Project Eden Zero

Ray of Hope Part- 2

“Authorization class B-2 needed for emergency surgery wing.” The bot demanded. I waved my Allserver in front of it, “Thank you Lt. Ray. Authorization complete, please proceed to emergency med dock 8d for your requested patient.”

“Thank you!” I smiled at the nursebot and quickly turned to the door she opened and went to the elevator and waved my Allserver at the panel and waited for an elevator to arrive. The door opens to reveal Jerris, a female Vystern that I’ve made friends with while on Ploitum Krot. “Hey Jerris, what brings you to med bay?” I ask while stepping into the elevator with her. She’s a beautiful Vystern that resembles Charlize Theron, an actress back on earth. Well she resembles her in her youth, she’s 130 years old now, but acting in historical dramas and romances. Jerris and I hug each other and she speaks with a medium pitched raspy jutted voice, like she’s whispering through an oscillating fan.

“Alwayi Katie, great to see you’re still alive since the bar mission. I’m here seeing my mother Derris, why are you here? Hurt? Diseased? Did the Freeps get you?” She laughs softly and pokes me in the side with her middle finger.

I let out a small laugh at her joke, “haha, no, no freeps on this old gal. I don’t think I’ve been outside the facility since we went to the bar. I haven’t really give the freeps a chance to get me. I’m here because of a colleague, something happened in the lab. What’s wrong with your mother?”

She looks down in despair, and then back up at me, I could see a real deep sorrow in her eyes. “She’s dying Katie. Last Season before the cold hit, she was fine. Walking around and acting as if nothing were wrong. And 3 days ago she falls over when coming back from the council. There is nothing seemingly wrong, but she sleeps without wake, and talks without words!” She begins to weep in what I would call a beautiful bittersweet melody, I’ve never understood how their species deals with sadness. Because they can’t cry, they weep by singing. It’s not like a song, but their vocal chords wave when they are sad. So it sounds like a beautiful song being sung. I pull her in and hug her tight, only so tight that I can get my arms around her though. Her breasts being pressed right up against my face, and her head laying on my shoulder. Her braided dreadlock type hair cascades off her shoulders onto my back. We stand there for a couple of minutes on silence waiting for the elevator to come to a stop.

“Im so sorry Jerris, you know I’m always here for you. And I’ll see if I can’t get your moms files and tests and try to figure out what’s wrong with her.” Still in the embrace of the hug I notice she has a tattoo on her left arm that she didn’t have two weeks ago. “Hey Jerris. What’s this new tattoo you have?” She pulls back and looks at her arm then back at me. Her slanted almond shaped purple eyes seemingly looking right through me.

“This is Altreite, in your words it’s hard to explain, but think of it like me taking my mother’s spot in the family.” She looks down again.

“A birthright? That seems a little drastic since she’s still alive and could recover.” I pull up my Allserver and try to locate Derris’ files. They pop up and load onto my new crystal data ball and I pull them up and start reading while Jerris starts talking again.

“Once a Vystern councilor falls ill, it’s up to their successor to fall in line behind them. They assume, with our weak immune systems, that if one falls ill, they will die soon enough.” She looks up and at my Allserver. “Are those my mothers files? Look! It shows that she’s not sick, she has been poisoned! But by whom?” Her voice changes from despair to anger.

“I don’t know Jerris but I will find out for you...” she interrupts me as soon as the door opens.

“I appreciate it Katie, but I need to do this investigation alone, you have a colleague to attend to and work to do. I couldn’t bare dragging you down with my personal problems, we will speak again...” her voice trails off as she walks angrily down the hallway and the elevator door closes. I look over at the indicator panel and realize that I never pushed the 8th floor button and was now on the 24th floor.

“Damn, distractions are a blissful ignorant curse, but I’m glad to have seen her.” I press the 8th floor button and the elevator shakes violently. Then a red light flashes and the doors swing open, and I jump out of the elevator out of fear. I turn to look at it and it cracks shakes again and then plummets down the shaft. “What in the....” I’m interrupted by a voice behind me.

