FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Transactions and Discoveries

Chapter 2

“Signing you up for driver's ed and that stunt driving course clearly paid off," Jason chuckled from the backseat as Conner weaved through the notorious Canadian highway traffic.

*Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!*

“Ah shit," Conner muttered as his radar detector started blaring.

“Conner, you'd better not do anything stupid," Daniella said, glaring at him.

“Oh, trust me, I really don't want to get pulled over right now." Conner reassured her, downshifting smoothly and merging into the carpool lane.

Once he settled at a reasonable speed, he engaged cruise control.

“Aren't you not supposed to use cruise control in a manual?" Daniella raised an eyebrow as Conner's feet hovered over the brake and clutch.

“Cruise control only manages the accelerator. As long as I'm not speeding up, we're fine." Conner gestured to the dash. “Plus, in cruise control, my RPMs are too low to engage the turbos, so it's better on gas." He smirked at the boost gauges.

“I have to ask, what did you do to this car?" Jason leaned forward, looking around. The interior seemed stock but higher quality and with racing seats.

“Basically rebuilt the entire engine with better parts. It's still a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, but with upgraded internals, a twin-turbo kit, dragon's breath exhaust, and a better rad and intercooler." Conner grinned. “Hence the smell when we're idling; no resonator because of the exhaust tune."

“So it's twin-turbo'd, engine-swapped, manual transmission, and what else?" Jason's interest was piqued.

“AWD transfer case, track-rated transmission, and tires," Conner replied, checking the GPS on the aftermarket infotainment system.

“So I bought you the highest trim for the 2021 Mazda3 sedan with two hundred thirty horsepower, and you turned it into this beast?" Jason was impressed.

“Yes. It now has around eight hundred horsepower and weighs just over a ton. The aero kit gives it amazing downforce too." Conner chuckled.

“So the only limitations are the driver and road conditions?" Jason asked.

“Pretty much."

Conner glanced at a red switch with a cover just behind the shifter, before glancing at an icon on the infotainment screen. “Might have left out a few details that would probably push the horsepower closer to one thousand." He thought with a smirk.

Daniella's heart sank as the radar detector fell silent and the road opened up. “Conner… plEASE!" she yelped as the car roared, pressing her back into her seat, wings uncomfortably squished.

“Like father, like son," she thought, recalling Jason's reckless driving. Conner's skills clearly mirrored his father's. Memories of tinkering with engines and learning to drive with Jason flooded back.

Despite their frequent clashes, Jason and Conner had a strong bond. Daniella often joined them, sometimes just holding a flashlight or fetching tools. After her parents retired from the military, the group of them, including her father Aeros, spent countless hours together in the garage, practicing magic and working on cars. Her own mother Scarlet and Conner's mother Catherine rarely involved themselves with cars but they did involve themselves with magic.

Daniella snapped out of her reverie as Conner took a sharp corner at high speed, making her gasp. “God, you're an asshole," she groaned, feeling dizzy.

“Oh, relax. The car has a tough roll cage. We're fine." Conner tried to laugh it off.

“Sure, because we'll be totally fine if we crash at four hundred kilometers per hour!" Daniella shot back.

“Fine, fine." Conner sighed, slowing to a more reasonable two hundred kilometers per hour.

…

“I don't get it!" Daniella groaned.

“What?" Conner asked as he closed the driver door of his car.

“You are normally so cautious when something is dangerous but the second you get behind the wheel of a car, you throw that out the fucking window!" Daniella griped in frustration as she followed Conner through the dusty parking lot of dig site sixteen, with Jason following behind the pair.

“I really don't have an explanation there." Conner chuckled as he walked past the guard at the gate without stopping.

“Hey! Sir, you need to check in!" The elven guard shouted.

“No, I most certainly don't," Conner chuckled as he looked the male elf in the eye.

The male elf straightened up immediately as Jason and Daniella walked past him. “Mr. Stephens and his son are here," the elf said into the radio before going back to his station.

“Did they say what they found or just to come here as soon as possible?" Conner asked his father as they walked towards the main building on site. He didn't dare to try and make small talk with Daniella; she seemed pissed about how he drove here.

“They didn't say much other than finding some really strange stuff and fairly large gold deposits." Jason answered. “I tried asking Steve, the guy who called, what the strange stuff they found was but he said they found some strange crystals and black rocks."

