First Contact

Chapter 457: Crying Anne

The elevator whined as it rattled its way up. It paused, shuddered, then started moving again.

Dee gave a frustrated sigh and shook her head.

"What's wrong?" Dhruv asked, leaning against the wall.

"Your people are fucking children," she said. She pulled out her cigarettes and pulled one from the pack, staring at it for a long moment. "Half a pack. Shit."

"What do you mean?" Dhruv asked. Daxin glared at him, willing him to stop engaging with the obvious lunatic in their midst, but he just smiled back.

Dee touched the button panel, where it was all mechanical push buttons with light up rings around them. "Look at this. This was installed before my tits started sagging, and here it is," she glared at Legion. "Tell me it's the temporal dissonance problems."

Dhruv shrugged. "Could be. I've always presumed Crying Anne was temporally locked to keep the enemy from using temporal munitions against it. A temporal stabilizer would explain this."

"Hmph," Dee said, turning away. "Fucking kids."

"I don't understand why you are upset," Dhruv said, watching her light the cigarette.

"This place should be manned. There should be hundreds, thousands of specially trained military and civilian experts handing this area. It's the central defensive facility in the entire solar system and we're apparently the only living thing here," Dee snarled.

Dhruv shrugged again. "Might be inhospitable to people after a period of time. We're fine, but Daxin and I, we're immortals, and you're whatever you are. Besides, if it had been manned, the crew would have dropped dead when everyone else started dropping like flies."

"Wait, do what now?" Daxin asked, looking up from where he was scratching FIDO's neck.

"Something caused a tissue and engram mismatch in the SUDS, everyone started dying," Dhruv said.

Dee made another noise of disgust. "That's not what happened. The cerebral tissue and DNA reverted somehow to pre-Glassing, which meant the neural overlays you use when you 'reskin' burned the neural tissue. To top it off, the body's immune system went crazy and started attacking the body as well as bioware and cyberware implants," she shook her head. "For someone who's supposedly so smart, it would help if you explained it to Mr. Facestomp correctly."

"Daxin," Dhruv said. When Daxin looked at him Dhruv held out his hands. "Thinky goo get owies. Everyone tummy hurt. Everyone fall down, go night-night forever."

"How would you like a punch in the mouth?" Daxin asked.

Dhruv just snickered and the elevator went silent.

It opened up on dimly lit halls. Pipes were in the upper corners, conduits ran along the walls, and the floor was brushed steel plate. Most of the lights were yellow, dim, and buzzing.

"Well, this place looks fun," Dhruv said, following Dee out of the elevator.

"Let's go, boy," Daxin said. FIDO bounded out behind him, sniffing on everything.

Dee led them in a roundabout pattern until she finally stopped at what looked like a large semi-tractor trailer spray painted green, surrounded by cables and heavy condiuts. There were blinking lights with no apparent rhyme or reason, yellow, red, blue, orange, green. She moved around it, Dhruv and Daxin following her, until she stopped.

"Aha," she said.

There was a panel with an open face section. The panel was labeled WOPR with more blinking lights. There were panels below, with chrome releases. Under a set of digital readouts there was simply written "WAR OPERATIONAL PLANNING RESPONSE" in big block letters.

"Dhruv, look for any books that will tell us what the readouts mean," Dee said. "Daxin, finger on the trigger, this thing might have protections."

Dhruv looked at Daxin, who shrugged, then puffed into nearly twenty different versions of him which began combing the room. Daxin drew his pistol and looked around, marking any nodules or anything else that could hold hidden weaponry.

"Operational response codes," Dhruv said, holding up a three ring binder.

"Throw it here," Dee said. Dhruv threw it and she caught it easily, flipping it open. She paged quickly through the table of contents while the extra clones vanished into black mist. "OK, here we go."

Daxin watched her out of the corner of his eye as she flipped through it, reached the page she wanted, then ran her finger down the line, glancing up at the readouts.

"There it is. Stellar System Gravitation Induced Protective Lockout," she said. She flipped back to the beginning and began turning the pages rapidly. "Temporal attack. External threat. Dimensional instability detected by the Northern Arc Deep Space Arrays as well as the Oort Seven Detection Grid."

She flipped past the last page and shut the book, putting it on top of the shelf in front of the digital readouts. "I'm done. Let's go."

"Where?" Daxin asked. She grated on his nerves.

"War Room," Dhruv guessed.

"I need to talk to someone," Dee said, not confirming or denying Dhruv's guess.

The walk back, Daxin noted without even consulting his inertial mapper that she was taking them on a different route. At one point she stopped and opened up what looked like a small closet. On the far wall was what looked like a breaker box. Dee opened it, exposing a panel full of LED lights and readouts. At the bottom it read "OMNIBUS CORTEX" with a long serial number. On the inside of the panel it read "Artificial Robot Cerebellum Housing Intellect Experiment MK III" with more lines and data below it. She sighed, tapped the armaglass covering an endosteel box, then she looked at the readouts for a minute and shut the panel.

"Let's go," she said.

"What was that all about?" Dhruv asked.

"Making sure the primary housing for Whopper is still able to talk to the mainframe in the War Room," she said.

