Goran woke from a blissful analgesic swamp of opiated comfort, not knowing who or where he was. He looked around. He was in a darkened room surrounded by beeping flashing medical monitors. He tried to review his recent history. The messy but ultimately successful cleansing of the moon base. The attack of the twisted, possessed technician. He remembered for a second the pain of having his eyes gouged, then instantly feeling the rush of morphine coursing through his body. After that, the memories were indistinct as if he was in a dream.
He vaguely remembered ordering the remaining Masama to stay on the Moon and finish disinfecting the moon base of the plastisol. While he, Odetta and Lance took the shuttle back to Earth. He wondered if that was the correct decision given his state of mind, awash with painkillers. Too late, he was here now. At least he presumed he was back on Earth. It was still dark; he had no idea where he was. He focused on his arms and legs and tried to move them.
“Just relax Goran.” A voice said. “You are back in Manila, at the BPI hospital.”
He thought he recognized the voice but didn't say anything. He was familiar with the BPI hospital; he had spent enough time there in the past. It was not a hospital in the traditional sense of actually curing people but more of a medical laboratory for developing and installing augments. The hospital was home to the most sophisticated, cutting-edge 3D piezoelectric medical printers on the planet. They could print replacement eyeballs, and skin. They could print improved versions of working human organs. Stronger hearts, powerful eyes, even augments for enhanced brain functions for those that could afford it.
The hospital was also home to the infamous Masama laboratory. This was where the Masama had their augments created and installed. Enhanced senses, exoskeletons, weapon attachments of all shapes and sizes. The people that worked there had once been doctors, bio-engineers and medical specialists proficient in their various fields. They had either been handpicked for the BPI hospital or had gravitated to the most sophisticated, experimental and well-funded medical laboratory in the world, leaving their morals and ethics at the door. These professionals saw themselves more as artists and sculptors than doctors.
Masama came to the lab with specific individual augments in mind. Usually nothing more than an idea. The doctors would design, build and install the aug, there were no restrictions on what they could create. The possibilities were endless, but implementation was limited by the clientele. The Masama soldiers were only interested in weapon applications but they were a blank canvas for the doctors. A chance to test their rapidly advancing skills in nano-scale printing and weapon development.
Goran’s first visit was to have the telepathic transmitter implant installed. He was one of the first and he understood completely how the implants had transformed the Masama. What had started out as a means for soldiers to be able to communicate had turned into the beginnings of an offshoot species, a variant of humanity. The implants were constantly being upgraded and improved upon, the new generation implants made the Masama faster and more intuitive than ever. Goran’s soldiers now did not communicate in any other way, they were evolving in a different direction to the rest of humanity. Embracing the group mind.
Goran understood the change, he was a part of it. His Masama were beginning to ignore regular humans without the implants, not deeming them worthy of recognition. The implants had only been in use for a few years but already there were signs of the upgraded Masama living in a different world. Evolving in a different direction. Goran could understand but he knew Lago wouldn’t, Lago treated the Masama as his own slave army. He wondered for how much longer. He tried to open his eyes, but it remained dark. He assumed his eyeballs had been replaced. “I know where I am, why can't I see.”
“Relax Goran.” The voice was feminine, annoyingly familiar.
Goran recognized the voice, the same doctor who had previously installed his other augments. He couldn't remember her name. “Tell me to relax one more time and I'll have your fucking head, now why can't I see.”
“We took the liberty of installing a new optics aug we have been developing. It will give you three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision. Just a few more seconds, finishing final diagnostics now.” The doctor sounded unflustered.
Goran remembered her name, Kushla. She was good at her job. “Three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision. I will have eyes in the back of my head?”
“In a manner of speaking, the optics were the easy part. The difficulty was getting your brain to accept the new view.”
“I don't feel any different and I am running out of patience, get a move on Kushla.” Goran detected a moment's hesitation as he mentioned her name, she hadn't expected him to remember.
“One more second Mr Satanovich... there. What do you see?”