“Are you alright?” I turn around and see an older Vystern dressed in all white and gold. “I noticed you barely escaped a quick death in that elevator.” He offers a hand in greeting, “I am Grodus, the eastern plateau councilor.” I shake his hand and give him a suspicious look.

“Lt. Ray, I work in the tech lab with Doctors Tydis and Ollison.”

“Ah yes, Dr. Ollison, I heard she was in a terrible accident, how is she?” He looks towards the direction Jerris went.

“It just happened a few minutes ago, how have you already heard about it?” I cross my arms, and remember that I still have that welder in my back pocket.

“I hear everything that happens in here child, now if you will excuse me, I have matters to attend to.” He turns and walks down a separate hallway leading to another set of elevators. Watching him leave I notice some officers running over to investigate the elevator and I quickly walk away to avoid questioning. I pull up my Allserver and call Jerris.

“Yes Katie? This isn’t a good time...”

“Jerris, do you know a Vystern councilor named Grodus? He leads the eastern plateau.” I keep walking to avoid suspicion from anyone.

“Yes he helped my mother on the decision to bring humans to our planet so that we could both benefit from each other, he was the deciding vote. Why do you ask?”

“That elevator we were on just crashed and he was waiting in the hallways when it Happened, and I noticed him looking in the direction of your mothers room. I don’t know who he is but you should definitely keep an eye on him.” I finally made it to the service elevator and used my security clearance to get in and pressed the 8th floor button.

“I wouldn’t worry about him Katie, he’s old and harmless. I don’t think he would have....hold on......” she goes silent.

“Jerris? Jerris?! JERRIS?!!?” I’m screaming at this point almost in tears. Then moments later as the door opens on the elevator I walk out and look around for D board.

“Katie?”

“Yes Jerris I’m still here what happened?!”

“You were right. He is up to something. My mothers tea was poisoned. Along with her medicine, it was sabotaged.”

“Do you think it was Grodus?” I finally find D board and find Dr. Ollison’s name and room, 8D-34. I start heading down the 30 block hallway and into her room.

“I don’t think it was just him. I think there’s a coup attempt happening right now. We need to end our call....” she hangs up. I look around the room before entering the doorway and see 2 nurses wrapping what was left of her arm, Sam standing next to her bed, and one armed soldier standing in the corner. I knock on the door and step inside.

“Lt. Ray! I heard you and Sam were the ones who kept me from losing an entire arm and I’m sure the acid would’ve spread to the rest of my body if not stopped. Thank you.” She looks through her glasses at me, then sideways at the soldier. I recognize her signal and continue into the room.

“I knew I had to do something doctor, and Sam was the one who carried you here. It’s the real hero today.” I look over at Sam and wink at it.

“I do not understand the gesture, do you have a problem with your eye Lt. Ray?” I laughed reluctantly and shook my head no, Dr. Olly joined in my laughter and then winced in pain.

“I’m told that they have already begun the process of building me a new arm, although I’m not sure how I’ll be able to adjust to a synthetic arm over my own flesh and blood but I’m looking forward to seeing how it will work out.” Listening to her speak is like having your cake and eating it too. She was born in London and graduated at Oxford, she then came to the United States to continue her work with synthesizing universal network VI’s for commercial and industrial robots. Most every bot you see working has her work in them aside from the old units that still function, like Sam. “I noticed Sam was an older version of the sorting bots, the 66 model if I’m not mistaken?” Her English accent and soft resonant tone was just mesmerizing and I could listen to her talk all day.

“Yes, ma’am. This unit is NUCSOD-66 but still functional and able to work. This unit may not compare to the VESPER-95 but it still has redeeming qualities.” Hearing Sam defend itself was astonishing, even though it wasn’t being targeted. I think it’s experience with being bullied has drastically changed its programming.

