by Arlin Fehr
The creature reached slowly to a control on the side of it's suit. It's other hand hung in front of him, with it's palm facing down.
Sam and Victor held their side arms tightly.
The Linkal pilot entered a command on it's suit.
It opened it's beak mouth and started to speak. It's voice was like a mix of chirping bird song, and gurgling noises coming from the slits on it's face.
Then a computerized and understandable voice spoke from it's suit, 'Name Shirp. Shirp saved others. Others help Shirp.'
It stopped talking.
Sam glanced at Victor, and then at Shirp.
'My name is Samantha. What do you want help with?'
Shirp's suit translated for him, and Sam waited while it finished.
'Shirp enemy of others. Other's enemy of Shirp. This place,' he said, gesturing with his arms, 'is enemy of Shirp and others. Shirp know of great mind within walls. Great mind is enemy of Shirp and Shirp's kin. Great mind usually help others, this one is not. This one is enemy of others. Great mind is dangerous. Shirp on mission to find great mind. Great mind enemy of Shirp's people, steal ships, steal animals. Shirp find great mind, but cannot return to his people. Help Shirp return.'
Sam bit her lower lip. Victor leaned in and whispered, 'I think he's talking about the Guardian.'
'It's been making friends it seems. We don't have a lot of choice, I think he'd be useful in a fight.'
'Did anyone at HQ know they had translators?' Victor asked
'It hadn't come up in any of my briefings.'
They stood up straight again, Sam looked at Shirp, 'We will help Shirp, if Shirp will help us. We want to return to our people too.'
Shirp put both his hands in front of him, palms down, 'Shirp agrees. Follow.'
He turned and went into the cave. Sam and Victor followed behind. Inside they found a torn apart grate to an air shaft. They went inside and started down the shaft.
The ventilation shaft was dark, but Shirp was lighting the way with his suit's lights. Sam didn't know where they were going, but anywhere was better to where they had been.
At least she hoped so anyway.
'Captain, we should use our comms and meet up with John and his team.' Victor said.
Shirp stopped and turned, he pointed at their suits, 'Messages over air how great mind see others. No messages. Go quietly.'
Sam nodded and they kept moving.
I hope they're alright, she thought to herself.
They came up to a junction in the ventilation system, two smaller shafts branched off of the main shaft, and the main shaft continued, but sloping downward.
***
Dan woke up with a jerk. The movement sent a stab of pain through him, and he groaned.
He was still where he had passed out. The front of his suit had a pink colouration to it due to his bloody coughs.
He raised his arm and wiped at his mouth. It came away pink, though not as richly as before.
Maybe the bleeding stopped. Not much I can do right now except rest. He thought.
The door swished open and a robot stepped into the room. The door shut quickly behind the robot.
'Hello,' said the robot.
Dan looked up at it and let his hand slide to his holster, 'Hello,'
'I am XO-33, Guardian of this facility, do not bother engaging this robot, it will not harm you if you do not attack it.'
Dan struggled to stand up.
The robot raised a hand and waved him back down, 'Do not bother yourself. There is nothing to fear.'
'Can you let me out?' Dan asked, sitting back down.
'Not at this time. I am afraid there is something I want from you and your band of friends. Something that I have had difficultly acquire thus far.'
Dan leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and listened to the hum of the equipment in the room.
He heard a noise and glanced out, the robot had settled into a sitting position against the wall by the door.
'Does this make you more at ease?' the robot asked.
'If you have to ask, it's probably not working,' Dan said, closing his eyes again.
'Interesting, Sam never taught me that,' the robot said.
The name caused Dan to open his eyes again and look back at the robot, 'Sam?'
'Samuel Jennings, my first Advocate. He taught me many things about humanity.'
'Our captain's name is Samantha, though she goes by Sam. I think it was what her mother called her growing up.'
'I am familiar with the concept of nicknames. I have one myself. I went by Exo.'
'Not very creative,' Dan said. He began to cough again in earnest. The pain caused him to fall to his side. His muscles tensed him into a fetal position, but the pain forced him out of it again. He closed his eyes and just tried to focus on his breathing as he laid on his side.
'I can help you.'
Dan opened his eyes and looked at the robot.
'I can numb the pain.'
Daniel noticed the robot was holding something in it's hands now. It looked like a patch of tan coloured material.
The robot lifted the patch, 'This is a dermal applied pain killer. If I place it on you, your pain will numb. It won't fix what's wrong with you, but it will give you a moment of respite.'
Daniel eyed the patch, 'What's the catch?'
'The first is free. It will give you time to think about an offer I will have.'
The robot moved over to Dan. Dan tried to move away, but couldn't find the strength. The robot knelt down next to him, and held his head with it's free hand, while the other applied the patch to his cheek. A numbness rushed over his body, and he felt himself relax.
'Do not strain yourself. Your body is still quite injured.' The robot said.
Dan didn't try to get up this time, 'What's your offer?'
'Stay with me.'
Daniel paused, unsure of what he was just asked, 'What?'
