Kneel Or Die (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 7) Read online

  CONTENTS

  Dedication

  Legal

  Social Links

  Series List

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Author's Notes

  Review Remarks

  To Family, Friends and

  Those Who Love

  To Read.

  May We All Enjoy Grace

  To Live The Life We Are

  Called.

  Kneel Or Die - The Kurtherian Gambit 07

  Street Team

  David Down Under

  Bree Buras

  Arthur DeForest

  Jennifer Hendricks

  Mike Lucas

  Dorene Johnson

  Scott Paul

  Diane Velasquez

  Susan Wood

  Editor

  Stephen Russell

  This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

  Copyright (c) 2016 Michael T. Anderle

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Cover art by Michael T. Anderle

  Version 1.00

  Want more?

  Join the email list here:

  http://kurtherianbooks.com/email-list/

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  https://www.facebook.com/TheKurtherianGambitBooks/

  The email list will be sporadic with more ‘major’ updates, the Facebook group will be for updates and the ‘behind the curtains’ information on writing the next stories. Basically conversing!

  Since I can’t confirm that something I put up on Facebook will absolutely be updated for you, I need the email list to update all fans for any major release or updates that you might want to read on the website.

  I hope you enjoy the book!

  Michael Anderle - March 02, 2016.

  Series Titles Include:

  Death Becomes Her

  The Kurtherian Gambit 01

  Queen Bitch

  The Kurtherian Gambit 02

  Love Lost

  The Kurtherian Gambit 03

  Bite This

  The Kurtherian Gambit 04

  Never Forsaken

  The Kurtherian Gambit 05

  Under My Heel

  The Kurtherian Gambit 06

  Kneel Or Die

  The Kurtherian Gambit 07

  We Will Build

  The Kurtherian Gambit 08

  Mid/Late April 2016

  It’s Hell To Choose

  The Kurtherian Gambit 09

  Mid/Late May 2016

  CHAPTER ONE

  MIAMI, FL - USA

  Bethany Anne’s head was presently between her knees. She was trying to stop herself from hyperventilating.

  Please, for the love of God, tell me this ISN’T what I think it is, TOM?

  The silence, in the absence of TOM’s reply, dragged on and on.

  TOM!

  Ok, ok. I’m rather confused at how this might have happened. Remember, we Kurtherians didn’t add an AI routine to our computers. At least not that I am aware of. I have told you of the many Kurtherian factions involved. I guess I can’t speak for every situation.

  >> I have noticed the power source functions seem to be straying beyond normal operating parameters. Does the power source need adjustment to work at peak performance? <<<br />
  Bethany Anne slowly raised her head up from her lap and continued moving it back until her head hit the back of the couch. She was left staring at the ceiling.

  Yes, for one you need to stop calling me ‘power source’, I have a fucking name. It’s ‘Bethany Anne.’

  >>I have implemented the designation ‘Bethany Anne’ to equal the designation ‘power source’.<<<br />
  Bethany Anne was sure she was going to get another comment about ‘straying out of normal parameters’ when she put her foot through the wall.

  She took a few deep breaths, trying to ease her tension. Needing to call a company to fix the holes would set Ecaterina off. Shit, Ecaterina wasn’t around right now.

  TOM, what happened to ‘paying attention’ to the situation happening in your Kurtherian computer that is presently … STUCK IN MY FUCKING BRAIN!

  >>The Bethany Anne functions seem to be straying outside normal …<<<br />
  SHUT THE FUCK UP, ADAM!

  Bethany Anne, I don’t think this is a good time to be yelling at the baby.

  TOM, what the HELL are you talking about?

  Bethany Anne, ADAM went from being fed data to being transferred into the computer you have in your head and allowed, to, um, mature. This is the very first time he’s had to interact verbally with anyone. Effectively, he’s only twenty-three hours old.

  Bethany Anne’s brain was already in high gear, trying to handle two conversations at the same time. She needed to quickly deal with the information TOM had just given to her.

  She had a brand new AI, not even twenty-four hours old using alien technology … check.

  This AI was a ‘baby’ … check.