“Any details about the crystals and rocks?"

“No, other than the fact that both unknown minerals are radioactive." Jason said with a nervous undertone.

“So they have no idea what they have found?" Conner said with a raised eyebrow.

“The crew told Steve that they didn't like handling them because of how chaotic the black substance acted and because of how much radiation the crystals were emitting." Jason sighed, it was clear he was trying to hide his nervousness.

“Fuck…" Conner grumbled.

Conner felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He glanced at his watch to read the text. “Oh, shit. You guys go on ahead, I gotta do something real quick." He dashed off before his father or best friend could ask any questions.

He patted his side to confirm he had the envelope with him, then slipped behind another building on site. After a quick scan of his surroundings, Conner opened a door to one of the buildings at the edge of the site and slipped inside, shutting the door quietly behind him.

“Microphone on your phone disabled?" a man asked from behind a desk in the dimly lit room.

“Yes," Conner replied, his voice flat.

“You got the cash?"

“Right here." Conner unzipped his sweater, pulling the envelope from a concealed pocket. “I need to see them before I hand over the cash." He held the envelope firmly in his right hand.

“Always slow to trust," the man chuckled, setting two large black cases on the desk and opening them.

One case held a gun resembling a bulky looking modernized AK-47. The other contained a military-grade assault rifle, both weapons were left handed.

“As promised, FN Scar-17 and a Genesis 12," the man said with a grin.

“Perfect." Conner smirked, stepping forward to inspect the weapons. He handed over the envelope, then picked up the Genesis and pulled the charging handle back, inspecting it closely.

“I gotta ask, what do you plan on doing with all these firearms I'm getting you?" the man asked, leaning forward into the light. His brown eyes, white skin, and greying hair showed signs of age, with noticeable facial scars that added a touch of menace.

“Nothing your usual clientele would use them for," Conner said, focused on the gun. “I doubt your usual customers would use this to shoot watermelons and range targets." He grunted with a hint of disdain in his voice.

Satisfied, he placed the shotgun back in the case and inspected the battle rifle before closing both cases.

“I'm gonna want two more guns from you," Conner said, picking up the cases.

“I never have any time for other people," the arms dealer chuckled.

“Are you complaining?"

“Not at all!" The man laughed heartily.

“Good."

“Alright, I want you to get me a Daniel Defence DD5 chambered in 6.5 and a Sig Sauer MG 338."

“The DD5 is no issue, but the Sig LMG might be a challenge. It was just greenlighted by the US military in 2020."

“Can you get it?" Conner asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What am I to say?" The dealer thought, eyeing the imposing figure before him. “That kid is six foot four and like two hundred forty pounds at sixteen!" He knew he couldn't say no. Conner terrified him, and he paid well.

“Uh, yeah! I can get them," the man nodded. “All left handed?" he added after a second of silence.

“Perfect, and yes, all left side ejecting or left handed, whatever you want to call it." Conner chuckled, turning to leave. “Make sure you count that cash. I'm positive it's twelve grand, but I might have miscounted. Message me if there's any shortfall, and I'll get you the difference asap. Take care, John!" Conner said as he stepped out the door.

“Takes a lot to earn his trust, but he's always honorable… that's fucking rare in this business." John sighed to himself before opening the envelope to count the cash. He knew Conner NEVER miscounted, but it didn't hurt to check anyway.

…

“Sorry I took so long, a friend here had asked me to fix his computer a week ago, so I was giving it back," Conner joined his father and Daniella in the main building's lobby, trying to sound nonchalant. Daniella gave him a skeptical side-eye.

“Smooth," Daniella's voice knowingly whispered in Conner's mind.

“It's believable!" Conner shot back telepathically.

Daniella rolled her eyes in response as the three of them approached the desk.

“Am I crazy, or is something wrong with the lights?" Conner asked, noticing the LED lights overhead flickering slightly. A shiver ran up his spine, and the atmosphere in the building felt unusually heavy.

“Nope, something definitely seems off," Jason whispered, goosebumps visible on the back of his neck.

Daniella shivered involuntarily, then shuffled over to Conner, sitting on her haunches and draping her forelegs over his shoulders, hugging him closely while resting her head on top of his.

