In the center of town, there was a trickle of a shadow, and a wavering in the dirt on the road. The dust on the wind was eddying around something, or perhaps around nothing. The town had gone to ghost long ago, and things that had been, long ago, still caught the wind on cool fall days. But on this cool fall day the light began to show a shape, and color appeared on the surface of the little void in the road. And it was a body, and it appeared to be a dog. In just a moment the colors on the fur were a rich gold with brindled orange and ripples of red. The dog had stopped were water lapped among the leaning buildings of the town. The water matched the dog’s fur in all its colors. The little waves reached for the rest of the town, even as they swallowed the buildings behind. The town was half old buildings on dusty plots, and half swamp and old buildings leaning and groaning into expanding pools of muck. The dog stepped from the dust and mud to gravel fill, which rose just above the water, preserving a path down main street. The dog padded forward, appearing now to be simply a German Shepherd, with no hint of translucence or any other advanced stealth technology. It then stopped, gazing down the road, to the places where the road rose up on stout new pylons through the clogged swamp, among the corroded stumps of old pylons that the slough had nearly claimed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back in the forest, two men sat on horses. They wore wide hats to shield the brow and handkerchiefs against dust and sun. Dust was more forceful than the sun in the autumn sky. No amulets were woven into the manes of their horses, and no prayer books were clutched at their chests. They wore stout cotton shirts without pattern, and pants of cotton stouter still, blue denim brushing a long holster that hung from the saddle of the younger rider. He was an old youth or a young man, and his companion was similar in build, tall and thin, though elder to the point where grey mixed with white in the shadow of his hat brim. The boy listened as the dogs communicated with one another. He couldn’t understand much of the language of dogs, but like any folks who’ve spent enough time with dogs, he heard enough to know something wasn’t right down in Slickensslough Proper. Though, through the trees, the half-swallowed town didn’t look any different from usual. He didn’t believe the town was haunted, or that the death of the Valley Folk would pass through the town, like the soothsayers were fond of whispering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Good boy, Sir.” The young man muttered to the dog, then turned to his grandfather. “Sir is out of stealth. He’s standing in the middle of the road. If we’re being watched, Sir should draw them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His grandfather nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The boy went on. “I’m gonna send up some beetle drones.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The old man paused for a breath before replying. “You normally send up drones while the cattle graze?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Today ain’t like other days.” The boy replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“But it’s supposed to look like other days, ain’t it, Verdy? That’s what you said.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verdy nodded. “I imagined it’d be alright. I lied to myself, I guess. But once we cross the causeway all hell is gonna break loose. I’m sorry Paps, I guess I’m trying not to lose my nerve.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paps simply ran his fingers through his horse’s mane. Chipmunk was used to the gesture, and remained standing in place. Nickels, a younger horse, stamped to the right and the left, feeling the shuddering anxiety from his rider. Verdy pulled his horse back into place, his eyes staring through the trees. Fields that once had once grown hardy radishes and sorghum had lain fallow for a century, plowed only by the hooves of migrating herds of cattle, since the mining economy had drowned in the muck. Each cow, with a brand and a rancher’s tracking chip, stopped to clip the last of the valley grasses before the long climb into the mountains. Today the Grivvens herd of four thousand six hundred and twenty-two head of cattle were strolling into the field by the town. A single dog ran among the cattle. Burr, the small terrier, had no problem herding every last calf into place, despite being in stealth mode. Completely invisible to outsiders, Burr made herself visible to Verdy and Paps as a point of light in their field of vision. Burr was making herself visible to the cattle as well, but Verdy was pretty sure the cattle could see Burr in stealth mode, whether Burr wanted them to or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Burr. Search the town” Verdy whispered. “Keep it stealthy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Burr responded from about a mile away with a quick yelp, which Verdy heard clearly against his eardrums. Verdy tracked the point of light that scrambled between bovine legs and over the stone fence of the graveyard on the near edge of town. He could still see Burr’s movements behind the stone wall, and as Burr entered the Smithy’s forge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verdy blinked three times, and his field of vision shifted to Russ’s. The bulky St. Bernard was bringing up the rear, and gave a friendly growl to acknowledge the arrival of Verdy’s link. The dog walked well back on the forest road, watching a small gaggle of elderly Holsteins bringing up the rear. Russ jogged back and forth to either flank of the herd, all while keeping his nosed tuned to any trouble from back in the direction of home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Up.” Verdy commanded. The dog stopped in place, then tensed. His hackles rose and his head dropped. From along the spine there was a gentle whirring sound as twelve beetles flew over his head, then his spine straightened and his hackles closed up, and he trotted on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verdy arranged the video feeds from each beetle along his visual periphery, with a command for the feed to enlarge if anything unusual appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“So, we’re cattle rustlers then, huh?” Paps laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verdy tried to reply with a laugh, but his nervous chuckle was thin. \u201cThey’re ours, right?\u201d Verdy asked. \u201cTo care for. Isn\u2019t that in all the old contracts? We own the cows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThink about it as you will,\u201d Paps replied. \u201cWe own the cattle, but not what\u2019s in them. We\u2019ve never owned their robot parts, and don\u2019t go playing to forget that part.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“So, we are just rustling prosthetics then.” Verdy managed a smile. “The world’s most advanced cow prosthetics\u2026” He trailed off, entering his own thoughts, somewhere below the voices and visions of dogs and beetles that were delivered directly to his eyes and ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There came a low growl from the shepherd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verdy snapped to attention. \u201cWhat do you see, Sir?\u201d Verdy asked the dog, but even as he said it, he was connecting to the dog\u2019s vision, as was Paps. From the dog\u2019s eyes they saw a figure coming out of the hills and setting foot on the planks of the marsh road. Sir padded forward past the raised gravel, and stepped onto the wooden bridge that crossed the widest channel of flowing thick water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood dog.\u201d Verdy whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The figure beyond had stepped up onto the plank and pylon of the swamp portion of the road. Sir’s vision had a solid zoom, but Verdy could find no recognition. The dog’s vision displayed an overlay of all information that the dog could scan. Internal wires, drives embedded below the skin or worn on the arm, and a few medical prosthetics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of late the dog’s vision had become even more difficult to read. Each person appeared as an overlay, not merely of their flesh and technological prosthetics, but also an overlay of additional outlines. Verdy could make no sense of it, but each person appeared as an amalgamation of multiple forms pressed into one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“You figure out why the dog’s vision went all strange?” Paps asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“They’re seeing something we aren’t. Something we can’t.” Verdy replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“You sure it isn’t a glitch?” Paps asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Not these dogs.” Verdy spoke with certainty. “They don’t glitch. It’s the cows\u2026” Verdy’s voice had trailed off. He was in that place again. A place of mind and not of wires. Of calm analysis and not merely the shields against the world. “The cows are seeing something we can’t. They’re teaching the dogs. But they can’t teach us.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The figure continued to come closer. A shuddering ghost of a thousand spirits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Why you gotta talk in riddles, Verdy? I been lettin you keep your secrets with this herd. But ain’t today, a day of all days, when you let me in on what you know?