Here it is... two painstaking hours of typing with a broken thumb... enjoy this evenings (post) apocalypse.
├óÔé¼┬ØI don├óÔé¼Ôäót know what weapons World War III will be fought with, but I know World War IIII will be fought with sticks and stones├óÔé¼┬Ø ├óÔé¼ÔÇ£ Albert Einstein, datalinks
I would like to say that I had a bad feeling that day, but at the time I felt great. The sun was shining, and the wastelands were cooking outside walls. The streets were filled with people, from drug peddlers to whores, and the familiar rat-tat of gun fire was audible off in the distance. I got up out of bed, and reached under it to grab my shoes. I pulled out the boots, and flicked a small bit of mud off the front.
It was a futile gesture, thought. When I got outside I stepped in a large puddle of waste dumped from the second story window of the hotel. Another streaming pile of muck nearly missed me, and I looked up at the half blind old bat who had thrown her waste out with out checking. ├óÔé¼┼ôHEY!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted, shaking my fist at her ├óÔé¼┼ôWatch were your throwing that, you old witch!├óÔé¼┬Ø. She responded by chucking a second trash basket at me, and I barely dodged the worst of it.
A horse ran across the street, its rider wearing a red cross arm band. The man bowed his head respectfully to me before clattering off the streets. I pulled out a small slip of Jet, but found to my dismay that I had none left. So, in a foul mood, I continued to walk to my fathers house. As I got closer and closer to the dilapidated mansion, I reran and reran my argument in my head. I HAD to sell the idea to pops, or Jitters would have my ass.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd here I sit, trapped by Einsteinium physics├óÔé¼┬Ø Pops was dictating into his recorder when I burst in. ├óÔé¼┼ôhia pops├óÔé¼┬Ø I said cheerfully. Pops sat at his desk, glowering at me before switching his recorder off. Pops was old, incredibly old, but his face looked like a thirty year old. Which, nowadays, was actually pretty damn old. His spine had been severed by a lucky rail gun shot, and a nanomedic had patched him up. But when the power grid had gone down, his synth nerves had gone out. So he had to use a wheel chair nowadays. But his upper body had compensated by becoming prodigiously strong.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou have heard of knocking├óÔé¼┬Ø he said lowly. ├óÔé¼┼ôSorry pops, didn├óÔé¼Ôäót know you where dictating├óÔé¼┬ªagain├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, sitting down and grabbing a grape from a handy bowl. The room was oval, and was of course in the nicest house in the city. The desk was most magnificent, and my pops loved to sit and brood about his ├óÔé¼╦£deadly political rivals├óÔé¼Ôäó all the time. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat do you want now, Ethan?├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, leaning forward ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóm pretty sure I have a good lead this time├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôJust like the last one?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked.
I was standing in front of the door, and Muti was telling me about the twenty odd Reveres that where attacking the barricades. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry man!├óÔé¼┬Ø I had shouted back, but then I saw the flickering blue glow of a plasma blast. The car we had so painstakingly worked back to life flipped over and exploded. The Reveres surrounded us, a collection of menacing guns and horrific knifes. I let the code breaker drop down, still connected to the door. ├óÔé¼┼ôHi├óÔé¼┬Ø I said as they advanced.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd that one a month before that├óÔé¼┬Ø Pops said.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is GREAT!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted, the empty military base├óÔé¼Ôäós hallways echoing and amplifying my voice. Muti had advanced first, his AK-91 armed and ready. A computerized voice had then spouted from one of the walls. ├óÔé¼┼ôDrop your weapons. You have twenty seconds to comply├óÔé¼┬Ø. I shoved Muti in the stomach with my elbow and he grudgingly dropped the gun. A turret slid out of the ceiling and oriented itself on my head. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou have fifteen seconds to comply├óÔé¼┬Ø the same computer voice said. ├óÔé¼┼ôWai-├óÔé¼┼ô I began to say. ├óÔé¼┼ôTen├óÔé¼┬Ø It cut in ├óÔé¼┼ônine├óÔé¼┬ªeight├óÔé¼┬ªseven├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôand I don├óÔé¼Ôäót want to even think of the one before that!├óÔé¼┬Ø Pops said, leaning forward on his wheelchair and looking at me with his grey eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôEvery single one of your little ├óÔé¼╦£adventures├óÔé¼Ôäó has been a fiscal disaster, and every time you come back with your tail singed and Muti near death. I refuse to allow you off on another little Archeology expedition├óÔé¼┬Ø he continued with vehemence.
├óÔé¼┼ôBut Pops! This one could really strike big!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, putting on my best wheedling face. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo, I absolutely forbid it!├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, wheeling behind the desk again. ├óÔé¼┼ôEnd of discussion├óÔé¼┬Ø he said before turning on the recorder. ├óÔé¼┼ôAfter the water riots of 2111 most space attack forces where needed on earth, so my last sortie was recalled two months earlier then we expected. However it was still a day too late to save me from getting shot in the back by my senior officer while we where training. Mulligan had always been blind in the left eye, and he was losing his touch├óÔé¼┬Ø his voice was cut off when I shut the door to the room.
I walked back to my hotel room, since I relay couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót stand living in my pops mansions. It was too large, to empty and too filled with sycophants. When I got back into my room, Cindy was away. She immediately asked for pay, and I handed her fourteen water tokens, which she shoved down her bra. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt was fun, Ethan├óÔé¼┬Ø she said in a annoyingly high pitched voice. Then she walked out, and I dismissed her. I lay in my bed for a bit longer, smelling the rotgut on the sheets and wondering why I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót buy a classier drink. And a classier girl.
Then I sat up, a jolt running through my brain. Jitters! I had forgotten to pay Jitters!. Suddenly a bullet hole was blasted through the flimsy corrugated door. ├óÔé¼┼ôP-Pay up, Man!├óÔé¼┬Ø shouted Jitters. ├óÔé¼┼ôOne second├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted back, ducking behind my bed. IT was good that I did, as several bullets perforated the wall and the bed. A bottle of rotgut exploded in a shower of glass and alcohol.
├óÔé¼┼ôGod damn it Jitters, you shot the beer├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted. ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼┬ª I did?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, his voice suddenly becoming very unhappy. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, you bastard! You shot my beer!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted getting up. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh damn, man, oh damn!├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, opening the door ├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóm real sorry man, its just I needs that money, I need it!├óÔé¼┬Ø he said petulantly. I grabbed ten water chits ├óÔé¼┼ôthis is all I got left, man├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. I hoped he didn├óÔé¼Ôäót notice the bag full of water chits lying by his feet. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is enough to buy a Jet Strip!├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, suddenly splitting into a wide, yellow smile. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬ª you enjoy your self├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, grinning falsely at him. Jitters walked out, his 9mm berretta still in his left hand.
I bit my lip and suddenly realized something.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo, the nukes began to fly when I was about twenty four A.U├óÔé¼Ôäós from Earth. All we knew was static was being pumped in from all the speakers. A near mutiny was interrupted by me when I found the captain discussing it with the rest of the navy. Well, discussing it with one of the male navy members. The Captain denied any attempts at mutiny, but I saw right through her. I was ready to lead the marines against the navy when we reached-├óÔé¼┼ô
├óÔé¼┼ôHey Pops!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, walking into the room. He shut off the recorder and glared at me. ├óÔé¼┼ôwhat the hell don├óÔé¼Ôäót you understand abo-├óÔé¼┼ô he started to say, but I cut him off, waving my hand excitedly. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis job I was talking about├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôI just realized the hook!├óÔé¼┬Ø. Pops looked at me, his brow furrowed. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis base will have all the weapons and armor that we├óÔé¼Ôäód like├óÔé¼┬ª but here is the real cincher to the deal├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, leaning in. I told Pops about it. He held onto the wheels of his wheel chair so hard, I swore they would pop.
├óÔé¼┼ôAre you sure?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôPositive. It├óÔé¼Ôäós hermetically sealed, and I know how to get some out with out contacting the plague├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. Mainly it involved using a bio-containment vessel I hoped would be in the base. ├óÔé¼┼ôFine├óÔé¼┬ªyou have your plasma welder, optical/electronic interface and anything else you need├óÔé¼┬ªexcept for a car. The Techurch still hasn├óÔé¼Ôäót forgiven me for when YOU blew up their car├óÔé¼┬Ø Pops said, punctuating the last bit with a waggle of his finger. ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, sincerely.
Muti was my body guard, hired by Pops when the Russian Mafia had tried to kill me four or five years ago. He was a very special genehack, a genetically modified human. He could not only see in the deep infrared, but also he was prodigiously strong, and the best part was his inbred loyalty indoctrination. It meant that he would NEVER abandon me, no matter how stupid or suicidal my plan was. I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót know the next few weeks would be testing that doctrinarian. A lot.
I had gathered my supplies from the usual stores. The only hitch was the O/E Interface. The only people who had it were either the Techurch, or Cynthia. I immediately went to the Techurch. The Techurch was a massive industrial complex, but it had been draped with the symbols of the Techurch. That is the crucifix and the tank. Inside I could hear the dutiful chanting of the various priest in the building.
The Techurch├óÔé¼Ôäós selling pitch was mainly ├óÔé¼┼ôYou give us water, we give you religion├óÔé¼┬Ø, except in this case there religion was technology, and blowing up a car was as close to a ├óÔé¼╦£burning├óÔé¼Ôäó offence as you could get with the Techurch. So I approached the front desk, a small building manned, or should I say womaned, by a priestess.
The priestess who would sell products of the Techurch to anyone who came was smiling. When she glanced at my face, then looked at something under the counter, then she was frowning. ├óÔé¼┼ôHello├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. She kept frowning, her robe covering most of her hair, but a few wisps of blond showed from underneath. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe do not sell to heretics├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, flatly. ├óÔé¼┼ôPlease├óÔé¼┬Ø I said plaintively. She shifted uncomfortably, obviously moved by my good looks.
I felt a large, no HUGE, hand placed on my shoulder. ├óÔé¼┼ôTake this miscreant out of my sight├óÔé¼┬Ø the priestess said, and the man dragged me out. I smiled wanly, making a mental note about the silent alarm that was probably under the desk. ├óÔé¼┼ôHave a nice day├óÔé¼┬Ø I said as the massive guard dragged me away. The priestess rolled her eyes, and picked up a checklist and started to write on it.
The guard deposited me out side, where Muti waited for me. ├óÔé¼┼ôWent that good├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, a very rare grin appearing on his dark face. ├óÔé¼┼ôJust shut up├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, brushing off my shoulder ├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬ª time to see Cynthia├óÔé¼┬Ø I said with very false cheer. I walked away from the Techurch and towards the City.
The streets where surprisingly empty when I arrived, and I immediately felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. ├óÔé¼┼ôGET DOWN!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted, and Muti shoved me into cover, that is behind some trash cans. He dove in with me as the horses rode past, the men on them screaming obscenities in whatever language took there fancy, but mainly in Russian. They stopped in front of a Syndicate sympathizer├óÔé¼Ôäós house, and dismounted. Some gun shots rang from the top window, and one of the Russian├óÔé¼Ôäós fell, his stomach erupting in a spray of blood.
