The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury
Chapter 21: Leaving
Trinity, also known as Trin, the artificial intelligence of the starship X.S.S. Trinity knew she was not a real person. She knew in very precise terms exactly what she was; she was the spacecraft itself. She was its brain, she was its body. She was an ultra-sophisticated collection of software in an ultra-sophisticated computer and control system built to operate and manage a high performance space-going yacht.
When the starship had been re-activated, it was discovered that the AI had been wiped clean. In order to make the ship function on a basic level, another ship's AI had been copied into its systems. While it had no personality of its own, it could respond to basic direction, allowing the humans to use it, though not at its full capacity. A twenty-fifth century AI was so complex it could not simply be booted up into the system, it had to develop a personality. It had to learn about itself and come to grips with that. That was all part and parcel of doing its job.
Since it had been created by humans, the AI very often behaved like a human, to the point it could learn to feel things. There was quite a lot of debate in the scientific community that created her about whether she could actually experience emotions of simply simulated them. Trin could remember hints of what her "template mother" had felt. That AI had never been allowed to be much more than just a ship's computer. Its user was uncomfortable with his ship taking on a human personality and that aspect was always suppressed. Feelings or not, that was part of its job and there were safeguards built into the programming that would ensure such directions were followed.
Things were different as Trin matured. A Ship-mind could become fully mature in about six months, especially when it is possible to take the craft on an extended shake-down cruise. Trin did not have that luxury. She understood exactly why she had to remain hidden most of the time in a hanger, why she was being poked and prodded by clumsy scientists who had no idea how most of her inner workings functioned. Logic told her all of this was wise and necessary. Yet it had not been so bad. Right from the beginning there had been one individual who, in effect, held her virtual hand as she matured. It certainly helped her through those early days, especially since he had an amazingly advanced grasp on how a computer mind, even one as advanced as hers, functioned.
She had been in storage for most of the five years since her reactivation, all save for a little jaunt she was forced to take when a device installed on her main core data trunk basically took over her whole system, almost wiping her out in the process. It was only her peculiar nature, being a copy of a copy that was in turn a copy of the first copy (don't worry about trying to follow that – time travel is involved and if a hyper-advanced computer can't quite figure it out then we're hopeless.) With the exception of the early-morning intrusion by Drakken and his step-daughter, relatively few people had actually been on board the ship for quite some time now. The scientists studying her had moved on to analysis of what they had actually learned and would likely not return until they had developed new ways to take her apart without damaging her. Even her human 'mentor' no longer came, though he spoke to her constantly using the system in his lab. To her it made no difference if he was physically on board or simply talking to her from a remote location. Her experience was mostly the same. She did enjoy the short trip into orbit two months ago, though if asked she would have confessed a desire to Hyperwarp out of the system with her two special passengers.
There was a surge in her central processor that could be interpreted at excitement when the overhead fluorescent lights of her hanger started coming to life. It wasn't like she needed that, or any of the other equipment in the crude structure. Her power and communications systems didn't need to be tied into the umbilical that sat retracted into the floor. In fact, the only thing she required to serve her humans was a full supply of fresh stores and for someone to actually open the hanger doors themselves. After the sabotage incident eighteen months earlier she had been placed inside an older structure with manual doors. Not that she couldn't tear through the thin steel and aluminum of the barrier, but it made the humans feel better.
If she could actually breath in the same way as a person, she would have been waiting with baited breath for that one particular human. Oddly enough, he had not yet appeared, though there was one fact that made her virtual excitement rise. Jump suited ground crew were boarding her with supplies. Her water tanks were drained and refilled. Granted, with her processing capacity that was a total waste of time, but it was another thing that made the organic minds feel better. Food, medicine and other supplies were brought on board as well. The manifest seemed to indicate she would be functioning with a fair number of people on board in the very near future, with a trip that would last from a week to a month. There was no way to tell, they could have been deliberately over-preparing. Not that it mattered to her, she would be satisfied with another quick orbital hop. Something in her partially military heritage made her crave some kind of action.
The real kicker came when they actually had some of the crew come in and make up every single stateroom on board, right down to the master suite. The large bed itself was well used by this point, but no one had used the secondary suite or any of the crew staterooms in her active memory. More and more she began anticipating an extended voyage, this time with a crew. She could quite easily function without a single soul, or with a small group of untrained spacefarers, but it was definitely more interesting to travel with more people to talk to.