It was not the same sensation as opening his eyes; it was an illuminating band across his field of vision. Bright white lights, hazy, blurry, indistinct shapes. He felt himself being lifted. Things slowly became clearer. It was panoramic vision, he could see the room around him in its entirety. Kushla and her two assistants in front of him, the monitoring equipment behind him. There was a weird vertiginous sensation, but sideways. It all started swimming and he almost fell off the bed.
“Careful.” Kushla steadied his arm. “It’ll take a few minutes to get used to.”
She was close to him, he could smell her perfume and he found himself looking into her ear. He could focus in on one particular point in his view but still see the entire three-hundred-and-sixty-degree perspective. There was no periphery. “Interesting.” Goran looked around without moving his head. He was already getting used to the new sensation. “You didn't feel the need to ask my permission before installing this new aug?” He was facing the door but looking at Kushla standing behind him.
“No, we didn't,” she replied. “I was confident in the augment and this was an ideal opportunity. We had just finished developing it when you came in high on morphine with your eyes gouged out. You should be thanking me.”
“Hmm,” grumbled Goran. He could not remember the last time he had thanked anybody. He wasn't about to start now.
“We enhanced your visual cortex receptors to enable your brain to process all the images. You don't have eyeballs anymore; you have an optical field band running around your head.”
“Around my head?” exclaimed Goran. It was the first time he had given any thought as to his appearance.
Kushla waved a hand at a wall and it instantly turned into a mirror. “Yes, around your head, we also installed a microlaser that tracks around with your optical field. All you need to do is think about the icon to activate it. Targeting and firing can be done by focusing on the target. It is linked to your telepathic implant.”
“I look fucking ridiculous,” said Goran, staring at himself in the mirror. He had a dull black metal band running around his head where his eyes used to be. There were two hazy blue lights pulsing around the band in opposite directions. One moved back and forth across the band at the back of his head, the other across the front. His head was shaved badly with lumps of scarred scalp showing between the stubble like a hairy root vegetable. The area where his skin melded with the black metal was red and scabby, still healing.
“We didn't think you were concerned with appearances.”
Goran thought he detected the beginnings of a smirk at the corners of her mouth, which quickly disappeared.
“I think you will find this new aug useful, now if you don't mind, I am very busy, my assistant will arrange a post-op.”
Goran wondered what he had said to offend her in the past. He shook his head dismissing the thought. He usually managed to offend everyone he met at some point. He watched himself shaking his head in the mirror. It was true he had never given a thought to his appearance, but he had never looked as ridiculous as this before. Goran watched Kushla's retreating figure, he located the optical laser icon with a thought and was tempted to use it.
Goran had to endure more unwanted attention on his way up to Lago's office. Bemused looks and undisguised mirth quickly diverted to anxious attention elsewhere when the BPI employees realized they were looking at Goran, head of the Masama with his new aug. Things did not improve once he got up to Lago's office where he was greeted with barely suppressed sniggering from Lance.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Goran... I love the latest look, Robot meets traffic light... It suits you.”
Goran took a few steps closer to Lance. The laser icon appeared again without him even thinking about it.
“Sorry,” Lance said, backing away. “You just took me by surprise, but you should get some advice before having new augs installed. I would be happy to help.”
Goran stood, towering over Lance. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Never mind.” Lance obviously realized he had overstepped the mark. “I'm sorry I laughed, it’s just been too serious around here recently. The wrap around eye band looks cool. Honestly.”
Goran ignored him. “Where is Lago?”
“In the globe room, he's expecting you.”
Goran made his way up to the globe room, where Lago was pacing like a mad professor around the huge spherical representation of Earth. He glanced at Goran before doing another circuit, eyes wide and unblinking, fixed on the globe. He strode up to Goran. Close, almost touching. Goran was a full head taller than Lago; he stared up at him, puzzled for a few seconds.
“Ah, new optics.” He studied Goran for a moment longer. “With laser attachment, I like it. People betray far too much emotion through their eyes, windows to the soul and all that. Easy to tell when people are lying by studying their eyes. Not that you ever gave much away Goran, you certainly won't now.”
