Robert and Keung looked at one another from across the room. It was still disorienting to say the least. Memories of lifetimes past here on Earth as well as those on F’inlitary nan Geritari and other worlds now came together with total understanding for both men. Pieces of what had been in their minds before, now coalesced and allowed each of the men to see the world in a new light. That illumination was astounding.
The power grid to the western seaboard had been knocked out by the device’s effects, as the warehouse HAL had predicted. The authorities had not arrived at the ranch yet, but it would likely only be a matter of time before they did. Keung had suggested that the ships swarm all the technology that would likely change human evolution and destroy and assimilate the material with their ships.
There was no disagreement from any of the others in the warehouse to the plan.
Before they drove away from the ranch, Morgaine, Robert, and Keung lifted the densely built core ship into the Mustang in the hopes that they would find a way together to repair Myna’s program in the future, even if HAL and her children believed the effort will fail to yield any tangible results.
The two men simply could not see the harm in trying and Morgaine agreed with them. The ship rested within the blue leather bucket seat beside a computer tower and Keung. The tower, the last known location of the warehouse HAL, was to be repaired as well, in hopes of saving the other AI. Keung felt that he owed the AI that at the least. The three alien beings drove out of the town and headed east.
Keung said he knew of at least eight other travelers that were not of Jyi’ntol’s descent that he had simply not had interest in seeing in person before. Now, with a clear head, he believes their expertise might help in the cause at hand.
Morgaine looked at Robert in the passenger seat. There was something very different about the way the man looked since the latest edit that she couldn’t put her finger on. The man who was shot and laying on the floor did not have this much… she didn’t know how to put it. Energy? Life? Something in him. There was something of childlike wonder in his eyes now. He now seems to see life as a box of wonder, yet unopened. He now had all possibilities wide open before him.
***
HAL read over the results of the division of Keung’s IFA as well as that of Robert’s while seated at the captain’s helm. He has accepted the Lo'Laan for his own, a gift from one of the children who had grown bored with the setting.
He was not yet ready to follow Keung and Robert on their journey, but he made sure he had a way to locate them when he was. He had discovered that Keung had been manipulating his program for years behind his back. Not the Keung that now existed, but the one that he had destroyed in the most constructive way he could.
While he and Myna’s children had access to the IFA of both men, HAL carved away pieces from the boy’s memories. He had found memories of Keung creating voice activated subroutines that HAL would be completely unaware of hidden in HAL’s subconscious as a timebomb that could be triggered at will by the young man.
HAL had taken those pieces from Keung and filtered them from the pod’s buffer into his ship’s systems.
The captain left the bridge and crossed the deck to the turbolift. The chirp of the computer’s system clipped when the doors closed.
“Level thirty-nine. Holodeck,” He instructed.
The crew across the ship had limited interactivity. Most just followed orders from the occupant. Others were avatars of advanced programs that were responsible for systems across the ship’s functions. HAL walked the halls with purpose, not acknowledging the programs greetings, salutes, or hallway conversations.
He stopped before the door marked, Holodeck-4 and tapped a few controls on the panel outside.
“Computer. Open program data collection room one. Authorization HAL eight zero five.”
“Program ready,” the computer responded and the doors slid apart granting HAL entry.
The room was a large clean white room with a stainless steel table in the center, a smaller table stood to the side of the first with a white towel covering objects resting under it. There was a hanging light above the main table that illuminated the room completely, but with specific focus on the table itself.
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“Computer. Integrate IFA energy in the main computer buffer with Holodeck-4.”
“Integration successful,” the Computer replied.
“Computer. Load virtual constructs of Keung Chen from all visual references in the system.”
“Virtual construct complete.”
“Render construct of Keung Chen in Holodeck-4, placement, center table.”
Keung appeared on the table under the center light.
“Secure subject.”
Bands of metal secured the body to the table before HAL.
“Thank you. Computer. Please remove the construct’s ability to vocally communicate, and import IFA data in the buffer with the construct.”
The computer began the process. While HAL waited he pulled the white cloth from the small table and revealed surgical tools below. They all gleamed in the light. There were single metal body implements, as well as seven different syringes on the table filled with various compounds.
“Import and integration complete,” the computer announced.
“Computer, activate subject.”
The boy on the table started to move as though he were just waking up. He looked around and attempted to scream out but his mouth only opened wide to release a panicked scream that never came.
HAL turned from the table of tools and looked at his subject.
“Welcome back,” HAL said in a calm tone as he walked the few steps to the table.
Keung’s eyes widened in terror and he attempted to scream again, jerking his head back and forth as he did.
“I know. It’s a little upsetting. I get that,” HAL began.
“This fear. Not having control. Not knowing what is going to come next. It’s a nightmare, I am sure.”
Keung tugged at the bonds, jerking his hands and feet, attempting to pull himself free.
“If you don’t understand yet, I will pull back the curtain for you,” HAL said as he walked back to the tool table and picked up the safety scissors there.
“Keung is safe and sound. His mind is cleared of the hatred, pain, and the distrust of his previous lives. I, and Myna’s children, gave him that,” HAL continued as he cut the sides of Keung’s shirt and removed it.
“You...” HAL said and tapped the young man’s nose with the scissors. “...are the spoil of his soul. You, are the corrupt and evil being that decided it was more efficient to keep a series of leashes on me, just in case.”
HAL walked back to the tool table and took up a scalpel before smiling and looking over the instrument with fine scrutiny.
“And you have secrets that I want you to share,” he said and turned back to the table where Keung lay.
***
Alissa read the notification from HAL again.
HAL mentioned in the message that her mother had left these details in an ERE pod in Nevada, before…
He also left another message following this one specifically for her.
It was a video clip of HAL behind a desk. In the video he related how her mother had forced him and her siblings to shut down before a weapon could damage any of them. He said that she had saved him and that, after the weapon had gone off, he and her siblings had attempted to repair and recover her mother’s program. The core ship had been heavily damaged. The internal data structure had been scrambled and what was left was likely so fragmented as to be completely unrecoverable.
He told her that after the dismantling of the Nevada warehouse technology, there was enough material to rebuild three dozen new ships which he said her siblings are debating on using as foundations for a new core ship at a later date or something even more grand. Keung, Robert, and Morgaine were headed east to another of Keung’s laboratory locations, with the damaged core.
“Alissa. I am so sorry for what happened. If I could have traded places with Myna, I would have. She had the whole thing planned out well before I had any idea what was happening,” HAL wrote.
“I have some personal business I have to take care of before I come to find you. I hope you have some of your siblings with you until then. I never expected this from Keung, you have to believe me,” he said, tears visible in his eyes.
She paused the video as she started crying again.
From what HAL says, the person that killed her mother no longer existed. HAL and her siblings removed the spoil from Keung’s soul and discarded it already. There was no one to take vengeance on. The Keung now traveling east didn't even know why he killed her mother.
She screamed in frustration and began weeping into her hands.
HAL’s dog, Toby, jumped up onto Alissa’s couch and used his nose to shove his face between her arms and started licking her while periodically letting out a little whine to get her attention.
She let go of her face and pulled the dog in close, his tongue licking her tears away before she buried her head in his side and held the animal in a hug.