Make it So!

by Christian Kallias

  There’s one more thing you need to be aware of, though. If you die in the AI’s matrix, I’m afraid you’ll die in the real world too.

  Swell. No pressure, then.

  19

  Is everyone clear with what needs to happen? asked Mira.

  We protect Kevin’s body from the space bug while Kevin fights the AI, said Lacuna.

  Correct, Mira answered. And, Kevin, time might not pass at the same rate inside the AI’s brain, you may feel like you’re in there for hours when, it fact, only minutes will pass in the real world.

  Understood, said Kevin. I just want to say thank you all for your help. It’s hard for me to express how much it means to me that you’re willing to risk your lives for me.

  You would do the same for any of us, said Boomer.

  Kevin would without a second thought. After being trapped in his own body, feeling utterly helpless, he had felt alone in the universe, and part of him thought he’d never see his friends and loved ones ever again. He also had felt abandoned. But obviously that was not the case.

  Just so I understand, asked Kevin. I can fight the AI with anything I can think of?

  Yes, confirmed Mira, once inside the Matrix you’ll be pure energy inside a circuit, represented by an avatar that can be anything you want it to be. There’s virtually no limit to what you can do. I do suggest that you try and make the combat as quick as you can, the more you let the AI adapt, the more it will use your own techniques and dig into your memories to fight back. Eventually, it could become better at using your vivid imagination to find ways of killing you.

  But if I die, so does he, right?

  Yes, but it doesn’t mean he’s not going to try to self-preserve. His chip can be removed from your brain, intact with everything he’s learned from your bond, so even if it may seem like a last-case scenario, I wouldn’t count on him not using lethal force against you. Unless he’s a very empathic AI.

  No chance of that, I can safely say that fucked up piece of programming has no emotions whatsoever.

  Then be very careful, Kevin. And, one last thing, you’ll lose communication with us and the outside world once in there. You can’t call for help.

  Not ideal, but I’m going in to win and regain control of my body, so failure isn’t an option.

  On some level Kevin was glad for that part. If he heard troubling news from the outside while he fought, it might distract him and prevent him from performing at peak level. Then again, that could be a great motivator to push him beyond his limits…but it didn’t make sense overthinking it, he’d never know since he’d have no contact with his friends once he went in.

  I’m ready when you are. Just say the word, said Mira.

  See you all in a little while. Ready!

  Think of when you received your first computer on three, two, one…mark!

  Kevin barely had to bring the surface of that memory to his mind when everything around him changed. He lost his view of the world and was transported into an ominous desert.

  It was night, the sky was dark-blue and the atmosphere felt cold. With each breath Kevin expelled, a steam cloud would appear. Sand blew in his face, coarse and unpleasant. The sand looked gray but it was difficult to know its actual shade with so little light around him. Big dark-black clouds partially covered what looked like a moon, and it was the only light source around. Every once in a while a red lightning bolt traveled from one of the clouds to another, briefly illuminating the sand red in the process.

  His eyes adapted to the darkness pretty quickly between each flash of lightning. Kevin looked around, trying to determine if he could see anything or anyone on the horizon.

  “You should not have come here,” said 8-3-9-6, his voice resonating from all around Kevin as if it came from the very atmosphere of this world.

  “Well, you didn’t exactly give me much choice.”

  “Go back, and we may both survive. Stay, and we both risk death.”

  “Being a prisoner in my own body isn’t living, it’s barely surviving. I came here to destroy you and take back what’s mine.”

  “You’re in my domain, you stand no chance of winning.”

  “Promises, promises, why don’t you show yourself so I can start kicking your ass instead?”

  More lightning bolts flashed, traveling from cloud to cloud. Suddenly, one bolt hit the sand ten meters in front of Kevin, sending a large geyser of sand shooting upward.

  When the sandy cloud dissipated, a shadow stood before Kevin. It was all black, except for its red eyes. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a shadow version of Kevin.

