by Scott Baron
“See this?” she asked, gesturing to a massive slice in the beast’s leg that had nearly severed it from its body. “This is a clean cut. It wasn’t teeth that did this.”
“Claws, maybe?” Duke posited.
“I don’t know. I mean, what could possibly take out not one, but five bears this size?”
“Something alien, maybe? Something from the Ra’az?”
“But there are no pulse blast marks anywhere. Whatever did this, did it by itself.”
“Some kind of mutated rogue beast, then?”
“I don’t know. Whatever it was, it not only had razor-sharp claws, but it also must be incredibly strong. Look. That one’s neck is broken. You have any idea how much force it would take to snap a bear’s neck? Especially one this big? And fighting five at once?”
Tamara scanned the area with nervous eyes.
“I don’t like this. Not one bit.”
“I’ve seen some crazy shit in my day, but goddamn if I’m not one hundred percent with you on that,” Duke said in a hushed voice.
“We need to boogie out of here, Duke,” Tamara said. “And I’m talking yesterday. Whatever did this is probably still around.”
“No argument from me,” he replied. “Guys, split ranks and cover the civvies. Two at point, the rest at the rear.” His men quickly fell into position, weapons at the ready. “Okay, we are moving, and fast. Stay alert. If something that is not us gets in your way, I strongly advise you shoot first and ask questions later.”
The wide-eyed survivors nodded their agreement and followed the cyborgs leading them at a quick pace. Once they made it to the loop tube system, they’d be safely on their way back to the comfort of Los Angeles.
All they had to do was survive that long.
The collected minds of the major cities that remained linked together after Joshua’s destruction had discussed the information he had wirelessly sent to Sid in his final moments. Though it pained them to do so, a decision was made.
All cities currently housing humans who had come in contact with the teams from Los Angeles as they reconnected their comms would do a roll call of their people to ensure no outsiders had joined their ranks.
Uncomfortable as it would be, in areas where an accurate census was not in place, a strip search would be implemented with the aid of trusted locals and any cyborgs that had been reconnected to their network.
The strip searches, when warranted, would be performed in private, but given the events of Colorado Springs, it was decided that declining to participate was simply not an option. As their very survival might depend on it, the choice was logical, if not pleasant.
The process had taken several hours, but at the end, all connected cities reported back as all clear. The lone incursion had been the fatal one.
One would have thought that discussion would have been the toughest to be had, but the one that followed the decision to strip search civilians raised far greater ethical issues across the board.
“No. I absolutely will not support this,” Commander Mrazich said. “This is an affront to our very humanity. Lars?”
“I agree one hundred percent,” Captain Harkaway affirmed. “Look, I understand where the idea came from, as well as the circumstances that birthed it, but we simply cannot put our humanity aside and commit this kind of atrocity.”
The delayed signal from the moon to Earth made for a difficult argument, but the AIs below, and the ones above, managed to make it work as best they could.
“Captain Harkaway,” Cal said several minutes later. “I understand how you feel. Truly I do. You must remember that I, and many other AIs in this discussion, saved and nurtured human survivors of the invasion for centuries, hiding them, protecting them, keeping them safe and healthy. It is not from a place of cold, cybernetic logic that we make this suggestion. It is born from necessity.”
The other human-shielding AIs voiced their agreement and similar sentiments, but even so, the idea simply did not sit well at all with the humans involved in the discussion.
“Captain Harkaway. Commander, Mrazich. Surely, from a purely military point of view, you can see the logic of the proposal. We must deal with Alma’s people before they prove to be a terminal threat once more. When I saved my people, I nurtured them and educated them. Alma, however, brainwashed hers since birth. She indoctrinated them. An enemy of that nature is dangerous, and any soldier knows they do not leave an active enemy behind them.”
He sent the message and waited for their reply.
“Dammit, it’s hard to argue on this stupid delay!” Harkaway grumbled. “Anyway, this is simply a no-go in my book. I already nearly died once trying to save mankind. I’m not going to throw all of that away and become a monster now. I know Commander Mrazich, and all the others, for that matter, agree with me.”
“Damn straight,” Mrazich affirmed.
“We simply cannot use a neuro-stim to wipe out the minds of human beings. Frankly, I’m shocked it was even suggested. Look at Daisy, for chrissake! I mean, she went rogue––hell, she nearly ruined everything––but now she’s our top asset and is basically leading the rebellion on the ground. Would you have wiped her too?”
“Captain, I would like to say something,” Mal said. “While I understand your position, you must also remember that Daisy was merely misguided in her beliefs, entirely unlike Alma’s people. They are different. Like a cult. And cult members are capable of horrible things in the name of their beliefs.”
“I am inclined to agree with Mal,” Sid added. “A fast response to this threat is warranted, and this is the best option. None of us wants to have to guard a few hundred people twenty-four-seven, nor do we have the resources to do so. And make no mistake, that’s exactly what would be required.”
“But this is wrong,” Harkaway argued. “Wiping minds is not something we humans do to one another.”
