Codename: Freedom - Book 5 - Chapter 13

Author Note: To answer those that have asked, I've had some delays because of issues with the cover art. Without a cover, I can't publish, so I've been focused on trying to get it remedies in a timely manner. The Gathering of Guilds mini-arc should be released this coming week.

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Having a million psionic users off-base at one of the largest convention centers in the world was an insane idea by itself. The addition of a Military Expo which would allow non-psionic users to be present was questionable, but what else the government had in mind spun the whole thing on its head.

There would be game and hardware developers who had been working on creating simulations that would prepare someone for the Cube while merging it with entertainment. This meant that there was a whole new generation of virtual reality hardware coming to market that would focus on training the body as well as immersing the senses.

The implications were clear. Not only were the developers civilians, but their main target market wasn’t Vanguard participants. Anyone that could afford a ticket in real life or via the Meta would be there as well.

I was sure that there would be some kind of separation between civilians and psionic users, but then Victoria revealed something that was about to change the world. The psionic unlocking serum was about to be released to the public. Why not make the announcement during what would prove to be one of the largest conventions in human history?

The rumor mill was already churning. Military tech companies like Lethality, SizzleTech, Denning, and Lucci Psionics wouldn’t just have new models of the equipment they’d be trying to sell to Vanguard participants. Certain equipment would be available to the public. The very mention of the psionic unlocking serum would send wealthy visitors into a frenzy to buy up anything related.

With me spending so much of my time outside my Cube, it meant Destiny and I could speak with sponsors. I expected a good reception, but not like what we received. I’d used a Lucci Psionics psword when rescuing my mom. They sent me the newest models of everything they were working on.

Purifier 2 - Psword Gladius by Lucci Psionics

Ammunition: Psionic

Effective Range: Melee

Damage Type: Psionic

Direct Impact Damage: 800 – 2,000 Melee (Assuming Rank E Psionics)

Bonus: 15% damage boost to the Psionic Enhancement ability

Strong Against:

Armor type: Sonic, Ballistic, Metal Alloy Plating, Magnetic

Weak Against:

Armor type: Psionic, Energy

The main weapon I knew I’d get use of was the second version of the one I commonly carried. It was almost identical except for a 3% increase in damage boost. They sent three of them with custom hilts. The oval shape of the handle and leather wrapping were other improvements. They had black with gold lettering written vertically down the handle. They were fine enough to be display pieces even if I had every intention of using them. One would be sheathed at my side during the convention.

That was only the first product I was gifted that would double as advertisement and a practical piece. Lucci also sent me a custom Ballistic Psi-wrap that looked far more stylish than my normal one. It also left a lot of room for me to add sponsor logos. They knew what they were doing. The number of cryptos they provided to guarantee I wore their gear to the convention was nothing to sneeze at.

Lucci wasn’t alone. Lethality hooked me up with the new pshield refinement belt model.

Lethality Pshield Refinement Belt Model B5

Armor Type: Psionic

Grade: Rank E

Energy Source: User

Bonus: 18% defense boost to Psionic Shielding ability

Strong Against

Damage Type: Kinetic, Plasma, Laser, Hyper-velocity, Psionic, Chemical, Energy, Sonic

Weak Against

Damage Type: Specialty Ammunition, Chemical (Some gases)

They’d somehow figured out how to boost the pshielding from 14% to 18%. Over an extended battle, it was nothing to scoff at.

Of course, SizzleTech was still doing their thing.

SizzleTech E-Field – 8th Gen

Armor Type: Energy

Grade: Rank C+

Energy Source: YVolt Solid State Power Pack

Strong Against

Damage Type: Kinetic, Plasma, Laser, Hyper-velocity, Psionic, Chemical, Energy, Sonic

Weak Against

Damage Type: Chemical (Some gases)

I wasn’t that familiar with E-Fields, but the rank had jumped from C to C+. After using them during the last event as we raced through the tunnels to conserve energy, they had been getting a lot of praise. It was well deserved.

There were many other sponsors like a new civilian orb drone upgrade for Destiny, and my father’s company was spending far more on advancing the Trans-Cog Synth, or Destiny’s brain. They were releasing a less complex adaptation for AI-drone hybrids. There would be a civilian and military version which were about a year away. Much of their marketing was focused on differentiating them from the Jinhwa while proclaiming the performance of merging quantum and biocomputing with a limbic system. In other words, an android with the highest level of processing tech that could simulate human emotions.

