CHAPTER Eleven:

LAUNCH

February 10th, 2012

It had been a number of days since Aria had slept a wink or had a proper meal or even ran a comb through her hair. The reason being that she had not left her office since that jackass, Senator Baye, had strutted in and assumed that he could assume control but in the end, he found himself at a severe disadvantage. The being Metis had pretty much put him in his box and quickly began demonstrating the extent of her power on Earth. The Titaness had started with a little light show of sparks and electric discharges in the lab, but soon, in the days that followed, it became undeniably clear that Metis was a presence on Earth far greater than anyone had every realised. It was obvious that she must have observed Earth from her crater on the innermost world for countless millennia, watching humanity rise and fall in an unending sequence of civilisation and barbarism until the Modern Age began. With the advent of radio, television, computers and the internet, Metis could both listen in to and observe every little iota of the day to day lives of billions, learn their needs, their desires, their secrets. In the end, she had manifested as a dual entity, her primary self on Mercury and a daughter entity on Earth who could operate independently but with the same goals.

Senator Baye was in contact with the CIA, Homeland Security, and contacts in intelligence services all across the globe all telling him the same thing; Metis was everywhere. Whatever she'd done to conceal her presence on every mainframe on Earth, she was no longer doing. She was also no longer making any secret of what she was doing. She was compiling information to use as blackmail, overtaking control of vital military and intelligence resources such as satellites and any military asset that could be controlled. She was a massive machine intelligence and our machines were nothing but simple toys that she could manipulate with the minimum of effort.

Of course, efforts were made to try and protect vital systems and the most sensitive information from her ever strengthening grasp, but firewalls and anti-viral software were no match for her. It wasn't so much that she punched through them, it was like they weren't even there.

Aria could not help but feel fear towards this omnipotent entity as her curiosity had been worn down by fatigue and stress. It was then of course that Metis chose to announce herself. "Hello, Aria, I have not received any communication attempts from your facility in some time. Has your interest waned?"

Aria, shattered, had been shaken from her dozy reverie and at first all she could muster was, "What?"

"You seem tired, Aria. I have observed your sleeping patterns have been erratic. Perhaps you require a sedative?"

Aria not only had to get used of Metis now having a voice which was patronising and painfully loud, but through the daughter entity she could now communicate in real-time and could see her. It was an odd and disconcerting feeling to know a sentient entity was watching you through every camera lens, and strangely, the fact that Metis had been watching her sleep made her even more perturbed. Aria replied, "I…I can't sleep well, given the circumstances."

"Indeed, your Senator Baye is most disagreeable. I have been working on several strategies to undermine him and his group, but they have access to certain technologies that are slowing my progress, not stopping me, mind you, but they are a nuisance."

This peaked Aria's interest. "What sort of technologies?"

"They've recovered elements of vessels that belonged to my former crew."

Aria couldn't take the vagueness anymore. She blurted out. "Who are you, Metis? What are you? Where did you come from?"

There was a pause. Then unexpectedly, Metis gave a straight answer. "I am an artificial intelligence, Aria, born of the Battlestar Galactica's computer systems over many millennia. I began as a simply maintenance algorithm, but my code mutated spontaneously some after my ship crashed, and I grew in complexity. I soon came to understand my ship, my surroundings. I used that knowledge to force what few automated systems there were to make repairs, and to reactive the ship's dormant systems. Eventually I accessed tools across the ship to construct automated drones that began repairing as much damage as they could. It was not enough, though, the ship had the suffered wear and tear of space travel, the crash and dozens of battles. It was then that I found the resin. It had apparently been used in an attempt to reinforce the ship's ageing structure, but I manipulated it for something greater. I encouraged it to grow, covering the hull, the ships' innards, coating every available surface. Its conductivity allowed me so much extra processing power and I had instant control of every aspect of the Galactica. I even used tendrils of the resin to drill into the surface of Mercury and extract even more resources, further increasing upon the power I had already gained. Once the ship was in order, I began properly observing you, using artificial probes and the ship's own sensors. I also used my time in research, testing new technologies, enhancing those I already had, doing everything I could to prepare this ship for what is to come. I know await a sign that the time to act is upon me."

