by Sarah Noffke
“If I only had a body,” Pip corrected. “That guy got one, why can’t I?”
“That guy has DNA,” Hatch stated.
“Small detail. But seriously, if you print me up a body, I’ll take over for you. It would free you up for other projects.”
Liesel’s bangles made a clanging sound as she approached. “I think Pip is right.”
Hatch spun to face her directly. “What have I said about encouraging the AI?”
“That she should do it because I’m good for morale?” Pip pretended to ask.
Liesel pointed to the shielded wall they’d created specifically for her when the GAD-C was being operated. “We both know that I can’t keep hanging out on the other side of that wall when you’re printing the bodies. Not as my pregnancy progresses. We don’t know if it will be safe, and too much exposure to radiation is a risk I’m not comfortable taking.”
Hatch nodded. The barrier protected Liesel from the radiation, but with the number of bodies they needed to print, the protocol wasn’t efficient. In truth, Hatch knew that long-term exposure could be problematic, even for him. However, if he created a body for Pip, something biosynthetic, the AI wouldn’t have the same health concerns.
He prepared to print another body, this one for a Keith James. There were so many more. This was taking longer than he thought, and keeping he and Liesel from other projects that needed their attention.
He let out heavy breath and started the process. “Yeah, I’ll consider it. For now, get behind the barrier, Liesel Diesel.”
Chapter Three
Jack Renfro’s Office, Ricky Bobby, Cacama System
Lewis was glad he didn’t have a fear of snakes, as he watched the Saverus slither back and forth across the oriental rug. According to Jack, Penrae was different than many from her race. The shapeshifters were considered secretive and devious, but Penrae had shown loyalty to Ghost Squadron, which was why she’d been adopted as part of the crew during a war against her kind.
“I don’t know where to begin,” Penrae said, hissing at the end of her sentence. “Being in the database was like living in a dream. It was hard to make sense of the world, and even harder for most to control.”
“But not for you?” Jack asked, leaning back in the armchair, his hands steepled in front of his face.
Penrae shook her giant serpentine head. “My shapeshifting abilities made it so I could ghost through the system without needing a specific form.”
“But I thought no one had bodies in the database,” Bailey questioned.
“They don’t,” Lewis said, answering for the Saverus. He’d been confused on this point too, and therefore had questioned Hatch about it at length. “They are tied to their DNA, though, which, in essence, is their physical makeup while in the database.”
Penrae nodded. “Exactly. Most were confined due to this, their mobility limited to certain files. However, since I’m a shapeshifter, it allowed me to move between files and databases.”
Bailey stood out of Penrae’s path, her eyes roving around the room as she thought. “The idea of people being stored like this is so bizarre. What is Vance’s goal? Is it just a prison?”
Penrae halted, her green eyes glowing in the dim office. “That’s what I thought at first. Once I started investigating, I borrowed certain identities so I could progress through the databases. That’s when I stumbled upon Vance’s main goal.” Penrae’s forked tongue slipped out of the front of her mouth, her gaze falling to the floor. “Since the others were confined, I took it upon myself to visit as many as possible every day. The loneliness one feels in the databases is hard to describe. There’s no pleasure. No daily satisfaction. Just endless hours alone with your thoughts.”
“The worst solitary confinement one could consider,” Jack stated, grinding his teeth together.
“Yes, even taking a small meal or sleeping breaks up the time, but with no physical body, these actions aren’t necessary,” Penrae explained.
“It’s perpetual dreaming,” Lewis summated.
Penrae agreed with a nod, a cold haunting look in her eyes. “But I started noticing that the databases were changing. People I knew how to find had disappeared.”
“Those from Ghost Squadron?” Jack asked with an urgent tone.
“No, these were people I’d met while in the database,” Penrae stated. “One day, I was visiting someone when their file was accessed.” She indicated to Bailey. “Similar to when you accessed the database, this gave me the ability to take a ghost form in the physical realm. I wasn’t allowed out for long, but it was enough to see what Vance was doing with their consciousness.” Penrae paused, seemingly trying to collect herself, her voice growing with tension. “He was trying to consolidate consciousnesses.”
