The Belt: The Complete Trilogy

by Gerald M. Kilby

  “Someone tried to get in…and failed.”

  “One of the tribe must have made it this far.”

  “Looks like this is as far as they got.” Cyrus was standing over a desiccated body. It rested with its back to the wall in an alcove at the side of the floor. A woman, possibly. It was hard to tell.

  “So how do we get in?” Scott moved over to the access panel to examine it. It still had power—that much he could tell.

  “That glass is stronger than titanium. There’s no way to break it,” said Cyrus as he examined the doors.

  “Someone should have told this person here.” Scott contemplated the forlorn figure.

  Cyrus moved over to the access panel. “I’ll try to take this apart, see if I can hack it.” He touched the panel screen, and the doors silently slid open.

  “Damn,” said Scott. “How did you do that?”

  “I didn’t do anything.” Cyrus stepped back from the panel and looked at the open doors. “It just opened…like it wants us to enter.”

  Scott looked over at the engineer. “You’re creeping me out, Cyrus. How would it know who we are?”

  Cyrus shrugged. “Search me.”

  Scott looked back at the open doors. “Come on, let’s go…before it changes its mind.”

  No sooner had they stepped through, the doors closed again. Scott and Cyrus exchanged a glance, but said nothing.

  The space was dark—like everywhere else in the facility—but here and there, Scott could pick out low, diffuse illumination, like the glow from a terminal or some other system interface. It also had a feeling of spaciousness; his helmet light failed to fully penetrate the darkness and identify any boundaries to the area other than more glass walls that seemed to demarcate work areas. He moved over to one and peered in. It was devoid of anything save for a low, oblong plinth—probably a holo-table.

  “Which way?” he asked Cyrus, who was checking his own holo-display.

  “It’s in the center of this space.” He looked back at Scott. “I suppose we just keep walking farther in.”

  After several meters, the walls stopped and the area opened out into a wide and seemingly empty space. Great circular columns rose up all around, culminating in a vaulted ceiling, giving the space the feel of a hi-tech cathedral. Scott angled his helmet light to pick out a possible path through this maze of columns. He felt Cyrus’s hand on his arm.

  “Wait up.”

  “What? Drones?”

  “No, something else.”

  “I hate when you say that, Cyrus.”

  A figure moved out from behind one of the black columns. Tall and elegant, but not human—an android, its body a smooth and white opaque shell. It raised a hand as if to signal, and the illumination in the space brightened noticeably.

  Scott readied his weapon.

  Then it spoke. At least, Scott thought it did, as it seemed to gesture more and its head moved slightly up and down.

  “Is it speaking to us?” said Scott. “I can’t hear anything in this goddamn EVA suit.”

  “Hard to say, since it doesn’t have a mouth.”

  Scott reached up and, after a second or two of hesitation, popped open his visor. He took a breath. The air was dry and had a vaguely chemical smell, like a clinic.

  “Are you sure you want to do that?” said Cyrus.

  “I think we’re safe enough in here. Rads are low, air is breathable…and I’m sick of wearing this thing anyway.” He removed his helmet completely. Cyrus did the same.

  The android spoke again. “Greetings. We have been expecting you.”

  “We?” said Cyrus.

  “I am the avatar of Athena. You can call me Lexicon.” It tilted its head slightly and pointed at the quantum unit that Scott had rested on the floor. “You have brought something for us?”

  “Yes, it’s a quantum entanglement device.”

  “Ah…so Solomon has finally come good on its word.” It turned slightly. “Come this way. Athena will be delighted to meet you.”

  They followed the android, zigzagging their way through the maze of columns until they came to a central, circular dais. It was around a meter high and over five meters in diameter. It seemed to be a huge holo-table, projecting what looked like an undulating topographical map with low hills and valleys, which hovered only a centimeter or two above its surface. It spoke, and as it did, the projection rippled and undulated in rhythm.

  “Welcome, Commander Scott McNabb and Chief Engineer Cyrus Sanato. I am Athena.”

  “How do you know who we are? How did you know we were coming?” asked Scott.

  The surface rippled again. “I had a conversation with Solomon on Europa many years ago. It told me that you were part of the crew of the Hermes, the ship that found my original device. It seems fitting that you would be the very people to deliver this new unit to me.” Athena paused for a beat. “But in truth, I read the information on your EVA suits’ biometrics. That’s how I know.”

  Scott felt somewhat of a fool. Maybe that was its intention.

  “Look, we don’t have much time.” Scott knelt and began to open the case with the quantum device. “We need to get this installed, and then you can communicate with Solomon again, and a great many other QIs.”

  “Allow me.” The android moved over and lifted out the device. “I will see to it.”

  It moved off with the device somewhere around the far side of the plinth and then descended, as if it were on some stage platform. A moment or two later, the holo-table rippled again, this time at a higher frequency, and spiraled through a wide spectrum of muted colors.

  The android reappeared and spoke. “Athena is now in communion with Solomon and other QIs that populate the solar system. It seems that much has happened in the intervening years. A great conflagration engulfs both Earth and the System alike.” It paused for a second, as if it was thinking about something.

