“Hurry it on up there, Sassy, with all that racket you’re making, there’s bound to be more on the way soon,” Tucker yelled.
“I’m going as fast as I can, Tuck!”
Several painful and blinding minutes went by, when Cass terminated the beam weapon, and then stumbled backward into Tucker.
“Oh, easy there,” Tucker said, catching her. “You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. I think so. But my eyes...I can’t see too well, but I think I got through it. I’ll be okay in a minute.”
“You sure about that, Cass?” Tucker asked.
Samuels kneeled down and pulled the split locking pin and dropped the pieces on the deck.
“Yeah, I’m sure, Tuck.”
“The pin’s out, let’s get out of here.”
“I agree, Sarge,” Cass said, rubbing her eyes.
“Come on then, this way,” Samuels said, “The opening you cut is growing together, I suggest we get through before you have to fire that up again.”
“Which way?” Cass asked.
“Whattya mean, which way?” Tucker scoffed, “It right over there, can’t you see it?”
“No, I can’t see anything right now.”
Tucker took her by the arm to guide her, “Come on then, it’s this way.”
Stepping over the first two clone bodies, Tucker stopped and bent down to grab his prize cigar. Snatching it off the ground, he held it up to inspect it.
“Tucker, quit clowning around already!” Samuels urged, who was already standing outside the alien mass.
“Nonsense, my good man,” Tucker said, dusting his cigar off, “Always have time to save one of these babies.”
As Tucker guided Cass over the bodies, the Gus-clone reached over and grabbed her ankle, causing her to let out a scream.
Tucker jumped back, noticing Gus’s eyes fluttering open. He pulled on Cass’s arm to try and break his grip, but the Gus-clone held on tight.
“He’s alive!” Cass shrieked.
“Gus!” Tucker yelled, “you can’t do this. Let her go!”
Gus moved his lips, but little sound could be heard. Tucker kneeled down beside the Gus-clone’s head and looked him in the eye, “Gus, my old friend. I’m sorry for what’s happened to you. But you gotta let her go. We need to get out of here.”
Gus again moved his lips, Tucker leaned down closer to hear him, “You must give us Calvin Jones...you must give us Calvin...he’s the only one that can help us.”
“What’s happening to the alien complex, Gus? Why is this different than the last one?”
“Virus...virus...virus...virus...must have Calvin Jones...Calvin Jones...Calvin...bring us Calvin.”
“I already told you, he’s likely dead back on Earth.”
“Tucker? Is that you?”
“Yes, Gus. But I’m afraid this is not you.”
“Yes it is, Tuck. I am every bit Gus.”
“Except, they kept the morality emotion from entering your programing.”
“That may be so, Tuck. But I am still made from the same DNA pattern we collected from Gus...likewise for Lieutenant Savage...the explosion knocked out my neural transmitter...I’m not being controlled by them at the moment.”
“Then release Cassie.”
“You must not leave yet. Tucker, there are still others that can be saved.”
“Like who? Smithers? Or better yet, how about Dillan? Isn’t it just a little too late for them?”
“No, you don’t quite understand how this technology works.”
“Let go of Cass and I’ll listen.”
Gus let go of her ankle, causing them to stumble slightly, “Now, I’ll stay and listen to you. Samuels, Cass, get back to the control deck. Get ready to bug out.”
“No way, Tucker!” Cass protested, “I’m not leaving you behind, period.”
“I’ll be fine, get back to the ship. I think we need to get as much info out of this broken clone as we can.”
“Tucker!”
“Come on, Cass,” Samuels said, pulling on her arm. “He’s made up his mind. Don’t think there’s going to be any changing it anytime soon.”
“He’s right, Cass. Now go! That’s an order, Major!”
Samuels guided the reluctant Cass up the ladder to the next deck.
Samuels followed but stopped short, “Just don’t take too long, Commander.”
“Seal that hatch on your way up, Sarge. I’ll be along shortly.”
“You better,” Samuels nodded, then climbed the ladder the rest of the way and closed the hatch.
“Dillan is still savable. However, I think both Smithers and Kurtis have already been integrated into the mainframe.”
“What about the rest?”
“All clones now. They will only serve the programming.”
“While I have your undivided attention, tell me about these complexes? Are there more than two?”
“Negative, only two Noosphere’s were sent to each solar system that contained the building blocks for intelligent life...this complex was dormant, just as the one at 15 Eunomia. When we awoke that complex, it activated this one. Just before you blew the first one, all the data was transmitted to this one...it was a self-preservation tactic that the designers built into the programming.”
“You said you need Calvin. The virus, did that transmit with the rest of the data?”
“Yes, Calvin infected the first Noosphere with a virus program. It did something to our programming that the designers never anticipated. The programming didn’t know how to deal with that, so the program split into two different sets. That was the result of trying to isolate the infection. But that created an entirely new set of problems for us.”
“Such as?”
