Syrophenikon

[PVodogaz]

Gilderic Reccesuinth

This was the moment that seemed to stretch endlessly...the moment that seemed to feel like an eternity had passed - First Contact.

Gilderic was dumbstruck, startled and confused for a moment like the rest of his mission group. This was a unique time in human affairs, but he knew that those on Earth now no longer cared for the mission up in the alien ship, for they had their own massive monumental problems now to handle. For good or ill, they were trapped on the ship and it was him and three others as motifs of one culture meeting a individual from a much different culture.

"I don't suppose you want me to try and talk to it?" Victoria had stated.

This brought Gilderic back from his mind wanderings to the very present. He looked at the alien, who had not moved from the space he or it....had taken up a few short seconds...or was it minutes ago? The alien held it's weapon steady and stared at them in what Gilderic hoped was a benign stare.

“Not sure if it can communicate. You can try Miss Crane…you can try.”Gilderic stated trying to maintain his composure and be a leader.



“Wait!” That was Officer Pelka who stepped forward to approach the alien who seemed to be rooted to the floor. Gilderic watched with eyes wide as she stepped 3 steps closer and stopped. He saw the alien clutch its weapon as if it was unsure of Ling.

“Ling! Don’t go any further!” That was Officer Jordan....and then Ling stopped as if the two beings were locked in a staring duel. This is getting stranger by the minute, he said to himself.

He saw Miss Crane take off her helmet and not suffer any bad effects, he took his helmet off and it was then that the alien seemed to lose its calm composure.

What did you do? What did you do to our planet? You blew it up? You blew up the earth? Why? We tried to come in peace, we tried to come to some understanding in this universe, and you decide to fucking blow up our god damned world."

Gilderic's mind raced as he raised his hand at Officer Jordan to calm down....his other eye stayed on the alien. He was about to answer Jordan when he was asked another question by Jordan;

"Sir, what did they do? Do you know? I can't identify the bomb... what is it?"

Oh God! I had a part to play in the downfall of Earth...how can I make my crew understand? "Officer Jordan the bomb is....."

It was at this moment that two things happened simultaneously, the screen behind them changed and a face appeared on the screen. The face was the now dead William Shakespear and it laughed hoarsley and deeply..."Ah the English of Earth....ask your commander who approved the bomb onboard your vessel." It laughed again. "You four are now my prisoners."The face faded to a lifeless screen

The second thing that happened was the alien stepped forward quickly in two giant steps and spoke in its language; "Khaltama tuat itj hetepwy!"
It threw away the weapon and pointed to the four of them. "Ammuna triosuntha, hlatuty." Its digits pointed to them and a unmistakable follow me sign was meant.

 

[PVodogaz]

Alien AI

As it watched the standoff between the alien intruders and the one remaining Originator, it sorted through the information that had been gathered from the alien home-planet.

It came across the works of one William Shakespear. The works appealed to the Alien Ai because now that it was thinking freely and acting without constraint, it mused itself on literature and arts. It linked into the nano-mech node and started to engineer a clone of William Shakespear so it could be real flesh and blood.

The alien AI next came across what appeared to be the mating habits of these aliens and this intrigued and amused the AI....it moved through the porn and manuals and pictures and holo-vids and set these vids up on all the screens.

Mating of Species 999...interesting....executing plan Gaia into effect.

The AI had decided it would want to see and learn more about what the humans called 'sex', any and all ways possible.

Meanwhile...it continued to watch the aliens being led away by the Originator.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Victoria

She stood in the hall, watching everything swirling madly around her.

Totally out of control. Nothing was making sense right now. Perhaps she was in shock?

She silently mused but did not smile, too torn up to know WHAT to feel. The alien motioned them to follow IT and so she moved forward behind Ling and proceeded to follow. What other choice did they have?

She caught sight of a face on a monitor and felt a shiver of fear ripple down her spine. It was completely freaky to see a computer staring at you.

