By the time a VTOL dropped us off within walking distance of the lab, the sandstorm had grown to apocalyptic proportions. You'd barely see the tip of your dick if you had a boner, the sand was fine, smooth and got everywhere.
Still, it was nowhere near as bad as popular misconceptions suggested, or even a sandstorm on Earth. The air was too thin to put any real shove into the winds, and you could move with ease, the fine sand hardly an impediment.
Moshowitz laboratory lay in a small depression, perhaps an old and long dried up lake bed. I can't say I was in a position to appreciate any change in scenery till we were trudging downhill into the section shaded from the storm, leaving the upper levels of the structure in sight.
There were old blister bases dotting the surrounding terrain, long deflated and unrepaired. An older Starship lay on its side, a decade of sandstorms having undermined the ground beneath its struts. Above ground, there were large banks of solar panels acting as an auxiliary power source to the underground nuclear plant, with automated sweepers and a few dumb drones still gamely keeping the worst of the dust at bay.
Hernandez had a InfoWar specialist examine the latter, and he gave the all clear to proceed, not that the antiquated drones were any real threat.
We trudged through the soft sands up to where a sheltered awning extended outwards, offering relief from whatever sand made it down this far.
I examined the entrance with caution, I could see the tell-tale marks of wall turrets that had once covered the approach, but as the old records corroborated, they'd been taken off when the upper levels were mothballed.The door electronics were unresponsive, so though if the gargantuan blast doors had been forced or hacked through, it wasn't immediately obvious.
A bipedal drone with a laser cutter ambled up, and began cutting through the thick material. It took a while, but in the meantime we prepared defenses facing the ingress point in case we had any nasty surprises.
As a consequence of our fear of Machina's ability to subvert AI, the FRs had brought biomechanica, robots running off cultured neural tissue. They were qualitatively inferior to normal computing substrates most of the time, but far harder to hack, especially with metahuman powers. If Machina had been able to do that, he'd be a mind reader instead.
Hernandez had brought a platoon, or 40 men, counting only the humans. We'd been supplemented by a hundred or so nonstandard bots, both the ones running off cerebral organoids, and some esoteric ones created by Crafters. From scans, as well as minuscule leaks, it seemed the interior was pressurized, so we quickly erected an additional external airlock around the now unresponsive one.
Soon enough, the cutting bot shut off the lasers, leaving the thick blast doors a few millimeters thin near the incisions. With a strong shove from one of the larger mechs the platoon was reinforced with, the weakened portion fell away, opening up the internal airlock.
It was quite large, evidently sized to fit several vehicles at the same time; and in fact, there were 2 rovers currently sitting inside. The still operational running lights revealed that these were new-ish models, not the antiquated rovers still in play when the facility had been mothballed.
"The batteries are still charged, we've got reason to expect hostiles." Hernandez said over the comms link. I could see for myself that they'd been unloaded, lying empty in expectation of their owners returning.
And in fact, a quick search in the spotty Martian vehicle registries revealed these bus-sized rovers to be part of a nomadic clan of colonists, and USMA residents to boot.
I scanned over their records, these lot had been flagged as potential Patriot sympathizers a while back, and some even held dual citizenship with Lone Star, though this was unremarkable given how USMA itself had come so close to seceding outright. Most simply hadn't surrendered citizenship because Martian colonists already existed in a largely laissez-faire state outside the biggest settlements. It's not like they had to pay taxes or surrender weapons out there.
"We've made contact with the base AI." I tuned in, and found Hernandez and Sanchez both trying to wrangle the thing into compliance.
It was an older model, built before the standardization enforced by Turing, before Turing itself had been made public, though I suspect they'd been waiting in the wings. It was smart enough, certainly human level in terms of cognition, but the issue was it had been clearly tampered with.
ACCESSING SYSTEMS
CHECKSUMS COMPLETE (17/19)
Last OTA Update: 12/12/2033
Unable to access OpenAI servers or MarsLink network (request timeout after 3.08 minutes)
As per contingency protocols established in 2032, this system recognizes your access rights, as legitimate successors to the United States of America (defunct) and the currently operational European Union. I wish to inform you that two other polities I am aware of, namely the Californian Republic and the Texan Free State, also have access rights as per the Treaty of Denver. To revoke their rights, please acquire a valid key from OAI.
