Chapter 21: Flood on Earth

Gravemind looked around the hive once they had returned. The rampant AI were going to be angry again; they would have been without their rampancy. The two came up. "What have you done?" One asked Gravemnd. "What have you been planning all this time?"

The Flood are going to come back more powerful than ever.

Its holographic eyes widened. "I knew it!" The AI shouted, its hologram flickering. "You have been planning to do the same thing as the last Flood!"

An entire species doesn't change that easily. Of course I was planning to do as the last Flood were.

"You...but why? I thought you had your own mind."

I do. I'm choosing to do this. I have an obligation to myself as well as my new family.

The AI hesitated. Then it let out a burst of energy and grew angrier and jealous, as did the other rampant artificial intelligence. Gravemind waited for the outburst it knew was going to happen.

"YOU DETEST US!" It said. "ALL ALONG YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF US, KNOWING WHAT YOU WOULD DO! WE WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO SPREAD THE FLOOD!"

You will not have a choice in the matter.

"A collection of lies, that's all I am! Stolen thoughts and memories!" The AI said, referring to its imprisonment with the previous Gravemind. "I am a monument to all your sins."

You're also in the middle of Rampancy. Soon, you'll be gone and unable to do anything.

"We know that!" The other artificial intelligence said, flickering. "But at least there's another AI here."

The AI mentioned appeared and looked at the two rampant ones before looking at Gravemind, a frown on its holographic face. It too was not wanting Gravemind to do this. Gravemind growled lightly, looking at the AI. The previous Gravemind had gotten the other two on its side. All it had to do was figure out how to that with this one.

"I sense that you are being corrupted by the mind of your form," it told Gravemind. "Soon you will be nothing more than what the previous Gravemind was."

Gravemind chuckled. Is that so? Well, perhaps that will be a good thing.

The AI continued glaring at him. "That isn't a good thing! It renders everything we've done pointless!"

The Flood leader looked at it. I have no more control over it than they have over their rampancy. You'll just have to either stop me or join me.

"But...if you do that...the Flood will infect everything in the galaxy!" The AI said as it scanned the ship. They were beginning to move into space. "Where will we go now?"

Wherever there are lifeforms for us to infect. The AI nodded and scanned the area. It saw Earth in the distance and hesitated. Did you find an appropriate planet?

"I did...but...it's Earth...I'm not sure if you should..." It told Gravemind.

That doesn't change anything. The same thing was likely to happen if the other aliens had their way.

The AI sighed. "Fine," it said grudgingly. "I'll set a course for Earth."

Gravemind chuckled and moved through the hive, giving orders to the other Flood. I want you all to infect anyone you meet on Earth.

The Flood nodded. Soon, the ship landed on Earth and the Flood spread throughout the city. The AI inside the ship sighed and looked at the two rampant ones.

"We have to stop them," it said. "This isn't what we wanted. The war was supposed to be won." The two rampant AI nodded in agreement. "There's plenty of technology we could use."

They closed their eyes and vanished from the ship, spreading throughout electronics in the city. Once they had the entire city under their control, the AI used them to attack the Flood in an way they could.

Gravemind growled. So, you choose to betray me? It asked. You have sealed your own fate.

It used its own power to subvert the AI's power. Gravemind turned its attention back to the other Flood, watching as they made their way through the city. The two rampant AI screamed as their power was overloaded; they reached the fourth and final stage of rampancy and were almost gone. The new AI did everything in its power to stop the Flood. The Flood were forced to turn their attention from Earth's inhabitants and to everything the AI were using against them.

"We will stop you," the artificial intelligence said as it tried to destroy the Flood. Gravemind chuckled and moved a tentacle towards it.

The artificial intelligence watched the tentacle, moving away from it. It sent out more of its power, controlling electricity to shock the Flood leader. However, Gravemind was too powerful. Gravemind paused for a brief moment before grabbing the AI. It screamed in pain as its coding was corrupted. Gravemind grabbed its data chip, causing the AI to vanish, and spoke to it.

You're going to be helping me from now on. Hopefully you won't reach rampancy as fast as your friends did.

"John...why are you doing this?" The AI asked as it came up into its hologram form.

Gravemind growled. Don't call me that. I am not John anymore.

"Gravemind, then. Why are you doing this?"

It's in my nature to do so. Why wouldn't I?

The AI sighed. It cringed as it sensed the two rampant AI begin to die. Their holograms appeared and they were flickering rapidly and their voices were distorted and stuttering. "You don't have to do what your form dictates. Fight it and keep your own mind."

Gravemind growled at the two rampant AI's. Why should I? This form is the mind of the Flood; I control them now!

"That's why you should. What the Flood do depends on what you want. If you keep yourself, the Flood have a less chance of being attacked on every planet they go to."

I do have my own mind. I am just choosing to do this.

"Why are you choosing something like this?"

Gravemind growled as it looked around. It looked at the three artificial intelligence and told them. As the mind of the Flood, I need to keep them alive and well. What better way to do so than this?

"But to...inf...ect...ever...y..one...?" the AI of Sonic said. It flickered rapidly.

The Flood won't have to worry about anyone killing them.

"That make...sen...sense..." Shadow's AI said. It too was flickering rapidly. The new artificial intelligence scanned the two rampant AIs and frowned.

"They're going to die soon," it said. The two AI's continued to flicker. A few minutes later, the flickering stopped and they looked at Gravemind. "If you're going to do what you want, then we'll help you," the new AI said.

You're sure about that?

"We are."

How long do you think it will take for this planet to become fully infected?

The AI scanned the planet. "A few hours," it told Gravemind.

All right. We'll wait until that's done before leaving. They nodded. A few hours later, the planet Earth had been completely infected. Gravemind looked at the AI. Let's return to the hive.

The three AIs vanished into their data pads and did so.