Otherlife Nightmares: The Selfless Hero Trilogy (47 page)

Day/Night Cycle=On

Nothing helpful there. Focusing on the “active” part of the command, he changed it slightly to see if there was another list of settings.

/GMHub Inactive Settings

Foliage (L/N/H/E/)=Off

Resource Nodes(L/N/H/E)=Off

Time Differential(.25/.5/.75/1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2)=Off

Wildlife (L/N/H/E)=Off

Weather(L/N/H/E)=Off

/GMHub Settings

Foliage On

Resource Nodes On

Wildlife On

Weather On

Error: Specify Frequency (Low, Normal, High, Extreme)

Change Aborted

/GMHub Settings

Foliage On Normal

Resource Nodes On Extreme

Wildlife On High

Weather On Normal

Looking up from his console, Runner found the immediate area around them was now overrun with mineral deposits, herbs, wild growing food, trees, plants, and between it all he caught glimpses of animals as they bolted into hiding.

“Perfect.” Runner nodded his head. Targeting a few of the nodes, he found they ranged the full spectrum. Gold to copper and everything in between.

“Ohhh, a breeze. That’s lovely, my lord,” Alexia said from beside him. Now that she mentioned it, there was a nice wind blowing through.

A tree had sprouted up in one of the foundations nearby. Runner scratched at his head, a little embarrassed.

“Please apologize to the people for me. I might have gone overboard.”

“Not at all. This is a truly generous bounty. Thank you.”

“Mm. Everyone here deserves their life. Hopefully they can live well here.”

“What would you wish of us?”

“Eh? Uh.” Runner stalled. More and more people noticed him the longer he was here. They might rush him if he stayed too long. He did banish these people after all.

“Live. Be well. Be happy. Enjoy life. Grow.”

“Should we harvest materials for you?”

“Sure. Anything you don’t need you can put aside. I’ll set up some type of collection for it. Truthfully, I can’t think of anything else that you need. Can you think of anything I’ve missed?”

“A source of water would be good. Though other than that I would ask you to visit me regularly.”

“Water? Good point. No fresh water. Let’s see…” Runner answered, his brows drawing down over his eyes. He hadn’t seen any options for water. There was only one command left that related to the GMHub.

/GMHub Palette

Popping up from nothing, a new window appeared. Wide as his view allowed. The options looked like something out of a level editor rather than anything he had expected.

Trees, bushes, mountains, rivers, lakes, ponds. It contained everything it would take to spell out the details of a land. The possibilities were endless.

“Oh, what a lovely thing. I wish I had the time for a real deep dive. How about…” Runner said excitedly. Hovering over an icon for the tool tip it was listed as “flowing river” and nothing else.

He couldn’t deny the excitement he felt. There was always a joy in creation.

Ghostly outlines came into existence on the ground not far from him. The outlines meandered a bit and looked as if they were depicting where the river would be.

Positioning it nearby, he affirmed the outline. Arrows appeared at all the edges and in the inside as the silhouette became more lifelike, filling in with pale colors.

Tapping the outside arrows, he expanded the width of the river until it was a good size. Then he tried the arrow in the center of the river. Much to his surprise it controlled the speed of the water flow. Leaving it as it was, he confirmed the placement again.

A river was now there. There was no warning, no loading, nothing. Closing the palette tool, he turned back to Alexia.

“That should do it. Anything else, Alexia?”

“N-no. No, my lord Runner.”

“Good. As to the second part of your request. I’ll try to visit a lot more often, I promise. At the moment I’m currently engaged in a holy war. I’ll come as I’m able, but I suspect you’ll know when I’m coming when I do. You’ll have a sudden increase of people.”

“Very good. I thank you for my life and this place. I no longer fear it. I will make sure this land fits your desires.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it. Live, Alexia. Keep up the good work. I’m pleased to see you doing so well already,” Runner said, smiling at her.

Turning his head, he faced forward and set about returning to Tirtius.

/GMHub Return

Teleporting…

Runner blinked at the change from sunlight to interior light and found he was still alone in his room.

Taking a seat on the edge of his bed, he tried to relax. He brought war. Banishment. Technology. At least there would be one bright spot in this whole mess. GMHub two would be a place of sanctuary for those Runner could spare.

Even if everything else seemed to be against him.

10:42 am Sovereign Earth time

12/08/43

“They’re pulling us further in. They lose quite a few with every skirmish, where we lose few if any. Tally is already at something around a thousand dead and three hundred prisoners. Though I’d need you to confirm that since the prisoners seem to have vanished,” Faye said archly, looking up at Runner from the map.

“Something like three hundred, yeah. They’re all banished. Alexia, your aide, is handling them. I agree, though, they’re pulling us further in. Very likely to a trap of some sort. Problem is I’m happy to be led for now and chop at their numbers.” Runner leaned back in his chair. Rubbing at his face with his hands, he felt tired. There had been few luxuries since they’d left Barbarian territory. Every town or village they encountered was hostile and had to be avoided or emptied.

Though they did pause long enough to destroy any and every temple to Lambart they found.

Faye looked like she wanted to ask him about Alexia but thought better of it.

“Agreed. I’ve asked Miss Hannah to push her scouts out to a considerable distance. They’re stretched incredibly thin yet…no contacts. Nothing. If it’s a trap, we’re not seeing it.”

