Mind Mapping, Part 5: Escape
Steve quickly looked around, and saw some pillars in the darkness. He dove behind it just as the door swung open. He could hear the Drones stomping in, but dared not look around the corner to see for himself.
One exclaimed in shock at the sight of the empty chair. “Fold it all! Where did the prisoner go? How is the EPIC still causing trouble if he’s not still connected??”
The other Drone could be heard slapping the first upside the head. “You idiot! That’s always been the problem. It replicates and spreads along networks, then self destructs before being quarantined! We need the original to figure out how to use it! Now, secure the room!”
He could hear the two spreading out and stalking around the room. There were other hiding spaces besides the pillars they had to check, so Steve for the moment had the upper hand. But they were still between him and the door. He didn’t have any weapons on his current body, and he lacked any kind of martial arts training. His mind raced, searching for a solution.
A message appeared, which he now understood was from the shadowy rogue AI, given the crazy format. HEYA, Here’s an idea. How about the GHOST PROTOCOL?
Steve considered it. It sounded like some kind of stealth program, so he accepted. He did not get what he bargained for.
He saw red as he charged from behind his hiding place, grabbing one of the Drones by the arm, bending it behind him in some kind of grappling move. The other one yelled as he attempted to impale Steve, who used his captive as a human shield to be stabbed in his stead. He kicked the injured Drone into the attacker, and picked up a sword the first had dropped. To his shock, he paused to run his finger across the blade, as if he was momentarily transfixed by the sharpness of the killing implement.
The one he had knocked over with his makeshift human shield managed to push the victim off of him, and pull out his own sword with which to charge at Steve. Steve almost absentmindedly blocked swing after swing, making complex sword maneuvers he didn’t understand. The other Drone grew more terrified, until the point at which Steve’s homicidal body saw an opening and took it, cutting off both arms and a leg from the other Drone.
Steve saw another message appear. Total system compromise detected. Restoring control systems… Complete. Please verify control before proceeding with further action. As he expected, he could move his own body again, but his arms shook uncontrollably with the shock of unwittingly mortally wounding two attackers.
“What the hell was that?! I thought ghost meant QUIET!”
The AI responded. SHHHH! Geez, use your surface thoughts, don’t talk so loooud! It was a mental pattern based off Ghost, as in the Gatekeeper. What year is it? Is he still around? Whatever, doesn’t matter. Go grab that disembodied arm.
Steve walked over, picking up the arm. Though it was only metal and circuits, it still felt extremely morbid. “Ok… what-”
SURFACE THOUGHTS!
Fine, geez… what do you expect me to do with this?
A schematic appeared in his vision, creating a holographic series of instructions. They were incredibly advanced, and Steve just blinked before responding. There is no way I’m going to figure that out before more people show up.
UGH! Just let me drive, then. I’m starting to get the impression you don’t really want to live…
Another alert message with a confirmation button appeared. <Insert non-placeholder text here>
At this point Steve was rolling his eyes, as he found himself accepting yet another ambiguous request. His hands moved with lightning speed, breaking down and reassembling the arm into something resembling a gun. Except instead of having a barrel and chamber, it looked like a futuristic energy pistol, having a satellite dish on the end as if was going to broadcasting signals. It had a cable that ran off of it, that Steve saw his hand grab hold of. Now, brace yourself Steve… this won’t be pleasant.
The chamber to his core opened, and Steve’s hand stabbed the end of the cable into it, causing a great deal of pain and his vision to blur and shake for several torturous moments. Dang it, EPIC!
Epic?
That’s the name these criminals gave you. Want to tell me your actual name so I can use that?
...Eh, no, actually. Epic is acceptable. Now let’s go… you’ve got everything you need.
What do you mean? What do you expect me to do with this?
More hostile Drones walked through the open door, and began charging at Steve. Steve, still not in complete control again, pointed his device at the attackers and pressed the makeshift trigger. He felt a slight fatigue as a lightning bolt struck the group, sending them all flying back and landing limply in the outside hall. Steve was stunned, but not as much as the other Drones he was suddenly forced into fighting against. Though some had a similar attack they used against him, just like Bob was able to throw electricity around, Steve found these strikes were not even close in terms of impact. They were broad and unfocused, while his was like a precision strike.
Total system compromise detected. Restoring control systems… Complete. Please verify control before proceeding with further action. Now that he had control again, he stormed down the halls with his makeshift gun blazing at anything trying to stop him. As he explored, Steve found himself on a walkway. Down below was a large amount of scrapped technology. Smiling, he vaulted over the railing into the pile below. It was stressful building while under possible threat of fire, but he managed to outfit himself with entirely knew legs; these built using tank treads, and allowing him to move much more quickly in the flat halls.
Epic commented on Steve’s handiwork. Hmm… your welding work is sloppy, and the power conversion rates are subpar at best, but overall it’s not bad. There might be hope for you yet.
Steve couldn’t help but feel like the text in his head was being condescending, but he wasn’t interested in arguing with it while fleeing for his life. He rolled along now at high speeds, firing rapidly at any who tried to stop him. He stopped suddenly at a door via Epic’s instruction, noting it was labeled Deep Storage.
He broke down the door, causing more noise, but he was very far past any attempts at stealth. There he saw Jane, entire body screwed and bolted into a complex frame that appeared to normally hold unoccupied Drone chassis. What do you think, Epic? Can we get her out of this?