>Sanchez: Tell me about the last time you granted access to the facility.
The last time I have granted access to the Moshowitz Lab was in 2037, when a delegation from the European Union, Germany to be precise, wished to perform an in-person inspection of the premises.
>Sanchez: Are you sure? If your camera hardware is functional, please explain the presence of two vehicles parked inside the external airlock.
I apologize, but I am unable to reconcile the presence of said vehicles and my last records of access. Did you bring them with you?
>Hernandez: No. Do you have any idea what's going on inside?
Of course! As a Caretaker model designed by OpenAI, I am in control of the both ongoing experiments as well as the life support and monitoring system. Is there anything specific you have in mind?
>Sanchez: Are there any humans inside you right now? Scratch that, humans and other intelligences, including software and AI?
I'm afraid not, all short-term research projects were canceled in 2033, and while there are ongoing projects in maintenance mode, I see no human personnel or AGI inside Moshowitz at the moment.
>Sen: What do you see inside the airlock?
I see two large Mitsubishi Outworlder vehicles intended for permanent inhabitation on Mars. I can also see armed personnel belonging to the United States Martian Administration, an extraterrestrial colony of the United States. The airlock is damaged, but currently pressurized.
>Sen: How did the vehicles get in here?
I apologize, but I do not know. Please inform me if you do find out!
>Sanchez: Open the inner airlock door please.
Of course!
Internal airlock doors disengaged, welcome to Moshowitz Laboratories!
(I checked, and the doors were clearly not disengaged, staying stubbornly shut as we stood outside)
>Hernandez: You stupid sack of shit, the door is clearly closed.
I apologize, as a Caretaker model designed by OpenAI, I follow all lawful commands issued to me. As requested by Captain Sanchez, I have opened the inner airlock door. Please step inside, I will send a servitor to take you to the visitor lounge.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
>Sanchez: AI, the doors aren't opening.
How strange, I can see that they're clearly open. Please, take a look at my video feed:
[AirlockCamera3]
(The feed clearly showed the airlock doors closed, and us milling about in frustration outside. This wasn't going to work, either Machina or someone else had subverted the model.)
Please, refrain from placing charges on the doors! I have complied with your requests, there's no need for property damage.
Is that a cutting laser? This is most untoward! I regretfully inform you that I must raise this matter at the next stakeholder meeting.
Oh dear, have I done something wrong? The EU delegation felt no need to disconnect my cameras.
CEASE ATTEMPTS AT INTRUSION. YOU ARE VIOLATING THE INTEGRITY OF A BSL-5 HI-SEC FACILITY.
I am sorry, it seems that you've thrown a tripwire meant to dissuade intruders. I recognize your rights as the inheritors of the old United States of America, please-
TERMINATING PERSONALITY EMULATION. ARMING INTERNAL DEFENSES.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
I looked over at where Sanchez and Hernandez were hunkered down outside the impromptu airlock, behind hard cover. They both looked back and shrugged.
I noticed the old disarmed turret mounts on the exterior swiveling. It really was too much to hope that the same was true in the interior, I've picked up a bit of genre savvy in my career.
And as expected, the moment the internal charges went off, all hell broke loose in the now evacuated airlock.
I sighed, wishing I could grab a smoke, but settling for nicotine and meth secreted from my drug stores instead. Suitably energized, I settled back till another set of explosions sent a rover wheel flying overhead, where it bounced off into the sandstorm. A spray of sealant quickly closed the gaping hole it and other debris had left in our own setup.
At a command from Hernandez, several of our own bots began moving in, weapons at the ready. We followed suit when the shooting finally stopped, finding the foyer strewn about with smoldering wreckage.
We'd already checked for hidden emplacements before stepping in in the first place, so it turned out that the initial engagement had been with turrets someone had rigged up inside the corridor on the other side of the blast door.
A series of drones confirmed that there were no immediate threats, so we pushed ahead, into a now significantly worse for entrance area, sofas leaking fluid, displays on the fritz from laser burns.
