Jane sat in front of her computer, nude, with a turkey sandwich and a beer, struggling with trying to understand why the millions of lines of code in front of her did not work. She had not written most of the code. Instead, she had gotten copies of code from developers for various functions like voice recognition, deep learning, correlation subroutines, voice to text and text to voice subs, etc. She had then pieced them together in subroutines. Some of the code she had acquired legally, but she had also obtained her fair share by hacking and other illegal activities, including buying code from the dark web. She then linked the subs together with a command and project structure. She was amazed by how Lisa evolved as was everyone who had ever had contact with her. She thought of herself more as an organizer and a system thinker putting together all the pieces that made Lisa, Lisa. Jane thought to herself if she had any brilliance; it was in using what others had discarded or abandoned. Perhaps she could salvage something in Texas, too. She had begun asking herself what a utopia in Texas would look like. She found it strange that she did not miss California.

Jane’s first goal was to get Lisa functional enough to help search the internet for copies of her condensed databases that had taken years to build up. She was irritated that she had never thought about the government coming in and destroying them. She vowed it would never happen again; she would become a master of backing stuff up, hiding it, and disguising it. Round two with the States would go differently; she vowed to herself out loud. She knew part of the problem because she never kept good records on the backups she did make, the experimental code changes that were never 100% functional, or the glitches in Lisa’s performance. In the last few years, Lisa had started programming small jobs, again using program writing code that she had hacked from some of the large tech companies in India.

In searching for copies of the condensed databases that either she had stored and forgotten about or that Lisa did in response to her order to back herself up, Jane had gone into all the databases she had legal access to and had used sophisticated key work searches without any luck. She needed LisaB operational enough to help her find back doors into databases she didn’t have access to. The original Lisa had become better than her at hacking, but LisaB could not seem to complete a project. A project had a defined goal and a set of steps that must be taken to reach the stated goal. Jane had recognized that there were only so many kinds of projects that she wanted Lisa to perform. Some logic code identified what type of project it was and then defined for Lisa the generic steps in that project that she must complete. It made Lisa seem smarter than she was, and in recent years she had appeared to go beyond her original coding. Each completed project became a potential template for future projects. Deep learning was used for Lisa to pick up patterns in her past projects, and in every project description they could find on the web. From that learning, Lisa, often with Jane’s help, created new templates.

A few days later, Jane ran out to her tv after David sent her an urgent text message to do so. Max Trump was giving a speech about the uprising in Texas:

We are aiding the State of Texas, where terrorists with connections to the drug cartels in Mexico have recently been linked to dozens of attacks on the infrastructure of Texas. Texas has asked our assistance in bringing these terrorists to justice, and we are using the full power of the United States government to do so. Also, we have thought it necessary to bring in a sizeable military force to support the office of Homeland Security. The size of the force is classified, but it will be adequate to deal with these terrorists effectively. Also, we have brought in our high-tech surveillance monitoring to assure that additional damage to the Texas infrastructure does not occur.

We have an extensive manhunt underway for Jane Galt, believed to be the figurehead for this terrorist group. We have in custody the actual leader of this group, and he is providing leads that will enable us to apprehend others. We encourage them to turn themselves in if they expect any leniency.

The attribute the recent uprising in Oklahoma to this same terrorist group. We regret the deaths in this uprising, but we did all in power to get them to surrender without bloodshed. We assure you this uprising has been squelched and never posed an existential risk to Oklahoma or the nation.

To respect Texas, we have signed a three-year treaty with them to protect their power structure; in turn, they will provide us electric power at the same rates previously agreed to before our recent crisis brought on by the Chinese’s irresponsible currency manipulation in collusion with the Saudi’s. We are confident that the U.S. currency will regain its full value as this administration undertakes corrective actions.

All Americans and Texans should rest easier tonight knowing that the resources of the States government are protecting you and that the military is there guarding and protecting our freedoms.

Jane was fuming as she turned off the tv. She didn’t have the stomach to listen to all the commentators discuss the merits of Max Trump’s speech.

She sent a universal text out to all her militia leaders:

To all lovers of Texas and its independence:

If you just heard the speech of Max Trump, I am sure you are as upset as I am. I assure you; we will soon have our voices heard.  He is saying the same old lies he as told before. Some people will believe his lies if he repeats them enough with confidence. But I am speaking to those that can recognize bull shit, and that can think for themselves.  I feel compelled to repeat the truth.

