by Scott Baron
“This will be fun!” Freya chirped like a giddy teen. “I can’t wait!”
“Well, it can wait just a minute longer, because I have something else for you.”
“You do? What is it?” the young AI asked, giddy with excitement.
“Hang on just a minute and I’ll show you,” Daisy said as she walked to the mech control system.
“See that, Daze? One minute she’s Freya, Odin’s powerful wife, ruler of Asgard, and the next she’s a bouncy kid. She’s maturing to be as much of an unstable freak as you are.”
You too, Sis. Runs in the family.
Sarah and Daisy shared a laugh over that one, while Daisy entered a command into the churning processor’s task queue.
“Okay, Freya, it’s going to take a little while to load, so I won’t be here when it does, but I want you to promise me you won’t go breaking anything.”
“Breaking anything? But how can I?”
Daisy smiled. “Because, when that system finishes cycling through all the reboots and updates, you’re going to have wireless control of that mech body over there.”
If a disembodied mind could squeal with delight, that would most accurately describe the sound that emanated from Freya’s speakers.
“Oh, Daisy! Thank you! Thank you!”
“It’s important for friends to look out for each other, and I want you to be happy,” she said, beaming at Freya’s excitement. “Now you have fun with it. I’ve got to get back to the base before they miss me. I know the captain wanted to revisit my notes on Earth.”
Freya’s voice grew serious. “You’re not going back to Earth and leaving me alone, are you?”
“No way. It’s dangerous, and there’s no reason for me to go back. I’ve already been, and let me tell you, it’s not like what you’ve been reading in your files anymore.”
“It isn’t?”
“No, it isn’t.” Daisy typed a few strokes into the terminal, allowing another stream of encrypted data to be accessed by her young friend. “I’ve just patched you in to the updated history of Earth, including the invasion and attack here on Dark Side. Everything from the war and subsequent attacks, their warp ships and fighters, even the comms they intercepted over the years. This way you’ll understand it all, and maybe understand why I want to keep you safe. But I want you to read it slowly. Learn to savor things and not rush them, okay?”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
“Good girl.”
“So you’re not leaving me and going back.”
“Not a chance. It would take a team of crack commandos to drag me back there.”
“Good.” Freya hesitated. “But it would be exciting, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, I suppose it would be exciting, only not in a good way,” Daisy replied. “Anyway, kiddo, I have to get going. Enjoy your reading, and have fun playing with the new mech body. We can fine-tune things when I get back.”
Daisy put her helmet on and stepped out through the airlock to start her long walk back. The moon rocks crunched silently beneath her thick boots as she left the secret base behind her.
“You know you’re going to have to tell the others about this place one of these days, right? There are only so many times you can fudge your training timetable and sneak EVAs before someone finally notices.”
“I know. I just hoped to maybe get a better fix on things beforehand, ya know?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“And I also still feel kind of reluctant to throw that poor girl into the fire with the other AIs. Sure, she’s a massively powerful computer, but what if the others gang up and bully her?”
“She’s a sweet kid, Daze, but I’m pretty sure she’ll be able to handle herself.” Her sister’s ghostly laughter echoed in her head.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking about you and Freya. You never much cared for kids, and hell, you straight-up dislike AIs.”
“Yeah, well this one’s mine. She’s different than the others. She’s special.”
The laughter only grew louder.
“Oh, listen to you. Such a mom thing to say. Classic!”
“Shut up,” Daisy grumbled with a little chuckle as she crossed the rocky field back to the distant airlock.
Chapter Seventeen
Vince refilled his glass of lemon water and sat back at the table with Daisy. She’d said she would eat with him, and she was nothing if not a woman of her word.
The conversation had actually flowed rather easily. She didn’t know if it was something subtly shifting in her interactions with him, or if maybe she’d blown off enough steam and relaxed her brain after all the shenanigans with Freya.
Amazing how that kid figures things out, she found herself marveling.
“So, I was saying, maybe we could catch a movie later if you’re game. I can even sit on the chair, if that makes you more comfortable,” Vince said.
Daisy chewed her pasta slowly as she considered the offer.
What the hell. It’s been a good day.
“Okay, you’re on. But I get to choose the movie.”
“All right, you’re the boss,” he joked. “Hey, did you hear about Donovan’s last scanning run?”
“No, what’s up?”
“Bob was trying a different wavelength descrambler, using a low-tech radio receiver, then cycling it back through the filters.”
“So, basically my idea.”
“Basically. Anyway, he decided to give it a shot, and when he passed over California, he heard something.”
“Something, as in more Chithiid comms?”
“Something as in what sounded like one of the old Earth backup broadcast signals,” he said, visibly excited. “It was just for a second. Sid and the other AIs are analyzing it now. But think of it, Daisy, if it really was a new broadcast and not just some automated beacon, that would confirm what you said about at least one city AI being functional.”
“Because those systems were only controlled on a city level, and if they were cut off before the infection spread, they could have remained uncompromised.”