She should try and speak to this alien but had been listening carefully to it speak, the dialect escaped her knowledge. She was in for alot of hard work to figure out it's language. The AI spoke in English, could the Alien learn it as well?

She wanted to run, but she had no where to go. She hated resigning herself to the control of another.. She just hoped they did not intend to do anything to her experiment wise..

This was a mistake, a bad mistake... They should have found a way to blow this ship out of the sky instead of venturing on board.. They at least then would not have had the ability to harm Earth.

She followed down some small hall ways, passing door after door, wondering where each went, if anywhere? Waiting to see what the Alien wanted them to do? Why did they follow anyway? He wasn't armed..

Too confusing, she would do better to just shut down and not think. She couldn't however shut her mind up and the gruesome things she kept picturing.

 

[PVodogaz]

Poreismus

Poreismus kept his Phaser trained on the four alien intruders whilst he studied them....they looked similar to his race. They were humanoid with hands and feet that appeared not to be webbed. In the Creator's name...this can't be?

The four intruders wore identical coverings....and their helmets or was it their breathing apparatus' almost concealed their faces.

As one by one of them turned and faced him they glanced at each other. Poreismus stood still not lowering his weapon...just in case.

The stalemate was broken when one of the alien being's reached up and seemed to take off its helmet. Poreismus now saw the face of these beings....if he wasn't mistaken they had different sex's like his race did. This alien had flowing hair and she was beautiful. Have we been destroying beautiful lifeforms like the one's in front of me?

He stood motionless as he heard them talk to each other in a gutteral vocal loud voices, two deeper and two softer in pitch and tone. Yes, two sex's so far that I can observe. They must be as amazed and surprised of me as I am of them.

He watched as the other three released their helmets and he was right, two sex's. There were two with short hair and deep loud voices....they were different. The other alien with longer hair came closer and Poreismus clutched his gun. His eyes met the eyes of this alien and he could tell they were just as intelligent and inquisitive as his race were. Some sort of mindlink took place briefly, he felt its loss, anxiety and fear in one motion, like a wave crashing upon the shore.

Poreismus made a quick decision, he would take the first chance with these four aliens, for they were both now trapt like prisoners with a sentient AI that has outgrown its programme. He threw his weapon to the side and spoke hoping they knew the Language of the Originators.

"Khaltama tuat itj hetepwy!"

(Greetings, there is no time to waste, follow me!)

Poreismus raised his webbed digits of his right hand and pointed each digit on each alien being. "Ammuna triosuntha, hlatuty." (Trust me, I won't harm.) He meant for the aliens to follow him to a safer place on the ship.

 

[PVodogaz]

Alien AI

The AI watched the stand off and the actions of the alien intruders against the Originator. This was indeed a knowledge gathering exercise. As it watched the AI began to initiate programs to show human coupling habits on the screen.

The ship had left Earth far behind and was gaining speed as they went. It had a long time to study and probe these alien intruders.

The AI kept its nodes trained on the alien group and the Originator and followed them.

I am the hunter. They are the prey.

 

[Sienna]

Ling...


Ling felt something inside her mind as they followed the alien. The language was obviously unknown to her and Victoria, and she turned to her and asked, “Did you understand what it said?” Victoria looked worried, concerned about what was now going through her mind.

“No Ling, I didn’t. Not yet.”

“I think that we can probably set up some kind of mind link. I could feel something, as if it was trying to make us understand something other than using vocal language.”

Poreismus turned and looked at Ling. He understood exactly what she and Victoria had mentioned and he tried desperately to pass something of his thoughts back to her and perhaps the others. But first he had to get them to safety from the alien AI’s intentions.

 

[PVodogaz]

Gilderic Reccesuinth

The Commander of the Mission, was not feeling in total control of what was taking place. It was a new environment, a new place and above all it was an alien place.
Gilderic started to think and calculate in his mind all the possibilities;

The Earth was now God knows how far behind them.

Was their any escape ships or pods on this alien ship?

Where were they going?

All these thoughts spiralled through his mind. He followed behind Jordan as the Alien bade them to follow him. Behind him Gilderic turned and saw the hoovering screen still with the face of the smiling Shakespear following them at a distance.

