by J. N. Chaney
Fantastic.
I walked up to the trilobites, looked down, and sighed. Their bodies dripped with liquid, so much so that I could see a pool forming beneath them. Somewhere in there, that ooze contained three helmets, some gloves, a couple of rifles, and nearly half a boot.
Had a few more seconds gone by, that list would’ve included me, too.
A slight chill ran down my neck as I placed my foot on one of the machines, holding the wall for leverage.
Dressler, Abigail, and Octavia followed, one after the other. It took us about six minutes to make our way across the metal corpses, and I felt a swell of relief when I placed my foot back on solid ground.
Fuck these machines.
The return hike was faster, possibly because we knew where we were going and didn’t have to stay so cautious. More likely, though, was that we just wanted to spend less time surrounded by piles of deadly, terraforming killer robots. Either way, I was eager to check in on Sigmond’s progress with the other Cognitive. If anyone could give us a straight answer on what happened down here, I wagered it was her.
I kept a quicker pace than the others, although I couldn’t tell you why. My feet took to their own rhythm, almost automatically. All I could think about was getting answers out of Gaia.
A few hundred meters into the area with the pillars, Abigail hurried to get beside me. “Careful or you’ll leave the rest of us behind,” she said, almost jokingly.
“I’m just in a hurry,” I said.
“I don’t blame you, but at this pace your legs will give out before you make it halfway there.”
My eyes dropped to my foot and the exposed section of the boot. After a few seconds, I looked up again and sighed. “Fine,” I muttered, slowing my pace, almost in half.
She smiled. “Much better.”
I grunted, saying nothing.
The open section on my chest was cooler than the rest, now that Dressler had torn it open. She’d had no choice, thanks to the trilobite. The only way to get it off was to cut, so cut she had, essentially rendering the suit useless. Not that it mattered much, since I’d also lost my helmet, both gloves, and half my boot. The only reason I didn’t toss the rest of it was because I’d been in too much of a hurry to strip.
I stopped walking and unzipped the torso section, pulling my arms out. By the time Dressler and Octavia caught up, I’d thrown the suit on the floor, right beside a group of inactive trilobites.
I strapped my belt on my waist and holstered my empty pistol, breathing easier with the weight off.
It felt good to be free of the extra layer of clothing. The only problem was that the trilobites had eaten through both sets of boots. First, the environmental one, followed by the other pair inside. I decided to toss both sets of boots and go at it barefoot.
We resumed once I was done, and this time at a slower, easier pace.
Not long after I dumped the suit, Dressler jogged up behind us. “Captain, if you would,” she said, cracking the visor so we could hear her clearly. “I have a message from Alphonse regarding Gaia. He says that Sigmond’s repairs were a success, but they’re waiting to bring her online until we return.”
“It’s about damn time,” I grunted.
“Tell him we’re on our way,” said Abigail.
Dressler nodded, slowing her pace again to match Octavia as she proceeded to send the message.
“Sounds like Siggy was able to make some progress,” said Abigail, her voice a little lower as she walked beside me.
My eyes drifted to one of the nearby pillars as we passed it. The trilobites were still stuck to the surface, all the way to the top of the column, even though they’d been deactivated. “I’ll just be happy if we can get some answers out of her.”
“You think she’s intentionally hiding something?” asked Abigail. “We’ve never known a Cognitive to do that.”
I thought about using Hephaestus as an example, but that was hardly fair. He’d gone through total mental degradation, according to Athena. He’d been operating on his most basic directive, never thinking like a person. A normal Cognitive wouldn’t be like that, and I knew better than to argue otherwise. “Maybe she’s not hiding the truth on purpose. Maybe someone else found a way to break her.”
“You still believe there’s a saboteur at work here?” she asked.
I nodded. “Every time something goes wrong, someone else is responsible. The Union, the Sarkonians, Hephaestus. There’s always a knife at our throats, waiting to make the kill. That’s how the universe works.”
“And you think that’s happening again,” she continued.
“I’ve seen too much of it to think anything else, Abby.” I thumbed the butt of my empty pistol in my holster. “I told you before, there’s too much going on for it to be a coincidence, and we both know the Union wouldn’t sit by and let us alone, not for too long. Somehow, they’re responsible. I haven’t pieced it all together yet, but I can see the gears in the clock. I know they’re responsible.”
She was quiet after that, lowering her eyes as we walked. I knew I probably sounded a little crazy, but better that than sorry. You had to keep your eyes open and assume the worst, always looking over your shoulder. Maybe they’d call me paranoid but fuck it.
My paranoia would keep the rest of them alive.
NINETEEN
When we entered the atrium, I noticed a pile of metal sheets and broken parts sitting in the middle of the floor. “That’s new,” I said, walking over to the two of them.
They were standing near the computer console, little piles of metal behind them. Alphonse, still wearing his suit, gave me an easy nod. “Sigmond suggested we manually extract the corrupted data drives and replace them.”
