“We’ve found Dylan,” I said to Laura as I touched the glass. My mind was racing too quickly to make sense of this. I couldn’t believe they’d already Implanted him. It must have been a short process. “Now we just need to get him out of here.”
Laura frowned. “Have they turned him into a Hybrid that quickly? Beth didn’t get here much sooner than we did. I think. Can you sense his power?”
I shut my eyes and focused on him. I expected to feel a rush of information since he was right next to me…but I felt nothing. I didn’t sense anything from him at all. He couldn’t be dead, could he? No, there was no point in sticking a dead body in one of these. If I couldn’t sense him and they’d already hooked him up, then maybe…
“I think…they’re just prepping him for Implantation.” I took a step back as I watched him. That had to be it. There was no way you could give someone superpowers in such a short time. “There’s still time to save him. Hold on, I’ll hack into one of those computers and get him out. This is great! Where’s Rebecca? She can help carry him out.”
The entrance slid open right on time. I faced it, expecting Rebecca. And I got her…soaring at me like a baseball. I jumped out of the way as Rebecca slammed into Dylan’s chamber and rolled to the floor. She groaned, a sign that she was still alive. That was good, but why had she just flown into the room?
I checked the entrance again and felt my stomach fall to my feet. A copper robot with four arms and a massive torso like the other AI stood in front of the door. It wasn’t much bigger than the other AI, but it had a much more dangerous aura. We’d seen Kilos through Teras, and this guy didn’t look weaker than the Kilos, so…he must have been the next level.
“Oh, I have waited centuries for this day, Alpha.” He stomped into the room. His voice was electronic like the others, but it was gruffer and sounded more human. He sounded like he was speaking in one of those exaggerated pirate accents. “You’re a bit of a legend around here. Not to me because I couldn’t care less, but Exo never shuts up about you.”
This AI’s face was the most intricate so far. The pieces around his silver eyes actually moved, forming makeshift eyebrows and eyelids. He also had a mouth that moved when he spoke! His face might have passed for a human’s under the right light. As long as he wasn’t wearing that sinister expression.
Unlike the AI who sported brand new bodies, this one was covered in dents and scorch marks. The AI version of bruises. This one must have been around for a while.
Laura brandished her dagger and pointed it at him. “Stay back. You’re not touching him!”
The AI chuckled like a jolly old man. “‘Stay back,’ she says to the one who’s twice her size. What a feisty little bloodbag you are. Go on. Keep pretending you ain’t afraid of me. It’s funny.”
I knelt beside Rebecca and nudged her shoulder. “Rebecca, get up. We need you!”
“You think a Hybrid can take me down?” The AI stepped aside to dodge Laura’s slash. Then he pushed her away with one of his arms. She flew back like Rebecca had a moment previously. Was she okay? How strong was this guy? “Do yourself a favor, and don’t fight back. I heard you were heading to the Implantation Room, so I’m here to pick you up. Exo is waiting for us both.”
I stepped back. Exo? The Teras mentioned that one, but they also mentioned General Peta…
“You’re General Peta, aren’t you?” I hadn’t mean to shout that, but my whole body was trembling. I didn’t even know if my electricity would work on this guy. That was assuming I wouldn’t pass out if I used it again. “Are you the last AI before Exo? Do you freaks only come in six variations?”
Peta’s eyes widened, which was strange to see on an AI. “You’ve heard of me? Good. Now I don’t have to spend an hour introducing myself. Yeah, we AI only come in six colors. Unlike my troops, I’m the only one of my kind. You won’t find any other Peta around here. If you do, you let me know.”
I flinched as I backed up into Dylan’s chamber. I had cornered myself. The second strongest AI was advancing on me. Laura was pushing herself back up, but I wished she’d stay down so she wouldn’t get hurt. What had I done?
Peta grunted as he stopped in his tracks. He looked down, and I followed his gaze. A hand was closed around his copper foot. Rebecca raised her head. Her eyes were glowing pink. I couldn’t hold back my grin.