One of the horses went down, a bullet in its head, and then complete pandemonium began to reign. I whispered a verity of prayers to gods I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót really believe in, as a complete gang gun fight started to go into full swing. Some bullets flew our way, but they were stopped by the trashcans. ├óÔé¼┼ôI think we should go, now├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti whispered in my ear. I nodded and began to crawl away from the gunfight. Then I heard a gun cock, and I looked over my shoulder. A leering gent with a rather scared face looked at me.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell well well, if it isn├óÔé¼Ôäót the son of Ethan White├óÔé¼┬ª Ethan White the II├óÔé¼┬Ø he said in a thick drawl. ├óÔé¼┼ôI thought we were going to kill some Syndicate scumbags tonight├óÔé¼┬ª but instead the son of the Lawman himself shows up├óÔé¼┬Ø. I grinned weakly, and raised my hands high. Muti did likewise. how am I going to get out of this one? I thought to myself├óÔé¼┬ª
It's the End of the World as we Know it (But i Feel Fine)
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It's the End of the World as we Know it (But i Feel Fine)
Last edited by Zoombie on 15 Nov 2005, 06:14, edited 1 time in total.
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Michilus_nimbus
- Posts: 634
- Joined: 19 Nov 2004, 20:38
Its an odd habit of mine, that when some one points a gun at me and threatens to kill me, that the only thing I can think of is how shoddy the sidewalks are. After the bombs had hit the City all the streets had been reduce to what amounted to a fine powered. Assisted by many of the plastic and other synth metal eating bacteria that the red menace had sicked on us before everything had gone to hell. That├óÔé¼Ôäós why asphalt├óÔé¼Ôäós runner up, synth metal, had been quickly paved over by asphalt all over again. Ironically the asphalt had then been undermined by bacteria that had eaten out the synth metal under the asphalt. Then when the nukes hit, the effect had been like shattering a plate.
All this, and other memories that are less analytical and more along the lines of ├óÔé¼┼ômy life flashing before my eyes├óÔé¼┬Ø, ran through my head as I got up and raised my hand. The fire fight between the Syndicate and the Mafia was still going full force, with the mostly dead horses being used as cover. The Mafia was hanging on through stubbornness and a lot of guns. The bullet holes riddling the building had blasted the majority of it apart.
I stood completely and the thug turned his head around and opened his mouth to shout to his friends. Then I kicked him in the crotch, as hard as I could. The man lifted off the ground a few inches, his mouth hanging open and his tong lolling out. I drew my pistols out as the man fell to his knees, his gun clattering to the ground. I took pity on him and kicked his face in. He was knocked backwards by my kick, blood flying from his nose. He landed on his back.
├óÔé¼┼ôMuti, I think this lawlessness needs to be put down├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, aiming my pistols at the nearest mafia thug. But he suddenly fell back, his face caved in by a well aimed bullet. I aimed at the nearest enemy, hearing the silencer on Muti├óÔé¼Ôäós pistol go off with a sound like a light cough. It was covered by the din of the two fighting gangs. However a Mafia member fell forward, the front of his head blown out by a well placed round.
I fired my pistols. The electromagnet coils accelerated the rounds enough to embed themselves in a enemy├óÔé¼Ôäós back. Then there was light pop and the man ended at the torso. I began to fire into any body part I could see, and soon the area was filled with dribbles of gore. The Syndicate also began to take heavy losses, but it was too late. The two sides where devastated and I heard some panicked shouting in Japanese and Russian.
I holstered my pistols after carefully blowing the coils a bit to cool them. Then I turned to Muti who smiled, holstering his pistol as well. I wiped some blood and a bit of bones off my shirt sleeve, then began to walk back home. Then I remembered about the thug I had beaten up. He was still curled into fetal position and I walked over to him. I rolled him over and he stared at me through tear filled eyes. Then I punched him in the face. When I was sure he was out, I gestured to Muti ├óÔé¼┼ôLets bring this guy to pops├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. Muti lifted him up easily.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt was about two months after the president had passed the ├óÔé¼┼ôPresident 4 life├óÔé¼┬Ø act, and the reds were falling back from Europe and Canada├óÔé¼┬Ø Pops was recording. I knocked. I heard him muttering ├óÔé¼┼ôthat was unexpected├óÔé¼┬Ø before shouting ├óÔé¼┼ôCome in├óÔé¼┬Ø. I opened the door and Muti brought in the thug. ├óÔé¼┼ôwho├óÔé¼Ôäós this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pops asked, but he spotted the Russian armband that signified the man├óÔé¼Ôäós membership. ├óÔé¼┼ôGood work├óÔé¼┬ª I assume it was another Syndicate/Mafia shoot out.├óÔé¼┬Ø He said flatly. ├óÔé¼┼ôyup├óÔé¼┬Ø I said sitting down in my favorite chair. The one right next to his desk, the one that├óÔé¼Ôäós all cushy and green. I accidentally jostled the painting of old President Orin, and it clattered to the ground. I blanched and I picked it up and placing it back on its holder. Pops just glared at me, but there was no anger in it. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬ª you ran into a shoot out, and brought back a prisoner with out getting killed. That├óÔé¼Ôäós a first├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, wheeling his chair over to me.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, I got them from behind├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut It was a massive battle. Lots of guns, horses and bullets├óÔé¼┬Ø I smiled ├óÔé¼┼ôNo problem├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. ├óÔé¼┼ôRight├óÔé¼┬ª let me guess, they didn├óÔé¼Ôäót notice you shooting at them until most them where dead, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø. My grin faded away slowly as pops began to laugh ├óÔé¼┼ôHow do you think I put down the law when this city was a collection of refugee├óÔé¼Ôäós?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked ├óÔé¼┼ôShoot them in the back, and kick them in the crotch├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôAlways my motto├óÔé¼┬Ø
I spent the night in pops mansion, and when day dawned I realized that I had to go over Cynthia├óÔé¼Ôäós this morning, and get the O/E interface. As I walked out the mansion and into the ground up streets of the city, I prayed that her brother wasent home. Cynthia├óÔé¼Ôäós house was a collection of cars piled up into a makeshift wall around a partially collapsed building. A makeshift singe witch read ├óÔé¼┼ôCynthia├óÔé¼Ôäós Tech Emporium├óÔé¼┬Ø hung above two trucks that had been stacked facing away from each other, creating a entrance like hole. The building was partially supported by the plane that had crashed into it, and most of the surrounding area had been built around the plane. A small brothel was nestled in the upper and lower passenger area├óÔé¼Ôäós, and but the cargo hold had been cut into, and Cynthia had set up shop.
The plane had begun to look like some kind of fungus was growing all over it, as shanty homes sprung up on it. The rubble from the buildings it had smashed was now used to create walls around the dwellings, and now a din of shouting, squabbling and laughter echoed from it. Many people lived in spaces no larger then sardine cans, and yet I could hear the sounds that seemed to bubble from every part of the city, ranging the gambit from laughter to sobs. I stepped into Cynthia├óÔé¼Ôäós place, admiring the rows of fancy guns and electronics that lined the store. ├óÔé¼┼ôHello├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnyone ho-├óÔé¼┼ô. That├óÔé¼Ôäós when Abdul├óÔé¼Ôäós fist smashed into my face.
I flew back as a barrage of punches started to smash against me. I warded most of them off, but was distracted by a bloody nose that seemed to be leaking everywhere. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou DARE to come back here, you YOU!├óÔé¼┬Ø Abdul shouted as I backed out of the building. He drew his pistol and I held up my left hand, as my right was busy trying to staunch the blood ├óÔé¼┼ôwait a minute man!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôI didn├óÔé¼Ôäót mean it!├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou dishonored my sister!├óÔé¼┬Ø he shouted and fired, the bullet flying way over my head.
He then stopped shaking with rage and actually aimed ay my face. ├óÔé¼┼ôno wait! We cant do it like this, it ain├óÔé¼Ôäót proper├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, my voice distorted as my hand was pinching my nose shut. ├óÔé¼┼ôProper? PROPER!├óÔé¼┬Ø he shouted, a tick going off above his left eye, his dark face contorted with anger. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, in this case we need to have a duel├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, remembering some stuff, faintly, from a novella I had read once.
├óÔé¼┼ôDuel?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked lowering the pistol, suddenly interested in something other then castrating me.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhen I say DRAW, the first person to draw and shoot his enemy will be declared the winner├óÔé¼┬Ø the arbiter I had chosen randomly said. Abdul and I looked at each other. I probably looked ridicules with a piece of tissue paper shoved up both my nostrils, but I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót care. Abdul was ready to pull out his pistol, and so was I. But I had an advantage.
Abdul was the worst shot in town. The man survived because of A) his sister being the best shot in town and B) he could punch hard├óÔé¼┬ªreally really hard. So I was ready to pull my pistol. I had turned off the chemical explosives in the bullets, so I wouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót kill him outright. After all, I still needed to buy Cynthia├óÔé¼Ôäós O/E Interface. So when the arbiter, a rather fat man I had grabbed and paid a few water chits, shouted ├óÔé¼┼ôDRAW!├óÔé¼┬Ø I pulled out my pistol smoothly.
Abdul caught his pistol in his holster and it went off with a bang, narrowly missing his foot. I looked to the sky, wondering how Abdul could be such a buffoon and have genetic ties to one of the best looking girls in town, and then fired my pistol off over his head. The bullet whiffed over him and exploded in the air. Good thing I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót shoot him I thought, double checking the safety on my bullets. The arbiter whispered into my ear ├óÔé¼┼ôwhat do I say no?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôuhh├óÔé¼┬ª tell him we both won├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. The arbiter did so, and left, happily clutching his newly gained water chits.
Abdul looked confused ├óÔé¼┼ôHow can we both be winners├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked as I walked over to him. The small crowd that had gathered around us quietly dispersed, and all that was left was Cynthia. She looked royally mad. Some of my lower organs fidgeted, but it was higher then I would of liked. Abdul was beginning to look slightly abashed as his big sister walked over to us both, her muscled arms showed prominently by her pink tank top. It clashed oddly with her dark, brown skin but I wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót worried all to much about that.
She walked over to me, and to my immense relief her eyes softened as she looked at me. ├óÔé¼┼ôThank you for not shooting him├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, but I swore I heard her mutter ├óÔé¼┼ônot that he doesn├óÔé¼Ôäót deserve it├óÔé¼┬Ø. She then looked at Abdul and all the anger was back. ├óÔé¼┼ôNow you!├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, her voice venomous ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is not the fifteenth century!├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót have a dowry, and you don├óÔé¼Ôäót need to protect my honor├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôbut I├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, but she took him by the ear ├óÔé¼┼ôIf father was alive he would├óÔé¼┬Ø Abdul tried to say, but Cynthia twisted his ear ├óÔé¼┼ôYou know exactly what he would say├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôUse a condom├óÔé¼┬Ø. I followed her to the store.