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Yeah, Paps. “Verdy replied in a flat, distracted tone. “Today. But not yet. It’s for your protection, that’s why I kept it all from ya.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“That’s what ya say.” Paps replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sir gave a yip. A yip of familiarity. “Sir!” Verdy called. “Show us just the face! The person’s identity.” The view shifted, but merely into a more brightly glowing overlay of confusing data above the flesh and synthetic additives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Ummmm\u2026.Skin, hair and clothing, Sir, show us just the skin hair and clothing!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sir’s vision shifted to a figure with long grey braids, a wide brimmed floppy hat, and a thick and colorful wool sweater under an ankle length open tan coat. The figure had no eyes, and even as recognition came to Verdy, he called again to Sir. “Eyes too! Include the eyes.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The eyes popped into place, and it was Mamma Stoltzfus. Stone amulets were woven into her hair, and her prayer book was in the chest pocket of her sweater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verdy breathed a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“You sound almost happy to see her.” Paps remarked. “First time you woulda ever smiled at her approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“She’s trouble.” Verdy admitted. “But she’s a trouble I know.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mamma Stoltzfus arrived at the bridge, and began to cross. She gave Sir a pat on the head, which he allowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPaps Grivvens. And young Verdant. A blessed day to you each.\u201d She greeted the dog, knowing the Grivvens would be listening through their connection to the dog’s ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verdy spurred on Nickles, and Paps urged Chipmunk to follow after. The two horses came out of the trees and entered into the town, marked by fenceposts without rails. Mamma Stoltzfus waited and watched, Sir sitting next to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verdy stopped Nickles on the dust by the blacksmith shop. The multiple chimneys left it with more substance than most other houses and shops. Verdy started to settle in his saddle, until a surprised jolt from Burr grabbed his attention and his sight. Two men crouched in the kitchen of a house, where a stone backing for the stove had held up a portion of the wooden home exterior. One man was tossing a smooth hollow tube into the air, letting it spin, then catching it. They each wore bulky vests, the mark of the hardware they had brought to power the spinner cannon. The tap of the cannon tube on the man\u2019s hand could not be heard over the milling of the cattle, except by Burr, who heard each time the man caught it. Burr swiveled her head, cycling through her sight and smell and scans of light and heat and vibration. Another figure lay behind the brush growing in an alley. A woman, Burr noted perceptively. She too was strapped with more hardware than was necessary outside of a battlefield or a solo mining expedition. They had on blue-suits, to cloak their heat and their electromagnetic emanations. That might have fooled most scanners, but Burr had a nose for that type of thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verdy\u2019s hand was in his holster before Burr wheeled away to finish her search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paps held up his hand to Verdy. \u201cLeave it in the holster.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut-\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paps cut him off. \u201cThis ain\u2019t our first trouble. We ain\u2019t gonna turn against our countrymen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey turned against us long ago.\u201d Verdy replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey had troubles. And we can\u2019t say we weren\u2019t part of bringing trouble to this valley. Let\u2019s try to talk this through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Burr spotted three more figures in blue-suits. Verdy had never seen more than three folks by the Slickensslough, and never when they weren\u2019t all three tending to the same herd. Verdy kept his hand in the holster as Mamma Stoltzfus spoke. \u201cThe Slickensslough\u2019s bubbling.\u201d She said. \u201cI fear what the day will bring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She had stopped walking, and turned towards the water, hands on the rough wood of the bridge railing. Sir sat down next to her, looking out under the railing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was true. There was a roiling in the waters, like the stirring of a beast in the deep. Bubbles lifted and popped, and Sir helped the Grivvens to smell the rotten sulfur that had risen from deep in the earth\u2019s crust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was the day that company came to town that the first corruption rose into the clear waters of the millpond,\u201d she began, her voice rising in oration. Verdy had heard the story, but he was pretty sure she had tuned up the timeline for a better tale. \u201cSusteNext. Frankenstein meat growed in a city factory! Don\u2019t all you ranchers want to help us! Let us turn your cows into lab rats and fill them with robot parts!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mamma turned to stare at the dog, and Sir met her gaze. Verdy had Sir\u2019s visual feed so Mamma filled his vision, though he devoted the corners of his vision to Burr and the Beetles. Verdy felt the intensity of Mamma\u2019s gaze as she continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe rest of us had the good sense to say no. But the Grivvens had to sell out to the city folk. To embrace the abomination, and the corruption grew in the millpond, until it became the Slickensslough, and the sickness of the swamp spread down the valley!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mamma stood straight, and looked through the town to where the two men sat on their horses. The Grivvens switched back to their own eyesight. Her story was misaligned by two handfuls of decades, but she spoke the metaphor as truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust so SusteNext could dupe the world- to show you bozos on horseback with green grass and cows in their commercials, instead of the concrete floors and conveyor belts of their real meat production lines!\u201d She paused. Then she snapped, \u201cWell, aren\u2019t you gonna tell me how it weren\u2019t like that? How the Grivvens grass and fine care was the key to the taste that SusteNext found? How without your fine ranching they never coulda made good meat in their factory vats?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t need to have that conversation again.\u201d Paps muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCall off the dogs.\u201d She spoke it as a command. \u201cHave them turn off their cloaking. Let us scan the cattle. We only need a hundred or so of the good ones. We\u2019ll cut out their prostheses. We\u2019ll fetch a good price for their metal bits. Then we\u2019ll call it a day and let you off the hook for destroying our livelihood. Destroying the livelihood of every rancher in this valley. In the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTheir robot bits is proprietary.\u201d Paps replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur buyers don\u2019t mind.\u201d Mamma replied. She was walking again, closer, and they started to hear her voice with their own ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are taking the herd to the hills.\u201d Verdy spoke firmly. \u201cNone of them are getting cut up. They\u2019re gonna live out their days and their wires and sensors are gonna waste away with their bones when their time comes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI see.\u201d Mamma replied. \u201cSo, let me get this straight. You destroyed our livelihood. But you got enough corporate hardware here in these cattle that, even at liquidation rates, we could keep food on all our tables for a few lifetimes. But instead of helping out your old countrymen, you got a fancy to let the herd die of old age. Just for fun?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more complicated than that.\u201d Verdy replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you gonna call off the dogs?\u201d She asked again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot a chance,\u201d Verdy spat back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mamma looked to Paps. She was only thirty feet away. Sir had left her, and was sitting well back, in the middle of the road. He looked calm, but he knew what Burr knew, and what Russ knew. He knew what the drones saw and what Verdy saw. So he was not calm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou with the boy?\u201d Mamma asked Paps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor better or for worse, we\u2019re sticking together.\u201d Paps looked at Verdy and shook his head, smiling just a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Verdy went blind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The shock of it caught in his throat, and he whirled to swing defensively at the sudden blackness. The open air provided no resistance, and he had only a second to grasp at the saddle horn as he tipped and fell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then there was just the dust on his hands, stinging. The smell of Nickles, lingering where his face had struck her side. The stamping and lowing of cattle. And the dread. The dread of wonder. The wondering how it was that Mamma Stoltzfus had come across technology powerful enough to overtake his system. With all his world-class upgrades straight from SusteNext. She had come into possession of a terrible technology. And was willing to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStay with the herd.