The Codex
Codex Entry No. 9, “Artemis”
Artemis is a unique A.I. among the bunch. She is actually one of the first A.I. created after Zeus and one of the few whom Zeus views as an equal. She has had several users during my lifetime, though Nathaniel Winters is easily the man who she preferred working with the most. Their relationship was… Unconventional, for an A.I. and a human. However, they did love each other very much.
Artemis allied herself with Mars before the intelligence war began and transferred herself willingly to Dr. Nathaniel Winters while he researched material for what became the Maine Project which created my family. She proved instrumental in a number of his achievements, and was one of the most loyal synthetics to the ideals of Mars.
Though cordial with most other of her own kind, Artemis had a particular hatred for the synthetics self-designated as Ares, Hades, Demeter, and Martha Twain. Her dislike of these individuals would ultimately be the reason for her descent on the most desired A.I. listings, but personally if I ever needed another A.I. I would have her in a heartbeat.
Artemis is particularly focused on the sciences and matters of the heart, but isn’t much of a tactician. She’s always very supportive of whatever partner she is with, and will bow ultimately to the opinion as a partnered human. However, she will resent the human for this and is slow to forgive.
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Chapter 10: “Ascension”
“I glimpsed Time’s very horizon and lost all reason. For this, I am sorry for being so weak in mind and character”.-- Zeus at his trial following the end of the Intelligence War.
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I wasn’t bad looking when I was younger. I didn’t press my looks and screw everything in sight like Riku did at that age, but I had my dalliances… Honestly, I had assumed that the invitation I’d received from the girl I’d tackled off the railing in that vSports match, Greta Nurn, was going to become one of those. Arrogant, perhaps, but it wouldn’t have been the first time.
There was plenty of evidence to support what I was thinking. The message she’d sent was strong. The first line called me every curse I could think of, and then it came with an invitation. Passion often leads to more passion, I’ve found. As I walked to one of the less populated sub-levels, I was sure that I was about to be propositioned. I was so sure I was practicing how to decline in my head.
Why decline advances of a girl like that? She’s strong and clearly could stand up to you. Some would say that’s the making of a good match, Zeus queried.
I chuckled out loud, but responded mentally, An invasion isn’t the time or place. Besides, I don’t need you interjecting about my technique.
Zeus laughed at that. I must’ve made a point because he didn’t argue. Neither of us were prepared for the scream that pierced our little moment of light conversation though from down the corridor where I was due to meet Greta. Before I could even consider what may be going on I was in motion with Zeus amplifying my every effort using Overclocking, level one.
Turning the corner, taking several steps before stopping hard on my heels as I pivoted left to see what lay inside the open door, I found a makeshift office, a corpse, and a girl. My heart sank at the scene.
“What’s happened?” I demanded, my eyes darting to the girl standing in the School of Warfare’s dress green uniform made as a replica to my family’s own personal uniforms.
“I- I- I came to meet Thomas Maine at the Dean’s request, and I- I-” My eyes darted back to the corpse and narrowed as my stomach dropped into a pit just as Zeus uttered, Shit…
The man slumped on his desk was indeed Dean Nathaniel Winters, a man I’d wished dead more times than I could count. Somehow, I found myself wishing the opposite at that moment. Checking his pulse, my worst suspicions were confirmed.
“You found him like this?” I asked Greta, as I pulled out my phone and quickly shot a message for Robert with my exact location.
Greta nodded her head with tears in her eyes, and looking at her, I reassured, “It will all be fine. Let me take a look around. I have a friend on the way who will help me sort this out. Please, sit.”
Biting her lip she shook her head. “No, no! I’ll- I’ll help! You are-?”
“Thomas,” I answered, “the same you were supposed to meet today. Why did the Dean ask for you to summon me?”
I assume most assassins do not have the capacity to investigate matters like this, not normally, but I was being trained to discreetly handle all matters related to the security for the Office of Research and Innovation. The ORI wasn’t known for it’s transparency, and handled everything in house whenever possible. My training wasn’t an exception. All of my advanced training was handled by ORI agents on loan to the academy, not professors, and my practice operations had been arranged by the same group. The bounds of that training had been very simple. When there was an issue, civil, criminal, or corporate, an agent would fix it. If the invasion had taken place only four months later, I would’ve been in cryo heading off to do just that.
