by Scott Baron
“Does that make me your sister, then?” she asked, half-joking.
Craaxit smiled.
“Not quite. And besides, you have a much better singing voice than my sister,” he said with a wink.
A calm fell upon the space as the two of them enjoyed a much-needed respite from their daily reality and sang together. Human and Chithiid quietly sharing a meal and a blossoming friendship. Soon enough, they would be put to the test, but for the moment, they let themselves enjoy a brief respite of calm before the approaching storm.
After several repetitions, the song finally ended, and Daisy found she had managed to commit it to memory in its entirety, though she’d have to work at the unusual pronunciation before she’d be truly comfortable forming the words.
“Not bad, for a fleshy little human,” Craaxit joked.
“Thanks. That means a lot coming from a tough-hided, off-key beast of an alien,” she replied with a laugh.
“It is my pleasure,” he said with a deep chuckle as he rose to his feet and tossed the waste from their meal into a small sack for disposal. He then sat back down to discuss the other matters at hand.
“Now, tell me. What news do you bring? How was your excursion?”
Daisy turned serious.
“I have unexpected developments revealed by the newly reconnected AI network. It seems the Ra’az have been lying to your people. Tokyo is only one of three communications hubs used to link with the fleet and the homeworld.”
“No, this is not possible. We have long known that––”
“What you have known was a trick. A lie. The Ra’az have fed your people that falsehood for hundreds of years as a safety after the assaults of the prior century. If we attack only Tokyo, the other two will still broadcast. I was told this by the greatest strategy computer ever built on this world. Fortunately, so long as they are not on high alert, we should be able to reach them before they have the chance to transmit.”
Craaxit was silent a long moment as he registered what she had said.
“Then we must alter our plans,” he finally replied. “The Ra’az have increased readiness at all facilities. My contacts do not know the reason behind it, but if what you say is accurate, then the high alert you speak of may already be in place.”
“Oh, this is not good,” Daisy said. “Not good at all.”
“No, it is not. I will have to speak with my people once more. This is what I wanted to inform you of. Those I trust have been quietly approaching members of our kind in positions of authority. A growing number of Chithiid are willing to turn against the Ra’az, but only if they can be certain so doing only jeopardizes their own lives, not those of their families on our homeworld. Where are these other two stations located?”
“Sydney and New York,” she replied. “But we have means to destroy them all at once, but only if they do not see us coming.”
“How is this possible? Your planet does not possess such weaponry.”
“Actually, it does,” she said, allowing herself the tiniest of smiles. “That same powerful military AI is now capable of launching the hypersonic missiles rendered dormant by the initial AI virus attack. The Ra’az will not be expecting them, and the stations will be destroyed before they know what hit them.”
“Then if we can divert their attention at those facilities long enough to allow you to strike, the uprising will be a success!” Craaxit exclaimed.
“Yes, but not so fast. We have a problem in San Francisco.”
“The warp research labs we spoke of?”
“Exactly. It looks like they will have the new warp devices functional within the week.”
“So soon?” Craaxit said, alarmed. “If they achieve this, all will be lost, for both my people and yours.”
“I know. So tell me, my friend, can your people get us into that facility? Or if not, can they at least sabotage the warp ships’ ability to launch?”
Craaxit thought hard, his brow furrowed as he contemplated. “This will require informing a greater number of my people, and there is a risk in that. They will be afraid. Afraid of the battle stations that orbit our planet receiving warning and wiping out our cities and children with ease.”
“This is why we must stop the ships. If comms are severed, and ships are contained, then we have a plan that will do more than just free your world and mine.”
“Oh?” the stoic alien replied, genuinely surprised.
“We believe we have found a way to eliminate the influence of the Ra’az homeworld entirely. With them no longer directing the fleet, it will fall into disarray.”
Craaxit looked pensive, but a glimmer of hope shone through.
“I will do all I can, Daisy. Allow me to make inquiries. Let us meet here tomorrow at the same time.”
Daisy made a beeline for the nearest command room as soon as she entered the transit hub tunnels.
“Cal, your direct comms line to Colorado is functional, yes?”
“It is, though, as we discussed, since I was the first terrestrial contact with a dedicated line, and we are both verifiably not infected, the kill switches are not yet installed. That really does need to be done, Daisy.”
“I know, but time is kind of important here, and the moon-to-NORAD wireless delay makes it really hard for non-AI to communicate. Can you patch me through to Joshua, please?” Daisy asked.
“Certainly. Might I ask what you have learned?”
“It looks like our Chithiid ally has been a busy boy. We have a growing number of resistance fighters just waiting for the opportunity to rise up.”
“This is excellent news.”
“Yeah, but it’s also going to take some careful coordination.”
“As one would expect of so grand a venture. I have Joshua tied in, now. Sid and Mal have also linked in, though they will receive this on a delay. Please continue,” Cal said.
“Hi, Joshua.”
“Hello, Daisy. This is an unexpected bit of discourse. All’s well, I assume?”
