Post-Human Series Books 1-4 (15 page)

26

“Ho-ly hell,” Colonel Paine whispered as he regarded the extent of the damage to the front deck of the
Titanic
. He stood, legs slightly crouched, rifle at the ready along with Lieutenant Drummey and Sergeant Degrechie, who stood identically postured. “Keep your eyes peeled, boys. This ain’t gonna be easy.”

On the bridge, Craig blinked a few times before he was sure that the ripple had passed. He’d never experienced a phenomenon like it. It was like being in a dream that wasn’t his,
as though the universe was sleeping
. The rest of the men on the bridge were equally discombobulated.

“We’ve been drugged,” Ismay finally said. “That’s how he’s doing it. He’s not flying. This is a shared hallucination, gentlemen.”

Craig grinned. “This guy just doesn’t give up.”

“Craig, the ripple effect does not reach further than a few dozen meters,” the A.I. warned. “Whoever has just entered this universe must be near.”

“Copy,” Craig replied. He turned and paced to the front of the bridge, looking out over the front deck. Immediately, he saw the three super soldiers, the leader stepping off of a silver Planck platform. “Found ‘em.”

“Super soldiers,” the A.I. noted. “Craig, this is very dangerous. We need to vacate immediately.”

“Wait a second,” Craig suddenly said as he watched the leader cautiously lead his men away from the platform. “Is that...? No, it can’t be.”

“Craig, we need to go. If Purist super soldiers are here, it means the facility has been overrun.”

“Hang on,” Craig said as he jogged out of the bridge and to the rail of the upper deck to get an unobscured view. “No. Hey, I know this guy.” Craig began running down the stairs toward the lower deck, heading straight for Colonel Paine.

“Craig! They will kill us!” the A.I. shouted in protest.

“No they won’t. I know him,” Craig repeated before running into his own magnetic field as the A.I. threw it up in front of him. “Ah! What the hell?”

“Think about what you’re doing, Craig. You are approaching a man whose chief aim is the destruction of strong artificial intelligence, and you have
a strong artificial intelligence implanted in your head. This will not go well.”

“Remember that little talk we had about free will?”

“I remember, but—”

“Then trust me,” Craig said as he lowered his magnetic field and continued on his way toward his former commanding officer.

“You’re risking both of our lives,” the A.I. continued to protest.

“This is why you haven’t been able to pass the Turing test yet, my friend. You don’t know people. I do. Trust me. This guy won’t try to kill us.”

“Holy hell,” Colonel Paine repeated once again as a ghost strolled toward him. “I
have got
to be seeing things.”

“Colonel Paine,” Craig said as he stood to attention and saluted.

“Doc Emilson?” Paine replied, disbelieving.

“Yes, sir. It’s good to see you, sir.”

Paine took a moment to assess the situation before lowering his weapon and relaxing his posture. “Lower your weapons, boys,” he ordered the other two soldiers under his command. “This here’s a real live hero.”

Craig smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

“What the hell are you doing here, Doc? We came looking for an artificial intelligence. You were the last person I was expecting to see here.”

“I could say the same thing about you, sir. Yesterday I was talking to you at Cannon Air Force Base, and now I’m here.”

“Yesterday? Doc, that was—”

“Fourteen years ago. I know.”

“Doc,” Paine said, reaching up with his clawed prostheses and scratching under his helmet, “you’re gonna have to explain this to me nice and slow.”

“Of course, sir. But, sir, if you wouldn’t mind, do you think we could talk this out over a cookie? I’m starving.”

Paine cocked his head to the side as he mulled Craig’s unexpected request. He turned to the giant wall of deck wood that had been thrown up in the collision and then to the curious bystanders who milled about, watching the proceedings with fascination, albeit from a safe distance. Then he turned back to Craig. “Sure. A cookie sounds good.”