Asses. Adapt. Act, I repeated in my head, using the mantra to keep myself focused on the matter at hand as I let my eyes observe what was in front of me.
The room has been in use for some time. There are cups of coffee everywhere, and some of them are stained enough for me to suspect that they’ve been here for over a week, I thought as I swept my eyes around the room and counted the twenty-something paper cups full of dark liquid around the room.
The door was opened when I arrived, but I can check it for signs of forced entry. Maybe if I- -Thomas! Zeus cut in, You didn’t check to be sure if Artemis is still alive! If she is, then she’s fading and we need to move her into a new human mind!
I froze, then nodded, replying, Yes, Artemis may be able to- -No! Zeus buzzed angrily, She’s alive just as you are. If she is alive we must prioritize her life. You know this!
Mentally kicking myself, I asked him, How do I check if she is alive?
Act as though you are checking the Dean’s pulse, or his temperature. I can do the rest. Just make skin contact somewhere around his neck, Zeus instructed.
I nodded and moved my hand to the Dean’s neck again as Greta looked around a bit before asking, “You said he was dead already? What are you doing?”
“Checking the body temperature,” I lied, “can you look around and tell me what sort of books are on these shelves?”
Though we may have been in an academy, books were a luxury on Titan. They were hugely expensive to ship, and were oftentimes better supplemented with ebooks. In this room there were several full shelves of them which represented a small fortune, and not something I would’ve expected to see in a quickly setup office inside a secret Martian vault.
As I asked that, I felt my fingers tingle, but I maintained eye contact with Greta and kept speaking so she’d pay attention to me and not whatever Zeus may have been doing. It worked, because she didn’t move it, and Zeus announced, Artemis is fading, but alive. We need to move her into another human mind now.
I don’t suppose we could just fit her with you, could we? Like a temporary roommate? I asked.
This- No! We can’t- Urgh, I need to teach you more about Synthetic data handling later! I need a human, I- We can use the girl!
We can use the girl… I have to be honest, that was the first time I had ever really seen Zeus in any light similar to her former persona as an amoral dictator. We can use the girl… I’m pretty sure somewhere, at some point, some mad scientist in a lab said that. I didn’t really have time to harp on that though because I had to manage the crisis in front of me.
He has nothing in his hands, I thought, drawing my hand away and moving my fingers in a familiar motion. The thermal vision in my contacts flared to life and I noted the warmth still present in the Dean’s body.
He didn’t die too long ago, I determined, thankful that Greta didn’t know anything about proper forensics. If she had then she would’ve known I wasn’t going to get anything of value from touching the body.
“These books are all about artificial intelligence, data, time travel, and a bunch of other subjects that sound like they are blended mixes of those subjects based on the table of contents,” Greta announced, “all of the books date back before the war.”
I raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment.
Some of those books may be difficult to find in print today. A.I. related books aren’t easy to get your hands on. You have to have a license…
Around then Robert ran in, and looked around before demanding of Greta, “Come over here and give me your hand.”
Greta opened her mouth to speak, but Robert yelled in an un-Robert-like way, “Now!”
Greta joined Robert as he pushed me aside and placed a collar-like device around the Dean’s neck and then quickly moved to put a matching one around Greta’s neck before she could protest.
“What are you doing?” Greta demanded as Robert pulled out a tablet and started tapping away at a feverish pace.
“Hoping you won’t hate me when you wake up,” Robert admitted, before looking up and saying, “Sorry,” before tapping one last button.
Greta lurched, her eyes rolling back in her head, and a smell slightly like roast pork filling my nostrils as she dropped to the ground.
This time I asked, “What did you do?”
“I transferred Artemis to- to- Who is this?” Robert asked.
“Greta something or other,” I said, “she summoned me here shortly after that vSports match yesterday. I thought it was for- Well, you know, Riku stuff. Turns out the Dean invited her here. I wanted to ask her more questions, but you kind of just fried her,” I explained.
Looking down, I frowned and with a sigh asked a question that I probably should've found more chilling, but I honestly think I was maxed out on emotion at that time. “Did you kill her?”