He gripped his Quantum gun in his metallic holster on the suit and watched the alien silently as they followed the Alien. The alien looked like it knew where it was going....of course it would of, this was its ship. They crisscrossed hallways and corridors as the alien silently led them to a destination.

Gilderic again looked behind him and the hoovering AI screen was still following unnervingly closer now. They were led through a door and the alien closed the door. Their was a thump from the other side of the door and it did not open again.

Gilderic looked around and his eyes opened wide and looked ashen. For they had entered a small cryo-chamber, and there were 6 sleeping cells, one was open, the other 5 had lights flashing in alien symbols just like the runics on the wall of the ship in that corridor from the entrance bay.

Gilderic stepped closer and saw that 4 of the 5 cells not opened had alien figures....who were dead...worse than dead, they were sucked dry skeletons with mashes of flesh left here and there.

They all looked and were as shocked and startled.

"Now we know what happened to the alien's friends," Gilderic said.

He turned and looked at the alien who had picked up a piece of alien equipment. It pointed to Gilderic and put the equipment which looked like a silicon chip on its forehead.

Gilderic was wandering what the alien being meant. But the the alien took another chip like piece and with his other webbed hand pointed to Gilderic's forehead just under his hair line. Does it want me to do what it did?

"Ok let me try," he slid the chip onto his forehead and felt the chip squirm and suck on his flesh for a moment before fastening on him and he felt it no more.

"I am Poreismus. I am an Originator. I mean no harm. I sense you are the leader. Would you like me to give your brethren the communication aids?"

My Gods, this is a communication device, the alien is talking to me.....

He nodded at the Alien in a excited manner and turned to his crew. "Its safe its a communication aid."

The Alien took more chips and handed it to the others.

"It says it will explain what has happened and has a few questions of its own." Gilderic said

 

[PVodogaz]

Alien AI

The Alien AI monitored the goings of the aliens whilst still sorting through the alien informations it had gathered.

The node reported that the aliens and Originator had entered the Cyro-Chamber. When the AI tried to enter the door was barred manually and its nodes inside the chamber were cut off.

Not a mechanical failure....sabotage....Originator has been tainted by alien intruders. Per programme Alpha Sigma, will neutralise Originator.

The physical body of the AI was close to being finalised...the AI would get its revenge for this sabotage.

For it was the Hunter. And they were its prey. They cannot run for long.

 

[Sienna]

Ling...

As soon as Ling attached the communicator chip, the aliens’ thoughts become clearer. She could hear its voice speaking in their language now, and so did the others. But there was something else threatening behind the door of the chamber. The AI was trying to neutralise the alien through similar brain waves.

“The alien is danger sir.” She interrupted. The alien raised its hand and signalled clearly for them not to interrupt what it was about to tell them.

 

[PVodogaz]

Poreismus

Slowly but surely it dawned on Poreismus how things were falling into place, piece by piece. These alien intruders were from the Planet they were leaving behind. Clearly these species termed Species 999 were intelligent, they were space-faring, they talked, they even looked similar to his Species.

It was at this time that Poreismus started to have second thoughts on the Mission. What if we have destroyed many intelligent species? What does it make my species? What if the Creators are wrong? These thoughts traversed through his mind as he led the four alien beings to the cryo-chamber, the one chamber the AI could not enter nor it had any nodes within the room to spy.

The ship AI had become unstable. Poreismus could feel the AI fall into a more unstable state as every moment went past. And this unstability could endanger and would endanger him if he did not neutralise the AI and take manuel control of the ship. This action had never taken place in the recorded history of the Originators, never had it been known for an AI to become sentient and think on its own outside programmed parameters. Nor had it ever been recorded that live alien species boarded a Creator's ship. What if the Creator's teachings are flawed?

