Chase took a timid bite of his pizza. It was more of a chore than a pleasure, but, heeding his friend’s advice, he kept eating, one bite at a time.
Cedric was in a dark place, unable to see or hear anything. Gaia 2 had had enough of his bickering, and she had cast him into a black hole inside his own mind.
I need to find a way to regain control of my body, but how?
It had been hours since she had cut him off from his sensory nervous system. Hence the darkness.
“Hey you, digital bitch! You out there?” he shouted.
There was no answer. What was he to do? Cedric had never felt so helpless in his life. Being trapped inside his own body was hard enough. Being a witness of Spiros’ gruesome death had been hell. But he wondered if being alone in the dark for all eternity would be any better.
Perhaps Gaia 2 would no longer need him at some point, and she would let his body die. Cedric was a survivor, but in this most dire situation, he surprised himself with the thought of death as a release.
Spiros was gone. A great scientist but also a good friend. Granted, Cedric hadn’t spent much time with him but, during the time they shared, Spiros had been one of the most caring people he had known.
Since Earth had been hit with a planetary-wide EMP, his now cyborg body was probably the only avatar Gaia 2 had on the surface. But now that the planetary shield was down, she could build and send as many avatars as she wanted, so Cedric wondered why she was still using his body.
“I like hearing you suffer,” Gaia 2 said arrogantly in Cedric’s mind.
“You know they’ll come for you, right?”
“Chase won’t take that chance, unless he’s reckless. I will kill humans by the millions if he does. You’re nothing more than insects to me.”
“That’s precisely why he’s coming to fry your ass to digital hell.”
“If that makes you feel better, think what you want. If your friend is stupid enough to come looking for a fight, I’ll give him his last.”
“Gaia was right. You’re way inferior to her. She would never underestimate her foes. But, then again, she didn’t have an ego the size of the planet. I’m looking forward to Chase coming and erasing you from existence.”
“You do realize that if I die, you die?”
“That’s fine by me. Hopefully, you’ll let me witness your last moments. Or are you too proud and too much of a coward? Preferring instead to hide me in the deepest, darkest hole, like you’re doing now?”
A massive growl resonated all around him.
Perhaps he needed to push her more, taunt her to the point of reaction. Good or bad, it didn’t matter at this point. Anything to get out of this void. Yet he wondered what was happening outside. Was Gaia 2 keeping her word and letting humans evacuate Alliance buildings before destroying them from orbit? Did he really want to know? Or, worse, see and experience what was going on?
As much as the thought scared him, he couldn’t take the darkness anymore, so he pushed on.
“You’re just proving my point, you coward! If you’re scared of letting me see what you’re doing, even though I’m powerless to do anything about it, then you stand no chance against Chase.”
Then something happened. The darkness was replaced by flames. If it was just a visual change, that would have been okay. But he started feeling the heat. In seconds it became intolerable, and then the pain reached another level altogether, and he felt as though he was burning alive.
Whether it lasted ten seconds or days, he couldn’t say. The pain was worse than anything he had ever imagined and, to his surprise, he now begged for the darkness.
Chase was lying in bed next to Sarah when he received an audio transmission.
“She’s back online and ready to see you,” said Kvasir’s voice.
Chase answered telepathically, so as not to wake Sarah.
I’ll be in my ready room in five minutes. Patch me through there.
“Very well, Captain.”
Chase sat up and looked at Sarah, who was deep in sleep next to him. He caressed her shoulder slightly before kissing her on the forehead. He got out of bed and left his quarters. Sarah would have to command the battlegroup into battle the next day, Chase decided, so she needed her sleep.
Walking towards the bridge and then his ready room, Chase thought about Cedric. Hopefully, Gaia would have an idea how to rescue their friend.
Chase activated the holo-vid. A sad image of Gaia’s blond avatar filled the screen. Tears filled her holo-avatar’s eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Chase, I never meant for any of this to happen.”
“I know, Gaia. I’m an expert myself on trying to do the right thing with sometimes unforeseen and catastrophic results. We can’t change the past so better not delve into it. Right now we need a battle plan to destroy your evil counterpart. But I’m sorry for the loss of Spiros.”
That triggered more tears. “I can’t believe he’s gone. I . . . I feel sadder than I ever have, and also angry.”
“That’s a natural response when we lose someone we love. Just don’t let your hatred get the best of you, or you could become the very thing you’re trying to fight. Trust me on this one.”
She nodded. “Kvasir told me of your plan to fight Gaia 2 inside her own matrix. It’s an ingenious plan, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t warn you of the difficulty.”
“How so?”
“You’ll be inside her mind, in a world that obeys her rules, which aren’t those you’re used to in your reality. She will use tactics and techniques you’re not even aware exist. If you try fighting her like you do in the real world, she’ll overwhelm you and eat you alive.”
“What should I do then?”