That was why Destiny still wasn’t considered a living being according to my father. She now had the ability to simulate emotions, even feel them to better understand. However, she could survive without a limbic system, while humans could not. I wasn’t fully convinced.

With all the sponsorships for this short, four-day conference, I would bring in close to the 1.2 billion cryptos I had when Vanguard first started. I’d also be in talks with other sponsors like Vibrations, which was one of Marabella’s major sponsors. It would be an extended contract, but it would bring in just about as much as the other sponsors combined.

Of course, it wouldn’t just be a military expo mixed with a civilian conference. There wouldn’t just be psionic users, military tech developers, and civilians present. There would also be Metacasters. Personalities from the most obnoxious to the most professional would be there to hype it up while trying to stand out. I had already agreed that I wouldn’t be doing any interviews until after the conference and specifically with Mia.

The conference center was less than two hours from the base. Because of the sheer number of people going, both air and ground transports were used. Makeshift barracks were set up in parking lots too far away to walk to comfortably for the average person, but easily reachable by psionic users. They were spread out. Because of the number of civilians that would be attending, only a fraction of the available hotel rooms would be provided for military use.

For security purposes, I was offered a suite at one of the nicest hotels in the city. I appreciated the offer but gave it to LadyHeadshot and HandshakeDeath as an early engagement present. I wouldn’t be sleeping much, if any, during the conference. It wasn’t necessary.

Generally, I would’ve preferred to travel with my men, but today, appearances were the point. Mel, Barrell, and Ma were there with me. Kline was there with his Captains as well. We were riding in a high-end tourist bus with nicely padded seats. What was different about this short last leg of our trip was that Victoria was traveling with us. We’d taken separate transports when we were flown in, but not from the airport. Peter and Oliver were there as well as the high-ranked members of the intelligence team like Liam and Junction. Cornelius and Harrison were with us.

Having the whole leadership team there outside our Cubes was a surreal experience. It made me realize that this conference held more meaning than even the Vanguard Devs or US Government could imagine. It was like the reality of psionics and the monsters they created were finally being revealed to the world. Sure, there had been interviews and vacations off base, but for the first time since Vanguard began, the majority of participants weren’t hooked up to their Cubes.

Maybe it felt far more real because of the attempted kidnapping of my parents, but I didn’t think so. I saw it in the faces of my friends. The vibe was thick with anticipation.

As for our security concerns, I felt both relief and concern when we were about two miles from our destination. Military and law enforcement drones patrolled the skies. There were people walking toward the conference center from this far out wearing a variety of augmented headsets—most of which were minimalistic.

I spotted a military jet flying low like an eagle with its wings outstretched as it lazily floated amongst the air streams. Its slow speed spoke of its air dominance almost as much as high-hypersonic speeds. It was as if it were crawling across the sky so that it could take its time and scan everything below.

That was only the first sign that this was more than a conference. Before they’d even reached a mile out, I spotted a twelve-foot-tall infantry mech that projected its own hologram overhead. Destiny singled it out to augment it through my headset. The message was blaring.

Psionicly Powered!

Psionic Shielding!

The light-assault mech was just standing there on the corner like a billboard.

It was nowhere near the last of the military tech being shown off on their approach. There were new military transports being ushered through traffic via the automated system as if their presence was normal. People stopped and gawked. At the stationary displays, there were small crowds. It wasn’t until we were on the final stretch of the trip that I caught my breath. Along the entrance to the convention center were flying transports. But these weren’t just personal jets any wealthy person might purchase. They were inner solar system space craft.

Most of these space craft were designed to only function in space. They were just planetside to show off. The most common designs were spherical. They looked like small planets with landing gears or robotic quadpods for legs. Their sizes varied. There were those that required a small team to pilot it, to the largest one with a more oval shape that had an obvious primary engine for inner planetary travel. Few of them would ever make the trip back to earth if they ever made it to space. Only the last one could handle re-entry. Instead, they’d be parked at space stations and specialty shuttles would be taken to reach the planet.

They were the things dreams were made of. At least, that’s what I was thinking until we reached the outside perimeter of the conference center. There were genuine deep space vessels parked there. These weren’t the massive military battleships, but they were all large enough for at least a company of men. The largest could probably accommodate a small battalion. What’s more, because they were designed to travel from solar system to solar system, they put most of their resources into one directional engines. They looked like spaceships from early fiction when movies and television were still viewed through panels instead of a three-dimensional, virtual space. They were oval-nosed yachts with multiple stories or streamlined leaf-shaped spearheads the size of multi-story buildings on their sides.