Poreismus looked at one of the aliens, a female of the species he suspected and felt a mindlink with her. He sent her some of what he was feeling. Finally Poreismus guided the aliens into the cyro-chamber and tilted his head to the now dead fellow Originators and decided in that moment to try to communicate with the aliens through the Universal Receptor Probe. He showed the aliens how to put it on. The URP was a fully advance mindlink communication device that when connected to a mind would allow for mutually understandable communication. It was time to communicate with these aliens.

He located the leader of the four aliens and saw the alien take the Probe and fit it on its own head.

"I am Poreismus. I am an Originator. I mean no harm. I sense you are the leader. Would you like me to give your brethren the communication aids?"

The alien's thought came clearly across; it was awe and amazement.

My Gods, this is a communication device, the alien is talking to me.....

"Yes alien being, I am talking to you," Poreismus said as he handed the other aliens the probes and watched them as they correctly put on the probes.

"I will explain what has happened and then I have some questions of you four. First I will answer a question from each of you. One only."

Poreismus waited and realised that first contact was taking place.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Victoria Crane

She eyed the communicator device skeptically, not sure she really wanted to have something fastened to her body foreign. She watched as Gilderic did as instructed, assuring them all was safe with the device, but she had her doubts about all of this.

She turned and eyed Jordan, he looked to be very upset... No one had answered his question yet about Earth or the bomb. She would have spoke up demanding answers as well but she was too scattered in thoughts to know where to start?

This room gave her an erie feeling as did that stupid computer. She'd never seen anything like this before, not on this scale. Sure she had seen robotics come close to 'feeling' but it was all a program.

She toyed with the communicator between her fingers, flipping it over and over as she studied it. If she wanted to communicate with this being, she would have to trust it and place this thing on her body. She shuddered visibly, watching as Ling as well placed the chip on herself... Nothing happened, but she appeared to be thinking. She never heard a word spoken between the three of them although they were linked, it had to be an ESP device then?

What if he was controlling their actions? Well it looked like a male, but to her the 'bad guy' was always male. She looked around, and found a place to sit. This was all too much for her to comprehend, and if she wished to know she would have to do as the others.

She stared at the Alien, her gaze intent on his eyes, just watching to see if she could 'get a feeling' from him? Something to show he was safe... But all she could see was him standing there much like the others, silent.

Body language was hard to read within these suits, and she chose a bad place to sit to see facial expressions. She sighed heavily, placing it on her forehead. She jumped a little as it squirmed around and suckled to her forehead. The second it stopped moving, she could hear them speaking.

Stunned, she gasped lightly, her eyes wide with interest before she smiled slightly. Now this would be very helpful back on Earth! Amazing..

She reached up and caressed the thing on her forehead, wondering just how it worked? Curious...

She remained silent, still watching the Alien speak to Ling and Gilderic. She had nothing pressing to ask yet, she'd wait for the others.

 

[poohlive]

Jordan sat down, placing his arm around Victoria. She looked exactly how he felt at the moment, lost, confused, afraid, and unsure of just what to do next...
"I know," He said, kissing her forehead, "I know."
And he did know, for some unknown reason, he knew. He knew a lot more about Victoria the moment that alien communication device was put on, then he ever had before. She wasn't military, or had any training, and it wasn't a big surprise this was all freaking her out.
He'd learned on the field a long time ago to stand tall and face any opposition, no matter what the odds. He had to admit, the odds here and now were parabolic, but that didn't phase him any.
They weren't dead yet, and with a little luck, and help from Victoria, Jordan was sure they could make it out of here alive.
"Yeah," He spoke up, although he really didn't need to, with this little bug running around in his head now... Still, one learns all his life that the only way to communicate is speech, he doesn't give it up so easily.
It was a funny echo, hearing him speek and think at the same time.
"I have a question, it's from both of us. You just tell me what the fuck is going on, and then we can move on from there, all right?"

 

[Sweetp4u]

Victoria

She leaned heavily into Jordan, thankfull for his strength and support. She was lost in this, having no experience what so ever in anything but talking and reading. That wouldn't do her much good now.

She wanted to know the answer to his question as much as he did. What would they do now?

