"Funny the aliens didn't mention that before," Mallory grumbled.
"Even if you by some miracle gained entrance into the sphere, our advisors believe the odds are minuscule that you'd be able to either destroy it from within or alter its course. And while neither the Alphas or Zetis issued a clear warning, our people feel that any further aggression against the sphere might trigger a response directed against Earth itself. Purely speculative, but they think it likely that the alien AIs would be capable of tracing your origins back to this planet.
Colonel Hurtle smiled sourly and shook his head.
"I know it sucks, but that's where it stands as of now. Command is abandoning all attempts to stop the sphere, with the blessings of our President and those in the Shadow State. We're gonna ride this one out. Thanks to you, a much larger chunk of humanity will survive the encounter with the significantly reduced sphere.
"Again, Command and I personally thank you for your extraordinary service. And I know the people of Earth would shower you with accolades and a ticker-tape parade, if only they knew." His sour smile returned. "But your part in this is over, my friends. Captain Cameron, it's time to come home."
His holograph evaporated. The crew sat, stunned. They'd been expecting the order, but not the part about the Alphas and Zetis – and especially not the part about canceling future missions against Animus. Until that moment, Zane hadn't believed that Command would ever give up and that the brilliant minds in its employ wouldn't pursue the problem relentlessly until a solution was found.
"They're not even going to let us try?" Mallory growled incredulously. "Because of some bullshit religious shrine? Because the aliens who built Animus – who the Alphas themselves said had left eons ago – might do something to Earth? So we're gonna let billions of people die on their say-so?"
"Well, in all fairness, we do have some evidence that they will strike back against someone who has harmed the sphere." Dan spoke with an evident lack of zeal.
"We also have evidence that it takes a lot to provoke them," said Andrea. "They didn't kill us, and they could have. And we don't have any evidence that any of the Guardians headed toward Earth."
"It's all just speculation," said Mallory. "Except the part that billions of people are gonna die. So I say we base our decisions on that."
"Are you suggesting we go against a direct order?" asked Malcolm.
"Command's just being a fucking pussy."
Dan's chuckle was thin. "You think avoiding a possible interstellar war's being a pussy?"
"Like I said, how does 'possible' stand up against 65% of the human race dying?"
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Andrea said, "but I think I agree with Mallory. This is bullshit. You don't turn your back on billions of people because of an unknown possibility."
"I agree," Dana murmured.
During the lull that followed, they were all regarding Zane. He cleared his throat.
"What are your thoughts, Patricia?"
She stirred on her seat, appearing lost in thought. "I think the risk of reprisal is minimal. The alien machines practiced restraint. Their response was proportional. I rate the probability that any Guardians remain in the sphere as 33%. There is no evidence that they possess superluminal modes of transportation, though they might. As Chief Security Officer David Mallory put it, we are only guessing about the threat. For what it's worth, I estimate the threat to be 2% that any forces within - or associated with – Animus would respond with lethal force against Earth. That would be irrational, and no irrational civilization could build Animus."
"If they're so rational and benevolent," said Andrea, "why would they build something that passed by an inhabited planet every few thousand years and devastate its populace?"
"Presumably that didn't happen before the collision," said Dan. "My hunch is that Animus's orbit near Earth was intentional, for observational or colonization purposes – but before the collision it passed by a safe distance away."
"How do you feel about this, Malcolm?" Zane asked.
"Regarding another mission on Animus? At the risk of being repetitive, that would be a direct violation of our orders. We could be stripped of rank, court-martialed, or worse."
"Oh my God! A demotion!" Mallory covered his mouth in mock horror. "Better to let two-thirds of the human race fry!"
Malcolm's smile had a sickly edge. "Well, there is also the chance, however small, that some force originating in Animus could seek to harm Earth in reprisal."
"Who says we'll do anything that would even risk a reprisal?" Dana asked. "It's not as if asking permission to enter amounts to an attack. We're not talking about doing anything to harm Animus now."