“So, Doctor, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened in there?” I was curious to know and I kept my eye on the soldier in the room who seemed to shuffle from time to time like he was nervous.

“It’s hard for me to remember, I was pouring the acid onto a rusted calibrator rod that I found on Mars two years ago. I knew that it wasn’t human made and the ice caps were hiding an ancient ruin of some sort. And all of a sudden there was a thud on the floor and something grabbed the rod from me causing me to jump. I got knocked over during my panic and the acid fell on my arm, that’s when I started screaming. But after that I don’t remember anything.” She looked down disappointed.

“You didn’t see what attacked you?”

She looks up at me with tears in her eyes as the nurses leave the room. She raises her nub that is a piece of her upper arm just past the shoulder. “No...damn it! 27 years I had photographic memory and was able to breeze through school and get all of my doctrines in 3 years, had I not had a fling it would’ve been 2. But this is embarrassing! I can’t remember a thing!” She bursts into tears and lays back on the bed still murmuring ‘damn it, damn it all’.

“It’s ok doctor. I was just thinking maybe someone knew something.” I reach to my back pocket and pull out the welder. “Maybe someone does know something...what do you think Sam?” It looks over at me and I could see surprise come from it’s eyes.

“We could calculate that Dr. Ollison’s attacker was a female, and also that it would have had a stealth system more advanced than our own military’s. Ma’am.”

I walked over to the soldier and looked at him through his goggles. “I agree.” I turn the electricity on the welder and stick it to the soldiers ribs and then drop it, I grab his right wrist and pull it backward releasing his grip on his assault rifle and knee him in the gut. Then while he was hunched over, I grabbed his head and neck and threw him over my shoulder to the ground. I pick up the welder and stick it back in my pocket and grab his g*n off the floor. “So tell me soldier, who is staging the coup?” Dr. Olly raised up off the bed in surprise looking me.

“A coup? How do you know?”

“An old Vystern councilor tried to kill another Councilor and myself earlier on the elevator. And what happened to you wasn’t just some thief. This soldier was put here to kill you. Right?” I kick his head.

“Yes, but I’m only following orders, don’t kill me.”

“Start talking.”

“I can’t say anything or they will kill me too.”

“They? Well just digging your grave then, because either you tell me or I’ll feed you to the Zetuas. I have a hungry zetua at home right now...”

“Ok ok ok. Look, I don’t know much, but the Vystern council and the human ambassadors are all planned to be executed so this one Vystern can take control of his side, and one human leader can do the same. But that’s all I know I swear!”

“Names! Give me names dammit! Those Zetuas are gonna eat good today, soldier soup.”

“I swear that’s all I know...”

Sam interrupts, “the soldier seems to be telling the truth, ma’am. But if you let him go, he will report to his superiors. So killing him would be the best option.”

“I didn’t think killing people was programmed into your VI?” Dr. Olly was shook at his response.

“It is not, but we are programmed to calculate the best possible outcome to a situation.”

“Alright, well look I’m gonna give you this g*n Sam, and I want you to pretend you’re Dr. Olly’s personal guard. Ok?” I hand the g*n to Sam and use my Allserver to register a combat initiative into its matrix. “There you go, you should be able to protect her while I go and try to figure this out. And doctor, good luck.” I hug her and grab the soldier up and take his sidearm and utility belt.

“You too Ray, I’m curious about Sam, so I thank you for leaving it with me.” She smiles and lays back on the table. Sam takes aim at the door as the soldier and I walk out.