“You will not touch these children!” Rebecca yanked Peta’s foot as she sat up, throwing his balance off. The robot held out all four arms as he struggled to straighten himself out. Rebecca tugged until he fell forward, crashing to the floor. “You and everything else on this planet make me sick! I lost half my team to you monsters, which you can never understand because, for every AI we kill, there’s a hundred more waiting!”
Peta fired a copper blast into Rebecca’s torso, blowing her off him. The AI pushed himself up with two arms while rubbing his face with the third one, and he waved around his arm cannon. Rebecca coughed up blood, which she immediately wiped away.
“Just because we’re AI, it doesn’t mean we don’t understand pain.” Peta stomped on Rebecca’s stomach, forcing up more blood. She’d be lucky if her ribs weren’t shattered. “I remember your team, Rho. The last Alpha was part of it. You really think we’re the reason they died? I should kill you just for being stupid. Exo won’t be too mad, not if we have the Alpha.”
“I told you to stay back.” Laura ran up and sunk her dagger into Peta’s arm. One of them, anyway.
Peta cried out in pain as he grasped his arm with the three other ones. “A small pointy piece of metal? How did you know that was my weakness?” Peta continued to groan then his groan turned into an over-the-top cackle. “Too bad I can’t feel pain. Hey Rho, do me a favor. Let me know how this feels!”
He ripped out the dagger and plunged it into Rebecca’s shoulder. She screamed as steam trailed off the dagger. Laura’s jaw dropped. The pain in her eyes matched Rebecca’s scream. Peta grasped Rebecca’s throat as he made eye contact with Laura. Rebecca’s gasps for air as Peta choked the life out of her filled me with rage.
“Wait your turn, lass. This won’t take long.” He chuckled as he raised one of his arms. Its parts shifted as it transformed, but not into a cannon. This weapon had three barrels, and they all began to swirl around in a circle. It was an arm minigun. He aimed it at Rebecca’s face. “I’m not an ‘artist,’ but I’m definitely about to paint the floor.”
Had to act fast. No powers. I reached around in my suit for my wrench, gripped it, and swung it at Peta. It bounced off his metal back, not even leaving a dent behind. Peta turned his head toward me. I expected anger in his expression, but I mostly found confusion.
“You want a round too, Alpha?” He smirked. “You can have it after I’m done here.”
“Use the javelin.” I told Rebecca. “Just do it, no arguments!”
Peta’s eyes grew with realization. Rebecca clutched the javelin at her side and jabbed it at Peta. He seized her wrist before the spearhead could make contact. Peta shook as he pushed against the javelin, and Rebecca gritted her teeth as she pushed on it. Peta added a second arm to the pushing contest, furthering the distance between the tip and himself. His minigun slowed down but then revved back up. His concentration was divided.
“You can do it, Rebecca.” I swung at his back, but my strike bounced off again. “Takes more than the AI general to kill you!”
“Shut your yap.” Peta shifted one of his arms to a blaster and aimed it at me. “I lead the entire AI army. I give the commands. No rogue Hybrid with a sharp stick is going to best me!”
Rebecca ground her teeth as she began to shout. She released a guttural scream as her eyes glowed pink and pushed the javelin down with such ease that it was like Peta wasn’t even resisting. Peta let out a panicked yelp as the javelin sunk into his shoulder. His silver eyes flickered as his minigun fired a barrage of copper blasts into the ceiling. He screamed as the javelin’s steel spearhead filled with red. It was working!
Peta’s eyes flickered one last time before they went dull. His body went slack and slid off the javelin. It crashed to the floor with a deafening thud. He was dead? Just like that? We’d won? I could breathe again?
Rebecca coughed as she yanked Laura’s dagger out of her shoulder. She heaved and rubbed her arm, the one that had driven the javelin into Peta. Pink lines raced up her palm; it looked like circuitry.
“Hurts.” She massaged her wrist. “Almost can’t feel it. What’s happening?”
“I don’t know.” I touched her arm and shut my eyes. I hadn’t mastered my sensory power, but I was skilled enough to understand that Rebecca’s arm was seriously messed up. It was like it was filled with static. I didn’t understand it. “Something’s up with your arm. How hard did you push yourself?”
