Specter of Consciousness
By: DarthBelch
Seer 25, Azzara, was the last one at the meeting. Of all fifteen Seers, he was always late, but this time was for good reason. He slipped into a room lined with cold metal, and eased into his team's wing. The tables were set up as a circle, with three equally broken sections, and a smaller fourth section at the northernmost point. At the center was a pyramid on the floor, with a mirroring pyramid on the ceiling.
Seer 21, the one he personally knew as Greath, leaned over.
"The Overlord will catch you one of these days."
Azzara nodded apathetically. He looked over a small slice of paper, and stored it in his compartment.
The door hummed open and an Overlord came thorough. He took a stand next to his seat, and cleared his throat.
"All Seers, we have a very exalted guest today. Rise for our master, Giygas. This Speaker listens and talks on behalf of him."
After the room took in a collective gasp, they rose when a hooded figure walked in. The black robe extended past all body parts,. the hood itself slid over the head, with ornate piercings bonding the edges to his face. A mouth was the only part revealed.
"Be seated." the Speaker of Giygas said with a hiss. "I have taken special interest in this project, and would much like to hear about it first hand."
"Wing 0, have you anything to report?" the Overlord boomed.
Wing 0, containing Seers 01-05, was reserved for the maintenance crew. They maintained the machines and computer systems that produced the many lines of Starmen. A representative rose, and denied anything to report.
Wing 1, containing Seers 11-15, was reserved for the production staff. They were responsible for the hand-on processes that the machines were not capable of doing. Their representative denied any reports.
Wing 2, containing Seers 21-25, held the research and development team, responsible for designing the Starmen. Seer 23, Thano, representative of the group stood and cleared his throat.
"To our great Lord Giygas, and our Overlord, I have a development in our studies." Thano said, pausing to allow the Overlord nod. "As you may know, 22 and I have been conducting field tests on the numerous Starmen designs, and we have rooted out their main flaw: they are completely and solely dependant on their internal computer systems. We have noticed a problem with that. Their actions are too static due to programming. We need to utilize a 'freeness', if you will.
"If you may recall, I requested a special trip down to the base located on Earth where our Starman Deluxe is stationed. I used the multitude of cameras there to observe the Starman models deployed, and I have pinpointed the possible cause of the Starman's ineffectiveness."
He walked over to a small box and pressed a button. From the center of the two pyramids materialized a beam of light that expanded. Its shape took that of a Starmen. Around it, four humanoid forms stood in a fighting posture
"These here," Thano said, pointing to the humans, "are the enemies. These, of course, are our Starmen. The Starmen are stronger in a one on one confrontation, but they cannot defeat the humanoids even as a unit. Why?"
Thano started to pace around the circle, stopping at Wing 1's section.
"Strategy. Teamwork. As you see, the Starmen act independently from each other- not together, like the humanoids. It is this exact teamwork that allows a much weaker foe to become stronger in numbers.
"We need to install free will into our Starmen- a conciseness and mindset much like that of a human. This will be allow them to think more freely, allowing them to cooperate and devise strategies, allowing an 'intuition'- instinct, and also allowing their upgrades come from experience rather than when we devise them. This will in effect, make them stronger, and able to equalize the human's main- and only advantage."
"There are flaws." Azzara said, leaping out of his chair.
The Overlord motioned for Azzara to air his disagreeance. He pulled out the piece of paper and looked it over.
"I was also included in the project, and since its conception, I have tried to persuade them to think of alternatives. If our Starmen have free will, what will become of their discipline? As his studies failed to note, humans aren't the most dependable creatures in the known universe- my independent studies have proven it. And against my request, he brought this plan here. Not only will this not be inefficient towards our goal, but this will draw away our resources for yet uncompleted projects.
Thano politely turned to him. Azzara picked up the slight hum of discontent emanating from his mouthpiece. "We have gone over this before. This project, if considered acceptable," he said, turning to the Overlord and Giygas, "is paramount. If the Starmen are completed, we will train them to be efficient."
"And how long will that take?" Azzara waved his hands, his gesture much larger than his voice. He walked over to Thano, sweeping his hands over the other Seers. "Who will do it? Who will be assigned to baby these creations?"
"I am writing a computer program-"
"How can a computer teach intelligent life!" Azzara said, surprising himself with his tone. Not backing down, he faced squinted glares from Thano and others.
"Enough." The Overlord said. Thano and Azzara took their seats. "How much will this project cost in money and time?"
Thano smiled under his mouthpiece. "The project has been discussed many times with our sector, including Azzara here, and we have calculated that with further research halted to concentrate solely on this project, we can complete the plans in two weeks. I do request, however, a handful of more colleagues for optimal completion of the plans, programming, and design, and also more for the production team to hasten the process."
