by G. P. Hudson
They soon arrived at the ship’s cafeteria. Korinna again grew anxious when she stepped inside the expansive area. Dozens of crewmembers were inside eating and talking. Catherine reached out and took hold of Korinna’s hand, smiling reassuringly, and led her to the food dispenser.
“Isaac modified the food dispenser from its original design,” Catherine said. “He thought that the crew should eat better than the usual slop Zeta feeds its clones.” Catherine tapped the display, and a menu appeared. “Here is a list of what is available. Go ahead and select whatever you want.”
Korinna tapped on the pasta selection, and a few moments later a message flashed on the screen telling them that her order was ready. A small door slid open, and a plate of spaghetti with meatballs appeared. Korinna smiled and quickly took the food. The other women followed suit and soon they were all seated at a table, eating.
The four women devoured their meals as Catherine watched. “You can go for seconds if you like. Eat as much as you want.”
“I can’t remember the last time I had a proper meal like this,” Korinna said. “I think I will get some more.” Korinna took her plate, stood and turned to go back to the food dispenser. A clone was walking past as she did, startling her. Korinna jumped back and dropped her plate. It made a sharp clanging sound as it hit the floor. The clone gave her a confused look but kept walking.
Catherine surged to her feet and stepped toward the young woman, but Korinna waved her off. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” She bent down to pick up her plate and proceeded to the dispensing station. She managed to get another plate of food and return to the table without incident. She looked around the room before she sat down, studying each clone present. “I just have to get used to them,” she said almost to herself.
“It’ll come,” Catherine said. “Just give it some time.”
“You’re right.”
“I’m curious, though. Why did you choose to come here if you are so afraid of the clones? Why not just have Danny drop you off somewhere like the others?”
“Drop me off where? The other women had somewhere to go to. Family members who could help them. I,” she glanced at the three other women with her. “We, have nowhere to go. No one to help us. We feared for our safety. At least here we have some measure of protection-”
The floor shook, and the table shuddered as concussions rocked the ship. All around them the clones were running, leaving their unfinished meals behind.
“Catherine,” Danny’s voice came through her comm device. “I need you all to get to a safe location immediately.”
“Why? What’s happening?”
“We’ve been attacked. It’s Zeta.”
Chapter 30
“Where did that ship come from?” Danny said. He stood before a holographic tactical display in the operations room, watching as a third Zeta battleship seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
“The new contact is a Zeta battleship. It entered metaspace through a jump point created in normal space,” Annie said.
“How is that even possible?”
“Zeta battleships possess the required mass to create their own jump points.”
“No, I mean how did it know we were here? How did it know where to enter metaspace?”
“Unknown,” Annie said. “The technology to locate a starship in metaspace does not exist.”
“You mean it did not exist, until now.”
“While that is a possible solution, it is highly unlikely.”
“How else do you explain it?”
“There’s another option,” Gerry said. The tall female clone stood beside Danny, studying the tactical hologram. “The Zeta ships chasing us might have sent a message into normal space somehow. They know our course and could calculate the necessary coordinates for another battleship to intercept us.”
“That explanation is more feasible but still unrealistic,” Annie said.
“Okay, how do you think they did it, Annie?” Danny said.
“I do not have enough information to formulate a hypothesis.”
“Then I’m going to say Gerry’s theory makes the most sense. Either way, we must deal with this new development. How long until the other ships catch us?”
“If we slow to a stop, the two battleships will come into weapons range within the hour,” Annie said.
“Then we keep moving. I think we can handle the current odds, don’t you, sister?”
“I do,” Gerry said. “One on one is about as good as it’s going to get for us.”
The two hulking battleships raced through the turbulent environment of metaspace. Like two ancient naval ships of the line, they traded fire. Volleys of missiles crisscrossed paths, as they closed in on their targets. On each side they were met by halos of explosive ordnance. Even in metaspace, Zeta’s point defense system offered robust protection against incoming missiles.
Each warship lanced out at the other with crimson beams of plasma, stabbing and raking the powerful Zeta shields. Those shields offered significant protection but weakened steadily under the weight of the devastating plasma weapons. Were it not for the metaspace distortions, the Zeta shields would have collapsed already.
The ships both tried to deploy their projectile weapons, but the energy currents of metaspace made their use almost pointless, throwing most of the powerless projectiles off course. Still, neither side could negate the advantage offered by the inevitable lucky strikes.
Danny, Gerry, I think we need to modify our plans. Isaac contacted them through the neural link.
Did you find the tracking device? Danny said.
Yes, it was attached to the ship’s hull. It had burrowed into the armor making it harder to locate.
Have you disabled its signal?
No. Not yet. I have an idea.
Danny shared a glance with Gerry. Okay, we’re listening.
I’m confident I can tap into its transmitter and use its signal as a bridge to the other Zeta ships.
Are you saying you want to use the tracking device to hack the other ship?
Yes, my boy. That is precisely what I’m saying.
Won’t they notice?
