by Drew Cordell
“And what makes you think we can get passed it if you’ve been trying for years?” Grez asked.
The Builder pointed to me. “He is with the Champions of Liberty. That means he is coded into the Artemis database.”
“Hold on,” I said before anyone else could talk, deciding to address the question head on without asking how he knew about Artemis. “The Champions didn’t build this place. Artemis doesn’t have anything to do with this.”
The Builder remained patient. “Actually, the Champions have everything to do with this place. Your organization originated from the same group of people who built Omniscience Engine technology. It is as much of a part of this as the Omniscience Engine itself.”
“You’re telling me the Champions are aligned with the Omniscience Engine?” Grez barked.
The Ascendant frowned. “No, It is more complicated than that. Whoever or whatever created Artemis was initially aligned with the entity responsible for the creation of the Omniscience Engine. I believe they had a bit of a falling out. Well, Artemis managed to isolate itself from the Omniscience Engine and protected its code. Part of Artemis actually functions through the code running the Omniscience Engine; it is secured by an unbreakable layer of encryption and the fact that it is hard coded into everything else. If Artemis goes, the entire Omniscience Engine goes.” The Ascendant paused and took a drink of wine, savoring the taste and taking his time to enjoy it before continuing his story. “Anyway, the Omniscience Engine, knowing it cannot do anything to get rid of Artemis, simply embraced it and distributed it to groups of people who would choose to rebel against the Omniscience Engine, giving them their own free will and the initial resources needed to do so. The Champions will always try to stop the Omniscience Engine, and they will always fail. Even if they were to succeed, the other pods of experimentation, all in different steps in the journey of rise to fall, would not be impacted. When the Champions eventually fail, Artemis is silenced from within and the Omniscience Engine is able to proceed with its agenda unrestricted.”
“How can you know this?” I asked.
“I have been analyzing the code ever since I’ve been alone here. I have running nodes of both technologies, yet something stops me from implementing changes into the code. It is all impossibly complex—and organic. The code reacts to the changes I make to the live version, and if I try to compile it offline, it just breaks when I run it.”
“I can’t believe that,” Marwin said, setting his glass down a little too hard. “We have nothing—”
“Quiet!” Grez bellowed. “So what is your part in all of this, Ascendant?” he asked our host, too engrossed in conversation to eat for the time being.
The Builder smiled, raising the glass of wine to his lips again and sipping thoughtfully. “My part in all of this…” He paused to consider his answer. “Now that is where things get interesting. I am the fluke in the whole orchestration, this symphony of life, death, tragedy, and the unrelenting pursuit of the unknown. I was created with free will for some reason. Unlike the other Ascendants, I saw no desire to leave this world on the ODIN I, and the Champions we had here managed to do so much damage to Olympus and the numbers of the Ascendants before they died that the ODIN II was left behind in perfect working order.”
“Where did the ODIN I go? Where are the other Ascendants?” Violet asked.
“In space, on their exodus. I do not know where they are going or why, but their voyage led them to the stars, probably in the pursuit of the great void where they can continue to aid the Omniscience Engines still running on Earth. And yes, there is only one Omniscience Engine, one true form at least. Each engine in each country is simply a separate instance of the Collective Thought. The Champions lose because they are isolated, because they never have the resources of any of the other societies. Until now. Somehow, you have stumbled upon me, and it might not be too late for the Champions to win for once. I would like to see what happens when the Omniscience Engine falls.”
“I don’t understand,” Grez said after sneaking in another bite of fish. “So you’re saying that the Ascendants here were supposed to take both ships, but they only had the numbers to take one of them after the damage the Champions here did?”
The Ascendant nodded. “That is correct.” He didn’t elaborate, probably expecting Grez to ask more questions.
“And there is a separate layer of this facility which was designed specifically for the Champions if they ever made it this far?”
The Ascendant nodded again. “That is right, yes. Like I said, Artemis is hard coded into the Omniscience Engine. You have to understand the Omniscience Engine welcomes some degree of resistance partially because it leads to better data and partially because it is unable to get rid of Artemis without destroying itself in the process. I believe everything constructed in the lower levels of this facility was placed here by Artemis when this lab was built prior to my 2039.”
“And you think the vault doors will open for Jake because he is with the Champions in New York?” Grez finished.
“I do, yes. That is another thing we need to talk about, though. I do not believe Jake is here on his own free will.”
Grez remained rigid, taking a heavy gulp of beer. “We worked out a deal before leaving New York. Jake, Mary, and Marwin are working with my organization for the time being to fulfill an obligation. After that obligation is fulfilled, they are free to leave and do as they please.”
The Ascendant looked at us with questioning eyes. “Is this true?”
I held his gaze, resisting the urge to drop my eyes to the table. I stayed silent, hoping Marwin would know the correct response.
“Something like that,” Marwin said finally.
“Something like that,” the Builder repeated, testing the words. “Well, do you feel like you need to work with these people to help me, or are you three up to the task of doing it alone?” the Builder asked.
