Ghosts of Ophidian (8 page)

Twelve

“He’s dead,” Crossway said after she checked the vitals
of the scaly creature, “I didn’t really expect though that an alien could be easily revived from cryostasis simply by busting the glass of his cell.”

“Well,
if you need any tissue or blood samples from this creature, you’d better take them now. I doubt we’ll be sticking around much longer,” McKenzie said.

“Hold on there, Mac. We can’t just pick up and run. We need to verify if these cryochambers
are going to start randomly opening up or if those three chambers down below were just a coincidence,” Lentz said, “We can’t scrap the mission yet until we have assessed the threat.”

“There is no threat,” Roberts stated
in their earpieces, still making his way up the stairs.

Conner and Roberts had already climbed almost twenty flights of stairs.
They found it to be a much slower process than when they headed down.

“I’m glad you’re so confident with your assessment, Rober
ts, but as I recall, you’re the IT guy for the mission,” Lentz said.

“And it was my IT skills that verified that we are not faced with any kind of threat, D
octor Lentz,” Roberts stated, “These people are in a slowed down form of cryostatis –
slowed,
Doctor, but not stopped. They’re not frozen solid. Their brains are still active and their hearts are still beating, albeit at a much slower rate than normal. These brains of theirs are being fed some significant stuff from those computers down there. I saw the files pouring through and almost even decoded some of the video feed. Whatever this place is, I’d have to guess it’s something along the lines of the Matrix.”

“The Matrix?” Conner laughed, “That’s what you got from all this?”

“I know what I saw down there, Steele. These aliens all around us are living out some form of digitally enhanced lives while they wait for their interstellar journey to end. The computers are transferring impossible amounts of data at speeds I’ve never even imagined possible,” Roberts stated.

“And how does this assessment of yours prove that there’s no threat,” Lentz asked.

Conner and Roberts finally arrived on their level. They started toward the others who were situated in front of the cell they had shattered.

“As Steele pointed out, someone sabotaged the main computer’s access to these aliens
in the cargo hold. The last thing our AI pilot friend informed us he did after arriving in our orbit was that he transmitted the accomplish code to the cargo hold – a transmittal that was never received,” Roberts said, “Otherwise, I’m sure all the cells would have began their automated revival process and we’d be faced with an alien invasion unlike anything in all the horror movies we’ve ever seen.”

“That’s a pretty nice theory, but what about the three who were
already revived down below?” Conner asked.

“You said yourself
that they had some kind of hacker unit installed in their cells. I’d guess they probably woke shortly after this ship left the home planet and they were most likely the ones who sabotaged the mission. And don’t ask me why. Ask
yourselves
why our own planet is home to terrorists of all types and races?” Roberts asked, “The ‘why’ probably doesn’t even matter because we usually don’t even get an answer on Earth.”

Crossway
packed her vials and other small containers back into her bag. McKenzie then helped her to her feet.

“My
mission was not accomplished,” the AI’s voice echoed, “You need to fix the sabotage, otherwise my mission is a failure.”

“We can’t help you,” Roberts stated, “We won’t allow you
to unleash this race of beings onto our planet.”

“My mission is currently a failure. You must fix the damage,” it replied.

“We won’t fix the damage!” Roberts shouted.

“You cannot leave unless you fix the damage,” it replied, “I cannot fail in my mission.
You cannot leave this ship. I forbid it.”

“You sure
seem to be mastering our language, AI,” McKenzie said.

“I’ve monitored your communications and your local satellites
,” it replied, “You cannot leave until the damage is fixed.”

McKenzie looked at Conner, then gestured toward his bag.

“Do you have enough explosives left in case we run into a few more doors than before?” McKenzie asked.

“No explosives. You must
stay and repair the damage so I can complete my mission,” it said, “I will withdraw the artificial gravity if I must.”

“Everyone, grab a handrail,” Lentz said.

They all took a hold of the handrails, making sure to retrieve their nearby bags and supplies. The gravity however never fluctuated.

“Colonel Santini, please prepare to receive us. We may be coming in something of a rush,” McKenzie said.

He nodded to the others, then started toward the door while maintaining his hold on the handrail.

“I must complete my mission, but my mission was sabotaged. The cargo will not survive if I do not complete my mission. You must help me,” it
insisted as more of a plea.

“Our planet is already inhabited. It’s not right for a race of beings to believe they can come and steal our home from us,” McKenzie stated, “
Why can’t you grasp this concept? We can’t help you.”

“Surely you have a contingency program in place should you have found our planet to be
inhospitable,” Roberts said, following the crew as they headed toward the door.

