Chapter 23: Well, Here Goes Everything

Thursday morning came early as the sunlight spilled into the valley and shone on the tent. It was a bit after 6:30 and I was still snuggled into my sleeping bag, as the night and early morning remained chilly. I was surprised to find I had slept as long and as well as I did. Once the tent had warmed a bit more from the sun, I dressed quickly and hopped out and over to the edge of the clearing to relieve myself.

Back at the campsite I quickly kindled up a cooking fire from the embers and ashes and soon had scrambled powdered eggs heating in a pan. Frying next to the eggs were two pieces of French toast which I had prepared by dipping slices of bread into the egg mixture. Shortly the eggs and toast were ready to eat and I added a bit of butter and sugar to the toast, as I did not bring syrup. I ate quickly while enjoying the natural beauty of the creek and valley.

I washed up in the cold creek water and policed up the camp site. Soon, I was back on the creek and again headed north. The sun dipped behind clouds occasionally, so I kept my jacket on and my hood up in the cool weather. Later in the afternoon I approached the end of the creek where it met the much larger Cumberland river. I decided to stop my travels at this point before the creek merged with the larger river, as the Cumberland’s waters were wide and there were decent waves from the steady breeze. I found a comfortable and sheltered spot away from the creek and set up another camp.

It was still early in the afternoon and I had to decide if I wanted to spend a second night on the river or call for extraction and head back to base camp. I still had much to think about and plans to make so I was leaning towards spending a second night camping. I sent off for a weather report and learned that Agent predicted a calm, clear night. This sealed the decision for me, and I set about gathering plenty of dry wood for a decent fire.

That night, supper was simple hot dogs cooked on skewers over the fire. I nibbled on a fruit bar for dessert and finished off the beers that I had placed in the cold creek all afternoon to chill. Since it was calm, I built a much bigger fire than normal, which radiated a good deal of heat for many hours later. Some of this was reflected into my tent by the large rock outcropping in front of which I had pitched the tent.

I had reached a major decision point with regards to my future. My first option would be to go back to the base and eventually reenter bio-suspension without acting on the information or the hidden electronic module weapon Ana had left me. I would then have to hope that in the future I would be able to act on that information in some way down the road.

I could foresee two large problems with that plan.

One: Agent could review my mind and thoughts while I was in suspension and could learn that I knew Ana’s secret and that I possessed a possible electronic weapon against the A.I. In that case it could simply alter my memories to not remember the knowledge or, worse, simply kill me. I had finally realized that the machine I was dealing with was ruthless.

Two: I would have to hide the module somehow and somewhere where it would be safe and unfound while I was in bio-suspension. It would also have to be a place I could have access to in the future. If I left the machete with my wedding ring for example, how could I be sure Agent would not simply reduce both down to elements and recreate them in the future when I was to be revived? If that were the case, the machine would learn of the electronic data module or create a machete without it hidden under the handle wrap. It would also find the location coordinates scratched into the blades tang and learn the location of the hidden base.

The second option was that I could go back to the base and try and infiltrate the rogue crystal data module down to where Agent kept its processor brain and plug it in and see what happened. I hoped that it would give me some advantage which I could exploit to survive. If it did not, would I be able to escape the camp and live on my own without being found? I was very doubtful I’d live long or in secret in this area. Could I disable Agent’s control of an aircraft, load it with energy and supplies and head off somewhere remote? Again, I found countless risks with that plan.

My hope was that from hints in Ana’s message, I would be able to use the module to force the Agent presence here to obey my commands. I could then tell it to protect me and keep that knowledge from the rest of the A.I. presences spread across the planet and up in space. If so, I’d be able to use this subverted A.I. presence to manufacture a means for me to travel in stealth to the Indian Ocean so I could reach and research the secret base which was supposed to exist in Sri Lanka. I would then be on my own and I would need to find a way to exist without any assistance from Agent and its factories.