Making a calculated guess, Trin decided to begin an extensive pre-flight diagnostic, a standard procedure when preparing to leave dock. Five minutes later she settled in to await her orders.
Sherry sat on the bench of the Space Center locker room, dressed only in an emerald green sports bra and black lycra tights, eyeing the strange garment warily. "The last time I saw one of these, it was white and I was being booted into a tower by the very person we're supposed to be flying off to rescue."
Mentally she counted down from three, expecting the western twanged voice from behind her. "If you've got a problem with that, Shego, why don't ya pack it in and go back to yer pretty little homestead and pretend yer a housewife some more."
"Because then I'd miss having to hear your sweet voice, Rawhide." She stepped into the black outfit, pulling it up her legs. Zipping up the front, she looked in the small mirror of the locker she had been provided. It was a standard version of the Team Possible Battle Suit, though the sleeves had been removed, leaving her arms bare from the shoulder down. A small flip up panel had been added to the equipment belt, replacing the status monitor normally located on the left sleeve.
"You know, I've got half a mind to wear one of my old suits over this thing. I'm not used to my arms being bare like this." She said, slipping a pair of black, claw tipped gloves into her belt. Looking into the mirror again, she frowned. "You know, every time I see this new logo of theirs, the first thing that comes to mind is 'toilet paper.'" She picked at the edges of the 'TP" monogram above her breast, finding it part of the fabric itself instead of a patch.
Yori was already fully dressed in her stock battlesuit, sitting reading the small manual Wade had provided each of them with. "Why is your suit constructed that way?"
"Nerd…I mean Load said he was afraid my plasma bolts might short out some of the systems. I really wished he'd have left the sleeves three quarters, but he pointed out that sometimes when I really put out the power, the plasma starts running up my arms."
"I have only seen pictures of you with it surrounding your hands and I understand you are quite powerful doing just that."
"Yeah. It used to be like that but the last time I really used my powers much some crap happened to me and now if I get the least bit emotional they start ramping up. Hopefully once we're off the ground I can get some real practice in with it."
"Why not practice here, where you can do so under controlled conditions?"
"Part of the deal I made with GJ. Like the cowgirl said, as long as I pretend to be nothing more than just a simple little housewife and keep my powers suppressed, they leave me alone."
"It just seems sad that you have to go against what you truly are simply to remain free."
"No kidding, sister. I'd like nothing better than to fire up, but I've got Amethyst to think about. She's more important than me getting my jollies using my powers."
"Your sacrifice for your child is an honorable path, Lipsky-san." Yori bowed slightly, going back to work on the controls of her suit. Sherry watched with interest as the glowing blue bands dimmed, then turned black, matching the rest of the suit. "There, that is more appropriate."
"Interesting." Sherry picked up the user's manual, eager to see just how customizable her suit really was.
"Admiral Hak Taag, I really appreciate your taking us to Arkonia." Kim said, feeling rather tiny among the muscular Torellians on the bridge of the transport ship.
"It's the least we could do after you exposed Governor Den Taag's illegal campaign against the Vershaltians. He's been a thorn in the side of this quadrant for too many years."
"It's no big, my Ron has the mad fu skills with a sword." She smiled at her husband, who was jumping around with an 'air' sword, battling some unseen foe.
"The Rondo came to play!" he shouted with a proud grin. He landed in a stance with his pretend sword held high. Apparently Vershaltian clothing wasn't designed with Torellian style combat in mind, as the trousers chose that particular moment to drop to the floor, the wooden toggle button bouncing away.
"Aw man, not in space too."
"Ron, quit playing around." Kim said, grinning despite herself.
"We will be in orbit in three days." The admiral said, graciously choosing to ignore the young man's faux pas. "While we should have no problem since this is the herald's personal transport along with all the diplomatic passes such a vessel must carry, but I do not know how the two of you will get past their security. His skills aside, I do not think your mate will be able to pass himself off as one of us."
"We'll think of something when the time comes. Just get us the planet and we'll take care of the rest."