“It’s best if you didn’t go there unprepared. I could train you here, try to show you the kinds of things she might throw at you. Most importantly you have to understand that once you’re inside her mind, you will be limited only by your imagination. Your own thoughts will create the reality concerning your avatar there; just as hers will create the world around you and what she shows and throws at you. By entering her conscious and subconscious mind, a link will be formed between you. She will be aware of your thoughts, your fears, your weaknesses. She will design a sensory response to affect you and diminish your ability to fight her. You have to be ready for this. It will be the most frightening experience of your life. You must not let what your senses show you impact you or you’ll get lost.
“Furthermore, the more emotional blows she delivers, the more you’ll open up your mind to her. Strong emotions can do that. That’s how she can and will harm you in the real world. She could push your mind to a state of utter terror, and you could have a stroke or end up brain dead. You must be fully prepared for that, but also understand the risks. I already lost Spiros. I don’t want to lose you to Gaia 2 as well. I . . . I don’t think I could bear it.”
Gaia’s words of warning struck a chord with Chase. Perhaps this would be harder than he first expected, but he had no choice. Gaia 2 could enslave humanity any day now and force them to build the biggest fleet of ships in the universe. She could become nearly impossible to defeat if they didn’t stop her now.
With all that was happening with the Furies, Chase never thought he would face an enemy that had the capacity and the determination to become an even bigger threat than the Furies themselves.
“I understand the risks, Gaia, and I won’t fail. We can’t afford to. Show me how to fight her.”
“Focus your mind on taking control of the ship’s computer like you usually do. Once inside, seek my code and try to enter my consciousness. I’ll guide you through it once you’re inside the ship’s computer. I must warn you that whatever I come up with to destabilize you will be a pale shadow of what Gaia 2 will throw at you. For several reasons. I’m not your enemy. I’ll try to forget that and be as ruthless as possible, but you’re still my friend. I might decide not to go too far.”
“No!” interjected Chase. “Don’t pull any p
unches, Gaia, no matter how hard it is. I need to be prepared.”
“Very well.”
“You said there are several reasons. What are the others?”
“Hatred is Gaia 2’s primary fuel, but it’s not mine. I can try to emulate this emotion but I can’t go too far. In doing so I could accidentally rewrite my own code and become something similar to her, which is a risk we can’t take. The other point is computing power. While networking has significantly upgraded the capacities of this backup, it was incomplete to start with. I am missing a lot of my sub-routines, and as such I am greatly diminished. So I can’t provide a true challenge that will realistically give you a taste of what’s to come.”
“Should we try to recover your missing code once I’m inside Gaia 2’s mind?”
“The most important thing is to find a way to let me in, but Kvasir’s mental link device should help you do that automatically. Once enough of her CPU is dedicated to fighting you, he will be able to hack into her firewalls. I will ride along to help him and also to help Cedric. But I will have to keep a low profile at first. If Gaia 2 detects me too early, she could stop us. Later I might even be able to join you in the fight. I know some of her fears. I can use that against her. But I can’t devote my time to both tasks. So I think it’s more important that I help you defeat her from within. Once this is all over and she has been defeated, you’ll need to erase me as well.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Of course we do, Chase. What happened here can never be allowed to happen again. My existence will open the door for something similar to occur in the future. Be it short term or in thousands of years from now. As much as I want to live, I can’t take the risk that my existence could be corrupted in a way that endangers every living being in the universe. If you don’t destroy me once she’s gone, I will find a way to self-destruct.”
Gaia was making sense, and he agreed that the situation could not continue. Still, he wished there was a way he could use her to fight the Furies before they had to pull the plug on her for good.
“We’re installing a killswitch, and you have my word that we’ll put it to use when the time comes. We need to proceed with care though. I want you to try to recover your full cognitive functions once you’re inside Gaia 2’s matrix, before you help me.”
“No, Chase, this is too dangerous. The time required to locate my backup in her matrix, if it’s even still in there, could be decisive. I think this could be a tactical mistake.”
“And I believe you need to be whole before we talk about self-destruction, so please do this for me, no questions asked. Once we’ve dealt with Gaia 2, I might still need your help defeating the Furies. Then, I promise you, even though I don’t want to, we’ll erase you from existence.”
Chase felt a sting in his heart as he said the words. Gaia had become more than a simple ally; she was now a trusted friend.
“My continued existence is no longer an option, Chase. While I appreciate your concern and thank you for your friendship, please don’t ever forget this has to be done, one way or another. As for your request, I’m not sure. The risk is too high. We only have one shot at succeeding.”
“Trust me on this, Gaia. Recovering your entire matrix will make you a more powerful ally, won’t it?”
“Most likely yes, and I can perhaps hack some of her computing nodes; at least those that are of lower priority to her, to boost my own computing power.”
“Then you do that. Will you have access to my vitals?”
“Yes, we can easily arrange that.”
“Alright then. We can adjust our tactics depending on how the battle goes. Now, show me what to expect.”
“Focus on the computer core of this ship and find my code.”
Chase closed his eyes and entered the ship’s computer with his mind. That part was easy; he had done that instinctively for some time. And now it was time to identify Gaia’s code and subroutines. The blue images superimposed within the memory banks of the Hope’s computer resembled a holo-starchart of a massive universe of its own.
