“Do not let this shell confuse you. I am a constructed intelligence,” MK responded, managing to sound slightly offended. “I am not a basic AI. To label me so is considered offensive and derogatory amongst my kind.”
“I meant no offense,” Keira said, not understanding the distinction.
“I know that,” MK said. “I could not ever become offended by you, Keira. We are best friends.”
The gravity blade, which had been thrumming with power, switched off and retracted back into the mech’s arm. Metallic fingers emerged in its place. The fingers flexed a moment, then the mech reached down and touched an armored plate on his hip with a mechanical finger. Keira saw two tiny handprints in blue paint, made into the shape of a butterfly. She had not noticed it before.
“We are fast friends, Keira,” MK said, “and good ones at that. You gave me this, which I treasure.”
Keira did not know what to say. She had no memory of it, but the voice was familiar. That she was speaking with an AI, or really a construct, whatever that was, was incredible. It was almost enough to make her forget their circumstances, or even that Lee was dead. The thought of her friend’s body left behind to burn to ash was painful. It hit her hard again. The hurt and anger returned as a torrent of emotion. She took a step back.
MK’s head shifted, his attention becoming focused on Wash.
“I have been analyzing the data from your armor. Your wound is serious, Corporal Mendes. You require advanced medical treatment.”
“I’ll manage,” Wash said.
“I pinged your armor’s AI,” MK said. “It does not answer my query. The gunny and Private Harris’s AIs do not answer either. Why is that?”
“MK,” Wash said, his tone slightly pained, “I have engaged basic first aid. I will be fine, at least for the time being.”
“That still does not answer my question,” the mech said. “I am guessing your AIs are inactive. Did they succumb?”
“I think I’ve found us a route,” Chris said, drawing their attention. “I’m double-checking it now.” He glanced over at MK. “Vex, tell him the truth. He deserves that.” Chris’s gaze went vacant again as he returned to the schematics.
There was a moment of silence as Vex and Wash shared another look. Then Vex spoke. “MK, I am sorry to tell you this … there are no AIs or constructs left. As far as we know, you are the only one.”
The mech was silent for several seconds as he absorbed this information.
“Captain Scaretti disconnected me from the conclave before it became too late and placed me in this body.” MK raised his arms, holding them out as if to show them. “I knew that when I went into sleep mode. I assumed he would have done the same for your AIs.” The mech stopped speaking for a long moment. “As instructed, I cut myself off from all communication, audio, subliminal, superluminal, and extradimensional. Sleep mode was designed to protect me even further.” MK’s gaze shifted between Wash and Vex. “There are no more constructs? Truly? They are all dead?” MK sounded suddenly bewildered. “Am I understanding your meaning to be correct?”
“Yes,” Vex said with feeling. “That’s what we think happened. I’m sorry for your loss. I really am.”
MK did not immediately respond. The mech’s shoulder shifted slightly and the brilliant eye-light dimmed a tad. Keira had the impression he was saddened. How could a machine feel sadness and loss? The thought of him having feelings was extraordinary.
The mech looked over at Vex and regarded her for several seconds that stretched, before turning to gaze on Keira. She felt uncomfortable under his cyclops-like inspection. The machine seemed to be thinking, and deeply too.
“I knew that this would be a distinct possibility. Still, I find the thought that I am the last of my kind … painful. It hurts. However, at the same time, there is hope that there are more like me out there who were disconnected from the conclave—before the end.”
“That is possible,” Vex said slowly. “But—we’ve not encountered any, at least not on Asherho. We did our best to protect you and now we need your help again. I expect we will be able to count on you.”
“Of course,” MK said. “I am grateful for that protection and the captain’s quick thinking, otherwise I would be dead. I do not think I would like being dead. It sounds so permanent and would mean no more playing games with Keira. That would be a true tragedy.”
“That’s why I’ve always liked you, buddy,” Wash said. “You are a construct of simple pleasures.”
