Carl
“Excuse me, Thomas, I’m sorry to wake you, but we have an
intruder.”
Coming quickly awake with a jump, the house was pitch
black. The bedside clock dark. “What, Carl, an intruder? where is he now?”
“I’m sorry, Thomas. It’s unidentifiable, coming down the
drive, approximately 200 yards out, moving slowly.”
“Unidentified? Is the
power off?”
“Yes, Thomas, I’ve cut power as prescribed in the Security
Level 5 protocol. The object is not
reading any heat signature or power band signals.”
“Go to level 6, activate the
bots, open the armory. Load them all up!”
This building was built over two years as the world spun
into chaos: Wars in the Middle East, China in an active war with Japan, the
Philippines, South Korea, and Russia moving into Poland. The worst of all, yet another unknown virus
coming out of China is killing millions.
The world is a mess.
Three stories of hardened concrete, it’s uglier than hell.
It's not a house, but a standing bunker painted medium flat brown that all but
disappears into the trees in the center of 50 acres of flat sagebrush with
scattered pine trees.
Along the main gravel road, small pines grow thick along the
edges of the road. Past that, the trees are dense enough to block any sight of
the building. The driveway is a sandy two-track with sagebrush growing into it.
Blocking the two-track from the main road is an unassuming
rusty chain held up by a couple of small weathered posts. Most vehicles drive by and never see the
little driveway devoid of any tracks.
What you don’t see is the hidden
security systems in rows circling from the main road of the property to the
center where the building sits.
“Status?”
“All bots armed, stationed, all at 100% power. Intruder 150 yards at the drive turn,
stationary at this time.” “Drones on
standby.”
“How did you sense him if he’s not putting out any exterior
heat or power signals?”
“The moon is in a Waxing Gibbous phase; there was just
enough light that he shaded a light sensor.”
“Okay, we wait. Are
we putting out any power signature?”
“No, Thomas, we are at zero
power emissions; sensors are showing no leakage. We are only radiating solar heat emission
from the building.”
“Let’s go to the safe room.”
The building is a rectangle of 30’ X 40’, three stories high,
with windows only on the third floor, making for a block house look, and that
is exactly what it is. I named it “Last
Stand,” and that’s its purpose. What
doesn’t show is that it has a full basement, making it one deep and three
high. The basement is three-quarters
full of electronics, batteries, water tanks, and an ammo dump. Floors one and two are for storage of
foodstuffs, Robot repair, charging facilities, and the armory. The garage area takes up about a third of the
space; our one SUV is parked inside the garage.
Our living quarters, safe room, and computer/security control room are
top-level three.
On top is a fenced-in roof with solar panels, a few
satellite dishes, and antennas; useless unless something is up and running somewhere
in the world. The first floor also has a
top-of-the-line secure garage door and a man door with a heavy-wired in vestibule.
Fuel tanks are buried thirty yards to the South with underground pipes
supplying fuel to twin generators and fuel for the truck. The upper windows are covered in heavy steel
screens with security film. From the
basement, there is an escape tunnel running just over one hundred yards from
the building, the exit well hidden.
The Government spent 8.5 million dollars of taxpayers' money
purchasing the land and building the building.
I have one main robot, “Carl”. He’s one of the last Optimus robots built,
Series 11, just before the end. He
stands five feet nine inches and can perform thousands of tasks. Five more robots make up the security team;
they are fully security robots purposely built for armed conflict. Numerous Optimus bots and drones, ranging
from four-prop to winged drones completes our team.
No one outside of just a very few in the Government knows
who or what Carl really is. Carl was
funded by dark money skimmed off of one part of the Defense budget. He’s not what he looks like; an Optimus 11,
but internally, he’s very special. A
normal Series 11 has eight terabits of memory.
Carl has 16 Quadrillion megabits of memory. He has been loaded with nearly the entire
history of man: Science, religion, everything that could be downloaded. He’s like the seed vault, but stocked full of
everything man has done or learned. I’m here to protect him with my life.
We have enough food, water, and fuel for a minimum of five
years if it’s just me alone as the only human needing supplies.
We’ve been stationed here for the last seven months without
any contact from the outside world. In
the last two months, everything has gone silent. If it weren’t for the TV and Web, showing the
wars and local riots, I’d think I was the last human alive. I know better; it’s just a matter of time
before they spread out from the failing cities into the far rural areas looking
for food and shelter. I’m not looking
forward to that time.
To kill the boredom, Carl and I go for long walks out from
the property into the semi-wilderness area that surrounds us on two sides. I have three security bots with us at all
times, in case of any trouble. It’s been
a little boring over the last seven months, but I’m not ready to even consider
going to the nearest town. The risks are
too high and could lead to our discovery.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Anything, Carl?”
“He or it is putting out a weak directional signal, very
weak, hard to detect.”
“Can you get a fix on the direction?”