After tucking Abdul in the back with warnings of death and bodily harm if he assaulted me again, Cynthia walked back into the main sale room. She strained her tank top and walked over to me. She clucked softly as she examined my nose ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, but she just scoffed and turned back to her desk. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo, what do you want├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked, pulling out her checklist and turned back to me. Her reddish tattoo still showed prominently over her right eye, and she still smiled falsely when she was selling stuff.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo what do you want?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou already said that├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôbut, more importantly I need you O/E Interface├óÔé¼┬Ø. She glanced at her check list. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat will be twenty thousand water chips├óÔé¼┬Ø she said. I blanched, and checked the money Pops had lent me. I only had about├óÔé¼┬ª ten thousand. ├óÔé¼┼ôUhh├óÔé¼┬ª.├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, stalling ├óÔé¼┼ôAny way I shave a bit off that?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked. She grinned seductively. ├óÔé¼┼ôAbdul is already mad at me├óÔé¼┬Ø I said halfheartedly.
I walked out a hour later and ten thousand chits shorter. However in my backpack, lovingly stored and kept in good repair. A O/E interface looked like a cross between a prism and a electronic circuit board. However it was probably the most valuable thing in the city, and I quickly legged it to Muti├óÔé¼Ôäós place. When I got there he was sitting in his couch, resting from beating the ever-loving snot out of the thug I brought in. He was ready to go in a few minutes, slinging a pre-packed pack onto his back and slipping into some shoes. There is a reason why I almost never go to his apartment. Its right in front of the sewer, built in a toppled sky scraper. The landlord loves fishing though, and offered the fishing as the main attraction.
We walked over the rickety bridge that went over the river of sewage that ran under the hotel, and then we headed off to the gate. The Wall around the City, was little more then a collection of wooden towers manned by my pop├óÔé¼Ôäós men. I flashed my I.D at the guard and he waved me on. The wastelands beckoned!
All this, and other memories that are less analytical and more along the lines of ├óÔé¼┼ômy life flashing before my eyes├óÔé¼┬Ø, ran through my head as I got up and raised my hand. The fire fight between the Syndicate and the Mafia was still going full force, with the mostly dead horses being used as cover. The Mafia was hanging on through stubbornness and a lot of guns. The bullet holes riddling the building had blasted the majority of it apart.
I stood completely and the thug turned his head around and opened his mouth to shout to his friends. Then I kicked him in the crotch, as hard as I could. The man lifted off the ground a few inches, his mouth hanging open and his tong lolling out. I drew my pistols out as the man fell to his knees, his gun clattering to the ground. I took pity on him and kicked his face in. He was knocked backwards by my kick, blood flying from his nose. He landed on his back.
├óÔé¼┼ôMuti, I think this lawlessness needs to be put down├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, aiming my pistols at the nearest mafia thug. But he suddenly fell back, his face caved in by a well aimed bullet. I aimed at the nearest enemy, hearing the silencer on Muti├óÔé¼Ôäós pistol go off with a sound like a light cough. It was covered by the din of the two fighting gangs. However a Mafia member fell forward, the front of his head blown out by a well placed round.
I fired my pistols. The electromagnet coils accelerated the rounds enough to embed themselves in a enemy├óÔé¼Ôäós back. Then there was light pop and the man ended at the torso. I began to fire into any body part I could see, and soon the area was filled with dribbles of gore. The Syndicate also began to take heavy losses, but it was too late. The two sides where devastated and I heard some panicked shouting in Japanese and Russian.
I holstered my pistols after carefully blowing the coils a bit to cool them. Then I turned to Muti who smiled, holstering his pistol as well. I wiped some blood and a bit of bones off my shirt sleeve, then began to walk back home. Then I remembered about the thug I had beaten up. He was still curled into fetal position and I walked over to him. I rolled him over and he stared at me through tear filled eyes. Then I punched him in the face. When I was sure he was out, I gestured to Muti ├óÔé¼┼ôLets bring this guy to pops├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. Muti lifted him up easily.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt was about two months after the president had passed the ├óÔé¼┼ôPresident 4 life├óÔé¼┬Ø act, and the reds were falling back from Europe and Canada├óÔé¼┬Ø Pops was recording. I knocked. I heard him muttering ├óÔé¼┼ôthat was unexpected├óÔé¼┬Ø before shouting ├óÔé¼┼ôCome in├óÔé¼┬Ø. I opened the door and Muti brought in the thug. ├óÔé¼┼ôwho├óÔé¼Ôäós this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pops asked, but he spotted the Russian armband that signified the man├óÔé¼Ôäós membership. ├óÔé¼┼ôGood work├óÔé¼┬ª I assume it was another Syndicate/Mafia shoot out.├óÔé¼┬Ø He said flatly. ├óÔé¼┼ôyup├óÔé¼┬Ø I said sitting down in my favorite chair. The one right next to his desk, the one that├óÔé¼Ôäós all cushy and green. I accidentally jostled the painting of old President Orin, and it clattered to the ground. I blanched and I picked it up and placing it back on its holder. Pops just glared at me, but there was no anger in it. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬ª you ran into a shoot out, and brought back a prisoner with out getting killed. That├óÔé¼Ôäós a first├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, wheeling his chair over to me.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, I got them from behind├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut It was a massive battle. Lots of guns, horses and bullets├óÔé¼┬Ø I smiled ├óÔé¼┼ôNo problem├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. ├óÔé¼┼ôRight├óÔé¼┬ª let me guess, they didn├óÔé¼Ôäót notice you shooting at them until most them where dead, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø. My grin faded away slowly as pops began to laugh ├óÔé¼┼ôHow do you think I put down the law when this city was a collection of refugee├óÔé¼Ôäós?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked ├óÔé¼┼ôShoot them in the back, and kick them in the crotch├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôAlways my motto├óÔé¼┬Ø
I spent the night in pops mansion, and when day dawned I realized that I had to go over Cynthia├óÔé¼Ôäós this morning, and get the O/E interface. As I walked out the mansion and into the ground up streets of the city, I prayed that her brother wasent home. Cynthia├óÔé¼Ôäós house was a collection of cars piled up into a makeshift wall around a partially collapsed building. A makeshift singe witch read ├óÔé¼┼ôCynthia├óÔé¼Ôäós Tech Emporium├óÔé¼┬Ø hung above two trucks that had been stacked facing away from each other, creating a entrance like hole. The building was partially supported by the plane that had crashed into it, and most of the surrounding area had been built around the plane. A small brothel was nestled in the upper and lower passenger area├óÔé¼Ôäós, and but the cargo hold had been cut into, and Cynthia had set up shop.
The plane had begun to look like some kind of fungus was growing all over it, as shanty homes sprung up on it. The rubble from the buildings it had smashed was now used to create walls around the dwellings, and now a din of shouting, squabbling and laughter echoed from it. Many people lived in spaces no larger then sardine cans, and yet I could hear the sounds that seemed to bubble from every part of the city, ranging the gambit from laughter to sobs. I stepped into Cynthia├óÔé¼Ôäós place, admiring the rows of fancy guns and electronics that lined the store. ├óÔé¼┼ôHello├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnyone ho-├óÔé¼┼ô. That├óÔé¼Ôäós when Abdul├óÔé¼Ôäós fist smashed into my face.
I flew back as a barrage of punches started to smash against me. I warded most of them off, but was distracted by a bloody nose that seemed to be leaking everywhere. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou DARE to come back here, you YOU!├óÔé¼┬Ø Abdul shouted as I backed out of the building. He drew his pistol and I held up my left hand, as my right was busy trying to staunch the blood ├óÔé¼┼ôwait a minute man!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôI didn├óÔé¼Ôäót mean it!├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou dishonored my sister!├óÔé¼┬Ø he shouted and fired, the bullet flying way over my head.
He then stopped shaking with rage and actually aimed ay my face. ├óÔé¼┼ôno wait! We cant do it like this, it ain├óÔé¼Ôäót proper├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, my voice distorted as my hand was pinching my nose shut. ├óÔé¼┼ôProper? PROPER!├óÔé¼┬Ø he shouted, a tick going off above his left eye, his dark face contorted with anger. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, in this case we need to have a duel├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, remembering some stuff, faintly, from a novella I had read once.
├óÔé¼┼ôDuel?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked lowering the pistol, suddenly interested in something other then castrating me.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhen I say DRAW, the first person to draw and shoot his enemy will be declared the winner├óÔé¼┬Ø the arbiter I had chosen randomly said. Abdul and I looked at each other. I probably looked ridicules with a piece of tissue paper shoved up both my nostrils, but I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót care. Abdul was ready to pull out his pistol, and so was I. But I had an advantage.
Abdul was the worst shot in town. The man survived because of A) his sister being the best shot in town and B) he could punch hard├óÔé¼┬ªreally really hard. So I was ready to pull my pistol. I had turned off the chemical explosives in the bullets, so I wouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót kill him outright. After all, I still needed to buy Cynthia├óÔé¼Ôäós O/E Interface. So when the arbiter, a rather fat man I had grabbed and paid a few water chits, shouted ├óÔé¼┼ôDRAW!├óÔé¼┬Ø I pulled out my pistol smoothly.
Abdul caught his pistol in his holster and it went off with a bang, narrowly missing his foot. I looked to the sky, wondering how Abdul could be such a buffoon and have genetic ties to one of the best looking girls in town, and then fired my pistol off over his head. The bullet whiffed over him and exploded in the air. Good thing I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót shoot him I thought, double checking the safety on my bullets. The arbiter whispered into my ear ├óÔé¼┼ôwhat do I say no?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôuhh├óÔé¼┬ª tell him we both won├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. The arbiter did so, and left, happily clutching his newly gained water chits.
Abdul looked confused ├óÔé¼┼ôHow can we both be winners├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked as I walked over to him. The small crowd that had gathered around us quietly dispersed, and all that was left was Cynthia. She looked royally mad. Some of my lower organs fidgeted, but it was higher then I would of liked. Abdul was beginning to look slightly abashed as his big sister walked over to us both, her muscled arms showed prominently by her pink tank top. It clashed oddly with her dark, brown skin but I wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót worried all to much about that.
She walked over to me, and to my immense relief her eyes softened as she looked at me. ├óÔé¼┼ôThank you for not shooting him├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, but I swore I heard her mutter ├óÔé¼┼ônot that he doesn├óÔé¼Ôäót deserve it├óÔé¼┬Ø. She then looked at Abdul and all the anger was back. ├óÔé¼┼ôNow you!├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, her voice venomous ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is not the fifteenth century!├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôI don├óÔé¼Ôäót have a dowry, and you don├óÔé¼Ôäót need to protect my honor├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôbut I├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, but she took him by the ear ├óÔé¼┼ôIf father was alive he would├óÔé¼┬Ø Abdul tried to say, but Cynthia twisted his ear ├óÔé¼┼ôYou know exactly what he would say├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôUse a condom├óÔé¼┬Ø. I followed her to the store.
