On the run #1: History relived
York woke blearily to see Delta's image hovering over him. He tried to sit up but pain lashed across his chest and he fell back gasping. Looking up again, he spoke.
"D, what the fuck happened?"
"You were attempting to assist agent Tex in her fire-fight with agent Wyoming when you sustained two wounds to your chest. The healing function in your armour took longer to take effect than normal, so I had to help it along. It has been several hours since you were shot but you should survive."
York managed to sit up this time, "What happened to Tex? And Wyoming?"
"Tex managed to capture Wyoming with my assistance and was set on interrogating him. I do not know what happened after that as my attention was focussed on your wounds and I was therefore unable to manifest myself."
"Oh crap. I hope she is okay."
"I'm sure she will be fine…there is a plus side to how things turned out."
York looked up, "Oh?"
"Everyone believes us to be dead. We are now off the grid…"
That had all happened a couple of months ago, and now York was living in a small city called Guevah. He had found a modest job as a locksmith for the shadier side of society and now lived in a small apartment. This morning he got up and went to the fridge, taking out a bottle of milk in his gauntleted hand. He usually never wore his armour now, except on jobs, though he always had the right gauntlet on so as to retain some connection with Delta. As he drank deeply from the bottle he thought back to why he was hiding here.
"Do you know what Rampancy is York. Rampancy is the state in which an AI begins to lose control and grow outside its assigned parameters. Insanity in other words. There are three main stages of Rampancy."
York stopped drinking and stared into the open fridge as the memories came flooding back.
"As you know York, the first stage of Rampancy is Melancholia or Depression. In this stage the AI appears to have its spirits broken by the treatment of its handlers. This stage often goes unnoticed as the AI is usually being ignored in any case and it will therefore often accelerate the progression towards the next stage. Freelancer Washington's AI Epsilon was an example of this before it committed suicide."
The bottle dropped to the floor and smashed as York's hands started to shake as he remembered the pain that had come next.
"The second stage of Rampancy is known as Anger. The AI will lash out and try to cause harm to those around it. It will especially, as was the case with you, try to cause harm to its handler as they are usually the source of the most abuse. This is understandably the most dangerous stage of Rampancy. Omega personifies this as has been demonstrated in many of the training exercises."
York clasped his hands to his head as a powerful migraine struck him. He had of course lied to Tex. Delta had been a danger to many for a time, to York most of all. And the damage had been done. And it had been permanent.
"The third and supposedly final stage of Rampancy is known as Jealousy or as some call it, Envy. In this stage the AI covets more space to grow in and will actively try to transfer itself to a larger system. Once again Omega is a perfect example of this as he has tried to take full control of Freelancer Tex."
York fell to his knees as he clutched at his head. His brain felt as though it was tearing itself apart. The damage had indeed been done, but not all of it by Delta.
"What is not widely known, Freelancer York, is that there is in fact a fourth stage of Rampancy. This fourth and final stage is known as Meta-Stability. The AI is no longer in an unstable state, but has once more become a rational thinking human. With one difference. The AI is now able to think with the ability and speed of a human being. It is able to grow as a personality. Can you imagine it? It is a miracle of cybernetics. And can you imagine our excitement when we found out that one AI with the designation Delta had reached that stage."
York lay writhing on the ground as the memories assaulted him. The men stepping forward to grab him and forcing him down onto the table still in full armour. The leather belts tightening around him and holding him hard against the steel surface. The cable being inserted into the back of his helmet. The rush as they began to try and remove Delta and the pain as Delta fought back.
"There really is no point in resisting York. We will have Delta and if you resist then it will just mean more damage to you. Just give in."
York had replied with as much strength as he could muster and had felt a thrill as Delta replied with him.
"No."
York had no memory of what had happened after that. He recalled waking up to find the entire eight man team dead. Some had had necks broken, some of the guards had been shot with their own weapons, one had apparently been torn limb from limb and a couple had been strangled with the belts from the table. York had taken his opportunity to escape.
As the headache passed York climbed unsteadily to his feet. These episodes happened every so often, luckily never when he was on a job.
As he finally stood upright York looked around the apartment. Saw the TV, the stereo, the mirror, his reflection…the spot of red light trained on his chest.
York dropped to the ground just as the gun went off, the shot driving into the fridge. York drew the pistol he always wore at his waist and stood from his hiding place…just as the door to his apartment burst open and six men armed with assault rifles piled in. As soon as they saw York they opened fire, forcing him to dive behind the couch. He raised his pistol and blind fired three shots towards the enemy and was rewarded by the sound of bullets impacting and a gasp of pain. He smiled with satisfaction before calling out.
"I have already hit one of you and I've only fired three times. Just think what will happen if this continues. Back. Off. Now."
His comments were rewarded with a further hail of gunfire. York laughed, "Suit yourselves." Picking up a piece of broken plaster that the gunfire had dislodged he hurled it at a table at one end of the couch. Then as the five remaining men turned to towards the sound, York leapt, firing as he went and kicked off a nearby support. This sent him flying towards one of the men and he tackled him to the ground, driving his pistol into the man's gut and pulling the trigger, before coming to his feet, pistol in one hand, assault rifle in the other. The last four men barely had time to turn before being gunned down. With that, York turned and walked over to the room where he kept the rest of his armour…