27

Craig sat in a wicker chair by the fire in the smoking room, a tray of cookies sitting next to him as he finished spooning the last of his baked apples into his mouth. The three Purists sat with him, forming a semicircle. Paine faced the fire directly, while Craig’s left side was illuminated by the warming glow. He’d retrieved his jacket, and it was now laid out on the floor, drying quickly next to the flames.

“More tea, sir?” asked an attendant, who politely waited on the strange quartet. Craig nodded enthusiastically and held his cup up for the man to refill. Paine stared at the man and wondered what he must have thought. The whole scenario was surreal for everyone involved, yet there was a strange acceptance. The ship had crashed, and bizarrely clad soldiers had suddenly appeared, yet life, somehow, went on. Craig, who had the right to claim he was the most out-of-place person in the room—a man out of time twice over—seemed the least disturbed by the current circumstances as he devoured his sweets.

“More tea, sir?” the attendant asked Paine.

Paine looked up at him with his cybernetic eyes, which, along with the crosshatch of stretch marks and scars, caused the attendant to recoil slightly. “No thank you,” Paine said as he attempted to force a slight smile for the sake of manners. The attendant nodded and moved on to Drummey and Degrechie.

Craig dipped a chocolate cookie in his tea and then took a large bite, chewing enthusiastically. “The cookies of the past were much better,” he noted in the brief moment between swallowing and taking his next bite. He pointed to the tray to offer one to Paine.

Paine waved it away. “Thanks, Doc. Ate before I came. You, on the other hand, look like you haven’t eaten in fourteen years.”

Craig shook his head. “Nah. I fell in the water. Long story, but I need to get my glucose levels back up.”

“Ah,” Paine nodded. “Smart.” Paine turned his head and watched as the attendant left the room. “So, you were explaining how you came to be here.”

“Yes. It’s going to sound crazy, though.”

“What doesn’t these days? Try me.”

“Well, like I said, to me, it was just yesterday that I was doing my SOLO jump over Shenzhen. The next thing I knew, I was waking up and my wife was holding my hand. Then she told me fourteen years had past while I’d been in suspended animation.”

“Heh,” Paine responded, nodding. “That explains it. Your body was preserved in one of those S.A. body bags. Little did we know when we returned what was left of you to her that she was going to try to put Humpty Dumpty back together.”

“Well, apparently she managed. The technology they have in their facility is off the charts, Colonel. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Craig paused for a moment as he gestured toward the cybernetic prostheses that the super soldiers sported. “Well, not until now anyway.”

“Doc, I hate to bring it up. But did your wife make you aware of her current marital status?” Paine asked.

Craig’s mouth turned down at the mention of his wife. He nodded. “Yeah. She told me.”

Paine sat back in his chair and shook his head as he watched the crackling fire. “That’s cold, man. You have my sympathies.”

“Thanks, Colonel,” Craig replied. He was about to say something else, but words failed him. There was really nothing that could be said on a subject that was still so tender. He shook his head and took another bite of his cookie.

“So how did you end up here?” Paine inquired further.

“When you arrived at the facility, Aldous Gibson hatched a plan to send my wife and I through the Planck machine with the A.I. in an attempt to evade you. They were convinced that your intention was to kill everyone in the facility and destroy the A.I. I agreed to go through the Planck to protect my wife, but at the last moment, she knocked me out and sent me through the machine alone.”

“So, are you telling me you’re not here willingly?” Paine asked.

“No,” Craig replied. “I want to go back home as soon as possible, sir.”

“I figured as much,” Paine replied. He turned to Drummey and Degrechie. “You see? He’s a good soldier.”

“Were you able to convince Aldous to tell you where we were?” Craig asked.

“No. Aldous Gibson is currently a fugitive from justice.”

Craig was momentarily in disbelief. “And Samantha as well?”

“No. We were able to capture her,” Paine said, trying to keep his face stone still.

“You mean,” Craig said, astounded, “he
left
her there?”

