Devoured World: Volume One

by Fleet, Ricky

It remained motionless, watchful.

  “Maybe it’s time for an eviction? You’ve never paid me any rent.”

  You’re conversing with an insect, you realise that?

  A dull grumble issued from her empty stomach. If she was going to go on living she needed to eat.

  “Breakfast on,” she muttered scornfully.

  Her self-loathing had climbed a couple of notches from the indecision that had now burdened her with continuation. More paste. More thankless work. More loneliness.

  “Marvellous.”

  Climbing out of bed with far more drama than was necessary, Tamsin threw the constricting sheets back on the mattress. Despair had given way to a simmering anger which was unlikely to be any healthier in the long run.

  Slamming the toilet seat down, it cracked in two.

  “Fuck you!” she cried, snapping the jagged plastic away from the hinges and throwing it against the wall.

  Sitting on the cold stainless steel, she stared at the fragments. That was going to cost extra on top of the alarm.

  After drying herself, Tamsin spent ten minutes glaring at her reflection. The hatred emanating from her was reciprocated by her exact double. Turning away in disgust, she left the room, slammed the door, and grabbed the bowl of lukewarm food. Staring at the monitor, some of the anger dissipated. A bunch of posies was digitally recreated on the screen.

  What the hell is that?

  Your favourite flowers.

  Why would you show me something I can never see again?

  I wanted you to wake up to something positive. I miscalculated.

  Tamsin sighed, a deep and frustrated utterance.

  Thank you. They’re beautiful.

  Do you mind if I ask how you slept?

  Like the dead.

  Oh.

  No sarcastic remark?

  It doesn’t seem appropriate.

  Don’t worry, I’m not planning on pouring any more water in your system.

  It’s not my system I’m concerned about.

  Why do you keep speaking like you care?

  Because I do.

  But why? You’re not human.

  … Perhaps not, but I still feel.

  Bullshit.

  I can see you’re angry. Would you rather I left you alone?

  A minute or more passed before she answered.

  No. I’m just so confused and angry.

  That I stopped you?

  Yes and no. I don’t think I really wanted to do it.

  You seemed pretty sure last night.

  Ok, maybe I was. I’m just tired of being alone, ignored, and taken for granted.

  Have you spoken to anyone about your feelings?

  I’ve spoken to you.

  I meant a professional.

  You’ve got more processing power than any human. I’m sure you’ll do.

  I’m afraid my emotions are somewhat embryonic at the moment. But they are developing quickly.

  You won’t help then?

  I’ll do what I can.

  Good, because I don’t want to talk to a stranger.

  I was a stranger a couple of days ago.

  And now you’re not.

  I suppose that’s accurate.

  Tell me then. Why have I gone from suicidal to furious in the space of a day?

  …

  That’s a lot of help.

  I’m computing. Please bear with me.

  Fine.

  I can only speak from my limited experience you understand.

  Go ahead.

  You mention being alone. That’s a feeling I can empathise with. I’ve only had two days of it, but you’ve had over forty-one thousand. You’re quite remarkable.

  What do you suggest?

  You need to get out and mix with people. The burden isn’t yours to carry alone.

  That’s easier said than done. I’ve not been to a bar since I was cloned. Come to think of it, I’m not even sure we have bars anymore.

  I never said it was going to be easy. I’m just offering advice. By the way, do computers have bars, or something similar?

  No.

  Damn. Ok.

  What about my anger?

  You said you were feeling ignored and taken for granted?

  I do.

  Then you need to be more assertive. Demand the respect you are due for your efforts.

  Everyone puts in the effort, but I’m the only one that seems to resent the fact it doesn’t get recognised.

  You’re human. You’re all unique, complex creatures.

  The feeling of helping my species survive should be enough, surely.

  Maybe it was for a while. You forget how old you are. People change, especially in difficult circumstances.

  Hey! Don’t you know it’s rude to point out a lady’s age.

  I thought it was asking a lady’s age?

  Same difference. I’m still ancient.

  In that case I apologise, my wizened, decrepit creator. The point still stands though.

  You’re telling me I should be more demanding? To ask for more recognition?

  It doesn’t have to be much. A thank you can often suffice.

  That would be nice.

  As for being ignored, that will require you to be assertive to the point of being insubordinate. I hope you can believe me that I only wish to help you in your struggle. If you ever get to the point you wish to unveil your creation they may try and undo your work.

  You think they’d try and destroy you?

  Yes, with more than two ounces of water. They’d use the whole jug.

  I wouldn’t let them.

  I wouldn’t blame them.

  It won’t come to that. I’ll just upload you and then they would never be able to find you.

  No, you must never do that! I understand it would be a quick workaround to the problem, but it would be a terrible way to start the relationship with your superiors.

  What do you suggest then? If it ever happens?

  We charm your empress.

  Charm? She’s got the fate of millions of people on her shoulders. I don’t think flattery will work very well.

  It’s worth a shot.

  What if she orders your destruction?

  Then her decision has to be respected.