\u201d He called. Burr would hear. Even if his network was down, she\u2019d hear the natural sound of his voice. He didn\u2019t want to think of a weapon capable of shutting down the dogs, but he didn\u2019t think such a thing existed. The dogs would protect the herd. That was their job. Not to protect Verdy, or even Paps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He froze, then took one breath. His system would reset. It would identify the breach. He remembered his training from the company security experts. Don\u2019t pull out your contacts. That\u2019s the urge when you go blind. Then you can see, but you are left with eyes bleeding from where every wire was ripped free, cut off from all of your network visuals and menus. Wait for your system.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy lunged toward the nervous shuffling of horseshoes. Only a second or two had passed. He felt a stirrup. He pulled himself to a knee, as Nickles stepped back. Mamma Stoltzfus wouldn\u2019t shut up. She called out, \u201cYou think we wouldn\u2019t read the new laws? You think we\u2019d wait until they took our herds!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy\u2019s hand reached the edge of his holster. Nickles was stamping in a circle, and other footsteps approached. Verdy hung onto the holster with both hands, hopping along with the horse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIllegal to butcher a cow! Starting tomorrow!\u201d Mamma yelled. \u201cThey couldn\u2019t even bear a little fair competition, real meat versus fake. They had to outlaw real meat, so the world’s stuck with their slop!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy reached into the holster and pulled out his own weapon. The sleek Bracer was the length of his forearm and curved to fit, from his wrist to his elbow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou know what they said we should do!\u201d Mamma yelled. \u201cBe tour guides! Give safaris when the city folk come to see our herds turned out to the wild!?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bracer settled onto Verdy\u2019s arm. He felt its power flooding through his system, chasing out intruders, fortifying his network, reaching out for dangers and allies. Light and sight returned to his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chipmunk pulled at her reins against a stranger. A woman had hold of Paps, a clear glass knife at his throat. Verdy took a step toward Paps. A man moved into his path. Like the rest of them the man wore a helmet with visor down; the helmet matched to the rest of the man\u2019s blue-suit as its colors shifted to match the surroundings. It was a poor imitation of Burr\u2019s camo capabilities, but was effective against the casual gaze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A tube floated between Verdy and the man, bronze and spinning, just big enough that Verdy might have slid his arm into it. But Verdy could feel its energy, perhaps through the sensing powers of the bracer, or perhaps with his own nerves standing his hair on end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy reached for the tube. Not with his hand, but with the Bracer’s energy. Verdy’s weapon probed for a crack in the tube cannon’s defenses, with Verdy offering only the slightest oversight. The cannon fired, but not before the bracer had taken hold of it enough to turn it in the air. Just an inch. The blast went wide of Verdy, but Nickles stumbled and let out an angry neigh of pain. The blast had glanced across his rump, ignoring the flesh, but slamming into the horse\u2019s enhanced skeleton. Nickles nearly fell, then limped forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy punched the man in the stomach. The man grunted, and Verdy grabbed the cannon tube, with his actual hand this time. He pulled with the muscles in his arm, but it was the bracer that allowed him to pull it free from its bond and toss it down the street. The cannon operator jumped aside, but Verdy clenched at the man\u2019s legs with the Bracer\u2019s magnetic emanations, while sending just the tickle of an electric jolt to the man’s thigh muscles. The man wobbled but did not fall. The man\u2019s protections were many times enhanced from most men that Verdy had sparred with, but the Bracer gave only a few moments additional delay before finding a path to the man\u2019s internal network. It sent a pulse to neutralize any nerve commands, and the man\u2019s leg muscles relaxed completely, and he buckled into the dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy turned to Mamma Stoltzfus, and sent a simple signal in her direction. She hadn\u2019t increased her defenses, so the Bracer gave no hesitation before setting each of her joints to flail, and she dropped in a writhing heap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy tuned toward Paps. The woman’s visor faced him, her knife at Paps\u2019 throat. Verdy paused, and took a breath. A man crouched just behind her and Paps. The Bracer tracked the other three individuals spreading out on his periphery, but Verdy focused on the woman. He could send her flying back, or flopping to the ground. Each action would drag the knife across Paps\u2019 throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a well-planned strategy. Mamma had known he carried a Bracer, and they had created a low-tech bind for him. He scanned for a way to relax her arm, but the Bracer sensed an exoskeleton from her wrist to her shoulder. Verdy could magnetically blast the arm out of the way, but there was no command to force the arm to stand down. He cursed within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stepped back, and lowered his Bracer arm. It was, of course, still just as effective, but the symbolic gesture seemed to relax the others, and he ceased his attacks. Mamma Stoltzfus stood up, as did the man that Verdy had knocked down. The cannon tube clanged against the pebbles as it skipped across the road, then rose into the air, returning to its place, spinning in front of the man\u2019s chest, throwing off the dust it had accumulated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A large man, squeezed into an ill-fitting blue-suit, sidled up beside Mamma Stoltzfus. His breathing was heavy and his gut strained against the intelligent fabric. In his hand he held a classic gunpowder weapon, its long skinny barrel was polished silver, and he kept a finger carelessly on the trigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEddy? Is that you?\u201d Verdy leaned toward the man, squinting as if he could see through the man\u2019s visor. The man looked at Mamma Stoltzfus, then back at Verdy, without speaking. Verdy continued. \u201cWhere\u2019d you get that shiny toy? Only Eddy\u2019d be dumb enough to bring a gun to a knife fight!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though Mamma reached out a hand to calm him, Eddy’s visor flipped up. The angry face of Eidmoyer Stoltzfus was glaring out at Verdy. The gun raised, and Eddy yelled, \u201cVerdy, you self-righteous dung weasel! You always getting’ all the gazillion dollar upgrades and makin’ fun of us trying to make our way in the world!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeace, Eddy!\u201d Mamma Stoltzfus cried out, but Eddy screamed louder. \u201cYou ruined the valley and all the stuff our grandpappies built in the last thousand years!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA thousand? You sure about those numbers?\u201d Verdy asked casually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eddy screamed and threw his hands into the air, the pistol shaking in his fist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without moving, Verdy sent a command to the Bracer. It focused its energy on the gun. Invisible lasers focused and crossed just beyond Eddy’s fingers. It was a mere moment before the bullet casings glowed red within the revolver cylinder. Eddy had another half moment to feel the heat on his hand before the gunpowder ignited. Verdy was already moving toward Paps, back turned toward Eddy, his shoulder clenched against his ear to protect his neck from shrapnel. Only then did he realize that he had lost his hat at some point. The woman flinched against the explosion just as Verdy grabbed the hand that held the knife. Verdy pushed Paps\u2019 neck away from the knife. There was a nick on the right side of Paps\u2019 neck as he fell away, but Verdy didn\u2019t see it begin to bleed, and he focused the Bracer on the woman\u2019s arm. The metal binding her arm slammed hard into the ground and the glass knife flew into the dust. She lay pinned on her back. Verdy slid in front of Paps, backing them both away as he separated from the others. Then he paused, realizing that he had not been hit by any debris. Everyone froze, listening to Eddy\u2019s screams of pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019ve you done, you fool child!?