After tucking Abdul in the back with warnings of death and bodily harm if he assaulted me again, Cynthia walked back into the main sale room. She strained her tank top and walked over to me. She clucked softly as she examined my nose ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, but she just scoffed and turned back to her desk. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo, what do you want├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked, pulling out her checklist and turned back to me. Her reddish tattoo still showed prominently over her right eye, and she still smiled falsely when she was selling stuff.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo what do you want?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou already said that├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôbut, more importantly I need you O/E Interface├óÔé¼┬Ø. She glanced at her check list. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat will be twenty thousand water chips├óÔé¼┬Ø she said. I blanched, and checked the money Pops had lent me. I only had about├óÔé¼┬ª ten thousand. ├óÔé¼┼ôUhh├óÔé¼┬ª.├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, stalling ├óÔé¼┼ôAny way I shave a bit off that?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked. She grinned seductively. ├óÔé¼┼ôAbdul is already mad at me├óÔé¼┬Ø I said halfheartedly.
I walked out a hour later and ten thousand chits shorter. However in my backpack, lovingly stored and kept in good repair. A O/E interface looked like a cross between a prism and a electronic circuit board. However it was probably the most valuable thing in the city, and I quickly legged it to Muti├óÔé¼Ôäós place. When I got there he was sitting in his couch, resting from beating the ever-loving snot out of the thug I brought in. He was ready to go in a few minutes, slinging a pre-packed pack onto his back and slipping into some shoes. There is a reason why I almost never go to his apartment. Its right in front of the sewer, built in a toppled sky scraper. The landlord loves fishing though, and offered the fishing as the main attraction.
We walked over the rickety bridge that went over the river of sewage that ran under the hotel, and then we headed off to the gate. The Wall around the City, was little more then a collection of wooden towers manned by my pop├óÔé¼Ôäós men. I flashed my I.D at the guard and he waved me on. The wastelands beckoned!
My boots crunched across the wastelands, causing the dried mud on the ground to crack. The wastelands were exactly that, an endless plain dotted with the odd abandoned vehicle. The base was far from all the remaining hover ways, so Muti and I had to walk across the hardest part of wastes. This area was cracked and broke, with large craters and huge chasms opened by the energies of the war.
I held the rad cube ahead of me, watching it ever now and then for the tell tail flashes of gamma rays hitting the chemical contained inside it. If the cube glowed continuously, it was time for me to chug some Rad-Away. Muti also had a cube out, but it was held in his off hand while his silenced pistol was out. His black eyes, altered to see at a much higher resolution and range then a normal human, constantly scanned the horizon for any snappers.
My left hand was next to my pistol. All space marines are retro-engineered to be ambidextrous, so I could use both hands as well as the other. The cube suddenly flashed as I neared the edge of the crater. I backed up swiftly and the cube slowly dimmed. I estimated I had gotten a couple hundred Rads, probably not enough to be fatal├óÔé¼┬ª but enough to make it uncomfortable for me. So I chugged some Rad-Away, just to be safe.
I motioned to Muti and we walked around to the crater, avoiding the radiation. As the day wore on and we got closer to the base, the sun slowly set. Merciful night cooled off the harsh daylight and we pushed on. As we continued to walk I felt my normal paranoia slowly ebb. The wastelands didn├óÔé¼Ôäót have the Mafia or the Syndicate shooting at me and my family, so I loved to walk around out there.
I heard some rocks tumble to the ground and I drew my pistol. A dark form leaped from a nearby group of rocks. My pistol fired and there was a slight pop. Half of the lizard├óÔé¼Ôäós body crumpled to the ground, its vital organs spewing out in a unrecognizable slurry. Muti ran over, pistol ready. ├óÔé¼┼ôI got it├óÔé¼┬Ø I said and he nudged the corpse. I took a bullet from my bandolier and placed it in the empty chamber of the gun.
We decided to take camp and rest a bit. I took out a bed roll and placed it on the ground. Muti took out the proximity mine and put it between us. The green light began to flicker on and off. If a snapper came too close the mine would jump up and open fire on the nearest living thing that didn├óÔé¼Ôäót wear the tag we both wore. The tag was a small transmitter that constantly sent the ├óÔé¼╦£don├óÔé¼Ôäót shoot├óÔé¼Ôäó signal to the mine.
So we slept relatively safely and securely, and in the morning we started our brisk pace. After a few more hours we came on the base. It didn├óÔé¼Ôäót look like much. Really, it was nothing more then a few rocks placed over a small trap door. Muti shoved the largest rock away, and it tumbled slowly down a slight incline. I took a slightly smaller rock and threw it away, and soon the trap door was cleared.
I told Muti to stand back and I took out the plasma torch. The torch looked like a longish pipe with a small nozzle. I adjusted the nozzle and started to burn my way through the trap door. After a few seconds of burning the trapdoor was almost completely cut out and I smashed my foot down on the door. It fell in and disappeared into darkness after a few seconds. I turned of the plasma welder and looked into the darkness.
I saw a ladder and started to climb down it and soon found myself in a rounded chamber. I looked down. And down. And dooooooooooooooooown. I felt vertigo and I clung to the ladder. The cylinder dropped deep into the darkness, and even after I shone I light into it I couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót see the bottom. I started to climb down the ladder, letting Muti join me.
After a few moments of climbing I heard a slight echo. It sounded suspiciously like a clang. I looked up at Muti and the very small pinprick of light that was the trap door. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat was├óÔé¼┬ª three minutes of falling!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, panic suddenly rising. The schematics I found never said anything about this. Then I remember what waited at the bottom and decided to go at it anyway.
I grabbed the ladder and began to slide down. Muti joined me in sliding and we began to whistle down. The darkness slowly became absolute and the pinprick of light became absolutely small. Then it was gone. For long minutes that stretched on and on we finally reached the bottom. That is I smashed into it and fell of the ladder. Muti crashed too and the metal we had hit clanged even louder. I lay there, my legs feeling like a ton of bricks had smashed into them, and the darkness was complete. Then Muti struck a match and lit up a cigarette. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo, did we make it?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked.
I groaned inwardly and sat up. Aside from the small, flickering light of Muti├óÔé¼Ôäós cigarette it was completely and utterly black. I found my backpack and rummaged around in it. Unfortunately my items and arsenal were so jumbled I cut myself on my own knife. Then I found the light and turned it on. My backpack was lit from the inside, spreading a extremely dim glow about the chamber. I could barley see Muti, but when I pulled the lamp out of the backpack the light spilled all over the area. I saw the emergency exit that I could enter, but the walls were lost in the darkness.
I checked myself for injuries and simply resigned myself to nasty bruises. Standing up slowly I groaned and looked at the ladder. ├óÔé¼┼ôGod damned emergency exit├óÔé¼┬Ø I muttered. Muti rose to his feet as I began to cut through the trap door. After a few moments the door fell inwards with a clang, and I dropped into the base. Muti followed and we both looked around.
The entrance to the emergency exit led into a hall way. The halls of the base were unlit and dark, but my light illuminated it rather nicely. The walls were made of metal, hard and easy to disinfect. The doors looked like something out of a sci-fi novella I had read and each had a different name ranging from ├óÔé¼┼ôBioWep Lab-2├óÔé¼┬Ø to ├óÔé¼┼ôGames and Theory├óÔé¼┬Ø. I clapped my hands and took one step towards BioWep Lab-2.
Then, with a ponderous sliding of metal, part of the ceiling opened and a mini-gun locked onto me. ├óÔé¼┼ôIntruder in area A-12, cease and desist in action├óÔé¼┬Ø said a computerized voice. I raised my hands very slowly. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou have 10 seconds to drop your weapons├óÔé¼┬Ø the voice said. I looked at my hands. No weapons. Muti dropped his pistol to the ground. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou have 5 seconds to comply├óÔé¼┬Ø the voice said, the gun beginning to spin up.
├óÔé¼┼ôoh shit├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, and turned to Muti. Maby I could find some cover was the only thought running through my head. Then I heard a loud click. Then again.
click click click click click click click click. click click click click click click click click
click click click click click click click click
I opened my eyes and looked at the mini-gun. Its barrels rotated uselessly as it tried to fire an empty chamber. I stood up, brushed off my shirt and tried to salvage my dignity. Then again Muti wouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót tell anyone. The gun was still trying to shoot us when we stepped into the BioWep lab. The door opened slowly helped by Muti├óÔé¼Ôäós crowbar, and we where in. ├óÔé¼┼ôEach lab should have its own oversupplied, like the gun and the central A.I├óÔé¼┬Ø I said to Muti, looking around with my lantern.
I found the closet that should hold the generator, and I opened it. A skeleton fell outwards, landing in a heap on me. Bits of skin remained attached to it, and the bones felt horrific in my hands. I shirked and jumped back, the pile of bones falling to the floor and shattering into a load of pieces. ├óÔé¼┼ôGod dammed janitor has to hide in the power closet├óÔé¼┬Ø I muttered as I reached into the generation closet and flicked on a switch. The lights flickered on in the Lab and I was able to look around.
It was filled to the brim with massive cubes. Each cube hummed softly, now that they were active. A single monitor was perched above the door, and a long glass window looked in on├óÔé¼┬ªon.
A room filled with corpses. Not just skeleton, but fresh corpses. I looked in and realized those were the test subjects. I noticed how they were all clustered around a single table, but there heads lay on it. As if they had gotten down├óÔé¼┬ª peacefully. I shook my head and backed away from the one way window. Muti was scanning the room impassively. ├óÔé¼┼ôall right├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need an empty, sterilized, large bio-container├óÔé¼┬Ø. Muti nodded and started to search.
I held the rad cube ahead of me, watching it ever now and then for the tell tail flashes of gamma rays hitting the chemical contained inside it. If the cube glowed continuously, it was time for me to chug some Rad-Away. Muti also had a cube out, but it was held in his off hand while his silenced pistol was out. His black eyes, altered to see at a much higher resolution and range then a normal human, constantly scanned the horizon for any snappers.
My left hand was next to my pistol. All space marines are retro-engineered to be ambidextrous, so I could use both hands as well as the other. The cube suddenly flashed as I neared the edge of the crater. I backed up swiftly and the cube slowly dimmed. I estimated I had gotten a couple hundred Rads, probably not enough to be fatal├óÔé¼┬ª but enough to make it uncomfortable for me. So I chugged some Rad-Away, just to be safe.
I motioned to Muti and we walked around to the crater, avoiding the radiation. As the day wore on and we got closer to the base, the sun slowly set. Merciful night cooled off the harsh daylight and we pushed on. As we continued to walk I felt my normal paranoia slowly ebb. The wastelands didn├óÔé¼Ôäót have the Mafia or the Syndicate shooting at me and my family, so I loved to walk around out there.
I heard some rocks tumble to the ground and I drew my pistol. A dark form leaped from a nearby group of rocks. My pistol fired and there was a slight pop. Half of the lizard├óÔé¼Ôäós body crumpled to the ground, its vital organs spewing out in a unrecognizable slurry. Muti ran over, pistol ready. ├óÔé¼┼ôI got it├óÔé¼┬Ø I said and he nudged the corpse. I took a bullet from my bandolier and placed it in the empty chamber of the gun.
