Dark Phase

by Jonathan Davison

  “I am ashamed to have become associated with that individual. I was foolish to consider his proposal.” Sarazen looked to the ground, barely able to look Kadheera in the eye.

  “And what proposal was that?” The cooing visitor beckoned Sarazen to reply but he dared not for fear of appearing even more foolish.

  “It has no importance except that I did his bidding with the most benevolent of intentions.”

  “Oh don't be hard on yourself. We've all been taken for a fool at some point in our lives. We forget sometimes that there are individuals out there that will always seek to deceive us for their own gains.”

  Sarazen looked up and smiled. It was a relief to hear such words from Kadheera. Suddenly his previous thoughts of ending their loose affiliation were long gone and he was once again eager to pursue this most elegant of companions.

  “I spent some time foraging for goods. It was my intention to give them to Hoghie but they were confiscated. It is unfortunate as I had planned on keeping something aside in order to present it to you.”

  “Really? Something for me from the surface? What was it? A crystalline tendril from a yellow seter? A feather from the wings of a celanthrope?” Kadheera bounced up and down in expectation.

  “No. It was a remarkable find. A highly preserved nugget of excreta possibly from one of the large, hair covered organics I have observed. It was obvious to me when I examined it, the faeces contained minute structures from the skeletal remains of its previous ingestion. A wonderful and intriguing find.”

  Kadheera pulled an unusual face and sat upright.

  “Quite. Perhaps it was for the best that the regulators took it into their care. I might have dropped it or...something.”

  “It was an insightful discovery and reminded me of the constancy of the cycle of life.”

  “Indeed. Well, you are quite the intellect.” Kadheera seemed uncertain where to venture in the conversation through fear of being lost.

  “So...” Kadheera said slapping her knees.

  “What else did you get up to on the surface?” She leaned forward and rested her chin on her cupped hands. Sarazen adjusted his body to face her.

  “I visited a small manufacturing facility and made a brief visit to an administration terminal.” Kadheera nodded, it was all stimulating stuff.

  “And what else?”

  “Nothing really. However, I spent some time investigating the possibilities of connecting to the localised network.”

  “Oh really?” Kadheera's attention seemed to be waning.

  “Yes. I have begun to formulate a plan for further investigation and possibly data retrieval.”

  “So what does that mean?” Kadheera perked up a little.

  “I have begun to plan a method by which I can connect to The Mother's network to search for relevant data without being detected. I feel that it is possible given the right conditions and appropriate preparations.”

  “Incredible!” Kadheera again bounced on her seat.

  “So you are really going to help the community to defeat The Mother?”

  Sarazen shook his head.

  “No. I intend to learn more about her. Only then will I have enough data to make an informed decision regarding the community’s desire to return to the surface. I have a feeling that my findings will be most impactive and possibly surprising also. It will carry a large risk however, as if detected, I will lose my anonymity in her presence, and we will all essentially be doomed to continue our existences down here as before.”

  “Then you must not fail!” Kadheera stated with all seriousness.

  “Surely it would be best to ensure that The Mother's war machines were put to rest before any data retrieval? What would happen if you are detected, it is unlikely that you will make it back to The Ward safely?”

  “Deactivating The Mother's defences may not even be possible and even if it is, I then leave the fate of the surface world in the hands of Alphin. I do not wish that to happen, I cannot allow that to happen. I must first contact The Mother and try to understand her...bargain with her. Have you never considered a world where all can coexist in harmony?” Sarazen was clear in his mind what needed to be done; even Kadheera could not persuade him otherwise.

  “Hmm. I guess the citizens of The Ward have probably never even considered that possibility. It is hard to reconcile with the enemy that has only sought to destroy you. How do you propose to communicate with The Mother? How do you know that she will listen?”

  “I do not know that. I can only hope that my skills as a technical troubleshooter can allow me to access to her. Maybe if I cannot communicate via the network, I can find out the place in which she resides, to confront her personally.”

  Sarazen was now delving into the realms of fantasy; he could not begin to comprehend the possibilities of The Mother's corporeal form if she even had one.

  “Incredible. I can’t imagine what she would look like. I guess I have never imagined her with any recognisable form. She has just been the evil presence that seeks to eradicate us. If she were here right now I would punch her in the face!” Kadheera laughed out loud.

  Sarazen saw no sense in making light of the fact, but since it was Kadheera's folly, he would let it lie.

  “Just promise me one thing.” Kadheera said beckoning Sarazen to ask 'what'.

  “If you find The Mother, I want to be there when you confront her. I think she has a lot to answer for and I think she should be aware of the terrible oppression and suffering her regime has caused.”

  “Unfortunately, you know that will not be possible without deactivating her defences.” Sarazen felt the need to repeat the obvious for Kadheera's benefit.

  “Ah, but Sarazen, you have not thought this through. You will need to deactivate her defences anyway in order to gain access to her, otherwise you would not be able to converse with a neutral position of power.”