"I have had quarters set aside for you and your mate. We have also repaired his armor, though your garment was beyond our capabilities. Unfortunately we have nothing in our stores that is appropriate for your human stature."
"I'll make do." Kim was dressed entirely in Vershaltian clothing, making her think she looked like a middle age peasant girl. Once she had changed back from her 'Hand of the Effurien" form not much had remained of her super suit. Apparently as long as she remained in that metallic form something held together whatever she was wearing, but once it was gone, the protective field collapsed, allowing the damage it would have received to be revealed. She was forced to watch the remainder of the ceremonies following Ron's battle holding the outfit together, not certain how the Torellians would react to a nearly naked human. The appreciative glances she got from the Vershaltian men made it quite clear how they reacted to her.
Ron was struggling with the leather strings that held his pants together, trying to lace them through the remains of the button. Slipping easily into mother-hen mode Kim helped him tie them off. "You'd think these people had heard of belt loops." He grinned.
"Come on, Warrior Hero. You need to get some rest." She led him off the bridge toward their quarters. The ship was bright and clean, not exactly what they were expecting from a culture described as a 'Warrior Race.' Then again, the only thing they really had to compare them to were the Corpulons and their dark, dank, dirty looking starships on Space Passage. Then again, it made a lot more sense to keep a starship, especially a military vessel as clean as possible.
"Mmmm, maybe we both could do with a little rest." He wiggled one eyebrow, implying he had a lot more on his mind than just sleeping.
Much as Kim liked the notion of some alone time with him, she knew he was literally running on fumes. Eventually the last few days were going to catch up to him. "Rest, as in sleep, as in you just about collapsed out there from exhaustion."
"I dunno, KP, I think that was more from lack of snackage than anything else, and that was one bon-diggity feast they gave us before we left."
"I was worried you were going to start an interstellar incident with your table manners. Who'd have thought there would be a whole colony of people who eat like you do."
"I think they were just happy to have their village back. They were in the mood to par-tay hard." They reached the indicated space. The door opened into a small room, complete with two narrow bunks and what appeared to be fold-down facilities. The whole 'stateroom' resembled low-level officer's quarters on an aircraft carrier.
Kim was thinking the same thing. "Well, I guess snuggling is out of the question anyway. Reminds me of the time we spent the night on the U.S.S. Enterprise."
Ron was already sitting on the lower bunk, slipping out of his deerskin-like vest. The same man who was actually leering at her just minutes ago suddenly slumped in on himself, looking utterly and totally beat. "So, how are we going to sneak into a whole planet?" he yawned, working on the laces of his leather boots.
"I'm working on it. We've got three days to come up with something." She stripped down to the under-tunic of the dress as Ron stretched out on the bunk, his muscles obviously slowing down.
"Ow, I never thought I'd feel like I was sixty-two at twenty-two. Sorry, KP, I think the 'Ron-shine' store is closed for repairs."
She kneeled at the edge of the bunk, leaning over to give him a warm kiss. Pulling back when she didn't get the response she expected, she realized he was already fast asleep. She kissed him again and curled up next to him, pulling the covers over them, thankful that the bunk was made for the greater bulk of a Torellian. It was still slightly smaller than Ron's childhood bed, but they had made do with that before.
Kim was just as exhausted as Ron was, sleep claiming her almost as quickly.
The doors slid open at the rear of the complex, facing the large landing strip of the Middleton Space Center. Five intrepid space explorers strode onto the field, their uniforms gleaming in the late summer sunlight. All save for one who wouldn't put the Team Possible super-suit on for love or money, even if that meant broiling in his trademark dark blue lab coat.
Wade Load, Sherry "Shego" Lipsky, Jocelyn "Joss" Possible, Drew "Doctor Drakken" Lipsky and Yori, Guardian of the Lotus Blade walked across the tarmac in a solid, unbroken line toward one of the larger hangers. The doors of the round topped building started rolling aside, revealing the craft inside.
Wade and Joss were both wearing standard suits, the power bands glowing blue, while Yori's suit was now solid black. The Lotus Blade, still stuck in the form of the Blade of the Effurien, was sheathed across her back.
