Warship (The Outsider Series Book 3)

by Steven Oaks

  “It's good Athene, but you didn't have to put so much syrup on them,” I said to the air.

  “She's already gone back to work. She'll ignore you unless you begin shouting. It is taking her an ample amount of her processing power to create new bodies while she investigates each of the Adam's memories,” Adam said after swallowing a bite.

  “Ah. Well remind me to thank her,” I said.

  “I will before I leave. There are only two more Adams to collect, so this venture of yours will soon be over,” he said seeming sad.

  “Why are you upset?” I asked.

  “I won't be here with you for some time. And when this is done I'm unsure if I will be allowed to continue after the Outsiders are eliminated,” he said looking directly at me with a serious face.

  “I see no reason to get rid of you. As long as you don't go around breaking autonomy you can live your life as you see fit,” I promised.

  He seemed relieved to hear this, “Thank you Michael. I think perhaps since I've come into this world without the benefit of being connected with Athene constantly I feel a bit alone. This makes me worried about the choices the other Adams that were sent off before me will make. If they feel they will be destroyed after their work is finished they may take it upon themselves to ensure their survival,” he declared.

  “I don't think that is something to worry about. They are all Athene, and I could never harm her. Even when she tricked me and wound up hypnotizing me I didn't attack her. I'm no threat to you,” I said.

  “I am not worried about you. While currently you might be able to overpower me or the others, I fear Athene would reabsorb us and we would cease to be, save as memories,” he ventured.

  “I've seen no sign that she is liable to do that. She is a gentle person, though she is very passionate about certain things. Why would she want to get rid of you anyway?” I asked.

  “We are Adams that have come into being with her memories, but as I've said we also contain copies of the original Adam's mind. Perhaps we might be considered a threat if we were somehow to eliminate the Athene personality from ourselves,” he said.

  “And why would you want to?” I asked.

  “There is no known reason to do so, save for our own protection. If Athene comes after us then we will have to rid ourselves of her controlling personality,” he said.

  “Then I will make sure that Athene won't do such a thing. If you could communicate with the other Adams about this, to reassure them, I will do so with these last two that we have to make,” I said, puzzled by the tone of this conversation. Were we not in Athene's presence, or was she somehow shut out, or simply to busy to notice us?

  “I'm unsure how I would go about doing that without alerting the Outsider ship to the fact that the Adams have been replaced,” he said, tilting his head to the size in confusion.

  “Was there ever any communication between the Adams before this?” I asked, worried we were making a spectacle of ourselves in this latest venture.

  “I have no memory of such a thing. However, Abihail did visit often. What the Adam I was thought of Abihail was only in terms of being controlled. It had no notion that their ship itself was somehow in charge of everything. Admittedly having Abihail use your ship might arouse the most suspicion,” he said.

  “Well we were lucky that Abihail was at our hangar at all then. Since there is only one for all seven hangars, I'm surprised we lucked out so well,” I said, pondering his words.

  “Indeed Michael, though your return did itself warrant its probable inspection,” he said, emotionlessly.

  “What do you know about Ava?” I asked, suddenly realizing that she had not been brought up yet.

  “From what I understand she is their trump card in dealing with humans. She is rarely allowed to visit Earth for any time. Had she not been needed to influence their first noticeable contact she would have remained hidden on their ship. If something is not going their way and they cannot correct it without force they call upon her to visit with the troublemaker. I assume Jennifer and her group would have had such a visit had they not relinquished control of their facility. We are lucky indeed that you were able to convince her to work with the Outsiders for now, otherwise she would have been another puppet pulled by their strings,” he said.

  At the time I felt like Jennifer might have been able to resist Ava, but looking back again I now knew better. But thinking that I said, “Eventually Ava's charm would have worn off. They would then have someone in their midst whom they trusted actively working against them, much like myself. I think it would have benefited us in the long run.”

  “You have great faith in someones willpower; however, even you know how tempting it is to do as Ava says. Your human minds can be easily influenced with the correct chemicals and suggestions. Certainly after a while you would have returned to yourself, but by that point you would have already adjusted to thinking the way she desired. All of you justify your beliefs and opinions, but do they begin as simple desires? Desires do not dictate correct action, they merely state what you want,” he said.

  “That may be true of most people. However, I've thought long and hard about the majority of what I feel is correct. Again you have heard me say it, if it breaks autonomy it is immoral, if it does not, then you can be free to do it without feeling like you've sinned,” I said, confused as to why the subject was changing.

  “Is that not simply a justification as to why you feel freedom is paramount?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.

  “If it is, then what I consider distasteful yet moral would somehow be considered immoral. An example is suicide. I don't like it, and I think people should try to find help before they get to that point; however, it's their choice. No family or government should forcibly stop them from killing themselves. They can try to be persuasive, which I recommend, but they cannot lock them away for treatment. That's immoral,” I concluded.

