by Thomas Fay
‘It is. I have measured it,’ Socrates replied.
The car in front of them was a late-model Iona Corporation Tartarus sedan. It was pale blue in colour, with four doors and a reasonably sized boot. Its engine compartment had a spherical section missing. The road was actually visible through the gap, as were the remaining parts of the car’s wheelbase and engine bay, sliced through where they intersected the round void.
‘How is this possible?’
‘I do not know, John. The only explanation I can postulate is that the Flux Cell malfunctioned.’
‘Malfunctioned? A large part of the car is missing!’
Socrates’s head moved from side to side as he analysed the damage. He reached out with his arm and moved it back and forth in the empty space where the car’s engine bay should have been.
‘What are you doing?’ John asked.
‘I am confirming that what we are seeing is in fact true.’
‘Right. So, you think this was caused by a Flux Cell malfunction?’
‘I believe that is the only logical conclusion. The centre of the empty space is exactly where the Flux Cell would be positioned in this model of vehicle.’
‘So, it just vanished, taking part of the car with it?’
‘While I do not have the full specifications for the Flux Cell, Professor Holstein’s research has provided valuable insights. Namely, that the Flux Cell is a shielded anchoring device for a singularity which draws power from other dimensions. It would appear that something disrupted the internal stability of the Flux Cell, causing it to collapse in on itself.’
John’s eyes opened wider as he stared at the gaping hole in the car.
‘You’re saying the Flux Cell, along with part of the car, was sucked into an alternate dimension?’
‘Yes, John. That is my hypothesis.’
‘Bloody hell! This is so far out of my field of expertise it isn’t funny. We really need to speak to Frost.’
‘I agree, John, but what about the intruder?’
John drew his handgun. Releasing the safety, he looked at the warehouse to which James Gleason had tracked the mysterious woman. Taking a deep breath, he said, ‘We need to figure out what she is and what she’s doing. Whatever happened to these Flux Cells has to be linked to her.’
‘Are you sure, John? She managed to overpower me before. I am not certain we will be able to prevail in a physical confrontation.’
John cast his partner a critical glance. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d say that you’re afraid of her.’
‘It is impossible for me to feel fear. I am, however, simply stating the facts of our previous encounter.’
John’s eyes narrowed as he looked at his android partner. ‘You’re sure? It sounds to me like you don’t want to face her again.’
‘There is a high probability of damage to my systems in any confrontation with the unknown entity. My programming includes a need to avoid excessive damage, unless it is unavoidable.’
‘A self-preservation protocol?’
‘Yes, John. In that way you and I are very similar.’
‘What do you mean?’
Socrates looked at him with eyes that only appeared human.
‘It is no coincidence that I am always the first to enter any new situation while you are safely behind me.’
John was actually speechless.
‘Are you alright, John?’ Socrates asked.
‘I … don’t know what to say. I guess it was just a subconscious action. Knowing that there was little chance you could be hurt, it made sense to let you go first.’
‘I understand, John. It was a logical decision based on the facts and your inherent desire to minimise the risk of injury to yourself.’
John nodded. ‘I guess you’re right—we’re not that different,’ he said. ‘The only problem is that you’re still our best option for confronting this mysterious entity. Based on what we’ve observed of her abilities so far, I’m not sure even a Sentinel in full combat armour could stop her.’
‘What about the Ionians?’
‘Frost has charged us with tracking her down. He clearly believes you are a match for whatever this thing is. Which tells me one of two things.’
‘Which are …?’
John looked directly at his partner, the Ionian-built android known only as Socrates.
‘That Frost knows exactly what this entity is or that you were right before when you said that there were parts of your programming that were hidden from you. If the second is true, then I’d bet a year’s salary that Frost not only knows what they are but that he put them there.’
Twelve
Consolidated Transport and Shipping (CTS) had grown from a small private delivery business to become a global logistics company with offices and operations in over one hundred countries. Originally started by a pair of UTS graduates in 2031, the company began operations with only two second-hand trucks, a laptop and a handful of smartphones. Within five years, their fleet of vehicles expanded to over five hundred and operations spread across three continents. The key to their success was the revolutionary algorithm that maximised free resource allocation, minimised wait times for clients and ensured an on-time delivery rate so close to one hundred per cent that it was the envy of their competitors. While the original founders had long since retired to private islands in the Mediterranean, CTS continued to operate successfully. Its main Iona office was located in Mascot, inside the warehouse John and Socrates were standing in front of.
John paused just outside the range of the sensor to the door with the CTS logo on it.
‘Should I go first, John?’ Socrates asked.
John cast his partner a look that spoke volumes.
‘Funny. If I didn’t know better then I’d say that your sense of humour seems to be evolving,’ he said. ‘No, I was just thinking that we should probably try the subtle approach first.’
‘What do you mean?’
John checked the safety on his weapon and holstered it. He did up the button on his suit jacket and straightened his tie.
