Shadow Core - The Legacy

by Licinio Goncalves

  “What’s he talking about? What Core?” Kade asked Jude, hoping she would know.

  “Grandfather’s sphere… apparently it was more than just a lump of black metal,” Jude replied.

  “It did seem to glow occasionally when I touched it, but I never thought much of it,” Kade confessed.

  “I see. So it wasn’t completely inert, that makes more sense… but it also complicates matters. Can you remember when you saw it glow for the first time?” Drake asked, seemingly worried.

  “It was when I got it from my grandfather’s hand, just after he died. I was feeling miserable, my soul felt utterly shattered. But after I touched it, a sense of calm washed over me. I had no idea why, but the sense of loss didn’t seem so severe after that.”

  The sound of laughter could be heard echoing throughout the area, though the sisters had no idea what it was that Drake had found so amusing.

  “Toby you crafty devil!” Drake said as he finally managed to regain control of himself.

  “What?” The sister’s asked in unison.

  “Give me a second, I need to run the last sequence again in order to test my theory,” Drake said.

  And again the reaction started rippling through the lights in the horizon, but this time there were three colours in the mix: most were blue, a handful were red and the remaining were green.

  “Thought so,” Drake said. “It would seem that your grandfather left you more than a ship when he passed away.”

  “What do you mean?” Kade asked.

  “I’ll explain later, for now we need to finish your treatment. I’m not gonna lie to you, this next bit is probably going to be seriously unpleasant.”

  “Why? What are you doing next?” Jude asked, concerned for her sister.

  “Like I said, each red point on your sister’s memory field represents a memory which does not belong to her, and these memories can cause conflicts in her psyche, so they must be purged from her mind.”

  “Memory manipulation? Are you serious? You can actually do that?” Jude asked in disbelief.

  “Sure, the technology was developed a very long time ago. It was one of many innovations to come out of the Shadow R&D efforts, but for obvious reasons it is also one of many technologies that we never allowed to hit the general market. The potential for misuse of such a thing is staggering,” Drake explained.

  “Right… but you can be trusted with it?” Jude asked, hinting at the obvious flaw in the explanation.

  “You can trust that I won’t use it on you, or anyone, without a very compelling reason to do so. But I won’t hide the fact that I have no moral issues in using it if the situation calls for it. Does that help?”

  “Not really… no. No-one should have that kind of power. If you can’t trust your memories then what can you trust?” Jude asked, resolute in her opinion.

  “Exactly… which is why the technology was never made public. But if I don’t use it on your sister she risks mental health problems after she wakes up. The human mind does not cope very well with conflicting memories. However, I will not force the procedure, the choice is hers to make.”

  “There is no choice… just get on with it,” Kade said without a second thought. She had never been one to procrastinate over obvious decisions. Her health was at risk and the option had been offered, nothing else mattered at this point in time.

  Kade didn’t know what to expect. Drake had said it was going to be ‘unpleasant’, but in the end that could mean just about anything.

  The sisters looked on as the first red point started pulsing, causing Kade’s body to lose all its strength and go completely limp. Her mouth was wide open, as if wanting to scream, and a look of dread was stamped all over her face as tears poured from her eyes.

  Jude looked on in horror as she saw her sister enduring what seemed to be pure agony, knowing that there was nothing she could do to help her.

  As the first point of red light vanished from the horizon a second began pulsing, and then a third and a fourth. The memory purge was under-way.

  Kade felt like her brain was on fire as someone else’s memories flashed before her eyes and then faded completely, leaving behind traces of emotions she couldn’t understand for they had lost all context. Happiness, loss, anger, love and an overwhelming sense of despair and fear. Kade felt all of them repeatedly as the memories were purged from her mind, she felt as though she was going to go insane.

  Jude could see that nearly all of the foreign memories had been removed, there was only one left to go. One more and it would all be over.

  As the last memory started being purged Kade felt the most painful experience so far…

  In the memory she was lying down on a bed and looking up, seeing a younger version of herself crying as she held her hand and begged her not to die.

  She knew she was dying but felt no fear, she was proud of what she had achieved in her life. Her only regret was not being able to carry on and see her grandchildren grow up. She would not be able to see what they would achieve or support them along the way. She knew her time had come. She had lived longer than most people could even dream of and had endured more than anyone should. But in the end she was content, it had been a good life.

  Kade screamed as the memory faded away, leaving behind nothing but a complete sense of loss as the pain in her heart nearly overwhelmed all her senses.

  “It’s done,” Drake said with sadness in his voice.

  “Kade, are you OK? Can you hear me?” Jude asked as she looked at her sister, who looked like her soul had just been shattered by the experience.

  “Give her a minute. This procedure is never easy, and she had a rather nasty combination of memories to deal with,” Drake said, lifting what felt like the weight of the world from Jude’s shoulders.

  The Triumvirate

  Kade was breathing rapidly as all the different emotional states she had been forced to endure took their toll. Her heart feeling like it was about to explode as she fought back the tears and slowly regained control of her emotions.