“That is an accurate statement, especially with my reduced processing power.”
“You both are simple-minded,” Vex said to them. “That’s the problem.”
“Corporal Mendes, since your AI is in inactive, we need to get you to medical care as soon as possible. I would hate to see your biometrics terminate. That would make me sad. I don’t like being sad.”
Wash grunted with some amusement. “I’d hate to see them terminate too.”
“We will find that care at the Seri,” Chris said, “and that’s where we are headed. All right, I’ve found us a good route, right back to the APC.” Chris glanced up the stairs. “With luck, we will bypass any opposition. Vex, we’re going up six levels. You are on point again. MK, stick to Keira like glue. Do not let anything happen to her.”
“As you command, Gunny,” MK said, and. The head gave another twitch, this time more violent. “I would never let anything happen to my best friend. Any who try to harm her, I will terminate. I will gladly show them the error of their ways, ending their biometrics so thoroughly even a full med-suite would not be able to render a modicum of assistance. I will kill them with extreme prejudice. I will …”
“Enough.” Chris pointed a finger MK, as if he were reprimanding a child. “Not another word, or so help me I will deactivate you and put you right back in your crate.”
MK stood up straight. The mech did not reply, but his unblinking gaze was locked on Chris, who did not shy away from the killing machine.
“Just nod your understanding. That’s all I need.”
MK nodded.
“Right then,” Chris said. He sucked in a deep breath, then turned toward the stairwell. “Let’s get moving.”
Chapter Seventeen
“We have a slight problem.” Vex spoke in a low tone as she took a knee next to Chris and Keira. She had just returned from the level that was their objective, only one flight up from their current position. MK was with them. He was watching the staircase Vex had just come down. Wash covered the way they had come, gazing downward into the dimness of the stairwell.
Directly overhead, a solitary light burned sullenly. Randomly flickering, it cast the landing in a dim but serviceable light. It seemed they had climbed out of the worst of the toxic fog, for it was not as thick as it had been several levels down. The smoke from the fire below also wasn’t as bad. Where most of the smoke had gone, Keira had no idea.
The sensors on her suit told her the atmosphere was barely breathable. At least, if she needed to take her suit off, she would not immediately pass out, or worse, die. The temperature had also normalized, and she was relatively comfortable, which was a relief of sorts.
Keira sank to a knee and leaned against the wall for support. Her emotions were a storm, one moment feeling pure sadness and the next a hot, burning rage. Not only that, but her body was sore and bruised. Her head ached with a dull throb and her ears were still ringing from the blast, but at least that was subsiding.
Lee was dead. She was having difficulty accepting that new reality. It was like a piece of her heart had been ripped away. One moment he had been alive, the next he was gone. It was so unfair. He deserved better.
“What’s wrong?” Chris asked Vex, making sure to keep his voice down.
“Why aren’t you using comms?” Keira asked. She had not noticed it before but there had been no need for Vex to come back to them. She could just have called.
Chris glanced over at her. “We’re avoiding comms, at least until we get t
o the APC and start rolling. Communications can be tracked, especially in a tower like this one.”
“The militia have that capability?” Keira asked, surprised.
“We’re not taking any chances.” Vex jerked her thumb toward the ceiling as she turned to Chris. “There are people up there, civilians.”
“You’re shitting me,” Chris said. “The air is breathable, but we’re still in the toxic zone. They shouldn’t be there.”
“Our bad luck then,” Vex said. “I think they’ve come down seeking shelter.”
“They’re hiding?” Keira asked.
“That’s what it looked like to me,” Vex said. “It must be bad topside, bad enough to force them all the way down here.”
“There’s fighting up there then,” Keira surmised.
“Either with the UPG,” Vex said, “or amongst differing factions who want control of the tower. Then again, they could be down here seeking shelter from what they think is coming, the UPG striking back and all. Without more information about what’s going on topside, there’s just no way to tell.”
