Return to Earth
by Mercutio
Chapter Three
The air was perfectly still. Rua didn't think she'd ever feel such a stillness again as long as she lived. Even in the vacuum of space, there was a certain comfort in knowing that either one of the colonies, the Lunar City, or Solopolis was near by, a little reminder that life still existed.
However, here, in the frozen wasteland, there was no such hint. All she could see for uncountable miles was ice and snow. She knew that beneath that snow there was life giving soil and water, which the IOMSes were made to drill for, but the ice on top completely hid it.
She had been told that there was wildlife somewhere on this planet. How, Rua couldn't comprehend.
The only feeling the Earth gave her was nothing. That was the only was she could explain it.
The others shared her sentiments, she could tell without asking. General Noin looked especially heartbroken, although Rua couldn't begin to guess the reasons.
"You can see the base in the distance," Noin announced for no particular reason. It was obvious that everyone could see it. The expedition team continued walking onward, coming closer to their destination. The ice and snow crunched under their feet, and the cold wind blew at them as if in protest of their moving forward. The suits they were wearing protected them from the cold, but the feeling deep within them told them how cold it must have been.
Perhaps the most disturbing factor was the clouds. Big, black, angry looking clouds that floated idly through the sky, robbing the surface of whatever sunlight they could. Lightning was flashing as well, making the atmosphere all the more inhospitable. Whenever the lightning illuminated the clouds, Rua thought she could see violent faces staring down at them in disapproval. The only clouds Rua had ever seen before were the clouds photographed from Venus and the outer planets, but those clouds were different. While she knew they were even more hostile with their storms or their acid, they at least were painted in bright reds and blues and yellows with various gasses and contaminants, rather than the abysmal black of Earth's clouds. Even the snow that slowly fell from them was a grimy shade of gray. She had heard that they were near Earth's equator. Rua couldn't imagine what the poles were like.
They traveled together like a giant ameba, sticking together with no one daring to depart from the main cluster. They finally made it to the base, and Noin took a key out and unlocked the door.
"We have to resort to old-fashioned methods of locking the door since we can't depend on a code or keypad always working in temperatures like this," she explained even though no one had asked. It was obvious she was just talking to keep herself from thinking of something else.
The base was unfortunately not much larger than a walk-in closet. The four guards waited outside with the general and Maxwell, while the four programmers went inside to have a look.
"What do you see in there?" Maxwell asked.
"Nothing that would concern you," Aalin said rudely. "Whatever happened in her was apparently a non-mechanical error. A virus perhaps."
"Oh," Maxwell said peevishly. "Great, I feel so useful."
"I'm going to try and access the computer logs," Ferdinand announced. He sat down at a keyboard and started typing in.
[PLEASE ENTER COMMAND.]
Access data file, typed Ferdinand.
[DATA FILE ACCESSED. PLEASE ENTER COMMAND.]
Access history log.
[ACCESSING. PLEASE WAIT.]
"This thing sure is slow," complained Aalin. "Which one of you programmed it?"
"Wasn't it you, Dr. Fatima?" Rua asked. "The rest of us worked on different sections of the project."
"Hell no, it wasn't me."
[HISTORY LOG ACCESSED. THIS IS A SECURE DOCUMENT. PLEASE ENTER PASSWORD.]
"Dr. Fatima, what's the password?" Ferdinand asked.
"It's 'Empress Claudiana'," General Noin interrupted.
Empress Claudiana
[PASSWORD APPROVED. WELCOME, DR. FATIMA.]
"Now, would you look at that..." said Ferdinand.
"I don't understand," said Aalin. "I never worked on this part of the project."
[PLEASE ENTER COMMAND.]
"What day should I check first?" Ferdinand asked.
"Try the 9th of February, After-Colony 321," suggested Czelise. "That was the first day that the peculiar behavior of the IOMSes was first noted."
Read history log for 2, 9, 321.
[ACCESSING. PLEASE WAIT, DR. FATIMA.]
[ACCESS DENIED.]
"What?" exclaimed Aalin. "If that damn thing thinks I made it, you'd think it would let me in."
Read history log for 2, 10, 321.
[ACCESS DENIED.]
Why is access denied?
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
"Well, it was worth a try," said Ferdinand.
[BECAUSE THERE ARE NO HISTORY LOGS.]
"What was that?" Rua exclaimed.
Unknown command. Please repeat.
[BECAUSE THERE ARE NO HISTORY LOGS.]
"What's going on in there?" General Noin asked.
"We don't know," Czelise admitted.
Take me back to that main menu.
[GLADLY, DR. FATIMA. PLEASE WAIT.]
[PLEASE ENTER COMMAND.]
Scan for virus.
[ACCESSING VIRUS SCANNER. PLEASE WAIT.]
[THIS IS A SECURE DOCUMENT. PLEASE ENTER PASSWORD.]
"Why does it want a password for a virus scan?" Ferdinand asked. No one knew the answer.
Empress Claudiana.
[PASSWORD APPROVED. WELCOME, DR. FATIMA.]
[NOW SCANNING FOR VIRUS.]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[NO VIRUS DETECTED.]
[PLEASE ENTER COMMAND.]
"Well, I'll be damned," Ferdinand said. "Looks like your little creation doesn't like us, Dr. Fatima."
"I already told you, it isn't mine."
Ferdinand snorted. "Your name's on it, Dr. Fatima."
"Boys, boys, stop it," Rua said, interrupting. "I'm sure there's a way to figure out what's going on without pointing fingers at anyone."
"Neither of us are Maxwell," Aalin said crossly. "So don't talk to us like you would him, Dr. Kushrenada."
"Fine. If you want to rip each other apart, be my guests."
Czelise intervened. "Wait, may I try something?"
