Technomancy

In many areas, high technology and magic use seem to be mutually exclusive.  The two contrast each other so much, rarely are the featured together.  There are some exceptions of course.  The Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher is the first example to come to my mind.  However, this has magic as an underground ability that exists in the shadows of modern life.  In these books, technology fails to work around power magic.

What if this didn't have to be?  What if magic and technology could coexist?  Like any other tale of the modern world, this would include people trying to do wrong with their skills and abilities and others trying to find and stop the evildoers.

One of these days I will learn not to answer my phone when the caller ID tells me it is the local PD on the other end.  I have no problems with law enforcement and they don't have any problems with me.  It's the tremendous amount of work that always follows one of those calls and the torturous bureaucratic chain of hoops I have to leap through in order to get paid for that work.  I am grateful for the pay since my public service clients are just barely enough to cover my costs in a good month, but investigating and consulting for the Police is so much more involved than locating the occasional missing husband or lifting an ancient curse that may or may not have been placed on a household.

I get out of my own head as I get near the address Detective Anderson had given me.  It was impossible to pull up to the front door of the building through the array of Police cars parked up and down the block and the yellow Crime Scene tape strung across the sidewalk.  Instead, I park in an alley around the corner.  Getting out, I activate the alarm and wave my hand to activate the magical wards.  Like the alarm, the wards wouldn't stop anyone from stealing my car, but would notify me and any other magic user in the area if someone tried.  In that case, other little tricks and spells I had in place would help me track the thief and teach them a little lesson at the same time.  The additions I made weren't exactly factory approved and would void any warranty and insurance policies, but I fee; better with them in place.  With the car protected, I nod and turn towards the street and start walking to the officers guarding the yellow tape as though it is the most precious material in the world.

The officer sees me coming and makes sure I am aware he sees me.  When I get within a few steps, he tries to puff up but doesn't seem any more impressive.  He puts a hand out to stop me in my tracks.  "You will have to find a way around.  This is a crime scene and nobody is allowed to enter."

This guy must be new to the Force.  It doesn't take long for me to become known to any officer on the job for more than six months.  With the types of cases I get called for, none of them forget me after we have met.  I keep my hands behind my back and move my fingers in a familiar yet complicated sequence.  A mote of light nearly invisible in the bright sun of the day appears and floats behind me.  A quick mental command sends it quickly far above my head and over the officer in front of me.  Quicker than he could blink, the mote of light is behind him and in the building, seeking out the target I had sent it after.

I stop and stand before the officer with my hands behind my back.  I don't puff up like he did, but I know I can easily take care of myself if the need arises.  There is no need to look more impressive with the energies I have at my command.  "I won't be looking for another way around.  As a matter of fact, I will be walking past that tape and entering the building behind you in just a minute or two."

The officer is torn between confusion and confidence in his position.  He knows he shouldn't let anyone pass, but the authority in my words has him unsure about my identity as just a passing civilian.  Before his mind can settle itself, Detective Anderson comes up behind him and puts a hand on the officer's shoulder.  Despite its gruffness, his voice calmed the officer and his authority cleared up any confusion.  "Let her pass.  She is with me.  Also, learn her face, she will not be delayed any time she shows up at a crime scene."

The officer raises the crime scene tape above his head and gestures me through with a quick "Yes, sir."  I poorly hide my smile as I nod at him after ducking under the tape and walking towards the front door with the chubby detective.

Anderson shakes his head as we walk side by side.  "I keep telling you that you need to get yourself an official license.  Then we could avoid moments like this every time some rookie is on duty."

I no longer try to hide my smile and let it stretch across my face.  "We've done this enough times, you know I won't ever get a government-issued badge as PD Mage.  It would cause too many issues with my side projects.  I also don't like the idea of someone remotely watching every little spell I cast.  Besides, that rookie will remember me more now than if I had just flashed some fancy piece of metal."

Anderson's voice loses all of the authority it had when speaking to the officer.  "I know all of that.  I just want to avoid the need for you to use that damn little wisp thing.  It creeps me out every time it buzzes in and whispers your name in my ear.  Give me the shivers every single time."

I chuckle as another officer opens the doors in front of us and Detective Anderson and I enter a large lobby.  "It's a sprite, not a wisp.  You wouldn't want me to summon a wisp and send it in your direction, trust me."

Anderson doesn't appear to be relieved by my clarification.  "They are all creepy critters to me.  You can give me a detailed lesson later.  Right now, we need to discuss why you are here."

I look away from Anderson and take in the lobby around us.  My first impression was that we were in the front room of a classic theater.  It took me a moment to realize we were in a bank instead.  Velvet ropes on gold plated stands for herding customers to the counter in the middle of the space where tellers would normally be waiting.  A number of desks sit behind a short wall to one side.  A hallway extends to unknown recesses opposite the enclosed desks.  A single door sits in the wall behind the teller counter directly across from the front doors.  Two officers, one to each side, stand watching over the door.

