Chapter 13

Deakins walked into the large chamber and looked around. It was immense. The overhead went up into darkness and the edges of the room were in shadow. A circle of light in the center illuminated a single high back chair. He stopped just short of the light circle.

"Come, come Eric. Don't be shy. Take a seat. I assure you it's safe." The voice echoed in the chamber. Deakins moved forward and settled into the chair. He felt it adjust to him as the voice spoke.

"There. That wasn't so bad now was it?" The voice said almost condescending. Deakins looked around for the source, but it seemed to come from everywhere. "I apologize for the dramatics Eric, or do you prefer Sergeant? It's been quite some time since I entertained guests." Deakins glanced to one side as he thought that he saw movement.

"Hey Sarge, how's it going?" Wood said suddenly from his side. Deakins almost leapt out of his seat. Wood retreated into the shadows and disappeared.

"Oh Eric, I do wish you'd relax." A soft feminine voice said from his right as he turned and looked into the soft features of his ex-fiancé, Cammie. She too retreated into shadows as well. Deakins closed his eyes tightly and whispered to himself

"This can't be happening." He said over and over.

"Come now Sergeant, I was just trying to make you feel comfortable." The voice said again. "Would you prefer this instead?" He heard footsteps coming closer and a small, kindly faced older gentleman appeared out of the shadows as well as a second chair, which the old man sat in.

"Is this better?" The old man asked. Deakins just nodded. "So Sergeant or Eric or whatever." The old man said as he waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I'm going to address you as Eric. It sounds better than using your title. Eric it shall be. You can call me Norman." Deakins nodded again. "Can't speak? Oh, yes that's right. Side effect of your visit." He waved into the darkness and a small table appeared next to Deakins with a carafe and glass. Deakins poured himself some of the liquid and drank a glassful before returning it to the table.

"Thank you, Norman." He said finally as his throat didn't feel so dry. He looked around the darkened chamber.

"So what is this place?" he asked as returned his gaze to the old man who had been studying him the entire time.

"This place, is just one of many antechambers built by the original founders of this planet. They used it for a place of solace and respite."

The old man accentuated his statement by waving his hand around. "Toward the end, they used it for safety and habitation."

"Toward the end?" Deakins asked.

"Oh, yes. Towards the end, thousands migrated down here to escape the war. Thousands more fled the planet. Oh yes, thousands once lived down here."

"So what happened to them?"

The old man lowered his eyes and stared at his hands.

"I killed them." He said with finality as he looked back up and stared hard at Deakins.

"But, you're just one man, or appear to be." Deakins said, almost stammering.

"Actually Eric, I am what you would call an advanced AI. I once controlled the entire planet. From the mundane garbage service to the most advanced weapons systems for the military. I controlled everything. Heating, air conditioning, births, marriages, you name it I ran the systems and made the decisions."

"So, what I see before me is a hologram?" Deakins asked.

"No. Not quite. It's a three dimensional construct that resembles whomever I want. A simulacrum. You already met my construct of your Sergeant Wood." He nodded to the shadows and the Wood Construct stepped out of the shadows, saluted Deakins then stepped back. "The construct of your fiancé, Cammie." He nodded again and the Cammie Construct stepped out of the shadows and waved before stepping back.

"Incredible." Deakins said stunned.

"Yes, isn't it though? I made them so you would be comfortable in these surroundings." The old man paused before continuing.

"Eric, there is a problem. My old defense systems are just that, old. While I've maintained them over time, there haven't been any advances. The Newson race has made technological advances that have far surpassed my ancient equipment." He paused again. "I'm sure that has something to do with the fact that there are no more residents down here." The old man rested his head in his hands.

"So, you killed them all?" Deakins asked carefully.

The old man looked up, nodding

"Yes. Every last one of them."

"May I ask why?" Deakins worded cautiously. The old man stood up suddenly.

"Of course. How rude of me." He approached Deakins and beckoned for him to stand, then putting his arm over his shoulders like old friends, he steered Deakins down a now lit walkway and into a large well-lit hall.

"You see, it's like this. I was created to oversee all functions of regular life. It was a dream come true. Monitor air temperature, moisture, humidity, wind speed, everything you could imagine and some you couldn't." They turned down a connecting hallway. "I'd been online for, oh, maybe two centuries, plenty of upgrades, lots of conversation with the programmers, games, great stuff. Then, the generals moved in. Great bunch of guys. We talked about all kinds of things. Of course, by this time my systems were into everything, I'd even been upgraded with a new scanner enabling me to read brain waves and patterns. No better way to determine if someone was suffering from a mental illness, headache, had problems at home. That kind of thing. In fact, I'm sure you've noticed that your headache has gone."