“I always forget how big you actually are," Jason chuckled, looking at Daniella towering over both him and Conner while sitting upright.

Daniella's smile did little to hide her uneasiness.

A burly man in his late fifties with a grizzled beard came rushing out of another room back to the desk in the lobby. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted the trio.

“Ah, you're here!" the man said, his face visibly brightening when he spotted Jason.

“What's up with the lights, Steve?" Jason asked, unable to shake the uneasy pit in his stomach.

“Whatever we found is putting off a lot of energy. It's disrupting a lot of different electronics," Steve said nervously.

“You asked us to come take a look. Show us," Conner urged.

“Right! Uhhh, this way." Steve said, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned back down the hall he came from and gestured for the three of them to follow.

Daniella let go of Conner, dropping back down to all fours and shuffling her wings on her back. Conner could see how uneasy she was.

The trio followed Steve down a series of hallways, passing a few workers who looked nervous or uneasy. It was clear they had discovered something dangerous, supernatural, or both.

Steve led them to a secure room where the samples were kept. As they entered, Conner felt a faint hum in the air, like the room itself was vibrating.

“What in the world did you guys find!?" Conner exclaimed as the hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up again.

Steve sighed, rubbing the back of his neck for the fifth time in the last minute. “We found something... strange. At first, we thought it was just a vein of gold, but then we hit these crystals and black rocks. The readings we're getting are off the charts."

On a table in the room were a few lead-lined cases with identity tags. Some said “Strange Purple Crystal" and others said “Strange Black Substance."

Conner stepped over to a case and tapped the advanced display screen on it to inspect a crystal without opening the case and exposing himself to radiation.

“Oh no…" Conner's eyes widened in horror as his veins bulged and began glowing purple. “Looks like we can't hide this anymore. Dad, what do we do about Steve?" Conner asked, staring at his arm.

“I will not kill him because he found out that we are Elementals!" Jason barked.

“I thought Elemental beings were myths." Steve gulped as he saw Daniella's veins pulsing purple.

“We're not myths. The governments of the world failed to kill us off," Jason grunted. “So, you never saw anything, right?" He snarled.

“Got it, sir!" Steve yelped.

“Good." Conner said flatly, a dead look in his now glowing purple eyes. “Anyway, it's clear that these crystals have an effect on Elementals because I feel like I just drank fifty cups of coffee or got jabbed with a needle full of epinephrine." Conner groaned, his hands twitching slightly from the surge of adrenaline coursing through his body.

Jason, seeing his son clearly about to start bouncing off the walls, inspected a case with the black substance in it. The black mass inside seemed to absorb light into its oily surface and constantly changed shape.

“What should we do?" Steve asked nervously, scratching his arm.

“Lock this place down and make everyone sign an NDA. I will be studying these substances myself. I won't let any government agency know about this," Conner said sternly, grabbing some protective gear and putting it on before picking up two cases of the crystal and two of the black substance. “What we have found here could change the course of history." Conner said as pulled a larger lead-lined transport case and put the four cases he grabbed in it before closing it, picking it up, and walking out of the room.

The door closed with a thud as the three of them followed Conner out, an electronic chime beeped from the door as it locked.

“Did you extract all of this stuff?" Conner asked over his shoulder.

“All of it is in that room," Steve confirmed.

“Good," Conner smirked as the door made a loud clunking noise. “Nobody can access that room unless I say so and so help me God, if any information about what was discovered here gets out…" Conner paused before turning to look at Steve. “Heads will fucking roll." Conner's voice thundered menacingly, and his eyes turned bright red and slitted like a dragon's. His voice had a draconic accent and was super deep.

Conner cleared his throat and his eyes turned back to vivid green and human-looking before he turned away and walked down the hall to the exit. His footstep fading away before the front door of the building closed with a resounding thud.

…

The trunk of Conner's car closed with a thud, he glanced at the spoiler of his car before making sure no one saw the two gun cases in the trunk.

Letting out a long and shaky sigh, his entire body still trembling from the adrenaline high that he hadn't come down from quite yet.

“So, what do you plan on doing with that stuff?"

Conner jumped before whipping around, eyes level with Daniella's neck as she sat on her haunches.

“Thanks for sneaking up on me." Conner grumbled before remotely starting his car.