“I was pushing back against my robot; I had to use every ounce of strength I could muster. I’ve never…done that before.” Her eyes drooped like she was falling asleep before they snapped back open. “Anyway, we should get the boy out of here. We couldn’t kill the AI leader, but killing the general is a good first step.”
I hadn’t even considered that before now. Peta said he was the only one of his kind, and Rebecca had just killed him. The AI were without a general! Unless this Exo guy decided to make another one.
“Laura, look after Rebecca. I’ll get Dylan out.” I headed over to one of the computers.
Every word on the monitor was written in English, so it was easy to find the option that opened the chamber. I hit it and watched as the chamber blinked red. A harsh horn blared as the chamber’s tubes sucked all the clear liquid from it. It swung open, and Dylan fell out. I held my arms out and caught him, but his weight made me stumble back. He was cold, but he wasn’t wet. That liquid obviously wasn’t water then.
“Got him! Let’s go. Can you stand, Rebecca?”
Laura helped her up, but she groaned the entire time. She raised a thumb as her head drooped. That was the best answer I was going to get.
The silver hallway was barren this time around. There was no sound other than the thumps of our feet hitting the metal floor. We came to the part of the hall that transitioned into the tan hallway, the green one, and the purple one. If we wanted out, we’d have to go down the purple one.
I winced as the floor rumbled. Something had just fallen behind me. I turned and saw Rebecca face down.
“Rebecca?” Laura nudged her, but she didn’t respond. “She was slowing down, and I was about to ask if she was okay when she just collapsed! What do we do?”
I frowned as I considered our options. “I don’t know. I can’t carry her because I’m carrying Dylan…plus she’s too heavy.”
“Hey, bro.”
I knew that deceptively sweet voice. Standing at the end of the green hallway was my sister. Her helmet was off, so her golden brown hair flowed freely. She was smiling? Did she just call me “bro”? What was going on here?
“Wander, don’t.” Laura scowled at Beth before she turned to me with a sympathetic expression. “I know what you’re thinking, but we have to keep moving.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“How? Rebecca and Dylan are out, so it’s not like we could get away if we tried. We move, and Beth will follow. Let me cut her off right now.”
“But you’re not going to. You’re going to…” Laura sighed and slapped her forehead. “Whatever! Just go, I’ll be right here.”
I nodded. “Everything’s going to be okay. Trust me.”
The green hallway led to a huge green room with a series of circular steps. The steps led to what seemed to be an elevator. I approached Beth, who was still smiling. It was so creepy, but, for the first time, she didn’t seem dangerous. She seemed like the sister I used to have.
“We found Dylan, and we killed that General Peta guy,” I told Beth, “so now we’re out of here. Sorry to tell you that you lost this one, but you don’t have to. Last chance…come with us. Please.”
Beth’s expression didn’t change at all. “Have you ever stopped to think about how that would go? You think I’ll get along with your friends after what I’ve done? You think I can live in the First Division even though I’m dead?”
“Who cares when all this is the alternative? You’re working for the people who murdered our parents and have been trying to wipe out humanity for centuries! Why? I don’t understand why you want to be here so badly.”
“Because at least I have my own purpose here. I’m not ‘Wander’s little sister’ here, I’m Beta. Yeah I still come second to you, Alpha, but I don’t care…that much. Besides…the AI don’t want to wipe out humanity. I wouldn’t be crazy enough to work for them if they did.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Then, what do they want? What did they tell you?”
Her smile evolved into a smirk. “Sorry Alpha, but this conversation is over. I’ve bought enough time. If you have questions, ask him.”
What did that mean? The elevator dinged and opened up. I gasped as a red AI stepped out of it. It was as massive as Peta and even resembled him. His face had the same level of intricacy but none of the cockiness. His golden eyes regarded me with curiosity. They were piercing, like they belonged to a beast lurking in the darkness. The impression fit because this guy reminded me of a demon.
