The room is always the same.
A white room. Everything's white. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, the bed.
[Crey observation lab Alpha-7-92]
Even the clothes I'm wearing.
[Crey multipurpose anti-interference coverall, pattern F]
I'm waiting there, but I'm not sure why.
I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I never know what's going on.
[Prototype Mu-12, observational period.]
Sometimes that worries me.
[Exterior programming blocks active. Psychologicals in acceptable variances. Warning: Combat status completely disabled.]
...It's always like this.
[Day 29. Situation normal.]
That's when...they appear again. I don't know who they are, but something tells me the room is theirs, so I try to talk to them.
[Crey
Project Swordbreaker development head: Abraham Jackson. Specialist
Thomas Kinsey. Specialist Joanna Adams. Security Agent Alexander
Phillips. Observation Alpha Shift. Arrival on schedule.]
"Where is this?"
I try to move my mouth, but nothing happens. Their faces are fuzzy, like through some kind of cloud. I can't make them out.
[Crey
Type-3 Anti-Ballistic, Anti-Recognition containment transparisteel.
Standard single subject containment capsule, horizontal orientation.]
I desperately try to say something.
"Where am I?"
"Why am I here?"
"Who...am I...?"
"Please...tell me..."
[Information Restricted. Insufficient clearance.]
But they never hear me.
They never, ever do...
[Day 29. Alpha Shift begins cerebral testing battery 890-3-Delta on schedule.]
***
"She's
awake again," Jackson noted, glancing at the readouts. "She's a
remarkably stable girl, really. We haven't wiped her to prepare for the
combat overwrite yet, but she's not panicked once. And she hasn't left
that capsule since she was constructed."
"More like a robot than
a girl," Kinsey said, sitting back in his chair. "No normal human can
stand being confined that long. Especially if they're occasionally
aware. Anthropomorphizing her is a waste of time."
"I don't
know. We anthropomorphize ships, weapons, and other things with less
personality than our girl here," Adams noted, sliding her glasses down
her nose.
"Yes, and when they get too anthropomorphic, they turn
into people that escape, probably with help, and cost us our jobs or
worse," Kinsey frowned, turning to his monitor. "Neurokinetics are at
proper levels. 20% over human baseline. Kinesthetic sense and
proprioception are above estimates as well....durability's still below
par, but that's the best we can do with the current metallurgy compared
to the first prototype, without an example of the original Yggdrasil alloy."
"Yeah.
Seems Searrs' primary example of that grew legs and walked off.
Literally. We share so many problems with them. Maybe we should take
the hint," Adams chuckled. "Or just avoid their naming scheme. Calling
the end product Jormungdr was bound to cause problems when it's
expected to interact well with something named after the World Tree."
The
black suited Phillips didn't so much as twitch. He'd dealt with Alpha
Shift long enough to know no disloyalty was intended by the statement.
Truth be told, the eggheads weren't quite the right mindset to work in
Crey Security's technician division directly, but Sandra had certainly
appreciated the tickets to Phantom that Adams had gotten him when he'd mentioned not knowing what to do for the upcoming anniversary.
Jackson,
meanwhile, continued paying half attention to the readouts as he spent
the rest of his time working further on the decryption of the locked
data provided to them by Searrs. The hired programmers and code
crunchers had disabled the "safety locks" that would wipe the data
clean if things weren't handled delicately, which is why a merely
moderately skilled programmer like himself was being allowed to work on
the more mundane drudgery of crunching the numbers needed to unlock the
rest of the encryption on it. Apparently a DNA lock that could discern
living biometric data and other readings that would only acknowledge
the Foundation's child instrument broke down to a several megabyte
encryption key in terms of raw numbers. Technically, he could've left
it to one of the Dishwashers, as those pseudo-AIs were intelligent
enough to have enough intuition for this kind of work, but Jackson
found the process engaging...and it kept him occupied while Adams and
Kinsey tested Swordbreaker's parameters for the umpteenth time.
If
he'd been watching more closely, however, he probably still would've
missed the spike in neurokinetics. Kinsey saw it, but put it off as
nothing more than the abnormal mental patterns that most of the
Scimitar Project's production models displayed due to their not quite
human neural nets. Adams didn't see it at all, busy reading her book
until her segment of the test battery came up.
And none of the
professionals would've thought to associate it with the increased
proximity to Swordbreaker's intended weapons as the stasis capsule
containing the massive pistols was moved from one testing room back
towards their usual storage vault.
***
Something is different this time. I can't see anything but white, but I feel something.
This feeling, it's like nothing I've ever noticed before. It
feels....right. It's like seeing something just outside of the side of
my eye that's always been there, but only now, it's getting close
enough to see.
[Proximity Scan: 200 meters and closing. Commencing attempt at primary uplink.]
I can't move my arms, but I reach out as best I can. I don't know why, but for once in my life, I feel sure of something.
[Preliminary link established. Commencing status check.]
I feel warm. My entire body feels warm. For once, it's like everything is in its rightful place.