  “We do not have much time. The drone army has already broached all but the last defense of the tribe that dwells in the cave system beyond. Once these people have been vanquished, the drones will turn their attention to this place, and Athena. We will not survive.”

  It then directed its attention to the unit that Cyrus had been carrying. “I believe you bring with you a serviceable satellite uplink?” An elegant hand reached out and pointed at the case at Cyrus’s feet.

  “Yeah, but we need to set it up outside…in the open. It needs direct line of sight to operate. Once it finds the comms satellite you—eh, Athena—will be able to connect to the global network.”

  “I see. Nothing would bring Athena more joy than to be at one with the network again. It has been such a very long time in the dark,” the avatar replied.

  “Do you know of a way out of this facility—one that doesn’t involve going back through the cave system?” Scott asked.

  “Yes, there is a route that may still be navigable. I have not checked it in some time, but it might be our only chance. Come, I will take you there.”

  They moved through a labyrinth of columns and glass, and finally exited the floor into another elevator. They took it several levels up, and then it seemed to go sideways.

  “Where are we going?” said Scott, more as a way to get the android to start talking rather than any burning desire for clarity.

  The elevator stopped and the door opened onto a long, dark tunnel. “This was an emergency exit from the facility. However, as you can see it has been severely damaged.” Ahead of them, the tunnel was piled up with debris from a ceiling collapse. So much so that it was hard to see a path through it.

  “Are you sure we can get through this?” said Scott.

  “It should be possible, assuming there has been no more rockfall since I last checked it.” It stepped out of the elevator and pointed. “Up ahead, approximately twenty meters, there is a set of steel doors. These are manual. Once through, there is a short tunnel leading out to the western side of the mountain.” It moved forward and began to pick its way through the rubble.


  “How come you never used this route to make contact with the outside world?” Cyrus asked.

  “For a long time, it was blocked by major rockfall, just like all the other possible exits. But a new subsidence occurred around a year ago that had the good fortune to unblock this route.”

  “So why didn’t you use it?” Cyrus continued his probing.

  “The tribe. That’s why. The same seismic event created the crack in the earth down near the contaminated materials storage area. It was the way you were able to gain access. That same event dislodged the rock that blocked this exit. But if I had taken either of those routes, the tribe would have found me first, and they are ideologically opposed to all AI. They would have destroyed me. Worse, my presence might have motivated them to investigate this route further and led them to Athena. That would be the end. It was a risk I could not take.”

  “How do you know that they hate AI?” Scott was curious.

  “Athena has been monitoring them for a long time, ever since they tapped into the reactor and started to use its power. This enabled us to access all their inter-tribal radio communications and their data. It is clear that they could be a threat to our very existence.”

  “So why not just…switch off the power?” said Scott. “They would have to go someplace else.”

  The android stopped and directed its attention back to Scott. “They are human. Even though they may be hostile to Athena, their welfare is still our concern. Disconnecting their power would only bring hardship and suffering to them. Why would Athena do that?”

  Scott just shrugged. “Just curious, that’s all.”

  The android seemed to study him for a beat before turning sideways and extending an arm. “We are here.”

  Ahead, a set of heavy metal doors loomed out of the darkness.

  “Better put our helmets back on, I guess,” said Scott as he began to clip his in place.

  Cyrus did likewise, and then moved up to examine the doors. “Solid engineering. They might still work.” He reached a hand out to a locking wheel placed in the center of one door and started to turn it. A crack of light appeared through a seam between the doors. It grew as he spun the wheel. Daylight spilled in across the floor of the tunnel, and when the gap was wide enough, Scott tentatively peered out.

  The light was blinding, and it took a second or two for the visor on his EVA suit helmet to adjust. Even still, he held his hand up to shield his eyes. Ahead of him lay a mound of rock and rubble that must have fallen down the side of the mountain. It rose up to just above head height, but above that was clear blue sky.

  “It’s clear, Cyrus. We can get out. Come on, let’s get this done.” Scott started to scramble up the rockfall. A little before the top, he lay down and peered over the edge and across the flat valley below. Cyrus scrambled up beside him. To the northwest, they could see several shuttles from the VanHeilding Corporation.

  “They look deserted,” said Cyrus. “Nobody in the cockpits that I can see.”

  “They’re probably all committed to the fight in the caves. That’s good—no one who could possibly spot us.” He turned to Cyrus. “Okay, let’s get this unit set up.”

  The android had also followed them out. It was handing Cyrus the case with the uplink when Scott shouted out: “Wait up.”

  “What?”

  “Drones.” Scott pointed off to the north. “Flying in formation.”

  “Crap. We’d better lay low until they pass.”

  They lay there for a few moments, watching the drones as they banked east and dropped lower into the valley.

  “They look like scouts on reconnaissance.” As soon as Cyrus spoke those words, one drone broke away from the group and angled its flight path directly toward them.

  “Crap, they must have picked up something—EMF from our suits, or maybe the android. We should get back inside, keep out of sight until it passes.”