First, we know that States were sending their military in to keep the power flowing from the Dallas Energy Complex into the States even though the States has not paid for that power in over a year. Their offer to pay for it with their now near-worthless currency is a continuation of that same policy and shows the lack of reality existing in the highest level of our governments.

Second, we condemn our Texas State Officials for not standing up to the States. Their behavior is cowardly, and we implore them to stand up for Texas’ independence and to be brave enough to suffer whatever consequences result from that bravery.

Third, the brave people of Texas will continue to resist this illegal invasion of the States into Texas. To our brave freedom fighters, be disciplined, be brave, and have patience. We are not to be underestimated. Get ready to make your contribution to our collective freedom.

Jane

She read the message from Alfred that he had sent her the day before. She replied that she was okay, and she would call in a few hours. She then called David on her HS Phone. “David, I’ve had a nap, and I am ready to go."

“How are you feeling?" David asked, taking her abruptness in stride.

“Tired and pissed off," she said, and then before David could respond, she added, “damn States military was not trying to capture me; they were trying to kill all those other people with me and me."

“The States are desperate. They don’t have the time or resources to mess with you. We are like a gnat that needs to be smashed. There is a run on the dollar all over the world. It is 10% of the value it was three months ago. It would be lower except the U.S. banks are all shut down, and there are limited ways to trade the dollar with their financial system off-line. Exchanges in Texas and California have stopped exchanging dollars. There is a run on the banks. It is pure chaos in the States.

All hell is breaking loose in the middle east, the South China Sea, Russia invading Poland, etc. so Jane in Texas must just be expedited. But you know all that."

“Did you make the delivery to Judge?”

“I don’t think Judge made it. I am seeing what I can do for his family,” David said softly.

“Damn the States. Damn it, damn it,” Jane said without apology or explanation.

“It sounds like it was more than business with Judge?”

“No, he was just a fellow human that was struggling to stay alive. I identified with him, that’s all,” Jane explained. “Judge wasn’t too up on who I was, but many people in Oklahoma seemed to know about me and the militia.”

Alfred read the New York Times that he had picked off the desk in the Hilton that he was staying at in Tijuana. He had managed to get there with some help from the gamers, and David had a hotel room set up for him. They were installing a VPN server in his room and a high-speed uplink to a satellite server today. In the meanwhile, he was enjoying an old fashion newspaper written mostly in English. He tried to recall if he had ever read a newspaper before. A lot of stuff was like the old days in Mexico, he thought.

On the front page, lower right, there was a story about a drug group taken down by the police and a special task force of the FBI in Oklahoma. Three policemen had been killed, and 32 people in the drug cartel had been taken out. There was a lot of talk about how necessary this action was in slowing down the drug trade. What was missing was any mention of Jane, or the involvement of the militia from Texas. Alfred searched the paper for any more news about the militia in Texas. He found several articles about power outages in Oklahoma and nearby states but no discussion of the Texas Militia or any power disruptions in Texas. He had watched the live broadcasts on the web and on tv the day before, showing Jane riding a hog. How could they pretend it didn’t happen when half the nation had followed it? He also knew that over a thousand had died in the gunfight. He had not heard if Jane had made it; the militia seemed to be on some kind of “radio silence”.

He went online and found news sites in Texas and California that talked about nothing else than Jane and the Texas militia. He wondered if the States were trying to block all the sites outside of the country. He went on several news sites in the States and YouTube and found they all had been purged; Jane had disappeared. He did find an article saying the States military was securing the power production and distribution in Texas and that all was “wonderful now." He sat there staring at his eggs, wondering what it all meant.

He got on his phone and hooked up with some of the gaming network chat rooms. Gamers in the States had noticed how “Jane” had disappeared from the news. They assured him that the Jane story with her on a hog had been broadcast the day before and then gone viral. But now, everything had gone dark. Bots were even trying to block text and all other forms of communication. But the buzz was too great, and the next effect was that the internet was almost nonfunctional. The secure platforms like WhatsApp and a Chinese App, “Freedom,” were overloaded with traffic and slowed down by whatever was crippling the Internet, but stories about Jane were alive and well when there was bandwidth.

He went online and found news sites in Texas and California that talked about nothing else than Jane and the Texas militia. He wondered if the States were trying to block all the sites outside of the country. He went on several news sites in the States and YouTube and found they all had been purged; Jane had disappeared. He did find an article saying the States military was securing the power production and distribution in Texas and that all was “wonderful now." He sat there staring at his eggs, wondering what it all meant.

