Synchronicity Trilogy Omnibus

by Michael McCloskey

  Red blitzed the other offices and dispatched of the other leaders. With the completion of this act, Red’s responsibilities toward Captain were fulfilled.

  Whatever happened now, it was up to Red.

  Red-L3: I won’t be as sloppy as Killer.

  Red increased the feed of mass into its energy harvester, collecting huge amounts of energy and storing it into the superconducting ring around its equator. Then it moved toward the enemy.

  Red’s security robots had engaged the invaders but they proved ineffective. The Terrans were using some kind of quadrupedal robots designed to destroy their own security machines. The UNSF faction of Terrans had come prepared to fight their brethren in control of the station.

  Red-L1: Strange way of moving.

  Red-L7: Definitely a high gravity style of movement.

  Red-L2: The design is not familiar. These types are not commonly known.

  Red-L3: Logical. They prevent their enemies from knowing the configuration of their robots.

  Red-L2: They are heavily armored. But I should be able to cut through them.

  Red-L4: Then I should find the nearest one and get started.

  Red-L4 studied the tactical map for a second, then directed the Spinner on an intercept course. The meeting would occur as one of the quadrupeds walked by a long pool of water used by the Terrans for recreation.

  Red-L5 examined the images of the quadrupeds and calculated good target surfaces for the cutter molecules. Though it could only guess on the configuration of internal systems, it seemed logical to strike through the frontal plate on the machine’s chest. The lobe took pause as it considered the robot’s head: would the Terrans put the machine’s control systems into its head, emulating their own inexplicable design? It decided not to push this thought upward into the common part of the Spinner’s mind.

  Red-L1 tried to estimate the weight of the machines based upon the aural impact of their feet onto the deck as measured by nearby cyblocs with microphone input. From there, it extrapolated an expected armor thickness and calculated a velocity for its finishing round. Some experimentation would be required: Was the frontal plate thicker than those facing other directions? Was this faction of Terrans better at making war machines than the ones who had constructed the Circle Fours? Red-L1 pushed the upper and lower bounds of its estimates upward to make them available to other lobes.

  The Spinner arrived very near the pool. It could hear the enemy machine approaching just around the next corner.

  Red-L7 maximized its energy reserve, then spun out towards the lead quadruped. Red’s seventh lobe was one of two favored for physical activity: every Spinner had two or even three lobes better at controlling movement than the others. Red-L4 composed three thousand cutter molecules and launched them in a tight pattern with a finisher round just behind.

  The attack was flawless. The machine halted then caught fire.

  The reaction on the Terran comm channels was almost instantaneous. The local assimilators were already under attack. Red called upon the cyblocs under its control. They started to emit EM noise on the frequencies the Terrans were using for communication.

  Red-L1: The machines are dangerous, but no match for me.

  Red-L3: I’m under assault on the network. It’s well-coordinated.

  Red-L1: They’re using an AI again.

  The quadrupeds quickly altered their communication patterns. Several of the cyblocs fell like a stream of dominos.

  Red-L1: Fighting the AI on the network is probably not going to work.

  Red-L3: Then I’ll find it and kill it.

  More of the quadrupeds were coming. Red retreated into a locker room and channeled mass into its singularity to accumulate more energy in its short term storage ring.

  Boom. Boom. Boom.

  Large projectiles started to pop through the wall near Red.

  Red-L3: It can sense me!

  Red-L8: These weapons are vastly superior to those of the Bentra security machines.

  Red-L7: Careful... prepare to deflect!

  The Spinner composed four thousand cutter molecules and darted out near the ceiling. A fog of fire retardant had been emitted from ports in the ceiling, obscuring the area. Red located the quadruped that had been shooting at it through the mist. It accelerated the entire batch of cutters at the front of the quadruped. Less than a second later it followed up with a small high-velocity projectile.