The craziest thing was that they were just the backdrop. There were planetside aircraft of all shapes and sizes right next to the largest mechs and tanks. It was like a flee market for superrich warlords. It reminded me of my first day in Vanguard when all the military tech I could imagine was laid out before me, except this was out of sim.

A sudden wave of relief washed over me. The fact we wouldn’t have to use such equipment except in the war of the Prime Sim put a lot of things in perspective.

I heard Barrell mumble from his seat across the aisle, “I wonder how much those space cruisers cost. I want one.”

Destiny appeared atop her smaller form-factor purple orb drone. “The cheapest is two billion and they scale up to seventy or more. The more resources or personnel they can transport, the more expensive.”

We were about to reach our destination when we passed by a transparent structure that fit snug on the lawn between the crowd walking among the military craft and the road leading to the roundabout where people were being dropped off. It was a firing range. There were people lined up in little transparent cubbies firing a variety of firearm types at holographic targets. The plasma and energy rounds were especially eye catching.

Coming to a stop, I found Kline who’d been leaning over to get a better look out the window watching me out the corner of his eye.

As soon as he noticed me watching, his smirk spoke volumes. “Shall we blow some stuff up?” he suggested.

I mimicked the teethy grin he always gave when he was up to something.

It was Peter who addressed us through the leadership voice channel even though he was only a few rows in front of us. “Don’t spend all day outside. I doubt there will be any surprise events this first day since the conference itself should be a large drawl but be ready for anything. And don’t forget, there are now nearly one hundred Genesis participants that have unlocked Rank D psionics. You’ll have to be at your best to compete.”

Kline’s brow creased.

It was inevitable really. Once one of the Genesis guys broke through, it was only a matter of time before others followed. I peeked at my status.

Psionic Status

Psionic Level: Rank E

Psionic Energy: 1.78 million (Units)

Psionic Power: 366 (Maximum energy use per second)

Psionic Recovery Rate: 10.9 (Units of Psionic Energy recovered per second)

I’d continued to advance and was considered high-mid tier for Rank E psionic users. I wasn’t lost on the reality of my predicament. There was no way I’d reach Rank D before Vanguard was over. High tier? Perhaps, but Mel was our only sure bet for Rand D. It was even possible he’d unlock it before the next major event. When compared to the Genesis and Freedom participants, if he did that would make his the fastest advancing psionic user by far.

I looked across the aisle and Mel met my gaze.

He nodded that he understood.

Without looking in her direction, I direct-messaged Victoria while speaking under my breath. “Do you need anything?”

“No. Look around and half some fun. Let people see you doing it, greet fans… Having a good public image will only help us in the future.”

“Do you think that many people are really going to come up and talk to us? There are so people from Vanguard here.”

“I think you have little idea how really famous you are, Lucius. You’ve been shielded from it even during your visits to Mia’s Haven.”

“Oh, joy.”

There was a whole crowd of people behind a temporary steel-fence barricade between us and the sidewalk. The intelligence officers that stepped off first were some of the least known members of Prodos on the bus. That didn’t stop several voices from crying out and announcing who they were.

It had been a few years since I’d been in the place of a fan even though I certainly wasn’t immune to it. I was sure I was going to have a few starstruck moments over the next few days.

When Victoria, Peter, and Oliver stayed seated, I knew exactly what they were thinking. They’d have us run interference and sneak out after we got the crowd’s attention.

As soon as I stood, I wrapped my arm over Kline’s shoulder. “Hold me,” I whined.

Putting his hand on my face, he pushed.

We shared a snicker.

I made sure Mel and Barrell were following directly behind us. Ma was impossible to miss behind them. It was like having the original crew back together. Except instead of goblins, we’d be facing hordes of fans.

Kline insisted I go first. We were behind Harrison and Cornelius, which the crowd screamed in response to seeing them. But then the large men moved out of the way just enough so that the first person saw me descending the steps.

Shrill screams from multiple ladies sounded like audible spears. They were piercing. Then I reached the last step. The rest of the crowd saw me. Those that had left the bus were filing toward the entrance to the building where our path merged with the sidewalk. That meant the former Combat Master and our bulky engineer weren’t shielding me for long.

The volume that followed was borderline deafening. There were only a few hundred people waiting there but that number quickly grew as those nearby rushed toward the barricade.

I shouldn’t have let him behind me. Kline grabbed me in a crushing embrace, not letting me move.

As if they’d planned it, a lady was the first to climb over the waist-high fence. Several followed her the next instant when a few guys got the idea to just move one segment of the barricade and created a path. A moment later, the horde was on us.