We decided to take camp and rest a bit. I took out a bed roll and placed it on the ground. Muti took out the proximity mine and put it between us. The green light began to flicker on and off. If a snapper came too close the mine would jump up and open fire on the nearest living thing that didn├óÔé¼Ôäót wear the tag we both wore. The tag was a small transmitter that constantly sent the ├óÔé¼╦£don├óÔé¼Ôäót shoot├óÔé¼Ôäó signal to the mine.
So we slept relatively safely and securely, and in the morning we started our brisk pace. After a few more hours we came on the base. It didn├óÔé¼Ôäót look like much. Really, it was nothing more then a few rocks placed over a small trap door. Muti shoved the largest rock away, and it tumbled slowly down a slight incline. I took a slightly smaller rock and threw it away, and soon the trap door was cleared.
I told Muti to stand back and I took out the plasma torch. The torch looked like a longish pipe with a small nozzle. I adjusted the nozzle and started to burn my way through the trap door. After a few seconds of burning the trapdoor was almost completely cut out and I smashed my foot down on the door. It fell in and disappeared into darkness after a few seconds. I turned of the plasma welder and looked into the darkness.
I saw a ladder and started to climb down it and soon found myself in a rounded chamber. I looked down. And down. And dooooooooooooooooown. I felt vertigo and I clung to the ladder. The cylinder dropped deep into the darkness, and even after I shone I light into it I couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót see the bottom. I started to climb down the ladder, letting Muti join me.
After a few moments of climbing I heard a slight echo. It sounded suspiciously like a clang. I looked up at Muti and the very small pinprick of light that was the trap door. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat was├óÔé¼┬ª three minutes of falling!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, panic suddenly rising. The schematics I found never said anything about this. Then I remember what waited at the bottom and decided to go at it anyway.
I grabbed the ladder and began to slide down. Muti joined me in sliding and we began to whistle down. The darkness slowly became absolute and the pinprick of light became absolutely small. Then it was gone. For long minutes that stretched on and on we finally reached the bottom. That is I smashed into it and fell of the ladder. Muti crashed too and the metal we had hit clanged even louder. I lay there, my legs feeling like a ton of bricks had smashed into them, and the darkness was complete. Then Muti struck a match and lit up a cigarette. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo, did we make it?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked.
I groaned inwardly and sat up. Aside from the small, flickering light of Muti├óÔé¼Ôäós cigarette it was completely and utterly black. I found my backpack and rummaged around in it. Unfortunately my items and arsenal were so jumbled I cut myself on my own knife. Then I found the light and turned it on. My backpack was lit from the inside, spreading a extremely dim glow about the chamber. I could barley see Muti, but when I pulled the lamp out of the backpack the light spilled all over the area. I saw the emergency exit that I could enter, but the walls were lost in the darkness.
I checked myself for injuries and simply resigned myself to nasty bruises. Standing up slowly I groaned and looked at the ladder. ├óÔé¼┼ôGod damned emergency exit├óÔé¼┬Ø I muttered. Muti rose to his feet as I began to cut through the trap door. After a few moments the door fell inwards with a clang, and I dropped into the base. Muti followed and we both looked around.
The entrance to the emergency exit led into a hall way. The halls of the base were unlit and dark, but my light illuminated it rather nicely. The walls were made of metal, hard and easy to disinfect. The doors looked like something out of a sci-fi novella I had read and each had a different name ranging from ├óÔé¼┼ôBioWep Lab-2├óÔé¼┬Ø to ├óÔé¼┼ôGames and Theory├óÔé¼┬Ø. I clapped my hands and took one step towards BioWep Lab-2.
Then, with a ponderous sliding of metal, part of the ceiling opened and a mini-gun locked onto me. ├óÔé¼┼ôIntruder in area A-12, cease and desist in action├óÔé¼┬Ø said a computerized voice. I raised my hands very slowly. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou have 10 seconds to drop your weapons├óÔé¼┬Ø the voice said. I looked at my hands. No weapons. Muti dropped his pistol to the ground. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou have 5 seconds to comply├óÔé¼┬Ø the voice said, the gun beginning to spin up.
├óÔé¼┼ôoh shit├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, and turned to Muti. Maby I could find some cover was the only thought running through my head. Then I heard a loud click. Then again.
click click click click click click click click. click click click click click click click click
click click click click click click click click
I opened my eyes and looked at the mini-gun. Its barrels rotated uselessly as it tried to fire an empty chamber. I stood up, brushed off my shirt and tried to salvage my dignity. Then again Muti wouldn├óÔé¼Ôäót tell anyone. The gun was still trying to shoot us when we stepped into the BioWep lab. The door opened slowly helped by Muti├óÔé¼Ôäós crowbar, and we where in. ├óÔé¼┼ôEach lab should have its own oversupplied, like the gun and the central A.I├óÔé¼┬Ø I said to Muti, looking around with my lantern.
I found the closet that should hold the generator, and I opened it. A skeleton fell outwards, landing in a heap on me. Bits of skin remained attached to it, and the bones felt horrific in my hands. I shirked and jumped back, the pile of bones falling to the floor and shattering into a load of pieces. ├óÔé¼┼ôGod dammed janitor has to hide in the power closet├óÔé¼┬Ø I muttered as I reached into the generation closet and flicked on a switch. The lights flickered on in the Lab and I was able to look around.
It was filled to the brim with massive cubes. Each cube hummed softly, now that they were active. A single monitor was perched above the door, and a long glass window looked in on├óÔé¼┬ªon.
A room filled with corpses. Not just skeleton, but fresh corpses. I looked in and realized those were the test subjects. I noticed how they were all clustered around a single table, but there heads lay on it. As if they had gotten down├óÔé¼┬ª peacefully. I shook my head and backed away from the one way window. Muti was scanning the room impassively. ├óÔé¼┼ôall right├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need an empty, sterilized, large bio-container├óÔé¼┬Ø. Muti nodded and started to search.
I looked around and saw a few virus containers on the far lab table. Then bent over and opened a small drawer at the bottom of the lab table that surrounded the lab. Inside I found a dead rat, two Petri dishes overflowing with mold and a focefeild that prevented my hand from reaching inside. I closed that drawer and went to the next one.
Muti was also rummaging about in cabinets and other odd places. We found several more forcefeilds in different storage units, and in each was either something dead├óÔé¼┬ª or something growing very very rapidly. However after a few minutes of brain numbing search I found a bio-containment container. It looked like a soda can with a clear edge. The top had a red button, which I pressed. The edges vanished and the top and bottom fell together. I grinned at looked at Muti ├óÔé¼┼ôFound it!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted.
We grabbed the container and walked to the main power generators. Unfortunately it was over ten levels down, to protect it from E.M.P discharges by any attack. So we had to climb down another maddeningly dark ladder. Muti was above me, and above him was├óÔé¼┬ª the elevator. I heard it creak, but then it stopped. I finally reached the power plant.
Muti forced the door open and we both stepped through. ├óÔé¼┼ôIf I remember correctly├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôThat ring in the middle contains some hydrogen. Each bulge is a magnet and each magnet compresses the hydrogen. Lasers on the inside heat it and the entire thing is meant to replicate the posses going on in the sun├óÔé¼┬Ø. Muti looked at me, one of his eyes squinting at me. ├óÔé¼┼ôyeah I know├óÔé¼┬Ø I said
├óÔé¼┼ôBut it needs energy to make energy├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti pointed out. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat├óÔé¼Ôäós where this comes in├óÔé¼┬Ø I said pointing to an ominous black box. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is it?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós a nuke├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôThe energy in it will kick start the reactor and this base will be fine├óÔé¼┬ªassuming├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôAssuming?├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIf the containment field goes down the nuke will kill us all├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd the resulting explosion might do permanent tectonic damage to the ground under the city. Muti just grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôah hell├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôwho wants to live forever?├óÔé¼┬Ø.
I flipped the switch.
There was a blinding light, brighter then the sun
And I was blind.
However I heard the fusion reactor start up, and I heard Muti running over to me. ├óÔé¼┼ôSir, im fine├óÔé¼┬ªbut you look like hell├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou bastard├óÔé¼┬Ø I chocked out. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt seems as if the reactor worked├óÔé¼┬Ø said a third, unrecognizable voice. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho the hell are you?├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted. ├óÔé¼┼ôI am the computer A.I. I suggest, as the only living pure human in this area, you get some new eyes├óÔé¼┬Ø
The blind scurrying around the base was something that got seared into my memory. That damned A.I├óÔé¼Ôäós completely emotionless voice lead Muti around the compound, as he guided me to the medical bay. We made it though, and I was soon laid down on a small bed. Then Muti moved away and I heard something metallic move. And then I heard a saw blade rev up. ├óÔé¼┼ôUhh├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry├óÔé¼┬ªI├óÔé¼Ôäóll be quick├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut the anesthetics have run dry├óÔé¼┬Ø
I sat up quickly ├óÔé¼┼ôI think I├óÔé¼Ôäóll be blind├óÔé¼┬Ø. I felt some straps slither out of the table and restrain me. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry├óÔé¼┬Ø said the A.I again. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell I├óÔé¼Ôäóm already fucking worrying!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted at the top of my lungs. ├óÔé¼┼ôReally, Ethan├óÔé¼┬Ø said Muti ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need your├óÔé¼┬ªsharp eyes├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou enjoying this you perverted freak!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted as the first surgical tools plunged into my eye socket.
There was a blinding pain until the nerve was cut, but then there was only an agonizing pain as the A.I replaced my eye├óÔé¼Ôäós. It was also down right disturbing to hear Muti vomit as the A.I did whatever it was doing. Then I realized how nice blindness could be. After a infinity of whirring machines and horrible pain, the computer said in its horribly smarmy voice ├óÔé¼┼ôDone├óÔé¼┬Ø. I sat up and blinked.
Everything was clearer and sharper. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø I trailed off. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour eye sight is now a perfect 20/20├óÔé¼┬ª previously it was a 10/20├óÔé¼┬Ø the computer said which gibberish to me was but I understood one thing. I could see better then I ever could. ├óÔé¼┼ôWow├óÔé¼┬Ø I said placing hands on my eyes and prodding it. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬ª are they as good as mine?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Muti who was washing his hands of some extraneous vomit.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, you bastard├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. ├óÔé¼┼ôNow, lets talk business├óÔé¼Ôäó the computer said, the various (and bloody) surgical tools retracting. ├óÔé¼┼ôBusiness?├óÔé¼┬Ø I snapped ├óÔé¼┼ôLets get this straight, Mr. Algorithm├óÔé¼┬ª you├óÔé¼Ôäóre a fucking computer. And that means, you do what I fucking say├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour respiration, eye dilation and heat rate has all increased. And your ratio of non vulgar words to vulgar-├óÔé¼┼ô. ├óÔé¼┼ôshut the fuck up!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted, cutting off the smarmy A.I.
├óÔé¼┼ôSee what I mean. You├óÔé¼Ôäóre obviously angry and hurt├óÔé¼┬Ø the computer said
├óÔé¼┼ôcause it bloody damn did hurt!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said
├óÔé¼┼ôBut I cured you of your blindness├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôTrue that├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNow, business, which we do have by the way├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFucking A.I├óÔé¼┬Ø I muttered, but sat down and listened.
