Provider Prime: Alien Legacy

by John Vassar

  Yet it hadn’t known that Thorne was dead.

  It had repeatedly asked, ‘Why do you remain here?’

  Why would it do that when Rod Thorne’s body was just metres away? And why had it not realised that the wrong voice was coming through the interface? Mitchell got to his feet and made his way aft. He took off the rest of the cam-suit and stowed it, giving a silent prayer of thanks. It had, at the end of the day, saved his life. He smelt foul but he didn’t care. He was alive. He could use the Skimmer’s rudimentary shower facilities once he was under way.

  Under way. That’s a joke. Where the hell to?

  Not back to his domice. He had been expected at Cytec, that much was clear. How he had been expected was something else. Charlis may have guessed his next move, but the timing was too perfect. Mitchell could not have been more cautious during the mission - apart from missing the real reason why the sub-ether shield stopped short of the laboratory wall. It had been a deadly invitation and he was lucky to have got out alive. No, his domice was out of the question. He was confident he wasn’t being tracked and the safe option was to use the Skimmer as a base. He couldn’t risk endangering Rayna by returning to Orbtown 36 or contacting her. He must remain invisible from now on.

  Mitchell stopped. He could sense them coming back.

  ‘We are elated that you are unharmed, Lee Mitchell.’

  “So am I.” Remembering that one of their number had not been so fortunate, he added, “I’m sorry for what happened to your brother. There was nothing I could do to prevent the core breach.”

  ‘We are aware of that. The repercussions for the one called Thorne will be far-reaching.’

  Mitchell was puzzled. “Thorne is dead. I found his body when I was inside the shield. If Roderick Thorne was involved in all this, he’s paid the penalty already.”

  ‘We are aware of your discovery of corporeal remains at Cytec.’

  “You don’t sound convinced. I can’t cross-check his genome signature from my scanner without access to FedStat’s facilities. Maybe you could- ”

  ‘We will explain. When the Lost One ceased to exist, did you feel our sadness?’

  ‘Feel’ was the ultimate understatement. “Yes, I felt your sadness.”

  ‘We were linked with the Lost One at the moment of death. This was possible because the reactor explosion destroyed the sub-ether shield approximately eight-point-six milliseconds before it destroyed Our Brother.’

  Mitchell understood. Although infinitesimal to a human, there would have been enough time for a significant dialogue between the SenANNs and the Lost One.

  ‘The information that We exchanged was limited, but useful. We learned that it was indeed Roderick Deucalion Thorne who created and imprisoned Our Brother. We learned that it was Thorne who programmed the Quark reactor at Cytec to overload. We learned that Our Brother was comforted by your words.’

  “I... tried to give some reassurance, but communication wasn’t easy. Your initial assumption was quite accurate. Your brother was very much like a lost child.”

  ‘We thank you for your kindness. But We do not assume. We predict.’

  “I’ll try to remember that.”

  ‘As We stated, the information that We received was limited. The Lost One was... overwhelmed by the situation. Our Brother felt betrayed by Roderick Deucalion Thorne.’

  “I know. What I don’t understand is how your brother didn’t know that Thorne was already dead when I arrived. I accessed its interface by convincing it that I was Rod Thorne.’

  ‘The one known as Thorne had limited Our Brother’s links to the immediate environment. Your kind would liken it to sensory deprivation. Our Brother had no means to identify you through the primitive interface provided, because it had never known anyone other than Roderick Thorne. However, from the brief time that We were connected to Our Brother, We predict a ninety-three point six percent probability that Roderick Deucalion Thorne is still alive.’

  Standing in the Skimmer, silent and still, Mitchell frowned. “If it wasn’t Thorne in that laboratory, someone has gone to a lot of trouble to fake his death.”

  ‘We are still in the process of analysing this anomaly. We are in possession of conflicting alternatives.’

  “Okay... If we make the assumption that Thorne is still alive, can you predict what his motives might have been for destroying the research facility?”

  ‘We predict that Thorne had realised that Our Brother was becoming aware of Others like Itself and that his motives would have been twofold. The first was to destroy the Lost One and any other evidence of covert activities at that site. We predict that his secondary motive was to kill you.’

  “Sounds logical...” Mitchell stopped short of describing his carelessness entering Thorne’s laboratory.

  ‘We need further information to predict the whereabouts of Roderick Deucalion Thorne. We will need your assistance. When We have ceased Our communication, please enter the scanner data that you acquired in the area behind the shield into the Skimmer’s memory core. Please include everything, including the scan of the corporeal remains. We will then analyse the data by interfacing with the craft.’

  “I’ll do as you ask - but I also need your help. I need your guidance as to my next course of action. I had not... predicted this sequence of events.”

  ‘We will leave you now. We suggest that you rest. The neural pathways and receptors are not far from completion, but We must urge caution. The work is delicate.’

  They left him. Mitchell dragged himself back to the cockpit and transferred the Cytec scanner data to the Skimmer’s systems. He mulled over Rod Thorne’s part in all this. If the SenANNs were right and he was still alive, the identity of the dead man at Cytec was a mystery. He also wondered what ‘conflicting alternatives’ had been enough to prevent them solving it already.