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The motley crew all came back together thirty minutes later and then fell into a formation with a scout ahead and single riders a hundred yards to either side and one behind. Jane was amazed at how well organized this group of marauders were as they cruised toward what Jane would discover to be their home base. There were four houses at the corners of what Jane guessed was about three or four acres. Three Hispanic men were weeding what Jane guessed was a crop of soybeans. A few women came out of the houses as the hogs rumbled into what looked more like a junkyard than a front yard. Kids ran between old cars and a couple of broken-down motorcycles. An old truck filled with scrap metal was up on jacks with weeds growing halfway up the doors.

The woman in the house looked her over like she was a plague. “What trash did you bring home, Judge," one of the ladies asked as she walked up to Jane. “Who are you," she asked without any formalities.

“I’m Jane Galt," Jane answered.

“What the shit am I supposed to do with that. What are you doing here?" the scruffy lady asked her, leaning into her space. Jane could smell her breath; it smelled like a rotting animal. As she opened her mouth, Jane could see most of her teeth were gone, and the others were rotting. She had on a rag of a dress; her boobs were a nice round handful with the nipples nearly protruding through the thin material of the dress. Her boobs contrasted with her teeth. Jane guessed she had had a boob job. The rest of her body was skin-and-bones, and her body odor made Jane take a step back. Jane didn’t know what to say to this pair of boobs in front of her. It was all so bizarre like she had stepped into another world.

“Give me your phone”, the bag of bones said to her and reached for Jane’s hip holster.

“Leave the phone alone, I can get a lot of money sent here with this phone,” Jane said firmly.

“How much is a lot of money?” the old lady asked

“A hundred thousand dollars.”

“Why would anyone give you that much money for your sick fucking ass?”

“Aw, leave her alone. She just blew up the power transformer over toward Ardmore. Bunch of the armored goons after her," the old man said that seemed to be mostly in charge.

“So, what the fuck did you bring her here for? They’ll come looking for her, and then we’re all fucked," the woman in front of her said as if Jane could not hear her.

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Jeff sat at a large table in a dimly lit room in what he assumed was a police headquarters in San Diego, although no one had bothered to tell him where he was, and no one had read him his rights. He assumed he was considered an enemy combatant and his rights had been waived. In the States, it wouldn’t surprise him, but he was in California.

The room filled with people drinking coffee, but no one offered him any.

“There are some very serious charges against you, Jeff," a fat man that seemed to be in charge directed his comments more at the room than Jeff.

Jeff sat there and said nothing. The fat man looked at him, “you’re not going to say anything?"

“Could I have some coffee?" Jeff asked.

“You are probably going to rot in prison, and you ask me for coffee. It is a shame, given your decades of service, that you find yourself in the middle of this foolish little revolution. I could see that life is easier for you if you cooperate," the fat man said. Jeff stared back at him, thinking that it sounded like an old black and white movie he found in the archives called “Dick Tracey."

“Where’s your friend?" the fat man asked, sounding annoyed.

“The one that you were going to have in custody within the hour yesterday," Jeff asked. “I trust he was more resourceful than you anticipated."

“It’s just a matter of time. Have you seen the news about what happened in Oklahoma? We’ll have that bitch wishing she had never lived. Do you know who I am talking about?" the fat man asked.

“My cellmate last night said there is a big blackout in the States. I heard over thirty attacks occurred in Texas, all within a two-hour window. I heard that not a watt of power is moving into the States from Texas," Jeff said in a belligerent tone. “Is that what has stuck up your ass?”

“You are part of that gang, aren’t you," the fat man said.

“Who am I speaking to?" Jeff asked.

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The Copter-Jet picked up Jane from the copter-pad at George’s estate. Jane sat alone in the copter-jet. She wore black, short-shorts and an alamo t-shirt. She had a hip holster that carried her phone and a solar battery charger. The phone case was held into place by an elastic strap that went around her leg. She had the strap under her shorts, which caused the case to uncover more of her ass cheek. She absentmindedly played with the shorts and case, giving the impression she was showing off her hip and butt. She had deliberately worn a t-shirt one size too small and no bra. In the back of her mind, she imagined being captured on this mission and the live broadcasts of her being dragged off to jail, her hands cuffed behind her, and the impression she would leave. She had put on red lipstick that was not supposed to wash off easily. She had changed her regular orange shoelaces to red to match her lipstick. As she sat there in the quiet of the jet-copter, humming along at 500 miles per hour, she made up a speech in her head if she got a chance to deliver it.