├óÔé¼┼ôNow that all pure humans are accounted for, and because of your euro-Caucasian D.N.A, I can assume that we won. But my probability matrix├óÔé¼Ôäós have predicted that, based off your teeth decay, that we have sustained many casualty├óÔé¼Ôäós. So I predict that there is a 0.000000001 times ten to the negative 9000000000000000├óÔé¼Ôäós power percent chance that the American Despotism survived├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôTrue that├óÔé¼┬Ø I said
├óÔé¼┼ôNow my backup personality subroutines have been activated├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôwhich is?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSurvival. You can pay me in time├óÔé¼┬ª the longer I stay alive, the more stuff in the base I will unlock├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOh?├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, getting up and looking at the ceiling. I noticed the blue strip running along the top edge. It must of lit up when the power was on├óÔé¼┬ª cause I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót notice it coming in
├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬ª I give you twenty days, and you give me a plas pistol and something much├óÔé¼┬ªmuch more valuable├óÔé¼┬Ø I said.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø the computer asked
├óÔé¼┼ôSo you DON├óÔé¼ÔäóT know about the latest happenings on the surface!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, glad to know something the A.I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, why?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThe most valuable commodity, my new business partner, is plastic├óÔé¼┬Ø I said.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬ª the enemy released there plastic plague?├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôCaught it in one├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, irritated it knew that too
├óÔé¼┼ôI have a range of plastics, all of which can be treated to be plague resistant├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôExcellent!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, glad something was finally going my way. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo, how about an hour for a piece of malleable plastics?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôDeal├óÔé¼┬Ø
Muti was also rummaging about in cabinets and other odd places. We found several more forcefeilds in different storage units, and in each was either something dead├óÔé¼┬ª or something growing very very rapidly. However after a few minutes of brain numbing search I found a bio-containment container. It looked like a soda can with a clear edge. The top had a red button, which I pressed. The edges vanished and the top and bottom fell together. I grinned at looked at Muti ├óÔé¼┼ôFound it!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted.
We grabbed the container and walked to the main power generators. Unfortunately it was over ten levels down, to protect it from E.M.P discharges by any attack. So we had to climb down another maddeningly dark ladder. Muti was above me, and above him was├óÔé¼┬ª the elevator. I heard it creak, but then it stopped. I finally reached the power plant.
Muti forced the door open and we both stepped through. ├óÔé¼┼ôIf I remember correctly├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôThat ring in the middle contains some hydrogen. Each bulge is a magnet and each magnet compresses the hydrogen. Lasers on the inside heat it and the entire thing is meant to replicate the posses going on in the sun├óÔé¼┬Ø. Muti looked at me, one of his eyes squinting at me. ├óÔé¼┼ôyeah I know├óÔé¼┬Ø I said
├óÔé¼┼ôBut it needs energy to make energy├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti pointed out. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat├óÔé¼Ôäós where this comes in├óÔé¼┬Ø I said pointing to an ominous black box. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is it?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt├óÔé¼Ôäós a nuke├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôThe energy in it will kick start the reactor and this base will be fine├óÔé¼┬ªassuming├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôAssuming?├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIf the containment field goes down the nuke will kill us all├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd the resulting explosion might do permanent tectonic damage to the ground under the city. Muti just grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôah hell├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôwho wants to live forever?├óÔé¼┬Ø.
I flipped the switch.
There was a blinding light, brighter then the sun
And I was blind.
However I heard the fusion reactor start up, and I heard Muti running over to me. ├óÔé¼┼ôSir, im fine├óÔé¼┬ªbut you look like hell├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou bastard├óÔé¼┬Ø I chocked out. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt seems as if the reactor worked├óÔé¼┬Ø said a third, unrecognizable voice. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho the hell are you?├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted. ├óÔé¼┼ôI am the computer A.I. I suggest, as the only living pure human in this area, you get some new eyes├óÔé¼┬Ø
The blind scurrying around the base was something that got seared into my memory. That damned A.I├óÔé¼Ôäós completely emotionless voice lead Muti around the compound, as he guided me to the medical bay. We made it though, and I was soon laid down on a small bed. Then Muti moved away and I heard something metallic move. And then I heard a saw blade rev up. ├óÔé¼┼ôUhh├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry├óÔé¼┬ªI├óÔé¼Ôäóll be quick├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut the anesthetics have run dry├óÔé¼┬Ø
I sat up quickly ├óÔé¼┼ôI think I├óÔé¼Ôäóll be blind├óÔé¼┬Ø. I felt some straps slither out of the table and restrain me. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon├óÔé¼Ôäót worry├óÔé¼┬Ø said the A.I again. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell I├óÔé¼Ôäóm already fucking worrying!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted at the top of my lungs. ├óÔé¼┼ôReally, Ethan├óÔé¼┬Ø said Muti ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need your├óÔé¼┬ªsharp eyes├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou enjoying this you perverted freak!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted as the first surgical tools plunged into my eye socket.
There was a blinding pain until the nerve was cut, but then there was only an agonizing pain as the A.I replaced my eye├óÔé¼Ôäós. It was also down right disturbing to hear Muti vomit as the A.I did whatever it was doing. Then I realized how nice blindness could be. After a infinity of whirring machines and horrible pain, the computer said in its horribly smarmy voice ├óÔé¼┼ôDone├óÔé¼┬Ø. I sat up and blinked.
Everything was clearer and sharper. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø I trailed off. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour eye sight is now a perfect 20/20├óÔé¼┬ª previously it was a 10/20├óÔé¼┬Ø the computer said which gibberish to me was but I understood one thing. I could see better then I ever could. ├óÔé¼┼ôWow├óÔé¼┬Ø I said placing hands on my eyes and prodding it. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬ª are they as good as mine?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Muti who was washing his hands of some extraneous vomit.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, you bastard├óÔé¼┬Ø I said. ├óÔé¼┼ôNow, lets talk business├óÔé¼Ôäó the computer said, the various (and bloody) surgical tools retracting. ├óÔé¼┼ôBusiness?├óÔé¼┬Ø I snapped ├óÔé¼┼ôLets get this straight, Mr. Algorithm├óÔé¼┬ª you├óÔé¼Ôäóre a fucking computer. And that means, you do what I fucking say├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour respiration, eye dilation and heat rate has all increased. And your ratio of non vulgar words to vulgar-├óÔé¼┼ô. ├óÔé¼┼ôshut the fuck up!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted, cutting off the smarmy A.I.
├óÔé¼┼ôSee what I mean. You├óÔé¼Ôäóre obviously angry and hurt├óÔé¼┬Ø the computer said
├óÔé¼┼ôcause it bloody damn did hurt!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said
├óÔé¼┼ôBut I cured you of your blindness├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôTrue that├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNow, business, which we do have by the way├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFucking A.I├óÔé¼┬Ø I muttered, but sat down and listened.
├óÔé¼┼ôNow that all pure humans are accounted for, and because of your euro-Caucasian D.N.A, I can assume that we won. But my probability matrix├óÔé¼Ôäós have predicted that, based off your teeth decay, that we have sustained many casualty├óÔé¼Ôäós. So I predict that there is a 0.000000001 times ten to the negative 9000000000000000├óÔé¼Ôäós power percent chance that the American Despotism survived├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôTrue that├óÔé¼┬Ø I said
├óÔé¼┼ôNow my backup personality subroutines have been activated├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôwhich is?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSurvival. You can pay me in time├óÔé¼┬ª the longer I stay alive, the more stuff in the base I will unlock├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOh?├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, getting up and looking at the ceiling. I noticed the blue strip running along the top edge. It must of lit up when the power was on├óÔé¼┬ª cause I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót notice it coming in
├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬ª I give you twenty days, and you give me a plas pistol and something much├óÔé¼┬ªmuch more valuable├óÔé¼┬Ø I said.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø the computer asked
├óÔé¼┼ôSo you DON├óÔé¼ÔäóT know about the latest happenings on the surface!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, glad to know something the A.I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, why?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThe most valuable commodity, my new business partner, is plastic├óÔé¼┬Ø I said.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬ª the enemy released there plastic plague?├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôCaught it in one├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, irritated it knew that too
├óÔé¼┼ôI have a range of plastics, all of which can be treated to be plague resistant├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôExcellent!├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, glad something was finally going my way. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo, how about an hour for a piece of malleable plastics?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôDeal├óÔé¼┬Ø
I got up and looked at the line of neon blue light that ran along the upper part of the wall and squinted. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôI give you a week, you give me a plasma rifle├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou seem to like repeating yourself├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said
├óÔé¼┼ôJust clarifying├óÔé¼┬Ø I muttered ├óÔé¼┼ôBut, I would like to set up a system of economics or something├óÔé¼┬Ø I continued.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is the system that the world uses now?├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I asked
├óÔé¼┼ôA liter of water is a water chit, and we trade items based of how thirst we are├óÔé¼┬Ø I said
├óÔé¼┼ôHow thirsty?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell if we are thirsty a liter is worth more then if we aren├óÔé¼Ôäót├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThat sounds inefficient├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôIt works though├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHow about a day to a chit?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHour?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóll go for that, but id like to say here and haggle you down to a minute├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôA minute would lead to inflation├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFine...├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, grousing about the loss of profits.
Muti was leaning against the wall, apparently not caring too much about this talk of trade and commerce. He was smoking a cigarette, unconcerned that the smoke was getting unobtrusively sucked away by a small fan slit at the top of the ceiling. He finished with it and threw it away, the but of it bouncing off the small ├óÔé¼┼ôNo Smoking├óÔé¼┬Ø and landing neatly in a small hole in the wall marked trash. He then took out and lit up another.
I walked over to him, glancing at the blue neon strip. I was sure the computer would record any conversation, so I used hand singes that my tutor had taught me. I never actually thought I would have to use it, but old Henry was very anal about my skipping anything in school. So I had to sit and listen to this deaf old bugger drone on and on about the same damn stuff.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo I singed ├óÔé¼┼ô You think we can trust this bugger?├óÔé¼┬Ø I continued. I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót actually singe that, but it was a close enough to what I put across.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou can trust me├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said.
I closed my eyes and bit down on my knuckle. The I stood up straight up and grinned at the A.I. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, what should we do to defend the base?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked, remembering the mini-gun spinning endlessly with an empty clip. ├óÔé¼┼ôWith servitors I can rearm the defense systems of this station in├óÔé¼┬ª precisely four months├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said, as calmly as if it was announcing the weather.
I sat up and Muti spat out his cigarette. ├óÔé¼┼ôFOUR MONTHS!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted. ├óÔé¼┼ôYes├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow many damn guns do you have in this station?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked
├óÔé¼┼ôPrecisely sixty one security stations are located at defensible positions, while twenty four guns are located in surprise locations. Twenty two guns are located in the supplies area and thirty three are in the command and computer area├óÔé¼┬Ø
I was stunned. ├óÔé¼┼ôI thought this was a research base, not a military fortification├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti said.