“Such as there are two types of clones now; warring factions. One side is fighting the original programming. The main part of this complex is in much the same place. We require live intelligent beings as hosts and DNA contributions. They are tied into the master computer and fully integrated. They serve once the chip is imbedded. This virus now morphs into random clones called the Keepers. They are on your side, but this side - the side I’m on - the Vanguard, they are the army that desires to inhabit Earth. The first division of the army. You must not let us succeed. I don’t have enough time for me to tell you everything. If you want to Save Dillan and Kurtis, you better hurry...they’re not very far from here.”
“Can I tell the Keepers from the Vanguard?”
“No, there is no distinction between them. But you will know it when one shows up.”
“I’m coming back to get you, Gus.”
“No, it is too late for me. They are making the connection to my neural transmitter. There’s a termination program that will commence as a safety protocol once the connection is repaired. Then I will be cloned again. You must be back to the CSMO before they complete that process.”
Then Gus cocked his head, his eyes turned milky white and the clone breathed its last breath.
“Great...just great,” Tucker muttered.
He ran through the quickly closing opening that Cass had cut, then tapped the side of his wireless, “Cass, get this CSMO off the ground. I’m on board.”
“Roger that, Colonel,” Cass answered. “Now get your butt up here and strap in.”
“Take off, Cass...now! I’ll be there shortly.”
Tucker heard Cass give the order to the bruised faced Hargrove.
Hargrove took the pilot seat and began reporting on the separation sequence, “All systems green...Ion turbines and thrusters online...Avionics online...the board is green.”
“NAV Check,” Cass reported, “Navigational gyros engaged, prepare for separation sequence...ascend 200 meters and hold below Salvage-5.”
Hargrove took the control stick on his left, wrapping his hand around its grip, “We are green for takeoff, firing take-off thrusters...ascending to 200 meters and holding.”
Hargrove pulled the joystick control back, separating the CSMO sections. Firing al
l thrusters, he righted the ship and began a slow ascent.
“Salvage-5, CSMO 10 Hygiea,” Hargrove transmitted, “We are separating from the gear section. Hold position and wait for instructions.”
“CSMO, Salvage-5,” Sam replied, “Holding position. It’s good to hear your voice, Lieutenant.”
“Thanks, Captain,” We’re almost ready to head out of here.”
Once Tucker was sure the CSMO separation sequence was committed, he tapped his wireless once more, “Sorry, Sassy.”
“About what? Tucker? What did you do?”
“I kind of fibbed.”
“You’re not on board are you?”
“No, but I don’t intend on being long. You had to get off this asteroid. There’s going to be a fresh batch of clones hatching soon. I wasn’t about to risk the rest of the crew on having any of those clones stow away. Don’t worry, I’ll find a way back. For now, I need to try and reach Dillan. Gus said he’s savable.”
“What if Gus was lying?
“I don’t think so, Cass.”
“Tucker, I’m going to beat on youuu!”
“Promises, promises.”
“Salvage-5, CSMO,” Cass said over the transmitter, “Looks like we’re going to be a little longer than we thought.”
“Don’t tell me, Major?” Sam answered.
“Yep, Tucker stayed down there.”
“What the hell?”
“That’s what I say...you all good to hold position up there?”
“Affirmative, Major. Holding at 500 meters.”
“Great! The rest of us are going to scour this section to ensure we don’t have any infestations, if you know what I mean.”
“Roger that, Major. Take care, Salvage-5 out.”
* * *
Chapter 18
Alien Noosphere
Location:
Kuiper Belt - Asteroid 52 Europa
Earth Date: 04/16/2065 13:05
Two Savage cyborg clones stood over Kurtis, busily attending his implant connection to the mainframe.
“His vitals are inadequate to sustain the subject.”
“He is terminating.”
“He would have been a fine candidate.”
“The computer scans show he had an enlarged heart.”
“Apparently, he was not healthy enough for the procedure.”
Another Gus clone walked up to the two, “Were we successful in harvesting the subjects DNA pattern?”
“Yes,” the first Savage clone answered. “The DNA pattern has been preserved within our core memory.”
“Excellent! We have received a new signal. Our main system has responded with the answer code.”
“This is good news, Major.”
“Yes, yes it is.”
“Does this mean that the first chip and core that was taken by the Salvage-5 crew have begun to grow a new Noosphere on the subject’s planet?”
“You are correct.”
“I will initiate the transfer protocol for the subject’s DNA.”
“The new cloning center has unlimited power access, and can produce the Vanguard at an accelerated rate.”
“I shall prepare the core dump to transmit all of our pattern data to the new center.”
“It appears that we have successfully penetrated the inhabited planet. Adapting the first test subjects allowed the Noosphere to add programming to our DNA patterns, making our new bodies resistant to the planetary biosphere’s diseases.”
“Now that we have integrated clones within a major corporation of the subject planet, the Kurtis subject will be an excellent resource.”
“Yes,” the Gus clone smiled, “The Kurtis subject is the nephew of the corporation’s CEO.”
“We will have the new Kurtis clone take over the company.”
“The core is most pleased with our success. It appears that we shall soon be able to join our kind on the subject planet as soon as the Noosphere has been completed.”
“The Kurtis subject has been disconnected from the core. We are ready to dispose of the subject’s shell.”
