by Matt Verish
Wait, what? Consciousness? Did I miss something? Cole clapped CAIN’s shoulder. “Then we should hurry and do something about the Sentinel.”
They moved toward the ladder, Cole in the lead. Both Rig and Emmerich were waiting for him when he reached the top, their weapons pointed past him. He frowned and followed their aim. The docking arm was retracting from the drone the Sentinel had permitted aboard.
“Oh, boy....”
“Behind you!”
Cole spun at Emmerich’s cry, expecting to be assaulted by some unforeseen entity. He looked down at the ascending android and cursed when he realized his error in not mentioning CAIN. He lunged forward to stop Emmerich from sending a barrage of plasma blasts directly into the AI’s head. The tip of his boot caught the side of the ladder, and he stumbled, momentum carrying his shoulder into her hip. Her shot went wide, the muzzle of the rifle connecting with Cole’s face. He felt the burn before well before the pain of the blow, and he grabbed at his face as they both collapsed to the ground.
“Are you crazy?” Emmerich growled, scrambling to stand. “Get off of me!”
Cole clutched at his face, struggling to keep his eyes open. He half-rolled off her, though his free hand stayed her rifle. “It’s Cain!”
“What?”
Cole ignored her question. He glanced at Rig, whose rifle was aimed defensively, yet unused. The android was standing now. “Tell them, Cain.”
“Yep, that’s enough evidence for me,” Rig said, standing down.
Emmerich kicked Cole off her body, keeping her rifle trained on the android as she stood. “How do we know that damn Sentinel isn’t tricking us?”
“Because our faces would already be caved in, genius,” Cole said, shaking his head. He pushed up from the ground with his injured arm and flopped onto his back when his throbbing knee gave out. The fire radiating from his face only added insult to injury. “A little help, please?”
Rig grabbed Cole’s uninjured arm and yanked him to his feet. “Pussy.”
“I’ll let that one slide,” Cole said, turning to face the stationary drone in the cargo bay. “Has anything happened since it came aboard?”
“No,” Emmerich said. “Though I’m sure it’s plotting our deaths.”
“Such a pessimist,” Cole countered, walking toward the remotely controlled fighter. “Maybe it’s just tired and wanted to hitch a ride back home.”
Rig snickered.
“What about us?” Emmerich asked, her rifle stilled aimed at the android.
Well, that’s grim. Cole thought. Time to change the channel. “Hey, we stole that stuff fair and square,” he said, pointing at part of the cargo. He noticed a smoking hole in one of the crates, but said nothing. “I’m not going back to my brother empty-handed. Not after all the shit I just went through. I don’t care if we have to break our backs by pushing that junk heap out the airlock.”
“We?” Rig asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Be my guest,” Emmerich said, lowering her weapon. She presented a clear path for Cole to approach the drone. “There’re three more of those things waiting to take this one’s place, but that doesn’t matter to you, right? No big deal. You’ll just pull some cockamamie plan out of your ass at the last second like you always do.”
“You done?” Cole asked, his tone flat.
“Go on, Musgrave,” she continued. “Show us how we get out of this mess. Darkstar’s waiting on us to serve his every criminal need. You don’t want to disappoint your big brother, do you? Who cares if you get us all killed over some classified stolen government goods? If you want to keep up this ruse, fine. You’ll do it without my assistance. I’ll gladly stand by and—”
The trio’s conversation was interrupted as CAIN manipulated the android toward the drone. Curious, they all followed at a safe distance, their heated discussion momentarily forgotten. The streamlined fighter was a little over half the size of a Kobold-2, and Cole thought it resembled a bullet from a time long before interstellar travel. When the AI was within inches of touching the hull of the small craft, Lin appeared in a small window on his Ocunet lenses.
“Cole, the Sentinel has altered our course,” she said, sounding breathless. “We’re being escorted back by the fighter drones.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said, unsurprised by the update. He frowned when CAIN reached out to touch the underside of the drone’s hull. “We’re working on it...sort of.”
“I’ve been unable to uncover a workaround to restore the ship’s controls, and CAIN is still offline. Other than restoring manual capabilities to all machinery in the cargo bay, we’re still—”
“Wait, what did you just say? The part about manual capabilities.”
“I reconfigured the portion of the system which remotely manages heavy duty loading equipment. That should include the payload door. I included this feature in case any...technical emergencies were to arise. Only manual operation is permitted.”
Nice! “Good work, Doc. Your boy Cain is here with us.”
“Come again?”
“Cain. You know, your cryorganic artificially intelligent nanobiotechnological brainchild?” He smirked. “He’s here with us, only he’s walking around in a...hey, what’s he doing? Whoa!”
CRUNCH!
The fighter drone had gained a new opening. An underbelly panel was peeled back as though it were tin foil. The AI surveyed the damage before pulling itself up and inside the jagged entrance. Cole watched, mesmerized by the sheer strength of CAIN’s new body. His tricep throbbed in response.
“What was that?”