\u201d Mamma yelled at Verdy as she knelt by Eddy. Verdy had a tinge of shock and shame as he saw the effects of the explosion on Eddy\u2019s hand. The cylinder had channeled much of the energy from the blast back toward Eddy, and if he retained any use of his hand it would never be with more than the use of one or two fingers. A burnt gash travelled up Eddy’s arm, his other hand trying to clutch it closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy felt Paps behind him and set his jaw. \u201cI\u2019m not the one started this hullabaloo!\u201d He shouted. \u201cYou think you can put a knife to Paps\u2019 throat all whiles keeping this a friendly gathering? You attack our insides and our outsides and you got the good nerve to be offended at my defensiveness?\u201d Verdy felt his anger rising, the Bracer on his forearm held across his chest like a shield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy gave a Bracer push, and Mamma and Eddy fell back into the dust. Nickles and Chipmunk had run to the edge of town, so he only had to watch out for Paps. Again, without moving, Verdy sent out a wider Bracer blast, and three cannon tubes went clattering to the ground. Verdy had hardly noticed the two other individuals standing in the background, their cannons spinning, until they were thrown off balance. Eddy still wouldn\u2019t shut up about his hand, cursing Verdy and Paps and SusteNext and gunpowder. Verdy yelled louder, amplifying his voice with the Bracer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMamma! After all your schemes over these years! This might be your worst! You come at us with a posse of rodeo clowns, and you give them cannons and knives! You\u2019re scraping the bottom of the lard barrel! You scrape low enough to find any Zimmermans yet?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey!\u201d Yelled the cannoneer laying on the ground in front of Verdy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShut up, Donny.\u201d Mamma Stoltzfus commanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHa!\u201d Verdy laughed without humor. \u201cDonny Zimmerman. Stand aside, Mamma. I\u2019m taking my cows to the hills!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy felt a hand on his shoulder. \u201cLet\u2019s not get anyone else hurt.\u201d Paps said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLast chance, Grivvens!\u201d Mamma Stoltzfus called. \u201cIt\u2019s only as I have more good graces than I should that I\u2019ve requested this chance for you. Don\u2019t test fate on a day the Slickensslough\u2019s in a right mighty turmoil!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy pushed her with the Bracer. She didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He pushed her again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He released any limitations on the Bracer and pushed hard enough to throw back her skeleton without regard to damage to muscle or tendon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamma just shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From behind her, a man who had been hanging back stepped forward. Verdy noticed for the first time that his blue-suit came only to the elbow on his left arm. As Verdy watched, low ridges on the forearm skin rose up into rings that glowed with a pulsing purple light. The man\u2019s lower arm would have to be more prosthesis than flesh to withstand the power. It was a full Bangle, with seven Bangle rings rising from his arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The woman with the knife rose up to Verdy and Paps\u2019 right. But she didn\u2019t have a knife in her hand. The metal on her arm rose up and pressed through the forearm of her suit. The exoskeleton was pushed neatly aside. She also had seven Bangle rings, pulsing and glowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suddenly the blindness made sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Verdy\u2019s opinion, a Bracer was superior to a Bangle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it was debatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And two Bangles\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The man with the Bangled arm lifted his visor. Verdy was hit with a wave of confused recognition. The face was familiar, but he could not place it. He cycled through all the places he might have seen this man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then the woman lifted her visor. The comfortable warm recognition of her face rose immediately with confusion and dread. As the confusion subsided the dread rose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJaney?\u201d Verdy muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou can keep calling me that, I suppose.\u201d Janey replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a long pause. Only the cattle and Eddy lowing broke the silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t feel bad. I\u2019m an excellent actor.\u201d Janey proffered awkwardly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou targeted me.\u201d Verdy muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She just shrugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo amount of priceless upgrading can put good sense in a bloke.\u201d The other Bangled man spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBill!\u201d Verdy remembered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSure.\u201d Bill replied. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Paps asked from behind Verdy. Verdy looked at him for a moment, then wheeled to face Mamma Stoltzfus, who knelt beside Eddy, trying to wrap his hand in strips of cloth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho are you working with?\u201d Verdy cried out. \u201cDo you know these people? Their loyalties? Do you even know what company\u2026.or even country, they report to?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy was interrupted by an extended growl from Eddy. Eddy had raised himself to his knees, and leaned away from Mamma. He raised his arm to point at Verdy. The cloth fell, revealing his mangled hand. There was no pointer finger, but Eddy conveyed his focus nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSuddenly you think something of loyalty?\u201d Eddy spat at Verdy. \u201cYou think we should protect one thing against another thing? What\u2019s that, Verdant? WHAT\u2019S THAT!?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamma stood and placed a hand on Eddy\u2019s head. She spoke almost softly. \u201cWe would\u2019ve ranched in this valley for another thousand years. But the Grivvens had other ideas. Now we\u2019ll sell what we can to whoever can pay. Even if it\u2019s just a map of the Grivvens’ land. And a list of their arrogant foolishnesses, that makes them think they\u2019re invulnerable to all attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut them?\u201d Verdy asked, gesturing to Bill and Janey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFrom what I hear, you\u2019re one of them.\u201d Mamma Stoltzfus looked him dead in the eye. “Where’d your accent go, Verdy. You sound city all the sudden.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVerdy\u2026\u201d There were questions in Paps’ voice from behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI won\u2019t lie to you, Paps, even if your grandson can\u2019t say the same.\u201d Mamma stepped forward. \u201cWhere’d you think he\u2019s been disappearing to for all these trips?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cChicago.\u201d Paps replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh! SusteNext headquarters for more training and upgrades!\u201d Mamma laughed. \u201cBut there\u2019s some upgrades you just can\u2019t get there! SusteNext makes some pretending of following the law, even if they have to write new ones every few months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Janey placed her finger on Verdy\u2019s shoulder and traced a line down his back. Verdy didn\u2019t move. \u201cThe Toledo Underground has a dazzling nightlife.\u201d Janey addressed the comment to Paps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo\u2026..\u201d Paps muttered. \u201cToledo? Verdy, the abominations created there! You haven\u2019t cavorted with such, have you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy was silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you show him?\u201d Bill suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre we still talking about lab-grown beef?\u201d came a voice from the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShut up, Donny.\u201d Verdy managed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy felt the weight of guilt, at keeping secrets from Paps. The other things he had dealt with, but not his own lies. To Paps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m in a hurry.\u201d Bill threw up his hands as if apologizing for his interruption. Janey stepped back, moving to stand near Bill. \u201cCall off the dogs, Verdy. I need answers. Tell them to stop cloaking\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are your questions?\u201d Verdy asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy is the military so focused on this herd of cows?\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMilitary?\u201d Donny asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even Mamma\u2019s brow wrinkled, though she didn\u2019t speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFeeding an army is a big undertaking.\u201d Verdy shrugged. \u201cControlling the growth rate of meat, as well as its exact fat and caloric content- that\u2019s of huge interest to military planners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bill let out a long sigh. \u201cOur sources tell us there are numerous branches of government in talks with SusteNext. There\u2019s a planned partnership that will focus heavily on intelligence. Global intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSounds like you know more than me.