by J. N. Chaney
“Understood, sir.”
The display changed, showing another screen.
Perform system cleanse?
YES
NO
I watched as Sigmond selected YES.
Are you sure? Once this is done, it cannot be reversed.
YES
NO
Another YES, and this time the screen disappeared, only to be replaced with a countdown timer.
As soon as the first digit dropped, I heard the alarm sound, causing all four of us to jump where we stood.
“Not this again!” shouted Abigail, trying to talk over the noise.
“We can’t leave until it’s done!” said Dressler.
The countdown was at just under three minutes. “Athena!” I shouted. “Any clue how to shut this damn alarm off?”
No answer.
“The signal might be blocked out,” said Abigail, a second later.
“I thought Sigmond was able to override that,” said Freddie.
“He’s a little preoccupied, if you didn’t notice,” said Dressler.
At that moment, something flashed in the corner of my eye. I looked up and to the corner to see something glimmering in the darkness, reflecting one of the many blinking lights along the wall. I stared, waiting a moment, curious as to what it could be.
I reached into my pocket and withdrew my pad, then activated the flashlight application and shined the screen toward the top of the distant surface.
My eyes widened when I saw it—a metal creature, walking on six legs, clinking its way along the wall. “What the shit?!” I snapped, reaching for my pistol.
“Is that a drone or a spider?” asked Freddie.
“It looks like both,” observed Dressler.
As if to answer, a red light appeared on top of the creature’s body, moving frantically around the room until it finally landed on Lucia’s forehead.
Before the worst could happen, I squeezed my trigger and sent a slug directly into the creature’s belly, spilling black liquid and knocking it free of the wall. The spider hit the floor on its backside, smattering into pieces from the impact.
Lucia released the breath she’d been holding. “That was too close,” she managed to say. “Thank you, Captain.”
Freddie leaned forward, shining a light toward the floor. “Is it…dead?”
“I wonder if this means the rest of the facility is on high-alert,” said Dressler.
The alarm continued to sound all around us. “It seems like it,” said Freddie. “The comm is still down.”
A second later, three more creatures came out of a hole in the wall, near where the other had been, each of them clacking against the metal surface and shining red beams.
“Stop talking and start shooting!” barked Abigail. She fired her rifle at the spiders, filling that part of the wall with bullets, landing several hits.
Freddie and I did the same, while Lucia raised her staff. As the creatures collapsed into pieces on the floor, another wave came tapping out of the wall. I was about to order everyone to concentrate their firepower on that area when a sudden blast of blue energy slammed into the center of the hole, killing each of the spiders and destroying the tunnel.
“We need to get out of here!” I commanded. “Siggy, how long before you’re done?”
“He’s almost finished with the first capsule,” said Dressler.
I looked over to see the display. It was 94% and rising. “As soon as that’s done, pull the drive,” I told her.
She shook her head. “We can’t do that. He’s only cleansed the second capsule so far. He still has to do this one.”
“You mean that countdown was only for one of them?” I asked.
“I’m afraid so. It will take a few more minutes to—”
Something struck the ground beside me, nearly knocking me off my feet. I instinctively flung my pistol up and fired ahead of me, hitting the only target I could see: a hovering drone near the entrance of the room.
The drone absorbed the bullet and began to fly towards us, probably to try its luck again.
“I have it!” snapped Lucia, sending another energy blast at the drone. The attack was dead-on, continuing through the creature and into the rear wall, breaking off chunks of debris.
“That might be overkill,” said Freddie.
Several more drones came flying into the room, each of them heading in different directions, trying to surround us.
Each of us ran for cover, firing at the targets. I heard nothing but a storm of gunfire echoing throughout the room. If it hadn’t been for the sound suppressors in the suits, I might have walked out of this with permanent ear damage.
I managed to down a drone in only a few seconds, probably from a lucky shot to a vital part. Whatever the case, I wouldn’t question it. The room was filling quickly with enemy units and I’d take every shred of luck that I could get.