  That’s sure to give me nightmares for years to come.

  Kevin stopped moving in the real world, and he just stood there.

  “We’re up!” roared Boomer, positioning himself between Kevin and the space bug.

  The creature screeched and charged forward.

  Lacuna ran and pushed Kevin out of the way as Boomer opened fire with his turrets toward the approaching beast, waiting until the last moment to get out of the way, making sure he grazed past the creature to inflict damage with his side lightsaber.

  Not only did the plasma fires bounce off of his carapace, but also the lightsaber that went through the carapace overloaded and sparks shot from its handle.

  Smoke rose from a thin red line that appeared on the bug’s carapace. It released a very pungent smell, and green slime filled the small wound and solidified almost instantly. Besides a small scar, the creature seemed untouched.

  It turned toward Boomer and screeched louder than it had before.

  “I think I pissed it off,” said Boomer.

  “Well, just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse.”

  Lacuna ran in front of Boomer, firing two blaster rifles at the creature. Shots bounced off of it, but it kept following her as she moved away.

  “We need a weapon that can hurt this thing,” said Lacuna, her breath shallow.

  “Let’s try rockets, now that the coast is clear. I’ll sacrifice my other lightsaber, that will get its attention, then you grab Kevin and take cover as I light up that fucker like a Christmas tree.”

  “Not really sure what a Christmas tree is, but understood.”

  Boomer darted forward and the beast did the same.

  Yeah, that’s right. Let’s dance! You big dumb stinky piece of poodoo.

  At the last moment before impact, Boomer took a slight left, trying to slash the beast with his blade even deeper than before. He also thought of a longer blade and the lightsaber grew a few more centimeters. As Boomer ran past the beast’s flank, the lightsaber slashed through one of the bug’s limbs.

  The bug lost its balance and stumbled to the side as Boomer ran away from it, making sure he gained as much distance as he could.

  “You better be out of there when I get ready to fire!” warned Boomer.

  “Don’t worry, just focus on taking that thing out,” said Lacuna.

  Easy for you to say.

  When Boomer thought he had a good enough lead on the creature, he skidded to a stop and morphed into his big black lion shape. Fully armored. The golden armor contrasted with his majestic black fur and truly made him look like the king of feline-kind.

  He roared as the rocket launcher turrets morphed into existence, and rockets started spewing away from his back one after the other. Each of them left trails of gray smoke in their path, all converging toward the bug that was only now turning around to face Boomer and the incoming projectiles.

  The resulting multiple explosions created an inferno whose resulting shockwave knocked Boomer to the ground. Flames and black smoke filled that corner of the throne room.

  They’re gonna need a new palace after this, chuckled Boomer. I hope they’re insured.

  Xonax had been stabilized, and Chief Forlon and his team had managed to clean the emperor’s bloodstream of any lethal components, but the race to save his life was far from over.

  “We need to find a way to repair his th
roat tissues, and fast, before more alloy particles get into his bloodstream. Ideas anyone?”

  One of the doctors nearby wanted to say something but hesitated.

  “It’s not the time to be second-guessing ourselves,” insisted Forlon. “I want to hear any solution you think you can come up with. No matter how crazy it sounds.”

  “This one is pretty crazy,” said one doctor.

  “Say it anyway!”

  “Let’s replace his entire throat with a cybernetic implant.”

  The doctor had not undersold the craziness of his idea. But Forlon was considering it anyway. He had focused his attention on curing Xonax, where perhaps he should have focused on making sure he survived, and if that meant that Xonax would be disfigured but alive, then so be it.

  “Anyone else?”

  When the room stayed silent, Forlon asked again, “Any objections to the procedure, then?”

  “He’s going to kill whoever performs this task.”

  “Perhaps, but it’s better to die knowing at least we save our families, wouldn’t you agree? Our orders are to make sure he survives, and the way I see it, that’s the best option on the table right now. Prepare for the procedure. I’ll need all of you for this to work.”