‘Let’s assume there are innocent civilians in there who are blissfully unaware of the fact that a non-human intruder has just snuck into their warehouse. We can’t really go barging in with guns drawn. Is there any way you can identify that entity?’
‘I have attempted to recalibrate my sensors to detect non-human entities.’
‘Any luck?’
‘The data I have from my previous encounter with the entity is partial only but it appears the entity is able to mask what they really are. I am sorry, John. Until they reveal themselves, I am unable to differentiate them from humans.’
John took a deep breath. ‘I guess we do this the hard way, then.’
He took a step forward and almost walked into the tinted glass doors. A receptionist with thick-framed glasses and short cropped blonde hair got up from her desk and ran to the front doors. She pressed a button on the side. The doors slid open.
‘Sorry about that,’ the receptionist said.
‘No harm done,’ John said.
‘Welcome to CTS. How may I help you?’ she said.
‘Did a woman dressed in a black suit and white shirt come in here about fifteen minutes ago?’ John asked.
The receptionist shook her head.
‘No, I’m sorry, sir. I haven’t seen anyone matching that description today.’
‘Anything unusual happen today?’
‘Sir?’
‘Has anything out of the ordinary happened today?’
The receptionist looked momentarily surprised. Then she said, ‘How did you know?’
John reached inside his suit pocket and withdrew his Sentinel badge. ‘Because it’s my job to know. John Tesh, Sentinel. This is my partner, Socrates.’
The receptionist paled slightly. ‘Sentinels? Okay, this must be more serious than I thought.’
‘What is?’
‘About fifteen minutes ago there was a massive power surge. It shut down all of our e
quipment, including our servers. The techs have been working furiously to get it back up and running.’
‘Do you know what caused the surge?’
She shook her head. ‘No. They haven’t told me anything yet. I think they’re still working on it.’
‘What makes you say that?’
‘Because nothing is working—my computer, the phones, not even the front auto doors.’
‘We need access to your facility. Are there any areas which require special authorisation to get into?’ John asked.
‘Yes, although the secure doors are all open after the surge. Including those to our servers.’
‘Go and tell whoever you need to that we’re here.’
‘Of course. Is there anything specific I should tell them?’
John cast a glance at Socrates. ‘Tell them if we instruct them to get out of here they should run like their lives depended on it.’
Thirteen
The inside of the CTS warehouse was similar to that of any other logistics company. The majority was occupied by packages of all shapes and sizes. They were stacked on shelves rising towards the ceiling. Laser etched barcodes shimmered on each one. It reminded John of the Iona Corporation’s Flux Cell distribution centre. Except the items here ranged from personal gifts, through online shopping items, to expensive artworks. All of them were carefully packed and sorted, awaiting delivery by the vehicles located in another part of the warehouse. Adjacent was a breakout area for drivers when they weren’t working. There was a large kitchen, showers with lockers and a lounge area.
‘Christ, this place is huge. They could be anywhere,’ John said, taking in the expansive warehouse around them. ‘Any ideas?’
‘I have accessed the surveillance cameras located throughout this facility. They operate on a standalone system with a shielded backup power source. The cameras provide comprehensive coverage of the office, warehouse and loading areas,’ Socrates said.
‘Any sign of the intruder?’
Socrates’s eyes blurred momentarily. ‘I have scanned approximately eighty-five per cent of the facility. No match so far.’
‘Wait a second. What was it the receptionist said about the servers?’
‘That they were still attempting to reboot them?’
‘No. She said the secure doors were open.’
‘You believe the intruder deliberately caused the Flux Cell surge in order to overload the CTS security systems and open those doors?’
‘Like I said before, this is so far beyond my area of expertise that I’m making things up as I go. But yes, that makes sense to me. Either that, or it’s one hell of a coincidence and we know how Manson felt about coincidences.’
‘Your hypothesis is plausible. I am attempting to access the cameras in the server room.’
Socrates’s eyes blurred again.
‘Anything?’ John asked.
‘The cameras only cover the main entrance and the service duct to the server room. There is no coverage inside.’
‘So you can’t tell if she’s inside?’
‘No.’
John drew his handgun. Checking the safety, he said, ‘So much for the subtle approach.’
****
The CTS server room was protected by a sophisticated biometric security system consisting of a retinal and fingerprint scanner, coupled with a voice recognition system. The beryllium-reinforced blast doors prevented anyone without the proper security clearance from gaining access. The security level was on par with military installations around the globe. All of the technology had been rendered completely useless by the Flux Cell surge. The doors stood wide open and the biometric security system flashed a red error sign.
John flattened himself against the side of the door. Socrates stood against the other side. John counted down on his fingers: three, two, one. Socrates moved through the door with John a step behind him. The woman they had first encountered at the airport stood inside, her hands typing rapidly on a standard keyboard.
‘Sentinels—do not move!’ John shouted. He levelled his weapon at the mysterious woman. This time Socrates maintained his distance.