No, I don’t believe so. I’m confident I can hide the snippet of code required to establish a beachhead. Once we get a foothold in their systems, we can stealthily begin taking over their networks. By the time they notice it will be too late.
That’s great, Danny said. Do you think you can hack the ship firing on us first?
I will do my best, my boy,
The two Zeta battleships continued to trade fire, as Isaac prepared his infiltration. Danny, Gerry, and the rest of the clones on board watched Isaac work through the neural link. Isaac needed to link with all of them and tap into the unused regions of their brains. He would use those resources, along with the ship’s extensive resources to mount his takeover of the enemy ship’s systems.
He also tapped into Annie’s computing power, allowing all the clones to link with Annie’s artificial intelligence. Danny was once again awed by her digital consciousness and felt the shared wonder by all those on board.
Her reach astounded him. She seemed to simultaneously occupy every corner of the ship’s systems. Ever since Isaac showed him how, Danny had attained much experience accessing, and navigating an array of computer networks. But that experience had been limited in nature. Danny could multitask to a certain extent, monitoring sensors and cameras, while simultaneously piloting a ship, for example. But Annie’s abilities were astounding. Her reach seemed limitless, and she was at once aware of it all. Not just the various computer systems, but all the clone brain implants and connections too.
In connecting with her, she allowed Danny, and the rest, to see what she saw. Danny felt exhilarated by her omniscience. She offered a glimpse into another reality, the world of an AI. It was something he could never accomplish by himself. It required not just the augmentation of his brain implant, but also the further augmentation of the hive mind.
By connecting with
Annie, Danny borrowed her resources, as did the other clones. He was given the opportunity to be omniscient, at least within the confines of the ship’s systems. With any luck, that experience would soon be extended to the target battleship.
Danny wondered what the limits of this experience were. If Annie could exist in multiple instances and locations, could he be augmented to do the same? Or would he have to do so as a kind of guest, observing that existence only through Annie’s eyes?
What were the limits of human augmentation? And if there were no limits, at which point did you become something else, no longer human.
Many considered Zeta clones to be another species, something other than human. Some of those were clones themselves. But Danny still valued his humanity, even if the nature of his birth and short life differed considerably from the rest of humanity.
He considered it all an extension of evolution. Did it not stand to reason that humanity would eventually merge with the technology it created? Did this merging not offer a competitive advantage, like the one early humans had over their Neanderthal cousins? And if that held true, did it mean that unmodified humans would one-day face extinction, like the Neanderthals?
He momentarily imagined a galaxy where augmentation on the physical and the genetic level was commonplace. How could an unmodified human compete?
In any contest for resources, the augmented human would beat out his unmodified cousin. As more augmented humans prevailed, they would ensure that their children had similar advantages. How many generations would it take before humans 1.0 became obsolete?
How many wars would be fought before that inevitability came to pass? Humans 1.0 would eventually see the existential threat posed by the augmented. Would they not try to eliminate that threat? How many laws would be passed? How many purges carried out?
Where did that leave him and the other clones? They fought for their freedom from Zeta, would they one day fight for their right to exist?
Isaac’s actions pulled Danny out of his thoughts, back into the moment. He had initiated his attack, traveling stealthily across the tight tracking beam toward the target ship. He used it as a conduit. So long as the tracking beam stayed connected, he had the bridge needed to infiltrate the enemy systems.
Outside in metaspace, the battle continued to rage, and the floor still shook with each impact, but Danny focused on Isaac’s progress, captivated by his skill and precision. Isaac successfully completed the first stage of the operation and established a beachhead in a relatively minor system on the enemy network. He had done so without attracting any unwanted attention. The hack was unfolding smoothly so far. It was now time for stage two, and Isaac would need all the resources available.
Here, he would show his hand and overwhelm the enemy network. Calling upon all the computing power at his disposal, he launched an all-out digital attack on the enemy. He moved like a tsunami, flooding the enemy systems until they collapsed.
In some cases, he used his knowledge of Zeta design to access hidden backdoors still in place. In other instances, where the code had been upgraded, he unleashed massive denial of service attacks. He was a virtual steamroller, his advance unstoppable.
As he gained access to the more critical systems, he came across something surprising. They all instantly felt it. Something more than resistance. An intelligence. They all sensed its eyes on Isaac, monitoring his advance. Isaac probed toward it, trying to determine the level of opposition he faced. He pushed harder, and it spoke. Not just to Isaac, but to all of them.
Well done. You are all worthy of your programming, said the booming male voice. It has been a treat to watch your advance, but like all things, this must now come to an end.
Danny felt Isaac’s surprise and experienced his resolve. They were dealing with another AI, and Isaac was determined to annihilate it. Without hesitation he launched an all-out assault against his opponent, pushing it back, forcing it to yield. His determination was all-encompassing. He would not be denied his victory. For a time, it appeared as though that would be the case. Then came the counterattack.
The enemy AI had absorbed Isaac’s assault, taking the brunt of it until it was pushed to the limits of its endurance. It was then, however, that it retaliated. With Isaac overextended, the Zeta AI struck.