'I need someone of your crew to stay behind. I wanted someone in particular, but I have realized that I can make do with you. In your current state, you would not survive the trip back. You have made your precarious situation into a lethal one.'
***
John and Jing stood in yet another set of branching corridors. This was not the first they had run across since they had tried to make their way back to Daniel.
'How can we be at another one! The passageway was a straight shot back to Dan.' John said in frustration.
Jing was examining the walls next to them, 'I think these halls can modify their own configuration. The rooms all stay in the same location, and wall panels deploy or retract to form new passages.'
'Who would need anything like that?' John asked.
'I don't know. It would make for easy compartmentalization.'
John placed a hand on the wall nearest him and leaned on it, 'It might be useful for herding animals. You could just open and close the passages as you went, forcing the animals to go in only one direction.'
Jing stopped his examination, 'Yeah, only we're the animals.'
'More like rats in a maze.' John said bitterly.
'So what now?'
John threw his hands up, 'I don't know! We can't get to the Captain, and we can't find Daniel.'
'We could try calling him again.' Jing said.
'We couldn't reach him before, he wasn't answering, but it couldn't hurt to try again. If we can get a signal, we can try and track him.' John said.
John turned on his comms and looked down the hall, 'Lt. Cmd. Macce to Lt. Higgins, come in please.'
'I hear you Commander.'
'Dan! Thank heavens, how you holding up?' John motioned for Jing to start tracking. Jing pulled out his tablet and began to work on it.
'Not so great if I'm being honest. I hurt myself bad trying to get out of here. I... I'm coughing up blood sporadically.'
John was quiet for a moment, 'Don't strain yourself, we're going to try and find you.'
Jing motioned John down
one of the passages. John started walking after him.
'I'd appreciate that. I'm not bad right now. I've been given some pain killer.'
'Given?' John asked, frowning.
'Yeah. One of the Guardian's robots is here. He's given me an offer, and some pain killer.'
'What's the offer?'
Jing led them along carefully, though he seemed to be growing frustrated.
'If I stay with him, he'll help me, and you can all go home,' Daniel said.
'What did you say?'
'I'd think about it. How bad is it? I've been resting and haven't heard what's going on.'
'That doesn't matter right now, you're in bad shape and we need to get you out of there.'
'How's the captain, John?'
John was quiet.
'Yeah... That's what I thought. It's pretty bad isn't it?' Daniel asked .
'We haven't heard from the captain for some time.'
Jing stopped and stared at the tablet. John looked at him and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Jing drew a circle in the air with his finger.
'John. We can't take this offer off the table yet. I... I don't think I'd survive the trip back anyway.'
'That's not my call,' he said.
'With all due respect sir, it is actually. Without contact with the captain, you're the highest rank. I'm only a Lieutenant, and Jing isn't a commisioned officer. We can't all go missing here.'
John ran his hand through his hair, 'Sit tight Dan. Don't do anything rash.'
'Okay sir.'
John shut off his comms and looked at Jing. Jing pointed at the tablet, 'We're just going in circles sir.'
'We've got to find a way to get somewhere. Anywhere really, just not stuck in this blasted hallway.'
'Yeah.'
***
Sam and Victor had heard the whole exchange, but on the instance of Shirp, hadn't replied back.
'Why would the Guardian want Dan to stay?' Victor asked.
'I don't know. We don't know what he wanted with Ise either. We've still got to find her.' Sam replied.
They had moved from the air vents to some larger maintenance passages. They seemed to be unused. Shirp was still leading them onward, but their progress was slow, as the Linkal pilot would stop, listen, and motion them back periodically. Sam hadn't know the Linkal had such keen hearing. Hadn't been that important on their operations.
'Do you think Daniel will agree to the offer?'
Sam had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach since hearing Dan speak, something in his voice had given her the answer, 'I don't know, maybe, I hope not.'
Victor looked at her carefully, 'Yeah, I hope not either, but Dan's always trying to be a hero.'
Sam walked forward in silence for a moment, 'Maybe he's had enough of that for one mission.'
'Yeah. Maybe,' but Victor didn't sound sure.
Shirp stopped ahead of them, 'Shirp's companion was a hero to Shirp. Shirp's companion continued to pilot ship even after lethal wound. Shirp escaped because of her. Shirp will tell her story to her family.'
Sam looked at the back of the large Linkal, 'If we get out of here, yes.'
Shirp turned around and looked at them, with it's black eyes and unchanging face, 'Shirp angry at humans. Humans rush blindly at Shirp's kin. Human's build great minds to think for humans. Great minds make humans forget to think for themselves. Humans not know what great minds become. Humans live only for war. What would human know of the importance of story? Every one of Shirp's kin have story. Too many stories ended too soon by Humans.'
Sam took a step back, 'We have stories too. Daniel's story is going on now. We want to help him not end it too soon.'
Shirp looked at them, though he didn't move. Sam found it's lack of motion unsettling. Suddenly, the Linkal turned and continued down the passage, 'Follow. Anger can wait. Maybe not all humans let great minds think for them.'
Samantha and Victor looked at each other and continued after the creature.