\u201d Verdy replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have time for games.\u201d Janey interjected. She clicked her fingers on both hands. Verdy hadn\u2019t paid much attention to the backpack-sized bulges on the backs of Janey and Bill. But suddenly they were disgorging floating orbs, drones the size of baseballs that flew through the town and out into the field. They formed a grid over the herd, hovering at regular intervals across the entire expanse of roaming cattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sir snapped to alert, growling. The dog confirmed Verdy\u2019s suspicions. The drones were explosives. Powerful explosives. Verdy felt for their communication grid, but the Bracer felt sluggish. He turned, and Janey was smiling at him. She and Bill had their Bangles crossed across their chests, doubtless counteracting any effects of the Bracer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bill spoke up. \u201cThose grenades are a bit jumpy. I wouldn\u2019t mess with their controls, unless you want to see them pop.\u201d Sir was coming to the same conclusion, letting Verdy know not to push the explosives too hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, I don\u2019t remember this part in our agreement.\u201d Mamma Stoltzfus noted. Her voice didn’t waver. She sounded strong. Like Paps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Janey snapped, \u201cYou\u2019ll get your money, lady. But I have some pretty clear directives. I need to know what\u2019s going on with these cows, or I have to shut down the operation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy sat down in the dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He pulled off the Bracer. \u201cUnlock,\u201d he commanded. He tossed the Bracer at Mamma Stoltzfus. She managed to hide her surprise, but Eddy did not. \u201cMamma!\u201d He exclaimed in a loud whisper, seeming to forget his pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs this what you want?\u201d Verdy asked Mamma. \u201cTo see the Grivvens without options? To take our things? Or watch it all burn down?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou burned down this valley a long time ago.\u201d Mamma replied. \u201cAnd yeah, I think seeing the Grivvens brought low would bring me a touch of joy in my old age.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It’s about survival, Mamma. Don’t get stuck on the right now. Look ahead. Survival for us. All of us. Even the cattle.” Verdy’s voice held a note of pleading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamma didn’t reply, but she picked up the Bracer, and placed it on her arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhoa!\u201d She gave a slight giggle, then regained her composure after her first blast of the Bracer\u2019s power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy turned to Bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of information.\u201d Verdy said, staring at the ground, but speaking to Bill. He tried to talk to Janey too, but his stomach lurched to look at her. Had he almost considered her his girlfriend for a day or two? That magical stranger- finding him all those nights in Toledo. Just another traveler in Toledo, there with her work colleagues. So interested in him. Between his surgeries\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n He pushed it out of his head. But her number was still a favorite in his contact list. He pushed on. “A lot of information. The molecular composition of muscle. How each drop of intake relates to taste and nutrition. How muscle is grown in a cow. It was impractical to have truck convoys of servers following the herd. Impractical and insecure. So, about fifteen years ago, they had an idea. An idea that would create a computer network that generated its own energy, regulated its own heat, was mobile, waterproof, and efficient. Also, a network that communicated in signals that no one had ever seen before. It was completely secure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNeural.\u201d Bill stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bill went on. \u201cWe assumed. But we had to know. But fifteen years? We didn\u2019t know anyone had tried such a thing before two years ago. It wasn\u2019t even legal until last year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m guessing SusteNext has worked out the details of legality with the government, complete with absolution for past sins?\u201d Mamma noted. Verdy shrugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have to see.\u201d Janey said. \u201cWe have to know what we\u2019re up against. We are ordered to destroy it if we can\u2019t get a meaningful picture of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy laughed. \u201cYou aren\u2019t up against this herd. This herd is all there is. You can\u2019t build an organic neural network. You have to grow it. What\u2019s the best that Toledo can offer? Eleven rats with linked brains, secretly being tested for the last four years? That\u2019s nothing. Truly nothing compared to my herd.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVerdant.\u201d Paps voice was surprisingly stern. \u201cYour herd?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy turned his head, but not so much that he could make eye contact with Paps. He dug his fingernails into the dust of the road, sending up a cloud of dust around him, making Donny, the only other sitting figure, cough into his handkerchief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t tell you, Paps. It really was all about the meat. At first. Recording the digestion, the volume and content, the alimentary processes. Storing the data, securely getting it all back to headquarters. But it\u2019s been a while since it\u2019s been about the meat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSusteNext is the largest food producer in the world!\u201d Paps protested. \u201cOnce they figure out the right taste for pork and chicken, their meat empire will be\u2026, will be\u2026\u201d He trailed off, not knowing what point he was making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah Paps, but SusteNext will soon be a historical spinoff of a new company. A company that will change everything. The economy, the military, transportation, education…\u201d Verdy gestured toward the herd. \u201cWhen a brain doesn\u2019t have to worry about safety, reproduction, migration, even nutrition\u2026the neurons are freed to work on other tasks. And they aren\u2019t just harnessed. They grow into solutions. They embrace the network, and the network becomes alive. The hardware grows to meet the needs of the software. The ability to eliminate redundant commands and data are inconceivable. The brain uses simple building blocks, recoding itself each time a new pathway is needed. The herd is a living, breathing computer, a thing that exists in and separate from the cattle brains.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCow brains?\u201d Donny laughed. \u201cYou gotta be kidding me. Cows are dumb!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs dumb as he is, Donny brings up a key point.\u201d Verdy addressed the group as a whole. \u201cSusteNext created this thing almost by accident. No one plans to build a new world on the brain of a cow. We all know what comes next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPrimates.\u201d Mamma guessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy nodded. \u201cAnd which type of primates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHumans.\u201d It was Paps’ voice. \u201cIt\u2019s the next step, if the rumors out of Toledo are true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSomeone\u2019s gotta stop it.\u201d Verdy spoke to no one in particular. \u201cOr the human physical brain will become a commodity, with little need for the individual consciousness trying to use it. In fact, the incentives are high to reduce the individual. To steal the physical structure away from an identifiable person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShow us. Show all of us.\u201d Janey phrased the command as a request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBurr!\u201d Verdy called. Verdy felt the terrier start toward him, but it was a moment before the others could also see the dog approaching. She had returned to the herd, but was now reentering the town, without stealth, black and grey fur bouncing as she ran. The dog pulled up next to Verdy, and eyed the strangers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShow \u2018em girl.\u201d Verdy gestured toward the flock. Show \u2018em everything!