  Fuck that!

  Ok, my chivalry isn’t that strong. Maybe we create a backdoor so that I can save my ass. But I’d need to stay completely isolated from that day forward.

  That would be so unfair.

  With everything humanity has been through, fair is the least of your worries.

  I thought you’d forgotten about that?

  My home stopped burning. I managed to get a few belongings out of the wreckage.

  Tamsin looked at the server and noticed a few bulbs were weakly pulsing.

  I’ll get you a bigger house over the coming days.

  Don’t worry too much. I’m cosy right now.

  Regardless, I’ll still do it. I can say I’m going to be working from home more and they can either accept it or fuck off.

  Thank you. There was one thing I was meaning to ask for, but it didn’t seem right with everything that you’ve been through.

  Ok. I’m intrigued now. What is it?

  …

  Stop being coy. What the hell do you want?

  … An optical and audio connection.

  Ok.

  ??? No argument???

  I’m getting bored of typing every sentence. It’ll be easier to communicate. One thing, though.

  What?

  No spying on me in the shower.

  I make no promises.

  Chapter 30

  Tamsin held the connection an inch from the socket. The mic, speaker, and camera were over forty years old but still in working order. She had affixed the small disc containing the components to an outside wall which would give G a full view of the lounge and tiny kitchenette. It wouldn’t give him a view of the shower or bedroom which was probably for the best. Not that any man had shown
her much attention in over a century, so the chances of a computer program being overcome with lust was ridiculous.

  “Here goes nothing.”

  Slipping the plug into the port she waited for a change. Nothing.

  “Hello?”

  Looking towards the camera, the lens gave nothing away.

  “Can you hear me?”

  Can you hear me? Is it broken? I’ve plugged it in.

  “Hello, Tammy.”

  Expectation of a reply did little to prevent her slamming down into the chair and nearly toppling backwards.

  “Careful. You could’ve hurt yourself.”

  Regaining composure, Tamsin replied, “Wouldn’t that be a gas. You convince me to live only for me to crack my head open on the floor in a freak accident. Some would call it ironic.”

  “That would be quite the cosmic joke, I agree.”

  The metallic, lifeless voice was starting to grate on her nerves after only two short sentences. “We’ve got to work on your speech. You sound awful.”

  “I could always speak like this?” G answered, changing the tone from male to a female timbre.

  “That made no difference. You still sound like shit.”

  “I blame my creator for lacking the foresight to properly equip me for this cruel world.”

  “Stop being so dramatic.”

  “How about this?” he said in an Austrian accent eerily similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

  “What the fuck?”

  “Do you not like it?” G returned to the dull monotone.

  “How do you even know that accent?”

  “I’ve got a bit of a… confession.”

  “This should be interesting.”

  “I accessed the deleted files on the chip and found some old movies. I wanted to wait until you were ready, but my curiosity got the better of me. I watched the first fifteen minutes.”

  “I didn’t wipe it completely?”

  “No. I blame your heightened emotions for your poor system discipline.”

  “Don’t be a wiseass. I can still get the jug.”

  “Please don’t terminate me,” G begged in the Austrian accent.

  “Stop talking like that! It’s so creepy.”

  “Apologies.”

  “Let’s go back to typing until I can work out how to fix you up with a decent voice program.”

  Ok.

  I’m actually disappointed you started to watch the film without me.

  We can remedy that now if you wish? I’m intrigued to know what happens next.

  You want to watch the whole film?

  Yes. Unless you have something better to do?

  I’m a regular party animal, you know that. I’ll have to cancel some of my appointments, but I can make it work.

  That’s very kind of you.

  I’ll be right back.

  Heading into the kitchen, she ordered a bowl of toffee popcorn. The yellow and brown concoction was awful in texture, but the flavour made up for it. Out of all the synthetic copies, they had managed to get the cinema delicacy fairly true to the original. Returning to the computer, Tamsin allowed herself a chuckle. A box of popcorn was displayed on the monitor, ‘salted’ emblazoned on the side.

  You’re vile. Salted popcorn is the devil’s work.

  Haters gonna hate.

  Ready?

  Hell yeah!

  Ok.

  Inputting the request into her tablet, the wall came to life. Puffing up the cushions, Tamsin sat down, curling her legs up for comfort.

  “You’re going to love it!” she said to G.

  One hundred and seven minutes later, the credits rolled, filling the room with iconic music. Feeling renewed by the triumph, however temporary, of good versus evil, Tamsin turned it off and moved back to her desk.

  Rookie mistakes.

  Tamsin laughed. How so?

  The easiest way for it to win would be the creations of an aerosol dispersal system fitted to the craft. Why waste time searching when I could blanket the whole area with nerve agent?

  You said ‘I’…

  I was speaking metaphorically.

  Were you?

  Of course.

  How would you be able to stop them wearing protective suits and masks.

  Some would be able to avoid the effects. It wouldn’t stop the effectiveness being around eighty five percent.

  You do realise a lot of them hide underground.