“A display of brute force,” Cole said to Lin. “I’ll tell you about it later, Doc. Just keep at it. Gonna be busy for a bit.” He switched off communication.
“Shouldn’t that thing be pissed or somethin’?” Rig asked. “It just tore that drone a new asshole.”
Emmerich groaned, stepping away from the mechanic.
Cole nodded. “Good observation. On both points.” He moved closer to the opening. “You hear that, Cain? Any ideas as to why the Sentinel isn’t retaliating?”
“Okay. Well then, why not just tell it to open a door for you? Or have you always wanted to show off your superhuman strength, like in twentieth-century Sci-Fi films?”
There was a loud crash from inside the drone.
Cole wiped his hand across his face, confused. “Does AI aim to convolute things?”
Another crash, followed by a thud.
Unlike you?
“Are the two of you planning anything anytime this millennium?” Emmerich demanded.
Cole shrugged, his back to her. “Dunno. Whatcha doin’ in there, Cain?”
the AI said.
Cole glanced over his shoulder at both Rig and Emmerich and frowned. “Care to explain how you plan on accomplishing this marvelous feat?”
The fighter drone’s engines ignited in response. The trio backed away from the ship, hands covering their ears, as the generators powered up. Cole stopped moving when a text message appeared via Ocunet. He looked to Rig, who appeared to be reading the same message. Their gazes met, and he nodded to the mechanic.
He watched the short and stocky man rush the docking arm control panel. Emmerich was already approaching the manual lever to unseal the cargo floor door. Cole ran below deck to the small, circular window with a view of the payload door. His hand hovered over the OPEN button.
Cole smiled, thrilled to be free of the Sentinel’s vice grip. Once the drone was lowered into place, he sent CAIN a message.
Show that primitive AI bitch what you can do.
3
RETALIATION
“Cain, I need visuals.”
Cole uploaded the feed to his Ocunet display and nearly tripped as he climbed up the steps from below deck. He grabbed for a nearby wall as he found himself flying in the middle of the galaxy, moving at impossible speeds. The transparency was immediately adjusted so it didn’t feel as though he was falling into infinity. “Fantastic. The Sentinel on to your little ploy yet?”
Not sure I like the sound of that. “Are you certain? You’re not making assumptions, are you? Because you know what they say....”
Oh! I guess he does know that saying. “Just try not to get sucked out that giant hole you carved out in the drone, will you?”
Cole found Rig and Emmerich waiting for him beside the stolen cargo. The mechanic was shaking his head, a giant smirk on his grizzled face. His thick index finger was poking in and out of the large, charred hole where a single plasma blast had hit one of the crates. Emmerich swatted his hand away and scowled at Cole.
“Is there anything that doesn’t piss you off?” he asked her, though his attention was divided by what was transpiring outside the Icarus. CAIN was positioning the commandeered drone behind the other three. The Sentinel appeared none the wiser.
“That,” she thrust her finger toward the damaged cargo, “could have been avoided were you not so easily distracted. I nearly destroyed that damn android.”
Cole glanced at the hole and shrugged. “Hey, accidents come with the territory. We’re rookie pirates smuggling top secret materials from UniSys. Whaddya want from me? I’d say things are going about as well as we could hope for, wouldn’t you?”
Emmerich was not appeased. “This fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, cocksure attitude of yours is going to get us killed, Musgrave. There needs to be better communication if we’re to survive this lifestyle for more than a year.”
“A year?” Cole said as he headed toward the lift, struggling to hide his pronounced limp. “Shit, I’m surprised we’ve lasted a month.”
Rig laughed.
Emmerich sidled up to Cole. “That doesn’t mean we need to approach each job as though it was our last.”
“It might be in our best interest if we do, considering the source of the supplied work,” Cole said, wishing she would back off. “Besides, it’s not like we’re in the clear with this job.” His chin dropped to his chest when the lift stayed closed. Not the stairs....
“Want me to carry you, Nugget?”
“Could you, please, big guy?” Cole clasped his hands pleadingly.
“Quit your nonsense, Musgrave,” Emmerich scolded.
“Why should I?” he demanded. “I’m the designated captain of this boat, and I’ll deal with situations as I see fit. How many times do I have to tell you about how I work? This,” he presented himself, “is who I am. I’m an infamous, disgraced XO who thrives under immense pressure while being hunted by the entire System. Let me have my ‘nonsense.’ Humor is my coping mechanism. If I don’t laugh in the face of death, I’ll die.”
Emmerich backed away and drew herself up straight, her features hard. “I’m not questioning your role as captain....”
“Then what, exactly, are you questioning? My lack of political correctness in terms of proper pirating etiquette? Or are you just pissed that I don’t exert any of my former militaristic tendencies?”
Emmerich’s eyes narrowed, the fresh scar along the side of her face tightening. “I doubt you ever understood what it means to serve in Military. You’re reckless and selfish. That anyone considered you for the title of XO astounds me.”