“Not really,” she answered. “I have learned from my inside man that the Ra’az have placed all facilities on a higher level of alert.”
“I was afraid this might occur. This means we’ll need a way to bypass their heightened defensive posturing quickly enough to achieve our goals. I mean, the missiles are hypersonic, after all, but even so, this will require something more.”
Daisy thought a moment.
“How big of a delay in their systems would you need to thread your missiles through that needle and make the strike?
“Given the distance of the nearest silos I will launch from, the range of their scans based on what other AI have noted across the globe, as well as the average speed of the missiles, which cover roughly three miles per second, I estimate a six point six-seven second delay should suffice.”
A plan was forming in Daisy’s mind. She only wondered if Craaxit had the resources to pull it off.
“What if you used a smaller missile? One that would destroy the comms array but not the entire facility itself?”
“Why would you suggest––ah, I see,” Joshua said. “You wish to have your Chithiid ally utilize men on the inside to alter the readouts long enough for the strike to occur.”
“Yep. But we can’t go blowing up our allies. Even more so if I have to send some of our own people to help carry out this new phase of the plan. So no blowing up our people, right?”
“Of course. In addition to poor tactics in this situation, it would also be just plain rude.”
“I’ll need to see what Craaxit can do. They have limited weapons, but we have explosives. A few small, carefully timed explosions could cause a temporary power outage that would give you the needed window of opportunity.”
“And that type of attack would also shift suspicion to outside forces, given the Chithiid’s lack of those types of devices.”
“Exactly. We keep our inside men, and take out the comms arrays. Win-win.”
“See what you can do, Daisy. I’ll ca
lculate trajectories in anticipation of your man saying yes.”
“Okay. I’ll see what he can do. How about your comms? It looks like we’ll really need them up and running for this to work.”
“The teams are making excellent time reconnecting my external comms hubs, though one or two of them have been a bit spotty. I’ll have to give them a proper once-over when this is all finished.”
“No sign of the virus there?”
“No, this appears to be purely mechanical in nature. As a branch of my main data lines are temporarily routed through that segment while we reconnect systems, you may rest assured, there are extra precautions there. If I sense any potential hint of infection, I will sever those lines immediately.”
“But how quickly would you be able to––”
“With explosives,” he added.
“Well. Okay, then,” Daisy said with more than a hint of amusement.
“Joshua does not fuck around,” Sarah said, laughing.
No, Daisy agreed. That he does not.
“So, let me fill you guys in on what I’ve learned,” she said to the listening walls.
For the next thirty minutes, Daisy and the biggest brains on the planet and its satellite discussed the other things she had learned about the Chithiid forces, developments in San Francisco, and the progress of the teams reconnecting hardline communications as they spread farther across the globe.
The comms delay was an annoying, but necessary, precaution, and the AIs did a great job of relaying and condensing information for Daisy to keep things moving along.
“It has been slow going, on occasion,” Sid said. “But Shelly’s team has had great success to the south. Omar has been a bit less fortunate in the African regions,” he noted.
“To be fair, that outcome was expected,” Mal chimed in.
“This is true. A great many of the cities in that region were infected and overrun. His team is currently adjusting course and moving toward Eastern Europe. And Joshua, if I am not mistaken, Reggie and Finn’s team had contact with a Chithiid squad in Rome, but nevertheless managed to reconnect with the Vatican AI.”
“That is correct, Sid. It was a most eventful incident, but with some surprising support, the team managed to reach the Vatican. Though we do not know what forces came to their aid, it would appear there is a new player helping our cause.”
“Wait a minute,” Daisy said. “New player? What happened?”
“Finnegan’s team fell under sniper fire shortly after arriving in Rome and was pinned down. With additional Chithiid approaching, their options were rather limited, when a counter-sniper––with a truly impressive shot, I might add––took out the enemy sniper, freeing them to fully engage and destroy the remaining forces.”
“Anyone know who he was?”
“No. He vanished as soon as the team was free to engage the enemy. It does, however, appear he may have been some previously unknown model of cybernetic organism. Finn reported that they caught sight of what appeared to be a matte-black or gray arm exposed from beneath its covering.”
“So not a human.”
“It would appear not.”
“Yet someone. Something, is on our side? And it might not even be of human origin?” Daisy mused. “Curiouser and curiouser.”
The faint sound of Joshua’s distinct chuckle warmed the air.
“A rose is still a rose, even when hidden beneath different petals,” he replied.
The Chithiid barracks were just beginning to quiet down as the residents of the towering bunk racks cleaned up from the day’s work, finished their meals, and partook of a few hours of recreational time and conversation before drifting off to sleep.
On a lower bunk, an aged Chithiid was just reclining against his pillow when a shadow fell across him.
“Craaxit,” he said, looking up at the tall man standing above him. “Are you well?”
“Yes, Maarl, but I would greatly enjoy your company while I relax after today’s labors. Would you be up for a pot of tea?”
The old alien knew what that meant and propped himself up on his sore elbow.