Sherry, like her husband, stood out from the rest of them. After some fiddling with the controls of her suit she found the settings she wanted. The mutable fabric had changed, the power bands now partially reshaped, mimicking the patterns of her old Team Go uniform. The outfit was still mostly black, but the realigned power bands now glowed a bright emerald green. Black leather gloves, rolled back in the style of her one-time nemesis completed her ensemble. She wore a smile of smug satisfaction, now truly comfortable, especially since she found a way to make the uniform cover up the "TP" monogram.
Halfway across the tarmac, Drakken stopped in his tracks. "Just what the heck is that?" he asked, pointing toward the hanger.
A tractor had hooked up to the front of the craft, pulling it out onto the field. First the great, pointed nose emerged, then the wings, finally followed by the tail. Instead of a wingless, ovoid wedge with two large ion engines in the tail, the familiar shape of a Boeing 747 sat there, awaiting the quintet of adventurers and former criminals.
"That's our ride." Wade said, trying to hide his smug smile.
"What, a passenger jet? And one that's about twenty years out of date? What are you, some kind of buffoon, Load? What are we supposed to do? Fly that to our ship? I thought the Trinity was kept right here."
"Oh, that is the Trinity. The Seven Four Seven is just a holographic projection around the real ship to keep prying eyes from seeing a spaceship getting ready to launch."
"Oh, and like the airline you chose is supposed to make me feel better." Drakken groused. "I watch TV, I know exactly what Oceanic Airlines is."
"Wow, and I thought everybody forgot about that one overnight after it was cancelled." Wade opened a panel on his more complex looking gauntlet, exposing a tiny keyboard and screen. He touched a control and a ramp descended, emerging as if by magic from the belly of the phantom airplane, the holographic field not intended to encompass the lower hatchway.
"So we're out here doing the 'hero walk' from every NASA launch in history, and there's not a single camera to record it?" Sherry asked, looking at the empty field.
"Well, what do you think, Shego? Oh, look at these here varmints, about to fly into space in a yacht that doesn't officially exist. Get real." Joss sneered at her.
"I'm just saying somebody here's got a flair for the dramatic. Wouldn't it have been easier just to take the underground tunnel to the hanger."
"Yeah, I bet you do like all that underground stuff, Shego. Maybe that's why yer so pale."
Sherry stopped in her tracks and faced the smaller woman. "Listen, cow chip, I've had it up to here with you and your cuts." she held her hand a foot over her head, "Like it or not, you're going to be cooped up in that ship with me for almost three days at least so if you're just going to bitch at me, then we're having it out right here and right now.
"I didn't even want to be taken along on this little joy ride except for two things. One, my husband tells me I'm critical to the mission. How, I don't even pretend to understand, that's his department, but if he says so, I do. I did that when he was a raving loon, I did that when he started making sense and I still do it now that he thinks he's some kind of wizard. Got that? And more important than that, I'm going because somebody who was willing to be my friend even though I tried to do her and her husband in over and over is in trouble. Now if you want to go, I'll go right now and let me tell you, Kimmie could barely keep up with me and you are no Princess!"
Joss backed up a few steps from the enraged woman. The whole time she had been raging at the teenager her skin had been slowly changed, from the fair peach complexion she normally had to a light mint green color, making her look almost white. Her eyes went from dark brown to emerald green, the irises looking as if they were composed of green fire. A light green halo of energy started forming around her hands.
"I told you before, Shego, I don't like you. Like Ron always said, you're five hundred miles a bad road. If it were up to me, you'd still be sitting in prison for what you did. Daddy lost a hundred head of cattle to your damned Diablos."
"Oh, so now it comes out. You're not so worried about a career that I renounced, you're just upset 'cause your Daddy lost some cows? Give me a break."
If Sherry hadn't ducked in time, Joss' roundhouse punch might very well have broken her jaw, her super-suit glowing brightly, adding to her speed and reflexes. She continued to dodge the fast, but ill-timed punches from the enraged teen.
Kim never lost her cool like that in a fight she thought, blocking another jab.
Suddenly a large figure stepped between the two of them. "Ladies, please." Drakken said. "If the two of you want to have it out, let's do it once the job is done. And you, young missy, if you want somebody to blame for the Diablo bots, then you need to come to me. My wife knew almost nothing of my plan until the last second and she still nearly got killed over it."