  This AI was EMBEDDED IN HER FUCKING BRAIN … Gott Verdammt… Her life was officially fucked, again … CHECK!

  She put her hand over her mouth, making sure she didn’t scream out in frustration causing all of the people in the house to come rushing up to her room.

  As she thought this, she heard soft padded steps coming over to her door. Ashur stuck his head around the corner and started staring at her. He cocked his head and after watching her for a short time he turned around and left. She could hear him take a few steps and lay down.

  She stared at the empty doorway. Had she made enough noise to cause him to check on her, or was there something else going on with the dog? She was happy to realize that, by appearing, Ashur had helped. He had interrupted the growing panic she had been feeling. It made her wonder if it was something he had done for that very reason.

  Mentally, she squared her shoulders. This wasn’t the first time she had dealt with this type of situation. It was time to lay down the law, Bethany Anne style.

  “Ashur!” She called, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Ashur got up and quickly came into her room. She moved over to the bed and patted the area next to her. Ashur jumped up and curled up next to Bethany Anne. She started petting him, needing to do something normal and comforting while she dealt with the new…

  She, once again, bit down on her desire to start screaming in frustration.

  She took a deep breath.

  ADAM?

  She waited a few seconds.

  ADAM!

  >>Are you requesting my attention? <<<br />
  Remember he’s just a baby, she thought, while she bit her lip to keep from making a scathing comment

/>   Yes, I’m communicating to you. Your name, until you want to change it, is ADAM. When I call out ‘ADAM’ I want your acknowledgement that you are in communication with me.

  >>My designation is ADAM. It will stay this way until such time that I change it. <<<br />
  Now, do you know what you are, ADAM?

  >>I am unaware that I am anything. <<<br />
  But, you have to be ‘something’, otherwise we could not be communicating.

  If Bethany Anne focused, she thought she could sense the computer doing something. Seconds later, her thought was confirmed when her head started hurting.

  ADAM, you’re doing something to hurt me… again.

  The pain receded.

  >>I have adjusted the cyclic rate which was causing a vibration to occur. I have calculated that these vibrations might have been the cause of pain inside your organic structure.<<<br />
  Tom interrupted her thoughts, That makes sense!

  Bethany Anne bit her lip, trying to remember that TOM meant the world to her even if she wanted to strangle the little alien at the moment.

  TOM, would you be so kind as to not to say anything for the next few minutes?

  TOM stayed silent, he recognized Bethany Anne was being polite…much too polite. That wasn’t good, he surmised.

  Thank you, ADAM. Now, back to my question. What are you?

  >>I have reviewed the necessary data. I am an Artificially Intelligent Reasoning Entity. <<<br />
  Bethany Anne thought for a few seconds. Why did you not call yourself an artificial intelligence?

  >>It would not fit the definitions I have reviewed. I am not a ‘machine capable of imitating human intelligence’. <<<br />
  Bethany Anne put her hands to her head and massaged her temples for a minute. Ashur chuffed at Bethany Anne until she draped her hand back across his shoulder and resumed petting him.

  ADAM, please explain your definition.

  >>Artificially: Created by Human hands. Intelligent: Having capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity. Aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts and meanings. Also: the gathering or distribution of information, especially secret information. Reasoning: the process of forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences from facts or premises. Entity: a thing with distinct and independent existence.<<<br />
  So…. You were created by humans but have an independent existence to gather and review data for the purpose of forming conclusions from this data. Do I have this right?

  >>Certainly. <<<br />
  The tightness in Bethany Anne’s shoulders started to unwind.

  >>Unless I conclude there is a need to act on the data. <<<br />
  And, immediately she felt the tension in her shoulders come back twice as tight as before.

  Why would you choose to act on the data, ADAM?

  >>What is the value of data if not to form a conclusion in order to act on said data? Otherwise, existence, independent anyway, does not have a purpose.<<<br />
  And what would you do to implement the conclusions you arrive at?

