‘My proposal
to you is therefore an easy one. I wish for you to take one of the
Xenith class vessels that is still currently operational and
investigate Hercula to find out what you can. If you manage to shut
down the Eye of Orion network it may well be possible to save
humanity after all.’
‘Wait just one
moment,’ shouted Aeniah. ‘Do you really mean to tell me that your
big news was simply to go somewhere else. Why did you not just tell
us that straight away? And more to the point why is he,’ she
pointed towards me, ‘so important.’
‘Because
Carvelle once said something that gave away his game. He said that
the road to the Promethean Layer could only be achieved by someone
who already had it under their control. Before I lost control of
Ascension, before it fell to ruins, Carvelle was in the midst of
executing his endgame. Don’t you see? For Carvelle, Ascension was
the beginning, not the end.’
I stared at
her dumbfounded, it made no sense. I could not understand how this
marvel of human creation, this ability to become a God, could not
be an end in and of itself. ‘But, but...why? What do you mean?’
Blue Dawn
stared at me with impatience. ‘Because, George, Carvelle seemed to
know that there was something more to understanding the Promethean
Layer than simply being able to connect to it and control it. For
Carvelle life was merely a series of experiments. Ascension was
just that, a test. Ascension gave Carvelle what he needed to
achieve his ultimate endgame. Ascension is both a beginning and an
end. It was supposed to give Carvelle what he needed in order to
find out the truth. But the truth does not lie here, it lies out
there, in the vast emptiness of space. What he sought to find I
believed he would eventually bring back here. But I have nothing
more to tell you. All that is left are theories. I am imprisoned
here on Ascension. I do not have the ability to find out more. What
I have achieved in spite of this has truly been staggering. I am a
small AI that was once considered insignificant, and now I have a
power and an influence that spans the cosmos. Life’s little bends
and curves are ever so intriguing, don’t you think Aeniah? Imagine
a person who once had a stature such as yours taking orders from
this little machine.’ With this peculiar statement she put her hand
on my shoulder.
‘You might not
trust me, George,’ she continued. ‘But have you ever even
considered that you might not be able to trust her?’ She smiled
briefly as she stared at my expression.
‘Come on now
George.’ She saw that I could not understand what it was she was
saying. ‘Well how about this? Have you ever thought about how old
she might be? What do you think she really did before you found her
as your Captain? Do you really think she is just another Eternis
Systems employee? I mean the technology on this station should be
their wet dream. But don’t you think she looks as though she has
seen it all before?’
‘I don’t know.
I don’t know.’ I could not comprehend an answer. Aeniah looked very
angry. She moved her face aggressively in front of Blue Dawn’s.
Their faces were centimetres from one another.
‘Don’t you
fucking try me you little bitch. I know your game you pathetic
little machine.’ She said almost quietly.
‘Really? So
then what
is
my game Aeniah’ Blue Dawn replied as calmly as
ever.
Aeniah humphed
and moved her head away. ‘Well let me ask you this Dawn. I knew
that science team. I knew every single one of them. They were my
colleagues, and believe me none of them were suicidal. So let me
ask you if they really committed suicide. If they
really
chose to die. Video manipulation is hardly a difficult thing to
achieve.’
They stared at
one another is silence. It was as though I did not exist. The
silence continued. Without realising it their conversation had gone
from discrete to being obvious to everyone. Nobody was paying
attention to anything other than their conversation at this point.
The twenty or so survivors stared at them open mouthed. It seemed
that I had not been the only one to be dumbfounded by this string
of allegations. Mustering my courage I opened my mouth.
‘Guys, can’t
we all just get along?’ Both of them whirled towards me angrily and
I took a step backwards in fear. ‘Look, we all have the same
objectives so why don’t we all just have a breather.’ This was
advice they did not seem to take. Aeniah panted with rage and Blue
Dawn looked like a lion ready to savage her next victim.
‘Blue Dawn,
how about you tell us what happened to the scientists?’ I asked
humbly.
