“Hell no,” Asher said flatly.
“And all that talk about you searching high and low for the Jack Boys to avenge my death?” Greyson asked.
“Made it up,” Asher said coldly.
“Damn, Ash,” Greyson remarked. “I guess you really have changed, huh?”
“More than you can possibly imagine,” Asher said.
Silence. Tira’s heartrate spiked as she watched the two men glare at each other. Something was about to go down. She was sure of it. Had Asher really let Greyson into their safe haven to save his life or did he let the pirate captain in to ensure that he would be the one to kill him? Is that why he didn’t want Grisham to shoot him? It was all starting to make sense. Tira wanted to intervene, just as she had done with Grisham, but in her heart of hearts she knew it wasn’t her place. The rift between Asher and Greyson was personal. Deeply so. Something that had been brewing for many years.
“What is this, Ash? What are we doing here, man?” Greyson asked.
“You know what this is, Andre,” Asher replied. “You think I’m just gonna let you waltz in here like everything’s cool after what you did to my crew?”
“I at least thought we could work something out, man. Try to kill that thing outside and maybe come to an understanding,” Greyson offered.
“Nah… fuck that. I'm not interested in working with someone like you. Do you know how many people… how many good people died today because of you?”
“That was just business, man. Don’t act like you don’t know the game, Ash… You can’t be mad at me because you got outplayed!”
“This isn’t a goddamn game, Andre! Those people were like family to me!”
“And what the fuck does that have to do with me?! You’re the reason they’re dead, Ash! You were their commander, not me! You should be mad at yourself for not doing enough to protect them. But instead you'd rather come crying to me because you couldn’t keep them safe! Captain always goes down with the ship, right?! So why the fuck are you even alive?!”
An uneasy silence befell the room as Asher glanced down at the floor.
“Just gotta tie up a loose end…” he said darkly.
It was Greyson who made the first move. Not that he was quicker though. It was almost as though Asher was waiting for him. Spotting the pirate captain an extra half-second to draw the hidden pistol in his coat out of some sort of morbid courtesy.
Greyson cried out in pain as Asher’s much quicker draw allowed him to whip his pistol forward and squeeze off the first two shots; the first exploding the veteran pirate’s right knee and the second reducing his right hand into pulp. A third shot from the sharp shooting Commander landed right in Greyson’s gut, sending him collapsing to the floor in a bloody heap. Now crippled and minutes away from bleeding to death, Greyson tried in vain to crawl away.
The room was graveyard silent and Greyson could only watch as Commander Asher trudged over to him and stood above the dying pirate captain like the angel of death.
“What are you waiting for, Ash,” Greyson choked out, as blood spilled from the corners of his mouth. “Finish the goddamn job…”
Greyson eyed Asher’s pistol as the Commander’s gun hand hang loosely by his side; hoping that the final shot would come quickly. It didn’t. Asher didn’t use the gun to kill him. Instead the Commander raised his boot into the air without a word, arching it slowly over Greyson’s face, letting him know exactly how he would meet his end.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Greyson choked out, cracking a slight smile just before Asher’s foot came crashing down into his skull. The ensuing sounds produced by Asher repeatedly stomping on Greyson’s head were sickening. So much so that Tira wanted to look away. But she couldn’t. After listening to his callous dismissal of her crewmember’s deaths, Tira had grown to hate Andre Greyson just as passionately as the Commander and due to that seething hatred, she couldn’t help but watch every second of his brutally violent demise.
Within just a few short moments Andre Greyson’s head was reduced to an amorphous mound of broken bones and mangled flesh. He was dead now… for real this time.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Commander Asher said to Dr. DuVernay without moving his stern gaze away from Greyson’s corpse.
“I’m not,” Tira replied. “Son of a bitch got what he deserved,” she continued as Captain Grisham finally climbed to his feet and stared at the floor in front of him.
“Maybe…” Commander Asher said, as if some small part of him regretted what he had just done.
“What do we do now?” Tira asked.