The Overlord nodded. "And of the price?"
Seer 22, Yeleesa, stood. Her voice offered a soothing offset to the grumbling of the Overlord. "We will be able to use old Starman bodies for this project, cutting the costs by a respectable percentage. However, the price of production alone is shaping up to be around seven million credits. That is not factoring in additional lab and research funding, training for the completed Starmen, and the extra scientists needed."
"All things considered, we estimate ten million." Thano said.
All things considered, ten million could be wasted on other things. Azzara thought, not letting his mind wander too far- this meeting was prone to be bugged, and it wasn't the Overlord he was worried about...
"Good." The Overlord said, standing up. "You are granted the ten million, but any more you must fund yourself. If nobody has anything else to add," he stopped to look in the direction of Azzara, "this meeting is closed."
All of the Seers shouted their hails, and the Speaker, followed by the Overlord, exited. Some Seers lingered around, chatting with Thano about the project (he had found two Seers from the maintenance wing that were interested in helping immediately), while the others shuffled out.
Greath leaned over to Azzara. "I wish you hadn't done that. They'll cast you out of the group."
Azzara took his glare away from Thano, and drew it towards Greath. After shaking his head, he took a last sweeping look around the room before storming out.
The project was done. Five days behind schedule, ten extra scientists, and four million credits poorer, the project was finally ready for production. A small crew presented the project to the Overlord and his panel, to an astounding acceptance. Thano felt the heavy mass of burden lift from his shoulders, and shared a small celebration with the presentation crew.
Azzara felt like the true villain. Watching the rejoicing from afar with a drink in hand, he cursed himself. He had also been cursing the names of all the participating scientists, yet he never spoke up against them. Why not?
The door slid open, and more smiling faces congratulated Thano.
Perhaps it was because before transferring over to the research and development wing, he was a financial advisor to the facility, he was so concerned about where money was allocated. Something else was just...illogical about this decision.
There was also the chance that the new Starmen would go rouge, desert, become irresponsive; so many possible flaws could occur, making the investment a waste. But also at the back of his mind stood one argument.
"Isn't this immoral?"
They would be creating sentient life in a way. They were no gods...not even Giygas himself.
Yet, despite all his feelings, he could never focus on why he had continued to participate in the project. He could have dropped out of the team, or at least requested for a transfer.
Production proved to be a force, completing the new Starmen with time to spare, giving balance to Wing 2's pushing back of the deadline. Azzara heard the devilish machines hum from his room, even with sixty percent of the room soundproofed. They hummed, shaking the room, and clanked, driving the noise through Azzara's head.
Actually seeing the creatures in completed form was worse. They were his nightmares given physical form.
Their silver shells looked much like any other Starman, rounded off features, tentacle-esque arms, and the once respectable Starman insignia. But these models, in lieu of visors, had two separate functioning eyes. When Azzara walked down the display case, their eyes seemed to follow him. They almost did seem sentient- yet they were still robots...
The back of their necks were connected to a thick cluster of wires that snaked out from the wall behind them. Five in all, he counted.
He hung his head down, and knew the worst was far from over.
Field testing started tomorrow.
The new Starmen, all given the codename Geist, stood next to their 'obsolete' counterparts, separated by a transparent wall. In front of them on each side stood aliens of the Ba'arri race. Meek and shambling, they cowered in front of the Starmen.
Tucked behind them in an elevated control room, all of the team members, including Thano and Azzara, peered down at the cubic room.
"Sir," spoke one of the Geist, turning around to face the team, "what are your orders?"
"Destroy them all. They have committed acts of treason against us and justice needs to be brought to them. We have given them weapons, and they will fight back. Do what is necessary."
"All thirty of them?" another Geist spoke.
Thano grumbled. "No, just the fifteen on your side. Your counterparts will take care of the others."
"Orders understood."
Thano raised the barrier separating the Ba'arri race from the Starmen.
The Ba'arri rushed the old Starmen, attacking with their blunt weapons, and activating their shields. Some tried in vain to pass through the divider, to combat the Geist.
"What's wrong with that one?" a team member pointed out.
On the other side, the Ba'arri sprang forward with weapons in tow, and swung at the Geist. Four counter attacked, while one stood off to the side.
"Must be an anomaly. Let's wait." Thano said.
On the Starman's side, three Ba'arri and one Starman lay dead, its body caved in at numerous points. One of the prisoners rested at an unnatural angle against the wall, his right arm disjointed, with another scorched by laser fire. Smoke rose from a crater etched in his chest.
