by Tobias Roote
On an impulse, he went through to the small stock room at the back behind the main counter. He selected a smart phone that was at the end of the rack, dusty and unloved. Checking that it switched on and getting the NO SIM CARD message, he pocketed it.
Ensuring he had not forgotten anything, he tied the rucksack to the rope and sculled up into the duct. Then, holding onto the top brackets, he entered the duct feet first. He pulled up the rucksack, checking the ground below to make sure nothing had dropped or been left behind.
He replaced everything, having first removed the insulation tape from the PIR with the same attention to avoid setting it off. Then, with a feat of strength and agility worthy of an acrobat half his age, he reversed his direction by climbing out onto the duct, then back in again, to enable him to make his way out of the building.
***
Zirkos monitored Zeke’s recovery closely. The fact that the scan had harmed the human caused him some concern, but as it was transient pain and had been essential to establish important data from the human’s body readings he didn’t dwell on the issue.
He recorded considerable data about the human’s physiology while doing so, and even more about the transformation effect the pheson alacite was having on the human DNA, not all of which was debilitating. Some aspects were positively improving the genetic structure, physical speed, thinking, reaction times, and control.
All of these were being modified by the toxins, but not at a level of awareness where the human could actually utilise them consciously. This, Zirkos thought, would take time to settle and become a part of the human’s overall body reactions. He set the pod AI to continue monitoring the mutation, in case anything developed before they were ready to act.
Checking the AI’s progress, Zirkos found that, out of the four hundred and eighty nine components, the AI had managed to source, mine and refine over four hundred of them. Impressive performance, he thought, the AI was performing well above its programmed limits.
While Zirkos had been monitoring the internet and the human amongst other things that might require their intervention, the AI had been busy. Working at peak efficiency de-materialising materials around the globe, or using cloaked tractor beams, it had gathered all the raw materials into one place.
The shelf on the island was now loaded almost to overflowing.
***
Whilst transporting the raw materials to the island, the pod AI had repeatedly experimented with the Dematz thrust and found it to be incredibly versatile, providing very precise coordinates were known.
It had been working on developing micro materialisation as a sub routine of its human monitoring project, using it successfully twice now in placing and removing nanobots inside organic material, without side effects.
It compiled its notes and research, as well as test results, and flagged it as a priority for the attention of its maker. Then, resuming its sourcing and recovery activity, earmarked the next twenty four components for the ship build and D-jumped to the next location.
When it had fulfilled all of the requirements for the ship build, with the exception of the material in the human, the AI notified the maker of its intention to start building.
Receiving immediate confirmation to proceed, it D-jumped to the cavern and re-materialised, hovering two hundred feet above the shelf.
Both sides of the shelf were covered with various sized stacks of freshly refined materials. There was an expanse of empty ground beneath it, where it had deliberately left sufficient space to hold the ship it was going to build.
One further modification was required.
It de-materialised a hollowed-out section of the shelf to the exact curvature and depth of the new ship. It would allow the AI to keep the craft stable while it concentrated on the construction.
It now pulled up the pattern for the T-Ship incorporating its maker’s latest modifications to the Dematz thrust, excluding the AI build specification. It then proceeded to transmute large portions of materials into the alien alloys and metals which, by their specific molecular structure, provided all the strength and versatility incorporated into all previous ships.
A day later, in the planet’s terms, it had achieved stage one completion and a new stack of completely unknown metals and alloys had been created.
The AI began using the new D-field, the term it had given to the use of the Dematz thrust when being used locally for construction, while its tractor fields grabbed the materials, moulding the metals into the shapes that would be required.
When finer work was needed, the AI created, then released millions of nanobots to weld the sections together at a molecular level.
At one point, it was holding forty two sections together using the tractor fields. All of its onboard processors were being utilised, giving Zirkos momentary pause for thought as the pod’s circuitry ran hot, running the risk of a total meltdown. The peak soon passed, and Zirkos stopped monitoring as the AI balanced the ongoing workload. It didn’t go unnoticed by Zirkos that the AI had again exceeded programmed expectations.
Progress continued to move at a phenomenal pace so that, within a further twenty four hours, the ship’s hull was standing in its cradle.
When finished, the ship would be a seamless composite, incorporating all of the internal requirements, excepting any further additions requested by the maker.
***
One hour after Zeke had exited the building having avoided all CCTV cameras and any possible witnesses, he was safely ensconced in his digs, the rewards of his endeavour laid about the floor around him.
Now, with time to consider the night’s strange and excruciatingly painful events, he pondered the amazing light curtain that had attacked him. He had no doubt he had been attacked by it, even if he didn’t know the how, or why.
Somehow, the beam had reacted with his plate. What it had just done to him, he had no inkling, except for the impressive hangover it left him with when he woke up. He nursed his head, his hand automatically feeling out the seam of the metal plate where it joined his skull. Not for the first time, he wished he could tear it off and have blessed relief from the infernal pain and aggravation it caused.