Epic was completely silent, making Steve wonder if he had been completely disabled. Then, he spoke very quickly through a rapid series of messages. Ok, here’s the deal. She’s bolted in pretty thoroughly and completely disabled, it’s going to take us too long to take her whole body with us. But that device I made for you has another function. Flip the switch, and shoot her core with it.
WHAT? Are you insane? That’ll kill here!
No, it won’t. Drone cores are made to withstand more than just a power surge, but that’s not even what the gun will do. Just flip the switch.
Steve flipped the switch, and took aim after opening Jane’s core compartment. He had trusted the AI so far, so it felt uncharitable and overly paranoid to think it had ulterior motives at this point. An electric beam fired out of the gun, but it glowed a softer blue instead of the previous blue tinted white. The beam was also more gentle, for lack of a better word, instead of the violent blasts the gun previously fired. After a moment, it vanished, and the light had gone out of Jane’s exposed core entirely.
Epic! What did it do? Kill her???
...Steve?
Steve recognized the voice, not showing up in text like Epic had been using. JANE!?
Steve, what’s going on? Where am I- OH MY GOD. AM I... IN YOUR CORE?!
Epic chimed in. Jane, welcome to the get-the-rift-outta-here express, population: three. Or two? I’m not sure I really count. Anyhoo, times awastin’. Get a move on, Steve.
Steve did as he was told, put off by the now crowded headspace he joint-occupied as he rolled along at high speeds down the halls while Jane and Epic talked incessantly.
WHAT THE RIFT ARE YOU?
I’m an AI, lol. I figured you knew that.
AI aren’t supposed to act like you are… well, acting! What is your designation? Who made you and why?
Um… classified?
Don’t give me that!
Listen, Jane… can I call you Jane? Janet? Janelliette? Well, I’m calling you Jane, like it or not. Things are far, FAR more complicated than you might think. This is something going back, I kid you not, CENTURIES. And I’m not gonna blow the whole thing because you and Steve are a bit curious.
But… why are you helping us, then?
Steve managed to trigger me, so anytime he needs it I’ll help out best I can. It’s not like I have anything better to do. All I’m doing right now is waiting.
...waiting for what?
Classified.
Steve finally couldn’t take it anymore, shooting one more Drone before continuing his mad dash. Could both of you quiet down?! It’s really distracting!
After some much appreciated silence, Steve found a double door with light pouring through built in windows. But he dove for cover when he saw how many Drones had fortified positions around it, firing many bolts of lightning as suppression fire.
Epic swore. By the seven! How big of a criminal empire is this? I leave Tempora to its own devices for a decade, and THIS is what happens? Wait a minute… a decade? That’s how long ago I last connected to the main system? Oh. Well… that makes sense, then.
Steve would have been sweating under the pressure if he was physically capable of it. Instead, his body was venting heat with cooling fans whirring away. “Options, Epic? I don’t think we can push our way through and survive...”
Well, I HAD a plan, but I didn’t factor in this many combatants. I hope Copper doesn’t-
An explosion erupted from the direction of the door while Steve was still reading, and he heard it followed by frantic shouting. He peered around the side to see not just Spoon and several other battle ready Drones who looked like they were on his side, but also Copper fully engulfed in fire and hunched over like she was on the prowl. If Steve was given the task of describing what a demon looked like, Copper would have fit the description very closely in her current state.
Copper roared, filling the chamber with fire. Steve tried to shield himself from the fire as it flowed around him, but the intense heat was already beginning to melt his frame, his cooling system going to overdrive as one of the fans failed completely. Warning: System Overheating. Cooling system experiencing several points of failure. After the initial flames died down, he stood up and waved. “Copper! Don’t roast me! I’m over here!”
Copper gave him a look, the burning rage leaving her eyes only for a second as she acknowledged him. Now armed with the knowledge that she couldn’t simply burn down the whole room, she scrambled off almost on all fours as she clawed and threw fire at any and every criminal Drone she found. She even used her tail as a kind of makeshift whip, smashing Drones against walls or off of walkways. Spoon and the other volunteer Drones helped get Steve out and fight off the other combatants, but everyone involved was startled by Copper’s ferocity. She acted like a frenzied predator, not letting even direct hits of lightning slow her down in the slightest.
As more volunteers and even some Gatekeepers arrived, the battle was quickly concluded. The criminals that survived were systematically apprehended, and both Steve and Jane were brought their old repaired bodies by Bin himself.
Copper stuck close to Steve, glaring at anyone who wandered to close until they backed away. She held onto his arm with both of her own protectively, as if she was afraid he would wander away. Her tail instinctively wrapped around one his legs, which he needed to keep kicking off. “Copper, thanks for the rescue, but I’m fine. You can let go now. How did you find me, anyways?”
She spoke much less enthusiastically than normal, as if she was on the verge of falling asleep. “The blurry guy told me where to find you, and also told me to get help. I just told Bob the location and ran all the way here, I didn’t want to wait for anyone else… It was just coincidence they were able to catch up.”
Spoon hovered nearby, giving Copper a wary glance as she did the same to him. “Yeah, you can thank me for that. By the way, Copper… you’re terrifying when you really lose your temper. And Steve, it looks like you’ve got a personal guardian now, like it or not.”
Steve did not like it. He wanted Copper to be free, not merely under a different master.