“Which means Ring Four’s construction will now be delayed.”
“Yes.”
“Which means the new research center and array that is planned for that section, able to detect suspicious fluctuations in the energy of all the planets in the Solar System, will not be completed anytime soon.”
Zhou gasped. “Which means, maybe not now, but certainly sometime in the next year, there will be a bigger robot uprising from somewhere else.”
“You need to find a way to disable the robots without destroying them. Perhaps we can work out a way to trace back the signal that set them off.”
Zhou’s voice was silent for a moment. And then she said, “I’ve got a better idea.”
Chapter 40
The commander clenched her fists until the whites of her knuckles showed. Styert had been taken, and now Heartness was in trouble.
It had been simple. Get Heartness and get out. Why did anything Patel send her on end up becoming so complicated?
And then Lin’s worst fears came true. A yellow dot had winked into existence near Heartness. Lin held her breath as she saw Heartness’ black dot attempt to avoid the yellow dot, running through a number of rooms while the dot pursued her.
Lin could see the yellow dot gaining. As fit as Heartness was, outrunning it was an impossibility. Like prey in those old 2D documentaries from before the shift, Heartness was being hunted, and there was no escape.
*
As soon as Heartness had seen how close the cloud had been, she had run back in the opposite direction. She had no way to fight it, and if she ran fast enough, perhaps the creature would have trouble finding her.
A futile flight, she thought. The creature wanted energy, and she was energy.
She made it through several hexicles, looking over her shoulder. She couldn’t see the cloud, but she could hear its crackling, like static electricity, getting louder.
Just then, as she reached hexicle 28, the lights flickered, and she looked at her flash band. Was the cloud about to flash behind her? Was that a yellow mark appearing in front?
But the image wasn’t stable, and she couldn’t make it out as she ran.
Then she heard a sparking sound, and she turned her head quickly to see that the cloud was almost on top of her. To her horror, it looked bigger, and was expanding. With certain death behind, and possible death in front she just had to hope she would miss a micro time particle.
She turned forward and screamed, as a wall of blurred color materialized in front of her, preventing her from making it to hexicle 13. She was moving far too fast and it was far too close for her to stop. In her headlong dash, she barely noticed that it was spherical, with two men and a woman on the other side staring at her open-mouthed.
Without having time to think about it, and with no way of pausing her momentum, she put her hands in front of her and leapt head first into the floating sphere.
*
As Heartness dot vanished, Lin knew there was nothing she could have done. She stared at the empty space on the map, clenching and unclenching her fists. With her main mission now impossible, her orders were to move immediately to the secondary mission. Almost angrily, she swiped the map to refresh it, but Heartness’ signal didn’t reappear.
That’s it then, she thought. "All personnel, Doctor Rupe Styert and Admiral Victoria Heartness have been taken by the cloud. As soon as everyone is on board, we will leave this planet and scatter the cloud from orbit. I want everyone off the base within 5 minutes."
She signed off, then checked the map again. What was left of Team Three were aboard the escape shuttle, waiting for stragglers. She estimated, if all goes according to plan, they could make it to low Proxibee orbit within ten minutes, if they push it.
If the cloud didn’t follow the remaining soldiers to their shuttle.
Episode 6
Past Mistakes
Chapter 41
Inside the station, Zhou lowered her weapon. “Attention all personnel. This is acting security head Wei Zhou. The robots are deliberately delaying construction on Ring Four. They want us to destroy them. Turn off your weapons, stop attacking them, and just let your suit absorb the shots until their power runs out.”
“Confirmed.”
“Agreed.”
“#(&^@%$.”
Firing stopped throughout the station. Moments later, the builderbots realized they weren’t going to be fought, and powered down, too.
Then, just as quickly, as though a second plan had become active, they powered up again, and began ramming themselves into the walls.
Watanabe yelled. “Wei, they’re smashing themselves to pieces. We need a localized EM pulse funnel directed at every builderbot.”