“Of course, old friend. Let us walk together and brew a pot. I would greatly enjoy hearing how your day’s salvage went,” he said, loud enough to allay any questions of his absence.
The two walked slowly, not drawing any attention as they casually discussed benign details of their daily work. Only once they had arrived in the unmonitored security of the logistics room could they speak freely. As luck would have it, fortune smiled upon them, and they were alone.
“Now, what is this all about, Craaxit? I put you in touch with the men who could help us, and have reached out beyond our city’s realm as well.”
“And I am greatly appreciative of it, Maarl,” the tall alien said. “What troubles me is new information that has just come to my attention. Apparently, the Ra’az have lied to us for many, many years.”
“This surprises you?”
“They lied about the communications facility in Tokyo.”
“What of it?”
“It is not the only communications hub,” Craaxit replied. “There are also facilities in Sydney and New York.”
“That seems unlikely. I have friends still working in those facilities, yet they have seen no signs of that sort of activity. Everyone knows they have only used Tokyo for a very long time.”
“Lies. All lies,” Craaxit said. “The humans have reconnected many of the powerful minds inhabiting cities across the globe. This intel is accurate. The Ra’az have been operating additional communications arrays in secret. Perhaps even their loyalist followers do not know.”
The older alien pondered the news.
“This changes things, I fear.”
“Yes, it does, but the humans are in possession of weapons capable of destroying all three of them before they can warn the fleet or the forces guarding our homeworld.”
“Excellent news!” Maarl exclaimed.
“But for one thing,” Craaxit replied. “They cannot destroy the San Francisco facility for fear of causing a global reaction from the unstable tech being researched. They ask for our help disabling, or at least delaying the warp ship contained therein.”
“What they ask for is no small thing, Craaxit. I do have connections in San Francisco, but it has taken them many years to obtain their positions, and even then, they are still lowly workers within a facility full of loyalists.”
“We have to try, Maarl. Will you contact them for me?”
He thought long and hard, weighing the possible outcomes.
“I will reach out to them, my friend, and ask them to assess the situation there. If they feel they can be of assistance, we will know by tomorrow. For now, it is late. Let us return to our bunks lest the others wonder at our absence.”
Chapter Fifteen
Vince looked normal. At least, as normal as a comatose man could look, given the circumstances. His color had begun to come back as soon as the infected AI in his head was purged. Unfortunately, aside from good color and steady, shallow breathing, he hadn’t shown any sign of improving, and definitely none of waking.
Genevieve, the young woman gently dabbing his forehead with a damp cloth was one of the nursemaids from Cal’s people. As a relatively skilled person within their tiny enclave, her talents were rather in demand, and her spending so much time looking after Vince while Daisy was gone had not gone unnoticed, endearing her to Daisy far more than the others.
“Daisy, you’re back,” she said with a warm smile.
“Any change, Gen?”
“None, I’m afraid, though the liquid nutrition I have been feeding him does seem to be helping his body recover.”
Daisy suppressed a shudder.
Feeding him with a fucking tube, Sis. Is that what he’d have wanted?
“We can’t know, Daze. I’m so sorry you have to go through this.”
Thanks. I appreciate it.
She reached into the bag slung from her shoulder and with
drew a bare-bones neuro-stim device.
Genevieve’s face flashed an alarmed look.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t worry. I’m just testing for neurological activity.”
“But that device. I’ve seen them before. They are dangerous!”
“I’ve stripped this one down. All it can do is monitor, nothing else,” Daisy said, sadness tinging her voice. “I just have to know if there’s still anything in there. Can you understand that?”
The young nursemaid hesitated a moment in thought.
“Of course. Please forgive my reaction. It’s just that I know he was rendered like this by a similar device.”
“I appreciate all the care you’ve given him, really. Please know you have my most sincere thanks for that.”
The young woman smiled and blushed.
“I am merely doing what I was trained to do.”
“Well, you’re doing it for someone I care a great deal for. If you ever need anything, anything at all, just ask.”
“Thank you, Daisy,” she replied, shyly. “I’ll leave you two alone now, but I will check back on Vince later this evening.”
The door quietly closed, leaving Daisy in the uncomfortably silent room. Ill at ease, she approached Vince’s bed and began gently placing the modified neuro-stim on his head.
“Hey,” she finally said, as she snugged the strap across his brow.
“So, things have been interesting since you decided to check out on me,” she quietly said to his inert figure. “I’ve got a new Chithiid ally, for one. You should get a load of the guy––he’s huge, but surprisingly funny. For an alien, anyway. And we managed to reconnect the AI running the old NORAD facility with Sid and the others. He’s got some ambitious plans, but I really think they might work.”
Vince lay still, his breathing steady but shallow. Daisy felt a little twinge in her chest.
“So, what else? Oh, and my sword is basically a vampire,” she said with a little laugh. “And my AI kid, well, that’s a surprising development, let me tell you. She’s something else, though. I just hope she’s okay on her own like this.” She scanned his face for any sign of awareness.