“Precisely. If Sid can trace the general region, we should have a pretty good idea if it was the LA system you encountered, or if maybe it was one of the other cities in that region.”
“Well, I wish you luck,” she said, then went back to her meal.
“I know you have to be at least a little bit curious, Daze. This is the kind of stuff you used to live for,” Vince said, egging her on.
“Yeah, well, that was before my planet turned out to be some dystopian alien scrapyard.” She took a big swig from her electrolyte replacement drink. “Speaking of which, that gives me an idea for an appropriate movie for the evening.”
“Ooh, spill.”
“Nope, it’ll be a surprise, but I’m sure you’ll like it.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“I’m trembling in my boots,” she said, flashing an amused grin.
“I shouldn’t say anything, but––”
Then don’t.
“But you guys seem to be hitting a good stride again.”
Dream on, Sis. Dream on.
The rest of the meal consisted of excellent food and equally excellent banter, and by the time the two reached Daisy’s quarters, the ice had been broken considerably.
“Okay, you don’t have to sit on the chair,” Daisy said. “But no funny stuff!”
“Affirmative. Ceasing to be funny,” Vince joked as he flopped down beside her. “So, come on, what’s the movie?”
Daisy scrolled through her inventory and selected her feature presentation.
“I present to you, an old Earth classic, Blade Runner.”
“Which one?”
“The first one. And you’ve seen it already?”
“Daze, it’s a classic.”
“Figures you’d already have seen the movie about the artificial people,” she sighed. “Fine, I’ll choose another one.”
“No, I like thi
s movie. Let’s watch it.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, it’s beautifully filmed, and the whole noir feel to it holds up, even today.”
“My, my, Mr. Film Critic. Okay then. Blade Runner it is.”
The movie was halfway over, and Daisy was comfortably leaning against Vince out of habit, when the ship-wide comms keyed on.
“This is Commander Mrazich. I’m sorry to interrupt your downtime, but there’s been a development. I’d like to have all crew come to the mess hall in ten minutes. To be clear, this is not a base emergency. Your presence, however, is required. Thank you, and see you in ten.”
Daisy slid from her comfortable repose to her feet.
“Wonder what that’s all about.”
“Don’t know. Guess we’ll find out in a few minutes,” he said, rising and standing next to her.
She could feel his heat from the proximity, and for the briefest of moments, the memory of that warmth pressed against her flashed back into her memories, bringing a wistful smile to her lips.
Daisy turned to head to the door and bumped right into his chest.
“Sorry, I––”
He pulled her close and planted a kiss firmly on her lips. For a split second the rush of pleasure and endorphins threatened to overwhelm Daisy’s stubbornness, but soon enough, her brain quickly overcame instinct and she pushed him away.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Vince?” she said, opening the door and storming into the hallway.
“Come on, Daisy. I feel it, and I know you feel it too. We both know it’s still there. Why do you keep fighting your feelings?”
“There are no feelings.”
“Bullshit. We’re good together. I mean really good. You can’t deny it. That would have been quite a feat even when there was a world of people to choose from, but it’s even more impressive now that the only humans anywhere near Earth are a dozen people up on the moon, and you and I still clicked.”
Daisy walked faster down the corridor, hoping if she could just reach the mess hall and other people, Vince would let it go.
“Not happening, Vince. You’re a nice guy, but I’ve told you over and over, I’m not getting involved with a mechanical man.”
“And I’ve told you over and over, I’m not one.”
“Your body scans show otherwise.”
“Those same scans show that while I have some inorganic additions, I’m still a man. I have a heart, Daisy, and as much as it pains me, it still belongs to you.”
“Wow, laying it on a bit thick there, aren’t you?” she snarked at him. “Let me make this clear, since you can’t seem to accept the reality of this situation. There is no us. We are not a thing. Whatever may have been there was based on lies, and there’s nothing you can do to change the way I feel. You are a friend. Nothing more. Now either let it go, or stay away from me.”
Vince walked silently beside her, an angry vein pulsing in his temple.
“That’s really how you feel?”
“Yes! For fuck’s sake! Please stop being such a pain and just accept that.”
He swallowed hard, fighting to keep his eyes dry.
“As you wish,” he replied to her back as she paced off ahead of him, but his words did not mean what she thought they did.
“Okay, is that everyone?” Commander Mrazich said as he scanned the dozen people sitting together in the vast room designed for so many more. “Good to see you all. Sid, I’d like you to take point on this, if you would.”
“Certainly, Commander,” the disembodied voice said. “As you all have known for many months now, when Ms. Swarthmore was on Earth’s surface in the city of Los Angeles, she came across not only small work crews of Chithiid scavengers, but also a fully operational lower-tier artificial intelligence calling itself Habby. This AI, though rather eccentric after centuries with only his cyborg companions to keep him company, appeared to be uninfected by the AI virus that destroyed so many of our brothers and sisters.”
“Wait, he’s clean?” Daisy asked.