“As close as our sensors can tell, the signal is pointing
North, North west. The receiver has to
be close with the low power. No more
than a quarter mile.”
“CONTACT, CONTACT, incoming drone, quarter mile out, at
500’, 25mph. Time to overflight 30
seconds!”
“Carl, recommendations?”
“Thomas, let’s continue to play dead. We’ve shown them nothing to this point; let's
see what they want to do.”
The drone came in at 500’, lowering to 100’, slowing to a
crawl as it scanned the building and the surrounding area.
“The drone is transmitting and receiving. The receiver is
1330’ slightly North West, stationed on the access road North of the
property. They are not hiding their
signals or location. This is low tech, except
the unit sitting along the driveway.”
“Okay, low tech, so not a Nation-sponsored intrusion, that’s
good. Let’s sit tight and see what’s
next.”
“Thomas, the drone just notified the operator it has ten
minutes of battery power left. It is
returning to the receiver location.
Also, the intruder on our driveway is moving… Sensor showing it’s an unknown series of bot. It is also returning towards the access
road.”
“Okay, launch a drone, let’s see who we are dealing
with. Let’s make sure they don’t sense
it.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
“Receiver is located in a 2015 Ford half-ton pickup. License plate returns to Michael Wayne Hughes,
local address 5 miles from here. I have
found a newspaper article that listed his name as one of just a few locals
working on a government-sponsored aircraft signal station, which was the cover
story for our location. Bank records
show one year's worth of paychecks cashed from a Governmental contractor that
worked on this building.”
“So, a local looking for anything of usefulness, it’s
starting.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Watching the direct feed from the drone overhead, the pickup
slowly made its way down the gravel road, stopping and parking at the driveway
entrance.
“Carl, send two security bots out to greet him if he enters
the property.”
“Thomas, I’m finding more information on Mr. Hughes. There is a newspaper clipping announcing the
birth of twin daughters, who would now be five years old.”
“Shit… Okay, non-lethal if he resists. Have the bots bring him in. We need to talk.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Twenty feet down the two-track, the two security bots
stepped out from the thick trees lining the gravel road.
“HALT! You’ve entered
a restricted zone!” The battle bots were very intimidating, standing at seven
feet tall, covered in black and dark gray urban camo, heavily armored with
large caliber belt-fed weapons pointed directly at Hughes. Helmeted heads showing multiple cameras,
antennas extending six inches above the tops.
They quickly closed on Hughes, scanning every inch of his
body using lidar radar and metal detection sensors.
Hughes raised his arms over his head, standing stiffly, eyes
huge. “I don’t want any trouble.”
“You will walk with us.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
“Carl, let's greet our guest with a full breakfast. Have the bots put out seating for three and a
table to eat at here on the apron of the garage, let’s make it formal.”
It took just short of ten minutes for the Security bots and
Mr. Hughes to reach the building. The
bots had set a small table with a white cloth cover, napkins, and steaming cups
of coffee.
Standing at the table, we met Mr. Hughes, Carl, introducing
both of us.
“Mr. Hughes, what do we honor this visit? Please take a seat
after removing your firearm. Please
place it on the table.”
Hughes eyes showing surprise, slowly placed the revolver at
the far corner of the table and sat down.
“I’m not a thief. We
were robbed; they took nearly everything.”
“And how are Julie and the girls?”
“Is there anything that you don’t know? They are terrified that another group is
going to attack us. We have no food, and we’re hungry. I was hoping to find some supplies here,
that’s all.”
“Carl, please stand down the bots. The two Security bots can stay, level two,
please.”
“Yes, Thomas. I will
check on the food preparations. You will
be staying for breakfast, Mr. Hughes.” A
command, not a question.
“Ummm… Yes, thank you very much.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
We spoke over breakfast for nearly an hour. It was decided that the Hughes family would
move into the Last Stand for protection since the hordes from the city had
reached the area.
“Please pack only personal items, clothing, that kind of
thing. We have everything needed here in
supply.”
“Carl, will you have a Bot bring Mr. Hughes one of our M4’s
with a full loadout and a sidearm, plus a radio, please?” “Mr. Hughes, you will need to move fast. I
want you back here no later than 3 pm.
We will launch an overwatch drone to make sure you don’t have a problem
before you can get back here.”
“Thank you so much, I worried sick just being gone this
morning.”
“Carl, have the Security bots walk Mr. Hughes back to his
truck.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The overwatch drone are able stay aloft for just over eight
hours before needing to refuel. It
carries two missiles like the Sidewinders, but smaller, full-spectrum cameras. They will be as safe as possible in the hours
it will take to load and travel to the Last Stand.
“Carl, any other surprises we need to look out for? Anyone else living in our area?”
“I would suspect there may be others being chased that may
end up at our door, but Mr. Hughes had firsthand knowledge that this building
was here; others will not.”