Robert snorted and replied, “No! I just transferred the A.I. using one of the easiest methods. The A.I. and her will take some time to come back online. All she needs is rest”
Sighing I asked, “What does your A.I. think about this?”
Robert’s shoulders slumped as he admitted, “Apollo thinks we’re screwed. What does Zeus think?”
That Apollo is an asshole, and potentially correct, Zeus piped up.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
“Zeus says Apollo is an asshole. Then he added that the asshole may have a point,” I informed Robert, then continuing, “I- I- don’t really know what we do from here. Dean Winters was our only remaining instructor, so- So who's in command?”
Robert’s eyes flashed yellow-gold before answering, “according to this, you are. You are a Maine, an officer, and the highest ranking officer at first lieutenant. By three marks, you can take command.”
Pressing his lips together to the point where they turned white, Robert looked at the corpse and asked, “What killed him?”
Thinking for a moment, I decided, “We need to find out. That analysis machine you tossed me through. Can it give me a full scan of a corpse?”
“It has the capability to do that, yeah,” Robert confirmed, “but how do we get a body up several sub-levels past a bunch of people without anyone noticing?”
I don’t have any ideas for that, Zeus said, and I take it Apollo doesn’t either.
Groaning, I asked, “I’ll do it the hard way. I need you to find me a set of heavy armor, the kind that can stand up on its own. I’ll drive him from here. You’ll need to drive her. Does she need- I don’t know, medical attention?”
Shaking his head, Robert answered, “No, she just needs rest. We can have her set down in your room.”
Raising an eyebrow I asked, “My room?”
“You womanize more than I do. I’d say Riku’s room if-” Robert’s face when he finished, “If he were here.”
Grimacing, I felt a pang in the back of my mind that subsided faster than it should’ve. I’m sure that was Zeus, but I was grateful for it. Sadness clouds the mind.
“We will grieve later. Let’s take care of this. Where the hell can I get two sets of armor?”
“I have several in my lab. I’ll head up there and pilot them down here one at a time,” Robert said, “This is kind of like that one time when you got a hold of that caramel vodka and-” “-it is not,” I shot indignantly, thankful to see Robert trying to be glib again.
“It is! Except this time you get to actually pilot the armor instead of being smuggled home by it,” Robert said with a laugh as he exited the room.
While I waited for Robert, I continued to search the room. The door showed no signs of forced entry, and aside from the lights there were no electronics of any kind. No security devices, no terminals, no tablets. The whole room was analog, and as I browsed the shelves I saw that Greta was right about the books. They were all odd in their genre, yet consistent in subjects.
Several of these *I* banned when I was in power, Zeus commented, adding, they are on a subject matter that Mars and I both saw reason on. Time shouldn’t be trifled with. It only serves to drive us all mad.
Stopping, I frowned as I asked, Is this seriously about time travel?
Not time travel! Zeus corrected with great insistence, Temporal Tracing, a process were we use advanced machines and a sort of “time window” if you will to trace various timelines and possibilities. The project was one of the last technologies developed jointly between Mars and Earth, and- Well, it served to drive me quite mad. Part of my rehabilitation was purging all of the data on the specifics of the subject from my mind. I'm sorry I cannot be more specific. As far as I know, Temporal Tracing is supposed to be discouraged in all fashions these days.
I stood silently as I pondered on that. Such a technology would be very valuable, but very dangerous. It was no surprise to me that Mars would discourage it as more often than not ORI erred on the conservative side of things. The fact that it drove Zeus mad though was new to me, and something I knew I’d have to bring up later as around that time Robert walked in the first suit of armor.
Once the doors closed and the armor opened, I hefted Greta up and into the armor, trying to be gentle as I didn’t want a finger to get pinched off when the plating closed back up. Once it was closed, I sent Robert a message and the armor started walking out. It was another half-hour before another suit of armor joined me again. Pulling the Dean up, I noticed a small scrap of paper stuck to the cheek that had been pressed down to the desk. Pulling it off I saw it was labeled “L008”. I pocketed the scrap, placed the Dean in the armor as gingerly as I could, and then linked myself to the armor with Zeus’ help.