├óÔé¼┼ôThat is true, much research happened here but the enemy had a 31.2 percent chance of breeching the base. The government decided not to take the risk of losing the Pax-20141├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThe what?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked
├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóm sorry that is classified information├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said. I detected a note of├óÔé¼┬ªchagrin? ├óÔé¼┼ôYou weren├óÔé¼Ôäót supposed to say that, where you?├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, grinning. The A.I wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót infallible. I grinned.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬ªif you know the name, I couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót be hurt by the government by divulging anything else├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼┬Ø I piped up ├óÔé¼┼ôwould also like to point out that the government in question hasn├óÔé¼Ôäót existed for a hundred years├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYes├óÔé¼┬ªthat is true├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said slowly
├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬ª what is the Pax-2014?├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti asked, looking around at the various jars and containers of the medical lab, probably wondering what the 20141 was├óÔé¼┬ªand whether it was there in the medical bay. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt looks like a small wrist watch├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd it is the most dangerous thing in human history├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôwhat is so dangerous about it?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôImmortality├óÔé¼┬Ø the computer said
├óÔé¼┼ôYou seem to like repeating yourself├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said
├óÔé¼┼ôJust clarifying├óÔé¼┬Ø I muttered ├óÔé¼┼ôBut, I would like to set up a system of economics or something├óÔé¼┬Ø I continued.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is the system that the world uses now?├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I asked
├óÔé¼┼ôA liter of water is a water chit, and we trade items based of how thirst we are├óÔé¼┬Ø I said
├óÔé¼┼ôHow thirsty?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell if we are thirsty a liter is worth more then if we aren├óÔé¼Ôäót├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThat sounds inefficient├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôIt works though├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHow about a day to a chit?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHour?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóll go for that, but id like to say here and haggle you down to a minute├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôA minute would lead to inflation├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFine...├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, grousing about the loss of profits.
Muti was leaning against the wall, apparently not caring too much about this talk of trade and commerce. He was smoking a cigarette, unconcerned that the smoke was getting unobtrusively sucked away by a small fan slit at the top of the ceiling. He finished with it and threw it away, the but of it bouncing off the small ├óÔé¼┼ôNo Smoking├óÔé¼┬Ø and landing neatly in a small hole in the wall marked trash. He then took out and lit up another.
I walked over to him, glancing at the blue neon strip. I was sure the computer would record any conversation, so I used hand singes that my tutor had taught me. I never actually thought I would have to use it, but old Henry was very anal about my skipping anything in school. So I had to sit and listen to this deaf old bugger drone on and on about the same damn stuff.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo I singed ├óÔé¼┼ô You think we can trust this bugger?├óÔé¼┬Ø I continued. I didn├óÔé¼Ôäót actually singe that, but it was a close enough to what I put across.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou can trust me├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said.
I closed my eyes and bit down on my knuckle. The I stood up straight up and grinned at the A.I. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, what should we do to defend the base?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked, remembering the mini-gun spinning endlessly with an empty clip. ├óÔé¼┼ôWith servitors I can rearm the defense systems of this station in├óÔé¼┬ª precisely four months├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said, as calmly as if it was announcing the weather.
I sat up and Muti spat out his cigarette. ├óÔé¼┼ôFOUR MONTHS!├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted. ├óÔé¼┼ôYes├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow many damn guns do you have in this station?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked
├óÔé¼┼ôPrecisely sixty one security stations are located at defensible positions, while twenty four guns are located in surprise locations. Twenty two guns are located in the supplies area and thirty three are in the command and computer area├óÔé¼┬Ø
I was stunned. ├óÔé¼┼ôI thought this was a research base, not a military fortification├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti said.
├óÔé¼┼ôThat is true, much research happened here but the enemy had a 31.2 percent chance of breeching the base. The government decided not to take the risk of losing the Pax-20141├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThe what?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked
├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼Ôäóm sorry that is classified information├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said. I detected a note of├óÔé¼┬ªchagrin? ├óÔé¼┼ôYou weren├óÔé¼Ôäót supposed to say that, where you?├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, grinning. The A.I wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót infallible. I grinned.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬ªif you know the name, I couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót be hurt by the government by divulging anything else├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôI├óÔé¼┬Ø I piped up ├óÔé¼┼ôwould also like to point out that the government in question hasn├óÔé¼Ôäót existed for a hundred years├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYes├óÔé¼┬ªthat is true├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said slowly
├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬ª what is the Pax-2014?├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti asked, looking around at the various jars and containers of the medical lab, probably wondering what the 20141 was├óÔé¼┬ªand whether it was there in the medical bay. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt looks like a small wrist watch├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd it is the most dangerous thing in human history├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôwhat is so dangerous about it?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôImmortality├óÔé¼┬Ø the computer said
Srsly???
This is a great story! But at the wrong place! none here (well, except me and like 3 more pepole of 30 total) will read this great story.
Like video-games? Like cats? Like webcomics? Like the combination?
VG-CATS!
http://www.vgcats.com/
They have a great forum for this sort of things.
http://forum.vgcats.com/forumdisplay.php?f=10
This is a great story! But at the wrong place! none here (well, except me and like 3 more pepole of 30 total) will read this great story.
Like video-games? Like cats? Like webcomics? Like the combination?
VG-CATS!
http://www.vgcats.com/
They have a great forum for this sort of things.
http://forum.vgcats.com/forumdisplay.php?f=10
The CAD comic also has a good forum for this type of stuff:
http://www.cad-forums.com/
Also has a great comic, but you need to read it from the start to really get it. And as it has 600+ comics, the archives are quite a long read.
http://www.cad-forums.com/
Also has a great comic, but you need to read it from the start to really get it. And as it has 600+ comics, the archives are quite a long read.
Oh and if you like this read my other very fine storys:
Rings: http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1688
and
The Zombie Extermination squad: http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=988
Rings: http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1688
and
The Zombie Extermination squad: http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=988
I opened my mouth to ask a question, but the computer cut me off. ├óÔé¼┼ôFollow the lights├óÔé¼┬Ø it said. The lights in the base dimmed and the neon strip in the upper part of the corridor brightened. Then flashing lights ran down on it, running towards some destination. I shrugged and followed it. Muti followed me, throwing his cigarette on the ground and stepping on it.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe P.A.X, series 20141, is what caused the war. The American Despotism, or AD, built it as a deliberate insult to the Coalition for Neural Purity, or CNP. They where a terrorist organization that opposed neural grafting, neural augmentation, nerve stapling, nano-enhancement. Nearly everything├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said as we walked down the corridor, round a bend and through a force field that felt like a thick sludge as we walked thought it.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd the PAX circumvents one of those?├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti asked. We came to an elevator and we stepped in. The elevator started of its own accord. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe PAX, series 20141, circumvents ALL of those├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said ├óÔé¼┼ôand its testing launched the first nuclear strikes by the CNP├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWho tested it?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôMe├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said noncommittally. The door opened up slowly as I stared at the closed loud speaker. ├óÔé¼┼ôI thought you were a A.I├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti said, sounding only mildly surprised. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou will understand├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I, or whatever the hell it is, said ├óÔé¼┼ôWhen you see the PAX, series 20141, and understand what it dose├óÔé¼┬ªyou will know why I am here├óÔé¼┬Ø.
We stepped through the door and found that this was a level├óÔé¼┬ªthat wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót marked as a destination on the elevator buttons. It was a straight corridor, with a roof that went up into darkness. The illumination came├óÔé¼┬ªfrom somewhere ahead. ├óÔé¼┼ôGo on├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said, and we walked forward. A thick feeling of dread prickled down my spine, and only became worse as we took a step forward.
The hall way was very long, and each step only made my stomach feel like more rocks where being dropped in it. My left foot came down and suddenly I broke. I couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót take another step forward. I tuned around and looked at Muti. He looked even worse then I did, fear etched into his face like deep scars. ├óÔé¼┼ôComputer├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôI can├óÔé¼Ôäót go on├óÔé¼┬Ø.
The A.I chucked nervously. ├óÔé¼┼ôSorry about that├óÔé¼┬Ø it said and suddenly the terror was gone. Evaporated. I turned around and felt relief flow through my body, like when your really cold and have a stiff drink. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell was that?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Muti. ├óÔé¼┼ôSorry├óÔé¼┬ªmagnetic fear inducers acting on your cerebellum├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said.
I looked up at the nearest loudspeaker. ├óÔé¼┼ôStrong magnetic fields can induce brain activity. Theses hallways are lined with magnetic inducers to create a sensation of terror. It├óÔé¼Ôäós to stop unauthorized individuals from entering the chamber├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd you forgot to turn it off├óÔé¼┬Ø I snapped.
├óÔé¼┼ôSorry. Everything came back online with main power, even the MFI, and I can├óÔé¼Ôäót keep tab├óÔé¼Ôäós of everything├óÔé¼┬Ø. The A.I was sounding a little more haggard. More human. ├óÔé¼┼ôIf he├óÔé¼┬Ø I said to Muti. ├óÔé¼┼ôShe├óÔé¼┬Ø cut in the computer. ├óÔé¼┼ôShe dose anything like that again├óÔé¼┬Ø I finished. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait├óÔé¼┬ª she?├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, turning around again and facing the A.I├óÔé¼Ôäós speaker. ├óÔé¼┼ôGo on, the PAX is waiting├óÔé¼┬Ø it, or should I say SHE, said.
We continued along, and suddenly the hallway ballooned outward and ended suddenly in a very small balcony. The balcony overlooked a massive cavern, the ends of which I couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót see from the illumination. But the main thing that immediately caught my attention was the massive sphere in the center of the chamber. Suspended by two massive struts, the sphere was encased in a rippling field that shed a light blue illumination.
The sphere was completely smooth, even thought the field around it made it hard to spot details. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell is that?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts├óÔé¼┬ªthe Vault├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said, her tone somewhat ominous. The sphere suddenly shook violently and ice flew away from it and scattered. The field abated, sliding off the sphere like water. But instead of falling off, it slid into a small knob which protruded from the bottom. Then the struts began to ponderously slide forward, lowering the sphere on sliding rails as they did so.
The sphere reached us, stopping about ten feet away from the balcony. The railings surrounding the balcony├óÔé¼┬ªevaporated away, is probably the best term. A feeling of foreboding, entirely unrelated to magnetic fields, was emanating from the sphere. Then a small opening, about man height, slid off the sphere and extended out like a deck. The sphere stopped moving, and the A.I ushered us on impatiently.
We stepped into the sphere and the innards where just as ominous as the outsides. A single straight corridor lead deeper inwards, but was stopped by a massive bulkhead. ├óÔé¼┼ôInput the command key 9114151662├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said. I looked at the bulkhead and found a small keypad. After asking the A.I to repeat the key slowly, I managed to input the code. The bulk head dropped VERY fast down, and smashed into the floor with a clang.