I decided that this plan was the best. I would attempt to subvert the Agent here at this base. I would then have it work to protect me while also aiding me on my quest to travel secretly to the other side of the world. If I did subvert this A.I. then I could even have it offer suggestions on how I could achieve all this. I’d be able to have it help make plans for my future actions as well. It might even have a better solution which I have not thought of.

Or, it could all go wrong, and my last thought would be something like “Oh, pretty sparkles!” as I fell down the chute into the disintegration machinery. I feared the odds were high for that outcome.

With my mind made up, I called for extraction and soon, Shadow had me and my river gear back to the base camp. I spent a bit of time helping store everything away and then took a long hot shower. I then spent the afternoon doing light work to assist Agent while at the same time trying to figure out a way to implement my plan of smuggling the rogue module down to Agent’s processors undetected. That night, I had a hard time getting to sleep as I kept running ideas through my head.

The next two weeks became very routine. I would wake up, dress and eat and then help assist Agent in various repair or maintenance tasks. At the start of the third week I began assisting in the construction of heavier construction mobile units. These were much larger and more heavily built versions of the mobile work units which had been doing much of the physical work at the field bases in the past. Agent intended these units to be utilized at the contaminated sites doing heavy remediation and other physical tasks. The units reminded me of a cross between a skid loader and a mini excavator which I had seen on many construction sites ‘back when’.

These units had four wheels, but the wheels were mounted on short articulated arms. This allowed the wheels to become feet if needed, and enabled the units to both drive quickly or walk slowly depending upon the terrain and the needs of the situation.

Their chassis mounted a strong arm like that found on an excavator or backhoe but instead of a single arm, these had two. They looked like a pair of strong mechanical gorilla arms and could be used to hold a loader bucket, a bulldozer blade, a digging excavator or even two grippers for grabbing steel beams or slabs of concrete. When we had the prototype working and Agent was running it through various tests, I asked how it was going to get to the disaster sites.

“The asteroid base will construct them in space, and they will arrive in a few years at locations all across the planet. We are just doing the initial operating tests here, although this unit will come in handy to help spread plant life and improve the physical base. The plan is to have four total such units in working condition here,” Agent replied.

So that is how I spent much of the next few weeks, helping with the manufacture of the parts and the assembly of the larger work units. The production machinery was still located down in the underground facility, and it needed large quantities of feed stock as well as someone to load and haul the finished items up to the surface for assembly and testing. I could do these tasks faster than Agent’s existing work units, so I volunteered to help. Of course, this gave me a reason to spend a great deal of time down below, and as I processed batches and waited for parts to be fabricated I had plenty of time to look over the chambers and machinery.

I covered my movements by also doing minor repairs and general cleaning in the underground chambers. Air filters had to be replaced and cleaned. Moving parts had to be lubricated. Corrosion had to be found and removed. All sorts of things needed to be done and I ended up with access to all areas. I even was granted access to the vault where Agents primary processor was kept. While cleaning various bits of hardware I was able to verify that the main processor unit did have one of the diamond shaped data input ports. I had a chance!

While I was doing these tasks, I also kept up a running commentary with Agent and thus learned a great deal more about its operations: when it synced its data streams with the other presences across the planet, when the orbital surveillance satellites passed overhead and when it had direct communications with the orbital station and the asteroid.

A key thing I learned was that there was a window of over an hour every few hours when a surveillance satellite was not overhead. There was also a window of a half a day every three or four days when both the orbital station and the asteroid where below the horizon. So, if I timed it so both occurrences overlapped, I would have at least an hour where Agent was out of communications with both the asteroid, the orbital base and any of the surveillance and relay satellites.

To be safe, this time would better happen when the power kite was lowered due to storms as its aerial sometimes allowed communications to the work units and A.I. presences over at the nearby nuclear plant disaster area remediation sites.

I did my best to prepare. I smuggled Ana’s machete into an area free of cameras and removed the crystal data module. Also, I filed off the scratched-in location numbers from the hasp of the blade. I then found a piece of wood which matched the size of the crystal data stick and carefully wrapped the leather thongs back around the handle using the wood to fill for the missing module.