"Good point," said Mallory. "What do you say, Cap?"
Everyone turned to Zane. He had no doubt what he was going to do, but too much was at stake for him to rush into anything. He had to at least go through the motions of thoughtful consideration. He turned to Patricia.
"What's the status of the Journeyer's weapons systems?"
"Its weapon systems are fully online," said Patricia. "So is impulse propulsion."
"Move it ten thousand klicks toward Earth. SC1 drive." Zane paused for any last objections to materialize in his head. When none did, he nodded to her. "When it's ten thousand klicks out, park it and send the message."
"Yes, sir."
"Hear, hear!" Mallory cheered him. He reached across and exchanged a high-five with Andrea.
The Journeyer passed in a blur on their left. A holograph of Animus's black sphere bloomed in the cabin's foredeck. Seven minutes passed.
"The Journeyer is now parked ten thousand klicks from us, Captain."
"Send the message."
"Communication initiated, on repeat every ten seconds," said Patricia.
Animus hung, silent and bleak, in the nest of stars. Seconds passed. Then a minute.
"Open, sesame," Dan murmured.
The holograph zoomed in on the northwest portion of the planet. Zane thought he could make out a small dark circle, distinct from the surrounding surface only by its lack of reflected stars.
"Aperture opening in northwest quadrant."
"Yes!" Mallory hissed.
"Aperture is circular. Diameter 1.14 kilometers. Depth is unclear. A bend five hundred kilometers down suggests a spiral-shaped ingress tube."
"We could fly a destroyer class vessel into it," said Andrea. "Assuming the bend is gradual."
"Only one way to find out." Eagerness electrified Mallory's voice.
"We have one flight reconnaissance probe remaining," said Zane. "Patricia, send it into the aperture, as far as it goes."
"Yes, Captain." A brief pause. "Probe launched."
The holograph switched to the probe's perspective as it rapidly approached the sphere's surface. The dark circle swelled and then swallowed the probe in an expansive embrace. Infrared, fluorescent, and conventional light illuminated the air within the broad tunnel.
"Speed, 3500 KPH," Patricia stated softly.
Another image appeared on one side of the holograph: the sphere with a red dot representing the probe and a glowing yellow line representing the tunnel as mapped thus far. The tunnel extended as the probe wound its way downward in what was proving, as Patricia guessed, to be a gently curving spiral.
"Estimated arrival at sphere's center, assuming no resistance: 4.62 hours. I'm repeating the opening request code every ten seconds to prevent a possible automatic closure of the tunnel."
"Man," said Dan. "I can't believe it was that easy."
Four hundred kilometers in, Patricia announced that the probe was detecting what appeared to be diverging chambers.
"Ignore them for now," said Zane. "Keep it going as far as it can go."
The probe's red dot slowly circled back on itself on the side-representation while images from the tunnel whizzed by.
"Amazing," said Dan. "The signal doesn't seem to be diminishing at all. The photon packets are bouncing around the bend without any mea
surable loss of energy."
"Lucky for us," said Malcolm.
They took a break from staring at the holograph, which remained in place. Zane and Mallory traded places on the MRM for an hour before retreating into the decompression docking chamber for a half-hour of full-contact Jiu-Jitsu and Tae-kwon-do – made possible by their internal NDs. Though they were about the same size and musculature, Mallory had the slight upper hand as usual, but for the most part Zane, a mere ex-Ranger, held his own.
Afterward, Zane made himself nap in his room with the lights out, letting the nanites work on his bruises and sore muscles.
He and the crew converged on the holograph minutes before the probe was estimated to reach the center of Animus.
"Tunnel appears to be terminating in a chamber 2142 kilometers below the surface," Patricia announced. The probe's telemetric array shifted to the left, illuminating a large area filled with countless objects that were difficult to discern at first. "Chamber is rectangular, measuring fifteen by ten kilometers, occupied by what appear to be space craft."