“Let's keep a close eye on them while they are moving. I’m
worried about them now that they are known.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
1:45 pm. Overwatch
reports: two pickup trucks, seven miles out from the Hughes property.
“They are one mile from the intersection that will put them
on a direct course to the Hughes house.
Bringing up the cameras.”
“Carl, order the launch of a second Drone. I don’t like the looks of this. Get Mr. Hughes on the radio, check how long
until they can pull out.”
“The second drone will launch in five minutes, Thomas. It will be on station in ten minutes. Mr. Hughes reports they will be ready to exit
in about ten minutes. Cameras on drone one show pickup #1 took the turn towards
the Hughes house, second one following.
Pickup #1 has four people in the truck bed, showing armed. Number two has three in the bed of the truck,
who are also armed with light weapons.
Arrival estimated in twelve minutes.”
“Tell Hughes he has to leave now. We can always go back and try to get anything
they are leaving behind. He must move
the family now!”
“Mr. Hughes reports they are leaving now. Pickup #1 is five minutes out. Drone two is on station, drone one is in
weapons range of both pickups, and is tracking.
Heavy tree cover is dropping hit percentages to under 50%. Drone #2 reports Hughes leaving the home
area, turning onto the main gravel road heading towards our location. Pickup #1 is 90 seconds out; they are going
to see the dust from Hughes' vehicle and will be able to follow.”
“Ah, freaking hell.
Carl take the fire controls. Get
a good shot in!”
“Pickup #1 is turning into the driveway, #2 is sitting on
the main road at the driveway. Drone one
fire controls are hot. Pickup #1 pulling
up to the front of the house.”
“Hit them before they leave the pickup Carl!”
“Missile one away, ten-second burn to target. Missile two away, fifteen-second burn to
pickup #2. Hit on pickup #1, fireball. Missile #2 missed; it hit tree branches.
Pickup #2 is running, drone two is attempting a fire solution. Tree cover is heavy, fire solution is zero to
10%, tracking.”
“Damn it, how far is the Hughes ahead of pickup #2?”
“Drone one is in overwatch, distance between vehicles is one
mile, closing fast. Drone two is
manuvering attempting a fire solution.”
“That’s going to put them just North of us when they
converge. Bring drone two over and past
the chase vehicle. There is a straight stretch about a mile down the road that
has less tree cover. Have it set up to
five as both vehicles come into the open area.
Get Hughes on the radio and tell him to hit it hard.”
Hughes' vehicle is kicking up a lot of dust, making accurate
fire on them difficult. Pickup #2 will
be in range of small arms fire on Hughes' vehicle in 30 seconds.
Hughes reports they are under fire. The intercept point is two minutes out at the
current pace.
“Thomas, they aren’t going to make it.”
“Carl, you have permission to use drone one as a kinetic strike
on pickup #2! Slow them down!”
“Drone one diving, we have a small opening in the tree line,
we may clip branches. Clearing Hughes'
vehicle, fifteen seconds to impact on pickup #2. Branches… drone one down short of pickup #2.”
“Carl, any damage to pickup #2?”
“I’m sorry, Thomas, we will have to wait. Ten seconds to the interception point, drone
two fire controls hot. Drone two cameras
are picking up dust in the trees. Hughes
vehicle entering kill zone, no sight of pickup two.”
“Security level seven, go hot on all Security systems. Get Hughes
on the radio, tell him to stay on the two-track. Any deviation will put them in
the mine fields. All systems are set to lethal.
Release the anti-personnel drones.”
“Drone two is reporting dust in the trees. Pickup two is slowly entering the kill zone;
drone two has a firing solution, 100%. Damage
to the front of the pickup; it must have hit drone one in the road. Drone two firing, fireball. Two targets running to the right into the
timber. Firing solution 75%, firing,
both targets down. Hughes' vehicle is two
minutes out. Drone two in overwatch.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Epilogue:
The Hughes family has settled in, and the girls are finding
the bots fun to play with. Carl has
taken over formal teaching daily. I’m happy
to have the company of humans again.
With the help of the bots, the burnt-out vehicles were
cleared from the road and buried, leaving no trace.
Based on our struggles to stop the vehicles on the road,
Carl has redesigned our lethal security perimeter, adding tank mines to the
main gravel road, activated from our control room.
As winter set in, it was decided that the Hughes home would
be burned, removing any chance of shelter in our immediate area.
This coming spring, we will clear and start a huge garden
area for fresh vegetables. Carl, between
classes, is rewriting a number of manuals on off-grid survival and homesteading.
Sensors reported a plane flying from East to West a month
ago at high altitude, five miles North of our location. The airwaves are continuing to be silent; no
radio traffic has been detected. Satellites
are pinging, waiting for replies.
Our location has remained hidden; one vehicle passed on the
gravel road, not slowing or showing any sign that our two-lane drive was
spotted. Elk and deer herds have reclaimed
the forest areas surrounding the property. Life is good.
From the Ramblings.
t
