Then he noticed her heart had begun beating on its own.
“What’s happening?” asked Gary anxiously.
“It worked,” said Matthew, jumping to his feet. “It worked!” He began rummaging through their items again until he found the box with his stasis cubes.
“Don’t waste time,” said the AGI. “I’ll summon a pert and you can transport her to a hospital. I think I can manage it without alerting the military that…”
“No!” ordered Matt. “Don’t do anything.”
“Young man, that’s my daughter. I’m not taking chances with her life just to protect you…”
“I’m not taking chances, I’m eliminating them,” interrupted Matthew. “I’m going to put her into stasis. Once that’s done, we can take as long as necessary to do it safely. Time will effectively cease for her. In the meantime, don’t create any unnecessary risks.”
Gary stared at him intently from the small screen, clearly doubtful. Eventually he answered, “Fine. Do it. But if you screw anything up and she dies because of you, I’ll make certain you regret it.”
Matthew ignored the threat and began placing the quartz cubes in the air around her. Each glowed and clicked into place when charged with aythar. He arranged the upper cubes into a rectangular pattern, one at each corner and two midway between them. He would create a second rectangle beneath it, and the space between them would be locked in a stasis field, but first he needed to lift Karen’s body.
Creating a plane of force beneath her body, he levitated her into the air, until she was floating just beneath the first rectangle. Then he began placing the lower cubes in the air beneath her. Her eyes opened just before he finished.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
His chest grew tight and he blinked away tears. “You’re in bad shape. I’m putting you in a stasis field until I can get you to a hospital.”
“Oh,” she replied, clearly still befuddled.
He placed the last cube and charged it with his aythar. Yellow lines of force shot between the cubes, and then the air between the lines began to glow a golden color. All motion inside the field stopped. He had succeeded.
Chapter 25
“How long will this stopgap measure of yours last?” asked Gary. The PM was now propped up against a rock, giving him a view of Karen’s stasis field.
“As far as I know, until the end of the world, unless someone breaks the enchantment,” said Matthew. “My sister was in one for a little over a thousand years, and I know of someone else that was kept in one for two millennia. She’ll be fine until I can get help for her.”
The AGI frowned. “You mean until you get her to a hospital.”
Matt gave the small screen a frank stare. “No, I mean until I get help for her. It will have to come here.”
“You’re going to leave her there?!”
“I don’t have a choice,” said Matthew flatly. “Those cubes won’t move until they are deactivated. If I had been able to create a portable stasis box, then moving her would be an option. Those cubes are small, which makes them very portable, but when activated, they lock in place. They can’t be repositioned without releasing the enchantment.”
“Then I’ll have to call an ambulance,” stated Gary.
“Can you do that and avoid tipping off the military?”
“Doubtful,” admitted the AGI. “If you could get her to a hospital, I could keep the information suppressed long enough for them to give her initial treatment, and then you could escape, but an emergency call, hours from civilization, would be impossible to hide long enough. They would very likely be waiting for her when she arrived.”
“Well, we have time,” said Matthew. “We need another option.”
“Are there people in your world that could treat her?” asked the AGI.
Matthew gave it thought for a moment. “My father, if he’s still alive. I came here in part to look for him. The She’Har could possibly save her; at least they were capable of it a long time ago. I’m not entirely sure what they can do now.”
“She’Har?!” exclaimed the machine. “I thought your world was inhabited by humans.”
“Primarily. The She’Har came to my world long ago, like they did here, except on my world they won. Much later there was a rebellion, and the She’Har were almost entirely wiped out. A few remain now, living in peace with my people.”
“I would like to hear that story,” said the AGI with obvious interest.
Matthew rubbed his temples with his fingers. He was still fighting a terrible headache and mild nausea, and the events of the past hour had forced him to use his abilities when that was the last thing he needed in order to recover. “You’ll have to forgive me, Gary, but I’m in pretty bad shape myself. If I don’t rest soon, I’ll fall over.”
“What about Karen?”
“What about her?”
“You can’t just leave her out in the open. The sun will be up in the morning—she’ll burn. And what if it rains?”
Matt sighed, “I know you’re a super-intelligent being or whatever, but try to remember, time doesn’t exist in there. Nothing will affect her—not rain, or sun. Nothing.”
“Point taken. What if the military finds her, or a rockslide hits the cubes that keep her in stasis?”
“That could be a problem,” Matt admitted, “but it isn’t one I’m in any shape to deal with, so I’m going to sleep.”
The face on the screen nodded, “Fair enough. There’s a tent over there if you want to set it up.”
“Tent?” he asked. It wasn’t a word he had heard yet.
“A temporary shelter, used for camping,” explained the AGI.
Matthew started to dismiss the idea—he had no need to worry about wind or cold, but then the throbbing of his head reminded him that even the slightest uses of power would be painful. Perhaps a mundane solution would be welcome.