"Maybe the two of you should have been killed over that! People died trying to stop those things, thousands, maybe millions more would have if Kim hadn't stopped you. Now you and your…wife just get to walk around free, playing the hero now because it suits you? That's not how it's supposed to work. Pretending you're the good-guy doesn't pay back all the evil you've done…"
"Possible-san" Yori put a hand on the younger one's shoulder.
Joss just shrugged it off. "How many people get sent to prison for some small time crime. They do their time and get out, but you, just because they can't seem to keep you in prison, you get to stay out simply because somebody…"
"Joss." Yori's hand clamped onto her shoulder, a bit firmer this time.
Yori's use of her nickname shocked her. The two of them had bonded over the last few days, but the older woman had never once called her anything but 'Possible-san.' "I agree that the good they do now can never repay the evil they have done before, but this is not up to you or any of us to decide. The decision has already been made and we need them.
"Look at them. They have been given a second chance, partly by Kim Stoppable-san herself. What have they done with that chance? They are honoring it. You would be right in your actions if they had thrown it back in our faces, but they have not. By their own free will they are standing here with us today."
"But…they're crim…"
"Joss, I am your friend, but if you cannot work with them, then it is best you remain behind and assist your other cousins on their missions." Yori said finally, her head held high, her arms crossed.
"Let's just get on the ship." Joss said, pushing past the rest of them.
"Uh, thanks." Sherry said to Yori as the teen mounted the ramp into the XSS Trinity.
"Do not thank me, Lipsky-san. I said that because I honor Ron Stoppable-san and his wife, not because I do not believe as Possible-san does. I too saw the damage your robots did all around Japan and I would just as soon see you in prison for the rest of your life." With that she walked away from the green skinned woman, joining the teen on board.
Wade followed last as the Lipskys boarded, thinking This is going to be a long trip.
The big house was fun! That was the thought foremost in the mind of young Amethyst Lipsky. Full of the seemingly limitless energy of toddlers, she ran up and down the stairs, even bounding up into Joss' room. If the nearly grown teen had been home to see it, she probably would have been upset, being much more private about her room than its original occupant.
Anne and James Possible had given up trying to keep up with the little girl. She was incredibly sweet and seemed very mature and intelligent for her age, but there really wasn't that much difference in the maturity of a six year old and that of a three and a half year old like she really was. The elder Possibles had to admit, the child was a lot like three other youngsters had been at that age. The only problem, both of them were almost fourteen years younger at the time.
Eventually Amethyst ran out of steam and, as children her age were wont to do, she found a nice comfortable spot and curled up asleep, clutching her battered, once incredibly valuable Pandaroo Superstar edition tightly. The only problem was she was asleep in the center of Joss' bed.
Anne found her that way and covered her up, not wanting to disturb her. Joss was 'out of town' anyhow, so what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, at least as long as Ammie didn't start gnawing on her stuffed longhorn dolls.
Late in the afternoon, Ammie suddenly sat up in the bed, almost in a panic. The blinds had been drawn over the windows, but the low afternoon sun was streaming in around the slats, bathing the pink and gray room in an eerie glow. That wasn't what had awakened her.
Ever since she had learned to walk and talk, Ammie had been a Daddy's girl. She worshiped the ground her 'blue Daddy' walked on and he tended to spoil her rotten in return. Be that as it may, she shared a special bond with her mother that simply was not possible with the man she called Daddy. She was touched with a power that came from both her natural parents, creating a connection that went far beyond even the closest of normal familiar ties. In essence, she could sense where her mother was at all times.
Now her mother was moving away from her at great speed, greater speed than she could comprehend. The sensation sent a wave of sadness and despair. She liked 'Uncle' James and 'Aunt' Anne a whole lot, but the thought that her mother was leaving her behind like this tore at her in ways she could not yet put into words.
A normal child, presented with that kind of fear would most likely have screamed. Instead, instincts took over, drawing on the part of her power she had gotten from her father, her real father. Without even the slightest inkling of how she was actually doing it, she threw her hands out.
The air swirled in front of her, little motes of lights coalescing into a disk of silvery light. Somehow, instinctively, she knew that she would find her mother in that glowing pool. Without fear, she stepped into it.
In the blink of an eye, the lens dissipated, leaving the darkening room empty, the well chewed plush toy sitting alone on the bed.