Omega Force: Rebellion (OF11), стр. 44
"And now it's gone." He snarled in disgust.
"What is gone?" Lucky asked.
"I've been chasing this random node that keeps popping up on our internal network and I've never able to isolate it before it just disappears," Kage said. "But, this time, it was a little bolder in how it came into the mainframe. Look here." Lucky dutifully walked over and looked at the cascading section of code that Kage was pointing to, quickly performing his own analysis.
"It appears the network controller at least has a type-identifier, though not a complete node address," Lucky said. "Do you recognize it?"
"I didn't at first, but my cross-check has just completed. This is the partial identifier for your typical Aidla O'Kai-Series, Type-3 neural implant."
"Does anyone on the crew use a Type-3?" Lucky asked.
"Only one. The captain had his upgraded the same time mine were replaced," Kage said. "Crusher and Twingo are still using Type-1 implants and Doc's is an entirely different series. Now that I know what I'm looking at, all of the major intrusions happened when the captain was asleep."
"You surmise Captain Burke unknowingly has a malicious program in his neural implant?" Lucky asked.
"What better way to infiltrate this little operation?" Kage asked. "We always find the trackers, taps, and snoopers they put on the Phoenix. If they bug a crewmember's head, however, how long until we find that? This was just dumb luck that I got this much."
"How do you wish to proceed?"
"We'll need to get Jason to lay down for a full workup in the infirmary," Kage said. "But he may not go quietly, and who knows if this thing has modified his behaviors. Maybe it'd be best if you and Crusher grabbed him and restrained him while we do the scan."
"I do not believe that is a wise course of action," Lucky warned.
"Buddy, if this ship is compromised through the captain's own neural implant, we're in a world of shit when whoever put it in there decides to come and collect," Kage said. "Or…we can do this one, quick, mildly uncomfortable thing now and then all have a laugh about it later."
"Crusher will not agree to this."
"I'll try to convince him," Kage said.
"I'm in."
"Just like that? You don't want to talk about this?"
"What's to talk about? I get a few free shots on Jason while getting to claim it was for his own good? I feel like I should be paying you for this."
"Okay, well…no time like the present, I guess," Kage said, looking to Lucky.
"I feel I must protest this course of action. We may very well irrevocably damage the trust of the captain by attacking without at least first attempting to reason with him," Lucky said.
"I totally get what you're talking about. Trust is a delicate thing," Crusher said, stretching out and bouncing on the balls of his feet to loosen up. "Alright…let's go fuck him up."
After telling Doc to be ready in the infirmary for an uncooperative patient, they silently made their way to the captain's quarters, Crusher in the lead. Kage commanded the air handlers to increase the vent pressure by eleven percent to provide more ambient sound to cover their approach while Lucky used his command override as First Officer to unlock the hatch.
Crusher opened the panel next to the hatch and disengaged the pneumatic actuator so that it could be opened manually, nodding to the others as he did. The big warrior took a quick breath and slid the hatch open, rushing inside with his fists clenched.
And came flying back into the corridor like he'd been fired from a cannon.
Crusher's skull slammed into the far bulkhead so hard that it dented the alloy. He was so dazed he didn't see Jason stroll casually out of his quarters and slam his fist into the side of his head with enough force to send him sprawling across the deck. Through it all, Lucky just stood there, and Kage looked like he was ready to faint from fear.
"Just so you dipshits know for in the future…if you're going to plan a sneak attack, don't do it by an intercom panel," Jason said.
"Captain—"
"Get Doc and Twingo and meet me in the galley," Jason said. "We have things to talk about."
"What about Crusher?" Lucky asked.
"You can bring him, but I don't think he'll be able to participate for a while."
15
"Is he dead?"
"Just dazed," Lucky assured Doc as he deposited Crusher onto one of the couches in the lounge area.
"I still don't understand what's happening," Kage said.
"The thing you were looking for warned me what you morons were up to," Jason said, tapping his temple. "If you had concerns, you could have just asked."
There was a muffled moan from the couch and some unintelligible grumbling from Engineering as Twingo was roused from his rack and herded into the galley.
"How did you hit him hard enough to send him flying like that?" Kage asked. "His feet were off the ground!"
"Since I knew he was the lead man in the stack, I hung off the condenser return pipe that runs through my quarters and waited. When I saw that big ass head of his, I put both my feet into it, using all my weight," Jason said. "Don't look at me like that…he was coming in to put a beating on me, and you all know it. I didn't even put boots on, so it's not like I was actually trying to injure him."
"I wish you two would find a new way to amuse yourselves," Doc said. "Preferably before one of you ends up seriously hurt."
"Mother hen," Jason muttered. "Okay…I think the easiest way to do