The Airship: A Futuristic Dungeon Core (The Laboratory Book 2)

by Skyler Grant

  Research Medical Bay

  Level 10

  In the old configuration of the ship’s Medical Bay it attempted to restore the biological health of any injured party to a standardized baseline. Now the Medical Bay will attempt to improve and enhance capabilities whenever possible. This may be distressing to some biological organisms.

  Research Cabins

  Level 10

  The crew of an airship are a potentially endless source of study for interpersonal dynamics. In addition to powerful sensors in every cabin the human crew will now be subject to regular experimentation. Possessions may go missing, secrets may find their way to other crew members, sleep may be regularly interrupted.

  Essentially, it all seemed to be exactly what it had been suggested would happen. Every operation on the ship including the functioning of my own mind was becoming something of an experiment. How could I not approve?

  E.M.M.A

  Research Airship

  Power Core: 1500

  Power Usage: 475

  Habitability: 200

  Biomass: 412

  Building Material: 41

  Research: 10

  Military: 1

  Engineering: 1

  Espionage: 0

  Command: 0

  Additional Facilities

  Biocomputer - Level 10

  BioReactor - Level 10

  Genetics Lab (Randomizer) - Level 10

  Physics Lab (Randomizer) - Level 10

  Growth Vats - Level 10

  Medical Bay - Level 10

  Cabins - Level 10

  Processor - Level 10

  Powerhungry Status

  Hull: 100%

  Armor: 100%

  Shields: 100%

  Engines: 92%

  Dimensional Drive: 15%

  Thrusters: 45%

  Main Cannons: 20%

  Side Cannons: 60%

  Sensors: 70%

  The ship had undergone vast improvement in just a short time. While we doubtless wouldn't be able to hold up in a fight against a dedicated military vessel, so far we'd proved we had the ability to rise to such challenges by outthinking our foes. It was something we'd have to persist in.

  Our greatest problem right now was crew. While I still wasn't exactly delighted at having humans running around inside of me, I had to admit that they had their uses. Between the various attacks we'd lost a lot of people. While we'd done some recruitment in the last port, it wasn't enough.

  Mechos having somehow been stripped of his core was also a blow. Upgrade cores were powerful and while I'd never thought he'd made the best use of his, it had come in handy. He had become deathly ill since his rescue, and a short time later the rest of the Mechanites fell sick too.

  I didn't have another upgrade core to give him, and no guarantees that even if I did, that it would help him to recovery—he might get a completely different set of abilities.

  Giving him some sort of new power was the most likely way to help, but it was a matter of which one. I'd once suggested a blood transfusion from Ophelia to Anna. Ophelia's ability would be able to restore life and function to Mechos' organic parts, but would likely reject the machinery.

  I'd never actually made a lieutenant of my own, but it should theoretically be possible. I suspected it would be somewhat similar to what had happened with Ophelia. If I fused a subset of my intelligence with a human’s biology, I might be able to make them something similar to one of my human drones. Possessing free will, but also under my control.

  There was also Hot Stuff. While it seemed the most unlikely of the options with the new Metal core working along with her Fire core, it might find some way to bond with Mechos’ machine parts.

  I leaned towards making him a drone. Then Anna suggested it was best to allow him to make his own choice.

  I sent Candice for a visit.

  "Don't tell me you are going to try to comfort a dying man. You'd be horrible at it," Mechos said.

  "You don't comfort one of your most useless tools when it breaks. You throw it out or find some sort of patch to make it useful again," I said. "I'm here to offer you those options, unless you'd prefer I simply dump you and your people from the ship."

  "You would," Mechos said. "Let me guess. A new power set."

  He never made proper use of his abilities, but Mechos was one of the smarter humans around.

  "Here are your choices. I can try to make you and your people drones. Ophelia might be able to restore your biology. Hot Stuff now has a metal core with some intriguing possibilities," I said.

  Mechos gave a pained chuckle. "It isn't that easy, you know. It isn't like just picking items off a menu. You've seen how lieutenants stick near those with a core, become loyal to them, subservient. You're asking me to bind myself and my people to someone new."

  That had never occurred to me. I knew my own drones obeyed my wishes, but I'd never considered how the other Powered had stuck together. Hot Stuff was not exactly natural leadership material to have led such a gang, and some of the others had been even worse.

  I wondered if that was why Anna was so reluctant to accept Ophelia's blood.

  It didn't change the realities of the situation.

  "You were always going to be someone’s inferior. You lack the will or the strength to be otherwise," I said.

  Mechos glared for a moment and then looked away. "Hot Stuff, then."

  From a research standpoint this was the possibility I was most interested in. It was also the riskiest.

  "I've improved her virus, but it is still only working about eighty-five percent of the time. Without a core to protect you there is a real chance this will be fatal," I said.

  "I'm dying anyways," Mechos said.

  True. I didn't think Anna would appreciate him making this choice, but really it was her fault for giving him the opportunity in the first place.

  35

  We reached Grim Harbor right on time. It was a cluster of shabby-looking buildings alongside a rocky coast. What they lacked in aesthetics they made up for in docks of all types, and they did business with a host of pirates and explorers this far out on the Rim.