Zeke cursed the person that had decided to smelt and fashion a piece of a meteor into a replacement for his smashed skull. He would have been much better off if they had used a cut out section from an old jerry can. He mulled over his misfortunes since then, including the months in the prison camp, half delirious for most of the time as the metal leached into his brain and from there to his bloodstream. It had caused hallucinations and fever. If not for other Americans protecting him, he would have been a goner for sure.
He continued to sit there until the pain diminished a little. His thoughts returned to the weird light beam. He wasn’t up on the capabilities of current technology, but he was pretty certain there was nothing that could create that visual effect, let alone make it sonically vibrate like that. Even DARPA wouldn’t have anything like that, and the scientists that were working on him ? Well, let's just say they wouldn’t have a clue, he mentally scoffed.
No, whatever it was that had hit him was unprecedented. He knew one thing, as long as he was conscious and alive he was going to do his level best to avoid letting it do so again.
It did cross his mind that its attention was somewhat personal, since it had appeared directly in front of him, followed him, then deliberately scanned him. That was worrying. A directed beam specifically aimed at him ? He wondered about the scientists, had they tracked him down ?
He decided he wanted some serious time to think before having to wrestle with that little gem, so shoved the matter to the back of his mind. Hopefully, he’d be able to deal with it once this pounding headache had gone.
He viewed all the equipment he had purloined, setting to work building his computer network. Within the space of a couple of hours, he had a set-up that would satisfy a professional hacker. He wasn’t intending to do anything untoward, just get himself out of the murky bac
k-streets and back into mainstream society.
Zeke began to formulate a plan of attack with the authorities. He fully intended to be in a job within a month. For that he needed an ID and an address. Tomorrow he would begin working on it in earnest.
Meanwhile, exhausted from his gruelling ordeal, as well as the stress and unusual exercise, he pulled out his sleeping bag that he religiously rolled up every morning. Moving the reclaimed sofas around until he had his favoured combination, he turned off the small LED lamp and slept.
A short while after he fell into a deep sleep, the light curtain that had attacked him earlier reappeared at the foot of his bed.
This time, however, it was a dull green and very faint, as if set to a lower power threshold.
It proceeded up his body, unnoticed by Zeke. As it reached his head, the power dropped further, until it was just a faint glimmer. As it scanned its way across his skull for the second time that night, Zeke didn’t stir. The curtain of light cut out when it reached the top of his skull, finally leaving Zeke in peace.
- 7 -
The AI pulled up a review of its progress. It had mined and collected all components in the quantities required to complete fabrication. It had transmuted all raw materials into the necessary exotic alloys and formed all the necessary parts and sections. Nanobots had welded everything together at molecular level, meaning that effectively the ship’s construction was now complete. It now only needed to D-Jump into space to charge the power cells.
It also needed the AI construct to manage the ship’s systems. It could only do that by obtaining materials from the human source for which it had not yet received approval from its maker. So, falling back on its permitted actions, it slaved the ship’s systems to its own and from there carried out all the necessary pre-flight checks. It then D-Jumped both the ship and itself to the previous location in space, located at the apex of the northern hemisphere.
Here, out of the way of all the satellites and surface radar, it carried out its final integrity checks.
The pod AI set about checking seals, space locks, instrumentation, life support systems, applicators, and weapons systems, in amongst other peripheral tasks. The fuel intakes were activated to extract and compress exotic matter from normal space for the jump actuator. Solar cells generated the necessary power for the engines to be put on-line allowing further system testing to take place.
The AI worked continuously, adding all the ancillary equipment using its wide array of nanobots, while Zirkos kept in the background, finalising details of a personal project using the D-field the pod had worked out.
Within several planet days, the T-ship was completed and ready for phase two.
The pod AI pulled up its working list of more exotic additions that needed to be completed and, once sufficient power was available, it hyper-jumped the newly designed T-ship into the asteroid belt. The ship reappeared at the point it had arrived in the system many millennia ago, and selected a suitable rock.
The AI set about converting rare raw materials on the asteroids surface. It manufactured everything by molecular integration to specifications outlined in the stored patterns. When finished, the ship glistened externally with a new composite veneer, and internally the infrastructure built itself with the new nanobots it had manufactured from the raw materials found there.
This new hull was now the latest in the line of T-ships and more than twice as advanced as the previous build. In some ways it was a completely new design, but the maker had insisted on retaining the old shape, as it would provide for lower expectations in enemy confrontations.
It was also bigger, sufficient to carry up to four makers. Even though the internal design was only currently set up for one, the nanobots could easily restructure the interior to accommodate any changes. It was an efficient design.
Zirkos was extremely capable, evaluating many of the patterns stored in the pod’s data archive. As a result, much of what had been set into the AI’s comprehensive build incorporated improvements and advanced systems culled from patterned records.