Goran looked back at Lago with his optical field. Lago was right; you could read a lot from peoples’ eyes. Lago's pupils were hugely dilated. Black pools surrounded by bloodshot sclera. His jaw was working furiously. Goran did not need enhanced perception to deduce he had been taking amphetamines again.
“So, you finally managed to gain control of my moon base. I just hope not too much damage was done, we won't know until your Masama finish cleaning up their mess.”
“The plastisol worms were initially difficult to deal with.”
“You and your gung-ho bunch of meat-heads charged in looking to shoot anything that moved without doing any research,” growled Lago.
Goran stayed silent, Lago had overlooked the fact he had overseen the entire operation. Lago’s facial features were twisted by the amphetamines racing through his bloodstream.
“The end result was satisfactory but there have been some complications since that we need to discuss.”
Lago was still standing too close to Goran, glaring up at him. “Lance!” he bellowed, spraying Goran’s chest with flecks of spittle. Goran stood impassively, the blue band of his optic field shifting lazily from side to side. Lago continued to glare at Goran for a few seconds before spinning to study a point on his globe.
Lance came into the huge dark globe room and stood next to Goran. Like two guilty schoolboys waiting for the headmaster’s attention. Lago was standing close to the globe, gesticulating at a small section above the projection of the Earth, teasing and manipulating the image.
“Goran this is for your benefit, Lance and I have seen it already.” Lago pointed up at empty space above their heads where holographic 3D images were taking shape. The disabled shuttle Tobias III was gently spinning, out of control in its decaying orbit around the Moon. “We presumed everyone aboard the shuttle was dead, watch this.”
The image zoomed in on the shuttles landing thrusters which showed the occasional burst, minutely adjusting the spinning trajectory. The stationary drone in its frozen orbit came into focus with the Moon in the background. The spinning shuttle was on an intercept course with the drone and it adjusted its position to avoid a collision. They watched as the shuttle timed its spin perfectly, igniting its thrusters at maximum burn, at exactly the right moment, incinerating the drone then powering off into the night sky.
“They must be still alive,” said Goran. “The effector weapon was ineffective.”
“No, not possible. It was the largest payload, enough to fry a hundred people in lead suits with radiation. I controlled it from here, there were no issues.”
“So how do you explain that? Someone must be still alive in there.”
“No chance, they were all dead. Lance has a demented theory... I will let him explain.”
Goran did not need to turn. He could see Lance beside him staring up at his optical field band trying hard not to smile.
“You obviously find my appearance amusing,” said Goran raising his voice slightly. “But smirk at me one more time and I will put a laser through your fucking head.” Goran rarely raised his voice and never lost his temper. Even Lago turned in mild surprise.
“Apologies again Goran. I didn't think you would be this sensitive about it.” Lance carried on quickly. “Once we arrived back on Earth I studied the apparently disabled shuttle and detected a large amount of data traffic between the moon base and the shuttle in one instantaneous burst. I think the machine intelligence realized it was doomed if it stayed rooted into the printer hard drive and it decided to abandon the base.”
“You are suggesting it somehow projected itself into the shuttle? The black worms? I can't see how that would be possible.”
“There would have had to have been a receiver, a small piece of the animated plastisol somehow got into the shuttle. Maybe on a piece of clothing or some equipment of one of the technicians was carrying. The HEMI AI must have projected itself into the piece of plastisol on the shuttle judging by the amount of data.”
“You think the AI has taken control of the shuttle.”
“Somehow yes, they don’t just fly around on their own especially after being hit with an effector.”
“As I said it's a demented theory,” said Lago, still gazing at the globe. “But regardless of what is flying the shuttle, we need to intercept it and put an end to this. It's moving slowly, it burnt a quarter of its fuel when it razed the drone and used most of the rest to reach orbit. It has been floating in among the space junk, powered down, hiding. But now it's heading for Earth.”
Goran looked up at the holographic representation of the shuttle and its projected path. The laser icon appeared again in his vision. He hadn’t used it yet but was waiting for an opportunity.