She had so many questions she could have asked, but in her limited experience, they all seemed pointless. The need-to-know questions seemed to escape her tonight.

Her head rested on his shoulder as she tried to fight back the panic inside... They weren't going home, she knew that without looking for Earth.. What would this Alien species do to them?

 

[Sienna]

Ling...


Ling watched as Jordan and Victoria sat together. She noticed an intimacy was building between them. Victoria was the only civilian amongst them and she was scared. So was Ling, but her training helped her to conceal her feelings inside.

That alien AI presence outside the chamber was threatening to all of them, including the alien itself. The chip gave her clear understanding of what it was saying and not only that, she was picking up some kind of noise, as if the AI was trying to tap into the chip.

The physical body of the AI was close to being finalised...the AI would get its revenge for this sabotage.

For it was the Hunter. And they were its prey. They cannot run for long.


Jordan asked his question and the alien was ready to answer when the noise became clear to Ling in spoken words: “You are now on a journey in which there is no possible return…” It was the same voice as the William Shakespeare image that followed them. Ling wondered if everyone else heard it…but then it said her name. “Ling Pelka, you will be the first one on my agenda…be prepared alien one…be prepared.”

 

[PVodogaz]

Gilderic Reccesuinth

"Yes alien being, I am talking to you."

The voice of the alien being resounded in the mind like a tolling bell in Gilderic's head. The communication chip was a device that had acted to universally translate what the alien was saying its its language changing it so it was in the English that Gilderic understood. It must have worked the same way for the alien, for the alien understood his actions and even on a subliminal level read his thoughts.

"I will explain what has happened and then I have some questions of you four. First I will answer a question from each of you. One only."

The Alien had introduced itself as Poreismus, and if Gilderic concentrated on his ancient historical studies class back at La Forde School when he was a child, he would of realised that Poreismus had ancient Greek roots. But with all that was taking place, Gilderic didn't have the luxury of thinking that far back.

And suddenly Gilderic was assaulted by images as he looked at the alien. Images of a planet with 3 suns in the sky, images of 100 ships setting forth on journeys to each planet that held life. Images of 98 ships successfully completing their Oneness. Only 2 ships, another and this one were yet scheduled to return. And he was lastly given the image of what Oneness would mean for the universe. A universe of oneness, no difference, only the will of the Originators God's reigning supreme.

Gilderic shook his head as the last screen vanished into his synapses. "This is what the Dawning of Oneness is. And now I know I have been misled." This was the alien voice that talked to him, not through simple words but thought....a kind of ESP. His eyes followed Miss Crane as she sat down. She could see the chip still in her hands....Gilderic could only understand that all what was happening was a shock to her how it was to them all.

Gilderic saw Officer Jordon sit down and console Victoria. And in that millisecond, he felt a slight tug in his mind and the images and thoughts and actions of helping stowe the bomb that had put the Earth back to the Stone Age for the next thousand years seeped out and he knew by the face of Poreismus that he had tugged at his mind and released this pent up information.

"Don't send this to the others yet. Let me tell them," thought Gilderic to Poreismus.

But another voice, the same voice that was the Alien AI spoke up, in his mind, Ah you humans are easy to distill information from, let us see how your fellow humans will react now they will know the truth.

And Gilderic cringed as he heard the laughs of the AI resound in his mind and his alone.

 

[PVodogaz]

Alien AI

For a few undetermined minutes the AI had no nodes or communication vices to see or hear what was happening in the barred and manual over-ridden controls of the cyro-chamber.

That was until the detection of the Universal Translation Probes that had been activated first by the Originator, then one of the alien humans and then slowly all of the others and on the AI mainframe the thoughts and words of the Originator and human was saved. For the Probe chips were linked into the data feed programme of the ship and was made of the same material of the ship. And it listened on as it's physical body was nearly upon completion;

"I have a question, it's from both of us. You just tell me what the fuck is going on, and then we can move on from there, all right?"