Patricia's comments ended on what Zane thought was an oddly puzzled note. The cause for her hesitation loomed ahead of the probe's cameras: a huge, brown and red multi-segmented ship that looked like it was assembled from mutant Lego pieces.
"The Peacemaker," Andrea whispered.
Zane had the sense of stepping off the last step on a staircase – only to find a depthless abyss under his feet. He wasn't sure if the whoosh of breath was his own or his crew's or oxygen rushing out of another hull breach.
"So that's where it went," Mallory said. "The little cockroaches must've dragged it here."
"Any life signatures in the ship or nearby?" Zane asked.
"No," said Patricia.
"Zoom in through the Peacemaker's bow windows," said Zane.
The probe maneuvered in a smooth burst to the fore section of the ship. The large front windows afforded a clear view of the bridge and central cabins area. No bodies. Zane breathed out.
"They took them," said Mallory. "They could still be alive in there somewhere."
"I'm counting on that," said Zane.
"And Command was just going to have us slink back home." Mallory's voice brimmed with contempt.
"Take a look at the nearby space ships or whatever they are," said Zane.
The probe flew obediently past the Peacemaker toward rows of craft that looked to Zane like insects that had been molded into vehicles: towering, metallic, gleaming wasps and scorpions with articulated limbs and glowering pupils for windows.
"I hope we brought some bug spray," Andrea muttered.
"Or a big fucking flyswatter," Mallory grunted. "The place looks like a giant hangar. There must be thousands of ships like these in here."
"Approximately 7,344," said Patricia.
A cluster of objects appeared in the distance, glowing palely in the projected infrared light, expanding into a dark, writhing cloud.
"Guardians." Patricia's voice was eerily calm. "Approaching at 1500 KPH."
They swirled toward the cameras like a storm of locusts. The holograph went black. Everyone stood as if frozen in a diorama. Then Zane dropped his head, taking a deep breath. The sense of stepping into an abyss was back.
"So they let the probe in but then destroyed it?" he asked.
"I believe the probe was asked for an identification code before they struck it with some form of energy weapon," said Patricia. "I didn't respond quickly enough."
Zane straightened up and faced her reluctantly. "Do you know the identification code?"
"I'm working on it." Patricia/Keira's eyes assumed a faraway look. "I have two possible candidates. I believe one has a probability of success of roughly 57%."
No one spoke. Mallory's derisive snort lacked feeling.
"I scanned part of the Peacemaker's bridge and forward cabin area," said Patricia. "I detected no blood residue or signs of violence."
"So they took them non-violently."
"I rate that as likely, sir. They brought the ship there instead of destroying it. My guess is that they wished to study the ship and its inhabitants intact."
"Do you still think the Guardians are just intelligent machines? I'm asking because if they can think and use language we might be able to reason with them."
"Their communications do not follow conventional language patterns," said Patricia. "They appear to be complex signals and codes, and their behaviors suggest a complex program rather than independent thinking." She offered Zane a smile. "I know something about that."
"Could we turn them off?" Dan asked.
"Or tell them to fuck off?" Mallory added.
"If I've correctly identified their friend or foe signals."
"I don't sense any malevolence in their actions," said Dana. "I think they're just following their program to defend their turf."
Dan was stroking his chin. "The question then is: Are their owners at home or are they long gone?"
"If they're at home," said Mallory, "why wouldn't they talk to us?"
"Exactly," said Dan. "And the Alphas seemed to have confirmed that – at least by Command's interpretation. So, bottom line, we're being held hostage by a bunch of mindless machines following ancient orders." Dan glanced at Patricia. "No offense to machines intended."
"Since I'm not a mindless machine, why would I be offended?"
"So what the hell are they doing with Horse and his crew?" asked Mallory.
No one replied.
"And if we go down there to rescue them," said Dan, "my understanding is that the 57% odds of having the correct response to their code represents the probability of us coming back alive?"