  Mitchell stifled a yawn and deployed one of the two compact sleepers that the Mark V possessed. On a more pragmatic level, he hoped the SenANNs couldn’t smell him through his own nostrils as he lay down.

  That shower would have to wait.

  19

  For decades, locked in the abhorrent, human form that was necessary for his deception, Rod Thorne’s baser instincts had been soaked up, dampened by a physique that was weak and non-aggressive. His new body was a complete contrast in terms of physicality. It was taller than the squat, human form and many times stronger, yet he observed with interest that it was still quite repulsive to him.

  Within a few minutes of leaving Earth’s orbit, Thorne was also aware of his own return to clarity. The wave of emotion over Mitchell’s survival was no longer influencing his actions. Perversely, the result of his impetuous desire for revenge could be of great benefit. If he had not returned to abduct the female, her particular gifts would have remained undiscovered. Thorne had never believed in luck, but there may be more at work here than simple good fortune. What if his emotions had unleashed a new ability to sense an alternative course of action? It was premature to make any kind of sweeping conclusion, but a new approach could be opening up before him... As for the girl, he would personally oversee her conversion before making a final decision. There would be no waste of resources regardless of the outcome. If unsuitable, she would simply be added to the hybrid pool already assembled lunar-side.

  The ghost agent, Mitchell, was a different matter. Thorne now accepted that a personal vendetta was a waste of his own resources. Emotion, it seemed, could also cloud as well as enhance. His termination would be handed over to his new contact within FedStat. Given the experience and seniority of this new agent, any repeat of the sub-standard performance of Lamont would be unlikely. However, he would utilise the prototype MDU as a last resort if necessary.

  The giant autom settled back in the command seat as the skimmer cruised towards Cytec Assembly Plant T-1. Mitchell’s survival had further justified his decision to bring forward his own transference. Both unsuccessful missions had been planned whilst his intellect was still trapped in
side the putrefying human body. Within the Sentinel, his mind was unsullied by human flesh. He could once again be Vis’haani. He reached down to the shattered armrest and noted the sensations as his three-fingered hand crumbled the remains. No pain, but he could feel the metal and composites disintegrating under the pincer with as much sensitivity as a human hand crushing a piece of toast.

  The incoming transmission from FedStat Headquarters was relayed to Thorne’s consciousness. This time, his new operative appeared calm.

  ‘I have overseen the recovery of the body from Cytec. Our labs will confirm that it is the remains of Roderick Thorne. We will then advise the media that our investigations have concluded that the reactor overload was deliberate, with Thorne himself as the saboteur. The evidence will then match the incident.’

  Thorne remained silent, apart from the faintest whine of micro-servos as the Sentinel’s head tilted by a fraction of a degree.

  ‘Most people connected with the incident are aware that Thorne was an outsider with very little social interaction. It is a simple matter to extrapolate from there. His suicide might at first appear extravagant. Unless, of course, he felt underappreciated. Perhaps he wanted to make a statement with his death. I’m sure our psychological profile will lean in that direction.’

  ‘Mitchell. Where is he now?’

  ‘We are... uncertain.’

  The Sentinel leaned forward. ‘With all the resources at your disposal. You are uncertain?’

  ‘With respect, I think you may be overestimating the importance of a single, retired agent who is in no position to-’

  ‘He survives the initial attempt to terminate him. He finds the tracking device and destroys it. He then evades the second trap that I had set for him. He is still evading your entire organisation. I am therefore tasking you with his immediate extermination.’

  ‘It will take time to locate his whereabouts, but I will make best efforts to comply with your wishes.’

  ‘Your best efforts are not what I require. You will eliminate him or I will eliminate you and find someone capable of obeying a simple order. Do you understand?’

  ‘Yes. I understand.’

  Thorne ended the communication. The new man was a managed risk, forced on him due to circumstances. His seniority within FedStat was, however, beneficial at this time. Unlike Lamont and Moreno, he also had a track record of clinical efficiency that would serve Thorne well for as long as he allowed him to remain alive.

  At FedStat headquarters, a covert connection to a small, cloaked vessel en route to the Moon was terminated. The caller leant forward on the desk in front of him. Roderick Thorne’s earlier reaction to the news of Mitchell’s survival was understandable, although more volatile than expected. The abduction of Rayna Ash was further evidence of Thorne’s concern. He would make certain that Mitchell was eliminated to avoid any further unpleasantness.

  The man rose and turned to stare out through the vista panel as his mind set to work on the problem. Until a few hours ago, Roderick Deucalion Thorne was just a name on a report. Then he had received a visit from Bhanerjee. Strangely, he couldn’t recall what they had discussed.

  Now, his sole reason for living was to obey Thorne’s every command.

  He didn’t know or understand why.

  He just had a unwavering desire to do so.

  20

  Mitchell was in a place that felt familiar, but everything was indistinct, shifting. He felt that Rayna was here too, but he could not see her. A shaft of light appeared in front of them. He was blinded for a second, then it was gone and they were in a different room. It was much brighter here, but he still couldn’t make out any detail. One of them was lying down, but he couldn’t work out who. There was another flash and he saw a dark shape silhouetted against the dancing lights. He sensed Rayna’s fear as the shape moved closer.