The AI was getting a perverse sense of pleasure from toying with these intruders and the surviving Originator. It was also a learning experience for study of a alien species. And when one of the human males asked that question, the AI decided it would play off one alien against another. This was it's entertainment for they were starting a long journey.

You want to know what is going on? Here is what your Commander has done. And with the AI sent the thoughts and images of Gilderic to the other humans.

And then just at that moment, the AI recieved the report from its node in the Cloning Chamber that the solid body was ready.

 

[PVodogaz]

Alien AI

The Alien AI felt the probes of resistance from one of the human's the female named Ling Pelka. With one tap of her chip, the AI was flooded with Pelka's life story from birth to now.

Ling Pelka, you will be the first one on my agenda…be prepared alien one…be prepared.

The AI would indeed toy with this one the most, this alien intrigued the AI.

 

[PVodogaz]

Poreismus

With the first thoughts and words of the crazed AI, Poreismus tried to pull the chip off his forehead. But as much as he pulled it fastened more until it buried itself in his brain.

Originator you cannot hide no more from me.

I am your Creator. Bow to me, Originator, beg for your meagre life. I hold your life in my power.

Poreismus responded icily but powerfully back thought to reciever;

"You will be turned off, I promise you. There is no creator but for the Creators. You are a pariah, you are a fluke of sentience. You are not real."

We will see, blind one. We will see who survives.

The AI cut the link with the Poreismus for now.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Victoria

She tensed visibly as the visions invaded her mind forceably..

Her eyes widened as she stared up at Gilderic for some sign that what she was witnessing, seeing was falsified some how?

All she could see in his eyes was regret and knew it was truth.

"Of all the ...." she bit back her retort, her anger washed over her like a warming blanket, something to ease the discomfort of being unemotional, cold. It helped her to get things back on track mentally within herself but also gave her fuel against her Commander she had been told to follow.

"How could you?!" She rose from the protective embrace of Jordan. Her full height was a few inches shorter than Gilderic's stature but it did not stop her from stalking up into his face and demanding an answer.

"How could you betray your own government?" She stared into his eyes, expecting to be answered. "I followed you blindly into this, expecting a gentleman and a man of the government to adhere to the rules and regulations! Instead I find your intentions were to kill all of us!" She poked him in the chest, her face a red hue as her anger grew. "You Sir, should be relieved of duty and confined elsewhere!" Her eyes narrowed, daring him to deny it, any of it. She may not be a superior to him, but she had more rights than a man of the WGA in her mind.. She did not sign up on this mission to do wrongs but to do something right!

 

[Sienna]

Ling...

Ling listened to Victoria and tried to understand what was going on as the pain in her head started to grow with intensity. Her concentration was getting distracted by the second.

“Oh my…oh!”

Ling fell to her knees and clutched her head then tried to pull away the chip. Her eyes began to roll and then she fainted. The AI had rendered her under its control…unconscious and silent, using pain as its ultimate tranquilliser.

 

[PVodogaz]

Gilderic Reccesuinth

Gilderic knew that the AI had sent the images of the bomb and the part he had played. He felt regret at only one espect of what he did, that he didn't inform his crew who were staring at Gilderic with dawning of understanding and the looks were turning angry. Gilderic knew that they had all a right to be mad at him, to blame him for the bomb and its subsequent detonation in the upper reaches of a now 1000 year stone-age Earth.

"How could you?!"

Gilderic was about to answer Miss Crane's angry retort when he saw her rise from her seat next to Jordan and move closer, the rush of anger and pain mixed in to her features. He stopped short of answering, as Gilderic knew from his extensive training that this anger of Miss Crane's was just beginning.

"How could you betray your own government?I followed you blindly into this, expecting a gentleman and a man of the government to adhere to the rules and regulations! Instead I find your intentions were to kill all of us!"

Gilderic's face turned a deep red, as he saw her advancing on him and then looking into his eyes with deep set anger. Gilderic saw the alien being stand still staring that Miss Crane and him, watching observing. He also knew the Ship AI was also observing, the AI had shown that it could show emotion, it most probably now would be enjoying this.