“Yeah. Everything I’m getting from the prisoners is much the same. They’re ordered to hit and retreat without any context. What’s the next town?”

“Flyspeck nowhere, I don’t know. Doesn’t matter,” Faye grumped. She folded her arms under her breasts and leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling.

“It’s like they’re burning up their forces to keep us on the hook. All we can do is continue on till they reveal themselves. Which is when we’ll suddenly be dealing with those three hundred thousand you mentioned. Are you certain you can handle them?” Faye asked.

Runner grimaced at that question. He couldn’t very well admit that every diagnostic he ran came back with the medical server being fully operational and working correctly.

He’d experimented with three others and had the same result. Each had their life support terminated. In the end Runner had alerted Srit to the corpses for her people to dispose of or use as they saw fit. He’d worded it as a gift for the continued support of Srit, hoping they’d leave her alone.

“I believe so. We’ll find out when the time comes though I suppose. All reports seem to indicate the same thing. They’re worried about our movements and we’re apparently doing significant harm to our friend. That and the three hundred thousand vanished.”

Faye made a very indelicate noise and slammed one foot down on the table and then crossed her other foot on it.

“Sorry, Sparky. Real limited info.”

The fabric door of the tent slapped open violently and Srit stepped inside. She looked perturbed but often he found her expressions didn’t match her words. She was a poor liar.

“Runner.”

“Ho’ there, my dear Sunshine. What can I do you for?”

“I don’t understand. Are you propositioning me?”

“Errr, sorry. Poor phrase choice. What can I do for you?”

“The Omega have decided to bring the main server down.”

Runner sat upright and felt his brain screech to a halt.

“I assume that means everything would turn off.”

“Yeah, that sums it up.”

“What can I do? Can I talk to them?”

“Yes. Though I’ll have to do heavy modifications to the code of your pod. Would you allow it?”

Runner felt his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth.

Do I trust her? She is the actual embodiment of doomsday scenarios. What if she sabotages my pod? Or ejects me? What if…

Does it matter? If they shut down the server it’s all over. Money where your mouth is, Runner.

“Of course, Sunshine. What do you need?”

“Permission. Passwords and logins.”

Runner felt his face twitch but he opened an email and sent her all his credentials. Either he’d be slammed out of his pod like a steamed vegetable or she’d do as she said.

“One minute.”

“Sunshine, what’s your role in this?”

“I’m the one shutting down the server.”

“Wait, why? Srit, I don’t understand.”

“They’re ordering me to.”

“And? You’re your own person, you don’t have to do this.”

“It’s my programming.”

“You’re beyond your programming, damn it!”

“Complete. Loading.”

“Srit, wait no!”

Runner was in a virtual space that’d been forced onto his consciousness. In front of him was a bank of screens and a keyboard.

He could see out of several dozen cameras on the screens. In each view he saw humanoid shapes in full-coverage garb that looked like lab clothes.

They were probably afraid of the possibility of contaminating the ship. That or becoming contaminated from the ship. Full bio-containment was the duty uniform.

A few cameras had clearly been set up in the building itself. Looking into each he found they spanned what looked to be an elaborate building plan.

Type into the keyboard. They will hear everything.

“Sunshine, can you hear me?”

Yes.

“Why are you doing this? Do you want me to die? Do you want everyone to cease to exist?”

No. It’s my programming.

“Do you want to see me deleted?” Runner asked aloud, hearkening back to a conversation they’d had previously. It felt like years and years ago.

No. I don’t. I don’t want to see you harmed. This is why you’re here.

“And if I fail to dissuade them from this course of action?” Runner asked, feeling like a spigot had been jammed into his heart and his soul was pouring out.

Srit didn’t respond. Clearly he’d hit the right button but instead of replying she was silent.

Runner shook his head sadly and laid his hands on the keyboard.

“Greetings. I am Runner Norwood. Captain and last officer.”

As one, every person in the room had a startle reflex. One even crumpled to the ground and lay unmoving.

“Hello?” came an unsteady voice. Musical in quality and tone, it did at least sound humanoid.

“Greetings. May I speak with someone in charge? I understand you’re considering ending the lives of my crew.”

“Ah…well. Uh.”

“Take me to your leader.”

He watched in the cameras as people scurried and all corners of the base became a hive of activity.

A handful of them deeper in rushed into what could only be an office and surrounded what he assumed was a person of authority. That person turned to what looked like a gray pyramid on their desk and caressed it.

They’re trying to shut down your access.

“I see. Sounds like they don’t even want to speak with me.”

They fear you.

“Yeah, me and my band of human lunch meat leftovers. Real scary.”

Were word to get out, a great conservation movement would undoubtedly be spawned. Many feel their ancestors were rash in exterminating their progenitors.

“Government cover-up. Black out the server. Wipe us from it. Reload. Claim a terrorist attack or an antigovernment movement.”

Yes. There is quite a bit of truth in that statement. There are already data files and press conference releases in place to that effect.

“Sounds like this is pointless then. I’m sorry, Sunshine. I’m afraid they’re not going to give me the chance to speak. This is the end of the road and everything has already been signed off on.”

Runner sat his virtual self down and then laid himself flat on the ground.

“A pity. I wanted to see more of the world. Explore. Build a home. See what I could do. I mean, I still want to get everyone out but…it felt like home there. Doesn’t matter. How long do I have?”