We get back to the lab and I have him sit in an old cryo tube that we kept for emergencies. It was on the ISV Genesis that brought most of us here to Ploitum Krot, a little old versus what we have now. The Vysterns have showed us this new way to build our engines that utilizes anti-matter for propulsion. And we gave them the idea of infinite rotation using magnetism. Together we formed a new type of engine that would let us warp through space in an instant, given you know the location within a few hundred kilometers, and be able to move from planet to planet without using too much fuel. I turned on the oxygen filter and locked the lid, assuring him that he would be fine and I’m not going to kill him. Dr. Tydis walks into the lab from testing and he looks oddly confused. He almost always seems to be fascinated by learning and being 92 years old, and not using the synthesis dna cell regeneration supplements that most people who want to live longer use. It’s amazing to see him do the things he does and look as young as he does. Even his voice hasn’t changed since he was 62 according to his assistant Alyssa Croichek, who died back in 2101. A terrible accident where a mech they were implanting a prototype AI in went rogue and crushed her, Tydis got away with just a crushing blow to the face which left a big crescent shaped scar around his right eye and the eye itself being replaced with a cybernetic one. But all the same features as his original so not to show evidence. There are many people who are cyber, mech, and all robotic haters, they say that we are building an army that will turn on us one day. But I don’t think that’s going to happen, I love the technology I work with, and all of the robots seem to like me too. Tydis looks up at me from across the table where I’m sitting working on the heavy mech’s new head mount.

“Katie...have I ever told you about Adamant and Evelyn?” He paces around investigating the heavy mech.

“No sir, I don’t believe you have...why?” I grab my crystal data ball out of my bag and activate it recording my work, and his story, for future reference if needed.

“Very nice, someone must have spent a pretty Penny on you. Those things are hard to obtain, I’m jealous dear...” he watches it floating above me spinning and bouncing.

“Haha thank you doctor, my friend back on earth just got a raise for finding a wrecked ship out in the void of the crescent nebula and rescued the crew, it seems to be a new unidentified species. The data he sent me is on the ball if you would like to see it...oh! That reminds me, I was able to decipher the data you sent home with me yesterday and also commander Rectis is reassigning us to Yelevene in three days. Which I don’t think is soon enough with the events that’s going on around here, but...”

Tydis interrupts, “reassignment? So soon? Why? We have all of our best tech down here...this is madness, yes it would be nice to just stay at the ruins. But no! I can’t leave all of my research behind to just be rummaged through by those military jar heads!” He stomps on the ground in a fit before coming to a realization, “Yes! That’s it!”

“I was going to say sir, I have this odd looking data pad that I recieved in the mail, and also this black orb thing that the commander gave me and I’m not supposed to touch it without gloves...or so they said.” I pulled them both out showing them to him.

“My my, I see you have the tactical engineers handbook, and this orb here is not an orb.” He walks over to his desk and pulls out a small pick hammer out of his bag and walks back over to my table, “here we go, This should be interesting...” he taps the orb gently turning it every three taps until it breaks open falling apart on the table. “See here? It was holding something inside, let’s see what we’ve got?” He reaches his hand out to me and I look at him with a confused look for a moment before saying, “oh, right!” And handing him a pair on tongs to grab with. I notice that whatever it is, it’s shining a bright dark blue light. But then it changes to light blue, and it keeps going through every shade of blue until it gets almost white and reverses it’s pattern to almost black.

“What is it doctor? Can you tell?” My curiosity is bursting with excitement to know what this thing emitting such beautiful light is.

“It seems to be of Alterian nature, like a power core. Here take a look,” he hands me the tongs. I look at it very closely, the metal surrounding this aquamarine colored crystal is very odd looking, like it was meant to be set into something. The metals color was black, but it had glowing blue veins going everywhere on it. The veins seemed to go into the crystal and venture out to the sides. The size of this thing was about the size of an average golf ball, and it felt like it weighed as much a pea. “So what do you think Katie?”

“I’m not sure, if I had to guess, I would say that it if it is a power core then it must power something pretty big, or something very powerful. I can feel the energy being emitted from it...”

“Interesting, I didn’t feel anything. Here let me see it again?” I handed it back to him. “Right, I don’t feel a thing. I wonder how you can...”

“Doctor, you said Alterian?” He hands the object back to me and he walks back over to his desk.