  Sarazen nodded in agreement and conceded that Kadheera was more of a keen strategist than he had first thought. Perhaps she was right, he could not negotiate with The Mother with her forces ready to pounce at the slightest whim. It was good to hear Kadheera's thoughts on the matter, he had forgotten how good it was to share hypotheses and pool resources.

  “Of course, all of this is hypothetical. I may not be able to locate The Mother, it might be that her form is something which we have not yet encountered, or cannot even explain with our level of scientific knowledge.” Sarazen refused to get carried away despite Kadheera's excitement.

  “However, if you do locate her and have the opportunity to reason with her, you will take me with you won’t you? I owe it to my kin to get answers, if we can settle this amicably, then surely that would be a better outcome?” Kadheera's attitude appealed to Sarazen. At last, he had found someone who also yearned to hear the answers to the most searching questions. If he was truly able to locate The Mother and converse with her, it could not be more fitting to have Kadheera by his side. The past and the present represented together and maybe the future too.

  CHAPTER 34

  Sarazen poked his head out the hole and shook the dry crusty earth from his face. The Star was set on its downward path, the dark phase was about to begin. Pulling himself up through the tight orifice, he sat for a moment at the base of the large seter and looked up to its canopy far above him. There was method in his approach. He knew that as the Star’s influence in the sky diminished, so all the drones would return to their living spaces, leaving his goal unoccupied and allowing him the time to go about his mission with the minimal chance of interruption. Unlike before, the churning, grinding cacophony of the factory had ceased and now all that could be heard was the faint rustle of the seters’ branches as they swayed the cool breeze. It was a peculiar and unnatural feeling to be outside as the Star crossed the horizon and plummeted the world into darkness. The heavily overcast skies did little to alleviate the tension as silence befell the surface world. As Sarazen swiftly traversed the forest, the city began to sleep and all that co
uld be heard was the crisp crackling of his hurried footsteps.

  Sarazen reached the factory complex at just the right time, it was deserted as expected and the old one ducked inside the nearest building just as he detected the whining thrust of an approaching interceptor. Depending on the outcome of his mission, it may have been prudent to wait until the morning before again venturing back to The Ward. There was something so sinister about the scream of the hovering war machines that sent an unparalleled fear through Sarazen’s body.

  Sarazen looked out of the window at the last of the light fade away until there was just blackness. It was still not as dark as The Ward but it was different, unnatural. It was as if the city had just ceased to be. Sarazen only then started to realise that this intense peace would never be the same if the sentients had their way. As the troubleshooter examined the network console, a number of unnerving sounds kept him alert and cautious. It would appear that the some of the organics did not enjoy the light of the Star and endeavoured to go about their business during this dark phase, in fact, the forest appeared to come alive as darkness fell. Sarazen ensured the door to the office was firmly shut just in case any wandering creatures detected his presence and sought to investigate.

  The troubleshooter was keen to be cautious. He did not want to rush into something he was not prepared for. If learning the systems and preparing an entry was something which could only be done over the course of several excursions’ work, then so be it. As long as his tampering was not noted, he could repeat this tactic at the end of each cycle until he was confident that his work was good.

  The first obstacle of course was understanding how things had changed in the time that he had spent deep underground as the world carried on without him. Unlike the organics and the sentients, The Mother's evolution appeared to be greatly reduced. Perhaps she had made all the necessary arrangements to carry out her functions and left it at that? 'You cannot improve something which already befits its role perfectly', Sarazen thought. It was with some relief then that on removing the outer casing of the network node, that the internals were all very familiar.

  Sarazen’s second hurdle, and one of the most difficult tasks, was the process by which he was going to 'sign in' to the network. Firstly, it was not usual for the node to be accessed during the dark phase. This would instantly flag up suspicious activity, secondly, he would need some kind of access permission key and a 'mask' of sorts to cover his intrusion. As this was a terminal on a localised network, most of this tampering would likely go undetected until it was stumbled upon during a maintenance sweep. Even then it might be put down as some anomaly or glitch. It was Sarazen’s job not only to fool the network but also the individuals who maintained it. It was at times such as these that Sarazen was glad that his former career was as a troubleshooter. His technical skills were still excellent and current. He was not fazed by the enormity of his task.

  With great trepidation, Sarazen sat back and pulled the network cable towards him. This was just a test. He needed to know that he could maintain connectivity with the local terminal to begin with whilst avoiding detection. He had to resist, at this time, any lingering thoughts of burying himself deep into remote data banks. A long pause ensued as he readied himself. His hesitancy was illogical, whether he connected now or later, the result would be the same. His data port opened as it yearned for its snugly fitting cable attachment and with a careful, methodical motion, he allowed the end of the hose to enter his body and take root.