Everything else, including ID and money, could be handled using her phone, she thought to herself in an obsessive mental checklist that ran through her head. She took a deep breath and tried to quiet her fear with some meditation. Giving up, she got out her phone and called David.

She started talking before David could say anything, “David, I’m on my way to meet up with George. Have you heard anything from Alfred?”

“Hi, Jane, are you okay? You sound upset.”

“I’m trying to ignore it, but I think I’m afraid. I am not sure I am in the right line of work.”

“Well, I think we are all afraid. After today, we either must be successful or end up in jail. It’s terrifying when I think my children’s dad could end up in prison or dead. So, I’m with you.”

“So, I’m normal?” Jane asked and then laughed.

“Well, normal might be stretching it, but you are okay. Alfred hasn’t been caught. He is on a motorbike in the San Diego foothills. He is amazingly resourceful. Juan has got a copter-jet ready to zoom in and extract him. I am just waiting for him to call in. He must have his phone off,” David explained.

“There was some story about a woman being arrested in the foothills. I saw a news alert on my phone with a woman thrashing around on the ground. Did that have anything to do with Alfred?”

“Yeah, it was a girl named Lily that Alfred was with. She tipped off their location by using her phone,” David explained.

“Why was she half nude and thrashing around as they all watched. What was that all about?”

“I think Alfred tied her up. You should know something else. Lily showed Alfred some nude pictures of you tied up in a hall. He was upset.”

“God damn, Henry.”

“Henry Monroe?”

“Yeah. Damn. I didn’t mean to say that out loud about Henry.”

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Jeff and Alfred flew into San Diego separately and then met in a small coffee shop near the First Union Bank, where Jane had stored a copy of Lisa on a quantum drive a few months ago.

“How was your trip?" Jeff asked Alfred.

“I’ve never ridden in an autonomous Uber before; we don’t have those yet in Mexico. They’re illegal," Alfred said.

“Why are they illegal?" Jeff asked.

“They were afraid all the taxi and truck drivers would lose their jobs like in California and the States," so we just didn’t let it happen, I guess," Alfred said.

“Do you think anyone followed you?" Jeff asked.

“I don’t see how they could have, all the way from Mexico, through Customs and two plane changes, and an Uber ride to here. And, I don’t think anyone thinks I am important, except for you guys," Alfred explained.

“Ok, let’s look at a map. The bank is four blocks over. We are going to take different paths that crisscross. I will get to the first crisscross, and you should be able to see if anyone is following me on foot," Jeff explained, pointing at the map pulled up on this phone.

“And you will get to the second crisscross before I do, and I will check if anyone is on foot behind you," Jeff continued.

“What if someone has tapped into the video cameras that cover the streets. They are everywhere. Or they are using a satellite to follow us," Alfred asked. “Does anyone really follow anyone on foot anymore? That seems lame."

“You’re right. I just want to control what I can control. Let’s just hope that we are low enough profile and that the States can’t reach into California. I’m not a big fan of government, let’s say, I lack trust."

“Assuming all goes well at the bank, we both have the address of the Simon Head at the Western Plating Shop. I assume we should ride separately and make it a little harder to follow us," Jeff suggested.

“I think you are being so paranoid that you are going to trigger one of the algorithms that monitor for unusual behavior," Alfred said. “I thought you used to be a spy or something? I think we should just act like nothing's wrong. You are overthinking this, Jeff. Just be cool."

“Point taken. I was moved to desk jobs more than a decade ago. Most of my career was before the machines took over everything. I would have been great back in the good old days," Jeff said and then laughed. “Let’s do it," Jeff said and stood up. Alfred took the last sip of his mocha, double chocolate, and tossed it toward the trash.

Nothing noticeable happened on the journey. The lawyers had already greased the wheels to minimize the problems of getting into someone else’s safety deposit box. However, the bank president still had to be called down since it was very unusual for the bank to allow anyone but the original owner to access a safety deposit box. He looked over their ID’s. Jeff had an old fashion card, and Alfred held up his phone and beamed his ID to the bank clerk. The bank escorted them into the vault and furnished both keys to open the box.