***
"We've got a huge spike!" Kinsey said, leaning forward, causing Adams
to sit upright as Jackson looked over. "It's activating systems that
haven't been online since it was assembled. Where is it getting
instructions from?" he blinked.
"She's linked to something. But we shut down any wireless connections
within the test room. So where is it coming from? Did anyone breach
protocol?" Adams asked from her station.
"No, ma'am. No rescheduled patrols or transfers," Phillips affirmed,
listening to his earbud as he scanned through the various security
systems linked to his glasses.
"If she activates the full strength enhancement, she can break through that glass...." Kinsey groaned.
Jackson, meanwhile, simply stared at the cell, trying to think what could be in range.
***
Crate 829 moved along the hallway, sealed under all proper procedures
and utterly unaware of the drama happening several meters away. Within
the crate, twin handgrips reformed and hardened as the distance closed.
***
I've never sneezed and I feel like I'm about to.
I've never been outside this tube, but I feel like I'm about to go over the edge.
I've never walked, but I feel like I'm about to fall.
I'm right next to something, but I don't know what.
[Primary Uplink range 10 meters....]
***
"Neurokinetics is off the damn charts! She's barely awake, she shouldn't be thinking this much about anything!"
***
For five seconds, Crate 829 moved within line of sight of the door of
Lab Alpha-7-92. Inside the crate, the liquid metal mass assumed
definitive shape for a second, as the weapons detected what they'd been
waiting for.
***
[Primary Uplink established. Authentication confirmed. Primary Weapons System Bolverk, stand by, ready.]
I know...I know where I belong...at last...
***
Unaware that anything had happened, the Crey technicians moving Crate
829 continued along their path, moving the crate back to the sealed
materials vault, completely unaware of the chaos left in their wake.
***
"Neurokinetics dying down....no transfer detected....it's almost back to normal," Kinsey sighed in relief.
"Don't get too comfortable," Jackson noted, standing up. "Something
nearly woke her up, and I don't need to remind you what would happen if
she went rogue on us.....go over every line of code. Every smidgeon of
activity just now. I want to know what just happened so I can explain
it to the Countess when she inevitably asks me about it," he said
darkly.
***
The room is always the same....but this time, I'm different.
[Standard status accepted. Link secure.]
I'm waiting here, but now I know why.
[Positional beacon, 602 meters, south southwest.]
I'm waiting for them. The keys to my existence. The things I'm meant to have.
[Primary ignition triggers, standby.]
But the voices tell me to be patient.
[Identification lock, Bolverk. Awaiting User Mu-12.]
We'll be together...we're meant to be together...
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
A white room. Everything's white. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, the bed.
[Crey observation lab Alpha-7-92]
Even the clothes I'm wearing.
[Crey multipurpose anti-interference coverall, pattern F]
I'm waiting there, but I'm not sure why.
I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I never know what's going on.
[Prototype Mu-12, observational period.]
Sometimes that worries me.
[Exterior programming blocks active. Psychologicals in acceptable variances. Warning: Combat status completely disabled.]
...It's always like this.
[Day 29. Situation normal.]
That's when...they appear again. I don't know who they are, but something tells me the room is theirs, so I try to talk to them.
[Crey
Project Swordbreaker development head: Abraham Jackson. Specialist
Thomas Kinsey. Specialist Joanna Adams. Security Agent Alexander
Phillips. Observation Alpha Shift. Arrival on schedule.]
"Where is this?"
I try to move my mouth, but nothing happens. Their faces are fuzzy, like through some kind of cloud. I can't make them out.
[Crey
Type-3 Anti-Ballistic, Anti-Recognition containment transparisteel.
Standard single subject containment capsule, horizontal orientation.]
I desperately try to say something.
"Where am I?"
"Why am I here?"
"Who...am I...?"
"Please...tell me..."
[Information Restricted. Insufficient clearance.]
But they never hear me.
They never, ever do...
[Day 29. Alpha Shift begins cerebral testing battery 890-3-Delta on schedule.]
***
"She's
awake again," Jackson noted, glancing at the readouts. "She's a
remarkably stable girl, really. We haven't wiped her to prepare for the
combat overwrite yet, but she's not panicked once. And she hasn't left
that capsule since she was constructed."
"More like a robot than
a girl," Kinsey said, sitting back in his chair. "No normal human can
stand being confined that long. Especially if they're occasionally
aware. Anthropomorphizing her is a waste of time."
"I don't
know. We anthropomorphize ships, weapons, and other things with less
personality than our girl here," Adams noted, sliding her glasses down
her nose.
"Yes, and when they get too anthropomorphic, they turn
into people that escape, probably with help, and cost us our jobs or
worse," Kinsey frowned, turning to his monitor. "Neurokinetics are at
proper levels. 20% over human baseline. Kinesthetic sense and
proprioception are above estimates as well....durability's still below
par, but that's the best we can do with the current metallurgy compared
to the first prototype, without an example of the original Yggdrasil alloy."
"Yeah.
Seems Searrs' primary example of that grew legs and walked off.