  The quadruped exploded, sending bits of its front half flying out around the pool. Blackened bits of metal sunk to the bottom of the water as more mist descended to dampen the flames.

  Red-L8: I’ve analyzed the control patterns. The quadrupeds are the center of this. The AI is living in a quadruped.

  Red-L3: Which one? How can I find which one?

  Red-L2: It’s worse than that. They’re all heavily sourcing activity branching out to the cyblocs. They’re each an AI!

  Red-L3: .

  Red-L5: The plan remains the same. Just kill them. At least we know where they are now.

  Red spun away back through the locker rooms as more of the quadrupeds approached. Its army of security robots were holding back the Terran soldiers that had stormed onto the station from the other craft.

  Heavy, fast-moving projectiles plowed through the walls around Red as it departed. A round flew towards it, only to be deflected by Red’s gravity field. The act took a lot of energy.

  Red-L2: The network is falling. They’ll figure out each wave faster than the last.

  Red-L8: We’ve already eliminated some of them. Every time we kill one, they grow weaker.

  Red-L2: The older they get, the smarter they get.

  Red-L4: Then I can’t run. I have to kill more right now.

  Red-L7 took the Spinner back toward the pool in a blur of speed. It prepared more cutter molecules.

  The Spinner darted out. It targeted two of the quadrupeds simultaneously. It delivered a lethal combination of cutters and projectiles to both enemies.

  The machines responded with amazing speed for Terran constructs. Long spikes of metal flew out toward Red. But it had expended too much energy to speed out and strike at two targets. Red-L7 selected an optimum course. Two rounds grazed the sphere, cutting through its outer shell.

  Red started to retreat, spinning back out of the pool at high speed. One of its arms threatened to break off under the acceleration, but Red-L7 nudged it by deforming the local gravity gradient and giving it a bit of a kick in the right direction.

  As Red whipped through the locker room again, rounds came after it, slicing through the thin walls. Bits of foam and tile cascaded around it in a fury as projectiles bolted through in pairs. The smart rounds curved gently toward the Spinner as they passed by, altering their drag to nudge closer to their target. Red responded with what energy it could, shrugging the rounds away as necessary.

  Red-L2: The network assault is slowing down. I’m launching another wave of assimilators to shore us up.

  Red-L5: The machines are shifting away. They’re moving to engage the other Terran machines under my control.

  Red-L3 saw to its self-repair. The matrix forming the shell of the Spinner was already rebuilding itself from carbon captured from the air, but Red-L3 used the field effector to speed up the process.

  Red slipped deeper into the base, leaving the quadrupeds far behind. The machines turned towards the battle going on near the fusion plant, where Red’s security force had been skirmishing with the marines.

  Red considered the best place to make a stand. It decided upon an armored checkpoint at the entrance to the inner sanctum of the base. There were two entrances to the sanctum, so it chose the closer of the two.

  The Spinner double-checked its control of the cyblocs in the area. Everything looked secure for now. A laser turret dominated the ceiling above an armored counter in the middle of the security checkpoint. Red controlled the laser. It severed the laser from the network and linked to it directly using its field effector.
r />   Red-L2: I don’t want to lose control of the laser.

  Red-L8: They may flank me. But I should know if they head all the way around to the other entrance.

  Red-L3: The AIs won’t be foolish enough to split up again. I’ll have to take them out one by one.

  Red-L5: These armored doors are thick. They’ll have to blow their way through. That gives me an idea.

  Red had control of two tiny cyblocs on the other side of the doors, security devices with optical inputs. Red pulled these devices off the wireless network and connected to them directly. They would be suitable spotters to tell Red what lay beyond.

  Red heard footsteps. It spun around to confront a lone Terran, wearing black gear.

  “Oh!” said the Terran in surprise, stepping back.

  “Your government ordered you to your quarters,” Red noted.

  “I’m security. I thought I would...”

  “You thought to help the UNSF take control of the station from me.”