  Tension in the medical bay was palpable that you could cut it with a knife and seemed to paralyze the entire staff. Forlon’s blood boiled and he smashed his fist on a nearby instrument tray. Laser scalpels, scanners, and other medical tools flew off the table. At the moment, it was the only way he knew how to express himself working with so much pressure.

  “Let’s get this done, on the double! If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for your families, is that understood?”

  That seemed to awaken the staff from their lethargy. Somehow liberating them from their own feelings of frustration and anger, which they previously felt incapable of releasing for fear of retribution. Their training kicked-in and they went back to working in a cohesive way.

  20

  A cold and sandy wind blew Kevin’s hair to the side.

  “Last chance to stop this,” warned 8-3-9-6.

  It was unsettling to see a shadow version of himself speak. Even if Kevin knew it weren’t him, a fact made abundantly clear hearing the deep and resounding voice of the evil AI.

  Kevin joined both his hands to the side and a blue fireball created between them.

  Hadoken, motherfucker!

  Kevin threw both his palms forward and shot the fireball toward 8-3-9-6. The AI reacted instantly and jumped upward to dodge the attack, the speed of his thrust provoking a small shockwave that threw sand around where he stood a second before.

  “Shoryuken!” shouted Kevin.

  As he flew upward, his right arm engulfed with the blue energy as he delivered a deadly uppercut under 8-3-9-6’s chin, sending it soaring through the sky at supersonic speeds. When 8-3-9-6 flew through one of the dark clouds, the cloud dissipated from the impact.

  8-3-9-6 was thrown so far that Kevin had lost all visual contact with the AI.

  Did I beat him already? No, if I had, I wouldn’t still be here. Stay focused.

  Kevin flew in the air in the direction where he had catapulted 8-3-9-6. Soon he was flying faster than Superman himself. But still no sign of 8-3-9-6. Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from higher up, and as he looked toward it, Kevin realized it was too late.

  His shadow had joined both its hands together and smashed Kevin’s head with a terrible blow that sent him flying back down to the ground like a shooting star. When Kevin crashed into the ground, large quantities of sand turned into a tsunami around him.

  The pain from the impact was beyond anything Kevin thought was possible. Since in his imagination he had superhero strength that was the only explanation that he could find to explain why he was still alive. As he looked up, he saw multiple fireballs raining from the sky toward him. He back flipped to his feet and flew away horizontally, pushing waves of sand to the side as he gained more and more speed.

  Multiple explosions resounded behind him. 8-3-9-6 was still unleashing fireballs at him. Kevin knew he could not keep up this cat and mouse game for much longer. He turned around and deflected the remaining fireballs coming his way.

  8-3-9-6 levitated near him.

  “I’m impressed with what your memories contain. But that brings a question to mind. In what universe do you think you can throw tricks like these at me faster than I can learn to use your own weapons against you? Deep down you must feel that I’ve already won.”

  As the scorching inferno receded on the point of impact, the room filled with more pungent smells, which Boomer took as a good sign.

  “And one bug barbecued!”

  Shortly after the smoke dissipated, the bug walked forward and unleashed a screech that sounded more like a roar. It was covered in green wounds, already tending to themselves.

  Crap! What does it take to kill this thing?

  “Lacuna, are you and Kevin alright?”

  “We’re trapped under a bit of rubble, but we’re fine.”

  “How is he doing?”

  “Still unresponsive.”

  “That means he’s still fighting. We have to do the same. Boy, I wish I were able to turn into an acid spewing xenomorph right about now. Maybe the acid would melt this sucker, as energy-based weapons and rockets don’t seem to do enough damage.”

  “Why don’t you?”

  “I’m limited to feline forms.”

  “But what prevents you from using an acid-based weapon.”

  She’s right! Duh!

  “Thanks, Lacuna!”

  The space bug was running toward Boomer at a still impressive speed, even with a missing leg.