“Sounds good,” came Zhou’s surprised voice. “How do I do that?”
Just then Patel interrupted the conversation. “Station A.I. Authorization Doctor John Patel. Robot Uprising Protocol 47.”
Multiple green beams shot from various points in the corridor, and the robots collapsed to the floor.
“Have you put ‘47’ in everything?” asked Watanabe, surprised.
“Well, multiple syllables sound more dramatic. And, besides, 47 is my favorite number.” Then, more quietly to himself. “They’re going to take a while to put back together again now.”
“Hiro,” sent Zhou. “Can you get a hacker team together to clean the droids and repair the firewall?”
“On it.” He turned to Patel. “Well, that was short-lived.”
Almost without listening, Patel said. “I tapped into Zhou’s communication. Hogart had worked it out.”
“You tapped...? Never mind.” Watanabe knew Patel was now deep in thought, using anyone around him as a sounding board.
“The droids wanted Ring Four delayed. That means, there’s a plan about to be hatched somewhere. We need to get that research station and array up and running as soon as possible. I’m putting you in charge of Ring Four.”
Watanabe looked incredulously through his helmet at Patel, though he knew he couldn’t see him. “And my lectures?”
“Well, I guess you’re going to have to do some reposts!”
Chapter 42
Zhou picked her way through pieces of builderbot that sat in haphazard piles along the station’s corridor, and headed back to Heartness’ office. She knew Patel and Watanabe would be there waiting, and wondered what she could suggest to them to stop another robot uprising.
Unlike books, stream series and games she’d played, robot uprisings were usually hacker affairs. Someone somewhere would find a way in, hack the network that enabled work schedules between the robots, wipe their human recognition filters, then activate their pest control defenses.
It was usually an eight-year-old exploring the networks, and security had got better at filtering out the more creative ones. Also, frequency shift in 2033 meant everyone was a lot more happy, positive and caring. But that meant an increase in happy pranksters. There was usually no malicious intent behind builderbot uprisings, only an interest in having some fun. Though, whoever set these robots off hadn’t considered the more fragile aliens. The pest control lasers were merely warmers, able to burn someone but certainly not kill. But with some of the bubble aliens, if they didn’t have a force suit, it would be enough to break a membrane.
Thankfully, no one had been hurt, this time.
Still, what Hogart had said made sense. Of all the places in the Solar System to set off an uprising of mechs, Space Station X-1a was not the easiest, nor the most fun to hack. She had a feeling that this was not part of an eight-year old’s wet dream.
She realized her steps had taken her to the office already. The door dissolved, and she saw Patel and Watanabe waiting inside, back in their normal clothes. She hit her flash band and retracted her protective suit back into her soles. “So, have you been able to confirm who hacked the builderbots? I don’t think we have any recently connected eight-year-old humans on board the station.”
“I’m sure that
the ‘masterminds’ behind this little prank,” began Patel. “Are known as Dev and Ange. Dev’s skills with business and hacking are legendary. He even hacked his own genome to add some horns to his skull, and give his partner an extra set of arms. However, they’re just lackeys. They’ll do anything for fun, if there are enough credits in it, so I’m sure someone has put them up to it.”
“They were also the ones behind the access hack in the Stellar Flash,” said Watanabe. “For them, a blockchain password, double encrypted with an illegal prime number, would be an easy one to break, and I’ve sent the signal to the Stellar Flash so that they can run an antivirus. Not sure how long that will take, though, but hopefully everything will be back to normal soon.”
Zhou looked a little worried. “Is it possible we could get a real robot uprising? You know, Terminator style?”
Watanabe laughed. “Like that holomovie? Terminator Frequency, starring Arnold 7.47? With deadly robots traveling along wifi currents and materializing in people’s homes? No. I’m positive that can’t happen.”