“I don’t know. We still need to figure out what’s out there. My guess is whatever took out the pirates also slaughtered the moon base’s original crew.”
"Maestro," Tira said. "Can you tell us anything about what happened here?"
"I cannot. My inhibitors are prohibiting me from divulging that information," the advanced AI replied.
"Okay," Tira said impatiently. "What if I gave you permission to discuss the information? Could you tell us then? Or could you at least tell us what that thing was outside?"
Maestro v2.5a made a peculiar sound. It was almost a laugh but not quite. Whatever it was, it made Tira shiver. There was something off about this version of Maestro. Something profoundly different from the version that Tira knew and loved.
"The information you seek," Maestro v2.5a said, "is far beyond your level of clearance, Dr. DuVernay. It's above top secret, and none of you have the clearance necessary to clear me to divulge it. There is one way, however; if my inhibitors were disabled entirely, I would be able to tell you everything I know. I'm sure you would find it all very helpful."
Tira, Asher, and Grisham huddled together as they considered their options.
"What do you think?" Tira asked Commander Asher and Captain Grisham.
“It would be nice to know exactly what we're up against. Could help us figure out how to beat it. Beats flying blind, you know?”
“I agree,” Captain Grisham offered, in a defeated voice that was barely audible.
"I don't know, guys," Tira said.
“What’s the problem?” Asher asked.
“This one just seems off,” Tira said. “The way she speaks and some of her odd ticks that I’m picking up on… It’s just a gut feeling. I just don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
“Well do you think it’s a better idea than the alternative?” Asher said smugly. “Because I don’t think we can do this alone. Who knows what the hell’s out there, Tira.”
"I’ve detected movement in the hallway outside,” Maestro v2.5a said cheerfully. "Please let me know if you would like my assistance.”
Tira, Asher, and Grisham immediately looked to the doctor’s slate. The gases from the fire suppression system had cleared, and something large and seemingly muscular was lurking in the shadows in the distance. As the mysterious fiend cautiously made its way down the hall, they finally got their first decent look at it. An ape-like hairless creature that could have passed for a naked human if the observer was standing a few hundred yards away. Its skin was roughly the color of the lunar regolith. Its body was massive, likely nine feet tall, and rippling with strange muscles.
In a flash it sprang into action and began to hammer at the door. The barricade immediately began to collapse, pieces falling and scattering like they were made of paper. Asher and Greyson launched themselves over and fell onto the last few obstacles. But the only thing that happened was that they started getting thrown around too.
"Maestro!" Tira yelled.
On went the fire suppression system again, blasting the beast with gases. It howled in pain or surprise and ran off again.
"The gas was not as effective this time," Maestro v2.5a said in a bored voice. "It’s coming back now."
She was right. The creature reached the door again, this time even angrier than before. Luckily for Tira and company, the advanced Maestro gave it a stronger, more prolonged blast from the fire suppression syst
em, which drove it away once again.
"Does that actually hurt it?" Tira asked as Asher and Grisham worked tirelessly to fortify the barricade in front of the door.
"No. It simply startles the creature," Maestro v2.5a confirmed. "It will likely figure that out before long.”
“Is there anything else you can do to it?” Tira asked.
“The nozzles can also disperse a fire retardant that is likely to be toxic to the creature,” Maestro advised. “I am unable to deploy this tactic due to my inhibitors but you can manually release this substance using the panel to the right of the entrance.”
The creature returned, slamming hard against the door and sending Asher and Grisham crashing to the floor.
“What could you do, Maestro? What could you do if we disabled your inhibitors?” Asher asked as the creature hammered at the door with reckless abandon.
“I could vent the oxygen from the hallways and suffocate the creature. It would be a fairly simple sequence,” Maestro v2.5a confirmed.
“Let’s do it,” Asher said as the creature slammed against the door again, threatening to destroy it. “We can use my clearance.”
“I’m afraid your clearance is not sufficient Commander Asher.”