“Replace them?” asked Dressler, walking up behind me. She bent down beside Alphonse and examined the pile. “Where did you pull the new ones?”
Verne answered this time. “There’s another control room, not far from here, back inside the city area. It’s powered down, but there Sigmond uploaded the coordinates to our map.”
“I see,” said the doctor. “Do we know if extracting those drives will have a negative impact on the Capsule?”
A swirl of gold light appeared suddenly before us, quickly forming the image of a Cognitive we all recognized. “Rest assured, Doctor, that only the nonessentials were moved,” replied Sigmond, finally turning to me. He smiled. “Ah, Captain! You’ve returned at last.”
“Siggy,” I greeted. “Been busy, have ya?”
“A bit, sir, yes. I’m relieved to say that Gaia is finally operational again, although—” He frowned, looking at the console beside him. “—I was unable to fully restore all of her faculties.”
“Even with the replacement parts?” asked Octavia.
“Gaia is missing large segments of her memory, due to corrupted data inside the deteriorated drives. Due to the damage, I am unable to recover all of her memories, though I have made quite the effort.”
“Any luck?” I asked.
He smiled. “Oh, yes, sir! Approximately twenty-five percent of the missing information has been restored, I’m proud to say.”
“That’s it?” asked Abigail.
“You’re lucky we got that much,” said Alphonse.
“But that hardly seems like enough,” she said.
“I assure you, Ms. Pryar, twenty-five percent is quite substantial, all things considered,” replied Sigmond. “Would you like me to bring her online?”
I took a step forward. “Hold on, Siggy. Did you find any signs of tampering while you were in there?”
“Tampering, sir?” he asked.
“Did you get the impression that someone sabotaged this Cognitive or her equipment?”
Sigmond tilted his head ever so slightly. “Not that I could find, sir. If you could be more specific, however, I would be more than happy to assist.”
I waved my hand at him. “Forget it. Let’s just see what she has to say.”
“Very well, sir.”
“Gaia,” I finished. “We’ve had this dance before, lady. Skip ahead to the part where you tell us what the hell happened here and why we just had to shut down your little terraforming death machines.”
She tilted her head, looking at Sigmond. “Excuse me, but are you a Cognitive as well?”
“I am, indeed,” answered Sigmond. “In a manner of speaking, that is.”
“Excellent. I’m afraid I do not fully grasp the situation. I would greatly appreciate it if you would transfer the necessary data to me directly.” She smiled. “To save time, of course.”
“Necessary data?” asked Octavia. “What does she mean?”
Gaia turned to her. “Cognitives can share large sums of information in less time than it would take to say a single sentence. It is far more efficient than having one of you explain the situation.”
“I’m not sure if that was an insult or not,” commented Abigail.
“I assure you, I meant no disrespect,” said Gaia.
I shot a quick glance at Sigmond. “Can you do that?”
He nodded. “I believe so, sir. Please, give me a moment.”
Sigmond froze briefly in place, flickering for only a moment and finally solidifying. The entire process only took a few seconds.
“Transfer complete,” said Sigmond.
Gaia had been motionless the whole time, taking even longer before she moved again. When she did, she had a knowing look on her face. “I see,” she finally said, looking directly at me. “So, your name is Captain Jace Hughes and we have already met. Is that right?”
I nodded.
“I must apologize for my previous behavior. It seems my faculties are not what they once were. Thank you for seeing to my repairs, all of you.”
“We were happy to help,” said Alphonse.
“Do you know why you lost your memories?” I asked, hoping for something more than vague responses and ignorance. “There’s plenty of folks who’d love to see this place harmed.”
“Based on my analysis, I believe the cause is due to environmental exposure, particularly moisture, occurring approximately three hundred and sixty years ago. The Capsule is required to compartmentalize any damage, limiting its rate of exposure, thus securing most of my systems, but not without first taking serious damage to my storage drives. A pity, truly, as it also prevented me from fully coming online when the needed activation protocol initiated.”
I shifted my weight as she gave the explanation. That basically confirmed what Sigmond had told me earlier—that there had been no sabotage, only natural damage. Still, even hearing it now, I couldn’t put the doubt out of my mind. “Is there a chance you’re wrong about that?”
“Of course,” she said without hesitation. “There is always a chance that the unlikeliest of possibilities is proven true, despite the evidence to the contrary.”
Dressler stepped forward, her arms crossed. “If we might table this discussion for a while, I would very much like to ask you a question of my own.”
“Of course, Doctor Dressler,” said the Cognitive. “I shall try my best to assist you.”
“Very well,” said the doctor. “First, what exactly is this place? Why is there a city surrounding the core of the world? Is it to coordinate and assist in the terraforming process?”
“All excellent questions. I would be happy to assist you in—”
Gaia froze in place, totally still. The rest of us stood there for several seconds, just staring at her, not knowing what to think. “Uh…hello?” asked Verne. “Gaia?”
“I think you broke her,” said Abigail, looking at Dressler.