  Here goes nothing. Acid ray gun, thought Boomer.

  A large cannon morphed on his back and spewed light-green acid toward the bug. It stopped the creature short as its carapace started to melt.

  “Keep firing,” said Lacuna.

  She was just getting out from under the rubble and raised both her blasters and shot similar weapons toward the creature. The additional impacts melted the carapace further, causing more pungent smoke to rise, as the bug screeched in agony.

  “I think it’s working!” shouted Boomer.

  “Sure seems like it, let’s fry the bugger and finish it off.”

  Kevin was panting heavily. He was getting tired. He had been fighting the AI with every superhero trick he could think of for hours, or at least that’s how Kevin felt at the moment.

  Just like Mira had prophesied, 8-3-9-6 also had been using similar tactics. In fact, every time Kevin tried something new, the AI learned from it, adapted, and used more of Kevin’s memories to counterattack. He was also getting better at making surprise attacks. And, unlike Kevin, he didn’t seem to get tired at all.

  8-3-9-6 was getting faster too, so Kevin decided to try something new. He divided into multiple copies of himself, who ganged up on 8-3-9-6 with combo after combo of attacks, some derived from martial art and some with other powers. The AI was taken into a hurricane of punches, kicks, and fireballs, and its body kept bouncing all over the place from the impacts like a pinball bouncing off bumpers.

  Eventually, 8-3-9-6 spun on himself so fast that he projected all the clones away from him. As they crashed on the sandy grounds around 8-3-9-6, they all disappeared but one.

  Both Kevin and 8-3-9-6 got back to their feet.

  “That’s a neat trick, but I won’t fall for it twice,” said 8-3-9-6.

  “I have plenty of tricks left, one of them is bound to kill you.”

  “Your trust in your puny abilities will be your downfall.”

  “Let me know when you’re done spit-shining your hubris by using clichés you pulled from my mind so I can finally send you to the digital hell you belong to.”

  8-3-9-6 laughed out loud, his evil laughter echoing for kilometers, a sound that didn’t help Kevin keep his growing fears under control. But he pushed through.

  You can do it, you can do an
ything. Just will yourself to victory. I can’t lose this fight, everyone is counting on me.

  And just like that, it brought another memory to Kevin’s mind, and he smirked. Kevin extended his arms to the side and pieces of armor whirled around him and assembled into full-body armor, with two chains hanging from his forearm.

  Kevin screamed as he threw his arm forward.

  The chains grew as if they had a life of their own and before 8-3-9-6 could do anything about it, the chains had wrapped around his body, holding him in place. A single thought increased the pressure the chains were exerting on his enemy.

  8-3-9-6 then threw him a curveball, and started growing in size.

  Two can play at this game. Kevin grew bigger in size too, as did his chains.

  Two giants in the sand now stood kilometers away from one another. They were at a standstill until a dark-red aura enveloped 8-3-9-6 and he unleashed a war cry, bolstering his muscle mass even more, forcing the chains to snap.

  “You can’t beat me,” said 8-3-9-6, his voice now booming even deeper than before.

  Boomer and Lacuna kept firing, approaching the creature little by little to improve their aim.

  “Why is it still standing?” asked Boomer, with a shaky voice.

  “That acid seems efficient,” said Lacuna, “but it keeps healing the wounds almost as fast as we’re inflicting them. I can tell it suffers, and I think it will soon give in, we just have to keep at it.”

  Then suddenly the creature’s eyes blinked red, and a massive shockwave expanded around the creature and knocked Lacuna and Boomer on their asses with incredible force.

  “Holy crap,” exclaimed Boomer.

  “Ouch,” said Lacuna. “I can barely move.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  Pain radiated through both their bodies.

  “I fear we made things worse,” conceded Boomer.

  8-3-9-6 materialized a large hammer in his hand and raised it toward the heavens, multiple red lightning bolts lit the weapon like a rod, supercharging it.