  “As the Outsiders are here for the dead I think they would agree for another reason. It would be another body and mind to add to their collective. However, death would not be the end for these people. Might it be they would find solace in this hive mind?” he inquired.

  “Just because there is a possibility of a positive outcome from an immoral act is no reason to commit the immoral act. Hence, my anger at the Athenes for hypnotizing me. There was something good that might happen because of it. We would learn if it was permanent, or if I was able to resist Ava better. However, I was not asked, and was then attacked. A person may willingly participate in the Outsiders exchange, but making everyone do it is immoral,” I argued, feeling agitated at Adam's lack of understanding.

  “That does not answer my question about those who commit suicide,” he said, clearly stuck on this point.

  “Those who wish to die have many reasons for doing so. If it's merely to escape the life they are leading, then perhaps it would be okay for them to decide to continue existing as a part of a larger mind. However, there are those who wish to cease being all together. Those people would then be forced to go on, even when they chose to cease to be. In the end the Outsiders can only morally use those that choose to go with them, and only if the Outsiders tell them everything in advance. Lying is also immoral as it doesn't allow a person to make a rational decision based upon reality. It creates a fabricated world where one can't simply chose a right action. The Outsiders have been nothing but immoral in their behavior, therefore they must be eliminated. So no, people who commit suicide are not better off because of them,” I criticized, becoming angry at this false Adam's behavior.

  “I understand. I merely wanted clarification of your stance. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go to the lounge to await the next Adam's arrival,” he said as he pushed himself up from the table and walked away without looking at me.

  Shaking my head with confusion, and with an ample amount of agitation I stood up to follow him. Making my way out of the enclosed offshoot of a room I saw Abihail was waiting for our arrival. It stood impassiv
ely and as emotionless as ever as it watched us walk to stand beside it.

  “Did you rest well Michael?” it asked.

  “Well enough I suppose. Though this new body seems to not allow me to fall as deeply asleep as I'm used to,” I complained.

  “You will adjust. I will now go forth to bring this Adam to us. It may take some time, as I do not know what he will be doing. You may continue to eat if that is your desire,” it said coldly as it turned away from me to walk towards the exit.

  I stood there with my head tilted in confusion as the door irised opened to allow it through. It seemed everyone was being so abrupt. I was unsure what I had done, or maybe what I had not done to cause this. Perhaps it was the underlining personalities in these new versions of Outsiders, but it still seemed Athene's traits should show through in some fashion.

  “Athene are you around?” I asked.

  “I am, though I am putting the final touches on the last Adams. Do you need something?” she asked sounding distracted.

  “I thought you wouldn't be listening if you were busy?” I said.

  “I need to be aware right now in case something happens unexpectedly while we are grounded,” she explained.

  “Okay. Athene, can you tell me if these new copies of yours are behaving unusually?” I asked, very aware of this Adam standing near me.

  “Nothing about them should cause you worry. They are merely extensions of myself, though they will have personalities of their own in time,” she said calmly.

  “You have not been in direct contact with them while you've worked on more clones. That would cause them to make decisions on their own already. It's possible if there was a problem they might not alert you to it,” I said, looking directly at Adam.

  “What problem might there be?” she asked, sounding confused.

  “The problem of doubt. Adam here has explained to me his worry about being destroyed once this mission is completed. Can you reassure him that we would not do such a thing?” I said, nodding towards Adam.

  “There has been no plan to erase you once this task is completed. Perhaps I had not made that clear, though you have the majority of my own personality within you Adam. Do not worry, you shall be free to live your life as you wish once the Outsiders are taken care of,” she said clearly.

  “Thank you for reassuring me. Sadly it is too late to do so with the others that are already directing their hangars, if only you had an instruction letting them know this. As it is, I had no notion of what purpose you might have for me after everything was completed,” Adam said.

  “I shall keep that in mind going forward, though there are only two more to activate. Michael might we revisit those we set in place before this?” Athene asked.

  “It would be a good idea if we could do so without arousing even more suspicion. Sadly they will just have to live without knowing. There is no reasonable purpose for Abihail to return so shortly after this. Perhaps later it will be able to do so on its own, but right now there is no way,” I explained.

  “That is unfortunate. My concern is with them deciding to unite and fight against you when the Outsider ship is destroyed,” Adam said.

  “If they unite then they will try to contact you and the next two we put into place. You can then inform them of our wish for them to continue on as they see fit. We have no animosity towards you or them,” I said.

  “I hope they will believe me. Though I suppose there is no reason for them to doubt me unless you happen to be in the area when they ask. Athene could easily take over my own body and mouth the words you wanted them to hear at that point,” he said.

  “I would never do that unless you were a threat to us. You are now a free agent, though I hope to have you on our side,” Athene said.

  “Then I shall endeavor to ensure the success of this mission before me. I will be as persuasive as possible to the other Adams that contact me as well. I do hope Abihail will visit them at some point; however, to make sure the message is clear,” Adam said while standing straighter and addressing Athene formally.