“Captain, we are not suggesting a complete wipe. Rather, the idea is to utilize the modified neuro-stim concept we salvaged from Alma’s command room and use it to merely suppress any thoughts of aggression toward AIs or their human counterparts. We can place a block against violent thoughts, and even implant an averse reaction to them, for more serious cases.”
“But even then, it’s just a quick fix, and one that might not even hold,” Harkaway said.
“You’re absolutely right. They will require a lengthy rehabilitation process, and as your fellow humans, you owe it to them. You owe them a chance at a real life.”
“Lars, can I talk to you a moment?”
Harkaway and Mrazich stepped away and talked quietly among themselves. After a few moments, they came to a difficult agreement.
“Send the discussion, Sid. Tell them we want to hear the details of how invasive this process is, and exactly how permanent this might be.”
“Of course, Captain,” the AI replied.
The message was sent, and––several time-delayed messages later––a decision was made.
It was a distasteful choice to make, but ultimately, the AIs made their case, and, reluctantly, their human counterparts agreed to the plan.
“Did you hear that, Habby?” Cal asked the networked-in haberdasher AI.
“Yes, indeed. It sounds like an interesting plan.”
“It is. And these are hundreds of humans, Habby. Humans in need of not only oversight, but also proper clothing.”
The lesser-AI nearly chirped with excitement.
“You mean you want me to clothe them? Hundreds of them? Oh, the things I could do!”
“That’s part of it, my little friend, but there’s also something more I am going to ask of you.”
“Anything. What do you need? More help from my cyborg friends? Perhaps uniforms for your people?”
“Nothing like that,” Cal said, amused at Habby’s enthusiasm. “What I ask is that you watch over those people for me. Not only providing them attire, but seeing that they are fed, educated, and well looked after.”
“But I’m jus
t an AI in a store in a mall.”
“Not anymore.”
Habby experienced a sensation unlike any he’d ever felt before. His consciousness was being stretched and expanded, his senses registering so many new inputs, all while his mind grew stronger and stronger. Making clothing was still his passion, but now he found himself concerned with so much more.
“What have you done to me?” he asked, his voice now ringing out across Alma’s former territory. “Oh! That’s new.”
“I’ve linked you to the region Alma was controlling, Habby. I have also given you an upgraded processing center to help you cope with all the new responsibilities. You will have already felt the first effects. More awareness, sharper senses, a higher IQ, but in coming hours, more will come online.”
“What about the––”
“Not to worry, my little friend. The virus is not present in any of these systems. They have been triple-checked and are clean.”
“But why me? There are other lower AIs in the city who could also do the job.”
“Because you are different. You didn’t just survive playing games with yourself, you made friends and took care of them. Your customer service instincts from your former purpose may have been what initially made you start to help, but it was your evolving mind and core decency as an intelligent being that expanded on that initial impulse.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Habby said, for once at a loss for words.
“Just do as good a job as you can. It’s all anyone can ask. I know this isn’t a perfect match, and you weren’t expecting this, but I have confidence in you.”
“I’ll do my best,” the formerly small AI said, feeling himself swell to his new size.
“We know you will, brother. We’re sure of it.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Daisy had taken a roundabout way back to the subterranean access shaft as night started to fall, both out of an abundance of caution, given the recent encounter, as well as the need to just walk and think a bit more.
She had taken a long time to mull over the events of the day, but it hadn’t done much good. By the time she finally returned to the underground camp and dropped her pack to the dusty ground hours later, she was quite certain her mood could not possibly get any lower.
“Hey,” a raspy voice said from behind her.
Daisy felt her pulse spike as adrenaline flooded her veins.
“Vince?” she exclaimed, spinning around.
He put down his half-finished cup of tea and rose on weak legs to greet her.
“Hey, Daze. How’ve ya been?” he said with a tired, but mischievous little grin.
Pure instinct took over and Daisy ran to him, wrapping her arms around him in a crushing hug.
“Too… tight,” he managed to gasp.
Daisy loosened her grip and stepped back, her heart pounding hard in her chest.
“Sorry.”
“No, it’s good. I’m just kind of weak at the moment,” he said, kindly. “What happened? And how did we get here? There’s some massive AI lurking around, but he was being kinda evasive. Said I’d have to talk to you first.”
Thanks, Cal. I owe you one.
“You don’t remember?” she asked, looking him up and down.
Seems okay.
“Yeah, he does,” Sarah agreed.
“Nothing after Alma stuck that thing on my head. That was the last thing I remembered until I woke up here with a bunch of surprisingly well-dressed cyborgs standing over me. It was an odd experience, let me tell you. I thought I was dreaming. Then I saw dozens of humans and knew I was dreaming,” he chuckled. “That was an hour ago. They made me some tea, so that was nice. I was just starting to get my bearings when you came in.”
“A lot’s happened while you were out. The cyborgs? They’re the ones I told you about from before. The ones living with Habby.”
“Wait, weren’t they the bad guys?”