Cole shook his head and exhaled a defeated sigh. Just when I thought we finally understood one another. “I’m not having this conversation with you again. Either you’re with me, or you’re in my way. I don’t need another obstruction.” He turned toward the steps and began his Sisyphean climb.
“At least consider those around you before you make brash decisions.”
The words were spoken politely enough, and they even held merit, but Cole had heard enough. He rounded on her, the steps adding a significant height difference. “What do you not understand about our situation? We’re fucked! We work for thieves and murderers, slaves to my brother’s every whim. It’s not like we have a choice anymore, so we might as well make the best of things before this ride comes to an abrupt and very final stop.” He stared her down for a good five solid seconds before resuming his trek to the bridge. “And remember,” he added, speaking over his shoulder, “my recklessness and selfishness are what have carried us this far.”
“It doesn’t always have to be this way,” Emmerich said to his back, forcing the issue. “You’re giving up before considering every possibility of escaping this predicament. That’s not like you.”
Cole slowed at the landing but did not turn.
“Dartmouth told me everything you did to save us from flying straight into the sun—told me how you convinced the AI to reconsider its stance on murdering us.”
He cast the former inspector a sidelong glance, knowing exactly what she would say next.
“I don’t approve of your techniques, nor do I even like you.” She ignored Rig’s chuckle. “But I do respect you.”
Cole’s shoulders slumped, the weight of his title crushing him. “What do you want from me, Chrys? I’m one man fighting against the whole of the System. I’m not a miracle worker.”
Emmerich nodded. “No, you aren’t. But you’re also not a coward. In spite of everything, somehow you managed to get us this far. Don’t disappoint us by giving up.”
The Icarus shuddered.
Cole tore his gaze from Emmerich and focused on the augmented reality. He saw that there was one less drone following them. Whether or not the destroyed fighter had been carrying CAIN, he did not know.
That answers that. “What sort of retaliation?”
Pitch darkness was the response. Cole grabbed the railing while he struggled to focus. As his eyes sought to discern any trace of light, he experienced the unsettling sensation of weightlessness. Without knowing up from down, it was impossible to orient himself. Not good.
“Artificial gravity stabilizer’s hit,” Rig called out. “Sounds like the engines are powerin’ down too.”
“And why isn’t emergency backup kicking in?” Emmerich demanded.
Cole turned toward their voices. “We’ve gone dark, ladies and gentlemen. Courtesy of Nel.”
“Who?” Rig and Emmerich shouted in unison.
“Nel,” Cole repeated. “You know, the android currently inhabited by Cain. I’ll bet neither of you knew he was a cross-dresser.”
“I retract what I said about my respect,” Emmerich said.
“Aw, that’s alright. At least you can still rely on your boyfriend Rig,” Cole replied, continuing his ascent. He managed to navigate his drifting body in what he thought was the direction of the bridge. When an unseen hand grabbed his wrist, he yelped. Instinct had him kick blindly into darkness, though he connected with nothing but open space.
“Relax, Nugget. It’s me.”
“Dammit, Rig! You could’ve
said something before pressing my crap-my-pants button. I nearly gave you the boot.”
“No you didn’t.” He chuckled.
Cole felt Rig’s meaty hand release. “How’d you find me in the dark? I’ve been bumping around this stupid staircase longer than I’d like to admit.”
“Lens upgrade,” the mechanic said, his voice coming from a different direction now. “Got the option for night vision. I can see just fine.”
“A gift from my brother, I presume?”
“Ain’t nothin’ free when it comes to Darkstar.”
Cole’s pang of jealously quickly subsided. I’ll forgo my question of price. I don’t want to know what he had to do to get new eyes. “Since I don’t have nifty new bionic vision like you, are you gonna hold my hand and walk me safely across the street?”
“Got a better idea. Let go of the railing, pussy.”
Yeah, I’m sure this’ll end well. Cole let go anyway. “Now be gentle. You wouldn’t want to give your captain a heart atta-a-a-a-ack!”
Without gravity, it was impossible to tell how fast he was moving, but Cole was aware of Rig’s impressive strength, and the mechanic’s forceful shove nearly snapped his neck. He was vaguely aware of someone telling him to brace for impact, but he’d reacted too slow. His back collided with a wall, abruptly ending his short-lived flight. The wind was knocked from his lungs, and he was unable to take a full breath before his ricocheting body collided with yet another surface. Stars filled his vision, but the longer he stared at them, the more he realized they were something else.
“Cole? Is that you?”
Lin’s muffled voice sounded from behind the hazy wall of stars. He shook his head, his blurry vision sharpening. The energy field, of course! I’m on the bridge. Nice throw, Rig. I’ll make sure to return the favor when the lights come back on.
“Hey, Doc. Don’t worry. I’m here,” he said to where he thought she was behind the wall of pulsating energy. The bridge was illuminated by the energy field, casting everything in a chalky white light. He frowned as he considered the barrier separating him from her. “That’s weird. I thought the ship was dark.”
