The Machine God

Chapter 310

Alexander watched the guard retreat to the checkpoint, speaking into his comms device the whole way.

Two more guards emerged from the booth, taking up positions to either side of the vehicle. Another pair appeared from the buildings on either side, rifles held across their chests.

More signatures shifted all around them, including several superhumans. Communications traffic spiked across the local network, Technopathy picking up the rapid-fire exchanges, though he didn’t bother dipping into the streams.

One of the guards in front of their vehicle gripped his rifle hard, knuckles white around the stock. His bioelectrical signature was running hot. Adrenaline and fear. A terrible combination.

Alexander glanced at Augustus. “Auggy. Jasmine.”

The old man nodded, one hand slipping below the dashboard. His wand appeared between his fingers, then he angled it backward and performed a subtle flick of the wrist. A faint shimmer passed over Jasmine before fading.

She looked down at herself, then at Augustus. “Thank you.”

“See?” Annie said from the back seat. “I called it. We’re about to get into a fight.”

Alexander adjusted the rearview mirror with a gentle push of Metallokinesis. MetaMetal crawled across the back of her hands and up her neck in a slow ripple. It stopped just below her jaw.

“I didn’t do anything,” he said. “So you can’t blame me if they start something. I clearly told them we’re here to shop.”

“Yeah, but people just don’t like you.” Annie shrugged. “It’s probably your face. Or maybe it’s because you think you’re a god and everyone else are just insignificant mortals. The rest of us are very likable.”

“Even me?” Maximilian asked from the other side of the back seat. He appeared perfectly at ease, but his eyes tracked the movement outside the vehicle.

“Well, of course, Maxie,” Annie said. “You’re an actual superhero.”

Maximilian turned to her. “Maxie…?”

She nodded. “Everyone needs a good nickname.”

Maximilian turned back and crossed his arms. “No, thank you.”

Before Annie could retort, one of the superhumans in the surrounding buildings vanished from Alexander’s senses, only to reappear in front of the vehicle in a small cloud of smoke. He was wearing a Goliath uniform, which was fairly indistinguishable from any other all-black uniform, except for the logo. The extra bulk clearly hid armored plates beneath, though.

“Fancy,” Alexander said.

The man stepped around to the driver’s side, keeping his hands in clear view, then leaned forward to look at each of them through the open window.

“My name is Javier. I’ve been instructed to ask why you have come and what your intentions are. Additionally, though neither I nor my employers desire a conflict to arise from this situation, I must warn you that we are fully prepared to defend ourselves.”

Alexander shook his head. “Is this how Goliath greets all of its customers, or are we getting the VIP treatment?”

Javier didn’t smile. He waited a moment, his eyes shifting slightly in the telltale way that indicated he was listening to a response, then met Alexander’s gaze.

“As we are sure you’re fully aware, Machine God, you pose a clear and present threat to the operations of any organization that relies so heavily on technology.” He paused. “If you and your guild, Grimnir, wish to submit an order, you may do so online through our website. Goliath Industries will, of course, prioritize any legal business orders placed by you, your guild, or even the Compact as a whole.”

Jasmine leaned forward and shook her head. “That is unacceptable. The equipment we require is non-commercial, and the quantities we wish to purchase cannot be negotiated through your customer portal.” She paused to take a breath, not bothering to hurry. “The Machine God and the Dragon Lord are both extremely busy individuals, and their time is very important. As representatives of the Compact, they both carry Level 3 Clearance which classifies them as Special Assets under the United Earth Government Space and Military Forces Charter. If necessary, I can quote, word for word, the relevant statutes, but while Goliath Industries reserves the right of refusal for any proposed contracts or purchase orders, they cannot outright refuse to do business with the Compact.”

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Alexander jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at Jasmine. “Isn’t she awesome? This is why she earns the big bucks.”

Javier shifted his shoulders uncomfortably while he waited for a response from whoever was managing him.

Alexander grinned. “If it helps, all of your systems are already completely within range of my powers. If I wanted to be inside your servers, taking over all your tech, or downloading every blueprint, internal communication, and dirty secret you guys have…” He shrugged. “I could do it from the other side of the city. And there’s not a damn thing you could do to stop me, because I’m the Machine God.”

Annie leaned around the back of his seat and stuck her ginger head through the gap. “What he said.”

Javier cleared his throat. “Mr. Rooke, you are putting us in a very difficult position. Ms. Sharpe is correct that we are required by law to at least meet with you in order to discuss business, but we must protect our proprietary technology. We are also contractually and legally obligated to secure all customer data and information. From our understanding, your mere presence renders both unlikely, if not impossible, to ensure. And even if we were to detect an intrusion, we are not all agreed as to whether we should attempt to subdue you and those accompanying you. In fact, we are not even certain that we would wish to do so.”