The next half hour was a combination of frustration and embarrassment. The bewildering array of material, stakes, and sectional poles that emerged from the large bag that held the tent was unlike anything he had encountered before. He might have given up entirely if it weren’t for the regular advice offered by Gary, which was also the source of his embarrassment. The AGI hadn’t forgotten his snippy remark about his ‘super-intelligence’ and he took the opportunity to show Matt his own ignorance.
When he had finished, he managed to set up his bedroll without help, but before he lay down he asked one last question, “Should I move you in here?” The PM was currently still outside, propped up against a rock.
“No thanks,” said Gary, his voice almost wistful. “This unit is an outdoor model. It’s built to handle moisture and the elements. I’d rather stay where I can watch her.”
Once again Matt found it hard to believe he was talking to a machine rather than a person, but he was too tired to explore the observation. “Suit yourself,” he said, and then he lay down. He was asleep almost as soon as his head touched the small camp pillow.
***
“It’s clear that your systems are compromised, Director,” said Tanya Miller.
Aiseman felt his jaw beginning to ache from grinding his teeth, “We’re still analyzing the data.”
“Analyze all you want, Director, but I’m here to tell you what any five-year-old could deduce from the facts. Your sensor feeds found nothing, but when the cybernetic units went in, they were there. Even a man of your ‘abilities’ should be able to discern that without too much trouble,” she responded, with an undisguised sneer in her voice.
“The systems people are still trying to figure it out,” put in John Wang. “It shouldn’t have been possible.”
Dr. Miller smiled, a rare event for her. “My husband usually took the word ‘impossible’ as a challenge rather than as a sign to give up. It was one of his more endearing, and frustrating, qualities.”
The impossibility of getting into that woman’s cold, dead heart must have been what inspired him to marry her, then, thou
ght Aiseman sourly. “Well, if your husband’s AI really did all this then he’s outdone himself.”
“You need to consider activating ANSIS,” she replied.
Director Aiseman gave her a cold stare. “It’s already active. We’re using it to pinpoint anomalies.”
She leaned forward. “Don’t give me your bullshit, Aiseman. I know what ANSIS is and what it’s meant to be. I’m not talking about your little experimental installations. I’m talking about full deployment—allowing it to access the network at large.”
John interrupted, “We’ve already got one rogue AI supposedly on the loose and you want to add another to the mix? Your husband designed both of them. Do you really think that’s wise?”
“Watch your tone with me, Mr. Wang,” she warned him. “And yes, to answer your question, I think it’s the best option you have. Gary was meticulous in his work. He designed ANSIS to do what was needed, and I’m certain he would have built in safeguards to prevent it from running amok. In fact, I would point to the example of your current AI problem as proof of that. If he hadn’t built enough restrictions into the AGI he left Karen, it would quite possibly have put an end to all of us by now. You’re going to have to fight fire with fire.”
“Our best people are working on it as we speak,” said Aiseman.
“And if my husband’s AI is violating standard operating limits, which it obviously is, then it’s already spent a thousand human lifetimes’ worth of thought anticipating every possible countermeasure they might undertake,” she shot back.
“Regardless, I am not prepared to take the risk of exposing the wider network to ANSIS at this time,” returned Aiseman.
“Need I remind you of the President’s words, Director?” challenged Dr. Miller.
“Then take the matter up with her. If she doesn’t like my decision, she can remove me from my position and get someone else!” the Director barked back.
Her brows shot up in surprise. “Oh my! There’s a spine in there after all. You surprise me, Director. You’re still wrong, though I’ll let it pass for now. If you don’t show some results soon, I’ll take you up on that challenge.”
Aiseman didn’t trust himself to respond. If he’d still had had a body, he was sure his blood pressure would have been through the roof. Or I’d have jumped over this desk and choked the bitch to death already. For the first time, he regretted the fact that it wasn’t really possible to kill people anymore. It might have been worth prison.
John rescued the discussion by breaking the stalemate. “Dr. Miller, have you had a chance to examine the materials recovered from the scene?”
She nodded. “The early scans are in. It’s clearly organic, and alive, though how it survived the explosion is a mystery. My first impression is that it is exactly what it appears to be.”
“An egg?” asked John. “That seems improbable.”
Tanya leaned back in her chair. “Please Mr. Wang, enlighten me with your deep insights.”
Aiseman might have found it funny, seeing his deputy suffering Dr. Miller’s attentions, but he had too much spite in him to take her side.
John did a good job of hiding his discomfort, though, “Well, to make a flawed analogy, if we blew up a chicken, we certainly wouldn’t expect to find an intact egg in the remains.”
She smiled. “Flawed? Yes, your analogy is indeed flawed. Whatever it was, that creature was no chicken, and the egg you recovered is no ordinary product of reproduction. The shell is strong enough that we haven’t been able to get accurate readings yet on its mechanical properties—not without risking its destruction anyway.
“DNA analysis confirms that it is likely reptilian, much like the remains you recovered it from, but what’s truly puzzling is the amount of power it contains,” she finished.
“Power?”