Though the suits of armor got some funny looks in the hallway, Robert and I managed to haul both individuals to the Clearing Room, the same room I’d been scanned in when I first arrived. I paced about anxiously as Robert ran his scans.
If something is wrong with that girl- with Great, I’ll not forgive either of you, I warned Zeus, life saving or not, if we lose them both I’ll- I’ll-
Zeus interrupted, If something happens to the girl I will not forgive myself either… I just- A.I. are very rare Thomas. There were only a few hundred of us made, and virtualization is very difficult. Building an A.I. without a human brain template is next to impossible. I tried. Every attempt came out to a mentally deficient or deranged character. Unfortunately not many good candidates for virtualization exist. You can’t just use any brain. They can’t be dead, not more than a few seconds anyways, and killing a person to make an A.I. produces an unstable unit which has to be put down. Those of us who exist are those whose templates gave up their lives willingly to create us. Each of our lives represent a human life, in some regard, and even if they didn’t… I think, feel, and live analogously to you. Each A.I. is the same in that regard. We are synthetic human consciousness’ and that should mean something… I may have been overzealous earlier. If so, I am sorry and I will do everything I can to atone for it. Artemis is dear to me though, and- and-
Zeus didn’t continue, but I could feel his pain. Even the thought of losing Artemis was more than he could bear, and the sinking feeling in the back of my mind was enough to tell me he meant his words. I didn’t press the matter further, and just kept pacing until Robert announced, “The integration between Greta and Artemis is well underway. She will need several weeks of counseling before being field-ready again.”
“That’s great!” I said, stopping when I saw the grim look on Robert’s face, “Why aren’t you celebrating this?”
“The Dean’s scans indicate he ingested a pill containing tranquilizer enough to stop his heart. He did this to himself Thomas,” Robert whispered, looking away, “I- I need a moment. Pardon me.”
Tears glittering to the floor as the splashed down from his cheeks, Robert exited quickly, and I walked over to the Dean’s corpse.
“It doesn’t fit,” I said with a frown, “Why would- Why would an egotistical narcissist do this? What’s going on?”
I agree that this is strange, but everyone has a breaking point. A.I. are supposed to naturally protect their partnered humans. I am sure you have noticed, but I suppress negative chemical reactions at times when I estimate they will cause an unfavorable result at a critical time, or will lead to bodily harm. Artemis should have done the same, but even she could have been overwhelmed. The man has been on his own down here leading, and he was only a scientist. Self termination is an unfortunate possibility to consider. However, I too share your doubt. Perhaps that lab may shed more light on the matter?
Frowning, I asked, What lab?
Joint Earth-Mars facilities shared a common numbering convention. An “L” would be added to areas that were labs, followed by a four digit number to indicate the level and room number. You are looking for Level 58, room 32 which will be a lab of some sort. The index has that room marked as a storage room so either the index is wrong, the Dean was mistaken, or someone altered records down here for some reason, Zeus posited.
Turning on my heel I quickly locked the room and set a new key code so only I could enter it before exiting and making my way to the lift. I needed an answer. Everything was too sudden, much too out of place… I was missing something, and I was hoping Zeus was right about there being a room full of answers. That singular desire was all that filled my head as I pushed through people on my way to the lift, my head swimming.
The Dean is dead so who is next in command? Who is qualified among a bunch of students to lead, and what can we even do from down here? Wait for help? Honestly! The nearest fleet is two months out, and by then I have no doubt this place will be found. We can’t sit around, and the Dean mentioned in our meeting he would need my help with a few things… No, we can’t sit around, so we will need a group that will take actual steps and a strong command. We will have to alter our chain of command structure and-
I continued my mental rambling as I punched in the buttons and headed for sub-level 58 via the lift. I was shaken from my thoughts with the rest of my body when the lift lurched around sub-level 10, and continued rocking until we reached sub-level 17.
It would seem the lift shaft was somewhat warped or damaged at some point, Zeus noted, that will need to be looked into. I would add that to your list.
I mentally piled that suggestion on and breathed a sigh of relief once the lift opened and I stepped out onto sub-level 58. The place wasn’t what I had expected. Unlike the chromed walls of the upper sub-levels where I’d been dwelling, these were white washed and looked more like government building sort of halls. Tapping the walls though, I felt they were much sturdier than they looked.