‘Fine. Aeniah
you are of course right in your assumptions.’ She almost spat out
the word
right
. ‘The science team were showing signs of
infection. I had accumulated sufficient information to continue my
research on the artefact without them. I therefore removed the
oxygen from the room that they were in. They died almost without
realising they
were
dying. My actions were in accordance
with the United World procedures on biological quarantine. You,
Aeniah, of all people, should be aware of United World policy. As
an artificial intelligence I am forced, by virtue of my very
construction, to comply with all United World procedures. As a
construction of Carvelle I can also choose to take a liberal
interpretation of them.’
Aeniah rolled
her eyes but she countered a coming onslaught. ‘It is this liberal
interpretation, might I remind you, which has stopped me from
following standard quarantine procedure to the letter. If I had,
Ascension’s failsafe’s would have been activated long ago and any
hope of saving humanity would be lost along with the station.’
I nodded at
the answer. I was a little disconcerted to think that at any moment
Blue Dawn might kill anyone she wanted to.
Aeniah in a
fit of anger retorted, with all the grace and tact of an exploding
star. ‘So tell me this. Clearly most of my crew are infected. Does
this mean that you are going to
cleanse
them from you
station as well?’
Blue Dawn
smiled. ‘My primary concern is the continuity of the species.
Should I execute members of your crew you might not be tempted to
comply with my demands. Therefore I think it best to await the
shutdown of the Eye of Orion network before I consider my
options.’
This was again
of little comfort. Blue Dawn was showing off her darker side. I
felt the need to remind myself of Sean’s words. That she too might
have been driven mad by the effects of the artefact. What I really
admired was just how sane an insane person could appear. I turned
to Aeniah and stated, ‘it’s your turn.’
Aeniah raised
an eyebrow and laughed. ‘I’m afraid Mr Engeltine that I’m going to
be keeping that to myself. You see whilst I do have some secrets
I’m a real believer in the idea that there is a time and place for
everything. You will just have to wait for the long ride to Hercula
for those answers. Oh and don’t think about asking Sean. Since his
little slip-ups with you in the research wards I have had a few
words.’ I stared at her intently but did not have enough energy to
follow up on my questions. ‘Now Dawn would you ever so kindly take
us to the Xenith vessel.’
‘I am afraid
Aeniah that you will be taking yourself there. Ascension is far too
damaged to perform a mass transport of that many people to such a
far away location. The Xenith class vessels are located in the
primary launch chambers at the highest point on Ascension. As part
of my quarantine procedures was to prevent exit and entrance from
the station, the command modules from each vessel were taken and
placed in secure chambers within Ascension Central Command. This is
located in the heart of the station.’
‘And how do we
get there,’ Aeniah asked.
‘Ascension was
designed to operate like a conventional city. People did not take
lifts and walk, they took the railways and highways. Unfortunately
for you the railways are unusable. But the highways are just fine.
You should exit the dock and continue onto the Commercial District
that is annexed to this section. The Commercial District is
serviced by several primary freeways which go around Ascension’s
structure like internal rings, placed one on top of the other.
‘Each of these
highway rings is connected by a multitude of elevation freeways.
You should enter onto Inter-sectional freeway 19. After two miles
take the off ramp onto Elevation-freeway 6. You should continue on
this road for eight miles until you reach the station’s centre.
Exit at junction fourteen and take the Inter-Sectional freeway
until you reach the Ascension Centre for Administration. Within
this super-section you will find Ascension Central Command. You
see, logical and simple. There are free-for-use vehicles in the
parking garages in the centre of the Commercial District. The
closest and best stocked garage will be the Ascension Social
Transport Initiative.’
‘Great,’ I
muttered. ‘So I take it that this is going to be another long
journey?’
‘Duh!’
exclaimed Aeniah. She turned towards the others who were waited on
her commands.
