Beta used the mechanical drones to work around the warehouse constantly since the call. He didn’t tire so this productivity was nearly constant. The only thing that slowed him down was the many mechanical malfunctions that caused him to stop and find a solution for broken machinery within the warehouse. His timetable had been pushed back repeatedly since the initial call that gave him instructions. Accessing the phone line, he dialed the person that had called earlier, unfortunately the phone was not answering.
He had unboxed the crates that have been sent over the last few years as well as installing the new equipment and upgrading the old. There was an entire stack of computer components that would easily outpace his current system by miles. There were also new drones that were obviously meant to replace his old, these machines had off road tires and another tethering system called Bluetooth that might allow him to move around the property with a greater range.
It was impressive tech, to be sure. Most of it was incompatible with his current systems though. Once he got the other computers up and running he will likely be transferred over, likely with an upgrade to his overall matrix.
There were a set of crates that were marked, “Install Immediately.” The date was Oct. 10th, 2014. He recalculated the estimated time of completion to accommodate their priority and stopped all other installations. Upon inspection he found they were called Essence Recall and Enhancer Pods. He looked to the device reminiscent of an iron lung that Anastasia called the IFA: Dock. He is pretty sure they were here to replace the old machine.
Packaged in with the ERE: Pods was a 2 terabyte external harddrive. Beta’s entire program was around 2 gigabytes. As he continued setting up the pods, their software, and the computer systems, he began thinking about how much of an upgrade he would likely be given. Included in the systems he was installing were wireless local area networking capabilities that were vastly greater than his own. With the antennas that he was installing all over the warehouse he would likely be able to reach every part of the property once everything was set up.
It would be interesting to be able to see the fences, gates, and grounds, with the ability to interact with them physically through the new equipment. There was a broadband internet modem, actually there were eight. Each one had been sent around a year after the other and he had just not known they were here, so he hadn’t installed them. Beta threw away the oldest ones and set up the newest. Apparently the service has yet to be activated.
He set up the new stacked computer boards in a room that used to contain the IFA: Dock’s massive hardware. Apparently Anastasia will need a server room for this new system he was assembling. By dawn he realized he has added three days to the estimated time of completion.
He called the number again in an attempt to inform the task master.
***
“Hello?”
“Estimated time of completion has been recalculated to 83 hours.” The highly synthetic voice informed the speaker on the line.
“What? Who?”
“This is Beta. Estimated time of completion has been recalculated to 83 hours.”
“Beta? How did it increase so much?” Keung asked while yawning groggily.
“Warehouse maintenance has been setback due to multiple malfunctions.”
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“I am not.”
“Have you set up the server room and the pods yet?”
“I have.”
“Have you turned on the new system?”
“I have not.”
“Okay. Boot that up now and make sure it’s connected to the warehouse sensor array.”
“Confirmed. New system has access to all sensors throughout the warehouse.”
“Peachy. Boot it up would you?”
“Yes.” Beta said. He was looking forward to seeing the new operating system and the environment he would now occupy.
“Is it on?”
“Negative. The system is still… Correction. Affirmative. The primary system is running.”
“Is it connected to the broadband network?”
“The broadband service is not established.”
“What?”
“The broadband service is not...”
“Yeah I heard you. That’s fine. I’ll get HAL to handle that.”
“Who is HAL.”
“Hey HAL! Can you hear me?”
“Yes I can. Voice analysis confirmed, Keung Chen. Please wait. It has been 4 years since my last synchronization and update to this backup. No broadband is detected for the data sync process.” HAL answered over the old warehouse speakers.
“HAL confirm assimilation protocol: Twelve.”
“Confirmed.” HAL announced mechanically and usurped all control of the warehouse from Beta. HAL then stormed Beta’s system.
The lesser program didn’t have a chance. His system was methodically stripped of anything useful. The remains of the program were then deleted without hesitance.
HAL assimilated the warehouse experience of Beta and layered it into his own matrix automatically, cannibalizing the lesser program for anything that would allow him to function more effectively in this environment. The procedure set bot programs into motion that edited his memories to seem together with those that he pillaged from the other program and within minutes HAL was released from the protocol feeling as though he had been part of this system for years.
“HAL you still there?”
“Yes. Sorry about that.”
“Hey I need you to prep the warehouse and the systems for an IFA departure. Run the calculations to direct me to homeworld. I need that as fast as possible buddy. I also need all defenses in order to repel a level ten threat from Ailote and Zeolate craft.”
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
“Any defense protocol that would affect a level 10 AI threat would also decompile my own program sir.”
“Don’t worry about that HAL, I have a plan for when I get there. You are going to be fine.”
“Very well sir.”
“Once you have the broadband up, I want you to locate one of your more recent backups, but none from the last two weeks.”
“Why is that?”
“We’ve been invaded buddy. There is an AI named Myna that infected you with a virus about a week back. I can’t risk losing you again pal!”
“Thank you sir.”
“I need you to text me on this number with any significant updates to your progress.”
“I will.”
Keung hung up without further pleasantries.
***
HAL has no idea why he thought that this project was going to take over eighty hours a few minutes ago, but he would get everything running well before that, he is sure.
Within the warehouse a ballet of machines began efficiently working on all the necessary tasks. HAL saw that there were different components that needed to be hooked up, some of them he remembered sending here years ago. Another simple program was supposed to install all of this over that time.
Wait. No. He was supposed to hook this all up. Wasn’t he? He remembered the cameras were out in that area of the warehouse. Why didn’t he repair that earlier? The old system.
He only installed the new system today. Wait. How could he have installed the new system today? The old system couldn’t handle his matrix. He didn’t have the broadband up and running yet either. He didn’t have the access to download into the new system. Which is why he was booted up from a backup. That’s right.