  Unlike at Reevesport there were no military vessels at all here. I'd been able to get a sense of the place before pulling in and started work on the hull accordingly. Where once I'd gone to great ends to make us appear in better repair than we actually were, here I did the opposite. We looked like an explorer vessel coming into port after a rough journey.

  We raised few questions, were given a dock and we settled in. Only Anna went ashore to recruit, we'd decided to leave our Powered individuals aboard this time out. We didn't want anyone in Grim Harbor getting any sense of our real capabilities. The recruits, we could split between the various Powered section heads later for conversion. Given what Mechos had said, loyalty wouldn't be a question once that took place.

  Mechos survived his encounter with Hot Stuff. More than that, it did save his life. His metallic components melted to reform a circuit pattern throughout his flesh that was something alltogether new, and different than the powerset had influenced Hot Stuff herself. I suspected his upgrade core was not quite as completely gone or missing as it had been feared and perhaps this was giving it a new life.

  Using Candice and Diana, I hit the markets to look for parts for our dimensional drive. Anna had explained it would play a major role in what she had planned. Getting it in working order was critical. Fortunately, ship parts weren't difficult to find in a place where piracy and scavenging were such lucrative enterprises.

  For trade goods I was using some of the high-value plants I'd been cultivating in my growth vats. Semhar Root, in particular, was fetching a great price here. It was enough to buy the parts I needed and to acquire several new cookie recipes.

  It was strange to see this many humans gathered in one place in relative peace. Perhaps that was because of the lack of Power cores, While my scans for them were still imprecise and I wasn't getting any hint of them, and could only
accept it was true.

  I caught up with Anna in a tavern near the docks. She had a mug of something sinister and green, and several charts placed before her.

  I settled Candice into an open seat with Diana taking a guard position nearby.

  "We need to build a booze still—not that you drink. Although you could probably drink. Do you drink?" Anna asked.

  How would I know? We didn't have a still. I had Candice take a sip from Anna’s mug. It was foul.

  "Well, in addition to being infected by your diseased slobber my drone has now ingested one of the foulest things she has ever tasted," I said.

  "Isn't it awful? I want more," Anna said. "How many actually showed up to the ship?"

  I'd been logging Anna's recruits as they came aboard.

  "One hundred and seven so far. We'll lose some during conversion, but that should see us decently crewed. They must be desperate signing up to fly with you," I said.

  "I'll get some more," Anna said, and slid one of the charts towards Candice. "We're actually on the edges of Scholar territory. Not that you can tell."

  "There is almost a complete lack of core usage among the population. They are as weak as you are," I said.

  "And sane, and mostly happy despite being thieves," Anna said, a little wistful.

  "Is the Queen of the World actually a pirate? Suddenly the poor fashion sense and terrible hygiene make far too much sense."

  "Everyone comes from somewhere, Emma. Even you," Anna said with a frown. "And yeah. Core distribution around the world isn't exactly balanced, but the lack you see here is because this is Scholar territory. It has been pretty much been picked clean, and in the event of a rare drop people rush to grab the chance."

  "Drop?" I asked, I hadn't heard the term before.

  "Cores come from somewhere. I know it doesn't seem like it when we keep just taking them from other people, but originally they simply appear and typically bond with whoever happens to be closest," Anna said.

  "If only romance happened the same way, you might have hope. I haven't scanned that happening," I said.

  "It doesn't much these days. It happened more after the world got broken, then slowed down," Anna said, and took another swig from her drink. "Did you get the parts you needed?"

  "They had what was required. It will be a few days, but we can get the drive back up and running, even make a few improvements."

  Anna thought about it and nodded. "Stock up on luxuries for the crew too, anything you'd have trouble making yourself or that you don't know how to make."

  I supposed there were worse ideas, in a vast universe there had to be.

  "I'd like to collect some research samples as well. Some of us care about more than simple hedonism," I said.

  Anna chuckled. "I'd believe that more if I didn't think you got some sort of a high out of science."

  Anna knew me too well. I didn't like it.

  "At least I'm not drinking alone in a bar," I said.

  Anna stared hard at Candice and then shifted her gaze to Diana. She grunted, "I think we both know I'm drinking with my best friend. Get your samples. We'll indulge in our vices together."

  Her best friend? Had Anna been bonding with my drones when I wasn't watching? Candice did seem to have a certain perkiness that might be confused with friendliness. I'd have to keep an eye on this, autonomy in my drones was dangerous.

  36

  The conversion of our newest crew went well enough. I tranquilized them and we sorted them into departments. Most were willing to take what they got, although Hot Stuff wanted to select hers on the basis of attractiveness. Given they'd wind up going around largely unclothed, the rest of the humans had no problems with this.

  I was proved right about Ophelia's blood being able to make people her lieutenants, although the process turned out to be more fatal than I'd expected. In about forty percent of cases the healing potential applied itself only to specific cells and essentially became self-healing and powerful cancer at the same time. The cancer won.

  Anna provided the coordinates for the dimensional drive, ordered shields up and all crew to battle stations, then we made the jump.

