by Kurt Petrey
The device in the room made little grunts as it loaded itself, and Chloe and Cade stood in front of the screens, talking about the code, hypothesizing about what they thought Legacy might be able to do. Joshua had trouble following most of their conversation, but it seemed clear to him that Legacy had a real chance of providing answers.
Suddenly Legacy began whirring with a steady amount of noise, and the lights flashed faster, making the room dance with color.
“It finished loading!” Chloe shouted.
The large display over the desk at the center of the room was filled with information, and both Cade and Chloe scrolled through it all, commenting as they went. Joshua only caught a few of the titles of what was being displayed, like Refinery within a subset of divisions of titles. He also caught Medical Department and Planetary Engineering. He was reading a title labeled Astrophysical Observations and Discovery when Cade noticed something else.
Pulling up the menu selections, Cade scrolled down a little over halfway then tapped on the title labeled External Sensory Data Points. A series of options were available, and he chose the first one. As a result, a long list of collection times and dates displayed, and each one explained what was picked up and at what times.
They all stared at the information, dumbfounded. This was it. This was the information they had been seeking.
Chloe frowned. “There seems to be another system called IRIS that manages all of Legacy. From what this says, Legacy is an artificial intelligent data storage system.” She gave a whistle, sounding impressed. “Wow. The amount of data stored within Legacy is enormous.”
“Planet unable to sustain life!” Ryan exclaimed suddenly from a nearby display.
“What? Where did you find that?” Cade asked. He tapped a few options then brought up the same information Ryan was looking at. As he'd said, the data indicated that the planet was “unable to sustain any form of life until the terraforming process was completed.”
“The terraforming process? What is this place?” Chloe asked.
No one answered. Joshua was starting to put it together, though. He felt worse than he had before when he'd wondered if someone had trapped them there. He didn't want to face the idea of what it all meant.
“How long does it say the process will take?” he asked.
Cade tapped on another option then paused. All the color in his face drained. "Five hundred years."
“No,” Ryan said. “No way. This is impossible. There is no way the planet is in this state.” He was breathing hard, sweat rolling down his brow. “This data can’t be right.”
“I’m afraid it is.” Cade replied quietly. He turned back to his display and scrolled all the way up. “I think I know what is going on.”
He tapped on Legacy: Purpose and Mission then tapped again. Another set of selections came up, and Cade chose the first option under the Overview of Project Legacy. It was labeled Introduction from the Founder. He was just about to select the Play button when Ashley rushed in.
“They have Richard!” she cried, out of breath. She placed a hand against the wall and bent over, trying to breathe.
“What do you mean?” Joshua asked. “Who has Richard?”
“Michael and a couple guys took Richard, and they are looking for Cade. They're convinced that Cade knows something,” she managed.
“So?” Chloe said. “We'll just tell them what we found, then say we are doing everything we can.”
Joshua remembered Michael and the fury in his expression. From what he could see, Michael wasn't a rational man. He was going to keep on fighting until he got what he was looking for. In this case, Joshua didn't even think he was looking for information. No, this rebellion was just a way to release his anger. Like Ashley, Joshua was afraid this would get physical—if it hadn’t already.
Ashley continued. “Michael started a fight, then he took Richard so he could gain access to the other areas. It’s only a matter of time before he finds us, and when he does I don’t think he will be wanting to just talk.”
“I think you’re right,” Joshua said. He addressed the two men standing next to Ashley. “Go look out for them, and tell us when they're headed our way.” They nodded and stepped outside. “Chloe, can you lock these doors somehow, to prevent Richard from opening it? We need to find a way to lock the room down so they can’t get in.”
Chloe shook her head. “I don’t know of a way. Access is managed by the system, and we’ve been unable to manage access levels.”
“But now that Legacy has been restored, shouldn’t we be in charge?”
Chloe stared down at a display and started going through the options. "I don't know. I'll see what I can figure out."
“Okay,” he said, pacing. “They'll be here soon. If we can’t lock them out, we’ll have to stall them until they cool down and let us explain what’s going on. We just need to get them to stop long enough so they can listen to what we have to say."
Ashley nodded. “I agree. They're angry, and until something important happens, they aren’t going to listen to anything we have to say.”
Joshua considered his options. These hallways and rooms weren't designed to stop anyone from physically barging through the doors, and there was little to nothing he could use to block it since the tables and desks were all bolted to the floors or attached to the walls.
“What other rooms are through this hallway?” he asked. “Maybe we can find something in another room to block the door.”
Cade shook his head. “You’ve seen everything. There are only two other rooms attached to this hallway, and you saw the ending. There is likely not enough time to do it even if you could.”
One of the two men returned, his expression tight. “They're coming. The alarm sounded when they came in from the main hall.”