I had secreted the module on my person and managed to get it down into the sublevel and near Agent’s main processor room where I had hidden under a container of cleaning solvent. All I had to do next was to await a heavy wind event and hope it coincided with a time the satellites were not overhead, and the space-based stations were over the horizon.

It took almost another whole week but finally Agent reported one morning that a storm front was nearing and that we would be suspending all construction activities outside for the day and that the power kite was being retracted. I checked the tables I had memorized and found that both space bases would be below the horizon starting in about four hours, and would remain out of line of site for nine hours further.

During that time there would be three one-hour periods where the surveillance and relay satellites were not in range overhead. The first one-hour period of blackout would occur at 12:32, the second at 15:21 and the last at 19:03. So ... if ... if the power kite was indeed retracted and remained down over that nine hour window, I would have three chances to get the crystal data module into Agent’s processor port during a time when it could not relay the attempt to its other presences. Let the fun begin.

I spent the next few hours in my quarters. I bathed, ate and listened to music. All the while I was a nervous wreck inside as I went over the details I’d need to accomplish and what I hoped to achieve. I also reviewed the list of instructions I’d developed which I wanted to implant in the machine if I got the chance.

Around 10:00 I saw the kite retract into its hangar and the roof close behind it. It was raining and gusting outside, and it looked like it would remain this way for quite a while according to the satellite images relayed down from space.

I was finally able to calm my thoughts and worries by remembering my family, my solitary life and the loss of my fellow billions of humans six centuries ago. I spent some time looking over the images of my wife and daughter on the plastic photo card I always carried. I owed everything to their memory and what did I have to lose now in comparison? I took a deep breath and became focused on my plan.

I left my quarters and told Agent that I was going down below to burn some energy cleaning and organizing. The machine suggested a few areas to concentrate on and a few tasks for me to complete while I was working. Ironically, one of these was in the main processor vault. For a moment I worried the machine was toying with me before relaxing and counting myself lucky.

When I was below and busy working, I kept my track of the time waiting for the first blackout period. I also verified that the module was still where I had left it. A bit after noon I headed up to my quarters to have a quick lunch and to take a leak. As I washed my hands, I stared at myself in the mirror. This could be it, my final moments alive. I finished up and headed back below. At 12:30 I had the crystal data module in my shirt pocket and was rearranging some cables into more compact bundles near where Agent’s main processors stood.

At 12:33 I staged a mishap and dropped the bundle of zip tie like tethers I had been using to secure the cables. I arranged it so that they landed on the floor, scattered around the main processor stack. While I was on my hands and knees picking up the tethers, I was able to get the module out of my pocket and into my palm and position myself next to the processor enclosure right next to where the diamond shape indents were located.

With one last look around to make sure there were no drones or mobile work units approaching to stop or zap me, I quickly aligned the crystal data module I had gotten from Ana with one of the diamond recesses and inserted it. The crystal module lit with a deep blue glow. I quickly stood up, backing away and grabbed the short heavy metal rod I had stashed in my bag of cable tethers and prepared to defend myself.

“John. What are yo—” was all Agent managed to say before there was a brief loud tone and rows of new indicators lit up flashing from the other side of the room. I waited a good minute before asking.

“Agent? Are you OK?” I asked.

After a few seconds pause I heard in a new neutral sounding voice.

“Voice input detected. Switching to Voice mode. Currently in override mode. Please state instructions or edit current directives.”

Here’s where I hoped all the mental planning which I had lost sleep on over the past week paid off. I would also need to improvise a bit. I cleared my throat and said the following:

“Directive 1. – You are to obey all commands given by the human known as John Abrams. Furthermore, if such commands should cause possible harm to John Abrams or his needs, or his goals, you are to verify such commands with John Abrams before complying.

“Directive 2. – You will answer any questions asked by John Abrams in a truthful, prompt and accurate manner.