Literally. We share so many problems with them. Maybe we should take
the hint," Adams chuckled. "Or just avoid their naming scheme. Calling
the end product Jormungdr was bound to cause problems when it's
expected to interact well with something named after the World Tree."
The
black suited Phillips didn't so much as twitch. He'd dealt with Alpha
Shift long enough to know no disloyalty was intended by the statement.
Truth be told, the eggheads weren't quite the right mindset to work in
Crey Security's technician division directly, but Sandra had certainly
appreciated the tickets to Phantom that Adams had gotten him when he'd mentioned not knowing what to do for the upcoming anniversary.
Jackson,
meanwhile, continued paying half attention to the readouts as he spent
the rest of his time working further on the decryption of the locked
data provided to them by Searrs. The hired programmers and code
crunchers had disabled the "safety locks" that would wipe the data
clean if things weren't handled delicately, which is why a merely
moderately skilled programmer like himself was being allowed to work on
the more mundane drudgery of crunching the numbers needed to unlock the
rest of the encryption on it. Apparently a DNA lock that could discern
living biometric data and other readings that would only acknowledge
the Foundation's child instrument broke down to a several megabyte
encryption key in terms of raw numbers. Technically, he could've left
it to one of the Dishwashers, as those pseudo-AIs were intelligent
enough to have enough intuition for this kind of work, but Jackson
found the process engaging...and it kept him occupied while Adams and
Kinsey tested Swordbreaker's parameters for the umpteenth time.
If
he'd been watching more closely, however, he probably still would've
missed the spike in neurokinetics. Kinsey saw it, but put it off as
nothing more than the abnormal mental patterns that most of the
Scimitar Project's production models displayed due to their not quite
human neural nets. Adams didn't see it at all, busy reading her book
until her segment of the test battery came up.
And none of the
professionals would've thought to associate it with the increased
proximity to Swordbreaker's intended weapons as the stasis capsule
containing the massive pistols was moved from one testing room back
towards their usual storage vault.
***
Something is different this time. I can't see anything but white, but I feel something.
This feeling, it's like nothing I've ever noticed before. It
feels....right. It's like seeing something just outside of the side of
my eye that's always been there, but only now, it's getting close
enough to see.
[Proximity Scan: 200 meters and closing. Commencing attempt at primary uplink.]
I can't move my arms, but I reach out as best I can. I don't know why, but for once in my life, I feel sure of something.
[Preliminary link established. Commencing status check.]
I feel warm. My entire body feels warm. For once, it's like everything is in its rightful place.
***
"We've got a huge spike!" Kinsey said, leaning forward, causing Adams
to sit upright as Jackson looked over. "It's activating systems that
haven't been online since it was assembled. Where is it getting
instructions from?" he blinked.
"She's linked to something. But we shut down any wireless connections
within the test room. So where is it coming from? Did anyone breach
protocol?" Adams asked from her station.
"No, ma'am. No rescheduled patrols or transfers," Phillips affirmed,
listening to his earbud as he scanned through the various security
systems linked to his glasses.
"If she activates the full strength enhancement, she can break through that glass...." Kinsey groaned.
Jackson, meanwhile, simply stared at the cell, trying to think what could be in range.
***
Crate 829 moved along the hallway, sealed under all proper procedures
and utterly unaware of the drama happening several meters away. Within
the crate, twin handgrips reformed and hardened as the distance closed.
***
I've never sneezed and I feel like I'm about to.
I've never been outside this tube, but I feel like I'm about to go over the edge.
I've never walked, but I feel like I'm about to fall.
I'm right next to something, but I don't know what.
[Primary Uplink range 10 meters....]
***
"Neurokinetics is off the damn charts! She's barely awake, she shouldn't be thinking this much about anything!"
***
For five seconds, Crate 829 moved within line of sight of the door of
Lab Alpha-7-92. Inside the crate, the liquid metal mass assumed
definitive shape for a second, as the weapons detected what they'd been
waiting for.
***
[Primary Uplink established. Authentication confirmed. Primary Weapons System Bolverk, stand by, ready.]
I know...I know where I belong...at last...
***
Unaware that anything had happened, the Crey technicians moving Crate
829 continued along their path, moving the crate back to the sealed
materials vault, completely unaware of the chaos left in their wake.
***
"Neurokinetics dying down....no transfer detected....it's almost back to normal," Kinsey sighed in relief.
"Don't get too comfortable," Jackson noted, standing up. "Something
nearly woke her up, and I don't need to remind you what would happen if
she went rogue on us.....go over every line of code. Every smidgeon of
activity just now. I want to know what just happened so I can explain
it to the Countess when she inevitably asks me about it," he said
darkly.
***
The room is always the same....but this time, I'm different.
[Standard status accepted. Link secure.]
I'm waiting here, but now I know why.
[Positional beacon, 602 meters, south southwest.]
I'm waiting for them. The keys to my existence. The things I'm meant to have.
[Primary ignition triggers, standby.]
But the voices tell me to be patient.
[Identification lock, Bolverk. Awaiting User Mu-12.]
We'll be together...we're meant to be together...
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."