Aberrant: Phoenix Rising - Book 2: Chapter 5: The Final Cut

[Mr Fox]

Raider had had enough. Time for the truth. The AI might go nuts and try to kill him but that wouldn't be much of a problem, the more annoying thing would be if it tried to lock him out. Again, that wouldn't be beyond overcoming since he could connect to he AI without the need for a terminal.

Very well, I have contacted you by means of an innate ability to communicate with electronics, in a way I am very like an AI. I am probably the only one left alive in existence capable of doing this. In searching out survivors I found this city. Humanity is reduced to complete barbarism across the entire face of the earth, only this place retains any semblance of civilization, and you have lost all of your citizens to a tragic accident. I propose you grant me citizenship so that I might help you, and that you might help me.

[jameson (ST)]

You are a nova then. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. What do you offer? What can you do to help this city?

[Mr Fox]

Citizens. You lack a purpose at this time because you have no citizens, you are unable to fulfill your functions. Secondly, I offer a great deal of skill with computers as evidenced by the fact that I accessed you despite your security systems. I have other skills which might also be useful, I am very good with making repairs to systems. In return I would like to be considered a citizen and given highest level of access and security clearance.

[jameson (ST)]

You would relocate all willing survivors of the earth here then? My primary mission is to safeguard humankind. The event of 12 September 2120 caused the deaths of all citizens under my care. No protocol exists for this situation, no instructions were left behind for this eventuality. The AI seemed to pause for a moment, barely a thousandth of a second but to Raider as he delved the computer system each electron was measurable. You will need to access one of the hospitals and bypass the maternity system scanners. The maternity robots will implant you with an access ident-chip. Return here once you have done that and we may continue this discussion.

[Mr Fox]

Raider nodded, I will return quickly.

He wasted no time heading to the hospital and finding one of the maternity robots and the scanners. Bypassing the scanner was child's play compared to accessing the AI in the first place and only took a few minutes. Once he had fooled the scanner into thinking he was a citizen he issued the robot the command to implant the chip. It stung and was uncomfortable but that wouldn't last long. He concentrated a moment to infuse it with his quantum then became insubstantial and literally flew through the walls on his way back to the AI.

I've been implanted. Will you recognize me a citizen now and grant me the full access and top security clearance?

[jameson (ST)]

Raider found that where before the doors remained shut now they opened at his proximity. The system was advanced enough that if he walked past a door but not towards it it would remain closed. He walked into the administration building through the front door as easily as he would have had the doors not opened, but the sense of welcoming was enough to relax some of his apprehension away.

Citizenship is recognized. As the only citizen of the city you are granted full access. I will need you to overwrite the following protocols ... The AI used Raider to facilitate its needs, removing coding and changing others. As they worked it explained that in order to accommodate refugees and be able to self govern itself it needed his input to do so. The process was long and while not particularly difficult it did tax Raider's power. When they were done he realized that what had felt like days in the computer was in fact hours in the world outside.

[SalmonMax]

"Right, well...that's what I mean," Ashley agreed. "There's nothing to keep people out, so there must not be anyone anywhere near here. That seems a bit weird to me too though. Unless every city but this one was glassed...but then why spare this one? Why didn't this one city get nuked?"

She shook her head. "I'm gonna get back to the others. I don't think there's any answers out here. Just more questions."

[Courier]

Doug replied, "I'm not clear on where we are. We might be on an island or something. The others might be afraid to come here because the natives were powerful and mean. Think York without the slaves."

"Or everyone close could be dead now. We don't know the range on that guy's effect. It was at least one city, but it might have been a lot more. Say, all of Asia."

Quote:

She shook her head. "I'm gonna get back to the others. I don't think there's any answers out here. Just more questions."

"Let me give a holler to everyone and see what's up."

Doug sent out over the link, *How is everyone doing?*

[Mr Fox]

To Courier *Doing great. I've gotten the AI to consider me a citizen. I'm just about to test how deep my authority over the place goes. The AI wants us to gather other humans here to be it's citizens maybe to protect them. Need to find out more. Just finished the basic stuff to get full access and put the city back on track. It's been sitting idle unable to run itself without input from people.*

To the AI Please give me details on this city's mission including any classified files not public knowledge. Also, I need to know about the cities offensive and defensive capabilities.

[Courier]

Doug said to Ash, "Raider has made a lot more progress than we have. He's talking to some AI and already claimed citizenship."

[Courier]

Doug sent back to Raider, *When you get the chance, ask it why people aren't trying to sneak in from outside the city. Are we on an island? Did that guy depopulate Asia? Are we hidden somehow?*

[Gregory]

Gregory sends back. He had been staring a bench with strange symbols and an odd drawing of a man on its surface. *This place strange, but food is good. Do not know where others are. I think someone might be following me.

After a long pause. * I will stay close to the buildings where I can hide better. Where are you?

[Courier]

Doug said out loud, "Gregory thinks someone is following him."