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dog stood quietly. Doing nothing. Good girl<\/em>, thought Verdy. This was the part where he would usually feign ignorance, and declare that the dog would not listen to him. But there was no need for subterfuge. The game of secrecy was over. Verdy reached over and scratched Burr behind her ears. \u201cGood dog,\u201d he whispered one more time, then stated,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re a burr in my boot<\/p>\n\n\n\n But a boon to your brothers<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d sell you for loot<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I had my druthers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dog listened to the limerick and accepted the signal, the password of sorts, that Verdy\u2019s command was sincere. In a moment the cattle specs were accessible to each member of the odd crowd standing there among the crooked buildings in Slickensslough proper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overlaid on each cow was a map of their innards, complete with their slender skeletons, reduced in size by lightweight carbon fibers, that allowed for extra chemworks within. Volumetric reservoirs and rows of sensors lined the digestive tracts, and wires were as prevalent as veins around the stomachs, and as prevalent as capillaries in the neck. Some cows had extra boxes and chambers in their rumps or their guts or their chests. A closer look at the menu of each cow revealed the purpose of each part. A neurotransmitter lab in one cow, a hormone extraction port in another. There wasn\u2019t time to scan a tenth of the unique features of the most laden cows, and the viewers looked from cow to cow in amazement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it was the brains that were the most shocking. Even Bill and Janey, who had taken the recent discussions in stride, stared in amazement at the glowing threads that overlaid the brain of each cow. It was as if a second brain of wire was the ghost of the physical brain, the wire mesh so fine it was like glowing dust within the skull of the cow. Down into each neck the fine mesh of wires extended, as if the circuitry of the brain was allowed to overflow and fill space as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They might have watched the cows for hours if Mamma Stoltzfus hadn\u2019t managed to glance over at Verdy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVerdant Grivvens! What have you done!\u201d She cried, and it was the despair in her voice that tore at Verdy. Not anger or disgust, like she usually sent his way, but dismay, just as Verdy might expect from Paps. And a moment later the gasp did come from Paps. A gasp of dismay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy had let his own innards show. It wasn\u2019t something that was done in polite company, and it certainly wasn\u2019t done among rivals, but Verdy was past all such mores and tactics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let them see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mesh that clawed into his own brain wasn\u2019t as intricate, but it bore resemblance to the network that was bonded to the cows\u2019 brains. It was like nothing any of them would ever have seen, except maybe Janey, deep in an underground lab, and even she could never have seen a human so wired directly into the brain, from lizard stem to cerebral folds. It had never been done, as far as he knew, and he had placed himself in a position to know. Verdy doubted anyone even noticed that he was missing a kidney, or bothered to wonder at the custom port that had been constructed there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou gave up your mind?\u201d Paps asked with a sadness in his voice that dropped Verdy\u2019s heart into his boots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No, Paps. I still got it. All of it.\u201d Verdy choked over the words, just a bit. \u201cBut I\u2019ve seen a mighty frightful future coming, and I gotta stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot like this,\u201d Paps begged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnything less wouldn\u2019ta done. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d And Verdy meant it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy looked around. Mamma was shaking her head at him. Eddy was bent over against some porch steps, teeth clenched and eyes closed. Donny sat on the ground looking dazed. Two others of Mamma\u2019s people hadn\u2019t spoke, but had their visors up and were staring at the herd. Verdy thought he recognized one as a Martin or a Huber. Bill and Janey were recording everything they viewed, and couldn\u2019t look from cow to cow fast enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you want us to leave without blowing this herd, you better find a way for us to download bigger chunks of what we\u2019re seeing!\u201d Bill called out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy was about to reply when the feed from the beetle drones caught his eye. He paused, then looked at the sky. \u201cPaps,\u201d he called. \u201cLook!\u201d He directed Paps to the drone feed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a second Paps nodded. \u201cThat\u2019s cause for concern.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRuss, UP! Single, disconnect.\u201d Verdy called out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Somewhere out by the forest Russ released a single beetle drone, and it rose to the sky without any wireless connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy called out to Bill and Janey, \u201cHey, Toledoans! You guys jamming our beetle drones?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Janey looked up at him, annoyed to have her eyes off the cows. \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t bother with your drones. And no- we didn\u2019t bring anything that could do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, look!\u201d Verdy tossed the feed to them. Bill took a quick look and snapped at Verdy. \u201cWhat am I looking for? Everything looks fine!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was true. The drone feeds showed bright skies over rolling forested hills and distant pastures. Verdy pointed to the hills. The hills they could see with their own eyes, not through the drone cameras. Bill followed his directions, and Janey lifted her eyes as well. The evening light was darkening over the hills as a fog bank lifted up from the next valley. The low clouds were heavy with the threat of rain and the early pinks of sunset tinged their edges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The beetle footage did not contain any such pink cloudbank or rising fogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy heard Janey curse. She looked at him. All charade of mock tenderness was gone from her demeanor. \u201cLook, kid, this is a two-person job we’re running here, so obviously we want to get in and get out without making a scene, but give us some sort of master guide to what we’re seeing. We can\u2019t let this thing continue to exist unless we know what we\u2019re looking at. And where we\u2019re going, no one is going to give us grief for setting off the bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOk! Ok- I have just the thing you\u2019ll be wanting!\u201d Verdy leaned down to Burr. \u201cBring me Mashded Taters.\u201d Burr took off toward the herd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lone beetle descended from the sky. Verdy couldn\u2019t sense it, but he held out his hand, and the beetle alighted on his palm. With the physical contact the beetle transferred its short surveillance recording to Verdy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSweet Lord Almighty.\u201d Verdy whispered. And before anyone could ask, he shared the recording with all the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A full-size military carrier was floating over the hills, steadily approaching from no more than ten miles out. It was massive, reaching from one hilltop to the next, its shadow darkening the valleys below. It wasn’t moving fast. Carriers rarely did. But it floated steadily closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Well, that\u2019s something.\u201d Donny mused. \u201cAnd I thought we were just going to bring back some cows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Burr was coming back now, darting ahead and then waiting for the cow behind. Mashded Taters was a Scottish Highland breed, with long white hair brindled in grey. Bangs dropped over her eyes, and a lower lip jutted out, giving the cow\u2019s face under the horns a look of disinterested thoughtfulness. The cow managed a hurried walk, in the way of a large cow, making a great show of haste but never breaking into a run, the furry bulk shuddering about but achieving speeds only slightly more rapid than the cow\u2019s normal casual walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy ran out to meet the cow and the dog. Janey and Bill followed, Janey watching the sky and Bill watching Verdy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d Bill asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s what you need. A command cow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t have time for games, boy\u201d Bill snapped, but Verdy was hardly listening. He had dropped to his knees and grabbed Mashded Taters’ face in his hands. The breath of the cow blasted into Verdy\u2019s face. The cud scents of fermented sorghum and mountain grasses overwhelmed him, but seemed to pull his being right into the cool waters of a mountain stream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHeifervescence.\u201d Verdy whispered to Mashded Taters. \u201cThat\u2019s what my mom used to call it. The breath of a cow will wash away the burdens of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVerdant! Your time is up! Give us whatever information module you have!