“Alpha.” He stomped down the circular steps. His voice was deep and menacing. Every word sent vibrations through my chest. “Finally, you’ve arrived. I’ve long awaited this day. After centuries of waiting, the pieces are falling into place.”
I had five different quips I could have belted out, but I was too unnerved to speak at all. This AI was the one. The most powerful one. His massive structure, his golden eyes to Peta’s silver, and the fact that Beth had just bowed down to him all confirmed my suspicions.
“You’re him…Exo.” I backed up, but I doubted I could get away if he didn’t want me to. “You’re the leader of all of them. The AI leader. You’re the one behind everything. Did you make the Hybrids?”
Exo stood beside Beth now, who was completely calm in his presence. “In a way. I utilized the technology to modify humans for the purpose of unity. That’s why you’re here now, so you may assist me in that goal.”
“No. No, I will never help you with anything you want to do. You abducted Beth, you attacked my home, you kept this freaking war going for centuries. Why? I…I’m sick of being confused. Why do the AI write and speak in English? Why do the Hybrids exist? What do you hope to gain from this war? What do you want from me?”
Exo glanced at Beth, who rolled her eyes at me. Was I wrong for having so many questions? It was this galaxy’s fault for being confusing. If I had to be in the same room as the AI leader, then he was at least going to answer my questions.
“It is not supposed to be a secret,” Exo said. “AI use English because it’s the first language we learned. We were born with it. We were created on Earth before it was devastated. Before we escaped.”
My jaw dropped, and I didn’t have the strength to lift it back up. What had this huge apple-colored tin can just said to me? The AI had been created on Earth? That was impossible. My stomach churned at the possibility. The implications were insane. If the AI were made before Earth was devastated…no wait. Why would they destroy their own home? This brought more questions than answers, like everything else.
“What? Let go of me! Wander!” Laura yelled in a frantic voice.
I whipped around. General Peta, the AI I had watched Rebecca kill, had Laura tossed over his shoulder. One of his eyes was dim, his jaw was lopsided, and his bottom two arms were limp, but, otherwise, he was fine. And he was taking Laura.
“Peta, that is clearly not Alpha,” Exo said, sounding exasperated. “Although I must compliment your timing. The ‘play dead’ strategy you suggested over the Knowledge Stream seems to have worked perfectly.”
“Well thanks. I know she’s not Alpha, but she’s even better! Are you seeing this?” Peta pointed at Laura as she stabbed his back with her dagger. He’d already shown that he wasn’t bothered by it. “How many bloodbags have this much fight in them? We could use someone like her. Can we keep her, Exo—I mean, Lord Exo?”
Exo sighed. “Very well. Beta, please apprehend Alpha. I can answer the rest of his questions once everything’s settled down.”
Everything was happening so quickly. Peta was alive, he was kidnapping Laura, the AI had been created on Earth, and the AI leader had just commanded my sister to “apprehend” me. If my best friend wasn’t in trouble, I’d be having a meltdown.
I aimed my palm at Peta, but something struck me from behind. I fell to the floor with an aching back. I rolled around, only to come face-to-face with Beth’s rifle. How could I have let my guard down with her? The floor rumbled as Peta stomped past us with Laura still stabbing his back. She looked at me, and the utter helplessness in her teary eyes broke my heart.
“Back off, Beth. Only warning!”
“Like I’m afraid of a marshmallow. You’re too soft to do anything that’s necessary. Make all the threats you want, but you’re the one who has lost this time.”
“I said move!” I glanced around her. Peta was almost at the steps to which Exo had returned.
“No. Quit trying to reason with me. This is your chance to realize that I’m not your precious little sister who will do whatever you say.”
My heart rate spiked as Laura got further away from me. Beth had a point. It was associated with our earlier discussion. Maybe it was too late for her. Maybe this was honestly what she wanted. Perhaps my sister was gone forever. She’d done nothing but get in my way, and now she was blocking me off from Laura.
That was the last straw. Sorry, Mom and Dad. I tried.