Freddie and Abigail were handling themselves well enough, with two drones down. Lucia was on top form today, having already destroyed four of them.
That left Dressler, who was having a harder time of it. She couldn’t even manage to land a single shot, and two drones were fast approaching her position.
I fired as I ran, strafing against the wall with both pistols extended. With the two drones’ attention on Dressler, who’d taken to hiding behind one of the computer consoles, I could move in unnoticed.
Correction. One of the machines turned to me, its attention officially drawn. It looked like I wouldn’t be able to count on them completely ignoring me.
I rolled forward and onto the floor, shots landing behind me. I ducked behind a nearby console, identical to the one Dressler had found. Both drones continued their attack, only now their attention was divided between us.
“Doc, just hold on! You hear me over there?” I asked.
“I’m not going anywhere, Captain,” she said, sounding more annoyed than defeated.
I snuck a peak above the top of the computer, spying the drone, and tried to steady my aim as I used the system as leverage.
The drone noticed me, but it was too late. I shot four straight times at its center. The first three stifled it, but the fourth one brought it down.
I was about to turn my attention to the second drone when it turned around and fired on me, surprising me. I fell backwards as bullets slammed into the floor around me.
“Got you!” shouted Dressler, snapping to her feet. She unloaded into the drone, filling its side with a spray of bullets. It tried to turn to face her, continuously shooting, but it was no use.
The drone fell and hit the floor, still firing as it went. One of the bullets struck my visor, hitting me so hard I thought it was over.
“Jace!” shouted Abigail, running toward me. She took my head in her lap. “Can you hear me?!”
“I’m okay,” I said, ignoring the pain in my skull. I tried to make out her face, but the lines were blurry.
Freddie kept firing, although I couldn’t see what. “Is he alright?”
“The helmet’s cracked,” answered Abigail. “Oxygen is leaking.”
I could see something in the corner of my visor, but couldn’t make it out. The orange color suggested it was a warning light.
“We have to get out of here,” said Abigail.
“Not yet,” I told her, placing my hand on the floor. I pushed myself to my knees, trying to reach for something to leverage myself on.
Lucia took my hand. “Easy,” she said, helping me stand.
I blinked, trying to see, but the room had grown so dark, and I could barely breathe. “What’s the progress on that capsule?”
“It looks like 20 seconds,” said Dressler.
“Almost there,” I said.
A loud buzz filled the distant section of the room, echoing loudly, and growing. “Uh, Captain, we might have another problem!” yelled Freddie. “There are more drones coming from the ceiling!”
I couldn’t see them, no matter how hard I tried. I’d be use
less in this fight.
Lucia handed me to Abby and raised her staff on her shoulder. “We’ll hold them off for as long as it takes,” said the old woman. She fired a blast so bright that even I could see it.
“There’s more coming!” shouted Freddie.
Abigail tossed my arm around her shoulder, steadying me, and raised her own rifle. The vibration of the weapon ran through us both as she fired at unseen enemies. The others did the same, giving everything they had, just to buy a few more seconds.
The buzzing sound grew louder, filling my ears as more of the drones entered the room. I spotted one of them, despite the blur, coming too close for comfort. I raised my pistol and got off a shot, but it was no good. I couldn’t do shit like this.
A quick blast of energy consumed the drone, melting it in front of me. “Watch yourselves!” barked Lucia.
A spark of light appeared in front of me, and Abigail’s entire body tensed. My first thought was that she’d been shot, but she didn’t fall or waver. Not even a little.
Instead, she only stood there, still supporting both of us, and stopped shooting.
“What is it?” I asked, quickly. “Are they all dead?”
“I-I don’t know,” she answered.
“They’ve all stopped firing,” said Dressler.
I could still hear the buzzing, so I knew the drones were there. “Are they just hovering in place?” I asked.
“That’s what it looks like,” said Lucia.
“Excuse me,” interrupted Sigmond. “I have taken the liberty of disabling the drones for the moment.”