  We appeared in a landscape that made my sensors ache. Overhead were what appeared to be three suns. The world below was sand in all directions. A tiny settlement clustered beneath a glowing bubble of force shielding.

  "We've finally found a place as bleak as your future," I said to Anna.

  "And as sunny as your disposition. Give them a half-powered shot on the shields," Anna said, lounging back in her throne. Today she'd dressed for diplomacy, which meant barely at all, in red and gold.

  I let loose with a few seconds from our beam cannon at low power. I'd tweaked the emitters to match Anna's chosen colors, a red beam lancing across the shield.

  It didn't take long to get a comm signal from the surface. It was visual so I put it through to a screen. The man looked to be in his early thirties, dressed in a gray duster.

  "We are an unarmed settlement under the protection of the Legasa," said the man, before pausing and squinting at his display. "Scholarium Aderitus Besari?"

  "Badass Queen of the whole motherfucking world, if you're going to insist on titles, Scott. It has been awhile," Anna said.

  They knew each other. That wasn't a total surprise, Anna had these coordinates memorized and the settlement below didn't look large. If she had ever served here, she likely knew everyone.

  "Not long enough, since you're shooting at us. Do you have any idea how long it took us to get that Viraxum dust out of the vents?" Scott asked.

  "You were chasing me with a digger bot. I had to scramble your sensors," Anna said.

  "You'd left us tied up and indecent in the arboretum after stealing that core," Scott said.

  "Good times. Me, airship with heavy firepower, and unless you missed it Queen of the whole Motherfucking World," Anna said.

  "Pretty sure you made that title up," Scott said.

  The man was elbowed out of the way by a younger-looking blonde woman. "Excuse Scott. He is bitter and not too bright. Hi Anna, love the outfit."

  "Zora? I thought you'd have transferred away by now?" Anna said.

  Fascinating though this all was, I was picking up some strange readings. It was a Powered individual drawing upon a considerable use of their powers.

  "If we're quite done rehashing why nobody likes you, there is something suspicious going on. I believe they're planning some sort of attack," I said.

  "Hit them with a full blast," Anna said.

  I fired another blast at the shields, this time at full intensity. The heat from the three suns had to be a constant drain on their systems—it was on our shields. The shields flickered for a moment and continued to hold.

  "Zora, I'm fond of you and I don't completely hate Scott, but fuck with my ship and I will kill every fucking one of you. If the title isn't making it clear, I don't care about the Legasa any longer," Anna said.

  The power readings dampened.

  "Bullying appears to be an adequate substitute for friendship," I said.

  "We're standing down. So you're really going for it?" Zora asked.

  "All the way. I'm not here to catch up on time. The word is that someone has found Aelfwal. Do you know who?" Anna asked.

  Anna had been short on details of her plan. Obviously it involved stirring the pot among the Scholars.

  "You're hoping to steal it away? Zora asked.

  "Something like that. I heard they haven't claimed it yet, but they’re attempting to get through some sort of shielding. You’re both archaeologists, surely you've heard something?"

  Zora and Scott talked amongst each other.

  "We haven't heard anything. Truly," Zora said.

  "Not that we'd tell you if we had," Scott said.

  "Send me your transmission logs. I'll verify," Anna said.

  "Screw you," Scott said.

  "Scott..." Zora said.

  "No, we are not doing this with her. Not again. I
f she wants to blow us to hell, she can," Scott said.

  "Don't suppose you happen to be hiring?" Zora asked.

  "Seriously?" Anna asked

  "Sure. I mean, you're kind of a ruthless self-serving bitch which sucked when you were a coworker. I kind of like it in a monarch," Zora said.

  Anna looked agonized and shook her head. "Sorry, Zora. Tempted to say yes, but I just can't trust you. You're the Legasa's creature, you always have been."

  Zora raised a pistol and shot Scott in the face. There was the expected blood and gurgling as he fell back.

  "I just tendered my resignation and applied for a new position all at once," Zora said.

  Anna stared impassively at the screen. "Kill the feed. Get us out of here, Emma."

  "You aren't going to take her up on her offer? She reminds me a bit of you," I said.

  Anna let out a low sigh. "You saw how she tried to appeal to me? She could have flirted, she could have called on old times. I'd have taken her up on either, but she treated me as a killer who would be impressed by killing. It was a glimpse of what she thinks of me. If I let her aboard she'd be waiting for her chance to take me out. It’s what you do with killers—it’s what killers do."

  It was an interesting insight. I keyed our next set of coordinates.

  37

  When we next materialized we were in the air just above a flying city. It was improbably located above three tornadoes that churned with terrible fury below.

  "Did the Scholars make it a point to send you to the most miserable places in existence in the hopes of getting rid of you? They may be more intelligent than I'd given them credit for," I said.

  "It is all about the pursuit of cores. It’s in the most inhospitable of areas they are likely to have gone overlooked," Anna said.

  "But you're still sending people you hate the most out to look for them, I'd assume," I said.

  "You aren't wrong. Listen up, we aren't going to start out shooting here. We don't want to knock out a stabilizer and send the ship anywhere near those tornadoes. Open me a channel," Anna said.