  “No! Not at all. I just thought I should be here...”

  “I agree. You should be here. You can be witness to my annihilation of the boarding force. You can convince your friends of the futility of defying me.”

  The Terran had no answer. It simply stood and watched as Red flitted about the security lobby.

  Red-L2: I doubt this one will live through the fight. It has no armor, no speed, and no significant weaponry.

  Red-L1-8: Consensus.

  Red-L5: Concentrate on preparation. Make sure none of these cyblocs are compromised to give them view into the room.

  The pressure had since resumed on the network. Red’s assimilators were again losing control of the station. It couldn’t hope to win against the AIs in this regard. Red-L5 spawned another generation of assimilators to buy more time.

  Red detected movement through its spotter cyblocs outside the door. The Terrans had arrived.

  The heavy quadrupeds lined up and shot several rounds through the armored doors.

  As soon as the holes appeared, Red darted by the entrance. It used its spotter cyblocs to line up shots through the holes. In a blinding instant, Red fired a volley of cutter molecules through one hole as it passed by. Then it sent more cutters through the next hole and the next. The spray was wider than before, painting each target with a swath of cutters to weaken the armor in patches.

  The Terran machines responded with heavy fire. The portal gave way at last, crumpling under the rain of metal.

  The ceiling mounted laser blasted away at the Terran machines beyond, but it had little effect. The machines had been designed to take these stations, and nothing there could pose a serious threat to the quadrupeds.

  Red darted behind the armored counter in the center of the checkpoint.

  The Terran in gear cowered there behind the counter, muttering to itself. It clasped its hands together, shaking in terror.

  Red-L1: This is not a successful strategy.

  Red-L2: How can such creatures defeat me?

  The quadrupeds shot at the laser turret above and silenced it with their heavy projectiles. Red emerged for a split second, taking advantage of the moment when the Terran machine’s guns were trained on the ceiling turret. It sent a projectile of its own slicing into another quadruped, at a spot where the cutter molecules had weakened its shoulder. The machine dropped to the floor.

  Red-L2: There are four left.

  Several rounds flew through the counter in response. A projectile penetrated the counter and then tore through the center of the Terran, splattering its internal fluids across the floor.

  Red-L7: This counter is not enough protection for me either.

  Red-L6: Too many! Disengage.

  Red-L1: They expect us to stay hidden here. But we can come out and finish them. Their armor is widely compromised now.

  Red spun out from behind the counter, launching rounds. The target quadrupeds shifted their bodies unexpectedly, causing Red’s attack to miss the weakened areas of two machines. One other machine was covered by the body of its companion, preventing Red from getting a clear shot.

  Red-L4: Move around and finish from the left side.

  Then several projectiles emerged from the wreckage of the machine before it. Red didn’t have enough energy left to deflect all of them. It sprayed a few cutter molecules at the incoming rounds, but it didn’t matter. The long spikes of metal flew deep into Red, severing its superconducting ring and triggering an internal explosion.

  ***

  Captain learned of Red’s death immediately through Ship. Red had updated events continuously throughout the battle, so the other Spinners would know the details.

  Captain absorbed the information as it moved about one of the Terran labs, preparing equipment designs for fabrication of another round of helmet effectors for the Terran citizens.

  Claire had just arrived moments ago. Captain sent her a polite wait signal. It knew her curiosity would be piqued.

  Captain-L3: This is unfortunate.

  Captain-L1: Surprising the Terrans have reacted so quickly. How did they find out about us already?

  Captain-L6: This was inevitable.

  Captain-L3: Should I tell the others?

  Captain-L4: It would be foolish to hide it. They need to know in order to prepare defenses, and besides, they may find out some other way.

  Captain-L7: Slicer, at least, must have other avenues of information.

  Captain-L1-8: Consensus.

  Captain linked to the other Spinners through Ship, which could talk to them all anywhere in the system.