“
This planet has all the required attributes to support life,” the AI replied.

“We know, but I’m asking what you would have done if it
didn’t
have those attributes,” he replied.

“But it does,” it stated.

Roberts growled, then continued, “Do you have a secondary destination in place? Check your programming and tell me if there are other star systems you were given to explore for a suitable planet.”

There was no response for a moment while they continued along the catwalk toward the door.

“This planet was the secondary destination. The primary destination was not suitable,” it replied, “The atmosphere was too thin and the oxygen ratio too low.”

Roberts groaned, “Do you have a tertiary destination in your programming? Surely every contingency was put in place to ensure the survival of this species.”

“Yes, I have access to a list of a hundred and seventeen planets that have shown potential for habitability,” it replied.

“Thank you,” Roberts growled impatiently, “This is what I was trying to explain. Although you found a planet suitable for your needs, this planet is already inhabited by a sentient race of intelligent beings. You
cannot
offload your cargo here.”

“But I can. Nothing in my mission suggests that I cannot. If the planet meets all twenty-two conditions, I can and must complete my mission,” it replied.

Roberts could feel his frustration bubbling up and he gritted his teeth in anger.

“
Your programmers forgot to include a morality clause in your programming. I’m here to tell you that it should exist. You need to
leave
and take your cargo to the tertiary destination,” Roberts stated.

There was no reply from the alien intercom. Conner led the group into the passageway where they no longer had the convenience of
a handrail. If the artificial gravity was cut off however, the ceiling was much closer and there would be no danger of plummeting thirty stories if it were reactivated at the wrong time.

“We’ve
situated the shuttle as close as possible and your lifelines are still attached to the ventilation grill,” Santini offered.

“Thank you, Colonel,” McKenzie said.

They continued down the corridor in the same single-file formation as when they arrived.

“If I reactivate the
piloting commands and reinstate the mission to seek out a life-supporting planet, I am still unable to communicate with the cargo hold,” it stated, “I will still be unable to complete my mission due to the sabotage.”

“We can fix that if
you intend to leave orbit as we’ve suggested,” Lentz added.

“No!” McKenzie added a little
more abrupt than he intended, “No we can’t.”

“No?” the AI
asked, “I must complete the mission. I have only that duty.”

“
And you
can
complete your mission… on another planet entirely,” Roberts said.

McKenzie reached out to stop Conner’s progress down the corridor. Conner turned to him and
noticed the huddle that was forming in the passage.

“Look, we are
not
repairing those cables down there,” McKenzie said in a hushed tone, “All the AI needs to do is to revive those snake-beasts back there and we’ll find ourselves faced with the biggest enemy army imaginable. Who knows what kind of weapons they have on this spacecraft and it only makes sense that there must be a shuttle bay in order to offload these creatures. What’s to say that those shuttles aren’t armed with weapons unimaginable?”

“I hate to play devil’s advocate, but it sounds
to me like the AI is reconsidering its mission. If it’s willing to leave, who are we to deny the survival of this race? For all we know, this is the last of their species,” Conner stated, setting his bag down on the floor.

“I agree with Steele. What if they are a gentle race whose planet was destroyed
by a comet or simple overpopulation?” Crossway asked, “They have a right to life the same as anyone else. The only difference is that we just can’t allow them to stay here.”

“And w
hat makes you think the ship would leave if we repaired those cables?” McKenzie asked, “I know I probably wouldn’t if I were in control of this ship.”

“I would leave
the orbit of this planet as you’ve requested,” the AI interjected, “I would take the cargo to the nearby tertiary destination. It’s not far considering the distance I’ve already traveled. You must fix the damage.”

McKenzie continued to shake his head. Conner understood his reluctance, as they had no reason
whatsoever to trust an alien computer that had only recently learned their language and maintained access to all their data. Fixing the cables for the AI could result in an immediate change of attitude.

The silence only served to show that no one could come up with a simple solution to the problem. Roberts stepped back from the huddle and was now pacing impatiently. Lentz and McKenzie appeared to be involved in a stare down.

Conner lifted his arm and checked his oxygen readout. He verified approximately forty-seven minutes remaining in his oxygen tank. It changed to forty-six as he looked at it. He glanced over at Crossway who was watching him curiously. He felt his own shoulders sag as though the weight of the world was now settling upon them.

He released a long and audible sigh as he became aware of what he must do.
His next action could very well be regarded as an ignorant attempt at suicide, but he saw no other option available. He reached up to the red latches on both sides of his helmet and unsnapped them just as Crossway screamed.

