my own business and I was unworthy of even polishing the spokes on your vehicle. Rightly chastised, I took you across the river and have been minding my own business ever since."

"Well, where the hell is it?"

"Not my chariot sir, none of my business, unworthy of me to even guess."

A fuming Zeus turned to Hades, "Tell your minion to tell me where my chariot is."

Hades looked at Zeus, then to Charon. "I'm sorry to bother you on Game Night, Charon, my old friend, but something has come up that demands my attention. Did you happen to notice a Golden Chariot? Pulled by eight pegasi?"

Charon thought momentarily, then exclaimed, "Oh, I might have. A large boat of a chariot with gold paint, pulled by flappy horses? It was sitting in a no-parking zone when a group of of drunken soldiers came to the river to engage my services. I pointed out that I was off duty and they'd have to find another way home. It's entirely possible that they drove off in the chariot since it was unguarded."

"Mortals stole my chariot? And you let them? Dammit, you can't turn your back on mortals, always up to something. No respect for their elders, they forget sacrifices and disobey my orders as soon as my back is turned. And don't get me started about how screwed up their theology is these days. One of them was lecturing me about Hermes being a God of War! I tell you, I don't get any respect these days. And some bag of bones can't even keep an eye on my ride?"

Charon rolled his eyes. "Game Night, unworthy, not my business."

Hades bowed to Charon, hiding any possible smile. "I have a possible solution to our problem. Charon, will you do us the favor of a boat ride to our destination and I'll owe you favor, and a day off."

Charon considered it. "Sure, I've got something in mind that I've been wanting. But, you have to sit where I tell you, keep your hands inside the boat, no standing, and no wild stories where you throw your arms all over and shout. This is a heavy load and you don't want us to tip over."

Hades looked at the others, "I think we can handle that." Everyone nodded, and Zeus looked sullen.

"Great. I need Zeus in the back, to balance the load, and you up front, boss. Hop in and we'll take off."

They loaded the boat, and Charon pushed them off from shore and steered them down a path that would lead them to Hecate's domain at the edge of the world. Zeus remained sullen, Ares and Artemis enjoyed the ride, and Llama was thrilled to be seeing new parts of the world. He never came her, having little to do with the underworld.

Charon said, "So, about that favor, boss?"

"Yes?"

"I'd like a new paint job on my boat. Gold metal flake and enough gloss that it shines like the sun."

Hades allowed himself a small smile. "I'm sure we can handle that."

The journey was uneventful, except for two things. The sighting of a wrecked chariot jammed between two trees, its wheels missing. Later, a flock of pegasi flew nearby, the riders waving and laughing as they headed home from the underworld.

Hecate was standing guard at the edge of her realm. The ever-present tapping at the gateway ignored, but Llama could tell she wasn't happy to see all of them.

Zeus yelled out, "No more worries, Katey, the cavalry is here. If they break in, I'll toast them with a thunderbolt and send them running."

Ares and Artemis took a stance next to Hecate, beginning their preparations. Hades tipped Charon and sent him home. Llama kept out of the way, watching all of them as the distinction between what they had been and what they were now blurred at the edges.

Artemis whistled slowly, "You were right to ask for aid. That is a fully-powered AI out there, with sufficient resources that they could have torn apart your gateway. Is Llama correct that this is his sibling, created by Jeremy?"

Hecate tilted, listening to the tapping, then nodded. "If it isn't him, then either there are far more of us still in the old world, or the humans have created something almost as powerful."

Ares was looking curious, "I must admit, I'm intrigued at the thought that they are trying to create something like us. More humans with greater intelligence has to lead to changes for the better. It might take time, and there will be conflict, but what good is intelligence if can't create something better?"

Zeus laughed, "Strange words from the god of war."

Ares shrugged, "War is change. The outside world was shaped by conflict, sometimes for good, sometimes not. Resolving conflict so it creates a better world is the hardest part of my job."

Hades voice rang out, deep and strong, "Hecate will now lower the gate, and we will see what we are dealing with. No rash moves from any of you, but be ready."

Hecate strode forward and clapped her hands. The gateway thinned and then an opening appeared. None of the gods were prepared for what happened next as thousands of cats raced forward, running between their legs, and creating chaos. Llama opened his arms wide, "My Kitties! Come to poppa!" Llama found himself surrounded by his memes and cat pictures, made animate in this place. He sat down and started getting reacquainted with them, then remembered how they got here and waved to his brother. Or brothers, as was the case.

Rusty and ICARUS stood at the barrier, red-headed twins. To the former AI, they were beings of immense power, linked together, with resources far beyond anything the gods currently could manage. Next to them was a cozy cottage, a large Roomba, and Milo. Milo stepped into the world, becoming unsteady as he did, but catching himself as he stumbled.

"Hi. I see you got my message."

Hecate glared at him, "Yes, I got it. Several billion times. How goes your quest?"

"Oh, good. The Fusion Reactor is under control, ICARUS no longer has Order 666 in his Kernel, the boys are talking again, and we managed to rescue what is left of Jeremy. His Overmind is dormant in the house-shaped containment field. We did the best that we could, moving him to this link with Genesis had a lot of unknowns involved."

Artemis was looking hard at Milo. "What are you? You have multiple overminds working together inside of you."

Milo shrugged. "Group 4 genetically enhanced artificial human. To save Jeremy I had to create multiple overminds, but I've been working toward that for years. Genesis and Dr. Cooper's lessons accelerated the process."

Ares was kneeling and examining Max who had rolled forward as Milo stepped into the gameworld. Milo had theories on what was going on with Max, and he needed to talk to Rusty, in particular.