Joshua didn’t want anyone to get hurt, but the situation was bad. He needed to neutralize it before it got out of hand. When the second man came back, Joshua walked to the back room, picked up the pipe he'd planned to use on the killer robots, then he walked back without a word. Ashley and Chloe huddled together at one side of the room with the two men they'd sent out as scouts, and Ryan, Cade, and Joshua waited closer to the door.
Cade's eyes went to the pipe in Joshua's hands, then slid away. No words were necessary. There was only one thing to do if Michael wasn't willing to listen. Taking a cue from Joshua, Ryan picked up a display and held it as if he was about to swing it against someone, though his hands shook. Cade moved behind them, and Joshua had just enough time to realize what a coward Cade was.
The door slid open, and Richard tumbled in. He was bruised and bleeding, his right cheek swollen. He crashed to the ground, moaning that he was sorry, that he hadn't meant to show them the way. He clearly didn’t fully understand what was going on. A group of men stormed in, followed by a large crowd who had to stay out in the hallway due to the tightness of the room.
Michael stood in front with rage in his eyes. “Cade! Where are you?”
Joshua raised one hand and stepped up, hoping to resolve this issue peacefully, but keeping the pipe in a firm grip at his side in case he needed it. Michael saw him coming. He grabbed Joshua's hand, twisted it, then threw him backwards. Joshua pivoted to catch his momentum and stabilize himself, then he grabbed the pipe with both hands, knowing he was going to have to swing hard to bring Michael down. As he turned back to face the big man, a loud popping sound rang through the room and Michael was suddenly on his knees. Cade stood to the side, holding something in his hands. It was pointing towards Michael. In the next moment, Michael fell face forward onto the floor next to Richard, shuddered, then stopped.
The entire room fell silent. Joshua stared at Cade, positive Michael was dead. “What did you do?”
“Where did you get that?” Chloe asked.
Someone knelt, flipped Michael over, and placed a hand on his neck. He looked up and reported, “He’s alive.”
One of the guys who had stormed in with Michael stepped forward, appare
ntly deciding to finish what Michael had started. Cade lifted the device towards the man but stopped when Chloe stepped between them.
“Stop! Just stop!” she shouted. The noise died down a bit and she spoke again. “We are not hiding anything. In fact, we've just found something. Please be patient and look over here.” The guy took a threatening step closer to Cade, and she placed a hand on his chest. “Stop it. You need to see this. Everyone needs to see this.”
When she had everyone's attention, she clicked on the initialize button for a video that was queued up. The screen displayed a strange logo then revealed a woman sitting comfortably on a chair.
"Hello. My name is Dr Katherine Witaford, and I founded the organization in charge of Project Legacy. Our organization is a combination of all Earth's nations united together to ensure the continuity of the human species.”
Muffled gasps whispered through the crowd.
“Through overpopulation and loss of resources, we were no longer able to continue our existence on Earth. To ensure the continued existence of the human species, we pulled together what was left and invested everything into that goal. Through the latest advancements in technology and science, you have been given the optimal chance of success. With the help of IRIS and the various A.I. systems both within the system and within the independent androids, you will find that all your immediate needs have been met. Once you step out into the newly terraformed planet, you will discover an established community waiting for you to populate.
“Project Legacy is here to help you every step of the way” she continued, smiling fondly. “With the genetic modifications to reflect the brightest of humans we’ve been able to study you’ve been given every thinkable advantage. Legacy is equipped with the ability to train you and defend you at all costs against any dangers that might exist. Although our mind mapping technology will develop the inclinations within you to adapt to any situation, it is up to you to embrace them. Allow Legacy to guide you as you transition.”
She paused, looking both proud and sad. “Welcome to what we’ve given you,” she said. “Remember, It isn’t about a project. You are our Legacy. You are our only hope to continue the species. Once again, welcome to your new home.”
The video closed, and Cade sat, placing the device on the table. “We shouldn’t be awake for another five hundred years, according to the data,” he said quietly. “What happened?”
No one spoke for what seemed like an eternity, then Chloe’s soft voice filled the room.
“So,” she said. “This is our home.”
Thank you so much for reading the sampler of The Awakening. I really appreciate it and if you enjoyed it I would ask that you take the time to review the book or check out the full length episode. Reviews will help tremendously.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kurt Petrey was born and raised in southern Louisiana. The son of two teachers that instilled in him the understanding that if you want something in life you often have to work hard to achieve it. Starting early in his life he delved deep into technology and has dedicated his life to understanding the nature of technical issues. If he isn’t working on technical issues he’s spending his time writing books or wood working.
Kurt lives near Lafayette, La where he spends most of his time getting into trouble and the rest of his time trying to get out.
Kurt can be found on:
Website: KurtPetrey.com
Twitter: twitter.com/kurtpetrey
Facebook: facebook.com/kurtpetrey
