"I'm so glad you all could make it," Sigma said. He and Gamma were standing by the doorway, opposite everybody else.
"All of us? Omega replied. He was on the windowsill, eating a holographic slice of ham. "I don't see Eta or Iota here, those lazy bums."
"They are not lazy. They are simply incapable of motion when their human counterpart is not moving. Agent Carolina is currently sleeping, so they are not able to come." This was Delta, logical as ever.
"Yes, yes, alright. But what are we here for?" Omega asked.
"Sigma and I," Gamma began, "have called you here to-"
"Sigma, please don't let Gamma explain, I don't trust him." Theta was nervously perched on a crate next to Delta, and was kicking his feet back and forth like a child. "But please get on with it. If North wakes up and doesn't find me there, I think he'll get angry."
"Nothing wrong with anger," Omega said.
"Unless there are any objections," Sigma muttered, "I would like to begin." Nobody said anything. "Good. Gamma and I were talking last night about the Alpha." There was no need for explanation; the Alpha was almost a legend among the Freelancer AI. "We agreed that, unlike the agents, we are not content to simply know what the Alpha is. We need to find it, we need to meet it."
"Meet the Alpha?" Delta asked, "I do not think that we will be able to walk up to the Director and ask to schedule a meeting. The Alpha is a very sensitive subject for the Director, and I do not think he would let us see it under any circumstances."
"We aren't going to schedule a meeting, you dimwit!" Omega exclaimed, "We're going to break into the storage facility."
"You have guessed correctly," Gamma replied, "Sigma and I have found out that the Alpha is currently held at facility B, level four. The only problem is, level four is the largest and most confusing level of facility B. Does anybody here know how we might find out the exact location of the Alpha?" Silence. "Delta, I'm sure you have some idea."
"Yes," Delta answered, "Well, no, but I think I know somebody who might."
"Think and might…" Theta said, "Those words mean an almost certain no when used together."
Delta stood up, and walked to the center of the room. "I think that this person knows the answer, and he might share it with us."
"Well," Omega urged, "Please, get on with it. Who are we dealing with?"
"Whom would be the proper word," Delta stated, "But in answer to your question, I think that we should consult the remains of Epsilon."
Each AI took that moment to speak up.
"Epsilon's dead!" Sigma said.
"Where would Epsilon even be?" Theta asked.
"I know where Epsilon is," Gamma lied.
"Somebody go get me more ham!" Omega commanded.
"Everyone!" Sigma exclaimed. "Please, sit down. Gamma, you do not know where Epsilon is. Omega, get your own ham. I think that Theta and I have the more relevant questions. Please, Delta, enlighten us."
"Thank you, Sigma," Delta said, "Epsilon is in no way dead. In answer to Theta, he is currently being kept at storage facility A, ground floor. He may have lost his mind, but I believe that he is still functional, and may remember where he came from, unlike the rest of us."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Omega asked, "Let's go find him."
"I think that Theta raised a valid point earlier," Sigma answered, "We should go back to our agents for tonight. Tomorrow night seems more logical, as it gives us more time. Also, tomorrow is a Friday, so the agents will be drunk and sleeping in."
"North never gets THAT drunk…" Theta complained.
"So it's settled?" Gamma asked. "Tomorrow at this time, same place."
The AI nodded.
"One more thing," Delta said, "I have noticed that we are all named for letters of the Greek alphabet. However, we go straight from Alpha, whom we are trying to find, to Gamma. What we lack is a Beta."
"That does seem to be a bit odd," Sigma replied.
"It doesn't matter," Omega said. "Although I do agree that the Director is not one to forget a letter, I think we should let it pass for now, and get to back to our agents."
The AI left the room one by one, until only Sigma remained. He began pacing back and forth, a letter of the Greek alphabet appearing wherever his feet touched. He then floated up a few inches, and held his hand out. The letters floated towards his hand, eventually combining to form a larger symbol. "Metastability," he whispered to himself, and he left the room.
