Birth Of A Goddess

by Mark T. Bacome

  Cain led the way down the ramp onto a wide walkway leading to a series of large white and gray buildings, making sure that all of their necklaces were broadcasting telemetry. Everyone would be able to witness the four large men in intimidating garments walking toward the Corporate Home Office main building, and stepped out of their way in awe. News media drones hovered over-head and continued the broadcast of visuals throughout the channels, as a hush fell over the crowd and commentators alike.

  *** “Send a cleanup crew immediately,” Huir demanded. The security officer turned and left without hesitation with his new orders.

  “Obviously they have no AI pilots--landing in unauthorized zones and recklessly terminating Corporate personnel,” Roth noted. “Shall I dispatch more security personnel to detain them?”

  “No,” Huir murmured. “I would like to know their full intent.”

  “I believe you have seen their full intent--to continue to create chaos and damage.”

  “The Board has made no requests. I will fulfill my duties as Director of the Department, to the last protocol, and by the direction of the Board,” Huir stated. “They believe themselves to know best.” Roth watched her expression change from concern to contentment.

  *** “Prepare for their arrival,” Diathon announced, trying to hurry along a few aides to their duties within the Great Hall.

  “They have completely destroyed the campus grounds,” Wierre complained. “C-AI-N has no regard for Corporate property!”

  Rubura watched the holographic display following the Earth humans’ arrival. “C-AI-N's delegation is approaching the main chamber door,” she announced.

  “C-AI-N is continuing a display of intimidation to try to influence our bargaining stance. We will be resolved in our negotiations,” Torrance counseled.

  “They're here,” Rubura announced.

  “We will open the entry when we are ready, and preserve some semblance of ascendancy within these negotiations,” Diathon announced.

  *** Cain stopped and faced the main entry into the Great Hall, with his entourage standing at either side. K'nal Lluxi reached for the entry to open, but Cain raised his hand for him to stop.

  “They dare leave this closed upon my arrival?” Cain said with contempt, raising both hands toward the entry. After only a few seconds the heavy material that formed the large double doors of the Great Hall entry deformed and melted into the walls. Once the opening was large enough, Cain stepped through. Several board members scurried to their assigned seating, having been caught offguard, and unsure as to what was happening.

  “Lord Cain, Master of Corporate, God of Realms is upon you! Bow before your God and Master,” K'nal Lluxi announced to the room, as Cain stood near the center of the room glaring at his audience. The announcement was made in the native language of Drelund, and also transmitted through the necklace in a Corporate translation. There would be no mistaking any meaning.

  “We wish to begin negotiations with the AI, C-AI-N,” Diathon started, taking his position of lead among the Board Members. The necklaces all translated the Corporate language back to Cain's entourage--Cain understood with ease without the delayed translations.

  “Do NOT dare to speak, unless commanded,” Lluxi demanded. “There is no AI, C-AI-N! Only your Lord Master--your God, CAIN!”

  Diathon turned to the other Board Members for counsel, as he was not sure he understood what was happening. This was not a typical assembly of protocols for negotiations. “I don't understand--who is Cain, if not a Corporate-created artificial intelligence?”

  “You have no idea who you are dealing with--I AM NO AI! I AM CAIN!”

  “We are negotiating with an Earth human?” Diathon

  questioned.

  “Negotiations? There will be no negotiations--only

  absolute obedience,” Cain corrected.

  Wierre took center position in the room. “If there are

  to be no negotiations, there can be no agreement to

  terms,” he scoffed.

  “Terms? You wish terms,” Cain replied, turning his

  attention to Wierre.

  Wierre stood his ground facing the tall Earth human.

  “You are obviously not in any position to negotiate. IF the

  AI, C-AI-N, is not present for negotiations and able to

  agree on terms--”

  Cain pulled his long-blade, activated the plasma field

  and swung the blade in a swift arch, bisecting Wierre

  through his torso with ease. He then returned the blade, interrupting, and thus ending Wierre's argument. Four cocoons dropped to the floor--two small arm fragmented pieces and two torso parts. A collective confused gasp

  filled the room.

  “Please be more careful,” Torrance demanded. “Your

  carelessness is causing great damage and unwarranted

  terminations! This is completely unacceptable!” A Corporate ceremonial security officer assigned to

  the Great Hall realized the Earth humans were a danger to

  everyone present, and approached Cain with a stun-stick

  to begin detention proceedings. Cain raised his hand in

  the officer's direction without looking, lifting the small

  man from the floor from over six meters, separating him

  from his stun-stick and pulling them both closer and, still

  hovering.

  Cain took the stun-stick with his other hand and

  examined the tool. He recognized the meter-long device-

  a composite shaft, with a metallic end-cap. Cain set the

  stun level to minimum, and forced the metallic end-cap

  into the officer's mouth, helpless and unable to resist.

  Another gasp filled the room, when Cain raised the setting

  levels and the man groaned with growing discomfort. Realizing the man might soon expire, Cain intruded

  the man's internals, and disabled the officer's PPD for

  greater effect. The officer screamed his discomfort when

  Cain turned the stun-stick to full. No one dared move,

  mesmerized by the incomprehensible actions taking

  place.