Beth’s expression went blank right before I unloaded a stream of electricity into her. Her suit must have been blocking the electricity, because she didn’t scream immediately. The screams came after she dropped her weapon and fear had caused her pupils to shrink. Tears welled in my eyes, and I tried to block them out. Smoke funneled off Beth as she crumpled to the floor. I’d just electrocuted my sister…and I didn’t have time to worry about it.
I ran toward Peta, but Exo stepped in front of him. His piercing gaze slowed me to a halt. I commanded my body to keep going, but I couldn’t move. Not with those eyes staring at me.
“Get out of my way.” I raised a crackling hand, but the crackles were dying down. My power had just come back, and I’d already spent it all again. “I…I’ll come with you if you make him let Laura go!”
“If you are that desperate to save her, you will not leave either way,” Exo said. “Also, I ask that you calm yourself. Your current state of aggression is a danger to everyone around you.”
The elevator slid open for Peta and Laura. She’d given up on stabbing him and was attempting to wiggle out instead. It wasn’t working. If Peta stepped inside that elevator, I’d lose Laura.
“Wander!” Laura shouted.
“Laura!” I sprinted toward them again. “Don’t worry, I’m here. I told you to move, Exo!”
He sighed as he raised his arm. “And I told you to calm yourself.”
Exo’s arm shifted into the largest arm cannon yet. It charged with crimson energy, painting the room red. It pulsed and sizzled until Exo aimed it at my chest. I crossed my arms to shield myself.
“Don’t worry…I’m holding back.”
Red filled my vision as I was pushed back. Had Exo’s blast done it? That would have made sense, but I wasn’t in pain. My arm felt tingly though, and I felt light-headed. I looked down. My left arm was fine, but my right arm…wasn’t there. Ash trickled down from the glowing stump that remained. He’d…destroyed my arm. My chest heaved as my heart thumped in my ears. I couldn’t get enough air. I couldn’t keep standing.
I heard someone call me one last time before a door slid shut. Laura? My adrenaline faded as the pain set in. Burning knives all over my arm. The pain was suffocating. I screamed as everything faded away. The last sound I heard was a series of footsteps…
----------------------------------------
I pried my stinging eyes open, and they filled with equally painful light. I blinked it away and sat up. Sharp pain shot through me, pushing me back down. My head fell onto a pillow that was too soft to be true. The bed was similar. It seemed like a bed. Where was I?
Every detail in the room stood out as I took it in for the first time. Stylish swirls of purple covered every curtain, every wall, and even my bedsheets. The swirls seemed meaningless, but then I realized that they all came together to form an emblem. Something pointy and somewhat cone-shaped. An icicle?
“Wander?” said a voice I hadn’t heard in a long time.
Oh no.
A messy, magenta hair bun sat on top of a flawless face and warm green eyes. She wore a light blue tailcoat and a purple space suit underneath. She lifted her glasses to wipe her teary eyes. President Margaret Frost, the woman who’d bombed Jupiter, was smiling down at me with tears streaming from her face.
I groaned and grasped my aching chest as my heart sped up. I grasped with both hands, but only one showed up. I gazed down at my right arm, which had been reduced to a bandaged stump. This…couldn’t be happening.
“Wander? Wander, breathe!” Frost grabbed my shoulders, increasing my stress. “It’s okay! You’re safe now. Nothing can hurt you.”
I threw her arms off and doubled over. I took slow, deep breaths. Every inhalation was like sucking in acid, and every exhalation was like vomiting. What had happened to me?
“Where am I?” I asked, and then I cleared my throat due to my hoarse voice. “How did I get here? Where are my friends? How did you find me?”
Hopefully, asking where my friends were wouldn’t give away my connections to the Oppressed. It also depended on how much she knew about what had happened.
Frost sighed as she sat down on my bed. “I’m afraid it was a series of complications that brought us to this point. When you went missing after the incident in Red City, I feared you’d been captured by AI. I sent Anderson Oak on a scout mission, but I knew he wouldn’t be of much help when he refused to send daily reports. No need to worry; he’s been apprehended. I expected all that, but the unexpected came when…Surge N. Antant brought you here.”
Surge? He must have been the owner of the footsteps I’d heard. He’d met Frost? Why would he have given me to her? After everything we’d gone through, had he tried to get rid of me?