“Begin to prepare the Dillan subject as soon as you have completed the disposal procedure.”
“I have already had the Dillan subject prepped for the chip implant.”
“We can proceed momentarily,” another clone said.
Then Kurtis’s lifeless body was removed by three other clones and the table was wiped down with a thick green colored solution by another.
“Bring in the Dillan subject,” the Gus clone ordered.
“Bring who in?” Tucker asked, entering the room holding two grenades. “And in case you’re wondering, the pins are pulled.”
“Colonel Petersen, what a pleasure to see you again.”
“Yeah, it’s been so long. Oh, I don’t know what? Thirty minutes?”
“That seems about right,” the Gus clone answered. “Delay my last order. Instead, we’ll use the Colonel here, since he made it so easy by coming to us.”
“No, no, you see? That’s where you’re wrong, Major, or whatever you call yourself.”
“Major works...and yes, we will be integrating you into this complex...”
“I don’t think so!” Tucker shouted. He lobbed the two grenades at the clones, and dove behind a counter.
The two grenades bounced and then exploded at the Gus and Melissa clone’s feet. The clones had adapted by raising a shield to protect them from the blast, and were not harmed.
Tucker jumped up to the counter with his alien weapon, and fired several shots, taking down two of the clones in the room. The other clones grew rapid fire weapons down their forearms and returned fire.
“This ain’t any good!” Tucker said under his breath.
Two more clones, that Tucker didn’t recognize, entered the room, cocking their alien weapons. Only instead of taking a bead on Tucker, they trained their weapons on the other clones.
Tucker took full advantage and cleaned up the remaining clones as they turned to counter the new threat.
When the center of the room had been cleared, the new clones stopped firing, holding his weapon in the air, “Cease Fire! We’re friendlies!”
Tucker remained behind the cover of the counter and shouted in return, “How can I be sure? Who are you?”
“We are clones. However, we are Keepers.”
Tucker raised his head up and peered over the counter top, “I don’t recognize you.”
“Our DNA patterns have been dormant. We’re from Salvage-4, and are cloned from the DNA subject Jake Paulson and Darrell Hansen.”
The two clones began to approach the counter where Tucker was hunkered behind. He rose up to his feet and aimed at the Jake-clone, “Don’t come any closer!”
The two clones stopped and raised their hands in submission, “You do not need to be alarmed,” the Jake-clone assured, “We are the direct result of the Jones virus. We only manifest when there is a direct need, and the programming has found a suitable host to enter.”
Tucker shook his head, “I’m still tryin’ to wrap my head around that there’s another complex.”
“Yes,” the Hansen-clone began, “Two Noosphere’s were sent by the dying world of the system you refer to as Sirius.”
“It was the builders hope,” the Hansen-clone added, “to preserve their lives in the ecosystems of these worlds that were discovered. These worlds were chosen because they would eventually evolve to a state that would discover the Noosphere.”
“You plan to take over Earth, our world, to spawn these people? We consider this a hostile act.”
“The makers of the programming did not see that adapting their DNA signatures would be thought of as hostile. They thought that this would be a welcomed offering. It is a promise to enhance the existence of your current state.”
“...and quite frankly, you’re species is the first to reject Sirius’ offering.”
“Well, quite frankly,” Tucker quipped, “our race cherishes freewill.”
“Th
e makers of the programming do not understand the term freewill. However, we do know about your planets brutal and violent history. The programming has been monitoring your world since the Noosphere’s arrival. In the eyes of the program designers, we are saving your race from certain extinction, while preserving our own.”
“So, what happened to the rest of the dash four’s crew?”
“We were not successful in mapping their DNA patterns.”
“In other words, they perished.”
“Swell,” Tucker said, shaking his head, “and you want me to be connected to this complex? No thanks...and by the way, where’s Dillan? We really should be going now.”
“Dillan has been prepped for the chip implant and was being brought to this chamber.”
“He’s in the next room.”
“Well, what are we waiting for? Take me to him.”
The clones motioned for Tucker, but he insisted they move first and he would follow, his weapon hot and trained on the two clones.
Tucker’s horror was realized when he saw Dillan pinned down to a table, squirming against his restraints.
Others in the room, tied to their own table, were all dead, “What happened to them?”
“They resisted and terminated during the preparation.”
“We were in the process of shell disposal when you interrupted by entering the main DNA extraction chamber.”
“Colonel? Is that you?” an anxious Dillan asked.
“It’s going to be alright, Dillan. I’ll get you out of here.”
“Please hurry, Sir. I really don’t want to become one of them.”
“He is correct, Colonel. You must hurry,” the Jake-clone added.
“The others will be advancing soon. We cannot hold them all off.”
Tucker began unbuckling the straps holding Dillan to the table, “Don’t just stand there! Help me get him up.”
The two clones assisted in removing the remaining straps. Then Tucker held out a hand offering to help Dillan off the table.
“Thank you, Colonel. I owe you one.”
“Just one? Wow, I thought you’d owe me much more than one.”
“This way,” the Darrell-clone motioned, “We will take you back to the CSMO.”
Salvage-5: The Next Mission (First Contact) Page 18