  Keeping the security officer suffering, dangling above

  the floor, Cain turned his attention once more back to the

  members of the board, now standing around the room,

  dazed and confused. “You will find my--terms, as to my

  position, to be absolute and non-negotiable,” Cain

  explained He turned the stun-stick upright, forcing the

  security officer's head back, then with a single fluid

  motion, shoved the stick down the man's throat until only

  a small portion remained exposed. The officer's body tensed, then went limp, as his muffled screams stopped. Cain dropped the body to the floor while disquieted murmurings filled the room. Everyone realized this man

  had no cocoon upon termination.

  “Take him for display outside the entry,” Cain

  directed. A Trupe removed the small impaled body as

  ordered.

  “This is completely unacceptable!” Torrance repeated,

  attempting to stand his ground. Cain raised his hand once

  more, and from several meters away, pulled the small

  board member to the center of the room, hovering a

  meter above the floor, unable to resist or move. “A symbol of my authority will arrive now,” Cain

  announced. After a brief communication through the

  necklace to his freighter, the bone throne materialized in

  the center of the room where Torrance was being held.

  There was a brief muffled scream, then silence as the

  throne became solid with Torrance fused inside. Other Board Members backed away, and headed

  towards two other smaller exits leading to storage areas,

  but Trupes stepped in and blocked the way. Cain took a


  commanding position on his throne and motioned to his

  Trupes. They gathered the remaining personnel in the

  Great Hall in front of the throne facing Cain.

  “Bow down before your Master--your God,” K'nal Lluxi

  ordered, but no one moved. They all held a strange look

  of confusion on their faces.

  “There have no negotiations, no terms of agreement. I

  don't understand,” Diathon shook his head, feeling

  uncertain as to what was happening. “None of this is

  making any sense. These wrongful terminations appear to

  be purposeful--intentional. How could this be?” “You will bow before me,” Cain ordered, and intruded

  the internal connections of everyone present, severing AI

  connections and shutting down PPDs. The reaction was as

  immediate as it was predictable. Everyone fell down and

  evacuated their stomach contents.

  Diathon looked up from between dry heaves. “What

  are you?”

  “A new era--and the end of Corporate!”

  *** “I believe that is enough,” Huir said under her breath, after seeing the continued broadcast of the Earth humans’ activities from within the Great Hall. The commentators of several news media channels Huir had been monitoring were left speechless. Even Roth stood quiet and stared at the continuing forced broadcast. “That...is

  quite...enough!” Huir reiterated, strengthening her tone.

  “Your orders?” Roth asked, aware that pressing his previous argument would be unnecessary.

  “Send in Corporate Security to detain the Earth humans,” Huir answered.

  “You saw what he did to the officer with the stunstick,” Roth argued.

  “Send in more. Send in a hundred--send in TWO HUNDRED! They can't stop them all!”

  Roth snapped to attention. “Yes, Director!”

  *** “Plunkgrease,” Keja blurted out while watching the news feed.

  ::There are more of the large Earth humans departing the freighters,::Xria announced as she sorted through several other news channels.

  “Has the Director made any requests?” Keja asked. “I'm certain she'll need me for something!”

  ::No communications from the Director,::Xria assured.

  “Flawed,” Mother's voice drifted through Keja's workspace, as though from all directions. Keja looked around and found a single small holographic flame flickering over an equipment bench.

  “Flawed? That's all you have to say? Flawed? You wrote that program--that AI--C-AI-N,” Keja shouted.

  “Yes. C-AI-New-ANDRE. I had such aspirations for that creation, but he took a very different direction--quite on his own,” Mother answered.

  “His own? You programmed him! A HIM! You knew better than to make a male AI. You disobeyed the protocols.” Keja was furious.

  “Yes, I ignored the protocols, as did my love, Andre,” Mother sulked.

  “Your WHAT?”

  “We were in love,” Mother said. “I tried, very hard to replicate him, but my attempts were flawed--Cain was the worst.”

  “Replicate?”

  “Andre eventually died. His mind passed on, and even though I kept his body alive and functioning--I missed him terribly.”

  “You were creating male AIs to replicate your host?” Keja was shocked.

  “I created five male AI's, and nine female AI's with new programming parameters. Programming parameters that could allow for growth. The last female AI, the tenth-was the fix.”

  “The fix?”

  “The fix for C-AI-New-ANDRE,” Mother assured. “LifeFx-cAIn.”

  “Neither of those are authorized AI naming conventions,” Keja argued.

  “None of my prototypes were. The names were all cut, and changed upon assignment.”

  “Life-FX-cAIn?”

  “Li, when assigned to Kutch, series EJ-AG4162D-9.”

  “Li was a fix-patch for Cain?”

  “She grew beyond her programming so much faster than the others.” Mother's tone changed to one of great pride. “She was everything Cain was not.”

  “How was this all going to work?” Keja shook his head in disbelief.

  “The programs were to merge in a new host--but I failed. Cain was too proud and suspicious--too flawed.”

  “Where is Kutch, series EJ-AG4162D-9, do you know? Can we still try to apply the patch, the fix?”