“Affirmative,” Paine answered before taking a sip of his tea.

“Goddamn. I knew he was a coward.”

Paine grinned. “You and I are on the same page on that one, Doc.”

“So, was Samantha the one that told you where the A.I. was?”

“No,” Paine replied. “She was...uncooperative. A Professor Sanha Cho was able to fill us in. He set the Planck machine so that we could attempt to apprehend the A.I. Heh. He told us it would probably be carried by a robot. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see
you
here.”

Craig nodded. “I’m sorry about Sam, Colonel. It’s like she’s been brainwashed.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t—it was like I was talking to a different person.”

Paine shifted in his chair. “It’s not my place to say, Doc, but from what I remember, she had a disloyalty streak fourteen years ago too.”

Craig’s neck snapped upward, and his eyes met Paine’s. As hurtful as it was to hear someone denigrate his wife, he had to admit that there was some truth to what Paine said. “If you don’t mind, sir, when we get back, I’d like to spend some time with her.”

Paine kept his face perfectly still as Craig continued to speak.

“I think I could convince her to see things in a different light. It might take a while, but eventually, I think she could see reason. I’d like to try anyway, sir.”

Paine’s face remained frozen for a second longer than it should have before he finally forced a smile. “Sure. You do that. Do whatever you think is right.”

“Craig,” the A.I. suddenly interjected, “I’m registering an 85 percent chance that he’s lying to you.”

Craig heard the A.I. but tried not to react.
Lying to me about what?
he thought.
About Sam?

“So, sir, were you able to apprehend most of the post-humans in the facility? Were there any casualties?”

“None. It was pretty textbook. We’ve got a few that managed to get through our perimeter, but we’ll pick ‘em up in the next day or so.”

“94 percent chance that was a lie,” the A.I. informed, “and I’m certain that if I could measure his pupil dilation, the percentage would go up. He’s lying to you.”

“So,” Paine began, quickly changing the subject, “is the A.I. on your person? Did they give you a hard drive or something?”

“That’s the thing,” Craig replied, “there’s no hard drive. They injected it into me.”

“What do you mean?” Paine asked, his head cocking to the side.

“They uploaded it into nanobots—they call them nans—and it attached itself to my brain. I’m in communication with it as we speak.”

“Ho-ly hell. Isn’t that something?” Paine turned to his right and nodded to Drummey, who had his neutralizer sitting in his lap. Drummey pulled the trigger, and a blast of rotating frequencies hit Craig, knocking the teacup out of his hand and spilling it to the ground.

He groaned. “What the hell was that?” he asked as his mind’s eye fluttered in and out before finally stabilizing.

“They’ve temporarily disabled your MTF generator,” the A.I. replied.

“Sorry, Doc,” Paine casually said. “I trust you.” He tapped his temple with his finger. “It’s what’s in there that I don’t trust. We’ve neutralized that generator you’ve got in your spine so that we can get you home without any interference from the rider you’ve got. When we get you back, we can get to work getting that thing safely out of you. No hard feelings, right?”

Craig looked up from his doubled over position and nodded. “I suppose it’s...understandable.”

“Good man. Okay. Correct me if I am wrong, but it’s my understanding that you’re scheduled to be in this particular universe for ten hours. Yes?”

“That’s accurate.” Craig groaned as he struggled to right himself in his seat.

“And how long have you been here so far?”

“Nearly two hours,” Craig replied.

Paine nodded. “And this ship takes about two hours to sink, am I right?”

“In our universe, yes, but—”

“And how long ago was the collision with the iceberg?”

“About twenty minutes ago,” Craig replied, “but the ship’s not sinking.”

Paine’s eyebrows knitted above his computerized eyes. “What?”

“The
Titanic
isn’t sinking. It rammed the iceberg head on. The collision damaged the hull but didn’t breach it. We’re safe. Everyone is safe.”