“Oh, dear,” said Sigmond. “It seems she attempted to access her memories again. The problem still does not seem to be fully resolved. I may have declared victory too quickly.”
I reached out and swept a finger across Gaia’s face, going through her and causing the hard light to collapse and reform. As I lowered my hand, she flashed back into a hardened state, fully formed, and then blinked. “—your inquiry,” she finally finished. “Unfortunately, a detailed search has only revealed partial information.”
Abigail and I looked at each other, then at Sigmond, both of us with confused looks on our faces.
Sigmond raised his finger. “Gaia, my dear, it seems you are still malfunctioning.”
“Malfunctioning?” she asked.
The two Cognitives froze temporarily.
“I see,” resumed Gaia. “I must say, this is certainly problematic. A simple search of my files is enough to disrupt my entire matrix. I must apologize, everyone.”
“It’s okay,” said Abigail. “None of this is your fault.”
“Well, it might be,” said Verne. “She doesn’t know what she’s done or hasn’t done.”
“Can you at least tell us how to power on that city out there?” I asked. “Might do us some good to have the lights going.”
“Without activating the trilobites, of course,” added Abigail.
I nodded. “Right.”
“I can do that,” said Gaia. “At least, I think I can.”
She sounded unsure of herself in a way I’d never seen a Cognitive be—a blank stare and vacant eyes. It was a little too human for my liking. I preferred to have my Cognitives in better working order.
“Should we be concerned about you?” asked Octavia.
“I don’t know,” said Gaia. “I don’t think so. All control actions should be fully functional, despite the gaps in my memory.”
I looked at Sigmond, raising my brow. “Is that right?”
He nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“It will take several minutes for the process to begin,” informed Gaia. “I will need to run a system check and power on the main reactors. Shall I proceed?”
I weighed the options, trying to decide whether we should let this broken Cognitive follow through with the command or not. With so many gaps in her brain, there was a risk she might break again. At the same time, if she couldn’t do something as simple as turn on the damn lights, what good was she?
“Alright, then, Gaia,” I conceded. “Let’s see what you can do. Siggy, I want you monitoring her, if you can. Don’t let her do anything stupid, like blow the Earth up. You follow?”
“Always, sir,” replied Sigmond. “Should the planet get destroyed, I shall attempt to warn you a few seconds beforehand. You have my word.”
TWENTY
We made our way through the outer hall, towards the landing pad where the shuttle was still waiting. All around us, the ancient towers hung like stalactites from the encompassing ground, each one pointing to the center of the empty core.
Abigail activated the door to the shuttle and stepped inside, returning shortly with a fresh environmental suit and a pair of boots in her hands. She placed them near the shuttle door and gave me a look that suggested I’d better get dressed if I knew what was good for me.
I didn’t argue. If something went wrong, it would do me well to have the extra protection. Not just the oxygen, but the layer of armor, too.
While I was busy getting dressed, Abby went back inside and retrieved a couple of helmets—one for her and one for Octavia. She also managed to grab a couple of sidearms to replace the rifles lost during our skirmish with the trilobites.
I slipped my gloves and boots on, then sealed the helmet, securing the suit. The HUD activated on the visor, showing the facility map as well as the different comm channels available. “Everyone able to hear me?” I asked, once we all had our
suits secured.
A few thumbs-up and yes sirs.
I sat down on the side of the ship, beneath the doorway. Abigail did the same. She pinched my thigh, then motioned at her visor and gave me the sign to switch channels.
When I did, she said, “How’s that one feel?”
“Needs to be worn in, I think,” I answered with a smirk. “Maybe give it a few jobs. Last one had to take a beating before it felt right.”
“I’m sure it will get there,” she laughed.
She handed me a fresh set of bullets for my pistol. I smirked and took them, drawing my gun. “Thanks,” I said as I reloaded. “I know you probably think I’m crazy for still thinking there’s someone coming for us. Hell, you’re probably right.”
“I don’t think that,” she said, but kept her eyes on the ground.
“Don’t you?” I asked.
“Shall I be honest?” she asked.
“Aren’t you always?”
She smiled, then nodded. “I think you’ve spent a lot of time looking over your shoulder. It’s something you’re used to doing, something you’ve had to do in order to survive, and it’s a mindset that has kept you alive. It’s kept us alive.” She motioned to the others, who were talking amongst themselves, oblivious to our conversation. “I would never tell you to stop being who you are, because you have all the right instincts.”
“Instincts that were wrong today,” I countered.
“Maybe,” she admitted. “But you still accomplished the mission. You saved the colony. Does it matter if the one responsible wasn’t a human being with ill-intent, but rather a malfunctioning computer system? Either way, you fixed the problem.”
I let her words linger, trying to process them. She had a point. The feeling I’d had about something being wrong with this world, something beyond the trilobites gathering beneath our colony, had been right, more or less, but I’d taken it a step further and assumed our enemies had found a way to sabotage us. It had been a leap in logic, beyond instinct or simple reason.
It was nothing short of delusional.