The Starmen fired beams, but all were absorbed by the remaining shields. The Ba'arri huddled in one corner while the Starmen relentlessly fired away. When the overheating sensors kicked in, the Ba'arri rushed in, bringing down three more Starmen at the expense of two of their own.
"What did they do to deserve this?" Thano heard on his comm. unit. He noticed it came from the lone Geist, staring up at the window. His body was craned slightly backwards, and his eyes moved to the upper portion of his head. The two black beads never took their aim off of the control room.
"It doesn't matter. Kill them, you have your orders." Thano yelled.
"I do not agree with this."
The old Starmen were completely destroyed, and the barrier separating the two had been raised by another team member. The remaining ten Ba'arri joined the others.
The Geist worked together, effectively distracting the shielding prisoners while others snuck behind and attacked the open gaps. They issued orders amongst each other, following and offering advice.
All except for the lone Geist.
"Stop!" it said, from the corner of the room, talking towards the fighting. "They did nothing to deserve this!"
The four other Geist did not heed his request. The lone Geist raised his arm and started firing against his kin.
A vacuum of gasps resonated through the room in which the team members observed. Azzara stood with his arms crossed, with a know-something smile playing his face.
"See!" he stepped forward. "This is what will happen eventually. Only it will happen when we least need it to."
Thano watched as the lone Geist, assisted by the Ba'arri, destroyed two of the Geist. Their explosions threw highlights against the window, reflecting off of the eyes of each team member. Debris shot through the sky and crashed to the floor.
"That's it, halt programming." Thano said, slamming his fists on the console.
Rings on the feet of the Ba'arri lit up, stopping them in their tracks. some stumbled forward with weapons half reeled. The Geist formed a line towards the back of the room.
"27 and 28, see me in my office." Thano said, already one foot out of the exit. He cast a glance at Azzara before storming out.
"It is my opinion that we should give Geist-5 a chance." Seer 27 said. Thano nodded.
"The two Geist casualties were not completely lost. We were able to save their souls..." 28 coughed, his respirator clicking, "programming. We can put those into the sister project, Ghost Starmen. Three Geist should still be sufficient enough for the Earth."
"Right." Thano said, pushing his chair back to open a desk drawer. "Try to 're-educate' Geist-5 and see to it that the three follow out these orders. It's a new field test I have lined up for them."
Thano handed Seer 27 a disk.
Even Greath has given his pledge to this project. Only Azzara stands in its way...
"That will be all." Thano said, dismissing the other Seers.
The three Geist stood in front of Azzara's room.
"I will go in and scan for any additional life forms, and will contact you." Geist-3 said, turning to Geist-1. "You will go in and kill Azzara. Geist-5, you will watch out for any passing life forms."
"Right." Geist-3 and 5 said simultaneously.
Geist-3 crept into the room, and within a minute, Geist-1 followed in. Geist-5 scanned up and down the hallway, not sensing any life.
He had remembered Azzara briefly. He was the team member that he first saw and heard speak. Azzara had tried to have a conversation with him, before his speaking implements were fully functional.
"Poor creature." Azzara said, hooking up Geist-5 to the branch of wires. "Although you don't look like it, you are actual life. Living, breathing- well whatever your equivalent of that is, thinking life."
Azzara reached his hands around the back of Geist-5's neck, and tinkered.
"Why..." Geist-5 said, startling Azzara, causing him to stumble backward a bit. "Why...am I a 'poor creature'?"
"Well," Azzara said, "it's just that you are being used as a slave of sorts."
"Is that wrong?"
Azzara thought back to his own story- he was a slave himself. He never willingly threw himself into Giygas's arms. He, like most of the other Seers had absolutely no choice but to join. He stood against everything they have done, but for his family's sake back on his home world he had no choice.
He wondered what Ylessia and Ylvessa were doing.
"Yes. I don't disagree with creating sentient beings in itself, just the application of the being is what I would disagree with."
Azzara wandered around the spacious tube, Geist-5's eyes followed him. Four wrist and ankle locks held down Geist-5, reminding Azzara of the prisoners a few levels below.
"What should sentient life be used for?" Geist-5 said. His voice was soft, much like a sheepish teenager, with the eerie lingering of robotics.
"Living. Enjoying. Friends. Being free. Not being forced- taught to kill" Azzara said, missing those things.
"But killing is why I live. We must-"
"No!" Azzara yelled, running up to Geist-5's face. He drew back when he only found icy metal and the two void like eyes. "Life is about choices, and you have none. Unfortunately, you were force fed propaganda to show you what they thought was 'right'."
"Killing is not right?"