"Yes," said Patricia. "Perhaps somewhat less, because of other risks."
"So we got about a fifty-fifty chance of coming back," said Mallory.
"By my calculations, yes."
"Sounds good to me."
"You've been drinking, I take it?" Andrea snorted.
Zane turned back to Patricia. "Is the tunnel still open?"
"Yes, sir."
Zane faced the others. "Does anyone have an objection against going down there and under these odds?"
"Does 'I don't want to die' count as an objection?" asked Dan.
"I'd say it counts as proof you're sane." Zane offered his crew a grim smile. "Aside from wanting to live, does anyone have an objection?"
"What choice do we have?" Mallory asked. "We've gone this far. You know we have to try to rescue Horse and his crew."
"Does David speak for the rest of you?"
"For the record," said Malcolm, "in my opinion, disobeying a direct order and then proceeding with a course of action having only a fifty percent chance of success is not only reckless – it borders on insane."
"And here I was starting to have some doubts," Mallory laughed.
"I am willing to ferry you over to the Journeyer, Malcolm," said Zane. "I'm not going to ask you to go against your conscience."
"More like his selfish chickenshit," said Mallory. "What do our lives or Command's orders matter versus all those people?"
"I'm inclined to agree," said Zane. "But this mission is going to be a 'coalition of the willing.' I'm making it an all-volunteer operation. So again, Malcolm, I'm offering you and anyone else who wants it a free pass to the Journeyer. You might even get a medal of commendation if we crash and burn."
Malcolm shook his head and made a skeptical noise.
"I'm volunteering," said Andrea.
"I am, too," said Dana. "This is bigger than us or even Command."
Dan sighed. "For the record, I'm completely chickenshit, but count me in."
They all waited on Malcolm, who appeared to be squirming under their stares.
"I won't lie," he said. "I very much want to take you up on your offer to sit this one out, Captain. The problem is, I agree with all of you. This is bigger than us, and I'm going to set my primitive survival instincts aside for the greater good. I'm with you."
"
Thank you, Malcolm." Zane stood up. "Then I think we need to do this right now, before the tunnel closes or something else happens."
"We could bring the Journeyer with us," said Mallory. "That's a lot of firepower, in case the cockroaches don't like Patty's answer."
"That didn't help us before." Zane shook his head. "We're not going down there with that mindset, David. The 'cockroaches' don't react well to aggression."
"And if they don't accept our I.D.?"
"They still might not kill us. But if we get into a firefight with them, that's pretty much guaranteed. So try to channel your inner peacenik. That's an order."
"Right on, Captain dude."
Zane gave him a droll smile and then nodded to Andrea. "Take us down there as fast as you can."
"Yes, sir."
The crew returned to their operational stations. Zane dropped down in the captain's chair. Patricia stood beside him, watching the holograph trace their flight toward the aperture. Zane had a disturbing image of the aperture closing at the last moment. They'd never have time to brake.
But the tunnel didn't close. They plunged into the sphere at 14000 KPH. Even at that speed it would take them over an hour to reach the alien "hangar." Zane expected it to be one of the longest hours of his life.
It did feel that way at first. Then the end of their journey was approaching far too fast. Within minutes, their lives could be over. Or they could get to the bottom of the sphere's mysteries and save their people. It was do or die - quite literally.
They braked for the last two hundred kilometers down to a slow glide into the alien hangar. Ahead, the Peacemaker filled both the forward windows and the holograph – the first in a row of ships extending as far as they could see.
"Checking Peacemaker for operational capability," Patricia said. "Antimatter containment chambers are missing. No NDs present."
"It's not going anywhere," said Dan. "What can you tell us about the alien ships?"
"They appear to be made of the same exotic matter that composes the sphere core. Telemetry can't penetrate its surface. Size ranges between an estimated 44 to 73 cubic meters."
Animus Intercept Page 9