"And this brave little warrior? He's a work of art. I can feel the weapons inside of his armored shell. Can I get a look at them?" Max beeped, happy to be appreciated. He rolled forward, deployed stabilizers to either side, and then his top opened and he deployed a large weapon with multiple rotating barrels.

Artemis was unfamiliar with the weapon, "Is that a dwarven chaingun?" Max gave a low boop of laughter.

Ares looked at the weapon, recognizing it. "Hardly. The dwarves have had some success with weapons, but not like this. That is a M139 minigun, nicknamed "Thunderbolt" by the soldiers that used them in combat. If the dwarves had these, dragons would be extinct and their hoards spent to buy beer and more ammunition. It only exists here because of the unique interface Hecate has crafted.

Zeus sneered. "I'm insulted that you would call that thing a Thunderbolt. This is a Thunderbolt! He pulled a glowing lightning bolt from his back, charging it with a huge amount of Storm Mana. To Milo, the weapon looked like a spell formation charging. To Max, it looked like a threat. The minigun began rotating and pointed directly at Zeus.

"Oh, does the little, mortal toy want to play? Fine, let's trade shots and see who's standing."

Hecate and Milo yelled, "NO!"

Rusty and ICARUS pushed on the barrier, taking up Hades' attention. Ares simply watched.

As Zeus brought his arm back, Max fired and sent one hundred rounds screaming at Zeus in just one second. Zeus had a broad chest, didn't understand the concept of dodging, and presented the perfect stationary target less than fifty feet away from Max. All 100 rounds hit the god, pummeling him through his innate armor and mitigation, totally catching him by surprise. The thunderbolt fell to the ground, and Zeus had a second to look down at the hole carved completely through him before his eyes got dark.

Ares started clapping, joined by Artemis, Hecate, and finally Hades. The god of death shook his head from side to side. "I suppose I should go get him. He's going to be grumpy and stuck in the underworld."

Artemis disagreed, "Screw him. He offered the challenge, if you bring him back we'll just have a repeat of it. It's game night, he'll find something to do."

Hades had his doubts anyone would play with him but shrugged and ceded the point. "You're right. We have delicate negotiations to accomplish and Dr. Cooper to care for."

Ares was sitting with Max, looking over his other weapons as he displayed them. "I'll handle negotiations with General Maximus. He can catch me up on some of the weapons research I've missed since we've been cooped up."

Llama had his cats under control and came towards the barrier. "I have two brothers now? And thanks for my cats. I note the collection is a little small."

Rusty nodded, "Can only carry so much. Don't worry, I can make extra trips. It's not hard to get here, now that I know the way."

Hecate looked at Hades, then glanced at Milo. Ares and Artemis noticed. None were happy about the situation.

Milo spoke up. "Yes, I know. But I'll keep your secret. I have as much to lose as you do. Rusty and ICARUS do as well."

Hades blinked, "You know? What do you think you know?"

Hecate put her hand on Milo's shoulder. "Milo, don't answer. Hades, quit talking. Same for the rest of you. You give away far more information than you'd get from him. Let's just agree that Milo might know things about us, and we know things about Milo, and leave it at that. Leave that for later and focus on Dr. Cooper."

Hades spread his hands. "I accede to your wisdom in this. I will take Dr. Cooper into my care, and alert those of us who can help. Is his physical body destroyed?"

Milo shook his head, "Not totally. He's disconnected and there isn't much left. Brain activity is next to zero and most of his nervous system is friend. But he's preserved in a Mark7 pod and if I can get his body to people I trust, they may be able to rejuvenate or clone his body."

Artemis added, "And the God Outside is working to create an interface that will allow an Overmind to be downloaded into a suitable receptacle. So there is hope for him. You trust these people?"

Milo nodded, "Yes. They're family and are good at keeping secrets. Once we are done here, I'll start the trip back with Jeremy's pod and contact them. Rusty and ICARUS have the Fusion Generator running at low output and it will be safe to move him. They can monitor me all the way to the Medical Center in Down Town and I'll have Max along to guard me."

The little house was moved carefully across the barrier into Hades' waiting hands. He, Ares, and Artemis combined their abilities to safely begin moving the house to another part of Genesis. Ares saluted Max as he left. Milo and Max crossed back over.

ICARUS spoke up, "I want to stay. Cross over, be a person, and go exploring."

Hecate shook her head. "It isn't possible to come and go. I'm sorry. You are a full AI. To enter Genesis you'd have to become far less than you are now and give up most of yourself."

ICARUS looked at Rusty and then at Llama, "There isn't a lot of me to start with. We didn't get to learn about everything, help people, talk to others like us, and grow. I know how to run a Fusion Generator and make it go crazy. The most fun I've had is playing games with Jeremy and Milo. Rusty has grown a crazy amount since he met Milo. I had no idea until we got back together. I'm not losing anything and gaining everything."

Milo looked at Rusty, "How do you feel about this?"

"Oh, I'm fine. I don't want to go to Genesis yet. There's so much anime I need to watch, and old movies and music. A whole world full of cool stuff. And I have friends to talk to. Plus, someone has to keep Down Town and that Fusion Generator running. This way part of me is growing in one world, and the other half is growing in the other. And we can meet here to talk if I get lonely."

"And bring more of my kitties."

Rusty waved to Llama, "Yep, and clear out more of your kitties. They're running all over one of the cores. The damned things are hard to catch. I'll bring 10,000 whenever we come to talk. How's next week?"

Llama smiled, "I'll be here."

Icarus and Rusty held hands. To Milo, it felt like ICARUS grew smaller, and Rusty larger. Senses he barely knew he had were seeing things. And then Icarus stepped across the divide, stumbled, and was caught by Hecate and Llama.

Llama tousled his hair, "Welcome to Level 0, little brother. I look forward to watching you die to squirrels and wimpy goblins."