Alexander nodded slowly. “I totally understand. You’re saying I should have called ahead.”

Javier hesitated. “That would have been preferable, Mr. Rooke. Or perhaps Mr. de Castillo could have negotiated with Goliath on the Compact’s behalf, without you. Though, we get the feeling, from the camera feeds, that you are enjoying this too much for your sudden arrival to have been accidental or unconsidered.”

Alexander sighed. “Well, look. This is all a huge misunderstanding, but we’re here now.” He placed a hand over his heart. “I promise to be on my best behavior. You have my word that I won’t even peek inside any of your systems without Goliath’s say so.”

Javier stood there in silence for a long moment, blinking uncomfortably.

Maximilian leaned forward slightly. “Also, we are here to negotiate bulk orders in excess of an estimated four billion credits on behalf of several Compact-affiliated guilds. That includes the Compact’s leadership guilds, Throne of Scales, Grimnir, the Royals, Northern Shield, Tian Ting, and the Lionguard, along with several of our Training Cooperative charter guilds.” He sat back. “And we don’t have all day.”

Javier went through a series of rapid reactions, frowning, cocking his head, until finally his eyes widened and he straightened to his full height.

“Please go ahead, Mr. Rooke,” Javier said. “I’ve been instructed to convey Goliath’s sincerest apologies for the delay.” He gestured down the street. “You may use any of the reserved parking spaces right outside the main building. Have a good day.”

Then Javier and the rest of the guards stepped back and the barrier lowered.

Alexander guided the hovercar forward, then met Maximilian’s gaze in the mirror.

“Since when are we spending that much money?”

Maximilian raised an eyebrow. “The Royals are responsible for half of it, but nearly all of the charter guilds are taking the opportunity to place orders for equipment they never could have accessed without us.”

Alexander grinned. “Maybe we should be charging them for the privilege.”

Maximilian turned to look out the window. “We are. That’s what the membership fees are for.”

Annie laughed.

Alexander parked in one of the spots right in front of Goliath’s headquarters.

When they climbed out of the SUV, they were met by a woman in a dark suit who introduced herself only as their liaison. She led them into the lobby without small talk, where security processed them quickly, issuing visitor badges, and waving them through without incident.

Augustus’s wand drew a few looks, but nobody seemed inclined to do anything about it.

The elevator took them to the thirtieth floor, and their liaison walked them down a wide corridor lined with frosted glass offices, before stopping at a heavy door at the end. She pressed her badge to the reader, held the door open, and stepped aside.

The meeting room was dominated by a large oval table, and was clearly the sort of space built for conversations that never left. The moment the door closed behind them, the glass panels along the corridor wall tinted to black, and the faint hum of sound dampening technology settled into the walls.

An older woman sat on the opposite side of the table, hands folded in front of her. She wore a charcoal suit and no jewelry. Her expression gave away nothing, nor did the looks on the faces of the half a dozen people flanking the woman, though two of them had the look of lawyers.

Alexander and Maximilian grabbed their own chairs and, without so much as a glance at each other, arranged them so they sat on either side of the center. Jasmine claimed the chair to Alexander’s right, followed by Augustus, while Annie dropped into the seat beside Maximilian and crossed her arms.

The older woman studied them for a moment, her eyes flicking back and forth between the two Divines.

“My name is Agatha Fairchild,” she said. “Senior Vice President of Strategic Contracts here at Goliath Industries. I know who you two are, of course.” Her gaze settled on the Dragon Lord. “Maximilian de Castillo, eldest son of Franklin de Castillo. Heir to the de Castillo fortune. And long prophesied to become one of the first Divines, known as the Dragon Lord.”

Maximilian didn’t say anything, but Alexander sensed the slightest flare in the man’s bioelectrical signature.

Annoyance, if he had to guess.

Agatha’s gaze turned on him. “And you, of course, are Alexander Rooke, Machine God, and the bane of Santiago’s existence.” Her eyes narrowed. “Or should I say the ultimate end to dear old Gabriel’s existence, hm?”

Alexander grinned. “My lawyer says I should plead the fifth.”

Jasmine glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but she didn’t say anything.

Agatha leaned back in her chair. “I was briefed on the rest of you. Augustus Greaves. Annette Sheridan. Jasmine Sharpe.” She spread her hands out, palms up. “So, how can Goliath Industries assist the Compact?”