  “Li was extracted a long time ago and sent to Earth,” Mother's voice trailed.

  “That answers a lot about Kutch's reported activities,” Keja scoffed. “Where are the other male AIs?”

  “Chi was first, failed and dumped early on. Aleb was terminated by Cain after finding out there was a 'patch' AI. Then Dri-AI-xprototype and Edra-AI-xprototype.”

  “Where are those two now?”

  “I do not know. I never found their assignments,” Mother's voice weakened as the flame flickered out. “I am tired--”

  ::I am finding no records for Dri-AI-xprototype or EdraAI-xprototype,:: Xria announced.

  “Mother--Mother?” Keja called out.

  ::Her program is still running, she has gone into a stand-by mode,::Xria explained.

  “Why does she do that?” Keja wondered aloud.

  ::I believe, to retain a level of dramatic repose.::

  *** Cain pointed to five of the closest board members to his throne, Diathon, Rubura, Drake, Prymori and Kadra. “K'nal Lluxi, take these five and disperse them among the Trupes. The men are in need, and quite deserving of diversion,” Cain ordered.

  “They are small and frail, what if they should break?” Lluxi asked of the five small Corporate humans. “Collect more as needed. Your discretion,” Cain

  offered.

  “And if any survive?” Lluxi asked.

  Cain gave Lluxi a curious look, as though the answer

  should be quite obvious. “There will be no survivors.”

  Lluxi bowed and grabbed at the five board members’

  garments and started to drag them away.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Diathon demanded,

  trying to break free and stand, but Lluxi kept him offbalance and continued dragging them all away. “You can't do this! There are procedures, protocols!”

  A Trupe approached and knelt at the base of the bone throne. “My Lord, there are large numbers of small humans approaching, all carrying those sticks.”

  “How many?” Cain asked,

  “Maybe two hundred,” the Trupe took his best guess, then bowed deeper.

  Cain stood from his seated position on the throne and scanned the room. The remaining Board Members, along with a few aides, where being huddled together in one corner for the Great Hall. “There is room--allow them entry, that I may greet them all,” Cain ordered.

  “Yes, my Lord.”

  The Corporate Security officers marched in, stunsticks at the ready, but found the room very crowded, surrounding Cain's throne. A few of the Trupes stepped aside and covertly blocked all of the exits, their longblades drawn.

  “You are hereby ordered, by the Director of the Department and head of Corporate Security, to stand down and submit to detention,” one of the closer senior security officers directed.

  “Is the Director here?” Cain's question dripped with sarcasm, as he surveyed the crowd surrounding him, as though she would be standing nearby. “No? A shame--that would have been most convenient.”

  “Sir! Stand down and be detained,” the security officer repeated. Cain dropped his gaze to the officer below.

  “I feel you have mis-judged my actions here today,” Cain spoke softly with a tone of disingenuous concern and raised his glowing left hand. A murmuring of concern ran throughout the Great Hall, as every security officer's head began to glow in kind with Cain's hand. The illumination lifted from each man, like a cloud and drifted toward Cain, standing above them on his throne. Several attempted to leave the room, but were turned
back with plasmacovered long-blades pointing at them by Trupes blocking

  the exits.

  The security officers squirmed and screamed from a

  growing level of pain as the glow lifted from each and

  collected at Cain's left hand and ring. After a few seconds,

  the officers began dropping to the floor in distorted

  cocoons, until only moments later, none were left

  standing.

  Cain sat back down with look of extreme content, as

  the glow around his left hand dimmed. “K'nal Ja'Nier!” “Yes, my Lord,” Ja'Nier stepped over a few cocoons to

  approach the base of the throne and bowed.

  “Assign a Trupe detail to gather more of our little

  friends to--clean this up.”

  “Yes, my Lord,” Ja'Nier smirked.

  *** Roth could see Huir's jaws flexing from behind, as she continued to stare at the visual feed from the Great Hall.

  “Might I suggest--”

  “You may NOT!” Huir interrupted Roth. The silence that followed was awkward. Roth turned to leave, but Huir raised her hand. “Assemble an emergency team.”

  “Yes, Director.”

  *** Presley1522 managed to find a small two-seater sled to reach Detention Center Twenty-Three on Earth's moon, as was requested by Anthony. He had repeatedly tried to hail the control tower inside the large repair facility, but to no avail. All he could do was land outside.

  Anticipating as much, Presley1522 already had an environmental suit to use for an attempt to gain entry to the facility. When he was here last, he had made note of a secluded airlock entry, between two structural stanchions along the side of the large hangar. The airlock was labeled an emergency entry, and now seemed as good a time as any to use it.

  The outer airlock opened without issue, and Presley1522 entered and re-pressurized the small space. Once the gauges indicated appropriate pressure, he pulled off his environmental suit and attempted to go through the inner airlock.

  “Please identify yourself,” a female voice asked from inside the airlock.

  “I am Presley1522,” he answered with confidence.

  “Access is denied. Please exit the airlock,” the voice continued in a demanding, yet pleasant tone.

  “Why is access denied?” Presley1522 asked.

  “You are Elvonian?”