This was intended to be a formidable Warrior-Class ship, the first of its generation. No more running from the Nubl. If they turned up again, Zirkos intended to be able to retaliate.
***
The progress on the new Warrior Class T-ship excited Zirkos. It had always been considered reckless for the brethren to apply patterns from other races’ technology in an ad-hoc manner. Normally, the patterns would be returned to their research centre and then modified versions would be released outward through the usual meetings. Zirkos, in the absence of his usual rendezvous, had rigged it as an offhand experiment on the pod which, as it turned out, contributed substantially to their escape from the Nubl millennia ago.
Having determined the benefits of utilising other advanced technologies in the fight for survival, Zirkos had decided to incorporate as much as could be found, or utilised from the pattern library. This had constituted much of his research time over the last few days and he had been aided by the quick-learning AI that was proceeding at a level much higher than had been determined by Ship and himself at the outset. There had been no need to raise the Ship AI to take on any of the projects, the pod AI was more than capable.
Zirkos had no doubt that, had the new patterns been included in the original T-ship back when he was attacked by the Nubl missile, it might well have survived the attack. Now, faced with the absolute certainty of continued evolution of Nubl technology over the millennia while the pod lay buried under the planet’s surface, he felt it was extremely unlikely to still be the case. The Nubl’s own technological advances would have already put their ships ahead of this latest T-ship design. He quietly acknowledged that the upgrades he had made were still old technology, in terms of the aeons the pod had spent buried under the planet’s surface. It had been a working hypothesis of the sentient’s analysis, but the Nubl successes meant they might not have progressed much further technologically, unless they had met a superior enemy.
Zirkos decided to begin the search for those answers soon.
In the meantime, he was still pondering the problem of the Alacite in the human’s system. He had already reached the disturbing conclusion that, in all of the virtual tests he had conducted, the human had died before the transformation was completed. The concentration of the substance was just too high for the human physiology to cope with.
As yet, none of the tests had managed to proceed to a point where the end result of the transformation could be assessed. Zirkos had set up a new series of virtual tests to see if lower concentrations of Alacite resulted in any change in outcome, and left them to run. He would review the findings when the new results were included.
***
Zeke was not coping at all. He increasingly became mind-fuddled and sicker as the effects of the toxins in his system began to cause serious damage. He realised it was not just a matter of coping with the pain and trying to sleep, he had missed a couple of meal drops too.
Deep down he knew things were not going well. Unsure whether the incident with the strange light beam had accelerated things, he was left wondering if he had any chance of surviving.
He had dropped all pretence of using the computer to find work, and other currently meaningless objectives ; instead he used the search engines to research his symptoms. The consensus came back - blood poisoning. He needed medication, but couldn’t get beyond the end of his room. If he called 911 on the stolen phone he would be thrown back into the laboratory and he didn’t want to live like that. He’d rather die here than become a lab rat for those bastards. He endured, resigned to his fate.
He became increasingly delirious. In the few periods of coherence, he consumed large quantities of water, then dropped back into oblivion. His veins stood proud of his increasingly silvery skin surface and developed a weird ruddy blue with an almost iridescent sheen.
A week after his successful break-in at the pawn shop, Zeke was passed out on the floor, with his head resting on the
chair seat. When he eventually regained consciousness it was difficult to move. The pain in his joints and limbs was so great, he was unable to create any lift to get himself onto his sofa.
He realised he was going to die here in-situ, to be found in years to come, when the demolition crews came through to check the place. His corpse would be found, a peculiar coloured and desiccated mummy. They would assume a drug overdose or some other self inflicted substance. They might not even call it in if they were working to a deadline. He would likely disappear under a thousand tons of pre-mix. Again, Zeke tried to move, but the pain erupted and he passed out again. He was seriously dehydrated, starved and the blood poisoning was shutting down his system. The only reason he was still alive had to do with the level of toxins from the head-plate coursing through his system.
Zeke was so far in decline that he was hovering on death’s door. Unconscious again for the last three hours, he was in no condition to notice the deep red beam appear behind him near his feet. This time it was a good deal wider than him, and several inches thick with a much bigger spread than the previous occasion.
Expanding slowly across his body the beam continued until it totally covered him from head to foot. Then, as the beam increased in intensity, Zeke became completely encapsulated in the red glow. Initially the beam appeared to oscillate in a downward wave, as what could only be described as millions of bright flecks flowed like rain onto his body, vanishing as they were absorbed through his skin, which now developed a definite glow.
Sparks danced within the orb of red, now flowing upwards at an increasing rate, vanishing at the top of the beam, some six feet above the floor. As they did Zeke’s body appeared insubstantial, whether from the density of the sparks or the red ochre of the beam’s intensity, one couldn’t tell.
***
Inside a small grey unadorned room an identical beam reproduced the sparks that infused and then exited Zeke’s body. The red beam created a matched illuminated reflection that grew increasingly substantial as the pace of the spark intake grew.