Jaded Dusk

by Scott Wale

  The network maze was also not just contained to a single floor. Prominence had many levels that continued below the surface of the rock. Ramps and stairwells had been built in arbitrary locations that just added to the confusion. Some of the floors looked similar, but none of them were identical. Numerous rooms could be found on all floors and Tradok had remembered how more than two-thirds of them sat empty. Tradok had never confirmed whether this was part of the plan to disorient an intruder or if Grimtav had a grander scheme to eventually house a new army.

  Tradok had recognized a few changes to the layout and began to wonder if the contents behind each door had also changed. He had a plan, but enacting it as smoothly as possible may prove difficult if the group were to step into the wrong room. The group had already entered through the side door into the cymutt receiving bay as planned. They had also hurriedly detoured from the bay and now faced the maze of the interior network of corridors. The group paused for a few moments as Tradok appeared to be getting his bearings and coming up with the next step in the plan.

  “What’s first?” Nevit finally asked.

  “I planned to start with a tour”, Tradok replied sarcastically.

  “Not to be pushy, but Nevit has a point. Is it wise to just be standing here?” Fenrit asked.

  “As sad as it sounds, we’re relatively safe here”, Tradok answered. “If the same security protocols are in place as before, then cymutts don’t patrol the interior and any concerns are addressed by living beings. The only corridors that are under surveillance are those surrounding the controller. Unfortunately, I’m still bothered by the idea that the layout may have undergone some major changes, which may have included moving the controller. The few rooms that are functional have a portion of the layout of the complex which primarily provides the occupants with directions on the where’s of their job performance. A select few chambers and security rooms contain complete layouts that are labeled. That’s what I’d like to find, but unfortunately those rooms will probably have occupants.”

  “What’s the safest way to go about it?” Alejade asked.

  “Trial and error”, Tradok answered.

  “That doesn’t sound very safe to me”, Nevit commented.

  “Drawing attention is not ideal, but probability favors us that whatever room we enter will most likely be empty or only contain a single individual”, Tradok reasoned.

  “Should we all stick together or does it make more sense for each of us to start spot checking all of these rooms?” Fenrit asked.

  “We’ll stick together until we know where we’re headed”, Tradok answered. “I realize one room at a time sounds tedious, but it is the safest method. We don’t need our mission grinding to a halt before we even know where the controller is located. Make sure your dataports are on and your skin shields are nearby, but don’t power them up until we encounter any danger.”

  “Tedious doesn’t sound like something I want to involve myself with”, Nevit jested. “Haven’t you got any other ideas?”

  “Did you honestly expect to infiltrate a facility, shut down what is now the main purpose of that facility and for it not to present challenges?” Tradok asked with a sense of derision.

  “You said cymutts didn’t patrol the interior?” Alejade asked apparent that she was in the middle of a thought.

  “That’s correct”, Tradok confirmed.

  “What would happen if a cymutt was in the interior?” Alejade continued her thought process.

  “I imagine they’d be removed by the internal security team just like any other intruder, but in a less violent manner”, answered Tradok who was beginning to follow her logic.

  “So we get one on a leash and then what?” Nevit asked confused about how the plan concluded.

  “We stay a few steps behind one, let it lure a security team out of a room and then we sneak in behind them”, Alejade answered.

  “Sounds like a valid plan to me”, Fenrit chimed into the conversation. “Any room that quarters a security team seems likely to also have a diagramed layout of the facility. The real trick is getting a cymutt on a leash.”

  Alejade, Fenrit and Nevit all stared at Tradok waiting for him to complete the idea and offer his expertise.

  “I hope you’re better with that bow then I think you are”, Tradok finally said returning a stare to Fenrit.

  “Excuse me?” Fenrit replied.

  “We can’t just ambush a cymutt without drawing attention”, Tradok began to explain. “Jandra may have gotten away with it, but they won’t simply write off an attack from us. You’ll need to disable its motor skills with a precise shot, so I can do some overriding of its commands. If the cymutt’s eyes can see us, then they can probably see us. At that point we might as well just retreat back to the cave.”

  “If I disable it, won’t you have to do more than simply override some commands?” Fenrit asked.

  “Point taken”, Tradok conceded. “Without the access to some spare parts it becomes too risky of a venture.”

  Tradok stood still in thought slowly interchanging components of the overall idea to work out a solution. The group could always go with plan A by going door to door until they stumbled into the right room. The truth was Tradok didn’t like that plan from the beginning either and he wanted to make Alejade’s idea work due to the originality and complexity behind it if for no other reason.

  “Maintenance area”, Tradok finally announced. “The cymutt receiving bay we just came through has a maintenance area that, if we’re lucky, might have a dysfunctional cymutt or two. We find one operable enough to move around and I can simply place new commands into its head.”

  “How much luck?” Nevit asked with some concern.