"No. Well- it depends. Killing in cold blood is wrong, and so is this whole mission against Earth. It needn't be destroyed, just to flaunt Giygas's power. Kill criminals, wrong doers, not innocent life."
"I do not want to kill if it is wrong."
Azzara's heart sank a bit. He felt no better than the programming the Geist were being forced to learn from. At least he was steering them in a better direction.
"Seer 25..."
"Call me Azzara."
"Who am I?"
Azzara thought for a second. "Specter. It's like a geist, a ghost, and so on"
"Are friends... right?"
Azzara smiled. This project was an astounding success on paper, but the issues behind it were not of any technical manner.
"Yes. Friends are one of the best things that life can ever offer."
"Are you a friend?"
Azzara smiled. He heard footsteps coming from the doorway down the hall. "Now, don't talk, I have to leave you here. Be safe. If I don't have the chance to talk to you again, remember this: do the right thing."
Do the right thing.
"Azzara!" Specter yelled as he ran through the sliding door. Geist-1 stood over a kneeling and trembling Azzara, with Geist-3 watching. Around them were bed sheets and a disheveled sleeping unit. Azzara's nightly glass of water pooled around his feet.
Specter rushed forward, knocking Geist 1 out of the way. Specter picked Azzara up, and tossed him under the sleeping unit.
Geist-1 and 3 started firing their lasers, missing and hitting the walls behind him. Specter stretched out an arm and swept it across the room, cracking Geist-1 in the chest. His armor cracked slightly just off of the side of the insignia. Specter fired a beam into the opening, causing the internal workings to explode, frying out the Geist-1
Specter was hit from behind by Geist-3. Specter fell face first onto the floor, and felt another barrage of shots land on his back.
He looked up just to see Geist-3 trip forward and fall on his face. At his feet were Azzara's hands, clutching the ankles from under the bed, his face froze in a frightened yet proud gesture. Specter stood up, extended his arms, and fired off a bright jolt of energy that shook the room on impact. The Geist shattered to pieces.
"Why am I not surprised this occurred?" Azzara said, dusting himself off. "Hey, I forgot you guys had light electrical psychic attacks. We should call you 'Electro Specter' now, eh?"
"Electro Specter?"
Could they have programmed a sense of humor in these guys?
Azzara shook his head. "Nevermind that. We have to report this to the supervisors. I assume Thano has something to do with this?"
"Thano gave us the orders directly."
Azzara felt a cold sense of relief wave over him.
Thano never looked so good, Azzara thought. He was arm in arm with the security guards, hands firmly tucked and bounded behind his back, and a number contorted facial gestures, washing Azzara with a smug sense of victory. He was slightly raised, with his legs hanging like lifeless appendages.
The Overlord waved a disk in his hands. "You should always destroy the evidence, Thano. Not only will you be imprisoned for your attempted murder of a teammate, but also for your ignorance."
"May Giygas crush you all!" Thano repeatedly yelled as he was dragged out of the room.
The Overlord sulked in his chair. "Azzara, you should know that you weren't alone in your disagreeance. Since the apprehension of Thano, a large number of team members admitted to thinking against him during their questioning. They only kept quiet due to fear of repercussion."
The Overlord sighed. "Personally, I thought this project had a lot of potential. The execution was just overly flawed. It's scrapped now. Your friend Greath will be replacing Thano as representative of the group."
Finally some justice, and a figure he could respect in the leadership. From the window, he could see the security vehicles wheel away, flashing light rebounding off of the buildings and into the office. It offered Azzara a sick sense of ambiance.
"What will happen to Specter?"
The Overlord stood silent.
"I mean...Geist-5. The remaining one."
"It's going to the compacter; they aren't even saving the programming."
Azzara felt his heart bottom out, but maintained his composure.
"Right. Well, if I may..." Azzara said, gesturing to the door.
"Yes. Again, thank you for bringing this to our attention. I will be honoring this incident with time off given to you. Feel free to report back when you feel comfortable."
Azzara bowed and walked out the door. Once he heard the door slide and click closed, he broke out in a blazing run towards the lower levels. At the corner, he sprung off of his heels and twisted past the loiterers.
There must be some time left.
The walls were coming down at odd angles, almost impractical ones. If they were to destroy me, Specter thought, why not just crunch me between two simple walls?
That was far from the first thing on his mind. The team members taking him down here refused to tell him what was the reason. He had thought he did nothing wrong- so why was he being punished? They remained silent as they struggled to drag his body onto a lift.
The walls eased closer, grinding at the edges. A tight hallway just off of the platform was illuminated with red flashing lights, casting odd glows in the tucked away compacter.