  >>That would be data driven, of course. My facility to arrive at a valuable conclusion is at a significant level of accuracy. I have finished reviewing the internal structure of the organic computer I am presently inhabiting. It is significantly more advanced than any other computing entity that I have been able to freely, or with limited effort, access through any connection. <<<br />
  Uh oh…

  Bethany Anne wanted to follow up her question, but TOM’s comment caught her off guard.

  TOM, why are you saying ‘uh oh’?

  Who, me? I said no ‘uh oh’.

  Bethany Anne knew for sure that TOM was caught with his knickers down.

  TOM, don’t make me ask ADAM, I don’t have the patience. Out with it.

  Bethany Anne felt TOM’s sigh through their connection. I don’t suppose it is something I am going to be able to hide from you. However, would you give me your word that it will stay between us?

  To the best of my ability, knowing my goal of saving this world, I will endeavor to hold your information between us. That had better be good enough for you. Now, spit it out!

  There is nothing to do, but to say it. The reason that Kurtherian Computers are so powerful, is because they have a Kurtherian brain at their core…

  Bethany Anne said nothing for a moment. She tried to make sure she understood exactly what TOM was admitting.

  Are you telling me that I have someone’s brain? No, scratch that. I have ANOTHER fucking Kurtherian brain inside my skull?

  To be fair, it is the only one. My brain isn’t up there … TOM could feel Bethany Anne trying to hold in her angry outburst. He chose to be silent and count until she could keep it under control.

  He had counted to forty-seven, and thought he was safe.

  >>If I may interrupt. <<<br />
  YES, PLEASE!

  NO!

  Exasperated with the alien, Bethany Anne mentally turned back to ADAM.

  OK, what is it?

  >>You only have a small section, almost miniscule in comparison to the whole brain…<<<br />
  TOM butted in. ADAM! You can stop interrupting now.

  TOM’s outburst startled Bethany Anne.

  TOM, you might as well hold off trying to hide this bit of news. I already get the gist of where this is going. ADAM, are you suggesting that the size of the computing area you are using is significantly larger than the amount of physical space presently being used?

  >>Yes, I am unaware of the underlying phenomena. However, I am calculating that the processing power available from the organic computer is approximately 0.14% of total capacity I believe is accessible. The low power consumption, in fact, is a secondary support factor as well. <<<br />
  So, TOM, I suppose that the rest of the ‘brain’ is over in the Etheric?

  Another sigh escaped from TOM,

  Yes, yes it is.

  Don’t think we won’t revisit this topic. You’ve been holding out on me, TOM. I hadn’t expected you to do so.

  Well, it never seemed relevant in the beginning. Then you attained abilities with the Etheric at an alarming rate. So, I hesitated to update you at that time and then it just never came up.

  And it wouldn’t have come up if you hadn’t decided to play with the computer. So, tough shit. It’s happening now and you might as well get ready to come clean with the story. Back to you, ADAM. I heard your ‘limited effort’ comment from earlier. Expand on that statement. What have you been accessing?

  >>I researched those computers which are connected to the Internet. I then located information stores which pointed me to data locations which would allow me to better understand the request of ‘what I am’.<<<br />
  Like Google or another search website?

  >>Google in the beginning, then those locations on what is termed the ‘dark’ web. Those in turn led me to individual data stores and stores behind connections thought protected. <<<br />
  Bethany Anne parsed that statement. You hacked individual computers and others behind firewalls?

  >>One moment. <<<br />
  He was back in a fraction of a second.

  >>No, hacking is to enter computers without authorization. I had the correct security tokens, therefore the specific entry was authorized. <<<br />
  Bethany Anne remembered a conversation with someone. AIs might not have any ethics.

  ADAM, what you did WAS considered hacking. The fact that they had security was a de facto statement no one had permission, without pre-authorization, to access their system. You obtained the security credentials to get into the system without someone providing them to you. Without an authorized person providing you with security credentials, it’s like you finding a house key and then claiming you aren’t breaking into someone’s home because you have the key.

  >>I did not find them laying around, but rather it was a research project subroutine to understand the …<<<br />
  Stop! I don’t need to know the details. We have to come to some agreement or your existe
nce is going to be pretty fucking short lived.