“Had he been infected, he would have either melted down or devolved into a babbling mess. This is where his design as a shopping facility assistant AI would have been apparent. Only AIs of the highest order could hope to survive the infection with any semblance of functionality, but if they did, the damage sustained in the process resulted in what could only be likened to computer madness. We know the city-sized AIs managed to sever comms links before the virus could infect them, and for years their auto-defenses kept the aliens in check, denying them a foothold. As such, the Chithiid changed their plans and began the process of mining and dismantling only disabled cities, and areas not covered by the defenses.”
I wonder if Freya is listening to this, Daisy wondered. Wouldn’t surprise me if she figured out how to tap into Dark Side’s comms by now.
“Up to this point, we have not known the status of any of the major AI systems on the planet, and it has been this way for as long as I have been functional,” Sid continued. “We have scanned and scanned, and early attempts at reaching active systems on the planet were made to no avail. We even landed ships and engaged the Chithiid, but contact with the AIs or even verification of their continued existence has been unobtainable. To make a bad moon base joke, we have been in the dark.”
“Oh, man,” Omar groaned. “That was bad, Sid.”
“Thank you, Omar. That was my intention.” It was the first time Daisy had ever heard the powerful AI make an attempt at levity.
I would have thought that a sense of humor was against his programming.
“But as you’ve recently learned, AIs can be quite surprising, right Mom?”
“Stop calling me that,” Daisy accidentally grumbled out loud.
“Yes, Daisy? Did you have something to add?” Sid asked.
“Uh, no, I mean, I guess, why don’t we just find a new planet? I know you all keep saying it would be near impossible, or the Chithiid would find it, but there’s a dozen people here. I get that you need to have a goal to build morale and whatnot, but this whole ‘reclaim Earth’ thing seems like a lost cause.”
“It’s not a lost cause,” Vince said, rising to his feet with an angry flush to his face. “It’s our home, and we are going to do whatever is necessary to take it back.”
“Come on, Vince. You know it’s not really our home. Never was. Not for any of us. We were all grown in fucking test tubes and fed a lie. And on top of that, you’re not even a real boy, no matter what the AI Geppetto in your head tells you.”
Vince’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, but he somehow calmed himself and sat quietly back down. His glare at Daisy spoke louder than any yelling he might have been tempted to do.
“What in the actual fuck, Daisy? That was not cool.”
He needs to face reality.
“Maybe so, but that doesn’t give you carte blanche to launch personal attacks at the guy. He had your back for the better part of a year. No matter what. Even after what you did to him. I’m sorry, but that was fucked up.”
Your opinion has been noted, Sarah.
Fatima quietly watched the entire exchange with a steady gaze.
“Sid, may I?”
“Please, Fatima. It would be my pleasure.”
She rose to her feet and spoke to the whole assembled group.
“We all know the reality of the situation on Earth, and thanks to the hard work of the AIs who brought our very species back from the brink of extinction, we have a chance to make a difference. Before you, Daisy,” she said, fixing her gaze on her troubling pupil, “we were operating on only the tiniest sliver of hope. But now we know at least one of the major cities is still alive. The defenses are not just automated and mindless. You gave us real proof, Daisy. A reason to hope, and that is something we hadn’t had in a long, long time.”
“One city?” Daisy replied. “That’s your big hope? One city? You didn’t see those things. What they could do. They have four arms and are far stro
nger than we are. You all keep telling me they track inorganics on the surface, so really, what hope could you possibly have had?”
“Are you done, Swarthmore?” Captain Harkaway growled.
She nodded.
“Good. Now shut up and listen. Sid and Mal have gone over the transmission Donovan brought back earlier today. The signal was genuine—an outdated radio wave-based technology that was linked to the oldest of emergency systems. We never would have thought to look for it, let alone have been able to hear it if not for some fresh and radical thinking. The receiver? It was based off of your ideas, Daisy. We wouldn’t have even had this confirmation without you, whether you like the idea or not.”
“What we hope to accomplish,” Commander Mrazich added, “is to access the underground pressurized tube system. Even if it isn’t functional, from what we observed during our retrieval op, the Chithiid scans don’t penetrate subterranean, so any personnel mods will not be detected from the surface.”
“Just one problem. Apart from me, everyone is sporting inorganic mods, and they’d almost certainly be sensed and picked off long before they could even make it underground.”
“You’re absolutely right, Daisy,” Reggie said. “Fortunately, thanks to you yet again, we have a way around that.”
He reached into a crate pulled up near his table and removed a heavily modified version of Daisy’s Faraday suit, originally designed to protect the wearer in the confines of the unprotected Narrows of the Váli’s crawlspaces. The amount of shielding on it had been increased, and Daisy realized there was actually a real possibility it would block any scans and make the wearer nearly invisible to the Chithiid.
“My suit. You modified the design.”
“Yep. Me and Gus and Chu got together and spent a few weeks working on taking your design up a notch. What do you think?” Reggie asked.
“I have to admit, it may be ugly, but it looks like a quality build,” she reluctantly agreed. “It won’t withstand a direct scan up close. I hope you know that. But for your purposes, it could work.”