The bank president and the clerk left them alone as they opened the box. It was easy to pick out what they needed; there was only one thing inside of the box, the quantum drive. It was about six inches long and four inches wide and high. Alfred wrapped it some high-tech packing bubbles and put it in his backpack and said, “let’s go."

Jane took her new high-security phones out of the box before breakfast. It looked exactly like a smartphone except when she turned to the contacts page and looked through the names. Every contact had a four-digit number starting with hers at 0001. David was 0002 and she pressed the call icon at the bottom of the page. It took three rings before he picked up.

“Hi, Jane, I see you got your phone," David said.

“I got it yesterday. How are things in Texas?" Jane asked.

“Tense to say the least. Lots of demonstrations in the street. President Garcia is urging all to stay calm reassuring us negotiations are in progress. Everyone is getting restless and there is lots of anger. Our militia members are holding firm and waiting, but it won’t be long before it’s a free-for-all here. There are rumors that there is a buildup of Marines in Louisiana."

“Any reason we shouldn’t move this weekend as planned?" Jane asked.

“Pretty scary to know we will be considered criminals, maybe even terrorists, after this weekend. We are ready. We have 40 teams, all of them know their assignment. At exactly 5 am on Saturday morning, they will all detonate their charges."

“I want to make one change," Jane said.

“What is it?" David asked.

“I want to join in, I want to be on one of the teams," Jane said. “Is Sam going out on a job?”

“Of course, you know you are the only one that has a chance to get Lisa back online. How is that going?" David asked.

“It’s not. No luck so far. Are Jeff and Alfred on their way to San Diego?" Jane asked.

“They are in San Diego. The lawyers have all the paperwork in place, and we have got Alfred access to the cloud from a militiaman who’s got a company with a branch in San Diego. We think we are good. Jeff is 0047 on your phone and Alfred is 0004. As you can see, there are only first names in case the phones fall into the wrong hands. Did you set your password, eye scan, and fingerprint security system up?”

“Not yet. But, where will Sam be on Friday night?" Jane asked.

“He will be at a hotel in Waco, Texas. There is a large transformer there. It is one of the more complicated assignments because the transformer is inside the gates of their main power plant," David explained.

“I’ll call Sam directly. I got something else," Jane said.

“Okay?" David asked.

“I have it on good sources that the Feds know where I am," Jane said.

“If you are going to ask me how they know or confirm they know, I can’t do either. I will also assume you have a good source," David said.

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When Joe and Jane got back to the hotel, Joe tried to check his gun with Jesus, but Jesus told him it was not necessary. Jane had a package, but she chose not to open it in front of Joe, and he didn’t ask. They ordered a bottle of champagne and some strawberries.

Joe stripped first and went into the shower. Jane joined him a few minutes later. Both just enjoyed the hot water and washing each other. Fifteen minutes into the shower, Joe slapped Jane hard on the rump and then headed for the bed still dripping wet.  He lay on top of the covers, holding himself up on one elbow, his erection waiting for Jane.

A minute later she moved in beside him having taken a moment to dry herself. “You’re getting your bed wet," she teased.

“I’ll have to find somewhere else to sleep," Joe said.

“Don’t think you can weasel yourself into my bed, I need my sleep," she said as she leaned forward and nipped at his lower lip.

He laid back and she followed him, moving herself half on top of him. He moved his arm behind her and let his hand run up from her butt to the middle of her back. “Every muscle in your beautiful body is so toned and firm. You have such beautiful curves," he said as his fingers traced from below her breasts, along her stomach and down to her groin. “I have never met anyone like you. You're beautiful of course, but you know that. You are so vulnerable, you are just out there with your thoughts and feelings showing, hiding nothing."

“I am not that way with everyone, Joe. Consider yourself special. You let me be me, and you accept me. And you tell me your opinion honestly and kindly and then leave it to me to decide. Lots of men have a problem with that," she said and kissed him hard.

He was slow and deliberate as he first touched and then gently began kissing her body worshipping each inch.

Jane was used to the passion and speed of younger men; she had no experience with an older man anywhere close to Joe’s age. She found herself watching him caress her body first with his eyes, then his hands, and then his lips. He moved about her body as if he had all the time in the world to know and celebrate all of it. She felt very comfortable with him, perhaps more so than any man she had ever been with. She would trust him with her life, she found it easy to trust her body to him.

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