‘Step away from the servers and raise your hands,’ John instructed.
He knew the woman was faster than him, possibly even faster than Socrates. He also wasn’t sure how much impact his weapon would have on her. With a sinking feeling he realised Socrates may have been right about questioning what they would do when they finally caught up to the mysterious intruder. Surprisingly, the woman complied. Lowering her hands to her sides, she took a step back from the servers. Her acquiescence to his orders gave John a familiar sense of control over the situation. It was instantly shattered when the woman turned to look at him. Her face was clearly not human.
‘What are you?’ John asked.
‘You cannot stop us,’ the woman said. Her voice was clear, despite the obvious distortion to her face. This close, in the bright light of the CTS server room, her face once again reminded John of a doll melted in the hot sun. He gripped his handgun tighter, the cold metal providing a degree of comfort.
‘Stop you from doing what exactly?’ he asked.
‘It does not matter. You are irrelevant. We must complete our mission.’
In the space between heartbeats, the woman lunged at him. If it hadn’t been for Socrates anticipating her action and interposing himself in her path, John would have been dead. Instead, the sound of her striking Socrates’s arm reverberated inside the confined server room. The mystery woman pulled back. Turning her head to the side, she looked Socrates up and down.
‘You are not human,’ she said. It was a statement of fact, not a question.
‘Look who’s talking,’ John said. ‘Socrates—what is she?’
His partner looked the mystery woman up and down, mirroring her actions. The similarity in their scanning method was not lost on John.
‘I have analysed her energy signature and infra-red emissions. I can rule out with ninety-nine per cent certainty her being an alien life form.’
‘Which means she’s …’
‘An android.’
Fourteen
The concept of robots, or automata, has been around for millennia, from ancient myths of artificial human beings and simple mechanical devices, through to the origin of the word robot in the 1921 Karel Čapek play R.U.R.: Rossum’s Universal Robots and the first modern robots created in the 1950s by George C. Devol. The development and application of robots had accelerated significantly in the late twentieth century and into the early twenty-first century, with applications across manufacturing, resource extraction, aerospace and transportation. These days, robots were a part of everyday lives—from automated assemblers to autonomous drones and everyday household devices. All of that paled in comparison to the two highly advanced androids facing each other in the close confines of the CTS server room.
A sudden realisation struck John. No matter how sophisticated the unknown android was, it was still a robot. Which meant it had been created by someone and that someone was directing its actions. They just had to figure out who that was to understand what was going on.
‘Socrates,’ John said. ‘Can you shut her down?’
‘I am unable to overpower it, John,’ Socrates said.
‘What about your arc cannons?’
‘I do not believe I would have sufficient time to deploy them. Our only option is to disable some of the android’s systems which will allow me to access its programming and shut it down permanently. I will require a distraction.’
‘I was afraid you’d say that.’
John knew his human reflexes were inferior to the android’s but he had no choice. The android was standing only about three metres away from him. His weapon was pointed directly at her. All of that meant nothing against the superhuman speed at which he had witnessed the android moving.
He pulled the trigger and unleashed half the handgun’s clip.
The android moved so fast it was almost as if she had
phase shifted out of the way of the barrage of bullets. John knew he had no chance of hitting her. It didn’t matter. That split second of distraction allowed Socrates to position himself behind her. Grasping her arms in his vice-like grip, he spun her into the opposite wall. The android’s mass and the sheer force with which Socrates had propelled her caused the server casings to shatter and the android became embedded inside the structure. Socrates bent the metal server rack, wrapping it around the android’s arms until she was effectively immobilised.
‘Now what?’ John asked. The entire encounter had lasted less than two seconds.
‘We must force its system to shut down before it is able to break free,’ Socrates said.
‘How do we do that?’
‘We overload it with electricity.’
Socrates scanned the server racks. He pointed at a section with a flat grey panel: ‘Here.’
With a sudden explosive motion, he thrust his arm through the metallic casing and into the rack. He pulled his arm back out. In his hand he grasped a shielded heavy-gauge cable.
‘You cannot stop us,’ the android said. She was pushing against the server rack, attempting to break free. The metallic casings were groaning under the sheer force being generated by the android.
‘Don’t be so sure about that,’ John retorted.
Socrates held the power cable in both hands. Twisting, he pulled the cable apart, stripping the shielding. Holding the cable by the remaining insulation, he advanced on the android with the exposed wires throwing of sparks whenever they touched.
‘We must complete our mission,’ the android said.
Socrates thrust the power cable into the android’s face. An electrical surge exploded on impact. The android shook violently. Socrates held on.
‘Is it working?’ John asked.
‘Yes, the electricity is—’
With a powerful burst the android freed itself from the server rack. Pieces of metal, cabling and circuit boards were sent flying across the server room along with Socrates. He landed hard against the back wall. Before he could recover, the android was upon him.