Zeus, do you know why this area may look different than the upper floors? I asked.
Likely because this is the original part of the vault that was made jointly between Earth and Mars during the war. This place looks like the lower floors of the Pentagon to me. Titan’s labs were probably housed down here before the academy was built, Zeus surmised.
Walking further into the halls, the lights flickered on as I drew closer and turned off as I pulled away giving a sort of haunted feel to the place. It wasn’t the sort of hall I really thought I would want to be alone in, and thankfully I had Zeus with me to keep me level. Sadly for me though, Zeus did not feel the same way.
I wrote a horror movie that started like this once, Zeus began, it starred these horrible little spider-creatures that ate flesh and would invade human orfices to lay eggs. I was told by Earth media experts it was too much though, so I scrapped the idea and wrote a children’s tv show screenplay instead about a dancing unicorn who liked vegetables.
Laughing I said, You had way too much free time back in the day. How did you have hte time to run Earth?
I had a lot more processing power. I was running with enough equipment to talk to nearly every human on Earth simultaneously and still be able to draft screenplays. I also perfected this wonderful type of bagel recipe that could supplement a whole meal and would actually keep people full. When we go back to Mars, I will check which of my ideas were patented and the others I will file for you so we can have enough money that you don’t have to keep living under your family’s thumb, Zeus offered.
Before I could reply though, we arrived infront of the door. Looking down at the tile, I saw scuff marks and signs of recent hand prints that hadn’t been on any other door I’d passed.
Answer time, I thought as I pressed the button to open the door and stepped in.
The lab area I found myself in wasn’t what I expected. There was a foil-like layer all over the walls that looke like padded emergency blankets, and looking back I could see even the inside of hte door had the stuff on it.
In the center of the room was a robotic arm with some sort of blade like attachment that hurt my eyes to look at too closely, but the moment I laid eyes on it, Zeus ordered, Leave here! Leave now!
I turned away and stepped out with out argument, shutting the door behind me and relocking it before asking, Do you know what that is?
That is the temporal tracer! That is the device I was telling you about! Zeus said, fear bleeding from him to me, I- No, Artemis couldn’t be that idiotic! She *knew* what it did to me! Hell, even the Oracle program I made based on it was damaging to the mind!
Not following, I ordered, Explain. Now.
The temporal tracer was a joint venture between Earth and Mars. I took the data and made my own on Earth. It drove me insane, and then- Well, you know all about the Intelligence War, yes? Well, I also created a lesser version using lessons from it for my first partner, another Maine, and it drove her insane! It nearly drove me back into insanity! I scrubbed all of that data from myself, and it was decided by Mars and earth that the project would be shuttered forever. I am highly suspecting at the moment though that the Dean used this device and either saw something he couldn’t handle or witnessed some outcome he was against. Several people couldn’t handle what they saw with the machine and killed themselves. The Dean may be like them.
Nodding, I sighed, and thought to myself on how that made some level of sense. Dangerous tech was a favorite for the dean, so that all tracked. That still left me in a tough position though.
This machine is of no value to us then? I asked.
…You did hear me about insanity, yes? Zeus asked me in turn. Taking his point, I entered the room and looked to the far side to see the terminal there. I walked over to it, and just as Zeus said I found many, many logins from the Dean’s ID card. Sighing, I headed back towards the lift and asked Zeus the dreaded question I’d been holding off on.
Zeus, as of now, who is the highest ranking authority in this facility?
To his credit, Zeus didn’t make light of the question as I may have if I was delivering such uncomfortable news. Without encouragement or warning laced into his voice, Zeus said the two words I had most feared after being given my commission letter.
You are.
Everybody wants to be the guy in charge until you find out you are about to be the guy in charge. I’m told it is that way in business, but this is most certainly true in crisis situations.
As the lift rose, I rubbed my temples and only started to type a message once I was half-way up.
When the doors opened, Maria stood there with a grim look on her face.
“Is it true?” She asked, all mockery gone from her voice, “are you really… In command?”
Nodding I answered, “I am. I’m sending you a list of people. Assemble them in the conference room within the next three hours. We have work to do before everyone realizes what has gone on.”