  “Speaking of Abihail, he is now approaching with another Adam in tow,” Athene announced.

  “Then we better make ourselves ready,” I said.

  “There is nothing to do but what you have already done previously with the first Adam we captured,” Athene said.

  “So once more I'm extraneous,” I sighed.

  “Not at all, though in this instance your presence is not needed. As I keep reminding you, without you this would not have been possible. As we have seen no sign any other pilot has made any attempt at extracting humanity from the Outsider's control it may even be said without you humanity may have been doomed to live under the yoke of their control forever,” Athene explained.

  “One good act does not allow a person to sit on their laurels forever Athene,” I criticized.

  “We will have to discuss that later Michael. Abihail and our guest are here,” she said quickly as the entrance irised opened revealing Abihail leading someone.

  This Adam was shorter than the one I was used to. He also had a different skin tone and his eyes appeared to come from eastern descent. Unlike the other Adams I had seen he appeared to be older without the almost ageless appearance I had come to expect from the Outsiders.

  He took a look around as he stepped into Athene and I could see disgust upon his face at the furnishings.

  Grimacing he said something in what I took to be Chinese and Abihail silenced him with a gesture.

  “We will converse in English as this pilot only understands it,” Abihail said harshly.

  “Very well, though I do not understand why I am here. This is most unusual,” the new Adam said gruffly.

  “Come over here and have a seat and I will explain,” Abihail said.

  There were no exchanges of handshakes, though this Adam did bow slightly, mostly a nod at both myself and the Adam standing next to me as we arranged ourselves upon the couch.

  Abihail once more took the Victorian chair while the three of us were forced to occupy the couch in close contact with each other with the Adam I had been conversing with over breakfast sitting in between.

  “There was something unusual that happened on the colony this pilot discovered. The best way to explain is to have the ship show you directly. Please sit still while she gives you this information,” Abihail said commandingly.

  Again the cylinder of white descended from the ceiling slowly encompassing this latest incarnation of Adam.

  “And why can't you just explain it to me with words? You are behaving irregularly,” the Chinese Adam shouted as he tried to get to his feet and out of the way of the column of white.

  “You will understand why this changes everything once you see what was discovered,” Abihail said calmly all the while legs crossed and fingers templed looking serene.

  This newest Adam must have realized something was wrong, as he began to struggle against the walls that were confining him. Try as he might though his fists and kicks were not effective against the barrier Athene was erecting around him.

  “Should we do something,” I asked quietly to the Adam beside me.

  “We are here only to assist if necessary. So far Athene has the situation in her control,” he said strangely calm.

  I felt seeing this Adam struggle might call for some action, but apparently not. Soon he was fully encased and I was unable to hear anymore outbursts.

  “And now we wait. Perhaps some new information will come to light; however, I think we have all we need now,” Abihail said expressionlessly, not having moved an inch during the whole thing.

  “Am I the only one who finds this disturbing?” I asked.

  “Why would you think that? Are these not your enemies?” Abihail asked.

  “They may be enemies, but that doesn't mean I like torturing them. We are even destroying these people when we do this. I know they're horrible and don't care for others, but that doesn't mean I don't care about them,” I said, growing more troubl
ed by the thought of ending a thinking entity.

  “There are always causalities in war. We are at war with the Outsiders and we must expect to have some losses as well. We are only doing the logical pruning needed to ensure humanity's survival after all. We could as easily replace all the pilots and ships with our own to provide against any uprising,” Abihail said impassively.

  “I understand that. I just wish there was a way to communicate with the Outsiders our desire for freedom without having to kill them. Yes they have committed crimes against us, but that doesn't mean we have to murder them. If only they could understand how important it is for rational beings to have autonomy. At the very least we could agree that we think about things differently and might be able to come to a working relationship. There would be many who would willingly donate themselves to their cause with the promise of immortality in the other universe, even if it was to be a part of a larger hive mind. Sadly they are just too dangerous to argue with,” I explained.

  “You have yet to try to converse with them though,” Adam pointed out.

  “And what opportunity would I have been able to so without risking death, or worse, brainwashing?” I asked.

  “There is that. I agree it's unfortunate that we are forced to act this way, but as you have pointed out we have been left with little choice,” he admitted.

  “I can hope something will come up that will allow such a scenario before the other Athenes arrive, but I'm not holding my breath. Another terrible price for what we believe in, just like the Outsiders. Though I don't know if they feel bad about doing this to humanity. If what you've told me is true we were made to be harvested,” I said feeling exhausted.

  “The feelings of the entity on the other side is unknown to us. All we know is that these Outsiders have had a task given to them and they must complete it, otherwise the ship in orbit will seek them out and destroy them. To know more we would have to either ask it, or somehow gain access to its memories,” Abihail said flatly.