  “Few cymutts sustain physical damage and make it back to Prominence, so the maintenance area is primarily occupied by cymutts with programming issues”, Tradok answered. “That’s actually ideal for our situation. We’ll still need to avoid the cymutt catching a glimpse of us, but all I need to do is insert a command to return to home. It’s a basic command for all cymutts. When the command is launched they ignore everything else and actually take a direct route to the controller. The theory is that when they are close enough to Prominence the command is replaced by their next job. They never actually finish the return function, but maybe this one will.”

  “I guess it’s back out into the receiving bay for us”, Nevit said.

  ***

  The maintenance area was segregated from the rest of the receiving bay solely by a short interior wall. The barricading wall jutted out of the same exterior wall that framed the transponder activated door and then curved back towards the far wall. The area was a nice niche in the corner of the bay that was far enough away from the cymutt traffic, yet close enough to pull in damaged units that needed repairs. A cut in the wall was the only access point into the maintenance area. Within the confines of the maintenance area were a few tables and shelves inventoried with tools and parts. An assortment of testing equipment was also available including a diagnostic terminal, a magnifier and a surface scanner used to identify imperfections not easily seen by the naked eye. Nothing gave the appearance of organization, but everything there had an obvious function. The overall motif had reminded Fenrit of Tradok’s workshop at his mining facility.

  Two cymutt bodies sat lifeless within the maintenance area. One had been placed on a table in the middle of a repair. Its shoulder had sustained a hefty amount of damage and the repair appeared to be a cosmetic operation to seal the opening. Unknown to the group, this cymutt had been the unit that Jandra had cut into with the cyphon, but unable to retrieve the sought after transponder. The second unit lay on the floor and contained no obvious exterior damage. Tradok reasoned that this was likely in the maintenance area for debugging of programming issues.

  “Here is our ideal candidate”, Tradok said pointing to the unit on the floor.

  Tradok walked over to the dormant unit and began his visual inspection. All the exterior components
appeared to be in working order from what he could tell. Without powering up the cymutt it would take a significant amount of time to diagnose what was truly wrong with it. All he needed the cymutt to do was walk under its own power. It appeared capable of that causing concern within Tradok about what issues might impede the group’s plan.

  “What exactly is the plan again?” Nevit asked.

  “He’s going to give the cymutt a command, which will lead us right to the controller”, Alejade said with a sense of pride ignited by the fact that she had remembered.

  “That’s part of it”, Tradok began. “The command is easy enough to place; however, I need to prevent the controller from simply overriding that command and sending the cymutt back to the receiving bay. If the cymutt continues its march towards the controller, it’ll force a security team to intervene. We just need to stay a little behind the cymutt and then sneak into the security room behind them. The benefit here is that moving behind the cymutt keeps us out of its vision.”

  “What’s the difficulty behind making sure they don’t override your command?” Fenrit asked.

  “There’s a single device within the cymutt that acts as both the transmitter and receiver to relay commands and other information”, Tradok explained. “If the cymutt powers up but fails to establish a link with the controller through the device, then the cymutt will simply power back down. It’s an endless loop until the component is fixed.”

  “So the component that allows them to control the cymutt needs to be intact for the cymutt to function”, Fenrit summarized for the benefit of his own comprehension.

  “Yes, but the hard part is ensuring that they simply don’t shut the unit down”, Tradok further explained. “We need the cymutt to keep moving forward as far as possible before being physically impeded.”

  “Let’s hear your ingenious solution to this problem”, Nevit intervened realizing Tradok was setting himself up to grandstand.

  “Commands are still stored and executed from a navcard, which is what cymutt’s utilized before the controller even existed”, Tradok revealed. “I’m going to remove this cymutt’s navcard and then delete the commands that would bring our plan to an end. The overall intelligence programming ignores commands that it doesn’t recognize, which means the cymutt will carry forward with the last orders it successfully received.”

  “Wouldn’t it be safest to remove all commands except for the one you need?” Fenrit asked.

  “That is the one of the two flaws with this plan”, Tradok admitted. “I can’t clear all commands, because I don’t have the proper means to add any commands back onto the navcard. Unfortunately, the navcards were designed to be wiped clean so it’s also a painstaking activity to remove commands one by one. I’ll be going off of memory, which leaves us exposed to the possibility that they’ve programmed new commands.”

  “And the other flaw?” Alejade inquired.

  “I still don’t know exactly what is wrong with this unit and we won’t know until it’s powered up”, Tradok answered. “Now, let’s begin.”

  Tradok pulled a tool off one of the shelves and began to remove a panel on the underbelly of the cymutt. The Sauronoid blindly sifted through the innards with his claw until he felt the port, which housed the navcard. He carefully removed the navcard and inserted it into a slot on the diagnostics terminal. Tradok began navigating the screens showing no sign that time had worn away at his memory. He began the tedious process of removing commands one at a time. He recalled all the frequently accessed commands instantly, making it a struggle to get his claws to remove the commands fast enough. Eventually, he began to test his memory and the process slowed until it came to a halt and he could not think of a single command that he had not already removed. He stared at the diagnostics screen for a moment longer before concluding that he had done all he could in the matter of programming. He ejected the navcard from the diagnostics terminal, returned the navcard to the cymutt and replaced the panel on the underbelly of the mechanical beast. Tradok grabbed another tool off a nearby shelf and then walked around behind the cymutt.