“What happened there?” I asked so that I could keep the story straight.
Frost eyed me with curiosity. “He claimed that he abducted you from Red City and has kept you prisoner this whole time. Then he discovered Epsilon’s location and sent you there on some sort of suicide mission? I would have arrested him, but I promised not to in exchange for your safety and Theodore’s. Rest assured I’ll pursue them at the next possible opportunity. They’re already wanted criminals, so it won’t be difficult.”
Manning was here too? He hadn’t even been on Epsilon with us. She didn’t mention Laura, and I wished I could believe that she’d forgotten to. What had I done? I’d tried so hard not to fail, but this was the biggest failure of them all. Nessa would think I’d left her like everyone else in her life. The last time I’d seen Kaela, she’d been dying, and I had no idea where Dylan was. I didn’t even care if it gave anything away, I had to ask about Laura. I couldn’t lose her.
“You remember my friend, Laura Genki? One of the AI took her on Epsilon. If she’s not here, I need you to take me back!”
Shock registered on Frost’s face. “You’re in no condition for anything of the sort, sweetheart. You were unconscious for seventeen hours. I didn’t even feel a pulse when Antant left you in my care. Theodore and I have been worried sick all this time, and you want to go rushing back into danger? I’m sorry, but you have to stay on New Selene for a little while. You need time to rest. The good news, though, is that someday, we can go back to Epsilon. You know where it is now. Wander, you’ve accomplished the very task that the exploration program was created to achieve!”
My jaw dropped from shock. “That’s why explorers exist? You send out thousands of teenagers per month in the hope that they’ll discover the AI’s planet? Frost, that’s insane.”
“It’s not. I would never send them to infiltrate the planet. I just thought that, if they happened to spot something suspicious, they’d report it. I’ll continue the program of course, but perhaps I’ll delegate it to someone else. Now that we know where the AI are, we’ll need to focus on that.”
Frost was insane, and I was finally seeing that up close and personal. The profession that I’d spent a year pursuing was a lie. I could’ve viewed this positively, seeing as I was the first and only explorer to fulfill the secret objective. Unfortunately for Frost, I wasn’t feeling optimistic.
I could have refused to tell her where Epsilon was, but what would be the point? I needed to get back there, and she was my best chance at that. Not to mention that I’d need her army to accomplish anything close to a real assault. As much as it sucked, I’d need her help to rescue Laura. When I could.
I gazed at my right ar—my right stump. “Frost…the AI leader was the one who did this to me. He told me…that the AI came from Earth. What was he talking about?”
Frost’s face went blank. She seemed upset, like someone had brought up a sore subject. So she knew something here.
“Nothing but a lie. I don’t understand what the point of it was, but it’s not what’s important. Your recovery is, and I’ll be with you for every step of it. Don’t hesitate to ask me for anything…besides the Epsilon trip. That’ll come later.”
Now I knew that I couldn’t touch that subject. Frost had said it was a lie and then moved on immediately. Technically, I was keeping secrets too because of all the Oppressed stuff.
“Thanks,” I said, unclear as to whether I meant it or not, “but I just want to lie down for now. I have a lot to think about.”
I flopped against the soft bed to illustrate that I wasn’t budging on this. Even though I’d just woken up, I was exhausted. I felt so low that recovery didn’t even seem possible. Frost’s face fell but then she nodded. Of course she wasn’t going to push me. If you pushed a tool too far, it’d break. She needed to make sure I’d be polished enough to work when she needed me to. I wasn’t falling for her games.
“I understand,” she said as she headed for the door. “Shout if you need anything. Trust me, I’ll hear it.”
That wasn’t a good thing. The door slid shut behind her, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I regretted asking her questions. All I could think about was how horrible everything was. It’d never been this badly off before, and I didn’t know how I could fix any of it. I didn’t know the status of any of my friends! I was alone. Just like I’d been after I’d lost my family…
I rolled over and felt the ghastly hands of sleep reach for me.
Just hang on, Laura. I’ll be there soon.