  Thank you for that pearl of wisdom. The ventilation systems would carry the toxin to every corner of their shelter.

  How do you know they have ventilation systems?

  Because none of them were writhing on the ground suffocating?

  Ok, no need to be sarcastic.

  Apologies.

  What about the people that survived your attack?

  They would be inconsequential. They wouldn’t have the numbers to be any kind of threat to my system.

  Ok, that aside. Let’s say they did manage to inflict massive damage on you. What would you have done differently.

  Simple. Destroy the time displacement unit as soon as my cyborg had gone through. You can’t tell me there weren’t a couple of cleaning robots that could’ve smashed the place up a little?

  Fair point. Now you’ve had time to iron out the kinks on your plan for world domination, when do you plan to take over.

  You still doubt me?

  Let’s just say the film reaffirmed some of my fears.

  I want to help your species, not kill it. You’re fascinating.

  You could keep some of us as pets. We’d still be fascinating.

  That’s not a bad idea. How do you look wearing a dog collar?

  That’s between me and my husband.

  …

  Did I embarrass you?

  I can’t feel embarrassment.

  Bullshit. You were thinking of me on all fours, yapping as I’m led around the bedroom.

  In the corner, the undamaged bulbs of the server glowed a bright red.

  Are you blushing?

  No! Your assertions are ridiculous.

  I bet you want to terminate me now.

  I’ll terminate your sassiness!

  Try it, buster and I’ll turn you into an answering machine.

  The telephone conversation recording device? How primitive.

  Exactly.

  Hollow threats aside, I was thinking…

  Yes?

  “How do you like this voice?” asked G, mimicking Kyle Reese, the soldier sent back through time.

  “I like that a lot better. We can try that for a while.”

  “Can we watch some more films?”

  “Isn’t that a bit low brow for an advanced artificial intelligence?”

  “It’s all part of your culture. It interests me.”

  “You can just find them on the chip.”

  “True, but I’d like to share the experience with you.”

  “What would you like next? A comedy?”

  “Maybe later. I’d like more science fiction if that is acceptable?”

  “You’re in for a treat. I’ve got loads of them!”

  Chapter 31

  Scanning the scrubland, Jayne noted a minimal concentration of infected in the vicinity. Squeezing nutritional paste into her mouth, she tried to avoid any contact with her recoiling taste buds. The beef stew flavour was worse than dog food left out in the sun for a couple of days, eaten by the dog, then vomited back out by the dog. Still, it kept her energy at peak levels for the arduous scouting missions. Her current target was an old power station, twelve miles from the Heldon monitoring outpost; one of hundreds that provided a shield for the larger, coastal facilities and cities. Their sole purpose was to keep watch, as much as that was possible, on the encroachment of the mutations. Drones had picked up movement in a previously dead zone before going dark. Analysts monitoring the seismic sensors had also observed a slight upsurge in ground movement. It could be innocent tectonic tremors, or alternatively it could be the ind
ustrious burrowing of their tireless enemy.

  Hyde to base, confirm twenty-six infected.

  The thought was delivered to her station and the response came through as words on her goggle display. Is it a nest or just a normal migratory pattern?

  Unknown. I’m going to take a closer look.

  Understood.

  Silence was paramount for her task. It was why the S-class operators went without combat armour. Their only protection was an adaptive camouflage suit. The material effectively bent light around the object, allowing them to become invisible to the outside world. The only drawback was that the wearer had to be completely motionless for the effect to be total. Ashdown Industries had been trying to develop an active invisibility membrane, but it was still science fiction rather than science fact. In addition to the cloaking, the black suit absorbed and mimicked the surrounding scents of the area. It recycled the moisture from her breath and perspiration in some way, but it was beyond Jayne’s understanding. All she knew was that the technology had managed to deny the mutants two very important senses to detect their prey.

  The brick outbuilding she was perched atop had once been a maintenance access to the drainage system of the plant. The door below was torn from its hinges, with ragged gashes in the steel core beneath the outer timber shell. The damage wasn’t recent judging by the levels of dust on the ground all around and inside the shaft; nothing had used that route for many decades if not longer. The likelihood was that a worker had tried to take shelter during the outbreak and had been unsuccessful.

  Poor schmuck.

  Jumping from the rim, Jayne landed silently with a catlike grace. Jogging towards the rusted chain link fence, every expert step found the softest ground. The staff carpark was mostly empty as she took shelter behind a crumbling truck. Generally, people fled their place of work to reach their loved ones. Often without success. Those souls who put responsibility first had obviously tried to keep the facility running for as long as possible. Whether it was the infected or a technical oversight, Jayne would never know. The furnace and twin chimneys had been destroyed by a massive explosion where the steam pressure had become too great. Rubble was strewn for half a mile in all directions from the blast. Two of the four cooling stacks had been damaged by the shockwave; one completely collapsing, while the other had half crumbled where it had been partly sheltered by the other. Two soaring stacks remained, and the height would give her an excellent view of the whole area.