Specter had estimated a minute before the sides touched his hull.
Another thing that was impractical, he dared to think, was the speed of the compactor. If anything were to get done, why would it go so slow? They would be able to compact five times the garbage with this compacter's potential.
Thirty seconds.
Also, something he found strange was the name Azzara gave to him earlier, Electro Specter. He had enjoyed it, as it gave him a sense of a fuller identity.
Fifteen.
Footsteps came echoing down the hallway.
Zero.
Specter heard the impact of the wall hit his metallic body. It came down on his chest, up on his back, and at other various angles.
Near his feet, he heard the clicking of buttons and the sliding of levers. The walls groaned to a halt and started to recede.
A panting Azzara stood at the controls. When the walls were fully enclosed in their compartment, Azzara reached in and struggled to pull Specter out.
"Can you stand?" Azzara said. He looked down at Specter. His body was completely squared off; the top of his head, his sides, and his hands and feet. He stumbled when he attempted to stand, but regained his balance.
"Azzara?"
"Just get out of here and fight if you have to. I don't think anyone is on to us."
"Why are you saving me?"
"I hate to sound like a repetitious heathen, but I just felt like it was the right thing to do."
"Would you have saved my brothers as well?"
Azzara nodded.
"But where will you go?"
"Home. I contacted my family and had them relocated safely. I cannot stay here- as I wish to continue living. And that's what you must do."
Specter stepped forward, limping. "And to do the right thing."
"No matter what you think that may be. Take care of yourself." Azzara said, running back down the hallway.
Assisted by the walls Specter stumbled, step by step, until he was able to walk at a normal speed. His awkward hands clasped at the walls, trying to maintain a standing position. By the end of the hallway, he was able to jog with little trouble. When he entered the door at the end, he panned around looking for signs of Azzara.
Nothing.
He ran full speed, with trouble, through the corridors leading to the upper levels. His pointed feet jabbed down at the metal, rivaling the pounding of the machines on the level.
Nothing. There were no alarms going off, no security apprehending him, no running innocents. Only moonlight lined the slate hallways, highlighting the texture of the floor and the lingering dust.
He ran back up the hallway, barely making the turn at his speed, and burst through the door.
A handful of team members stood around conversing when the racket stirred them. They threw down their papers and ran, with Specter opting for another exit. Within a minute, the alarms were finally sounded.
Security swooped from every available entrance, sufficiently armed. Specter rushed past them, giving them no time to fire. He reached an arm behind him and fired off a blast that obliterated the doorway.
Coming up from the hallway were running footsteps, the only other exit being an elevator tucked away back where he came from. He dashed, and with the door already open, he hit the button for the highest floor.
As the cabin went up, the footsteps below passed him and continued on into the rubble.
Specter tipped when the cabin shocked to a halt, thrusting his hand against the door to catch himself. His feet clicked on the ivory floor, which mirrored the walls. The small opening led to a tight hallway, and at the end, Specter could see a black robed figure watching him.
The elevator door glided to a close, and the cabin shot back down.
Specter jogged down the hallway and towards the figure at the end. The walls were uncomfortably close to his shoulders, causing him to run at a miniscule angle.
The wind from the open wall slats blew the figure's robe around the feet. His hood also wavered around the face, covering the mouth section. The piercings joining the robe to the skin glistened and jingled slightly.
"Who are you?" Specter said.
"I am your master, Giygas."
Specter took a step back, dropping into an sheepish fighting stance. "You are going to kill me?"
"No." Giygas laughed. "I have use for you."
"I don't want to work for you! You are evil!"
"Please, give me a chance. Let me explain."
Specter stood silent. Giygas turned around.
"I have been observing your actions, and you seem to have had the most potential of the Geist. You are powerful, unique, something I am looking for. You have the intense capability to do good."
Specter stood, staring at the Speaker.
"Do good?"
"There is a spot on the planet Earth, and it is mine. A group of children plan to steal it from me."
"Steal?"
The Speaker turned his head as to look at Specter and nodded. His mouth displayed a cutting smile.
Specter let his thoughts process for a second. "But...stealing is wrong."
"This place is very important to me and these evil children mean to take this place away from me." The Speaker sympathetically cocked his head.
"They have to be stopped!" Specter said. "If it is not theirs, they have no right to take it from you."
"So you will defend it for me?" The Speaker smiled.
Down on Earth, Specter stood firm between a tiny stretch of pathway that was blocked by two earthen walls. Up above, he could see the approaching children, with weapons in hand.
One of them pointed at Specter, and they started to run towards him
This is for you, Azzara. I am going to do the right thing.