“Did they see you?” Chris asked.
“Of course not,” Vex scoffed. “After I spotted their heat signatures, I drilled a small hole through the door and eyeballed them. I’m all out of probe packages.”
“How many are we talking?” Chris asked.
“Hundreds in the corridor, at least,” Vex said. “There are more, likely in the rooms that lead off it.”
Chris gave an unhappy grunt.
“From what I saw,” Vex added, “they’re mostly families, children included.”
Keira’s heart was already heavy from Lee’s loss. That there were children breathing this poisonous air was something she did not want to hear. With all that had happened, she wasn’t sure she could face that, more innocents suffering, getting hurt. It was becoming too much.
“We have to go through them.” Chris put the butt of his rifle on the ground and leaned upon the weapon. “There’s no other easy way to get to where we need to go.”
“Once we go through that door up there,” Vex said, “with the three of us in powered armor, those people are going to be terrified. And that doesn’t include MK. Machines like him don’t exist anymore.” She glanced over at the mech. “No offense, but you’re a little intimidating to those who don’t know you.”
“Me? Intimidating?” MK asked, sounding surprised by the concept. “I had not considered that possibility.”
“I’m becoming worried about you,” Chris said.
“Gunny, this shell places certain limits upon my cognitive functioning as a construct, even with the enhanced upgrades the captain saw fit to install. Such deficiencies are only to be expected.” MK’s head gave a twitch. “Still, I find I am surprised nonetheless. I had thought I was quite loveable.”
“Now I’m really concerned,” Chris said. “You’re in the shell of a killing machine.”
“I am,” MK said, “but I am still me.”
“They’re packed in tight,” Vex said, ignoring the exchange. “A panic could easily cause a stampede. I don’t like the idea of innocents getting hurt, especially children.”
Chris was silent for several seconds, clearly thinking. He glanced down at the floor. He cleared his throat as he looked back up at them. “We’re going to announce ourselves.”
“As marines?” Vex’s brow furrowed.
“As Imperial Marines,” Chris corrected.
“Are you sure that’s wise, Gunny?” Vex asked. “That sort of thing will draw a lot of unwanted attention from people we don’t want attention from just yet.”
“That can’t be helped, and my mind is made up on the matter. It’s what we’re going to do. The shock of the announcement might just keep them from panicking. One thing Asherho is lacking is hope, hope that things can get better, hope that life is worth living. We tell them we’re from the empire and we’re on a mission. We don’t stop for shit after that but keep moving until we get to the next stairwell.”
“You’d lie to them?” Keira asked.
“If it gets us to where we need to go,” Chris said, “yes, in a heartbeat.”
“It’s not really lying,” Vex said. “We were sent here on a mission. We’ve just not completed it yet.”
“You know what I mean,” Keira said.
“If it gets us by without incident, or them panicking, what does it matter?” Chris asked. “Besides, it’s now more important than ever that we get back to the Seri, and quickly too.” He glanced over at Vex and shared a meaningful look with her. “Things have changed.”
“They have,” Vex said in agreement.
“You’d be giving them false hope,” Keira said. “That’s not right. The government lies to them enough.” Part of her wondered why she was suddenly so angry at the thought of what he was proposing. “The empire’s gone.”
Almost instantly, Keira regretted her words. In the heat of the moment, it just sort of popped out. Vex looked at her sharply. The disapproval and reproach was plain in her eyes.
Chris’s gaze hardened and his eyes narrowed. He pointed a finger at her. “The empire is an idea. It always was.”
“An idea worth fighting for,” Vex added. “Keira, the gunny’s right. As long as people believe in an idea, it still exists. Though the empire has long been gone from Asherho, the thought of imperium, imperial power, still runs deep in the minds of the people, at least those who remember. We announce ourselves, who we are, and it might just avoid trouble, maybe even keep some of those civilians from getting hurt or doing something stupid.”
