Chapter Fourteen

THE EVIL THAT MEN DO

JULY 31ST 2369

Dr Felix Eisenmann drains the dregs of another stimulant cocktail, forcing his body to remain alert and awake. He had stayed up working through the night, didn’t have the time for sleep, and it wasn’t like he’d been able to sleep properly since he’d time traveled anyway.

He taps his finger on the desk, staring at images of the robot aliens he’d encountered. The suits needed to work today, if their plan works, humanity will be able to stand up to this enemy.

If they failed… This was it, the end…

He checks the time, his volunteers were late, had they bailed on him? Or maybe they’d forgotten, they weren’t exactly the best society had to offer. He just hoped Bart isn’t the one holding them back.

Ivor interrupts his train of thought.

Sir, I have completed my detailed analysis of the Arcs, it took time to gather much of the data. It would appear that, as your species nears it’s end, record keeping is no longer a priority.

“Yes, yes,” Felix mutters, “What’s the verdict?” he needs to know, if his plan failed, the Arcs will be humanities final hope for survival.

Negative sir.

Felix waits, but when Ivor doesn't continue, he speaks through his teeth, exhaustion trumping his remaining patience.

“Explain.”

There has been no evidence for the construction of the propulsion systems. Heat scans of the Arcs show people have settled in the sections reserved for this function.

Felix’s body grows as rigid as a statue. He knew he’d been right about this, but now… He didn’t want to be. If he fails, there was no hope left.

“It’s all on us now.” He whispers. What the hell were they thinking?

“Ivor,” Felix says in a low voice, “Irene’s been in contact with Dr Frakes hasn’t she?”

Yes sir.

“Are you able to access his network?”

I only need your permission to do so sir.

Felix hesitates for only a second, “Acknowledge.”

There is a quite thrum as the AI does this.

I have full access sir.

“Excellent, copy over everything.”

A graph displays on a nearby screen showing the progress of the data transfer. Felix watches this for a moment, thinking, before he leans back in the chair, and links his fingers together in front of his chin.

“Lets see what you’re hiding Jon.”

A minute later the transfer completes. Felix slides forward and swipes the screen, opening and moving documents about the many displays as he takes it all in.

“The minimum population,” He reads aloud, “to ensure the continuation of the species is 160? That’s it?”

He reads on, “Projected course for… Alpha Centurai? Were they high when they came up with this?”

That information is unavailable sir.

“I wasn’t asking you.”

Felix looks to another document about the Arcs, then another, and another.

“Some fucking hope these are…” He laughs, surprising himself as he could feel his blood simmering through his temple. “Just glorified shelters,” He balks, “with hardly any protection… Ivor is this really… This is what the might of man kind could come up with…”

Yes sir.

“Un-fucking-believable.”

Felix swipes again and again, until he finds an email which mentions him. He stops on this and reads.

“Don’t worry about Felix… He’s a failure…” His blood solidifies, eyes going wide, “Just throw him money to keep him distracted,… No use to us anymore since his mom…”

Felix throws himself to his feet. Shaking.

He knew they were cowards, that they hated him, but to see it written…

He pushes the email aside and opens up the documents pertaining to the Ark projects. There was a sub-section regarding the Propulsion systems, with only one note attached.

‘SUB-PROJECT CANCELED DUE TO FUNDING’

He closes the screens down, pressing his fists into the desk, the metal is cold against his hot flesh. He breaths hard through his nose, his lips sealed shut.

To anyone working on the Arks… It would have been so obvious. These files tell a very clear story of cut corners and greed.

Irene had worked on this project, she’d been lead of her own team. She couldn’t have not known the truth, and she’d lied to him about it.

Felix grabs his lab coat and marches out of the main lab.

He just knew they’d all been laughing at him, watching the desperate attempts of a deranged man to save a world they didn’t give two shits for.

He’ll show them fucking deranged, he’ll show them all. Their attempts to save the world were pathetic, it made him laugh. It was all just for fucking show, all a big distraction for the world while the rich and powerful sneak away and out of reach.

He grips the handle of Irene’s door, primed to slam it open and unleash the torrent of blood and rage that he could no longer hold back.

Sir, your guests have arrived.

Ivor’s cold and metallic voice, wakens Felix to his surroundings, like coming out of a day dream, his mind skips a beat and he can’t piece together what he was about to say.