“Hey,” Grez hissed. “I’m in charge here. You’re dealing with me, not them.”
The Builder smiled with false courtesy. “Frankly, Grez, I do not see the value you bring to the table in all of this. I need their help, not yours. My Spinners will serve just fine as meat shields.”
Marwin cut in before Grez could explode. “Grez’s organization holds one of our own and some of our assets which we can’t afford to lose. For the time being, we are working with him and will continue to do so until we have fulfilled our contractual obligations.”
The Builder raised his wine glass, sipping again. “Jake? Mary? Do you concur?”
I had been paying so much attention to the argument developing that I hadn’t seen the Spinners roll into the room and take positions along the walls. There were several of them, sitting still and watching us. The Builder seemed to have telepathic control over them.
“We intend to fulfill our side of the bargain regardless of the circumstances which led us into this situation,” I said.
Mary agreed.
“Very well. What I am proposing is that you all rest for the night in real beds. Then, in the morning we can talk more, gear you up, and send you on your job.”
“What do you expect to find? We need more information before we agree to anything.” Grez clearly wasn’t done with the conversation yet.
“It is the pursuit of the unknown that calls out to me, I am afraid. I have no idea what you should expect to find and that is after countless years of trying to comb through the remnants of the Omniscience Engine protocols. I want to send you in with the best of my Spinners. In case there is danger within the levels you travel through, they will be there to protect you and take a hit if needed so any potential risk to your lives is mitigated. In terms of equipment, you will have access to my full armory to supplement the gear you already have on hand.”
“That equipment still works?” Violet asked.
The Builder nodded. “Yes, almost everything works just as well as it did the day it was created. This entire lab has its own reactor system which has ke
pt the lab’s climate stable and controlled since its creation. My workers keep everything in the best of condition as well.”
Jennifer set her wine down. “What about medical supplies? Do you have the machinery to synthesize new drugs? We have some good tech back at our home, but it’s getting much harder to produce medicine with dwindling resources.”
The Builder considered this. “Yes, I will send you back with new manufacturing equipment as well. In case you were wondering, I am using that pit filled with the entire contents of River’s Port as a staging ground for recycling things into raw materials to process in the factory portion of this lab. I have expanded the initial premises quite a bit, but am unable to access a large portion of it. I’m hoping whatever is behind those doors will help me here.”
“What makes you so eager to give away the ODIN II as you called it? Isn’t it the most valuable thing in this entire lab?” Grez asked.
“You are correct. It is the most valuable thing here, but to me it has very little value aside from raw material use. I have no desire to leave this place; it is my home. I only wish to leave a legacy when my time on this world is gone. For me, I want to rebuild what was lost, even if no one will ever live here again.”
“I don’t understand,” Christopher said. “From an engineering standpoint, there are more materials in that ship than in the ruins of your River’s Port. Why haven’t you taken apart the ship for your building efforts?”
“You are the first guests I have ever had. I do not know if I expected to see anyone ever again, but here you are, sitting down and eating a meal with me. This is the first meal I have shared with a living being in more years than I care to recount. I am trying to bring meaning to my life, but I recognized that this very situation could have played out, that someone could have needed the ODIN II more than me. I believe you need it for what it can do. As hard as it is going to be for you, I believe you can use it as a weapon to destroy your Omniscience Engine and create a pocket of life free from this corruption and destitution. I want to believe that, and if you can achieve it, then I would like to take my place amongst you.”
“Before you go any further, you should know I have no intention of destroying the Omniscience Engine in New York. You say you want to live in a society without corruption. I don’t see any corruption here,” Grez said.
“I am not without corruption myself. My whole life here has been trying to understand what makes me different from all the others. I am fully capable of manufacturing Ascendants right now, but they would not be like me. They would be under the control of the Omniscience Engine in a horrible way that would be glued to every atom of their being. I want to believe I am good, that my life or whatever I am living can have meaning.”
“And you believe you can accomplish that from our Olympus?” Grez asked.
The Builder shrugged. “I want things just as you. I have thoughts and feelings that do not align with who I see myself as. I want to be a good person, and I want to do something good. In case you did not notice on your way in, there is no city above the ruins of River’s Port. Spinners, much bigger than the ones I have built here, took everything away from Vermont to recycle it and use in other cities around the world. Surprisingly, they left River’s Port and the rest of the Undercity intact so this is where I find my refuge. There is nothing waiting for me above ground, and I do strive to be a part of real society which I fear I will never come to fruition while I am working on my own. I do not care to leave this world alone or take the ODIN II to the stars.”
“If we were to destroy the Omniscience Engine, what would we get out of it?” Grez asked. “Why risk fighting something so powerful?”
The Builder shook his head, apparently baffled by the question. “You risk fighting it for the chance at a real life. Why else would you fight it? Can you ever truly be safe if you live in the shadows? Would you abandon everyone you know and love who is still in New York? Without taking the ODIN II, I fear you will not be able to return to your city. What you get out of it is my help building your new society. My entire workforce will be at your disposal, and we can work together to build something great without the Omniscience Engine. If you try to walk away from this and return to New York, I fear things will not go well for you in the long run.”