Thirteen

McKenzie rushed toward Conner, but he wasn’t quick enough to stop him from removing his helmet. Wi
th the helmet above his head, Conner released the breath he had been holding in. With great trepidation, he inhaled.

The air smelled stale and mus
ty, almost like the inside of an attic in the middle of summer. He breathed out, then took another cautious breath.

“What the heck are you doing, Steele?” Roberts shouted.

“Seriously!” McKenzie added, “What the-”

“I can breathe,” Conner stated matter of fact.

Crossway just gaped at him as tears welled up in her eyes. It appeared as though she had already accepted his death sentence before he took that first breath.

“You have no idea what kind of alien pathogens are floating around inside this place,” Lentz stated, “There could be a million germs here for which you’ve never had a chance to build up an
y immunity. How could you, a Special Forces soldier who’s been trained to survive, be so stupid?”

“It
wasn’t stupidity,” Crossway defended, shaking her head as she looked at Conner, “Was it?”

“I’ll repair the cables,
” Conner stated, “Once the AI takes this ship to another star system.”

“Conner Steele will repair the sabotage,” the
AI echoed, “And I will succeed in my mission. We will leave this planet immediately.”

“No!” Conner
hollered, “Let the others return to the shuttle first. I’m going to be the only one staying.”

“If the others
return to their shuttle the same way they entered this ship, all atmosphere will be lost,” it replied, “I am unable to seal the door to the starboard lube storage.”

“That’s true,” McKenzie stated, “And you’re not staying here
anyway, Steele. You will put your helmet back on and leave with us. Your actions are unacceptable.”

“And you can bet you’re going
to be kept in quarantine for months once we get back to Earth, you imbecile,” Roberts said, “You’re now a danger to all of us.”

“I’m staying and I’m going to repair this ship’s ability to revive its crew,” Conner said, “And assuming that there’s no food or water to sustain me up here, I’ll hold off until I’m on the brink of death before I do the repairs.”

“There is more food and water than is necessary for a crew of one,” the AI replied, “There is enough stored sustenance for the whole cargo bay to survive until they are settled and crops have been started.”

“There you have it,” Conner
stated, “My staying here is no longer up for discussion. As Roberts just stated, I would put all of you in danger anyway if I shared the trip back with you.”

“We are all going to be in quarantine anyway because our suits aren’t sterilized on the outside,” Lentz stated, “And what makes you think you can
even consume alien food?”

“As I
said - my staying here is not up for discussion,” Conner stated, retrieving the alien “stopwatch” device from his pocket and offering it to Roberts, “I grabbed this for you from the bottom level. Maybe you can tap into it somehow and see if your theory is correct.”

Roberts took the yellow object and examined it. He only offered a nod, then shoved it into his pocket.

“Oh, and could you take these back with you?” Conner asked, reaching into the Velcro pocket on his upper sleeve, “You can claim the finder’s fee.”

He held out the three blue diamonds for McKenzie to take.

“And if you’re thinking of keeping them for yourselves, you need to remember that this is all being recorded,” Conner joked, “Those diamonds belong to the royal family.”

McKenzie took the diamonds and tucked them away in his pocket.

“There is a shuttle bay on the bottom level with an airlock that would permit the safe departure of the others,” the AI interrupted, “I am currently bringing the engines online.”

“Why are you doing this?” Crossway asked, “
What makes you the designated sacrifice? Surely we can fashion some kind of remote switch that could be activated after a specific interval of time has passed. What about-”

“
We don’t have this kind of technology or equipment up here with us and by the time another shuttle arrives with such a device, another week or two will have passed. I’m good with this, Dawn. I have what I need in my bag to repair those cables, and that means we can get this alien army out of our solar system today,” he replied.

“He’s right, you guys,” Colonel Santini stated in
side their earpieces, “Even with the cooperation of other countries and their space programs, it’s doubtful we could manufacture this remote switch and bring it back up here in less than a week. We know what’s in this ship now, so we’re talking about a week or more with the knowledge of millions of aliens in orbit nearby.”

“So you’ll
willingly send a teammate off to his lonesome death?” Crossway asked.

“I’m
not
going to die! I’ll have food, water, air, and three miles worth of steel to explore when I’m bored,” Conner stated, “And speaking of air, you are all on a limited supply right now. Might I suggest that we locate the shuttle bay so you can return to the shuttle?”

McKenzie just stared at Conner for a moment, the shook his head in resignation. Crossway simply looked down at the floor.

“If you take the passageway toward the front of the ship, you will find a stairwell on the left,” the AI stated, “I have opened all the emergency doors between your location and the shuttle bay.”