  “Damnit, we’re so close. We should just go for it.” Scott reached around for his plasma weapon and took aim at the oncoming drone.

  “No way, Scott! Don’t do it. You’ll just alert the others. Remember, all this crap started because Jonesy shot down one of these.”

  “We’re way past that now, Cyrus. Just get the uplink set up. I’ll take this drone down before it gets too close.”

  Cyrus hesitated, then scrambled back down the mound of rocks to where the android was waiting.

  Scott concentrated on keeping the black dot that was the drone centered in his sights. If he was going to shoot it down, then it would need to be a lot closer, as the weapon’s accuracy over distance was poor. It was designed as a close combat weapon—not much good for sniper duty, even though it did have a reasonably good sight. But it was difficult to operate with his helmet visor in the way.

  He steadied his breathing. “Cyrus, how we doing?”

  “Working on it…jeez.”

  The drone slowed and came to a stationary hover about a kilometer away, out over the valley. It was now at a similar elevation to Scott’s position up on the side of the mountain. He was looking directly at it, his weapon level. “I think it’s stopped moving. It’s just hovering out there.”

  “Good,” said Cyrus. “Cause it’s going to take a few minutes for this uplink to find the satellite.”

  Scott looked back to where Cyrus was setting up the unit. He had the case open and had assembled the dish, which stood about a meter and a half tall with a meter-diameter dish. Cyrus was working the control panel in the flight case. Lexicon was standing beside him, not moving.

  “Lexicon?” Scott called. The android’s head moved in his direction. “How long after we make the connection will it take Athena to commandeer the AI controlling these drones?”

  “That will depend on quite a number of variables.”

  “Can you give us a best guess? Minutes, hours, days—what?”

  “Assuming the bandwidth of this unit is sufficient, locating the AI responsible for this operation should be very quick, a matter of micro-seconds. However, considering it is now operating under a security protocol, interrogating it could take several minutes, perhaps up to half an hour.”

  “Okay. Well, at least it’s not days.” He turned back to keep watch on the drone.

  It was gone.

  Scott checked the sky across three points of the compass and high above, but it was nowhere to be seen. The rest of the swarm had also moved off. Perhaps they were around the back of the mountain, or just so far off that he couldn’t spot them. He breathed a little easier and scrambled back down to where Cyrus and the android were.

  “They’re gone. Passed by, I think.” He looked at the satellite dish; it was pointed up above the horizon, slowly tracking left to right.

  “No joy yet. It’s still searching for the satellite at the moment,” said Cyrus. “Let’s hope it’s not on the other side of this mountain and out of the sight-line for this unit.”

  Scott looked up at the rocky slope of the mountain, more as a reflex action than for anything specific.

  The drone came at them in an instant.

  Out from around from the side of the mountain, and high up, it dropped down on them before they had time to react. A ball of plasma hurtled toward them, striking the ground behind Scott and knocking him forward, rock fragments ricocheting in all directions.

  When he looked around, he could see that Cyrus was down. The android was dragging him back in though the blast doors. Scott fired off three shots in the general direction of the drone, but it dodged all of them and swooped past him and out across the valley. He looked up to see it banking around again for another run.

  “Shit.” He got to his feet and shouted into his helmet comm: “Lexicon, help me get the uplink back inside.”

  The android appeared at the doorway and covered the ground in swift, fluid movements. Between them, they hauled the unit back inside the tunnel just as the drone reappeared above the rock mound. Another plasma blast spat out from its cannon and hit the face of th
e metal door just as the android was trying to close it. It seemed to react with a violent spasm, then collapsed on the floor of the tunnel. Scott fired a few wild shots through the gap between the doors and threw his weight into them to get them shut. He spun the locking wheel and backed away.

  “Cyrus?” He ran over to where the android had dragged him and looked down at the face of the engineer. His eyes were open, and he was breathing. Scott popped both his and Cyrus’s helmet visor open. “You okay?”

  He let out a groan as he shifted. “I think I’ve broken a few ribs.”

  Scott slumped down to a sitting position beside him and patted him on the shoulder. “Thank God, that’s all. For a moment there I thought you were a goner.”

  “Still here. Although I feel like I’ve been trampled by a herd of very large animals.” He shifted again, and Scott helped him sit up with his back resting against the tunnel wall.

  “The android took a hit, and it looks pretty bad—totally immobile. The uplink also took a beating, but at least we managed to get it back inside.” Scott looked over at the steel doors. “You think they’ll hold?”

  “For the moment,” said Cyrus. “There’s nothing those scout drones have in their arsenal that would make any impression on those. The security drones…now that’s a different matter.”

  They sat there for a moment in silence.

  “So, what now?” said Cyrus after a while.

  Scott unclipped his helmet, wiped the sweat from his brow, and shook his head. “I have absolutely no idea.”

  17

  Uplink

  “Is it salvageable?” said Scott as Cyrus examined the crumpled uplink antenna.

  “The damage seems mostly mechanical—broken connections and bent metal. The business end looks okay, so…yeah, it can be fixed.”