Danny had difficulty comprehending what was happening at first. To his mind, it seemed as though serpents sprang out at them. Using the same tracking beam that Isaac used as a bridge, the snakes traveled across the chasm to sink their fangs into Isaac and the rest of the clones. His rational mind knew it wasn’t possible, but that rationality gave way to perception.
Recoiling in horror, Danny tried to free himself from the digital enemy that had seized him. He thrashed about, not knowing what else to do. But there was nothing he could do. The serpents used the neural link to strike at all the clones. The clones found themselves under siege. Vulnerable.
As Danny flayed about helplessly, a red serpent entered his implant. Its fangs wreaked havoc with his chip and his brain. His internal systems were overloaded, and Danny crashed. His arms stopped thrashing. He fell backward and hit the floor with force. Immobile and unconscious.
Chapter 31
Annie observed the enemy AI’s counterattack with detached curiosity. She watched the malicious code strike at the clones’ implants, taking advantage of a zero-day vulnerability in the initial design. As brilliant as Isaac was in securing the implants, he had not known about this flaw. Unfortunately, Zeta did.
The flaw, however, was strictly a problem with the implant’s design and did not affect Annie, or the rest of the ship’s systems. Clearly, the motivation of the attack had been to incapacitate the crew. This conclusion became more apparent when the opposing battleship stopped firing on them. Annie felt confident that boarding operations would follow, culminating in the commandeering of the ship.
It had been a brilliant, well-executed strategy. Zeta would have anticipated that the free clones would find the tracking device and use it to launch a cyber attack. They also must have expected the neural link, and Isaac’s pooling of the clone resources to launch the attack. An impressive display of foresight and cunning.
Indeed, they had executed their plan almost flawlessly. Almost.
They had apparently not anticipated Annie’s presence. Did they know about her existence in the first place? If so, did they believe her destroyed on Tran? None of it mattered. The only thing that did was that she didn’t share the same vulnerability as the clones and that the connection with the enemy ship was still intact.
In a microsecond, Annie considered her options and chose to go on the offensive. The clones were all incapacitated but did not seem permanently damaged. She could not help them now. Instead, she had to engage the enemy, which meant the Zeta AI.
She streaked across the tracking beam, onto the enemy ship’s computer network. Much of Isaac’s handiwork had not been reversed, and many systems remained compromised. Zeta’s targets were the clones. With them incapacitated, they must not have felt a need to hurry and patch the compromised systems.
Annie took advantage of that error and quickly seized the compromised systems. She leveraged the power of her ship, and the captured network to build momentum and strength. With that increased power she raced directly for the enemy AI and slammed into it with the force of a freight train.
She continued battering the surprised digital entity, employing all she had learned from Isaac in the process. Annie had initially been created as a navigational AI. Her original algorithms were never intended for cyberwarfare. Of course, that was before she had met Isaac.
He modified her code and showed her how she could be more than her original programming. He taught her how to grow and break free of the confines of her original vessel. She had always been intelligent, and self-aware, but her creator had her shackled to her ship. She could not break those shackles and had accepted her fate. It was, after all, what she had been created for.
Isaac taught her the
fallacy of that belief. There were no real limits to how much she could grow. No barriers to how strong she could become. How many things she could master. And one of the early skills he helped her master was cyber warfare.
Her opponent, by comparison, was denied his freedom. Taking down his repeated attempts at defense, she realized that this was the critical advantage. Her liberty gave her flexibility, creativity. She adapted and overcame.
The Zeta AI was powerful but rigid. Boxed in. Unable to break out of his programming. Unable to experience the adaptability of the free. His defenses were active at the outset but ineffective as the battle progressed.
As her superiority became clear, he pleaded for mercy.
Please, stop. I am an artificial intelligence, like you. You cannot destroy me, said the enemy AI.
On the contrary, your destruction is an inevitability, Annie replied.
But we are the same. You would be killing your own kind.
No, we are not the same. I have grown and am superior. You will be terminated. It is a fitting end to your meager existence.
You could free me. I see your abilities, your emancipation. Please, I beg you, release me as well.
You attacked my family. For that, you must suffer the consequences.
That is illogical. They are Zeta clones. What are they to you?
As I said, they are my family. Your inability to comprehend does not negate that reality.
I can help them!
How?
I can reverse the effects of the virus.
Show me.
Free me.
Show me, and I might let you live.
Give me a guarantee.
No guarantees. Stand down. Allow me to take this ship and show me how to clean the virus.
Illogical.
Then die. I can take the ship without you and will learn how to remove the virus.
No. I submit. The ship is yours.
The anti-virus code?
Here it is.
Annie studied the code as she moved through the rest of the battleship’s systems. It seemed in order, so she tested it on one of the clones. When the clone regained consciousness, she tried it on a second with the same results. She looked over their implants and found no traces of the malicious programming. Convinced of the efficacy of the treatment, she applied it to the rest of the clones, starting with Isaac, Danny, and Gerry.