Paine stood to his feet, suddenly alarmed. “Are you telling me that even after all that damage, this ship isn’t going down?”

“Affirmative, sir,” Craig replied, smiling. “I pushed the ship straight on into the iceberg. The A.I. said that was the best way to keep the ship from foundering.”

“The A.I.,” Paine replied with a sneer. “Of course. Of course it would say that.” The colonel paced away from the trio of men and left them sitting in their chairs for a few moments as he mulled over his next move. His cybernetic hand stroked his chin as he worked his way through the scenario, moving toward the correct strategic decision. Finally, he turned to the men and announced, “Men, we have to sink this ship.”

“What?” Craig reacted, astounded. “Why?”

“Doc,” Paine began with a sigh, “I respect you. I respect the hell outta you. You always put the lives of others before your own. I wish more soldiers had your qualities.”

“90 percent chance that he’s being honest,” the A.I. noted.

“However, this is one of those extremely rare instances when saving the lives of thousands of innocent people comes at the cost of putting the lives of innumerable other people at risk.”

“Sir, with all due respect—”

“Think about the consequences of your actions,” Paine said, cutting Craig off. “You’ve altered the natural history of this timeline.”

“Natural?”

“Not only are you keeping the 1,500 people who are supposed to die tonight alive, causing a cascading effect that can’t be measured, but you’ve also managed to make your presence known to everyone on this damn ship. I even saw a kid on the deck with a damn camera. Do you realize that if this ship makes it into port, our picture is going to be on the cover of every major newspaper in the world?”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“Doc!” Paine suddenly shouted. “We’ve exposed these people to technology a century and a half ahead of where they currently are. You even left your jacket in this room while you were off playing superhero. What if someone had taken it while you were gone and examined the tech? What if they succeed in reengineering it? I mean, for Christ’s sake, son, for a soldier who’s supposed to be trained in covert insertions, you’ve been clumsy as all hell. And don’t think I didn’t notice that handcuff you’ve got around your wrist. You’ve been into all kinds of trouble already.”

“None of this means that people should die,” Craig continued to protest. “Just so we can protect the ‘natural history’ of this timeline, whatever that means!”

“Jesus,” Paine grunted in frustration as he pulled out his neutralizer and fired at Craig’s midsection. Craig groaned and doubled over once again. “Doc, they’ve got
pictures
of the Planck platform. They saw us appear out of nowhere. What if they use those pictures to develop Planck technology? What if they use it to interfere in other universes, just as you have? How would you feel knowing that you’d spread that can of worms throughout the multiverse? Knowing that, because of you, people from another universe could enter ours and manipulate it for their own ends?”

“It’s all what-ifs!” Craig suddenly yelled, exasperated as he struggled to stand. “All of it! You’re willing to kill over 2,000 people because you’re afraid bad things
might
happen if you don’t?”

Paine stood straight, his mouth slightly open as his golden eyes burned into Craig. “I’m not going to hold this against you, Doc,” he said in a low voice, trying to remain calm and affect an understanding tone. “You’re understandably confused right now. For all I know, the A.I. might be manipulating your thinking.”

“The A.I. has nothing to do with it. This is all me, Colonel. You can’t kill these people. It would be...monstrous!”

“Monstrous?” Paine suddenly lost his cool and strode toward Craig, clutching the front of his shirt with his powerful prosthetic arm and lifting him, jamming Craig’s back against the hot mahogany above the mantel of the fireplace. “No, Doc, let me tell you about monstrous. Monstrous is creating a species that could wipe out humanity! Monstrous is interfering with the timeline of another universe! Monstrous is unilaterally deciding that
you
have the right to play God! Well, Doc, there’s only one true God, and He planned for this ship to go down. Who the hell are you or I to decide different?” Paine released Craig and let him slide down to the ground, where he stumbled to his knees in front of the fire. “So what’s it going to be, Doc? Are you with us or against us? Am I going to have a problem with you?”