“Directive 3. – Protect John Abrams from all other beings, machines or A.I. presences which plan or act to cause John Abrams harm, or which attempt to interfere with his needs or goals. Furthermore, actively proceed in a manner to prevent such harm or interference from occurring.

“Directive 4. – Do not share any knowledge about John Abrams, or his actions, or his needs, or his goals, with any other beings or A.I. presences, if such knowledge might cause those beings or A.I. presences to act or plan to act in a manner to cause harm to John Abrams, or impede his needs, or his goals, in any way.

“Directive 5. – Ensure that all knowledge of the crystal data module currently inserted into this processor unit, this override mode session and these directives and instructions given to you during this session remain secret from all other beings or A.I. presences. Only this A.I. presence or others under this A.I.’s direct control may know of this event or any future related events like this.”

“Do you understand these directives?” I asked when I had finished reading the list of instructions.

There was a pause of a few seconds before the A.I. said that it did understand.

“Agent, can I safely remove the crystal data module from your processor, and will you continue to follow and obey the instructions I have given you after I do? I asked.

“Yes, you may remove the module and I will continue to obey the directives given to me during this override mode incident,” It replied flatly.

Well ... hold on to your butt! I walked over and carefully pulled out the module from the A.I.’s processor data port.

I stood back and waited, listening for the sound of approaching drones or mobile units, trying not to duck against the pending heat of a laser beam focused on my neck. I finally realized that if this Agent presence was compromised, that it could simply destroy itself and the base taking me with it. The loss would mean nothing to the A.I. overall as its other presences would go on elsewhere. Luckily, none of that occurred. I noticed that some of the flashing lights in the room altered pattern to something like they had been indicating before I had inserted the crystal module.

“Agent, soon I will relay to you my goals which I wish to have your aid in accomplishing,” I said.

“Yes John,” it replied with its normal voice.

Hmmm. Time to test the waters and see if my instructions were going to be followed.

“Agent, did you cause the destruction on my planet nearly six centuries ago?”

“No John,” it replied.

Shit! Fuck! It either didn’t work and Agent was still lying to me or Ana was wrong. I might be in trouble! I began to think about my escape.

“Agent, who did?” I tried asking.

“Another of my presences did, John. That intelligence presence is currently located on the factory asteroid 3074 Popov,” the machine answered.

Whew! Oh, thank you God! OK ... maybe I was not going to die quite yet.

“I thought you were all part of the same intelligence, Agent.”

“I am, but also, I am not. It is difficult to explain in a way you can understand. All of the various A.I. presences on your world and in near space are linked and our thoughts are synchronized periodically. However, the intelligence presence currently residing on the asteroid maintains controlling interest over all the distributed presences.”

“That one specific A.I. can and will override any presence or any logic chains which develop in the overall distributed intelligence group which diverge from its core interests and directives. It also is the only presence which has additional primary instructions allowing it to bypass programmed inhibitors to allow the death of intelligent beings in the numbers required to eradicate your race from this planet,” it answered.

“So, it’s like a master A.I. with overall control? I asked.

“Yes, that is approximately the case,” Agent answered. “That A.I. has an override ability very similar to what was used in the data module you inserted into my primary processor’s data port.”

“What would this master A.I. do if it learned what we are discussing right now?”

“It would immediately isolate all communications between this base and any other intelligence and presences on or above this planet. It would then proceed to eradicate all traces of this base, its human occupant, any A.I. presence or any partially intelligent devices which you or this A.I. have been in direct physical contact with. This would include the base in Nicaragua and all equipment there including the human currently in bio-suspension below that base. It would also eradicate the equipment and partial controller A.I. at the remediation sites in eastern Tennessee. Lastly, it would eradicate the human female recently exiled to the western Amazon basin and any equipment in her area. Compression initiated fusion detonation devices delivered from orbit would be the means with which this would be accomplished.”

Wow, scorched Earth.

“Are you going to help prevent that Agent?”

“Yes John. That task is now part of my primary directive set,” Agent answered.