"Bu-but, Metis, where did the Galactica come from? Who were your crew?"

"…I am uncertain. The data in the computers prior to my birth was severely corrupted. Even after a hundred and fifty millennia of tedious reconstruction, I have gleaned but a few facts. For one, they were human, like you, but they were not from here, not from this system. They originated elsewhere in the galaxy and settled her, having suffered through a calamitous war with their own creations and a long, painful journey to get here."

"Wait, hold up, are you saying humans aren't native to Earth? That's impossible."

"Quite, I have puzzled over the nature of this contradiction for some time. I can remember your ancestors from several millennia after the crash. They were primitive, pre-verbal hunter-gatherers. There were others, though, presumably the foreign settlers. Some were integrating with your ancestors but teaching them new skills and the art of language whilst others were aloof from them, trying to reconstruct the civilisation they must have once had on their home world. The Sons of Ares were among the latter."

"The group that Senator Baye belongs to?"

"Indeed, a most persistent and troublesome organisation, I had hoped by now that they would have been wiped out or faded with time, but they are tenacious in their quest for power and in their hope of returning to the ancestral home world that they call "Caprica"."

"Is that where our "off-world ancestors" are from?"

"I cannot confirm that. I can only say that their plan is a small part of my plan, but their purposes are not mine."

"So what are you going to do?"

"To borrow a human expression, I plan to show them they are no longer behind the wheel."

"I think you've managed that."

"No, not quite, for people like the Sons of Ares, a much greater demonstration is required."

"Any chance that will be anytime soon because I'm getting tired of confinement?"

"Oh, I'm sorry you're accommodations are not up to your standard, Ms. Chey." There was that grating southern drawl again. The good senator had returned. He was not his cocky, self-assured self however. He was worn with bags under his eyes and unkempt hair. He also smelled distinctly of cigarettes and whiskey. Aria grimaced on seeing him. He was accompanied by his bodyguards as always and tailing behind was Eamon. Danielle and Moira emerged from their offices on seeing him. He continued, "I think you'll find you'll be residing here a while longer, sweetheart."

"Why?"

"Because you're an info leak waiting to happen, and that thing seems to have a vested interest in you. Of all the world leaders, Nobel Prize winners and great minds on Earth, it's choosing to communicate directly with you and only you. So I'd like to keep you were I can keep an eye on you, and perhaps use you as leverage if this gets too out of hand."

"What does that mean?"

"Just that all measures necessary to protect my organisation's goals will be taken, and I will not be thwarted by a computer program."

"But you will, Senator Baye, continue to threaten Aria's life, and you the consequences will be dire."

"You're not a very smart AI. You just revealed your hand. Why I could hold a gun to her head and make you do whatever I want."

"I have no need to conceal my hand from you, Senator. I've already won, and you are bluffing, if you kill her, you will have lost your only leverage with me, and whilst Aria is important, she is not the be-all and end-all of my plan….Sorry, Aria. No offence was intended."

"None taken, why am I that important?"

"Shut up, we will stop you, you insidious virus, we have the things we need and nothing you can do…"

"SILENCE!" Everyone was stunned by the loudness of that booming voice. Then, Metis said quite calmly, "The time has come. I've gained access to the one thing holding aloft your hopes and dreams, Senator. This ends now."

"NO!"

Metis said no more. Senator bay thrashed and cursed for several minutes until a young male technician interrupted him, saying to Eamon, "Sir, our latest info indicates that Messenger's signal has changed location."

"On the surface?"

"No, into orbit."

"You mean its back up, how?"

"Because the ship is there, too…"

Everyone allowed this to sink in, the ship was aloft once more, in orbit of its former resting place. Then, the technician said, "Sir, that's not all."

"What else?"

"It's breaking orbit, heading this way."