It had been on the tip of his tongue, yet now he can only vaguely remember the hot temper he’d been feeling a moment ago.

“Sorry?” He asks.

You’re guests for the test are here. The AI repeats.

“They are?” He looks at his hands, his overgrown nails have left deep groves in his palms. “I better go let them in.”

He instead knocks on her door and calls through.

“Hey. They’re here.”

“Just be a minute.” She calls back.

Felix turns and stumbles, in a heady daze, to the front door. A part of him was glad Ivor had interrupted him, he shouldn’t ruin their last day. But a bigger part still seethed and raged at the humiliation and insult.

He’d confront her after the test, before she leaves.

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He’d try and keep it contained until then.

***

Felix trots down the stairs and stops to catch his breath, steadying his emotions, before opening the main doors.

“Welcome, please come in.” He says to the three beggars at his door. He scrunches up his face, their piss soaked rags offending the already polluted air.

They gawk at the hall as they push their way past, they probably hadn’t been inside a building in years, never mind one like his.

“If you’ll follow me.” Felix says leading the way, “As my contact will have informed you, this is a very straight forward test, we-” He stops as a filthy hand wrestles his shoulder back.

“We din’t care,” The one who gripped his coat hisses through a few yellow teeth, “do wh’tever, juss give money.”

“Don’t you worry my friends.” Felix says pulling himself out of their reach and removing his lab coat. “You will get everything you desire, please, just follow me.”

He leads them through the main room and out onto the veranda where three new suits are waiting. Irene is at her console, on a call to someone, when she smells the guests approaching she quickly hangs up.

“Oh my…” Irene gags, and turns around. “What is that?”

“Our volunteers.” Felix answers as he directs them to their suits.

“Are you being serious?” Irene hisses at him, leaning towards him.

He whispers back, “This is the best I could do.”

She shakes her head, “What about the Nanites, a healthy human is one thing, Mother Earth knows what they’ll do to these… unfortunate souls.”

“Won’t be near as bad as what they’ve done to themselves.” Felix replies. “At least no one’s going to miss them.”

“Are we positive that the Nanites will cooperate?” She says as she watches the men climb inside the suits, and freaking out when it wraps around them. “I can’t help feeling, that they’re lambs to the slaughter… Are we sending them to their deaths?”

Felix grabs her shoulders with both hands and her head snaps back, eyes glaring.

“No one is going to die, we fixed it, together, remember? If it fails it will be because we have failed, and we wont, right?” He pants, the earlier anger reigniting.

She mumbles but articulates no words, he tells her again.

“Ira, we did this, we solved it, we saved humanity, no one else can say that with a straight face.”

“What do you mean by that?” She manages to say.

“Never mind, it’s starting.” Felix says, letting go of her and rushing to his console. He taps to bring up different screens and glances over to Irene.

“How are their vitals?” He asks.

She is still in a daze, staring at the spot where he’d been a moment ago.

“Ira!” Felix shouts and she blinks, turning to face her console and looks down at it.

“As fine, as can be expected.” She says.

Felix watches the screens, the Nanites haven’t started the process, that was good.

“Whit we do now?” one of the volunteers asks through the suit, still marveling at their hands.

“Enjoy the suits for a moment, just… Don’t blow anything up,” says Felix, “we need to check a few things before we can start.”

He continues to watch the screen, then it happens, the Nanites start to work on the bodies. A green dot informs him that the data matches the simulations, for now.

“I din't know man.” Says one of them after a few minutes. “I din't feel too good.”

“I did try to explain earlier,” Says Felix into the microphone, “The suit is going to heal you, but first it needs to put you into a stable state.”

He can feel Irene’s eyes baring into his neck. Please let this work, he prays to himself.

“I don’t feel right,” Barks one of the others, “I want to stop this, I’m claustrophobic. Let Me Out!”

They claw at their helmets, but like the soldiers before, they wont open.

“Please, let us out!” Cries the first one, dropping to his knees, “This hurts…” his speech trails off.

Irene stares with her mouth hanging open at her console, their vitals are fluctuating all over the place, she brings up the wide field scanner and focuses on the inside of their suit. She puts a hand over her mouth.

“It’s happening again Felix.” She stammers. “They’re ignoring the program.”