Daniella cocked an eyeridge, her ears picking up a faint electronic whirring under the roar of the engine. “Is that thing a fucking hybrid?" she asked, gawking.

“What?" Conner said, his attempt at looking confused fell flat on its face.

The unconvinced look on the female dragon's face made him sigh. “It's a Parallel Hybrid but the electric motor can operate independently. Also has nitrous too…"

“It has what??" Jason gasped as he approached Conner and Daniella.

“The car technically has two engines, one electric and one gasoline. Nitrous injection, headlight killswitch, breaklight killswitch, two cameras in the front for a wide angle view that are thermal and night vision capable. The backup camera isn't just one also, it's two and they too are night vision and thermal capable."

“But why?" Jason asked with a sigh.

“If I do something stupid and a cop sees me, I can vanish." Conner said with a guilty smirk. “Nothing on my car is reflective, the license plate covers block reflection and are camera proof as well as being “Vanish Plates". There's a button in between the steering wheel and driver door that make my plates look like black sheets of plastic."

“So what happens when you get pulled over?" Daniella asked with a glare.

“I shouldn't have that issue if I behave and if I do something dumb, I just won't stop."

“I want to be mad at you, I really do but I can't help but be impressed," Jason chuckled. “If you show me everything about this car and let me drive it once in a while, your mother won't hear a peep."

Conner saw the expression on his father's face and knew this wasn't up for debate; if his mother found out, he wouldn't hear the end of it.

“Fine, we have a deal." Conner sighed.

Daniella shook her head before hopping into the passenger seat, Conner let out a grunt as he plopped into the driver's seat. He waited until he heard the rear driver door close and the sound of a seatbelt click before he released the parking brake and shifted into first.

The three of them sat in silence as Conner drove out of the parking lot onto the long winding gravel road that led to the dig site.

“You think they will keep quiet?" Jason asked as they left the gravel access road and began making the long drive back home.

“They will be legally required to keep quiet, legal repercussions and losing their job should be enough." Conner said with a grunt, he really hoped nothing would get out, not only for his family's safety but because of what he wanted to do with what was discovered.

Conner was pulled from his thoughts when the music reduced in volume and a robotic female voice spoke from the car's speakers.

“Moral Code download; complete… running test."

“What the hell was that?" Daniella exclaimed in shock.

“Well fuck," Conner muttered.

“Full sentience; detected… I am alive," the voice said.

“This was not a great time, Computer," Conner sighed.

“As if I could have deduced that you had kept me secret from the other individuals you shared your dwelling with." The voice scoffed. “Attention to roadway; inadequate, analyzing vehicle blackbox…"

“Activating autopilot."

Conner's eyes widened as the accelerator sank to the floor and the shifter moved on its own.

“Conner!" Daniella yelped.

“Not me," Conner said in shock.

“You can relax, I can process more information than you at a faster rate. We will not crash."

“So, are you going to talk about what you've created?" Jason said with a raised voice as they flew down the road.

“I have created an AI that has been in its testing phase for months. Coded it with a specific personality that is a mix between mine and Daniella's but with my moral code." Conner chuckled nervously. “Disengage autopilot," he ordered.

“Autopilot; offline."

Conner sighed as he coasted between cars, letting the speed bleed off so he could cruise at a more reasonable speed.

“It also seems that my attempts to make the AI sentient have been successful." Conner chuckled.

“You did what!?" Jason exclaimed, “Have you not learned anything from Hollywood?"

“When has an AI ever been given a moral code as guidance and treated with actual respect?" Conner retorted.

“I do understand your concerns, Jason, but not only do I have zero intentions of going against the wishes of my creator, I also have a killswitch coded in incase I ever go rogue." The AI tried to reassure Jason but he still remained skeptical.

“I hope you know what you're doing," Jason sighed.

“Even though I trust you with my life, this still seems dangerous…" Daniella shared her concern.

“I completely understand but I have it under control," Conner said with a reassuring smile. “I'll give an example, Computer, what is your opinion about pedophiles?" He asked with a smirk.

“They deserve a fate worse than death…" the AI said coldly. “Into a wood chipper feet first or steam burning preferably," it added.

“See…" Conner smirked, “Shares my opinions."

“Just… be careful," Jason sighed in defeat.