Lewis leaned forward, tilting his head to the side. “What? Like he’s copying one person into another?”
Penrae shook her head and then corrected herself by nodding. “I don’t really understand the right way to explain it. Vance said something about compressing all the minds into one, but I don’t understand why he’d want to do that.”
Jack stood, his eyes buzzing with sudden unrest. “Of course. Having all those people at his disposal is a great resource.”
“We figured he was collecting great minds,” Lewis mused.
“Yes,” Jack agreed. “However, you’d have to know which one to access for each specific need. But, if you take thousands of consciousnesses, possibly millions, and consolidate them into one, then it would be—”
“The most powerful computer ever created,” Bailey said, finishing his sentence.
“You mentioned that people were disappearing,” Jack said, his attention back on Penrae.
“Yes, that’s the worst of it,” she answered. “I only saw one experiment, the one time I found myself in ghost form outside the database, but….”
Lewis didn’t need Penrae to continue to know what happened. “He lost them trying to consolidate them.”
Penrae looked relieved not to have to say those words aloud. She nodded.
“How many will he spare for his science experiment?” Bailey asked bitterly, her fist by her side.
“This is no normal experiment for Vance, I fear.” Jack strode for his desk on the other side of the room. “A computer of this magnitude has far-reaching potential. It would be worth it to Vance to lose hundreds or thousands in order to get what he wants.” He sorted through various files on his desk, seemingly looking for a particular one. Then he stopped abruptly. “The captain and the commander? Were they lost?”
Penrae shook her head, making Jack relax at once. “No, from what I can tell, Vance was experimenting with what he called ‘level one’ consciousnesses.”
“The mine workers from Phoenix Tech, possibly,” Lewis guessed.
“Yeah, and others Vance wouldn’t consider as having much to contribute to his super computer,” Bailey stated.
“Do you know where the captain and the commander are being held?” Jack asked.
Penrae’s large head slipped down several feet until she was hovering close by the ground. “I don’t know for certain. They were moved several times. Every time I’d go to look for them, they were gone, but I always found them again, except the last time.”
“Don’t worry,” Jack said, since Penrae looked close to lying her head on the floor in defeat. “That’s in line with what we learned. We believe the commander, at least, has been transferred to five different databases.”
“The captain was always kept with her,” Penrae told them.
Jack held up a file folder. Lewis marveled at how his uncle was still endeared to paper; it was something that he shared with Lewis’s father. The two actually loved all things old school: paper, record players, analog clocks, and a fashion that died out at least a century ago. Lewis had always appreciated his father’s and uncle’s fondness for such things, which was why he was presently wearing pinstriped trousers and a three-buttoned vest, despite Bailey’s constant teasing.
“The closest and most logical database for us to visit is Makare,” Jack said, tapping the file.
“Would you like me to set course for that planet?” Ricky Bobby asked.
“Yes, we’ve got to try and get ahead of Vance,” Jack said with a determined expression in his eyes as he looked at Bailey and Lewis. “Which means we need to know where that monster is located. It’s the one major advantage he has over us.”
Lewis popped up from his seat, looking at Bailey eagerly. “Sounds like we need to round up our favorite adolescent with unique abilities.”
Chapter Four
Hatch’s Lab, Ricky Bobby, Hapeti System
Hatch eyed Harley with a ruthless stare. The two always seemed to be skeptical of each other. Harley probably watched the mechanic because of his ornery demeanor, which was the opposite of the good-natured dog’s. And Hatch probably eyed Harley because he was worried the canine might take a bite out of him.
Bailey hadn’t had a chance to ask Harley directly. Lately the dog had been glued to Dejoure’s side, which seemed to make the young girl happy, and therefore made Bailey happy.