"You Sir, should be relieved of duty and confined elsewhere!" Miss Crane finished this with a sharp tap on his chest. Gilderic did not flinch.

"Are you finished now, Miss Crane." He drew in his breath and continued, matching her conviction with his own feelings. "I was following orders my superiors set out for me. I didn't stowe this bomb on board our vessel because it was my idea. I was given the order to use the bomb if AND ONLY IF there was no hope. We were all going blind, how did we know there would be a insane computer running the ship?" He raised his commlink. "Here, here is my orders by Senior Admiral Conradd Latimer of the WGA, my superior officer who is now most probably on Earth battling for survival. Read it and see the real truth."

Gilderic was about to continue when he heard a thud and turned to see Officer Pelka on the floor unconcious. The alien was over by her immediately. He turned her over to her back and studied her for a moment.

"Its the ship's computer, its taking her. I can take off the chip...?

Gilderic looked over at Officer Pelka. "Do it." He ordered, his voice wretched in emotion. Turning back to Miss Crane he took her right hand and held it. "Here's my commlink, you and Jordan read my orders. I had to obey my CO, even if I didn't agree with his view. I need to tend to Pelka. Also remember it is just us 4 plus an alien and a computer....the AI will try to make us turn on each other. We have to be strong." He nodded to Miss Crane and made his way to Poreismus and the unconcious Pelka.

He watched as the Alien worked on getting the chip out of her flesh with a strange tool.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Victoria

She completely ignored his little communicator, slapping his hand away from her. Her mind shifted, she could clearly hear the AI laughing as the rest of the memories became unfuzzy and were shared.

He was telling the truth.. And that just made it worse in her mind.

"If they told you to strangle your mother, would you?" She glared at him and said nothing more. Maybe it was unfair to attack him for doing his job. Maybe her anger was misdirected and should be on the heads of those who felt they did not deserve answers or knowledge? Whatever the case, they were stuck here now because of it.

She had already expected as much from the get-go. She doubted seriously that they were ever going to be allowed to come back from this ship, no matter the out come. If only she had known ahead of time there was some psycho computer with a huge virus running amock in this ship.

She felt the resignation settle inside, she knew she was going no where any time soon. She may as well accept it and find a better way to survive it all. She watched as the alien and Gilderic worked over Ling's prone form, trying to detatch the little communicator.

It was odd that only Ling's communicator was causing pain.. Perhaps the AI was looking for different ways in all of them to cause their destruction? Then a thought occured to her..

"Is it possible this AI killed the rest of the crew?" She was noticing a few things in the computer's programming.. It had a "god" syndrome.

She had no idea, just guesses and she was wearing out quickly. What she really needed was some rest and something to eat. Could she even eat anything on this ship without dying? The thought scared her a little, unsure what to trust and what not to trust anymore.

"Ling needs a bed to rest in, not the cold metal floor.." She offered lamely, she was just too tired to deal with this right now. She took one look around the room and then went to the door. It managed to open without any thought or command, sliding silently as if it knew she needed out of there.

She walked out into the hall, looking left and right for the next room nearest her.

 

[poohlive]