Doug sent back what land marks he could see and said, *Now where are you? We've been flying around, if there's someone around here they have to be a nova or abby, there doesn't appear to be anyone else.*

[SalmonMax]

Ash raised her eyebrows at the revelation about Raider, then said, "He was in the noodle place with Anna when I left. Man, trying to keep this crowd together is like herding cats. Ask him how Anna's doing."

[Joani]

Originally Posted By: Courier

Doug sent out over the link, *How is everyone doing?*

Anna got the message but was too absorbed with herself. She looked around frantically searching for some space of fertile soil. She could feel how her body was starving, she could feel how she withered away and how it weakened her and it made her panic. Aimlessly she ran away hoping to find some place that was untouched by human hand, to some place that helped her re-establish connection with mother earth.

This place was wrong – everything was going wrong ever since they went to the moon. Why didn’t she stay back where she belonged she kept asking herself again and again.

[Courier]

*Hey Gregory, how is Anna?*

[Gregory]

* Don't know. She look worried and go away. I don't think she like it in city very much. Maybe ones that follow me find her too.

[jameson (ST)]

Originally Posted By: Mr Fox

To the AI Please give me details on this city's mission including any classified files not public knowledge. Also, I need to know about the cities offensive and defensive capabilities.

I have already explained my mission to you, but if you prefer the wording as it was laid down:

Quote:

Celestial City will become the final bastion of humanity should the chairman order the purging of the aberrants from Earth. The Dragon AI will be responsible for maintaining the well being of the people in all aspects pursuant to the feedback it receives from its citizens including but not limited to the following: food production, maintenance of the city and dwellings, maintenance of all machinery within the bounds of its capability, education and training of the citizens to maintain their ability to maintain and upgrade the city's equipment and resources, and expansion of the city when needed according to population growth.

The city has no offensive or defensive capabilities. I believe it is at least 76% likely that if the builders saw fir to provide those capabilities they were put under a separate control entirely. However I believe that the intent was that the Purge would eliminate all human life outside of the city.

[Courier]

Doug frowned and it was clear to Ash that Doug didn't like what he was hearing.

*Gregory, where are you? If you're being followed then we should try to surprise whoever or whatever is doing it.*

*Anna? Are you ok?*

[Mr Fox]

You calculate a 76% likelihood of offensive and defensive capabilities. Please speculate on what you believe these might be and on where they are located. There is a treat to the city currently in existence and I seek protection from that threat. Please assist me in this matter.

[jameson (ST)]

I cannot speculate on what I am not aware of. My estimate comes only from my study of human nature. I can no more speculate on what the builders may have put into place than I could on how well the other side of the world has fared since the Purge.

[Mr Fox]

What prevents outsiders from wandering into the city and taking up residence without citizenship?

[jameson (ST)]

Non-citizens cannot access the buildings of the city and when functioning the police robots will be able to respond to domestic disturbance and attempt to remove interlopers. This is however all in theory as you are the first visitor this city has had since the Purge.

[Mr Fox]

Where is this city located? Please display a map for me.

[Gregory]

He had no idea where he was, because he had not been paying attention to where he was going. There were buildings, houses and paved streets. Nearby, he saw a green, lush looking area.

*Not sure. Buildin's n' stuff around me. I think there is a forest or park nearby. I will go there.

[Joani]

Anna at first tried to block out Doug’s voice. She didn’t respond as she frantically searched for a way out of the city. Unable to find a way which got her to fertile soil she answered with a panicked voice

*Doug – please get me out of here – I got to get out of here. I’m dying…*

[Courier]

{Activate Hyper-Flight}

Without saying another word, Doug accelerated to his top speed and zoomed back to where he'd left Anna.

Doug yelled and sent, "Anna! Where are you?"

[jameson (ST)]

Sensors have been recalibrated and diagnostics confirm optimum operation. There appear to be five other beings in the city. Do you know of these? Security robots are currently at work policing the dead, shall I divert to apprehend these newcomers?

As I do not know the current state of the world I can only show you an image from prior to the Purge. The city is located here, in the northwest portion of Sichuan Province. A map was "displayed" showing the earth as a sphere with the location of the city shown as a glowing red dot in the middle of the Asian landmass.

[Joani]

„I don’t know!“ *I don’t know!*, she cried both mentally and physically. Anna kept going trying to get out of the city and somewhere that was untouched by human hands. As she ran she left a trail of withered leaves that were partially replacing her hair and were growing from her shoulders. She felt nausea and sickness making her vision blurry and hazy. The tree-girl was hyperventilating and starting to panic. She had no idea where she was. Why had Ashley abandoned her? Why was everything getting worse since the trip to the moon.

Anna cried and ran…

[Courier]

Doug was about to ask Anna were she was again when he realized he'd already tried that.

Doug yelled, "ANNA CAN YOU HEAR ME!"

*Anna, can you hear me yelling?*

[Joani]

Anna stopped as soon as she heard Doug’s voice but she had lost all sense of direction. She turned around several times and yelled back. “I’m here! I’m here between these buildings – get me out of here! I beg you!”