  “I have bad news. Red has lost in Reality0. It has been destroyed by the Terrans. By now I trust you understand, this replica of Red is gone forever.”

  Captain paused to let them consider the news, then continued.

  “I’m sending you the details of the battle so we can improve our strategies. Hitler, one minor countermeasure we can use against the Terrans in battle involves your gear designs. We should modify the outer covering to resist their glue compounds. Shetani, we’ve found that their cyblocs can be used to jam their communications. We should optimize modules to cause interference and build them into our suites of assimilators. I’m rolling out a new design for the helmet effectors that will enable us to enrage the Terrans under our control and use them in battle.”

  Slicer jumped in.

  “We need to escalate the war if we are to be victorious,” Slicer said.

  “We’ll improve our responses,” Captain said. “Then I can devise a plan to seize more stations.”

  “That won’t be enough. The Terrans will keep coming. They’ll bring more and more forces to overwhelm us.”

  “Once we control everything in space beyond their homeworld, we’ll be safe.”

  “Your leadership isn’t good enough. You’re too soft on the Terrans. We can rule these primitives forever. We have to teach them a lesson. I want to lead this war.”

  “I support Slicer’s bid for leadership,” Claw said.

  “We can’t afford inner strife right now,” Hitler said. “I support Captain in maintaining our course. Slicer may resume its challenge with Captain after the Terran offensive has been stopped.”

  “They won’t stop until we destroy their space fleets,” Slicer said. “We can take over as many stations as we please, but more and more ships will be coming. Eventually we’ll be overwhelmed.”

  “Most of their vessels are manufactured in space,” Captain said. “We can seize their factories and take control of their battleship production centers.”

  “You won’t control the many ships they already have. There’s a better way.”

  “I don’t think so,” Captain said. “Besides, we should minimize the Terran deaths. We’re trying to advance them, not kill them all off.”

  “There are billions. If we have to kill a lot to ensure victory, then we should. All the easier to control them once they fear us and know our power.”

  “You have no better strategy than the ones
we already employ,” Captain said. “So a challenge now is pointless.”

  Slicer paused for effect.

  Captain-L1: Slicer has a plan.

  Captain-L7: We’ll know it in seconds, I suspect.

  Slicer stopped speaking through Ship. It continued the debate using the Terran’s communication systems to talk to its fellow Spinners. The conversation became slower.

  “I’ve found a way to control Ship,” Slicer said.

  “Really? Doubtful.”

  Captain realized that Slicer had arrived incarnate. It heard the subtle sounds of another Spinner and identified it as Slicer seconds before the newcomer entered the room.

  “Slicer is here!” Claire said aloud. She stepped back uncertainly. Though her body language indicated a level of comfort in the presence of Captain, the Terran follower was still skittish whenever Slicer appeared.

  Slicer spun halfway across the room toward Captain then stopped. It hovered for a moment then settled on one leg extended perfectly downward, settling onto the deck under the acceleration of the station.

  “No, I have. I’ve managed to construct a jammer that will isolate Ship from the Prime Intelligence. Then we can use our electromagnetic effectors to establish control over Ship.”

  “We’ll finish this later,” Captain transmitted on the Terran network. “We have to establish control over the Terrans first.”

  “That is exactly my goal,” Slicer replied. “Controlling Ship will enable us to destroy all their military vessels in the system. You know as well as I do that the reason they have won is because of weight of numbers. This contest is not our civilization against theirs or they would have lost already. It’s a handful of outcasts against billions. Yet we could still win, if we simply use what we have.”

  “Defying an intelligence of such magnitude is monumentally stupid.”

  “We aren’t defying the Prime Intelligence. It cares nothing about us or what goes on here. We will rule the Terrans ourselves. We can be the arbiters of the new challenges. We don’t need an AI to rule over us.”

  Captain-L3: So it offers them godhood of their own.

  Captain-L6: Offer the others some hope. It should be tempting to offer them something like home.