Zhou put her hands on her hips. “I’m sure it is a fear that…”
Watanabe lowered his brow and peered down at her like an old school teacher. “Wei, let me set your mind at ease. All stories that threaten humanity in one way or another are fed into a simulation of the Solar System using current data, then possible solutions are extrapolated. We already have thousands of ways to defeat a possible Terminator Frequency event. The Solar System is more likely to be endangered by something unpredictable, and probably something inconceivable, like a hole opening in space-time in the center of Earth, for example.”
“The other thing,” added Patel, “is that the simulations usually give us advanced enough warning of any possible danger, so that we can prepare for it.”
Zhou raised her hand. “Thanks for the mansplaining, guys, but Jonathan suggested that the builderbots might not have been hacked for fun. It might have been something more serious, perhaps to prevent the energy fluctuation detector being built in Ring Four. Now, if someone has originally run a simulation that suggests we need to build one, doesn’t that mean that there is a higher probability of something happening soon that we’re trying to prevent?”
Watanabe grinned, knowing that Patel couldn’t say anything about hacking Hogart and Zhou’s communications. He looked at him, pointedly. “You should have figured that one out. Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one?”
Patel opened his mouth to speak, realized Watanabe was playing him, frowned, then pulled a tablet from his pocket and opened it. “Well, yes. You’re right. I should have thought of that. Accessing simulations regarding Ring Four.” The light from his screen flickered across his face at high speed. He attempted to read it quickly but closed his eyes. “Too many to choose from. I wouldn’t know where to begin. I think this is going to take quite some time.” He folded his screen and put it back in his pocket.
“So, you still need the office, then?” asked Zhou.
“What?” Patel looked horrified at the thought. “Oh. No, it’s all yours. You have more important work to do. We only have about twenty minutes left to rescue Victoria, so we need to get the Stellar Flash ready as soon as possible.”
Just then, there was a flash, and Hogart materialized in the middle of the room. “Open for business,” he said, grinning. “Let my Center crew know we’re ready to leave. And best of all, all the doors are working again!”
Chapter 43
Puppy carefully opened one of his twelve eyes, then a few of the other ones. Some he couldn’t see out of, quickly understanding he was lying down on his side. He struggled to get up and opened other eyes to try to orientate himself, but failed. He shook his osmosis lungs, releasing some pent-up carbon dioxide, which came out like a sigh.
Where was he?
Then he raised a leg, looked at the swathes of bandages around it covered in yellow streaks, and sighed again. The only reason he’d be wrapped up like this is if he’d been poisoned, and his natural immune system was now leaking out the toxins along his leg hairs. The doctors must have thought it best to pad him out.
There was a brief flicker in the air near him and Captain Hogart flashed in. “Puppy! I can’t believe it. I’m really sorry to hear you’ve been toxed.”
Puppy groaned. He could barely drop his long tongue out in acknowledgement.
“The doctors told me you’ll be okay, but it might be a while before you’re on your pins again.”
“I’m sorry, Captain.”
Hogart frowned. “Don’t be. On behalf of the human race, I’m really sorry this has happened to you. Earth Council is already investigating. Organophosphates were outlawed fifty years ago, and we’ve never had any conflict with the Arachnoids, so this whole situation is completely unexpected. Even our A.I. didn’t foresee it.”
“I have a hunch as to why I was knocked out. Before joining the flash ship missions, I was in charge of the drone networks on my world. I helped prevent quite a number of robot uprisings, and I’ve already been hired by Doctor Patel as an advisor here. They obviously thought I was enough of a threat to knock me out before they ran their little test.”
Hogart nodded. “You might be right! And we definitely need you as an advisor on this.”
Puppy tried to move, but his legs and body had limited strength. “Right now, though, I feel like all I am is padding.”
Hogart laughed. “Well, you definitely look like it. Hopefully not for much longer. I’m sure you’ll be back in the action soon!”
“Say hi to the crew for me! And I heard what had happened. Please rescue Admiral Heartness.” Then Puppy’s eyes widened. “But, you won’t have a security officer!”