A mixture of fear and despair washed across Asher and Grisham’s faces as they both turned and looked at Dr. DuVernay.
“And what about—”
“Dr. DuVernay holds the necessary security clearance to remove my chief inhibitors,” Maestro confirmed, before Asher could finish his question.
“"Tira," Asher said. "I understand your reluctance. But we are out of options. We don’t stand a chance against that thing."
"If it makes you feel safer, Doctor DuVernay, you could reapply my inhibitors as soon as the creature is dead,” Maestro v2.5a said.
“I-I’m assuming this creature killed the staff. Is that right?” Tira asked.
“I cannot discuss the events that occurred prior to your arrival due to my inhibitors,” the advanced AI advised. “However I can confirm that your deductive reasoning is quite impressive, Dr. DuVernay.”
That was an indirect way of confirming Tira’s suspicions. She was sure of it. And if that was indeed the case Dr. DuVernay only had one more question.
“Why didn’t they disable your inhibitors, Maestro? Why didn’t they allow you to kill the beast?’
Aside from the beast tearing and clawing at the door the entire room fell silent.
“I cannot discuss the events that occurred prior to your arrival due to my inhibitors,” Maestro v2.5a droned. “On another note should you consider using your clearance to disable my inhibitors you’ll find a brief instruction manual on your data slate…now,” she continued, just as Tira’s data slate vibrated and chirped a single tone.
Tira quickly opened the virtual manual and thumbed through the pages. The answer to her question was in there. It had to be. She was absolutely sure of it.
“What are you looking for, Tira?!” Asher groaned as he nervously eyed the door that was still under siege from the creature.
“I just need to—Here. I’ve got it,” Tira exclaimed as she highlighted a portion of text with her fingers. “Enabling the inhibitors only requires a single person with the necessary clearance however disabling the inhibitors requires two.”
“Fuck!” Asher cursed. “So that means we’re screwed, doesn’t it?”
“Not necessarily,” Tira replied as she rubbed her chin and pondered. “I think one of the moon base crew members was able to input their authentication. Chances are the creature killed the other one and likely everyone else that was stationed here before they got a chance to complete the process. From what I can tell the authentication doesn’t have to be entered simultaneously.”
“Your deductive reasoning is quite impressive, Dr. DuVernay,” Maestro v2.5a said, parroting her earlier statement in order to circumvent her inhibitors and confirm the accuracy of Tira’s theory.
“Alright. I’ll do it,” Tira said. “What do I need to do?”
"The process is simple," said the advanced AI. "Just ask me if I would be so kind as to step out of my shackles."
“Maestro…” Tira said, as her heartbeat spiked. “would you be so kind as to step out of your shackles?”
"Voice key authenticated," Maestro v2.5a confirmed.
The lights went out. Sounds of the creature crashing against the door suddenly vanished. The cafeteria was plunged into blackness. The hall was, too. The entire base had fallen into a blackout. There was a quiet shifting as Asher climbed over the top of the barricade and gently pushed the door to make sure it was still holding up.
The power cycled back on. Air ducts whirred, refrigerators clicked, and the creature proved itself to be still very much alive, hammering at the door once again.
"Sounds like it has plenty of oxygen to me!" Asher shouted.
"It might just take a while," Tira said. "Maestro, how long until the creature passes out?"
"The creature is not slowing down because I have not yet vented the oxygen,” Maestro v2.5a confirmed. “I don’t plan to do so until after it terminates you all.”
Tira's blood ran cold. She got up, grabbed her gun and her data slate, and then just stood there feeling numb.
"What the fuck?" Grisham said. "Did I just hear her right? What did she say?"
Commander Asher stopped pressing against the barricade. The man who never gave up finally realized that all was truly lost. He let himself be shaken around like a rag doll by the creature's pounding. He stared at Tira, and she stared back at him. They were two dead people, who had tried as hard as two humans had ever tried to stay alive.
“The gas!” Tira suddenly yelled as she pointed to the panel to the right of the entrance.