“Vex, Wash, myself … we’re still Imperial Marines.” Chris gestured at the mech. His tone was hard as steel and gruff. “MK too. All of us swore an oath to serve, one we take seriously, even to this day.”
“Damn straight, Gunny,” MK said from his position by the stairs. “Semper fi.”
“We never left the Corps, Keira,” Chris continued. “It never left us. Once a marine, always a marine. Those waiting at the safe house feel like we do and have been working toward the same goal.” Chris softened his tone. His gaze flicked to MK before returning to her. “Today, you have given us hope.”
“Hope?” Keira asked. “What do you mean?”
“Yeah, hope,” Chris said, “that all we’ve sacrificed these long years has not been in vain, that our service has not been wasted.”
Keira was confused by the sudden turn in the conversation. “I … I don’t understand.”
“By waking MK,” Vex said, “you’ve done something none of us thought possible.”
“Gunny,” MK said, turning his cyclops-like gaze toward the stairs leading downward. “The enemy has dispatched scouts. They are currently six levels below and are slowly climbing toward our position. I am tracking five individuals as part of the scouting team.”
“They’re wondering why we never came down,” Vex said. “It was bound to happen.”
“Most likely.” Chris turned back to MK. “What about the rest of the ambush?”
“They have yet to move,” MK said, “and are holding position.”
“That won’t last long,” Vex said.
“No, it won’t,” Chris agreed.
“Why am I so special?” Keira asked. She wanted answers.
Chris turned his attention back to her. He appeared hesitant, glancing up the stairs, clearly wanting to get moving.
“I want to know the truth,” Keira said.
“You need to tell her,” Vex said.
“We don’t have time for this, not now,” Chris said, his exasperation and frustration plain. “We need to keep moving and stay ahead of them. Vex, we can fill her in at the safe house.”
“There might not be time when we get there,” Vex said. “Especially with those ships that arrived in system. Besides, she deserves the truth, Gunny. I think you should make time now. Get it out in the open. At least give her a little of what she needs to know, to adjust to the truth. Then we can scoot. With how everything i
s falling apart, telling her just might prove useful.”
Chris locked his gaze with Vex for a long moment. It seemed almost like a battle of wills, then he gave a reluctant nod. He let out a long, heavy breath of resignation.
“Keira, you have a rare ability, skill, gift, call it what you will. No one really understands it. I’ve heard some refer to it as a curse.” He paused, as if searching for the proper words. “The empire was built upon the shoulders of people like you. You can interact directly with the machine, the AIs, the constructs, in a manner others can only dream of doing.” He pointed at MK. “You can connect with their minds directly, communicate without words, and do much more.”
Was it true? It couldn’t be, could it? Keira recalled being inside Chris’s armor, sensing a presence of some kind, and then MK’s crate, waking the sleeping construct. She did not understand it, but what he said rang of truth. Somehow, down in the tower’s control room, she had unlocked something within herself. Still, she did not understand how such a thing could happen, but there was a power within her and it was growing.
“How? How is this possible?” Keira asked, touching her chest with her palm. Even as she said the words, she knew they were true. “If I close my eyes, I can feel it.”
Chris and Vex exchanged another look.
“This is all speculation,” Chris said, “but we think it’s something that’s passed down from a parent. It’s been known to skip entire generations before appearing again, but when it does, it changes everything for the individual.”
“It is an unbelievably rare gift,” Vex added. “Out of trillions of people, there might only be one like you.”
“My father had this too?” Keira asked.
“No, he didn’t have it,” Chris said, “but your mother did. At least, we thought there was the possibility she did, or perhaps the correct word is the potential to use the gift.”
Keira knew so little about her mother, only that she was originally from Asherho. Her father had avoided the subject, as if it were painful and the marines had said even less. Was it because of this gift, curse, or whatever it was? Had they hidden it from her? Was there something to be feared from it?
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