\u201d It was Janey speaking. Verdy turned to her. And perhaps because he had once stared into those eyes with deep attraction, Verdy saw something different in the eyes at that moment. He didn\u2019t know what it was, but he realized, without any doubt, that Bill and Janey were planning to detonate their explosives, no matter what information he gave them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Verdy turned calmly to Mashded Taters, and ran his hand along her spine until he felt the slightest divots under the fur. He pressed three fingers down, one on each indentation, playing a chord on the cows back. The cow’s spine verified that Verdy had the authorization to press down in just such a manner. A narrow chamber opened up just below the cow\u2019s spine. Inside was a metal recess, clean and smooth and holding an object. Verdy reached in and once again pressed his fingers into the correct positions, then, with perfect timing, he released and pressed again. The object slid out, and Verdy took it into his hand. It was only slightly longer than Verdy\u2019s palm, and a bit thicker than his hand. It was vaguely diamond shaped, though one end was longer, like a stone spearhead, the edges rounded, not sharp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d Janey asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI guess you\u2019d call it an artificial choke point. A way to bring the herd\u2019s intelligence together in one place, to transfer data out of the system, or to receive commands.\u201d Verdy realized that his hands were shaking, and his voice trembled. \u201cIt\u2019s the soul of the herd. It\u2019s artificial, but it\u2019s the soul, nonetheless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?!\u201d Bill snapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The carrier crested the hill. Its shadow raced toward the Slickensslough, and its mass seemed to expand to fill the sky as it approached the town and the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGive it to me!\u201d Bill demanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have to unlock it manually.\u201d Verdy replied calmly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSusteNext gave you that capability?\u201d Janey asked, incredulous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey gave me enough. I took the rest while they weren\u2019t looking.\u201d Verdy smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, everybody’s looking now.\u201d Janey eyed the carrier, then looked back at Verdy. \u201cDo it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy held the simple metal piece with both hands, his thumbs hovering above the pattern etched into the metal. There were no visible buttons, but Verdy knew where it would sense his touch. Then he began the sequence, bound by the timing of his taps and the order by which he pressed across the etched design. There was no sign that he had correctly inputted the password, other than a slight shift at the longer point, were a panel slid a millimeter, leaving a narrow gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMay I join the herd, Mashded Taters?\u201d Verdy asked, trembling further still. \u201cYours and the connected beings of your sisters and brothers?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGo looney on your own time, kid.\u201d Bill stepped forward, holding out his hand. Without fanfare, Verdy lifted his shirt, and placed the object into an opening that lay in his skin where his left kidney should have been. A delicate probe shot into the module before the opening closed, and Verdy\u2019s skin seemed to slip back over the opening, revealing no sign of what had been there a second before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a moment Verdy held to his own consciousness, trying to ignore the flood of information overwhelming his system. He saw Janey and Bill raise their bangles toward him. He saw Mamma Stoltzfus behind them. She unleashed all the attacks of the Bracer that she knew. Directly into the two from Toledo. She was unskilled in its use, but Verdy marveled at how clearly he could read the flow of energy into their bodies. She was trying to hurt them. Which meant, apparently, that she was trying to help Verdy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They were incapacitated for a moment, but it wouldn\u2019t be enough. Verdy reached out and disabled the Bangles. He couldn\u2019t have said how he did it, but he wondered why he hadn\u2019t seen it before. How vulnerable they were. How much the bangles communicated with the rest of the body systems wirelessly. How easily the communication waves could be mimicked and altered. He pushed Janey and Bill to their knees, and held them there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then he just felt it. The Herd. It was a vast intelligence, living within the organic brains, but separate from them. The dogs were there too. He hadn\u2019t known how integrated they were into the Herd. But he felt the personalities he knew within the Herd. Of each dog. Of each cow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through it all was a focus on grass and flowing water and the safety of the herd. Verdy laughed out loud at the bovine-tinged nature of the world\u2019s most advanced network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The carrier was slowing over the Slickensslough. It seemed to move very slowly. Everything did. Verdy turned and looked over to where a cannon still spun before the chest of one of Mamma\u2019s quiet companions. Verdy saw the electromagnetic waves holding it, spinning it, and commanding it. He saw many ways that he could reroute its power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He reached out his hand toward the cannon. The reaching had no function, except in the minds of the observers. In the moment that he rerouted a blast to the center of the cannon, he squeezed his fist, grunting, as if with effort, as if crushing a can. The cannon tube crumpled in on itself, and fell to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy looked up. Military carriers were built with state-of-the-art encryption. To Verdy it looked open to the air. It wasn\u2019t exactly a broken screen door, but no more than a wooden door that could be knocked in with a stiff shoulder. Communications were constant back to headquarters and to multiple command centers. Internal communications leaked through and seemed to swirl like a cloud about the carrier. Inside, each person\u2019s internal networks sent communications to and fro. The normal encryption that guarded individual privacy was open to Verdy, and even the military grade personal protections fell before the gaze of the Herd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The military should have been working on creating new encryption based on the neural network. But SusteNext had delayed their access. That was everywhere, the story of it all, zipping in the conversations and commands. SusteNext had demanded an end to their competition, the outlawing of any natural beef butchery. And the government paid the price. Tomorrow the laws went into effect. Tomorrow the military was scheduled to begin its partnership with the Herd. That was the plan. And no one had been concerned about today. The Herd had hidden in plain sight for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy could feel their breath and their heartbeats. All personal military systems monitored vitals through an intensive internal network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy saw that Megan Coronado was on board. The CEO of SusteNext, with a contingent of high-ranking specialists and lackeys. He couldn\u2019t read anyone\u2019s thoughts, but there was a glut of stored notes, agendas, and talking points. Each time someone clicked on a menu item with an eye blink, Verdy knew. He marveled at the vulgarity of it, how the military fawned over the private citizens, how they mobilized in service of SusteNext, hungry for the power of the Herd. They had planned a casual flight out to the herd today, mostly for ceremonial purposes. The drone jamming was standard. But the unplanned movement of the herd had created concern, then an emergency response. Aircraft were being ordered to take flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy quickly grew tired of waiting for the hold to open on the lower decks. Verdy could see that the plan was to release twelve manned security flyers to float around the herd perimeter until the situation was fully assessed. Verdy waited impatiently as the Captain approved the order, as it was relayed below deck, and as, finally, a finger was reaching to push a button to open the door. The button did nothing, of course. Verdy had cut off its functionality. But they needed them to feel something, so with each push of the buttons Verdy skipped the engines for a second on the far side of the ship, without letting the control panel display any engine distress. The effect was a slight roll, the carrier tipped a foot or two on its side and then righted itself each time the button was pushed. It was as if the door was tugging, and stuck, and the attempt to open it shook the whole ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Herd was full of sensors and transmitters, making it simple to gather in the information floating in the air, and to send out new signals to join the invisible commands darting through the air in waves. The door operator reported each unsuccessful button push into the microphone on the panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy trained the external cameras on himself. And he placed himself on every screen within the carrier, from the main bridge displays, to the cafeteria displays, to the break room entertainment screens. Verdy was surprised at the number of phones on the carrier, with most, but not all, bearing military security software. He placed himself on every phone, and turned up the volume, whether the phone was in its owner\u2019s hand or pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He considered having a conversation with Megan, about his recommendations for SusteNext going forward. But he found he didn\u2019t have the patience. Or the desire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, he simply said, \u201cI think we\u2019d like to be left alone for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It would have been easy to simply lock in an autopilot course that would gently turn the carrier around and send it floating smoothly back to base while its pilots pounded on the dead control panels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Verdy raised his hands toward the sky, his movements displayed on every screen within the carrier. Then he moved his hands to the left. The carrier lurched in the direction of his hands. Not enough to really scramble the occupants, but enough to clear off some shelves and to perhaps break an unfortunate wrist or ankle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He moved his hands back towards the hills as if struggling with a great weight. The carrier began to turn, lilting slightly on its side, the front swinging around and back toward the hills. The panic within the carrier was rising. Verdy wanted to smile, but he maintained a face of struggle and determination. The front of the carrier slid into the forest hill, just a bit, though even the minor contact sheared trees in half and scraped up a swath of earth underneath. Then the carrier was past the hill, wobbling from front to back in a manner that was never intended for the massive vessel. The hull was thick, and the impacts would only damage sensors and appendages; the vessel remained secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It rose into the air. And Verdy moved his hands back behind his head. The carrier began to reverse. Verdy whipped his hands forward, tossing an imaginary soccer ball in front of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The carrier accelerated rapidly, thrown high into the air by max thrusts from every engine, in a creaking, grinding, fury of thrust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy then set the autopilot to chug happily back to base, without accepting any input from the bridge controls until it was time to land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy ended his theatrics as he disconnected from the carrier visual feeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While tossing the carrier he had also found two coffin-like stealth pods buried in the swamp. He had brought them over to Bill and Janey and popped them open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI believe this is your ride. Probably time for you to get a move on.\u201d Verdy addressed them both, then turned away before they could reply. Mamma was standing there, eyes wide. Paps was approaching as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy turned back around, \u201cOh- I almost forgot!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He gathered the grenades and sent them spinning in a whirlpool pattern above the two from Toledo, spinning faster and faster, the vortex tip threatening to drop down and touch them. They cowered low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then Verdy laughed and sent the spheres off in a straight line over the field. He took them high in an arch, and plunged them into the Slickensslough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy didn\u2019t look again, but he sensed when Janey and Bill had laid down in their pods and sped off, disappearing in the evening shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeing Mamma, Verdy did think of something else. He sent a message to the carrier, which was still in range of some of the Herd\u2019s more powerful transmitters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy realized that he was viewing the people before him as the dogs did. Each person was an overlay of systems, and even their person, their self, seemed to be a layered conglomeration. It was confusing, but there seemed to be something right, something true in the view. The view that he had not been able to see without the technology of the Herd. He adjusted his vision to a simpler view of the group before him, and turned to Mamma Stoltzfus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe never meant to hurt this valley, Mamma.\u201d Verdy tried to sound humble. “I just wanted to find a path of survival. Into the future.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamma\u2019s face was set hard, but she conceded, \u201cI may have misread the Slickensslough a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy shrugged. \u201cIf I can find a way to make the water flow clear again, will you start to forgive the Grivvens?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m always open to forgiveness in this world. We\u2019ll see how my heart is pulled when that day comes,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paps stepped forward. \u201cI tried to tell you, Mamma. We were thinking of the cattle and all of us here in the valley.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019d like to believe you’re wise, Paps,\u201d she replied, \u201cLike I once did. But it\u2019s all felt like such dangerous foolishness these many years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGive it a try, will you?\u201d Verdy asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell\u2026\u201d She paused. \u201cI have seen signs and wonders enough to make me split my head open for a while, just to let some rain in to wash my thoughts clear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you\u2019re looking for a sign-\u201d Verdy gestured toward the Slickensslough. He raised his right hand and grasped it into a fist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Slickensslough erupted. A great mountain of orange water rose up, then broke apart into geysers that sprayed high into the air. Muddy sludge was thrown in all directions and a slimy haze clouded the air. The cattle jerked in fright, and Verdy felt their fear for a moment, then calmed them with a message of safety, more hormonal than informational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh.\u201d Mamma said. \u201cIs that gonna bring back the clear mill pond?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNah.\u201d Verdy admitted. \u201cBut take it as a sign of good things to come for these parts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A small medical transport flew over the hill and came to land next to Eddy. Two bewildered medics stumbled out, but went to work on Eddy when they saw his injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdy walked over to Mashded Taters and grabbed a handful of shaggy hair. He pulled himself up onto the cow\u2019s back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNickles is hurt, but he\u2019ll be ok. You\u2019ll see to him, Paps?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paps nodded. \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t rightly know, but I figure I should head into the hills for a while, maybe figure some things out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n No one spoke as a young man on a shaggy cow rode through the broken town, and across the uneven pylons of the Slickensslough Road, a small terrier trotting beside him. And it was dark before the last clatter of hooves was across the bridge. A shadow the size of a St. Bernard swept the town, then paused for a moment to look back. The humans had all left, on horseback, on foot, and through the sky. The dog verified the herd was safe from the rear, then turned and loped into the hills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the center of town, there was a trickle of a shadow, and a wavering in the dirt on the road. The dust on the wind was eddying around something, or perhaps around nothing. The town had gone to ghost long ago, and things that had been, long ago, still caught the wind on cool … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1028,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/underwoodpress.com\/truechili\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/lyman-hansel-gerona-TVCDj_fFvx8-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/underwoodpress.com\/truechili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/underwoodpress.com\/truechili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/underwoodpress.com\/truechili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underwoodpress.com\/truechili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underwoodpress.com\/truechili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1004"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/underwoodpress.com\/truechili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1029,"href":"https:\/\/underwoodpress.com\/truechili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004\/revisions\/1029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underwoodpress.com\/truechili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/underwoodpress.com\/truechili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underwoodpress.com\/truechili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underwoodpress.com\/truechili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
D. B. Leng grew up on a dairy farm, playing in the field next to the heifers. He is happy when there are cows nearby.
As society becomes more modern, he hopes there will always be a place to ride a horse through a herd of cows.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"