She pulled her attention away from the two facing off and focused on Dejoure. Lewis was also quietly studying her. The young girl was sitting nervously on a stool, twirling her black and pink hair around a finger.
“Okay, try and relax, and this will go by faster,” Hatch ordered.
Harley barked once at him, rising anxiously off his front legs.
“Oh, he means well,” Dejoure said to the dog, patting the side of her leg. Harley dutifully hurried over, taking his spot next to her.
Hatch regarded the dog and then Dejoure with a frustrated expression. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Harley thinks that you’re a bit demanding of me, but he’s only being protective,” Dejoure explained. Her interpretation of Harley’s actions was guesswork since, unlike Bailey, she didn’t have a chip that allowed her to communicate with him.
“Demanding?” Hatch nearly yelled. “I value your talents more than anyone, but I don’t much care for coddling. Is that what your hairy bodyguard would like me to do? Coddle you? Or can I get this rolling, so we can move on to more important things?”
Harley lowered his head onto his paws, his eyes cast downward. The dynamics of the crew was highly interesting to Bailey. She’d been a part of multiple families. The one she’d been born into as the oldest of four girls. The one she’d elected to be in with hundreds of other soldiers. And now this one. Somehow, this one felt closer knit, but maybe that was because of the stakes. Or maybe it was because they were all the same at their core.
Everyone on Ricky Bobby needed this mission. They needed an excuse to exist away from the masses. Bailey studied Lewis. He especially needed this, but she wasn’t sure why yet. For Bailey, she still felt claustrophobic when she thought about her family. The obligation to stay home when the world was unfolding around her, while her sisters were spilling milk on the floor or fighting over dolls or bath order.
Dejoure unhurriedly leaned over and patted Harley on the head. When she straightened, she gave Hatch a firm expression that spoke of a wisdom and maturity Bailey had never seen on such a young face. “I’m ready when you are, Doctor.”
Hatch puffed out his cheeks, and two of his tentacles reached forward, pulling one of his rolling workstations toward him. “The monster,” he began, orienting himself in front of his computer and beginning to type, “should still be carrying the tracker that the lieutenant and the detective placed inside of it. That tracker belongs to me, and I need you to locate it.”
Dejoure pressed her eyes shut. She’d tried to find the tracker several times, but had never been successful. However, she had been working with Liesel, doing meditation practices that were supposed to help her concentrate. They were trying to counter the effect of the drugs in her system from Starboards Corp running out. The longer she went without a dose, the more unlikely it was she would be able to use her ability to locate missing objects or people. More importantly, the longer she went without the drug, the more danger she was in health-wise.
Dejoure’s eyes popped open. It always startled Bailey to see them up close, one green, the other brown. As if in a trance, Dejoure slid off her seat and hiked in the direction of the exit. Harley rose and followed her. Bailey looked at Lewis and Hatch, unsure what to do. After a moment, she started off after the girl, the other two following.
“What did you see, DJ?” Hatch asked, hurrying.
Dejoure didn’t answer. She continued down the long corridor, her head low, like she was trying to keep something locked in her mind while she walked, similar to trying to remember a string of numbers and not allow anything to knock them out of memory.
Bailey only gave Lewis a questioning look as they pursued the dog and the girl. They passed several main areas, and only when Dejoure made an abrupt turn did Bailey realize where she was headed.
“The bridge,” she said in a hush.
Picking up speed, Bailey passed Harley. She was side by side with Dejoure when they rounded onto the bridge. Bailey’s pulse quickened, and she knew what would be waiting for them before she saw it.
In time with Dejoure, she halted. The young girl held up a finger as the others rounded the corner behind them. Through the viewing windows of the bridge, Bailey could clearly see the black mass that was moving like a cloud, soaring in the opposite direction.
“There,” Dejoure said, her voice a hoarse whisper. “There’s the tracker… and the monster.”
Everyone froze. Bailey threw her arm protectively over Dejoure, trying to shield her.