“Its entry point indicates it will head for a landing in Australia. We will be there to meet it.”
“Why don't we just blow it away with missiles?” asked Goran.
“I agree,” Lance nodded. “This is a whole new level of threat, if the AI has actually subjugated the shuttle and its dead human inhabitants. We don't know how it may have adapted or evolved. It could be a significant viral threat to the planet. It's probably safer just to blow it away.”
“No, I want it captured,” Lago was adamant. “Whatever is flying the shuttle needs to be captured, contained and dissected so we can learn what the hell it is. It has already caused me significant delays on the Moon, I want it captured and harnessed, so it can pay off its debt. It’s new technology we can benefit from.”
“It's an AI; we need to kill it now before it grows even stronger, infects our systems and kills us all!” Lance threw both hands in the air for dramatic effect.
“It's my shuttle, my moon base, my operation and I make the fucking decisions!” Lago yelled at a cowering Lance. “This debacle has already cost me millions and I will get my money back. There could be benefits once we harness and control this so-called AI. It's one shuttle, no match for us. End of discussion but there is something else we need to address. Look at this.”
Goran watched as Lago went back to the globe and started manipulating and enlarging its surface. It was the orbital elevator being built in the South China Sea. The elevator was noticeably growing, making progress through the low cloud layers. His hands enlarged the image, then one hand dialled back, going to a recorded event in the elevator's history. Eventually satisfied with the image Lago turned and seemed surprised to see Goran and Lance still standing there.
“While you were sleeping Goran, there was an attack on the platform.”
Goran moved closer to the globe, his expression remained the same as he watched a replay of the Babelist’s absurd attempted bombing of the construction site.
“A bunch of brainless religious fanatics that shun technology managed to sneak on to my elevator platform and tried to blow the damn thing up! And they did it while your supposedly hyper-vigilant Masama were providing security!” Lago hissed.
“How did they get onto the platform?”
“I don't fucking know, it doesn’t matter. Now I know you can't be everywhere at once but these Masama meatheads are your responsibility and I am concerned they are getting too arrogant and neglecting their duties. They think their presence alone is enough to deter any trouble and they are getting lazy, they are not doing their jobs. They need a reminder of who they are working for. They need a kick up the ass.”
“I usually screen all potential candidates myself and dispose of those not suitable, but you are right. This demonstrates they may be growing complacent in certain duties.”
“We need supervisors,” Lago said as he walked around the globe. “Connected to the Masama but under our control, and they need to be able to manage your soldiers.”
“Not easy to find.”
“Nothing is easy Goran, just do your fucking job, but listen!”
Lago grabbed Goran's suit jacket and scrunched it with his fists pulling Goran closer. The severity of the gesture was somewhat lost as Goran watched Lago lose focus, his bloodshot eyeballs hypnotically following Goran's shifting optic field from side to side.
Lago swore again and shook his head. “I am concerned about the telepathic link you all share. It's valuable in battle, but it's making the Masama think differently. I can't control it and I don’t like it. That combined with their disrespectful attitude makes them potentially dangerous. We need to be able to control them, Goran. I want to know what they are thinking.”
“I know what they are thinking,” said Goran.
“Yes, but you are their chief and you aren’t with them all the time. We need people in amongst them we can trust.”
Lance interrupted. “I have recruited a supervisor with that in mind. We will install the telepathic implant in his brain and he will report to us on what the Masama are thinking, that's him there.” Lance pointed at the recording. “Rutger.”
The recording of the elevator bombing had played on to the point of the Masama butchering the Babelists. Lago had paused a still image of inside the security building showing Raymond’s blood splattered, emotionless face. “Good. We’ll need more than one,” muttered Lago.
“I will also talk to Kushla; see if there is a way of monitoring and controlling the telepathy. An upgraded implant or neural inhibitor perhaps.”
“Yes, you do that, keep me informed.” Lago made his way back to the globe. “Goran take this Rutger fellow to Australia with you; he looks as if he might be useful.”
“As you wish,” muttered Goran as he turned and left the globe room.