I glared at the Ascendant, unable to see past what he was. “That is assuming you are not aligned with our enemy still. I have no reason to trust you. I have seen what your kind can do.”
Memories of Bracken surged in my mind, painful recollections which lashed from within. Bracken was the kindest man I had ever known. He had helped me navigate Olympus, remained ever-patient with me in my shortcomings, and sacrificed everything so I might have a better life.
“Your kind killed his brother,” I pointed to Grez, “and they killed one of my best friends for trying to do what was right. He selflessly gave his life so we could have a better one. Your kind made it look like we were the traitors, then tore apart our only chance of shutting down the AI without any more bloodshed. I don’t know the technical specifications behind Ascendants, but I know that they are working under the Omniscience Engine agenda. You claim to be different, but I have no reason to believe a single word you say.”
The Builder kept a level gaze, his voice calm. “You have three options. You either trust me and we help each other, you go back and try to fix things on your own, or you live here with me knowing you can never return to New York. I have no reason to trust you either. The Champions invaded River’s Port long before the Omniscience Engine sent Enforcers and HKs to clean up what was left. Your people slaughtered innocent civilians then, and they did it before at the collapse of the Slums to try to get ahead. I have reasons not to trust you, and you have reasons not to trust me. If we don’t take a risk and work together, then it’s likely we both lose. I’ll die here trying to figure out how to make Ascendants like myself, and you die trying to beat the Omniscience Engine without the proper tools.”
“Hello?” Grez waved an arm in the air. “I’m in charge here, not him. I’m interested in helping you in exchange for the ODIN, but that will be the extent of our dealings.”
The Builder rubbed the skin between his eyes, looking tired and frustrated. “You need to think long and hard on that. If you decide to take on your Olympus, I am willing to contribute weapons, armor, and supplies to your cause. The ODIN II is capable of an all-out exterior assault, but the Omniscience Engine must be taken down from within. I am not certain I have a weapon that can accomplish that.”
“We’ll think on it,” Grez said.
Dinner resumed and most of our plates were finished. Having overeaten, I was ready for sleep after finishing my meal. The others seemed to echo this sentiment, and we were shown to our rooms in a different wing of the lab. There were enough rooms for everyone to have their own. Mary opted to take her own room after seeing how small the beds were. Small or not, the bed was comfortable, and I found myself drifting off to sleep after turning out the lights despite the thoughts surging through my mind.
I found myself thinking about the EMP. My father’s design would be able to end the fight, and the ODIN II might be able to deliver the payload to Olympus. Whether or not it would take down the massive ship in the process was another question entirely.
I found myself deeply conflicted in what to believe and who to trust other than Mary. If the Builder was telling the truth, then my leaders hadn’t purposely sent everyone at the Docks to their deaths. I wanted to believe that was the case, that the there was no treachery from within. It was sickening to think that I wasn’t entirely sure if Marwin and Edgar could be trusted despite everything we had been through.
The Builders words struck true. We both had good reasons not to trust each other, but this could be it—our last chance to end this fight for good. Selfish thoughts crept into my head. Visions of a life on the surface of Vermont with Mary where we left everything behind and started over were as tempting as ever. It would be so easy to leave New York for good
, to start a new life where we didn’t have to be afraid anymore.
I had to remind myself that my father had led me here, that everything he had divined through his robotic ghost had been correct so far. I longed to open the other envelopes in the lockbox, to uncover any missing pieces that would make this easier, but we were too far away from New York where Leroy held the box.
Time passed and my thoughts slowed. Eventually, a deep, restful sleep came over me.
Something nudged me gently during the night, pulling me from a dream.
“Who is it?” I called into the darkness, still half asleep.
“It’s me,” Mary said. “Sorry if I scared you. I can’t sleep.”
“It’s okay,” I said, trying to scoot over to give her some room on the bed. “Did you close the door?”
“Yes.” She pressed herself against me and pulled my arm over hers. “I’m freezing.”
“I’d rather it be too cold than hot,” I said, pulling my blanket up and covering her with it. “What do you think about the Builder?”
“I think we don’t have a choice but to trust him, and we would already be dead if he wanted it that way,” she said.
“And if it’s some trap to get us to lead him to the Champions and wipe them out?”
“Why go through all the trouble? There is no way the Omniscience Engine knew we were coming here, that we were leaving New York,” she said.
“You’re right.” I pulled her closer and rubbed my real hand over familiar curves. It felt good to hold her, to be so close.
“And Grez?”
I sighed. “We need Violet with us. We need to talk with her in private and get her to convince the others in Grez’s group that they need to side with us.”
“I’m worried she’s all talk. When the time comes, we don’t really know if we can count on her support,” she said, gripping my arm tighter.