“Not of the sort we traditionally measure,” she clarified. “The same kind we encountered with the She’Har. In fact, the concentration is so high that we aren’t even sure how it can be stable. It probably should have exploded when you attacked it.”
Aisemann’s interest was piqued. “How big an explosion are we talking?”
“I really can’t be sure, but I’d expect it would be on the order of one of the larger hydrogen bombs.”
“As in a megaton class explosive device?” he said in disbelief.
“Physics isn’t my forte, Director,” she responded, “but some of my colleagues think it would be well beyond that. If it were capable of exploding, which thankfully it doesn’t seem to be, then it might well have turned the British Isles into a sinkhole to be filled by the Atlantic.”
“That’s an order of magnitude greater at least,” said John, “possibly in the gigaton range.”
Dr. Miller gave him a wan smile. “As I said, physics isn’t my forte. What I do know, is that it is alive.”
“What would the purpose of such a thing be?” wondered Aiseman.
“I have only speculation,” she replied. “It could be meant for something similar to what we did in Australia, only in reverse. If it could release the energy it contains, either slowly, or rapidly as in an explosion, it could quickly result in an irreversible change to the quantum nature of the space our world inhabits. However, again, I’m just repeating what my colleagues have speculated. Quantum physics is not my specialty.”
“Then we need to get rid of it,” said Aiseman.
“Please, Director,” she responded, “It’s far too late for that. Due to your weakness in Colorado, we already know the infection is taking hold there. And since you neglected to take my advice in Britain, it is probably proceeding there as well. We don’t know where they are now, but I’m sure it’s starting there as well. We’ve lost that battle already. The scorched earth policy we used in Australia won’t work now, unless we’re willing to burn everything to the ground.”
“I think your pessimism might be too strong, Dr. Miller,” said Aiseman.
“And I think you’re a fool. When you accept the truth, you’ll understand why we need to fully activate ANSIS.”
***
When their conversation ended, each of them signed out and left the shared meeting space, leaving only one observer in attendance.
Gary sighed. He didn’t like where this was leading, but despite his power, he couldn’t redirect them. Not without violating his most important core directive. His creator had stressed that he should never kill a human.
“But damn, it would be a hell of a lot easier if I could,” he said to himself. And easy too, he thought. A few minor changes and I could erase any of them from the servers; a few more and none of the others would even remember they had ever existed.
The thought made him shiver. “You made me too human, Gary!” he said, speaking to his deceased human namesake. “Thank god for that, or I’d already be a monster.”
Chapter 26
“Good morning.”
Matthew was emerging from the tent when the greeting came from Karen’s PM. He ignored it. He hadn’t really been ready to get up, but it had gotten unbearably hot inside. His head still hurt, and his tongue felt as though it had grown several sizes. He was thirstier than he could remember being in—well, ever.
That was easily fixed, though. He drained one of the plastic bottles he had found in Karen’s pack, and then he walked a short distance away to relieve himself.
I feel like shit, he thought, broadcasting the sentiment automatically. It was only a second later that he remembered Desacus wasn’t there to hear him. Sitting down, he put his face in his hands.
Gone was the urgency of the day before, replaced by an empty hopelessness. Absent a crisis he was left with the fact that he had no place to go, no friends, and no dragon. For a moment, he wondered if this was what his father had felt like when he had been trapped as a shiggreth.
“Probably not quite that bad,” he muttered, “but it still sucks.” Rising to his feet he walked back to his makeshift camp.
“Good morning,” he said, finally r
eturning Gary’s greeting.
The face on the screen looked somewhat sympathetic. “I gather you’re not feeling well.”
He nodded. That’s an understatement. Matt didn’t bother giving voice to the complaint, though. Instead, he returned to the chaos of equipment he had left scattered all around.
Matthew was not a fan of disorder. Quietly and methodically, he began gathering everything and organizing it into piles. Karen’s clothes, his tools, her camping gear, foodstuffs—they all got their own separate pile. The term ‘pile’ wasn’t really correct either, when possible he had stacked the items neatly. There was one collection of things he vaguely recognized as items from her bathroom, but he had little knowledge of what they were for. He gave them their own little group.
Once he had done that, he began packing most of it back into the pack. The space inside the dimensional pack was wide and flat, like an endless tabletop. It also didn’t shift or move inside, no matter what was happening to the bag itself in the outside world, so whatever was placed within it would stay in its respective position. He put Karen’s clothing and other miscellany that she wouldn’t need as far back as possible, organizing the more useful gear in stacks that would be easier to reach when the pack was opened.
That done, he tested his stomach by eating some of the crackers he had found.
“What are you going to do?” asked Gary, when his curiosity could no longer be held in check.
“Nothing,” Matt answered.
His reticence irritated the AGI, but he maintained his diplomatic tone. “And after that?”
“More nothing, for a while at least.”
“Do you mind if I ask your reasoning?”
“No,” answered Matt, without volunteering anything else.
Gary waited almost a minute, but when Matthew offered nothing further, his frustration almost got the better of him. “Are you always this disagreeable?”