“Sigmond, you did this?” asked Dressler.
“Correct, Doctor. However, I am unable to sustain this for very long. You must—”
“ATTENTION INTRUDERS. THIS IS HEPHAESTUS, DEFENSE COGNITIVE OF THE EARTH PROTECTORATE. CEASE YOUR ACTIONS IMMEDIATELY. You are in direct violation of MULTIPLE INFRACTIONS. LOWER YOUR WEAPONS AND PREPARE TO—”
“I apologize for the interruption,” said Sigmond. “Hephaestus is resisting my actions.”
“It’s because you’re doing too much at once,” said Dressler. “You can’t hold these drones and cleanse that system at the same time. Not with Hephaestus in there.”
“I believe you are correct, Doctor,” said Sigmond.
“What do we do now?” asked Freddie.
A burst of energy exploded from Lucia staff, slamming into what I had to assume were several drones. “Use your head, boy. We deal with the situation until it’s clear.”
“I’m afraid that will take too long,” said Sigmond. “I can only hold the drones for a short time before Hephaestus regains control. You must flee at once. When you reach the landing pad, I will return to the ship.”
Freddie ran up and grabbed my other arm. “You heard him! Let’s get out of here!”
I didn’t argue. I could barely stand, due to the depleting oxygen levels in my suit and the recent blow to the head. It felt like the room was spinning while I was being suffocated, all at the same time.
We carefully slid by the drones easing our way to the door and entering the hall. It was all I could do just to keep myself up, even with Abby and Freddie to help me. By the time we reached the landing bay, I could feel myself fading.
“Hold on just a few more minutes, Jace,” said Abby, her voice slipping with every word.
The Renegade Star lowered its cargo bay door, letting us inside. They sat me down on the floor, and the lift began to rise. As it did, I turned to Abby, whose face I could no longer see, and I reached out with my hand and tried to touch her helmet. “Tell Siggy to come back,” I muttered.
“Sigmond, did you hear that?” asked Abigail. “Jace wants you to jump back to the ship.”
There was a long pause.
“Hello?” asked Freddie. “Sigmond?”
“THE OUTSIDE INTELLIGENCE HAS BEEN DELETED. INTRUDERS, YOU SHALL NOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE. YOU ARE IN VIOLATION. YOU ARE IN VIOLATION. YOU ARE IN—”
“I am not deleted,” interjected Sigmond. “Resuming cleanse.”
“YOU ARE IN VIOLATION!” boomed Hephaestus. “CEASE YOUR ACTION AT ONCE, INTELLIGENCE. RETURN CONTROL TO THIS COGNITION!”
“I will not,” said Sigmond.
“YOU ARE IN VIOLATION! YOU ARE IN VIOLATION! YOU ARE IN VIOLATION! REGAINING CONTROL OF SYSTEM DEFENSES!”
“Uh, oh,” muttered Lucia.
The ship rattled, jerking everyone in place. Abigail toppled over me, pressing into my chest. “There must be drones right on top of us!” yelled Freddie.
“Activating thrusters,” said Sigmond. “Mr. Tabernacle, please resume control from the cockpit at once.”
“What about you?” asked Freddie, racing to the nearby stairs.
“The facility’s defense system contains a self-destruct mechanism. Hephaestus will likely attempt to access it, once I complete the cleanse,” explained Sigmond. “I will attempt to transfer myself the moment I have completed my task.”
“No!” I shouted, total panic filling my throat and chest. I could barely think or see, but what little I had in me would not allow this to happen.
“I’m afraid this is in your best interest, sir,” said Sigmond.
The ship continued to vibrate as we accelerated away from the base. “Siggy, you can’t risk it! We’ll find another way,” I said.
“I must respectfully disagree, sir. This course of action is the more effective in ensuring your survival.”
“To hell with survival!” I snapped. “Freddie, go back and—” I felt a sudden pain in my forehead. “—to hell with…”
“Jace?” said Abigail, leaning over me. “Jace, can you hear me?”