Felix leaps over his console and almost falls down the stairs. He catches his scanner as he drops it from his pocket and waves it over them. His knees grow weak at the results.

His console glows red and warning sounds start.

“Ira, Implement the override!” Felix screams across the veranda.

“I can’t…” She cries back.

“It will save them, it will stop their pain.” He yells.

Her hands shake as they move over the console, as if beyond her control.

She brings up the failsafe list, activates the one she’d written over the last week, the override to the Nanites. It will stop the pain at least, but probably not enough to save their souls.

THE VULCAN PROTOCOL

Irene thought the name had been fitting, now she wasn’t so sure.

She presses the words to engage them.

The screaming stops, and silence floods the space between.

Felix turns back and sees the three volunteers get to their feet, and stand to attention.

“We did it.” Felix gasps, checking over the data on his scanner, “We did it, Irene, you did it.” He sticks his hands into the air. “We’ve Saved The World!”

“No… No Felix it isn’t enough.” Irene admits, edging away from her console, eyes vacant.

“It is, now we just need to run the exit-“

SO COLD.

The two words echo through the room, their digital construction freezing the warm blooded in the room to the spot.

SO COLD, HELP.

Felix slowly turns to look at the three suits, the one at the end steps forward, and turns to look at him.

HELP ME

It speaks to him, it’s voice cracking.

He drops the scanner. Unable to take his eyes off the suit, he rummages blindly around on the floor for it.

Once he has it back in hand, he scans the man in the suit, then the others.

“Ira.” He says slowly, “Check my console will you?”

No response.

He looks up to see she’s backed against the far wall, frozen in fear.

Felix glances back at the talking suit.

“Stay here.” He says.

NOT MY BOSS.

Again Felix can’t tear his eyes away, he backs up the stairs, returning to his console. The suit follows, keeping only a few feet between them.

Felix taps on his console, franticly pulling up this suits data.

HELP ME?

That was a question, Felix looks up at him.

“What’s your name?”

I HAVE NO NAME… I HAVE… NO…

It’s arm reaches out and grabs Felix by the throat, lifting him with ease into the air.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!

It screams the words, which became distorted through the speaker.

“Help… Ivor!” Felix chokes against the metal vice closing around his neck.

A second passes and the other two suits are behind the first, they each grab an arm and in synchronous motion, snap them off, releasing Felix from the death grip.

AAAHHH

The rouge suit cries out, kneeling to the floor. It then looks up to the other suits standing over it.

PLEASE, KILL ME.

The suits turn to look at Felix, waiting for his command.

PLEASE, KILL ME, PLEASE. KILL ME. KILL ME. NO MORE. COLD. EMPTY. KILL.

The suit leans forward, head bowed, waiting for it’s demise. It repeats the words over and over, and over. It wore against Felix’s concentration.

Felix glances at Irene’s screen, this one’s vitals were fluctuating, where as the others were still. It could still feel pain, it had cried out when it’s arms had been removed. What the fuck did that mean?

PLEASE!

“Fine. Yes.” Felix snaps, regretting it immediately. “No, d-“ But it is already too late.

As Felix gave his consent, the two suits instantly follow his command and with a focused energy blast from their wrists, they execute their friend.

Felix stares down at the broken suit, why had this happened? Why did this have to happen. One failure, out of three.

He looks up at these obedient soldiers of his. Standing to erect attention, no feelings, no emotions, they would obey him without question. Felix’s mind reals at the wonders, the possibilities.

He checks over the data on his computer, for these two at least, everything works, and reverting them back should hopefully not be an issue.

This was it, this was the hope he’d been so desperate for all these years. Now he finally has it, he can save the world, and humanity. He’ll be a hero.

“Ira… It’s…” He trails off as he looks around the room, she is no where to be seen. The smile on his face falls.

“Ivor, where’s Irene?”

Dr Graves is heading for the main lab, I believe her intentions are to shut down the house security system.

“What? You are fucking unbelievable Ivor.” Felix yells, getting to his feet. “If you knew that why didn’t you tell me? Or stop her? Fuck it, never mind.” He turns to his soldiers. “You’re with me, we need Irene Graves, and no killing, got that?”

He isn’t sure how literal they’d take his commands, he really didn’t want to hurt her.

He takes off, away from the veranda, with the two suits flanking him in his wake.

“Ivor, lock down the house.” Felix commands.