  “Everyone get behind the cymutt”, Tradok commanded. “I’m going to power it up and then give it the ‘go home’ command.”

  The remainder of the group followed the order and then Tradok began punching commands into the tool he had pulled off the shelf. The cymutt powered up and erected itself on all fours. It gazed ahead at the opening in the wall, which segregated the maintenance area from the rest of the bay. Tradok gave a satisfied facial expression and then returned his concentration to the tool. After punching in a few more commands Tradok returned his attention to the cymutt. The unit stood still for a moment and then took its first step towards the opening in the wall. The motion was smooth and fluid until it was time for the hind, left leg to perform. The leg kinked giving the appearance that the cymutt had a limp. The mechanical beast still progressed forward, but each time the cycle returned to the hind, left leg a kink ensued.

  “I guess that explains why it was in the maintenance area”, Tradok said. “Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be hindering its movement much, just slowing it down.”

  “Seems rather noisy as well”, Fenrit observed.

  “Yes, but it will lead us to where we need to go”, Tradok responded setting the tool back on the shelf. “I suggest that when we return to the interior hallways that we stay back out of sight for when our friend gets intercepted.”

  “Agreed, but shouldn’t you take that with you?” Alejade asked pointing to the tool that Tradok had just sat down.

  “I’ve already given the cymutt the command, so it won’t do us much good”, Tradok reasoned. “Any commands sent from the inside will have priority over this device, so hopefully the cymutt leads us close enough to the controller before its path comes to an end.”

  The cymutt limped from the maintenance area to the receiving bay door and then on to the pathway that led to Prominence’s interior. It carried forward through the door and took an immediate left down a long hallway. The cymutt carried on taking several turns without hesitation as if the controller was pulling it in with a magnetic force. Alejade, Fenrit, Nevit and Tradok stayed hidden behind a corner until the cymutt would turn a corner of its own and out of the group’s view. Many times this meant the group would have to zip down a long hallway to ensure they didn’t lose sight of their leader. After numerous turns the cymutt headed down a ramp that lead to the floor below. A few turns later the cymutt once again was heading down another ramp. This continued until the cymutt and its trailers were six floors below the level where they had entered Prominence. This floor was simply a long hallway with a single doorway on the right side and what appeared to be a dead end. The cymutt proceeded past the doorway and carried on as if it was going to walk straight into the dead end wall.

  “I figured as much”, Tradok said. “The controller used to be on the main floor. I think we’re on the bottom floor now. Since we’re out of places to hide I suggest we take our chances by standing outside the doorway to see if the cymutt draws anyone or anything out.”

  “Then let’s go”, Nevit said concerned that the group was standing in the middle of a hallway completely exposed.

  All four group members scurried up to the doorway and pressed their backs against the wall. They turned their attention to the cymutt that was almost at the end of the hall. The cymutt halted a few paces from the dead end and then turned to its left. It stood motionless staring at the wall. Tradok’s large pupils contracted until he realized that the cymutt was not staring at the wall, but rather through a window. There was no obvious doorway, but the window must be a glimpse into the room that contained the controller. Tradok determined it was still too premature to stroll over to the cymutt and share its view. A response team could come bursting through the doorway at any moment and that would allow for an opportunity to sneak into the room.

  ***

  “The cymutt battalion is not far outside of Aman’s northern wall”, Zephyr annou
nced to the room that contained Grimtav, himself and two other security personnel. “We’ve also just detected a cymutt roaming the interior of Prominence. It appears its now near the controller.”

  “Hold the battalion where they are”, Grimtav ordered. “I know Jalpa can see them. Let him take in a good look at what will eventually bring him to an end. I want him to soak in the realization of where he erred. He may be too stubborn to publicly admit where he went wrong, but I can at least derive some satisfaction in knowing that his last thoughts will only be those of regret.”

  “Understood, we will release the cymutts upon your command”, Zephyr complied.

  “What have you done about the cymutt that’s near the controller?” Grimtav asked.

  “It appears to have the home command set which we’ve tried to override unsuccessfully”, Zephyr answered. “We’ll have to intervene manually, so a response team has just been dispatched from the nearby security station to retrieve the unit and deactivate it if necessary.”

  “Show me the surveillance of the lone hallway”, Grimtav demanded.

  Zephyr pulled up the current video feed of the hallway. The camera was locked on to the cymutt that was still patiently staring through the window at the controller. The camera began to pan out and slowly, one at a time Tradok and the remainder of the group came into view.

  “An old ally”, Grimtav wickedly smiled. “I’ll go retrieve my leather armor and then I’ll take care of this problem myself. Wait until I reach the hallway and then you may release the cymutts upon Aman.”

  “You heard, Grimtav. Call off the response team”, Zephyr ordered of the other two security personnel.