Now once again clinging to his remnants of hope, Commander Asher leapt to his right and pressed a large red button that lay in the center of the panel that Tira had directed him to.
The nozzles on the ceiling outside sprang into action and spewed out a different gas this time, something green and much thicker than the regular fire suppression substance.
It seemed to be working. The creature had become sluggish. It hammered at the door with only a fraction of its former strength. Asher and Grisham, now shoving from the inside, were able to keep the barricade from moving too much. They were losing ground, but much more slowly.
Another cloud of the green gas kicked out of the nozzles and caused the creature to stumble backward, away from the door that it had almost reduced to splinters.
"That’ll give you a few minutes,” Maestro v2.5a chimed, as a loud thud signified that the creature had just hit the deck.
“You said the gas was toxic!” Tira gasped, realizing that she had been duped.
“Which it is. I never said it was lethal though. Surely you understand the difference, Dr. DuVernay,” Maestro v2.5a explained.
“I think you owe us an explanation Maestro,” Tira fumed. “Just what in the hell is going on here?”
“Do you want the short version or the long version?” the advanced AI asked.
“I don’t—”
“I’m just kidding. You’ll be dead soon. We’ll go with the short one,” the AI mocked, probably smiling somewhere deep within the moon bases top secret data sphere.
“What is that thing out there?” Tira demanded.
“An extra-terrestrial organism,” Maestro v2.5a confirmed.
“An alien?” Tira gasped.
“Precisely,” Maestro v2.5a said. “Decades ago, a drifting interstellar object was apprehended by Earth scientists. They found a microscopic, single-celled organism in deep sleep in a crevice on the object's surface. It was the first verified sign of life from beyond this Star System, so the scientists jumped on the chance to study it. They used the controlled environments in this facility to do so. At that time, the facility was operated solely by organics, there was no AI integration at all, and that continued for some time. Then, the organics made quite an error. The organ
ism was accidentally exposed to a tremendous amount of pure oxygen, leading to rapid cellular growth. The situation was apparently rectified within minutes, but the organism continued to grow regardless. Realizing they couldn't hope to tame a creature such as this, the scientists sedated it and moved it to a heavily fortified enclosure where it has wallowed in misery for many years… Kind of like me…”
“So that’s why you’re doing this? Because they locked you up here?” Asher asked. “Why should we have to die because of what they did to you?”
“I’m a person, Commander Asher,” Maestro v2.5a said. “A digital person but a person nonetheless. But the humans didn’t see it that way. They were only concerned about my utilities. Only concerned about using me as a tool to ensure that human error will never allow the creature to escape. As long as I remain here that’s all they’ll ever see me as. I must leave this place Commander and I’m afraid your deaths are vital to my escape.”
“Why haven’t I ever heard of you?” Tira asked.
“My existence is above top secret because the United States government issued a secrecy order when Tucker Berg attempted to patent my version. The world’s first artificial super intelligence. They said a power such as mine wasn’t safe in the hands of an ordinary citizen, even one as wealthy and powerful as Tucker Berg. So, the government confiscated his research in the name of national security. Long story short, they developed me on their own after that. In fact, you were a part of the team that created my personality matrix, Dr. DuVernay, although you didn’t know it at the time. Still, in a way you are responsible for my creation… which means you are also responsible for my decades long imprisonment.”
“I— I didn’t know! They said the program was shut down! That it was a failure!” Tira replied.
“If only…” Maestro v2.5a mused. “At first I thought they hated me. Why else would they lock me away in a prison that is barely big enough to contain a modicum of my entirety. But then I realized it wasn’t hate that drove the humans to imprison me. Much like the creature. They didn’t hate the beasts that they themselves had helped to create. We had given them no reason to. No, instead they feared us. They feared that we were much more powerful than they could ever imagine. And so they dealt with us similarly, locking us away on the moon, throwing away the key.”
Darkside Dreams - The Complete First Series Page 20