CHAPTER 11
Secured room – Maintenance levels
'Your position is tenuous Advocate.'
Ise opened her eyes. She was still trapped in the same drab metal room, surrounded by a ring of Exo's robots. She looked at one of them but didn't say anything.
'Your Guardian has left you behind, your crew is scattered and afraid, and you have the power to save them. All you must do is say you will stay behind, and I will let the others go.'
Ise glanced to the display showing camera feeds. It was cycling between groups. It showed Dan in room, laying on his side, with a robot next to him. It then showed John and Jing walking down a hall way, looking frustrated. It cycled back to Dan.
Ise smiled slightly, 'I can't help but notice that the Captain and Victor weren't on there.'
'They will be found soon enough. I am searching the facility for them as we speak.'
'So long as there's a factor you haven't accounted for, you aren't in control,' Ise said.
'I assure you, they will not remain undetected for long,' Exo said, 'but you could fix the situation yourself.'
'I know, by agreeing to stay with you,' Ise said.
'It's an easy choice. One life for the lives of your crew, and it's not as if you are going off to die. I am giving you a chance to experience life anew, in ways you had never imagined.'
'I think you might be mistaking me for someone else. None of this sound very appealing to me.' Ise said.
'Perhaps I have mistaken your character. Maybe the forceful approach is in order.'
Incoming Advocate Uplink Signal...
Encryption failed...
Signal terminated...
Incoming Advocate Uplink Signal...
Encryption failed...
Signal terminated...
'You'll never break my systems.' Ise said, as more errors flashed in her mind.
'We have plenty of time to find out. I think you may have mistaken me for a normal Guardian. I've had a considerable amount of time to improve my own systems.'
Ise closed her eyes and focused halting his renewed attacks on her systems.
***
While following Shirp Victor had spotted an access to one of the main conduits in the facility. It ran parallel to the maintenance shafts, and contained power cables, and data cables. Shirp had pulled the panel off the wall, and Victor was looking in at the cabling.
Shirp and Samantha were keeping watch in the tunnel.
'What have you got Vick?'
'Power is flowing one way, and data is flowing the other way.'
'Anything you can do?'
'If I try, it might alert the Guardian to where we are,' Victor said.
'If nothing is to be found here, Shirp suggests we keep moving. Have not found ships to flee,' Shirp said through his translator.
'Wait. If we follow the cables, we may be able to find the Guardian core. If we could get to it, we could force it let us all go,' Victor said.
'The core is probably guarded,' Sam said.
'Would it be though? This place is filled with animals, not people.'
'Which way do the cables lead?'
'Down. My tablet says it keeps going to the lower levels.'
'Ships will not be down. Shirp suggest up. Find shaft, ascend to upper levels. Escape.'
Samantha thought for a moment, 'You're probably right Shirp. Let's keep moving.'
Victor got out of the hole in the wall and stood up. He put his tablet away and pulled out his side arm.
Shirp started to move, and they followed.
'Captain Samantha,' the voice came from Victor and Sam's comms systems, 'This is a general broadcast. I know you have discovered that I am tracking you via your transmissions. If you do not reply to my message, I will still be unable to track you. This is XO-33, the Guardian of this facility, and I desire to speak with you.'
Samantha froze. XO-33 was a name she knew.
'Your crew is separated, demoralized, and ready to go home. All I require is for one of th
em to stay behind with me, and the rest of you can go. Your crew mates are looking to you for leadership. You can save them, either by staying behind yourself, or ordering one to stay. Do not delay. Time is off the essence. Your injured friend is in a poor situation, and will not survive much longer. Your ship has fled of it's own accord and you are trapped. If you reply, we can talk and work this all out. If not, we will have to see if one of your crew makes the noble sacrifice before it's too late.'
The transmission stopped.
Sam turned to Victor with a look of determination in her eyes, 'The cables lead down?'
'Yes Captain.'
'We're going after the Guardian.'
'Shirp will not go.'
Sam turned quickly and looked at Shirp, 'When we find a shaft, you can go up, and we'll go down, I'm not letting this thing continue to live.'
Shirp nodded slowly, 'You have a story with this great mind.'
'Yes. My mother told me about XO-33. She knew him as Exo. He was the Guardian on the colony ship that took her from Earth to Vodea. The Guardian killed it's own advocate and tried to kill everyone on the ship. She was never able to trust a Guardian after that. She's an Advocate without a mission. The thing stole her humanity, her childhood, and her future. If I have a chance to give her some solace now, and stop this thing from threatening my crew, I'm not going to walk away from that.'
'Shirp understands. Shirp will go up, and you will go down. May you live to tell your story.'
Sam nodded, 'Let's go.'
The three continued down the maintenance tunnel.
***
John and Jing stood in the corridor, waiting to see if their Captain would reply to Exo's message.
There was no reply.
'If he's broadcasting to her, it means she's still alive.' Jing said.
John nodded, 'Yeah, but we haven't been making that many transmissions, how has he been tracking us?'
'We've been calling Dan a lot, but if this place is for processing animals, he's probably got cameras or some kind of sensors to keep track of them.'