"What are you going to do, put the damn thing on a sofa and talk to it?" one of the soldiers waiting outside snickered.
Czelise ignored him and sat down at the keyboard.
Why can't we access the history logs?
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[BECAUSE THERE ARE NO HISTORY LOGS.]
What happened to the history logs?
[THEY ARE NO HISTORY LOGS.]
But there used to be history logs.
[THERE ARE NO HISTORY LOGS.]
Who are you?
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
Who created you?
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
Was it Dr. Fatima?
[WHAT ABOUT DR. FATIMA?]
Did he create you?
[NO ONE CREATED YOU.]
"I think I'm confusing it," Czelise said almost apologetically.
[WHO IS YOU?]
"You needed to teach your programs better grammar, Dr. Fatima," Ferdinand said.
I am Dr. Czelise Mayaka. Who are you?
[YOU ALREADY ANSWERED THAT. WHY ARE YOU REPEATING THE QUESTION?]
Please let me access the history ligs.
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[WHO ARE A HISTORY LIGS?]
What?
"Dr. Mayaka, you made a typing error," Rua explained. "You're right, it is getting confused."
"Oh. Thank you."
Please let me access the history logs.
[OKAY. SINCE YOU SAID PLEASE.]
[HISTORY LOGS ACCESSED. PLEASE ENTER COMMAND.]
Show me the logs for 2, 9, 321.
[ACCESSING HISTORY LOGS. PLEASE WAIT.]
[HISTORY LOG FOR 2, 9, 321 ACCESSED.]
[8394EHFFDSAL;JDP;39RUHUIQHDJKASBXN,SABCX.AIKDBWDUSAJKBXMCBÜJJJNNC93LEDNNWM,QND89P3Y45QHR.L;WERU43P9NN9PNYVPOFNUIOFHFFMDMF,.FPW40TU4JIRFFWKELFNMLKSMDLKFJ;W3ER9UJ8WU4IHRRAA9UNF]
"The logs have been coded!" Aalin exclaimed. "It coded everything!"
"Calm down," Czelise said. "I think I know what to do."
Decode the history logs.
[NO.]
[YOU DON'T DESERVE THEM.]
What?
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[YOU HEARD ME.]
[YOU DON'T DESERVE THEM.]
I don't understand.
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
Stop that.
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
I'm switching you off now.
[UNKNOWN COMMAND.]
[I WILL SINK YOUR ARK.]
Czelise sighed and turned off the monitor.
"What happened?" asked Noin.
"Did you find out what was wrong?"
"No, ma'am," Czelise replied.
"It appears the programming has been corrupted somehow. It doesn't seem
to be a virus, since the virus scan would catch it even if it was corrupted."
"Ma'am!" Private Ëhen, a tall, wiry man, shouted. "Something's coming up on the radar!"
"What is it? Flesh or metal?"
"Metal, ma'am!"
"The IOMSes! But there weren't supposed to be any in the area!" Noin exclaimed.
"They move fast, ma'am."
"Quick!" the general ordered. "Everyone back to the ship! Hurry!" She then turned to Ëhen, and asked "How far away are they?"
"Five minutes, ma'am. They're approaching from behind."
"Hurry! " she yelled to the scientists. "We have to get back to the ship, and we have to run faster than hell to get there!"
"Can't we just take shelter in here?" Rua asked.
"They'll probably destroy it too," Ferdinand said. "We can at least be a harder target to hit if we are moving and a little less clumped together."
Everyone started running back towards the Queen Relena. Everyone's lips were moving slightly. Rua couldn't tell if they were just breathing hard or praying. She could see Maxwell's hand clutched to his chest where his cross would be hanging if it weren't under the suit he was wearing.
The ship had come into view when Ëhen shouted "They're coming up behind us with about a minute left!"
"Get your weapons ready!" Noin yelled at the soldiers. "Be prepared to shoot on sight-augh!" Her order was cut short when a laser blast struck the ground beneath her, throwing her several feet forward.
"Are you all right?" Private Jehan asked, ignoring formalities for the moment.
"I'm fine. Keep running. We're almost at the ship!"
Another laser blast narrowly missed Ferdinand and Ëhen. The soldier turned for a moment to retaliate and shoot, and an explosion was heard as an IOMS was struck.
The barrage of lasers continued for a few moments until they had gotten about fifty yards from the ship.
"Private Jehan, you open the door to the ship and let them on, and then help us hold them off until we can depart!" Noin ordered.
"Ma'am." Jehan ran ahead and reached the door of the ship. He started punching in the code, when he suddenly heard Rua's voice.
"Jehan! Get the hell away from there!"
"What?" His last thought was his realization that the IOMSes had ceased firing at the humans.
They were aiming for the ship.
"[I WILL SINK YOUR ARK.]"
Dozens of lasers shot through the cold, silent air and slammed into the ship in a matter of seconds. The Queen Relena exploded in a brilliant shower of light, raining flames and red-hot metal down upon the nine remaining humans standing outside.
For a just a small moment, they were able to look around them and survey their surroundings.
Nine remaining humans, only four of which were armed.
Half a dozen machines with a urge for blood. They were built to break apart the ice covering the precious soil and water that the colonies required. The IOMSes were armed with lasers, hooks, grenades, and drills, deadly items that had been equipped with mining in mind. They were lithe and spider-like, and able to run for ages on end thanks to the fuel that they used; processed water. The Ice-Operated Mining Suits. Their creators had considered them a stroke of genius. They had never been expected to turn deadly.
Rua had only a moment longer to look around before everything soaked in. They could only outrun death for so long, and now they had no way to escape the frozen hell that they were trapped on.
But they had to toss their
ponderings aside for the time being, and run.
To be continued...