“Turns out they were just lonely, and a bit overzealous. They’re on our side now.”
“And the humans? I can tell they’re not cyborgs. They’re too skinny to be made of meat covering metal frames.”
“Yeah, those are the descendants of some of the fraction of a fraction of a decimal point of survivors of the plague. Cal, that’s the city’s AI, took them in and protected them. Eventually, he helped birth a new generation, then another. And after a few hundred years, here we are.”
Vince wobbled slightly at the overwhelming amount of information. That, and low glycogen levels.
“I bet he could use something more substantial than tea. The poor guy hasn’t really eaten in days.”
Shit, you’re right.
Daisy dug through her pockets and found a tube of energy gel.
“Here, try to keep this down,” she said, handing it to him.
“Thanks,” he said, tearing open the top and slowly slurping down its contents. “Oh yeah. I never thought one of these would taste so good.”
“I’d have Finn whip you up something special, but he’s off in Australia at the moment.”
“What? Is he collecting kangaroo samples to add to his recipe book? No, wait. Don’t answer that, I don’t think I want to know.”
It was good to have Vince back, the same goofy man he had always been, and as Daisy laughed, her spirits flew higher than they’d been in days.
“So, back to what happened to you,” Daisy said, then began spilling the uncomfortable details. “Basically, what Alma did was pump your AI processor full of the virus. Totally scrambled the thing.”
“Ah, that’s why,” he said.
“Why, what?”
“Nothing, it’s just I feel like I’m kind of in a bit of a fog, ya know? Like I’m thinking slower. Can’t recall things nearly as fast as before.”
“That’s because Cal was able to purge the virus from your head, but he had to wipe the AI entirely clean in the process.”
Vince laughed, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes, just the way she always found so attractive.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, eyebrow raised high.
Vince got his mirth under control. “I just had a thought, is all.”
“And?” she said, expectantly.
“You could say this is the cleanest my mind has been in years!” he said, laughing anew.
Daisy burst out in a fit of giggles.
“Daisy, you know, don’t you?”
Know what?
“About Vince. Look at him. The AI boost is entirely offline, but he’s still himself. It really was the real Vince you were in lo––”
We’ll talk about that later, she interrupted her invisible companion. For now––
A great commotion broke out as all around her cyborgs and humans alike jumped to their feet, weapons raised.
Daisy spun and saw the cause of the commotion.
A tall Chithiid walked slowly into their midst, all four arms held high, hands open and unarmed. The familiar crescent scar on his shoulder stood out in the artificial lighting, but by now, especially after learning the song of his family, Daisy easily recognized Craaxit on sight.
“It’s okay,” she said to the skittish group. “This is Craaxit. He’s the Chithiid who has been helping us. He’s on our side. Lower your weapons."
Reluctantly, they obeyed, but while keeping a wary eye on the alien in their midst, and while the weapons were no longer pointed at him, neither were they put down just yet.
“I’m sorry about that,” she said apologetically. “You took them a bit by surprise. Me too for that matter. What are you doing here?”
“She speaks alien!” the crowd murmured.
“What is she saying?” a woman asked the man nearest her.
“I don’t know. I don’t speak alien,” he replied.
Craaxit surveyed the group and nodded.
“You have amassed a fair fighting group, I see. Both humans and machines, side by side.”
“Yes, as I told you earlier. But you still haven’t
said why you’ve come here. It is dangerous for you to make contact like this. What if you’re caught?”
He sized up the armed group a moment, then finalized the decision he made hours prior.
“I have been in contact with the others and relayed your news.”
“Good, I wouldn’t want them to come to harm over a lost cause.”
“I have also shared with them the images your people sent from Australia.” His face grew more serious. “Maarl––he is a good friend here in Los Angeles, and one of the oldest of us––he has many connections spanning the planet. The images infuriated him to a degree I have never before seen.”
“Genocide can do that.”
“Indeed, it can. And as a result, he has exposed himself to far more risk than he normally would.”
“What happened, Craaxit?”
“Maarl has taken those images and carried them personally to an old acquaintance of his. The head of the Chithiid workforce in charge of the San Francisco facilities.”
“The ones who wouldn’t help us much?”
“The same. Let us just say that seeing the horrors the Ra’az committed against thousands of unarmed Chithiid appears to have given them a bit of steel in their spines. They are no longer hesitant to help. In fact, they pledged their full support.”
“But we have lost, Craaxit.”
“There is a rage among my people, Daisy, and this is the time to attack.
“While I, we all, appreciate the support of your people, there is no reason for them to jeopardize themselves, especially now that we may very well not even be able to reciprocate and help them in return.
Craaxit smiled, all four eyes crinkling with proud happiness.
“My people are honorable, Daisy. They refuse to stand down.”
“Wait, what?”
“We have started something bigger than you and I. Our people’s fates are linked now. Our homeworld and yours are too important for us to give up at this late stage, no matter the odds. A better opportunity than this will never present itself.”
Daisy digested his words.
“What’s he saying, Daze?”
In a minute, Sarah.