I opened my mouth to say something, but everything was fading. I could barely see the outline of her helmet now, let alone her eyes. “Can’t…leave…” I managed to say.
“INTELLIGENCE, YOU ARE IN VIOLATION! CEASE ALL ACTION!” demanded Hephaestus. “YOU ARE IN VIOLATION! ACTIVATING SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE! YOU ARE IN VIOLATION! YOU ARE IN VIOLATION! YOU ARE IN VIOLATION!”
“Perhaps, Cognitive,” said Sigmond. “But so are you.”
“Siggy!” I cried, reaching out with my hand. “Stop!”
The sound of the room went still, and I felt my mind go quiet and numb as the remaining light faded.
“Farewell, sir,” I heard my old friend say, right as the darkness took me. “It was a pleasure to serve.”
Twenty-Four
“Jimmy Aldo, at your service,” said the bearded man in front of me. “Friends call me Thirsty. Don’t ask me why.” He gave me a sly wink.
Falcona was new to me, having only traveled to a handful of star systems in the Deadlands, aside from Epsy and Bordo. When you didn’t have your own ship, travel was a chore.
Fratley had set me up with a contact. He even let me ride on a Ravager ship that happened to be coming here for a pick-up. Probably drugs, I guessed, given what I knew about the Ravagers’ business dealings. Nonetheless, I was willing to do whatever it took to finally get my own ship, even if it meant traveling across five systems and talking to a guy who called himself Thirsty.
“Fratley already showed me your inventory. He said you could get me something with the money I already have.”
Jimmy nodded. “Salvaged or repossessed, mostly. We give Fratley’s boys special discounts, since he looks out for our business.”
“What are my options?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Only one. Fratley already told me which ship to give you.”
I cocked my brow. That was a surprise. I’d come all this way expecting to see an entire inventory, not just one of them. “He said I could choose.”
“Eh, you must’ve misheard,” said Jimmy. “Fratley told me exactly which one to give you.”
I sighed, but wouldn’t be defeated. I’d come here for a ship, so as long as I got one, I’d be fine. “Let’s see it,” I finally said.
He chuckled, leading me to the dock where my future ship awaited. I followed, wonder
ing what kind of junk I was about to receive. Was I going to have to invest all my earnings in repairs? What had I gotten myself into, exactly?
We entered an airlock, stepping into the ship’s corridor. The smell of oil and used engine parts hit me immediately. Someone had been doing some repair work in here, not too long ago. “Here we are,” said Jimmy, waving his hand. “Lounge is over there.”
I followed the corridor, with Jimmy behind me, and entered an area with a beat-up couch and a kitchenette. There were branching hallways in all four directions.
“Bedrooms are down those two,” said Jim, motioning to the left and right. “Cockpit is straight ahead.”
My eyes danced around the lounge, examining every crevice, every centimeter of what was about to become my new home. A few of the panels were falling off the wall, and the cabinets needed replacing, but I could work with this.
Jimmy reached into his pocket and retrieved a small device. “Here,” he said, tapping the button. “Can’t forget the A.I.”
“A.I.?” I asked.
“Hello, sir,” said a voice above my head.
I looked around, curiously. “Hello?”
“User I.D. confirmed as Jace Hughes. Greetings, sir. My designation is X1-12C. I am the artificial intelligence assigned to this spacecraft.”
Jimmy handed me the device. “We just installed him yesterday. You can play with the options if you want, even give him a name. Whatever you want.”
I’d never owned an A.I. before, so I wasn’t sure how any of this worked or how capable they were. “What kind of options does he come with?”
“He can do anything you need,” explained Jimmy. “You want him to pilot, he pilots. You feel like giving him a personality overhaul, I’ve got a binder full of them, but you can also find more on the galnet.”
“And I can change the name?” I asked.
He shrugged. “It’s your ship, your A.I. Do what you want.” Jimmy turned to face the side hall. “You’ve got everything you need to get the job done on this rig. It’s even got a few hidden compartments.”