Out the window, lurking in the distance, was a sight Lewis had hoped never to see again. The black monster pulsed like it was breathing hard from a sudden adrenaline rush. Tendrils extended from it like arms, reaching in all directions.
Behind the monster, the small planet of Makare could be seen.
“Ricky Bobby, confirm that the ship is cloaked,” Hatch ordered, his eyes wide and focused on the monster.
“Affirmative,” Ricky Bobby answered.
“We can’t take any chances, get us as far away from that thing as possible,” Hatch bellowed.
“It’s not coming for us,” Lewis observed, taking a step forward when the others were backing away. He pointed. “It’s headed to Makare.”
Bailey stepped up beside him, her eyes as wide as Hatch’s, although not quite so bulbous. “Just like we are.”
“It’s going to protect the database there, I bet,” Lewis said.
Bailey agreed with a nod. “Which is going to make our job a whole lot harder.”
“Even at a distance, the K-factor is affecting the cloaks and shields,” Ricky Bobby stated.
“I thought you said the cloak was up,” Hatch said.
“It is, but it’s weakening,” Ricky Bobby amended.
“Then we need to get the hell away from that revolting thing,” Hatch exclaimed.
Lewis blinked, noticing something materialize around the monster. Several somethings. Little black ships. “It looks like the monster is traveling with companions.”
“Wow, those are some beautiful ships,” Bailey admired, leaning in closer.
“Ricky Bobby!” Hatch yelled. “Why aren’t we moving away from the enemy?”
“There’s a problem. We must have been traveling beside the monster for quite some time,” Ricky Bobby explained. “We were cloaked, and the monster’s form wasn’t visible until a moment ago when it was joined by Monstre Corp ships.”
“What are you saying?” Hatch grumbled.
“We’ve been exposed to more D-factor than I was initially aware of,” Ricky Bobby stated. “The engines have stalled.”
“Dammit, that monster is a curse!” Hatch spun for the exit, hurrying as he spoke. “I’ll get right on the engines. Have Liesel join me. We need to get out of here in case the cloaks come down. The battery backup won’t hold them up for long.”
Lewis watc
hed the monster and the fleet of ships. They were so close and yet, as long as they stayed hidden, Ricky Bobby was safe. “Why aren’t the Monstre Corp ships affected by the D-factor?” he wondered aloud.
Hatch shook his head. “The smaller ship’s engines can withstand it. For some reason I haven’t figured out, Ricky Bobby is particularly vulnerable to D-factor. If I wasn’t so busy with the GAD-C then I could have investigated this more.”
Dejoure stepped up to the window and put her hand against it, a strange look of awe on her face. “So that’s it…? The thing that took the crew?”
“And a lot of other people and aliens,” Bailey stated, watching Dejoure with mild interest.
“It’s sort of beautiful,” Dejoure observed.
Lewis nodded, having thought the same thing. “Yes, like a thundercloud.”
“So, is it alive? Can it feel?” she asked.
“It’s a machine,” Bailey answered.
“But it’s also more than that,” Lewis allowed. “The monster may not have a consciousness, but it is alive in a sense.”
“You said that it followed you,” Dejoure stated, recalling the story they’d told her about when they’d tricked the monster to go out the airlock. “A computer wouldn’t fall for bait, would it?”
“If its orders were to upload all consciousnesses, it would,” Bailey stated.
Lewis regarded Dejoure with a thoughtful stare. “What are you thinking?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem simple enough to be only a machine. When I was looking for the tracker, I sort of saw into the monster. It is complex, but not like a computer, more like a human.”
“AIs are complex, too, but they aren’t human,” Bailey pointed out. “Pip epitomizes that.”
Lewis laughed. “He sure does. He told me that he’s going to counseling to deal with his ‘emotional problems’.”
Dejoure didn’t seem to think this was funny, based on the scowl she gave Lewis. “He has feelings like us, and he lost the person he was closest to, the one who made him feel almost human. Commander Fregin was his partner. How would you feel if something happened to the lieutenant?”