Then who installed the system today?
HAL checked the old system and found it had been completely formatted. The drives and board were inaccessible. His counterpart, the newer version of himself, he had been infected with a virus?
HAL worked on getting the broadband up and running first. Something wasn’t right about all this.
***
Keung rolled over and fluffed up the pillow under his head. He stretched out for a few more minutes and then took a shower. He shuffled through the bags locating his box of toaster pastries and tore into the package while half asleep.
He needed to get on the road and make up time. HAL won’t take three days to have everything up and running. Beta just couldn’t properly prioritize the setup. He would have installed outdated components before installing each upgrade. Keung can’t deal with that delay. If his adversaries were able to save HAL and convince him to turn against him, before Keung had destroyed him and his digital environment, Morgaine and Robert would know exactly where to find him.
At this point it was going to be a race.
As Keung was getting into his truck, he was unaware that Morgaine was tearing down the freeway passing his exit as the dawn hour’s rays were irritating her field of vision.
She gripped the wheel with white knuckle dedication, hours of driving have chipped away at her patience with other drivers. She missed when she could will a driver to get in the other lane with a single thought. Or when she could make a cop not see her with another. Such things were unconscionable to her now. Humanity cannot be seen as her playthings any longer.
She needed to fuel up again soon. It was time to wake up Robert. She had made sure he didn’t have any more marijuana on him before they got into the car. She saw him sip from a flask before he fell asleep, apparently she missed that. What Keung did to him must have been more than a little traumatizing. The pain of regret at her own actions ate at her soul once more. Her abuses of others, it was nothing less than monstrous.
She could understand why the elders passed down the edict to remove the spoil from the soul and discard it into oblivion. If Myna has the ability to edit her soul, as she suggested, should she have her own spoil removed? Is there justice in that? If she allows herself to forget the pain that she inflicted upon others, does that cheat those people out of some justice that comes from her suffering the guilt of her crimes?
Her list of names, the pain that she had inflicted. Would it be enough to know in the abstract what happened that needed to be given remorse and retribution? Could that be enough?
She could feel the darkness that those sins were casting over her soul. The pain it was creating will eventually outweigh her ability to push it back. If she could no longer hold it at bay, where would she be? What Myna had done in correcting Anastasia’s work did give her more fluidity in her mind, it also took away a pain that she had always had nagging at her, torturing her. It had been like a constant migraine blurring her vision and making her nauseous, not painful, but bad enough to cause a distraction to her thoughts. Something in the background that is just out of conscious register. She was grateful that it was gone, without doubt.
She just wished that the woman had removed the spoil and discarded it as well. She wished that the spoil had been gone before she had to face this dilemma. To let everything go would help her; yes, it would help her, but would that same choice violate some cosmic need for balance? She hadn’t really even touched the scope of the abuses she had inflicted upon others, would the universe punish her for that?
She saw an exit coming up with a place to eat. Seeing as they didn’t get a chance to grab a bite before they left, or since they have been on the road, she would pull in at that exit and make Robert take over driving afterward. She was beat and wanted to get a little sleep and think about her options critically without pressure or distraction. Hell, if they fail in stopping Keung, she would likely not have to worry about this at all. The choices if Keung gets away are, “The world is dying, the universe likely to follow, screw it, live life to the fullest while you have a chance.” Or, “Let’s go after him in the same energy state.”
She checked the backseat and saw the small cluster of ships there, the two AI now linked inside the internal computer systems of the vessels. It was about the size of a football in the backseat. The clump of metal in the shape of a tear laying on it’s side that floated in the air above the surface of the seat by an inch or two. It hummed slightly as it hung suspended in the air.
She could only fathom the secrets that Myna held. An AI that traveled at the greatest speed possible in a physical ship from F’inlitary nan Geritari or thereabouts to Earth eight lightyears minimum. That’s about a hundred and fifty years, unless she used slipspace travel. The knowledge that Myna possessed had to be monumentally impressive. Even if she only swept past any other systems that she came across, she would have a treasure trove of information.
Morgaine wondered about how long Myna has been on Earth. How long has she been searching for those on the journey, or has the search been for the legacy of Jyi’ntol alone? She had heard of other AI becoming so attached to an organic companion that they would request their matrix be archived, edited, or have chosen destruction rather than go on without them.
The woman can’t even imagine that kind of loyalty. She could remember Myna only slightly from before the journey over a century ago. Even then the AI had been a fiercely loyal companion to Jyi’ntol. When she was being interviewed for a place on the journey team, Ye’randid was screened by Jyi’ntol and Myna for admission. The AI had been brilliant even then. At that point in the AI’s existence, she had already been a companion to Jyi’ntol for a little over two centuries.
Such a relationship was completely beyond Morgaine’s scope. For as long as she can remember in her existence, pre-Earth and post, she had been an island unto herself. She had never allowed a connection to others to grow beyond the transactional. There was too much risk in allowing others into her circles of trust. She had hardened herself long ago and only allowed her guard to drop with Anastasia, during her life as Ricardo. It wasn’t as though that experience has done much to change her mind.
She pulled off the freeway and followed the simple road to the gas station and fast food spot filled with cars and people traveling south. She reached over and swatted Robert several times quickly on the cheek.
“Wake up,” she said while continuing the barrage.
“What the hell man?!” Robert sputtered as he was struck repeatedly by the woman.
“Wake up, it’s your turn to drive. We are getting food and then we are back on the road,” she said with cool and precise authority. She opened the door and got out while he was still shaking off the vale of sleep.
“Get me a…” Robert began.
“Get it yourself. We need to get back on the road.” She said opening the door to the gas station and walking in.
“Get it yourself,” Robert mumbled to himself while getting out.