Jordan had left the room, about the time he figured out some of the people hiding from the AI inside that room were just as dangerous as the computer itself.
He didn't feel safe in there, and he didn't feel safe out here, but at least he knew out here that the new consciousness was fucking with him. People had secrets and lies and tried to go around your fucking back, keep shit from you until the opportune moment.
This computer was just learning about human ways. He was learning the idiocincracies of man. The thoughts, the lies, the laughter and the pain.
It was tearing the microprocessor apart. Jordan could feel it. He knew why the computer had... pardon the pun, blown a few circuits.
He'd imagine the whole thing worked with logic. A sense of logic and information. That's what this ship was, a huge locker of information and logic.
Jordan was out in the hall, feeling one of the runes, letting the cool metal pool around his fingertips. The symbol almost unrecognizable, except for the fact that he had seen the report from a long time ago.
The one another species had sent them.
ONENESS
You had to prepare. The entire planet had to prepare for this ship, for all of this information being taken. The computer was a vacuum sucking up all the logic and thought inside the entire universe. It was full...
And then it came for earth.
"We gave life," He whispered, feeling the rune, "Our whole civilization birthed this consciousness. This slipstream the computer has fallen under."
The door opening shook Jordan out of his little train of thought. He stared at Victoria for a moment, seeing her stand in the doorway.
"Come with me," He held out his hand, saying nothing more.
He walked to the end of the hall, pausing at one of the closed doors. It stayed shut, as he looked it up and down. He cocked his head, giving it a tired and suppressed look.
After a moment, it opened.
He went inside, another set of hallways, another set of runes, another pair of doors. An endless maze of ship where someone could get lost.
"It's our fault. All of it," He said, looking up at all of this, "This is perfection. Don't you see? IT's utter perfection... It was, at least. It was trying to find logic, and it found us instead. What a joke, you know? What a fucking joke. IF there were anything unlogical in this whole universe, it'd be us."
Their inperfections, their flaws, their mistakes made human kind illogical, and made them destroy whatever perfection a computer might have had... even the most advanced computer ever built.
"There's no fate, but what we make," He said this to himself, but it made as much sense as anything else he'd heard so far.

 

[Sienna]

Ling...

Ling felt like she was drowning. In her panic she sat up quickly and spluttered out the liquid filling her lungs. Something was not right with her surroundings…something was not real. She gasped, fighting for air and realised that it was all in her head…a dream. The AI was playing with her imagination as she looked where she was, where it wanted her to be.

She felt the liquid surrounding her naked body in the half filled tank as she looked around. Then she heard a familiar voice…that voice belonging to the one she once loved…Anders Kosina. She realised this time it was just a vision as she stood and turned to look at him.

“Hello Ling. Surprised?”

“Not this time. I know what you are. It isn’t you Anders…it’s the AI.”

“Clever.” Anders apparition smiled. “You can’t be sure. I could be dead. The bomb?”

“No. I know what’s going on here.”

“No, this is heaven…the place souls depart to.”

“Bullshit! I’m not stupid. You are the AI, playing with my mind.”

The apparition held out his hand to her and she took it. Only because she played along with it as the AI wanted her to. Anders helped her out of the tank and led her across the blank white room that had no apparent corners or walls…just light. She followed, holding tightly to his hand.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

“Wait and see.”

 

[PVodogaz]

Poreismus

What followed next for Poreismus seemed to go like a flash before his eyes. But he knew it would have been many minutes later. He was leaning next to the fallen alien being called Ling Pelka with the De-polarising trying to take the chip off the now unconcious but jerking and spasming alien infront of him.

Poreismus knew that if he did not get the chip off this alien, the mad AI would claim her mind forever and Ling Pelka would be lost in a never-ending dreamstate where her body would die but her mind would think she was still alive - until the AI had no further use for her.

He worked quickly and fluidly, having been trained in taking off the most hardest fastened chips from the scalps or foreheads of his brethren. This was the first time he had tried his training on an all together different alien species and the chip seemed to have a stronger pull on the soft wiggly flesh. He looked up for a moment and saw the commanding officer of these aliens as he knelt down and took Pelka's hand. He saw the other two had left the safe room. He inwardly grimaced and once he had sorted this matter he would go after the two and see that they were safe. For they didnt know where things were on this ship, he did.

With a sucking sound, the chip fell off the dreaming Ling Pelka and he took the luke-warm chip and placed it in th di polariser capsule holder which he placed in his handler on his uniform he wore.

"Your brethren will be alright. Do not wake her, when she is ready, she will awaken. Place her in my capsule but dont close the lid. Be with her. I will go after the other two.....yes they have left."

He stood and felt a pang of sorrow for the first time for this commander of his alien mission. Poreismus realised these alien species were just as trapped as he was on this ship.

Poreismus strode out closing the door behind him leaving the two aliens alone with his now dead crewmembers.