I stepped over the bulkhead and into the main chamber. The main chamber was a spherical room, and in the center, suspended in a massive tangle of wires and tubes, was a single box about the size of a human head. The box opened, its many├óÔé¼┬ª many locks sliding away and into the sides of the cube. Then the front of it opened and smoke blew out in an expanding cloud. The smoke caused ice to form, and was staggeringly cold. But it cleared and gave me a clear view of the PAX for the first time.
My jaw sagged open.
├óÔé¼┼ôThat├óÔé¼Ôäós all?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked, reaching in and pulling out what garnered all this defenses. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is what this crap is guarding! A FUCKING ROLEX?├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted
├óÔé¼┼ôThat├óÔé¼Ôäós not any fucking Rolex├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said, her voice getting more and more human sounding with every sentence. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat is a complex nerve/brain chemical analyzer and storage unit. The only reason it├óÔé¼Ôäós not called a NCASU is because that doesn├óÔé¼Ôäót roll of the tong like PAX-20141├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said.
├óÔé¼┼ôMaybe I should start calling you Ally├óÔé¼┬Ø I said
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø the Ally asked
├óÔé¼┼ôIts easier then thinking of you as A.I, and because you SAY your human, and you seem to be ACTING more and more like a human, I might as well give you a name├óÔé¼┬Ø I said.
├óÔé¼┼ôThank you├óÔé¼┬Ø said Ally
├óÔé¼┼ôNow, Ally, tell me what the FUCK this dose! Why would some one start a war over a watch├óÔé¼┬Ø i snapped. This was getting a little to complex for my liking. Things that started wars back in the violence and upheavals of the 2100├óÔé¼Ôäós would start even longer and bloodier wars in the 2200├óÔé¼Ôäós├óÔé¼┬ªthat is now.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe PAX, series 20141-├óÔé¼┼ôAlly started
├óÔé¼┼ôJust call it the PAX├óÔé¼┬Ø I said
├óÔé¼┼ôThe PAX, when put on your wrist, will send microscopic tubes into your nerves, surrounding them. Then it will map them, using highly advanced computer circuitry, made available by quantum state fluctuations. That is the computers exists on multiple dimensions, and the computers talk to each other, solving problems hundreds of thousands of times more complex then even an optical computer├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFirst magnetic fields, now multiple dimensions├óÔé¼┬Ø I muttered
├óÔé¼┼ôThe mapping takes two seconds├óÔé¼┬Ø Ally continued, ignoring me ├óÔé¼┼ôand then the map is loaded onto the computer memory. This means your entire psyche, your entire mind and everything that makes you YOU will be encoded on the PAX├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHuh├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti said.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis means, that you will be able to take your brain off your wrist and plug it onto another body. Immortality. As long as the PAX lives├óÔé¼┬ªso do you├óÔé¼┬Ø Ally said.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe P.A.X, series 20141, is what caused the war. The American Despotism, or AD, built it as a deliberate insult to the Coalition for Neural Purity, or CNP. They where a terrorist organization that opposed neural grafting, neural augmentation, nerve stapling, nano-enhancement. Nearly everything├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said as we walked down the corridor, round a bend and through a force field that felt like a thick sludge as we walked thought it.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd the PAX circumvents one of those?├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti asked. We came to an elevator and we stepped in. The elevator started of its own accord. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe PAX, series 20141, circumvents ALL of those├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said ├óÔé¼┼ôand its testing launched the first nuclear strikes by the CNP├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWho tested it?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôMe├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said noncommittally. The door opened up slowly as I stared at the closed loud speaker. ├óÔé¼┼ôI thought you were a A.I├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti said, sounding only mildly surprised. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou will understand├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I, or whatever the hell it is, said ├óÔé¼┼ôWhen you see the PAX, series 20141, and understand what it dose├óÔé¼┬ªyou will know why I am here├óÔé¼┬Ø.
We stepped through the door and found that this was a level├óÔé¼┬ªthat wasn├óÔé¼Ôäót marked as a destination on the elevator buttons. It was a straight corridor, with a roof that went up into darkness. The illumination came├óÔé¼┬ªfrom somewhere ahead. ├óÔé¼┼ôGo on├óÔé¼┬ª├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said, and we walked forward. A thick feeling of dread prickled down my spine, and only became worse as we took a step forward.
The hall way was very long, and each step only made my stomach feel like more rocks where being dropped in it. My left foot came down and suddenly I broke. I couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót take another step forward. I tuned around and looked at Muti. He looked even worse then I did, fear etched into his face like deep scars. ├óÔé¼┼ôComputer├óÔé¼┬Ø I said ├óÔé¼┼ôI can├óÔé¼Ôäót go on├óÔé¼┬Ø.
The A.I chucked nervously. ├óÔé¼┼ôSorry about that├óÔé¼┬Ø it said and suddenly the terror was gone. Evaporated. I turned around and felt relief flow through my body, like when your really cold and have a stiff drink. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell was that?├óÔé¼┬Ø asked Muti. ├óÔé¼┼ôSorry├óÔé¼┬ªmagnetic fear inducers acting on your cerebellum├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said.
I looked up at the nearest loudspeaker. ├óÔé¼┼ôStrong magnetic fields can induce brain activity. Theses hallways are lined with magnetic inducers to create a sensation of terror. It├óÔé¼Ôäós to stop unauthorized individuals from entering the chamber├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd you forgot to turn it off├óÔé¼┬Ø I snapped.
├óÔé¼┼ôSorry. Everything came back online with main power, even the MFI, and I can├óÔé¼Ôäót keep tab├óÔé¼Ôäós of everything├óÔé¼┬Ø. The A.I was sounding a little more haggard. More human. ├óÔé¼┼ôIf he├óÔé¼┬Ø I said to Muti. ├óÔé¼┼ôShe├óÔé¼┬Ø cut in the computer. ├óÔé¼┼ôShe dose anything like that again├óÔé¼┬Ø I finished. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait├óÔé¼┬ª she?├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, turning around again and facing the A.I├óÔé¼Ôäós speaker. ├óÔé¼┼ôGo on, the PAX is waiting├óÔé¼┬Ø it, or should I say SHE, said.
We continued along, and suddenly the hallway ballooned outward and ended suddenly in a very small balcony. The balcony overlooked a massive cavern, the ends of which I couldn├óÔé¼Ôäót see from the illumination. But the main thing that immediately caught my attention was the massive sphere in the center of the chamber. Suspended by two massive struts, the sphere was encased in a rippling field that shed a light blue illumination.
The sphere was completely smooth, even thought the field around it made it hard to spot details. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell is that?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts├óÔé¼┬ªthe Vault├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said, her tone somewhat ominous. The sphere suddenly shook violently and ice flew away from it and scattered. The field abated, sliding off the sphere like water. But instead of falling off, it slid into a small knob which protruded from the bottom. Then the struts began to ponderously slide forward, lowering the sphere on sliding rails as they did so.
The sphere reached us, stopping about ten feet away from the balcony. The railings surrounding the balcony├óÔé¼┬ªevaporated away, is probably the best term. A feeling of foreboding, entirely unrelated to magnetic fields, was emanating from the sphere. Then a small opening, about man height, slid off the sphere and extended out like a deck. The sphere stopped moving, and the A.I ushered us on impatiently.
We stepped into the sphere and the innards where just as ominous as the outsides. A single straight corridor lead deeper inwards, but was stopped by a massive bulkhead. ├óÔé¼┼ôInput the command key 9114151662├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said. I looked at the bulkhead and found a small keypad. After asking the A.I to repeat the key slowly, I managed to input the code. The bulk head dropped VERY fast down, and smashed into the floor with a clang.
I stepped over the bulkhead and into the main chamber. The main chamber was a spherical room, and in the center, suspended in a massive tangle of wires and tubes, was a single box about the size of a human head. The box opened, its many├óÔé¼┬ª many locks sliding away and into the sides of the cube. Then the front of it opened and smoke blew out in an expanding cloud. The smoke caused ice to form, and was staggeringly cold. But it cleared and gave me a clear view of the PAX for the first time.
My jaw sagged open.
├óÔé¼┼ôThat├óÔé¼Ôäós all?├óÔé¼┬Ø I asked, reaching in and pulling out what garnered all this defenses. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is what this crap is guarding! A FUCKING ROLEX?├óÔé¼┬Ø I shouted
├óÔé¼┼ôThat├óÔé¼Ôäós not any fucking Rolex├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said, her voice getting more and more human sounding with every sentence. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat is a complex nerve/brain chemical analyzer and storage unit. The only reason it├óÔé¼Ôäós not called a NCASU is because that doesn├óÔé¼Ôäót roll of the tong like PAX-20141├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said.
├óÔé¼┼ôMaybe I should start calling you Ally├óÔé¼┬Ø I said
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø the Ally asked
├óÔé¼┼ôIts easier then thinking of you as A.I, and because you SAY your human, and you seem to be ACTING more and more like a human, I might as well give you a name├óÔé¼┬Ø I said.
├óÔé¼┼ôThank you├óÔé¼┬Ø said Ally
├óÔé¼┼ôNow, Ally, tell me what the FUCK this dose! Why would some one start a war over a watch├óÔé¼┬Ø i snapped. This was getting a little to complex for my liking. Things that started wars back in the violence and upheavals of the 2100├óÔé¼Ôäós would start even longer and bloodier wars in the 2200├óÔé¼Ôäós├óÔé¼┬ªthat is now.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe PAX, series 20141-├óÔé¼┼ôAlly started
├óÔé¼┼ôJust call it the PAX├óÔé¼┬Ø I said
├óÔé¼┼ôThe PAX, when put on your wrist, will send microscopic tubes into your nerves, surrounding them. Then it will map them, using highly advanced computer circuitry, made available by quantum state fluctuations. That is the computers exists on multiple dimensions, and the computers talk to each other, solving problems hundreds of thousands of times more complex then even an optical computer├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFirst magnetic fields, now multiple dimensions├óÔé¼┬Ø I muttered
├óÔé¼┼ôThe mapping takes two seconds├óÔé¼┬Ø Ally continued, ignoring me ├óÔé¼┼ôand then the map is loaded onto the computer memory. This means your entire psyche, your entire mind and everything that makes you YOU will be encoded on the PAX├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHuh├óÔé¼┬Ø Muti said.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis means, that you will be able to take your brain off your wrist and plug it onto another body. Immortality. As long as the PAX lives├óÔé¼┬ªso do you├óÔé¼┬Ø Ally said.
Heh, inspired bye TA ey?
Anyway, i've always been aposed to that kinda idea, since i've always thouth that it COPYS the mind, and not tranfears it. Your connsiusness will no be, since it's basicly a copy, a clone.
Since it bascly "Maps" everything, it just scans it in into the computer. The orignole drawing is still there.
I supose what happens to the body telled in the next chapter?
Anyway, i've always been aposed to that kinda idea, since i've always thouth that it COPYS the mind, and not tranfears it. Your connsiusness will no be, since it's basicly a copy, a clone.
Since it bascly "Maps" everything, it just scans it in into the computer. The orignole drawing is still there.
I supose what happens to the body telled in the next chapter?