“Yes that’s what they called themselves, the ancient beings who’s ruins we’re exploring.” He rummages through his bag, and then his desk until he pulls out a metal looking box. “Here, put that in this lead box here and keep it safe. Just until we find out what it really is.” He walks over and hands me the box and I carefully place it inside and seal it shut.

“Thank you. So from the information you gathered from my deciphering, you found out what exactly?”

He takes a seat in a chair across from me and I put the box in my bag. He grabs the odd data pad off the table and turns it on, while I start back working on the head mount. “What I’ve been able to gather is, well to say the least, not that informative. But they called themselves the Alterians. They were more technologically advanced than anything we’ve ever come to accomplish. I believe the Vysterns have found other Alterian sites where they discovered the ways to make the Allserver and the warp drive. But weren’t able to really do much else. The other info in the data was mostly gibberish nonsense, something about a central alcove, a great hall, and life pods. But the locations of which are still unknown.”

“That’s really nice, but still kind of a bummer. May I ask a favor?” He looks up at me curiously.

“Yes?”

“Could you help me build a matrix for this mech? The commander gave it to us to help with the ruins. I’m going to have to install the matrix in the head and attach it, take the new arms and install them too. And program it to safely di....” he interrupts me again.

“Katie! Look at this!” He turns the pad and shows me what he’s found. It looks like the data pad has all the information needed to hack synthetics, the programming to to use the Allserver to summon a hologram drone that does whatever you program it to do: combat, defense, surveillance, Scout, and medic. Also information to improve the power suit to power up its shields and a stealth cloak that will last as long as the power doesn’t weaken. “This is amazing, where did you find this?”

“I found it in my mailbox this morning. This is highly illegal isn’t it?”

“Yes yes, but don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul. The pad has a one time use of loading all of its information and programming onto an Allserver...” he gets a very devilish look on his face.

“No no no, you’re not thinking that I...come on doctor! What use would I have for that? I’m not combat oriented!”

He raises an eyebrow, “so I’m to assume the bot, or better yet the newly one armed Kelley took down the soldier and took both his guns and made him surrender?”

“Well no, I did do that but...”

“Come on Katie! Someone knew you were going to need this, they sent it to YOU! Whoever it was must’ve known that you were going to get caught up in something and needed some help. Let me help you do this, and then we can work on the heavy mech together. Please?”

I ponder the thought and run it through my head over and over. What would I do with any of this stuff? And who knows what all else is inside that thing? It’s full of information and other stuff. “How about this, I need a new visor because mine broke when I tripped in the hal...”

“No problem! I was working on a brand new model and you can have my prototype to test it out!” He jumps up and jogs over to his desk. He pulls out a ring of keys out of his lab coat and unlocks a metal cabinet on the wall beside him. As it opens, the cabinet depressurizes and he grabs a set of 2 metal pieces that look like they hook around the ears. “Ah Yes, my next big gift to the world.” He trots back over to the chair he was sitting in and takes a seat. Leaning over the table he motions for me to lean closer to him, “now this may sting a little at first, but it will work 100 times better than your old one I swear, and with your new programming, it should be able interface with it. Now which side was which? Haha, just kidding....here we go....” he puts them on the places of my head, it curves around my ears and rests mostly on my temples. He pushes all of my hair back and I feel a huge wave of pain surge through both side of my head and I jerk back out of reaction.

“Ow!! What the fu...”

“Careful now, they’re still implanting...”

“What?!” The pain increases as they drill into my skull, and all of a sudden it stops. “Wow, that was excruciating. Why didn’t you warn me about that? If I had known it was going to implant I probably would’ve said no!” I feel of them both and realize they actually felt quite natural, and the left side had a small indent on it. “So how do you activate.... oh” just as soon as I thought about it coming on, the display shot from the left to the right in a beautiful blue screen, numbers and letters going crazy on the screen until it finally clears up and rests in a solid display of my surroundings. Everything I look at it targets and has information on. “This is amazing!”