She could feel how her life essence was slowly seeping out of her – if she didn’t get out of this awful place she’d die.

[Courier]

Doug heard Anna, but only barely. He stopped, yelled again, then slowly turned around. Too many tall buildings, too many echoes, not enough to... ? Leaves? Doug spied some leaves two streets down, common everywhere else in the world but here they stood out like a signal on these pristine streets. Doug zoomed to them, found a trail, then looked over his shoulder and saw Anna. *Gotcha*

Doug picked up Anna and zoomed up, above the buildings, sending *Sunlight, right?*

[Joani]

“No!”, she screamed at him. He could see the panic in her amber eyes – she was scared to death. “Put me down – earth, fertile… water… sun… please.”, she pleaded before she passed out.

Something was different about her… somehow she looked even less human now. Did she grow more bark-like skin? And he couldn’t recall that she was covered that much with leaves before. She looked like she was in a bad shape compared to her normally verdant green skin – it was darker now, more like olive coloured and it was turning brownish. Even her limbs seemed thinner.

[Courier]

Doug changed direction and flew arrow straight to the edge of the city, found a grove of trees and put Anna down at the edge of it. Acting on impulse he tore up some ground, and buried Anna up to her knees.

*If that's what she needs then it might work. If it's not... this is a clue we shouldn't take Anna or KB back to the moon with us.*

[Joani]

Anna quickly recovered once she had established contact with mother earth. She slowly opened her eyes and sighed with much relief as she saw herself surrounded by nature in the grove of trees Doug had found for her.

He could see how she was recovering – her skin regained her verdant healthy green colour and her limbs grew back to their mighty size. She shed a layer of withered leaves which quickly got replaced by new green leaves that spread evenly over her head and shoulders almost covering her upper body down to her navel. If she stood still and looking from the right angle she could be mistaken for a tree for the unsuspicious eye.

“Thank you…”, she quietly said and looked at her arms – a gesture that was typical for her. Doug could tell the brief flight of terror flashing over her face and silent tears ran down her cheeks. “I’m… I’m changing, Doug… I’m changing…”, her voice was whiney and high pitched - she obviously didn't like what was happening to her.

[Courier]

Doug felt almost as helpless as when he'd be confronted by KB's taint, and for the same reason. There was nothing he could do about this. He didn't think it was possible for KB to learn dorm any more, and Anna was rapidly hitting that point to.

Unconsciously mimicking Anna, Doug glanced down at his arms, then at the back of his hands. Still nothing. All his friends warped into oblivion and he remained unchanged. Cowardice? Some genetic quirk? Something else? And how selfish was it to think of his loss when a friend was here mutating?

Doug sat down next to Anna and said, "Can you get out of the soil? If you only need to do this every now and then... it wouldn't be so bad." Doug forced down his fears and spoke evenly.

[Joani]

Anna stared at Doug for a long moment as if his request was made in some foreign language to her. Then she effortlessly got out of the soil and he could see how her feet had sprouted roots and veins which kept her ‘connected’ with the earth/soil she was standing on. The veins were pulsating and most likely ‘feeding’ her large body. Anna seemed oblivious to that change since she was still staring at her arms with tears in her eyes.

“I’m changing into an abomination, Doug… why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong to… to be punished like this?”, her eyes stared at her arms as if she could stop the change through force of will alone. This wasn’t her body – this wasn’t who she was.

“Where am I, Doug? What happened to me? Why is this happening to me!”, her cries turned into accusation.

[SalmonMax]

When Doug flew off, Ash hesitated, a bit mystified...then decided to follow. She wasn't nearly as fast as him...something that frustrated her...but as she got the hang of it she could go a decent clip. Then, just as she was getting close, he went past her again, the opposite direction! And had he been carrying Anna?

Ash reversed course and doggedly followed.

Finally she reached the little park-ish place where they'd settled, and swung down on a telekinetic tendril to join them there.

"Anna! What's wrong?!"

[Courier]

Originally Posted By: Joani

“I’m changing into an abomination, Doug… why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong to… to be punished like this?”, her eyes stared at her arms as if she could stop the change through force of will alone. This wasn’t her body – this wasn’t who she was.

“Where am I, Doug? What happened to me? Why is this happening to me!”, her cries turned into accusation.

Doug hesitated. Anna was asking unanswerable questions. After a noticeable pause he said,

"I don't know."

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

"Anna! What's wrong?!"

Doug replied, "Anna... has become more aberrated. She needs nutrients from the earth."

[Gregory]

Gregory arrives in the wooded area when a nearby commotion erupts. At first, he thought it was his stalkers, but then he saw Doug talking to a tree. After only a few seconds, though, he realized the tree was Anna. She was becoming an abbie like him, yet not lizard-like, but treelike. Poor Anna. he thought.

Rather than make his presence known, Gregory continued to observe. If it looked like the others came under attack, he would help. Until then, Gregory thought it prudent to remain under the cover of the trees and bushes. At least there, he felt confident that the thing following him would not be able to see him.