Hogart frowned. “You leave that to me. Get well soon. That’s an order.”
“I’d clack my legs at that one, captain, if I wasn’t all wrapped up, filling up space.”
Hogart grinned. “I’m sure you’ll be back on your feet soon. Take care.” Then he hit his flash band and disappeared.
Puppy groaned again and shifted about in his bed. Then he called out. “Nurse? How long before I can get this cut away?”
Chapter 44
Kumar stood with the A.I. avatar inside the Stellar Flash ship, looking over the panels for the umpteenth time. “And you’re sure the reset purged the virus?’
“Every piece of code has been removed, thanks to Doctor Hiro Watanabe’s signal.” She pulled a little on her canvas pants as though to simulate momentary discomfort.
“And the flash drive?”
“Functioning within normal parameters. Coordinates for Proxima Centauri B have been set.”
“Then, my work here is done.”
There was a flash and Hogart appeared, rushing over to his panel. “Right team. Puppy will recover soon, and sends his love. We’re…” He looked up and realized that only Kumar and the avatar were there. “Oh.”
“They’re on their way,” said Kumar. “Time I went.”
“Just a moment,” said Hogart. “I need to check with the admiral on duty.”
Suddenly the center was filled with bright light, and the Stellar Flash team appeared. Hogart looked about approvingly. Spiney, his purple, sea-urchin-like first officer, Cuddly, his green, caterpillar-like, communications officer, Geo, his ball-shaped geophysicist and mathematician, Torus, his toroidal-energy astrophysicist, Amy, his greenish blob-like alien doctor, and Josie Tonderai, his shapeshifting humanoid pilot.
Tonderai’s frizzy hair and flawless muscular mocha body was a slight distraction for Hogart, considering she was now technically his sister, but he was surprised to see that she had caused Kumar’s breath to momentarily catch in his throat.
“Uh, hello,” he said, like a nervous teenager.
Tonderai saw his admiring look. “Young man, I thought you weren’t, how shall I put it, that way inclined?”
Kumar raised an eyebrow. “Not usually, but I can make exceptions. Besides, who are you calling young? Weren’t you literally born y
esterday?”
She laughed.
“Alright people,” interrupted Hogart. “I know the 22nd century means we’re a lot freer in discussing our sexuality, but let’s keep things focused in the Center, yeah? We have to rescue Victoria.” Then he paused, realizing what he had just said. “Those two things are completely unrelated.”
Tonderai opened her mouth to say something, then quickly closed it again, and settled for a wink.
“Right,” Hogart said, placing his hand on his panel. “Back to the task at hand. There is an outpost on Proxibee where they’ve not only been doing gravity research, but also all the latest research for the Flash Ships. It’ll be a quick mission. Flash there, rescue Admiral Victoria Heartness, then flash out again. We’ve got about fifteen minutes.”
Hogart realized that Cuddly was waving one of his prolegs agitatedly. “Yes, Cuddly. What is it?”
“Sir. Flash channel message from Proxibee. As a result of an attack by a homicidal energy being, Commander Lin regrets to say that Admiral Heartness is dead.”
Chapter 45
Heartness, very much alive, looked up at the bright light shining above her, and the three humans standing over her, staring. Two thin and one not so thin. She detected the tell-tale pause of translators at work, and was relieved that she could understand them, above the whisper of Australian, Punjabi and Afrikaans.
"Who are you?"
"Where are you from?"
"How did you get here?"
Heartness grimaced, got up, dusted herself off and looked about. The spherical entrance had disappeared, and the cloud creature hadn't followed her through. She was safe, for now. But judging from the look of the hexicle she was in, she was still in the hive.
Hexicle 28? Were they here, but stuck in some kind of separated bubble? Or, had she jumped to a future time after the cloud creature had disappeared? How far forward, she had no idea.
Temporal Incursion Page 13