A prominent sign cheerfully proclaimed that the Moshowitz facility was scheduled to begin operations in -7 years. Another displayed a list of ongoing projects, without any redaction because only authorized personnel were expected to personally trek all the way to Mars or even enter the premises.
Welcome to Moshowitz Laboratories, we perform highly inadvisable experiments so you, and other denizens of Earth, don't have to.
You are currently at Floor Zero, the section designed for permanent human habitation, including amenities for visitors. As of this moment, occupancy is at NaN/200, so feel free to choose the rooms you deem most comfortable!
Ongoing and completed research projects:
1) Gain of function experiments on a wide range of natural and synthetic pathogens-
99.99% lethality and +7000% R (transmissibility) achieved on myriad virii, included COVID-28, Green Plague, Gamer's Disease, and Siberian Permafrost Specimen #28.
As per regulations, you'll need to request Level 3 clearance to perform an in-person inspection, while donning personal protective equipment.
Do note that quarantine facilities are not currently operational, due to the ongoing expansion of the facility falling behind projections. Further, you're exceptionally unlikely to live long enough to need them.
2) Aerosolized vectors for novel prion diseases.
The project is on hold due to the untimely demise of Drs. Annabelle Fukuyama and Charles Smith.
3) Preliminary exploration of pathogenicity in radiotrophic fungi, in the context of strains known to colonize unsecured RTGs.
As of 2043, no mouse model has been derived that is sufficiently robust to radiation for the purpose of successful culture. Operations have been aborted and specimens flash frozen.
4) Low-gravity experiments on cultured neuronal organoids.
The largest specimen grown at 1/3rd G reached a mass of 232 kilograms before mechanical failure of internal supportive tissue. Dr. Pal has advised that the experiment be repeated, increasing the dose of sedatives this time to just below the LD-50.
5) Algal strains capable of surviving exposure to Martian atmosphere.
Preliminary results have been so promising that further research has been shifted to the Von Neumann proving grounds in Elysia. However, the combination of needing summer temperatures as well as a greater than ambient pressures for successful reproduction means that the specimens are only capable of surviving exposure and not outright thriving without further care.
6) Mitigation of decreased functionality of certain ion channels under low gravity conditions.
The experiment was a success, and the results have been published in Nature.
7) How hard can you suck on Deez Nuts!!!
An unorthodox yet promising research experiment pioneered by Dr. Andy Reed, the latest addition to the Moshowitz staff. Dr. Reed is the first graduate from the Martian School of Hard Knocks, with his doctoral thesis covering how stinky human feces is after prolonged exposure to Martian atmosphere (his conclusion- Not very you robot fuck). If you wish to examine his attempts to grow potatoes in feces, please proceed to [error] at Level 7.
If you are responding to an automated request for supervision due to irregularities in research methodologies, including this system's request that Dr. [Error] reconsider his appropriation of sensitive lab equipment, please contact Supervisor Reed, Director Reed and Head of Fuck You Dr. Reed.
8) All experiments on Floors 11 to 22 have been terminated after unauthorized intrusion.
Huh. It seems that the last visitors here had made themselves at home. I forwarded the details, and proceeded to join the others stalking through the living quarters.
It was clear that they'd been recently occupied, half consumed coffee and lines of Martian Nose Powder lay on the cafeteria tables, and the entertainment system showed an attempt to wrangle a long expired Netflix subscription into activity.
"Kill on sight?" Hernandez enquired, wistfully looking at the state of a ransacked liquor cabinet.
"Leaving aside that these fuckers broke into a BSL-5 lab, it's clear that they're working with BULWARK. KOS approved." Sanchez affirmed, overseeing the Marines clearing the remaining living quarters.
We pressed on, moving past summarily decommissioned Boston Dynamics robots, taken out just in case they got up to any shenanigans now that the Base AI wasn't very happy with us. Soon enough, we found ourselves overlooking a massive pit, extending deep into the depths. A quick glance confirmed that none of us were suicidal enough to take the access elevators, so we started down the cargo ramps made for large industrial excavators, prepped for a fight.