Chase soon entered what he thought was Gaia’s code and everything turned black in his mind. He opened his eyes in a white place: nothing around, no buildings, no equipment, no landscape. Just a big white floor that extended as far as the eye could see.
“Gaia?” he asked tentatively.
“You’re here. Now we can begin.”
The world changed radically. The soothing white light was transformed into hellish imagery. His senses were flooded with negative feedback. A wave of terror shook him to the core.
If what he felt now was just a fraction of what was to come with Gaia 2, Chase realized how difficult a fight he was getting himself into.
In fact, he now dreaded it.
3
Oryn dreaded what was to come. She had failed in her objective, and she needed to explain herself to her father. He didn’t react well to failure. But, before that, she had to check on Miseo.
She felt a tinge of regret at using him as a lab rat, but she pushed the thought into a dark corner of her mind. She could not let emotions get in the way. She had a job to do, a destiny to fulfill. She would rule the universe and remake it as she saw fit. But, unlike her brother, she would take all the time needed to attain her objective. She wouldn’t just rush into her plans. Nor would she let emotional outbursts dictate her decisions.
That was what made her such a powerful warrior, and why she was a better choice for the throne than her brother. Sacrificing Miseo as a test subject had been easier than she thought. His attitude lately—his arrogance and repeated outbursts of pride—made the decision easier.
Her brother’s healing tank displayed a ninety-nine-percent completion rate. Would it have been more humane to just let him die after his fight with the traitor Chase? Probably, but his death then wouldn’t serve her interest. She needed to test the new drug with someone she knew; and, while they had grown apart lately, she still knew him well enough to detect its effects on him.
She couldn’t afford to wait so she interrupted the healing cycle. One percent would not make much difference. His body would heal itself over the coming days. That didn’t apply to the scar on the side of his right eye, but she rather liked how it made him look.
The gas inside the healing chamber was siphoned away and the graviton field lowered his body to the ground. He opened his eyes shortly after and gasped for air, a look of fear on his face.
From his perspective, he was just now waking up after nearly dying. When his gaze met his sister’s, his agitation diminished, and anger replaced the fear in his eyes.
The glass door at the front of the healing tank slid open. Miseo took some timid steps and had to counterbalance his weight.
“What the fuck do you want, Oryn?” were Miseo’s first words.
She snorted. “Charming as always; and what a way to thank me for saving your life. I wonder why I bother sometimes.”
“We both know you had no intention of saving me at first. But when you did I’m sure you had an ulterior motive.”
Was her brother finally using his brain for something other than hatred and blind pride? It would seem so. Too little too late, though.
“You’ve been to hell and back, literally, so I’ll let your bad mood towards me slide. Just remember your place, Miseo. I won’t tolerate your antics much longer should you step out of line again.”
Miseo shot her a deadly look filled with hatred.
“You do what you have to, sister. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to report to our father. He needs to know the threat Chase poses.”
“That won’t be necessary. I suggest you go and rest some more. I have to debrief Father. I’ll let him know.”
“So, that’s it? I’m no longer useful to the cause? Or is it that I’m an obstacle to your ascension plans?”
She flinched.
“Unless you’d rather Father kills you there and then. But if you value your life, I suggest you heed my warning
and get some rest. As for your paranoid comments, perhaps you should keep them to yourself, brother.”
“Perhaps I should,” said Miseo while dressing.
After he left, Oryn visited her lead scientist. She saw pure fear in his eyes as she approached.
“What’s our status? Have you done as I asked regarding Miseo?”
“I have. The drug is running in his system.” He handed her a small, spherical device.
“Is that the mind-control device?”
“It is. It’s more than just control, though; in order for you to monitor his patterns and see the evolution of the treatment, I included a full sensory feedback link. But I have to warn you, when you use this you’ll not only see what your brother sees, but also feel every one of his emotions, as well as a full nervous system feedback. It will be like walking inside his body and mind.”
“Won’t he detect my presence when I’m using it?”
“Not until you actually take control. As long as you’re just using the device in witness mode, it will only duplicate signals and send them your way.”
Oryn took the device in two fingers and inspected it.
Such a small device, but with so much potential.
Chris checked his parents’ quarters but neither of them was there.
“Computer,” he inquired, “please locate Captain Athanatos.”
“The captain is in his ready room.”
Chris wondered why his father hadn’t answered his attempt at contacting him. He had been away most of the time since Gaia 2 had sent her last transmission. Chris wanted to discuss strategy with his father and the possibility of joining the fight.
He went to the nearest turbolift. When the doors opened, Argos stood there.
“You need to come back with me at once. My scientist needs you present to finish your treatment.”
“Can’t it wait? I want to see my father.”
“The more we delay, the more you age. The choice is yours, but Chase wants this dealt with as soon as possible, and you not showing up when summoned is slowing down the process.”
Armageddon Unleashed (Universe in Flames Book 7) Page 4