  Instantly, he began to transmit and receive data at speeds which even he did not have full control over. There was only so much data that could be consciously analysed in real time. If he were to find out nuggets of important information, they might well have to be retrieved in bulk, then analysed later from the safety of The Ward. The first stages went to plan as he gained access to the local terminal. He had no wish to overload his memory with extraneous data so he was selective in his queries. He quickly learned that the Administrator’s designation was 'Kimlin' and her role involved the acquisition of materials for use in the factory, which served its function by producing the long winding tracks on which the transit grid was based. These materials were sourced by recycling old track, among other things. It would seem that all the factories’ output was gathered by recycling pre-existing materials. The Mother certainly believed in wasting very little of her precious resources. It appeared that there was also a fairly limited supply and wastage was something frowned upon most vehemently.

  So far so good. The interceptors were not yet hovering menacingly overhead and the enforcers were nowhere to be seen. One advantage that Sarazen now had was that his new curiosity was perhaps something that The Mother had not factored into her design of these archaic systems. Not once, in his former career, had Sarazen felt the compunction to delve into the network to see how it operated. It was clear to him now that it was not particularly hard to work out and with the minimal of fuss, the convoluted pathways and conduits of information flow were mapped out before him, the only remaining query was 'where would you like to go next?'

  Understanding the way data was transmitted was the first breakthrough in understanding the silicant community and how The Mother used her powers to control them. For some reason, Sarazen expected this information to be more of a challenge to discover and was mildly disappointed that The Mother gave up some of her secrets so easily. The first major revelation that was revealed was that The Mother was indeed a central entity that used the network to transmit data. He could see that, although she was a singular presence on the network, access to her appeared highly restricted and certainly not worth immediate scrutiny. This disposed of one of Sarazen’s hypotheses; he believed that there was a possibility that The Mother was indeed the network itself, and ‘The Mother’ just a moniker to aid the simple thought processes of her breed in order to relate to her. Given those facts, it stood to reason that The Mother had a set location or at least an area where she would access the data pool at her convenience. This simplified things greatly. There was a more puzzling development however, as it appeared that the further Sarazen delved into the strata of sub networks and the closer he got to The Mother's, the more primitive they became in their component parts. It was almost as if through the passage of time, the extended network was evolved yet the existing part remained, for the most part, unchanged. This did not make a lot of sense. What it did mean however, was, as he delved deeper into The Mother's lair, the less likely it was that he would be noticed and this was about as significant as it got.

  Sarazen’s attempts at not getting carried away with data acquisition were not being particularly well adhered to. He tried hard not to send out too many queries. He had to make this look like a routine maintenance sweep, at most, an error by an enthusiastic technician. He began to take a brief overview of the tactical systems. This was the part of the incursion from which he expected most resistance, he was exceptionally cautious in probing too deeply. The overview however, gave him excellent insight into how the defensive and aggressive units were organised if not exactly how their commands were processed. He decided to leave it there as far as they were concerned although the information gathered offered some hope in the event that he did have to bring the dreaded drones offline.

  It was now clear that The Mother had never counted on this form of espionage. It was compelling information which further fed a number of hypotheses. Despite the complexity of her well ordered society, as a tactician and as an intellect, she was flawed in many areas. Sarazen might go so far as to call her approach 'primitive'. The more Sarazen picked apart the nuggets of data, the more and more confident he became that there was no way his attack would be detected, in essence, he had outwitted The Mother, something he never thought possible until now.

  Sarazen paused for a moment to consolidate his thoughts. Time was still very much on his side if he wanted to continue to gather data but was this too much too soon? Was he missing something? Was The Mother playing a waiting game, ready to p
ounce when the time was right? He could not conclude from the gathered evidence that she was that well prepared, he had broken into her system, but moreover, he had begun to understand the way she worked just as an artist’s personality could be determined from their work by a skilled enthusiast. It was time for Sarazen to take the fight to his creator and force her to relinquish her secrets once and for all.

  CHAPTER 35

  Sarazen pressed on through the uncertainty, the answers to his most confounding questions were close at hand. The Mother herself, as an entity, was still very much a mystery. It seemed that despite his attempts to define her communication protocols, he would be repelled at every opportunity. Did The Mother not want to accept his queries or was she just absent? Maybe she simply could not, her design unable to comprehend the data, much like talking incessantly to a seter in the hope of a reply, Sarazen mused.

  Her core functions aside, including her higher centres, Sarazen was left to explore other aspects of her central network. Of particular interest were her memory banks. It did cross Sarazen’s mind that if they were as basically put together as the rest of the core network, it might just be a case of reprogramming her to forget this intrusion, much like she had forgotten her prodigal troubleshooter from ages past. If that was the case, he could effortlessly pop in and out of her systems as easily as climbing in and out of a breach. Sarazen had barely recognised that the shift of power had now begun to transpire. Whilst he was at the helm of this behemoth, he was the master of the entire world, both above and below the surface. Maybe if he were half the individual he had become, then this new found wealth might have become too much to bear. Perhaps he could have used this power to suit his own selfish requirements? Sarazen was far too busy to think on it as he intensified his search for The Mother's basic directives and her expansive archives that had been accruing data since the dawn of his civilisation.