"I'm guessing someone robbed the bank and you want me to help you figure out how."

"The how is fairly easy to figure out.  The bank's cameras caught the whole thing.  What we need your help with is the who."

"If the cameras caught everything, why do you even need my help at all."

"It's because of what the cameras saw that we need your help.  Just three figures walking through the lobby full of customers and past the open door to the vault.  There two of them stand and wait while the third one walks through the vault door."

"I'm still confused as to why you need me.  Cameras see the figures and a lobby full of people?  What is the mystery here?"

"On the cameras the figures are nothing more than white blurs.  Almost like walking blobs of static.  None of the customers or employees saw anyone at all.  None of them could give any kind of description because they couldn't see anyone at all."

"So your perps used an invisibility spell or artifact.  The people here would be unable to see them and the visual distortion would be projected to the camera system.  Only a practiced Viewer here at the time would be able to see them.  Well, what about when they opened the vault door?  Did they leave any fingerprints or DNA or anything?"

Anderson waves the officers away as he opens the door to the vault room.  "That's just it, the suspect didn't open the vault door.  He or she walked THROUGH it while it was still closed and opened it for their accomplices from the inside.  This despite a mild electrical current being run through it and layers of wards on each side."

You take a good look at the oversized round metal door and skim over the protective runes engraved on it.  "That does complicate things a bit.  I understand now why you called me."

What would you do if you could control both magic and technology?  Would you do good or evil?  Would you help people or keep your abilities to yourself?

Identity Verification

I originally had an idea for today's story that was about plans for world domination.  It was to be a piece from the point of view of a maniacal villain bent on taking over the planet.  It was going to be dark and powerful.  Then that train of thought fell off the tracks.

Netflix recently released a new version of a show that was beloved to me in my childhood, Voltron.  As I watched the reboot pilot episode, they mentioned each robotic lion choosing its pilot and the match can't be forced.  While their connection has a mystic angle, I got to wondering about a more technological angle for connecting a weapon and wielder.

There was one series that featured laser swords with an added function to the handle.  When someone gripped the handle, the weapon would sample their blood to make sure they were the kind of person allowed to wield such a weapon.  If the DNA didn't have the correct markers, the sword wouldn't activate.  I wanted to take this idea a little further.  What are some other biometrics that could be measured?  Could combinations of these physical traits be unique enough to tell one person from another?

"Alright you punks!  Millions has been spent on your training.  Apparently some high muckety-muck thinks that has earned all of you the right to your own combat equipment.  I don't see it, but they don't pay me to make these decisions."

A group of young, eager troopers sit still and straight in their chairs as a grizzled officer stands at the front of the briefing room.  The scars on his face and cybernetic leg are testaments to his long combat experience.  Behind him is a screen that currently only displays the logo of the military arm of the Interplanetary Expeditionary Forces.  The troopers know the screen will soon be showing them the specifications of the flight systems and weapons programs that will be assigned to them.  While they all respect the old soldier before them, on the inside they are all impatient and want to try out their new gear.

"Now, before any of you are allowed to pilot a flyer, drive a tank, or fire a cannon, it will have to be attuned to you.  Unlike those fantasy sims I know many of you play, there is nothing spiritual or metaphysical about this."

As he continued to speak, bars and graphs began to appear on the screen.  All of the troopers recognized the displays as the readouts of biological scanners.  Only a few knew exactly what each graph meant and what system in a body generated each readout.

"The first time you grip the controls of a newly configured system, it will take a number of biological readings from you.  DNA patterns, resting brain wave patterns, pheromone levels, and other statistics are are unique to each and every one of you.  Once these are all locked into the system's digital memory, it will compare them with the statistics of anyone else that attempts to use that system.  If someone else tries to use a system programmed for you, they will be ejected immediately.  During ground combat, this can be inconvenient.  I won't go into the hazards of this occurring during operations in space."

A quick shudder ran through all the troopers as they considered the realities of suddenly being ejected into a hard vacuum.  It was something all of them had seen the results of, but none wanted to experience personally.  As the group mentally recovered, medtechs entered the room from a side door.
 The officer finished his speech as generic schematics for computer systems and controller configurations flashed across the screen.

"Making these combat systems operable for only one person makes them extremely expensive.  Regardless of what the accountants say, I consider each of them more valuable than any one of you.  Once you have been dispatched, be sure and treasure your equipment and bring it back.  If you don't, I will personally track you down and extract every lost dollar out of your hide.

Now, follow these specialists to the medical bay and they will get you outfitted for your individual attunements."

There are so many different ways today of gathering biological data on an individual.  Would it really be so hard to customize a weapon or vehicle so that only one person can operate it?

I do realize this would be expensive.  It would also nearly eliminate the used car sales industry.  Can you think of any advantages to such a system?