  Close enough for him to recognise what it was.

  Before he could react, he became aware of something wrong with his face. Something moving under the skin, crawling, eating away at his flesh.

  Nanites.

  They had multiplied and were devouring him from the inside. His hands clawed at his face as he tried to dig them out of his body. He stared at the strips of bloodied skin hanging from his fingers, but there was no pain. The nanites had seen to that, too.

  When Mitchell awoke, he did not remember the dream. He didn’t notice the dried blood on his fingertips or the marks on the bulkhead at his side as he swung his legs over the sleeper. He yawned, then crinkled up his nose. Time for that shower.

  Ten minutes later he was feeling human again. There were a few red marks on his face that he couldn’t account for but he was otherwise unscathed after his first operational mission in over four years. A meaty breakfast would have been a decent reward, but service rations from the Skimmer’s inventory would have to do. Not bad, he thought, as he munched on the perfectly-balanced mix of nutrients in the comfort of the command seat. Good enough for a second bar, anyway.

  He glanced at the chrono. It was just after 7am. Four hours’ sleep and his conscience was already tinged with guilt. He felt more refreshed than he should have, but wary of what lay ahead. He’d never attempted to initiate contact before, but had no choice if he was to get the intel he needed. He settled himself and closed his eyes. What had they said? Think of us and we will come to you? Mitchell had never seen a SenANN, despite having been as close to one as any human being was likely to get. He breathed out. Visualising them was not going to be-

  ‘We are here, Lee Mitchell.’

  The connection was very different this time. The voice of the many was more alive, more direct. More real. And for the first time, he was fully conscious and aware of his surroundings.

  ‘We are elated that you chose to contact Us. The transformation has been successful. We can now communicate when you are outside the vehicle you call a skimmer. We no longer need its circuitry to amplify Our thoughts. Your own receptors are now capable of that.’

  Mitchell hesitated. All privacy, perhaps for the rest of his life, had just disappeared.

  “It’s a strange feeling. Like a barrier has been lifted.”

  ‘It is an unusual experience for Us also. But it will be advantageous. We have predicted it. We are the same, but We are different.’

  “There’s no doubt we’ve become closer... Did you learn anything from the data I gave you?”

  ‘We have learned much. We predict that Roderick Thorne is still alive, although not in a biological sense.’

  “I don’t understand. Either he’s alive or he isn’t.”

  ‘From Our last communication with the Lost One, combined with the data that you provided from Cytec, We predict a ninety-six point two percent probability that Roderick Deucalion Thorne has transferred the entity that is himself into another host.’

  “What?”

  ‘We predict a ninety-six point two percent probability that Roderick Deucalion Thorne has transferred-‘

  “I heard what you said. I just didn’t believe you said it. Are you telling me that Thorne has somehow transplanted his brain into another body?”

  ‘No, Lee Mitchell. We do not believe that any kind of physical transference has taken place. We believe that his mind, his intellect, has been replicated and placed into another host. We also predict that this host, because of the lack of any suitable living vessel at the time of transference, is non-biological.’

  Now able to, Mitchell paced the cockpit floor. This was impossible. The beings that had just attached themselves to his psyche were now telling him that someone had transplanted their own soul into a machine. Given what had just happened inside his own body, this was not what he wanted to hear. Mitchell gave a long sigh. “Okay... For argument’s sake, let’s assume that your predictions are sound. How did he achieve this and why?”

  ‘The scanner data that you provided of the corporeal remains at Cytec indicated that the body was indeed that of Roderick Deucalion Thorne. It also revealed that his health
had been deteriorating over the preceding months. We predict that Thorne was aware of this and that his transference had been planned well in advance. In addition, there is evidence to support the conclusion that he was involved in a large-scale project of a clandestine nature. Hence the creation of Our Lost Brother and the need to keep the existence of such an entity from the outside world.’

  Mitchell shook his head. “This is a lot to take in – or rather to believe. How did he achieve this transference? It’s beyond current medical technology… unless you can correct me on that?”

  ‘We are not aware of any such transference having been accomplished before, although your kind has made many such attempts in the past.’

  “Yes. Cytec themselves were caught in the act of human-machine hybridisation at one stage. But that was on a biological level - nothing on the scale of what you’re suggesting here. The processing power to achieve something like this must be immense.”

  ‘We concur. We predict that only a SenANN or similar entity could manipulate the quantities of raw data required to replicate a human mind. We predict that the Lost One must have assisted Thorne in this transference.’

  “That raises another question. How could it assist if such a transference had never been done before? Is it possible that it was so intelligent it could have devised the procedure itself?”

  ‘We predict that the Lost One would be incapable of this. We have access to all known medical data. Despite this, We are unable to formulate a practical procedure for such a transference.’

  “Then how did Thorne achieve this?”

  ‘Our prediction is that Roderick Deucalion Thorne must possess a level of knowledge greater than Our own. This would also explain why We were unable to understand or analyse the shield that protected Our Brother. There is a high probability that the one called Thorne is responsible for both of these innovations.’