  “That was your definition of ‘unpleasant’? I’d hate to see what you consider ‘traumatising’,” she said.

  “Hey sis, feeling better?” Jude asked, letting out the biggest smile in human history.

  “Yeah… let’s not do that again,” Kade replied with a tired look.

  “One last task, and then we’re done,” Drake said.

  “Crap! There’s more!?” Kade asked fearfully.

  “No need to worry, the worst is over. All I need you to do now is focus. Pick a place from your past that is calm and relaxing, and focus on it,” Drake said, but Kade looked completely lost.

  “How about the farm?” Jude asked.

  “What?” Kade asked.

  “The farm we grew up in. You remember it, right? The peaceful days, the sunshine, do you remember that?” Jude asked cheerfully.

  “I guess… but how is me remembering shovelling manure on a hot summer’s day gonna help anyone?” Kade asked her sister.

  “Eeew,” Drake said as he pictured it.

  “Good point,” Jude said. “The overlook glade! Do you remember that place? Try imagining that. How peaceful it was on a warm sunny day. With a gentle summer breeze and not a cloud in the sky!”

  Kade closed her eyes, trying to remember as many details about it as she could, and one of the lights in the memory field started becoming brighter, dispelling all of the darkness in the void as it reached blinding levels.

  Kade could swear that she could feel a gentle summer breeze on her face, the warmth of the sun on her skin and fresh grass under her bare feet. She could feel the texture of the wooden railings, which she had leaned against so many times before, in her very hands. It all felt so real. And as she opened her eyes she was stunned by what lay before her. She was standing by the edge of the old glade that overlooked the farm she had grown up in. It was one of her favourite places when she was younger, a place she would often escape to for some peace and quiet.

>   She had come here often, whether to stare up at the sky or off into the distant spires of the city. It was a place which had always brought her a sense of calm in the past… a place that no longer existed.

  Kade took a deep breath, holding the fresh air in her lungs for a second before breathing out again. She couldn’t remember the last time she had breathed fresh natural air. The scent of pine in the air was almost intoxicating to her; she had all but forgotten it after all these years.

  She turned around and saw Jude standing behind her, looking around the environment with a wide eyed expression of amazement.

  “Hey sis… how did we get back here?” Kade breathed in the intoxicating air again, filling her lungs as much as possible.

  “We didn’t. This is just a virtual environment, but the detail is just insane. How could anyone have recreated this place so perfectly?” Jude asked in disbelief as her natural curiosity reasserted itself.

  “It’s a little more than that,” Drake said as he leaned on the wooden fence after somehow appearing next to them. “It’s one of Kade’s memories.”

  “My memory isn’t nearly good enough to remember this much detail,” Kade said calmly, completely dismissing Drake’s claim.

  “Memory is a tricky thing. Most people have the ability to record information in precise detail, assuming they’re paying attention in the first place. But remembering that detail afterwards is another matter entirely,” Drake said.

  “So you’re telling me we’re actually reliving one of my memories? How did you get here then?” Kade asked.

  “No, you’re not reliving the memory. Jude got it right the first time, this is a virtual environment. But I made it based on one of your memories so that you would feel comfortable here.” Drake smiled as he enjoyed the summer breeze and fresh air.

  “If I were to ask how you managed to pull off this trick, would you say ‘it’s complicated’?” Jude asked.

  “Yep!” Drake grinned.

  “Wow, pretty!!” Jude suddenly heard Zen’s voice say from behind her, causing her to jump in surprise.

  “Isn’t it?” Drake asked Zen as she moved next to him, looking at the horizon with wonder in her eyes.

  “Wait… how did you get in here? I thought you were manning the pod controls,” Jude asked.

  “I am.” Zen smiled. “But I wanted to see the sights as well,” she said in her innocent voice.

  “So, is anyone planning on telling me what the hell just happened?” Kade asked out of the blue. “I remember being on the Zenith, and then I was somewhere… I’m not even sure how to describe it, but it felt like I was there for an eternity. After that my emotions got put through a grinder and now I’m enjoying sights which no longer exist in the real world. So yeah… what the heck happened to me?”

  “Long story short, the Core you received from your grandfather tried to merge with you,” Drake said.

  “The sphere?” Kade asked, looking confused.

  “Why would it try to harm Kade now? She’s had that thing for years,” Jude said.

  “It wasn’t trying to harm you; it’s just how the technology works. You hold it; it recognises you and then imparts its knowledge on you.”

  “So… our grandfather’s memories have been inside that thing all this time?” Kade asked in disbelief.

  “His memories, emotions, personality… everything that made him the person he once was is in there.”

  “Is he… conscious?” Kade looked horrified as she imagined what it would be like to live like that.

  “No, the Core only holds information. In its solid state the most it can do is grant you knowledge when you hold it, which I’m guessing you’ve done quite often if the number of guided memories in your head is any indication.”

  “Guided memories? Is that what the green lights we saw before represented?” Jude asked.

  “Yes. Each one of those memories was formed while exposed to the knowledge in a Core.”

  “That… actually explains a lot,” Kade said, relieved that the gut feelings she had been having for years had not just been a figment of her imagination.