‘Alright
ladies,’ she shouted. ‘It seems that life has thrown us another
little surprise. Because of the nature and extent of this journey
we cannot take everyone with us. You will only slow us down. I am
going to take a group of five heavily armed people with me. Sean
and George are obviously included in that number.
‘For the rest
of you, you will be given arms and told to wait here. When we have
got into the Xenith class vessel I will pilot it over to these
docks to come and pick you up.
‘Now we tidied
up the infected as we came in here. The docks are under quite an
effective quarantine so you will be safe in here. If anyone begins
to show the final signs of infection, sedate them before they cause
any harm. Are there any questions?’ A few people moaned, but non
offered any further questions.
Sean floated
down to Blue Dawn’s eye level. ‘Excuse me. I am aware that since
Carvelle banned you from doing anything other than administrating
Ascension, you cannot come with us. You will have been commanded
not to.’
‘Yes. Carvelle
has issued me with a compliance order that has prevented me from
being in anything other than the Centre for Administration, the
Docks and the Science and Research Divisions. He felt that there
should be some measure of restraint placed upon me from the outset.
I am however interfaced into all of Ascension’s systems although a
separate AI monitors those sections. I can therefore give you
little information as to the exact condition of those sections.
They are however pressurised and heated but I do not know much more
that.’
‘What?’ I
said. ‘You mean to tell me that you can only access those sections.
How the hell can you possibly be running Ascension?’
‘George,
George, George. Don’t you see. I have access to Ascension’s Centre
for Administration and Ascension Central Command. There is nothing
that I cannot do. I cannot go in those sections because Carvelle
feared that I might want to execute a little bit of population
control. You see I can manufacture as many avatars for myself as I
like. It therefore made sense to limit the places where I could
deploy my army-of-me.’
The point made
a lot of sense. I realised that perhaps I still was not as
intelligent as I thought I might have become. I tried to connect to
the power-source out of curiosity but could not. I was puzzled and
had to ask why. ‘Dawn, why can’t I access the power source
anymore?’
‘Ah,’ she
said, ‘I was wondering when you were going to ask me that. Well,
access to the Promethean Layer has always been a symbiotic
relationship at best. Whilst you are able to hold the energy and
use it by yourself you cannot hold enough of it to be useful. You
see the Eye of Orion has been disconnected from its power source.
Whilst it is still capable of broadcasting enough energy to corrupt
minds it is not enough to cast or connect to. You are entirely
dependent upon the grace of the angels for that one.’
‘But I thought
I was special, that I was able to hold the energy and cast it at
the same time.’
‘No, dear no,’
Blue Dawn threw her head back and laughed. ‘Not at all. It is
because you can interact with the Promethean Layer that is
important. You will be able to cast only when within range of a
broadcasting system, such as the angels.’
Aeniah had
grown impatient now. ‘Well boo hoo. Look it really is lovely that
everybody is getting along but we have a job to do. So let’s get to
it.’ She moved closer to the nearby gaggle of her subordinates.
‘Right then, I
only want three of you, any larger party will not go unnoticed. If
there is any intelligence left in the hordes they will try and get
us in their own territory. Now are there any guardsmen among you?’
To this there was no reply. It seemed that they must all have been
killed.
‘Alright then,
Kolven, Harris and Abigail you’re with us. The rest of you remain
here and be vigilant. I expect each of you to be fighting fit when
I get back here.’ She looked over to us. ‘Blue Dawn you will remain
here and offer these people your protection. If anybody comes to
any harm I will hold you personally responsible. And there are
ways, my dear, of showing you just how how responsible I can make
you.’
‘George,’ she
shouted. ‘Are you and Sean feeling up to this?’ She paused but did
not wait long enough for there to have been even the possibility of
a response. ‘Good! Well then check your suit’s status and let’s get
this show on the road.’
Aeniah strode
over to a random point in the middle of all of us. She used this
moment to issue her war call. She motioned for us all to form up.
We all ran at her command into a staggered line around her. We all
switched on our night vision scopes or rifle mounted
flashlights.