Conner nodded, then led the way down the passageway before any further discussion could start.

. . . .

The shuttle bay was nearly as large as the cargo bay, with the exception of its lower ceilings.
The ceiling inside the shuttle bay rose up about thirty feet which was necessary in order to house the six white spacecraft with their rising double tail fins. Each shuttle was parked with its wings folded up at its side.

Conner quickly contended that each alien shuttle could probably support anywhere from fifty to a hundred people. He based this
judgment on the comparison of each shuttle to that of a typical airliner. Curiosity beckoned them over to one of the shuttles that had an open hatch near the nose. Peering inside, it became quickly apparent that the shuttles might be able to support an even larger payload.

The aliens sacrificed headroom
and comfort, permitting two levels of seating inside the shuttle. Passengers would be forced to duck very low when finding a seat, but this method would allow for upwards of two hundred passengers per flight.

“It looks like they would still have room for plenty of cargo too,” Roberts hollered from the back of the shuttle.

There was another open hatch at the back, leading into a large area that would most likely serve as a cargo bay.

“There is a smaller airlock
on the starboard wall of the shuttle bay,” the AI stated, “The door is labeled with a marking that is similar to your letter ‘Z’.”

“Over there,” Lentz pointed when he saw it.

They started toward the door, everyone somber as they avoided the elephant in the room. Conner was glad for the silence because he truly didn’t want to discuss it any further. He had no family to speak of anymore on Earth besides a few aunts and uncles. He had no employees anymore thanks to the efforts of the People’s Republic of Korea. And without a boat, he really didn’t even have a job anymore.

“Can we all fit in the airlock at the same time?” McKenzie asked as he examined the lever next to the door.

“Yes,” the AI replied, “I have also taken the liberty of guiding your pilots to the location of the airlock.”

McKenzie pulled down the lever, opening the door to a
large closet. Then he turned around and reached out a hand to Conner. Conner took the proffered hand and shook it.

“I still don’t agree with this, but I do understand
you, believe it or not,” McKenzie said.

“Same here,” Lentz said,
reaching out to shake Conner’s hand.

Conner
shook his hand and patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t forget to call every now and again,” Conner joked.

“On a serious note, if you can get a hold of a powerful radio transmitter when you reach your new planet, it’d be awfully kind of you to send out a message on 1420 megahertz,” Lentz said, “Let us know you’re okay and that there really are other suitable planets out there.”

“Why 1420?” Conner asked.

“That’s SETI’s favorite frequency to check. They believe an alien race would use this frequency because it’s relatively silent and it has something crazy to do with the frequency of hydrogen,” Lentz said, “That’s 1420, got it?”

“1420,” he laughed, “Seriously, I’ll look into that if I can.”

Roberts shook Conner’s hand, then gave him a quick one-arm hug. Without saying anything at all, he turned and joined the others in the airlock. Conner turned to Crossway who was now the only one left inside the shuttle bay with him. She started toward him, then reached past him into the airlock, offering her bag.

“Take this back with you. I took samples of everything from the air inside this ship to the bone marrow of the alien. I even swept some of the dust from the ca
twalk into a vial,” she said, “There should be enough in that bag to keep the scientists busy for a year.”

“What are you doing?” Conner demanded, tugging on her forearm.

“I’m staying too,” she said, “If you get to stay, then so do I.”

“We only need one person to-”

“What gives you the right to be the only one who gets to visit a new planet?” she said, shrugging off his hand, “I’m the biologist. I’m the one who always wondered what existed out there beyond our world. Why should you be the only one to go?”

He shook his head
, confused by her irrational display of anger.

“Is
everyone
losing their minds?” Roberts asked.

“I’d say so,” Lentz replied, “Get in this airlock, Doctor Crossway. We’ve already had to forfeit one member of this crew.”

She reached up to the sides of her helmet and flipped open the red switches that locked the helmet to the neck ring of her suit. Conner watched, knowing already that she had made up her mind. She lifted the helmet over her head and breathed in deeply. She stared at Conner, then wrinkled her nose.

“The air smells stale and oily,” she commented.

“Let’s go, gentlemen,” McKenzie said, reaching for the lever to seal off the airlock, “Please do take care of yourselves, you two.”

Conner and Crossway turned to the airlock and watched as the door closed. A moment later, there was a hissing sound followed by a metallic clunk.

“I’m going to get into so much trouble from my employer for this one,” she muttered.

He looked
over at her as a smile started to infiltrate her face. He suddenly burst out laughing at her irrational worry, causing her in turn to laugh.