  “Sounds like brainwashing to me,” Jude said.

  “The Core can’t volunteer information, it has no will of its own. It can only react to the user’s state of mind. If you held it and thought of nothing, it would take no action. But if you wondered about something, it would weigh in on the thought, pointing you towards the right answer,” Drake said.

  “Still sounds like brainwashing,” Jude said.

  “It’s a bit of a grey area, I had never actually seen one set to behave like that before today. By default, Cores become inert upon user death,” Drake said.

  “Why did it try to merge with me? It never did anything like that before.” Kade said.

  “To merge, the Core requires power. It was mostly depleted when you arrived but it started absorbing energy the moment you stepped inside this ship. The thing does have safeties to ensure it doesn’t try and merge with the wrong person, but for some reason they failed to kick in,” Drake said, looking worried.

  “I take it that doesn’t happen often?” Jude asked.

  “It’s not unheard off, but it’s rare. The units do tend to develop quirks and glitches when they don’t get regular maintenance, and that one hasn’t been maintained in almost 100 years.”

  Kade still found it hard to believe that her grandfather’s sphere was actually some kind of high tech receptacle for his memories. That she had been carrying around some kind of copy of his mind all this time. And that he had never told her about it.

  She felt hurt that he hadn’t told her but she also understood the probable reason why he had kept it from her. It was likely he had simply been afraid that she wouldn’t have believed him.

  “Anyway, if you’re feeling up to it, there are a couple of people that would like to meet you two,” Drake said, grabbing Zen’s attention, who had just been staring towards the horizon all this time.

  “Are we leaving already?” Zen asked with a sad expression since she wanted to explore the area.

  “OK, just give me a second,” Kade said.

  Kade took one last deep breath of fresh air and held it in her lungs, rejoicing in that almost forgotten scent of nature. She knew that it wasn’t real, but it was also the closest she would ever get to this place again. The real life glade had been destroyed long ago by the greed of the nearby city, having ravaged the land above to get to the minerals below. But that was all ancient history to her. Real or not, standing there and looking at all those familiar sights was just what Kade needed. All the tension, frustration and mental fatigue she endured had melted away into nothing.

  Jude was crouching down as she touched the grass, feeling its texture and moisture as the blades caressed her hand. And wondering how such a feat was possible.

  “Hey Kade,” Zen asked, causing Kade to look in her direction and see her smiling face.

  “Yes?” Kade said, still not entirely sure how to deal with the rather lifelike synthetic.

  “Could I keep a copy of this place?” Zen asked.

  “Sure… but why?” Kade asked, confused at Zen’s joyous reaction.

  “Zen likes to collect environments like this. She’s fascinated by nature,” Drake said with closed eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze.

  “That’s a bit… strange, isn’t it?”

  “Why?” Drake asked as he opened his eyes.

  “It’s just that… well… she’s not…” Kade stuttered, cursing herself for having said anything at all.

  “Human… right?” Zen seemed clearly upset, causing Drake to smile at Kade’s panicking expression.

  “Calm down Zen. I’m sure our naïve guest didn’t mean any harm by it. She just needs time to get to know you better,” Drake said reassuringly.

  “Yes… I’m sorry,” Kade said sincerely.

  Zen pouted for a few seconds, considering whether to accept the apology. She had always been self-conscious about the fact that she w
asn’t human even though Drake had never treated her any differently.

  She looked at the sisters with sorrowful eyes, nearly breaking Jude’s heart. But then quickly broke into a gentle reassuring smile, putting their minds at ease.

  With the situation resolved Drake decided it was time to move things along. He raised his arms above his head and indulged in a good stretch, relaxing his muscles as the tension drained from his body.

  “So… ready to meet the rest of the crew?” Drake asked the sisters.

  Kade and Jude looked at each other and then at him, nodding in unison. The glade disappearing almost immediately afterwards, being quickly replaced by a large conference room.

  The walls were lined with virtual displays showing all kinds of information: from star charts to raw data streams of fast scrolling unreadable text. And in the centre of the room was a circular table with twelve seats.

  At the opposite end of the room there were two people talking to a large display. The man and woman were obviously engaged in a conference call to someone who did not seem at all pleased with some recent turn of events.

  Kade couldn’t help but think that something about the pair seemed oddly familiar. And if what Drake had said before was true then this was probably a natural reaction. She had often wondered what the crew of the Zenith would be like while holding the sphere. But if that was really the case and her grandfather had known these people at some point, why was it that not one of them seemed to be over 40, she wondered.

  Try as she might to remember, Kade just couldn’t recall anything specific about the pair. She felt a sense of implicit trust towards them, much like she had felt towards Drake the first time she had seen him, but she had no idea who they were.

  Jude, on the other hand, recognised the woman straight away. And to say that she was excited to see Nexus again would be the understatement of the century, this was literally a dream come true for her.

  “Kade, that’s her! That’s Nexus!” Jude said excitedly. Her comment making Nexus turn around and take notice of the new arrivals, smiling gently before turning back towards the screen.