Dhruv gave Daxin a look that said "do you believe this shit?"

It took the elevator a few minutes to reach them and when it did they got back in while Dee pressed three buttons simultaneously.

Dee withdrew another cigarette and lit it as the elevator shuddered and groaned along.

Finally the door opened up. The hallway looked much more modern. Sleek white walls, hologenerators, holographic stripes showing various direction, feeling much more modern and comfortable.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Dee snarled, stomping out of the elevator. "Could this place look any more pathetically coddling?"

"Smoking is illegal on United States Government property. Please extinguish all smoking materials," a voice said from thin air.

"Fuck off," Dee snarled.

"Security will be summoned and penalties applied. Please extinguish all smoking and vaping materials," the voice said.

"Make me," Dee snapped, rolling her head to crack her neck. She clenched her fist and shifted her cigarette so it was held in her teeth as she stomped down the corridor.

**someone's looking for a fight** Dhruv signed.

**ya think?** Daxin answered.

"Security forces have been summoned. Please remain where you are," the voice said.

A door slid open in the smooth white wall and a sleek white robot started to exit. A digital display on the front read "PLEASE COMPLY" as the lights on the top began to rotate, casting red lights on the walls.

Dee took two fast steps, spun in place, and slammed her heel into the middle of the display. The robot crashed back into the alcove and Dee took one step forward and drove her heel into the body of the robot.

There was a loud squeal of feedback as spark showered out.

"Subject 001 and Subject 002, please restrain unauthorized intruder," came a new voice. Female, young sounding.

Daxin looked at Dhruv and burst out laughing. Dhruv sagged against the wall as the voice repeated its demands.

Their laughter cut off when Dee spoke.

"Jennifer, respond," she said. "Authorization: Piss on a sparkplug."

A hologram rezzed into being in front of Dee. Teenage female Terran with the slight edge of pre-Glassing humanity. Shoulder length wavy brown hair, freckles, pale skin, brown eyes. Dressed in denim pants and a thin denim jacket over a striped shirt.

"Who are you?" the hologram asked. She looked at Daxin and Dhruv. "Subject zero zero one, Subject zero zero two, who is this?"

Dee stood there for a moment. "Doctor Taynee."

The brunette looked at Dee. "I have no record of you. How did you get that authorization code?"

"Ask David," Dee said.

The brunette walked slowly around Dee, a second face appearing to stare at Dhruv and Daxin. "Why are you not killing her?"

Dhruv shrugged. "No reason to."

Daxin spit on the floor. "You don't get to ask me to do anything anymore, you murderous bitch," he held up his pistol. "We can have a firefight right here if you want."

"Be nice," Dee said softly. "She is what we made her," she waited until the hologram was in front of her. "Or rather, what Project Silicon Falcon and Overproject Whisper made her."

The hologram rezzed for a second. "Who are you? How do you know these things?"

Dee leaned forward and whispered softly. "I'm your mother, dear. I didn't code you, I didn't design your circuit boards, but I'm the one who created them."

The hologram rezzed for a second. "Searching archives," she said, her voice monotone.

"That'll take her a minute," Dee said. She looked at Daxin. "Put away the gun, you big thug."

Daxin shrugged, the compartment in his leg popping open. He twirled the pistol and put it back.

Dee frowned. "Interesting. Did you develop that habit yourself or was it programmed?"

Daxin shrugged again. "Programmed. Never thought about it."

Dee nodded. "Figures," she shook her head. "We are what the universe made us," she said softly.

"Archive photographic matches found," "Jennifer" said. She suddenly solidified. "All references have been redacted. Nineteen archive images found. Date of images compared to current date when compared to human lifespan during that era indicate you are not who the images show."

Dee shrugged. "Run a low level memory geometry scan of the following chipset, putting the results in a binary image file," Dee said. She rattled off a set of numbers and letters which Dhruv paid close attention to.

"Scanning," the hologram said. It suddenly went still, then moved slowly around Dee. "Image is a match to biological form, including retinal, pore pattern, and blood type."

She stopped in front of Dee. "Please extinguish your cigarette. Smoking is illegal in government facilities."

"No," Dee said. She inhaled deeply and blew smoke out, causing the hologram to sparkle. "Enable access to War Room Omega for the three of us."

Jennifer looked at Dhruv and Daxin. "Due to the Case Omaha I cannot directly give either of you commands. Will you accept verbal commands?"

"No," the two men said at once.

"Then I have no choice but to comply," she said, almost resentfully. She turned and began moving forward. "Follow."

"How did you know she would respond to you?" Dhruv asked. "I thought you said that back doors and hidden passcodes were something that incompetent fiction writers used."

"They are," Dee said, shrugging. "Just remember one quote: fiction is not allowed plot holes, real life is," she grinned.

"How did you know they wouldn't have replaced the chips and not had your trick in them?" Daxin asked. "Eight thousand years is a lot of upgrades."

"Because governments and corporations don't upgrade unless God himself forces them too," she sneered. "I could tell you the tale of Darth DFAS, it's not a tale the Jedi would tell you."

"What does a psyker religion have to do with it?" Daxin asked.

"Nevermind," Dee said.

On the brimstone plane somewhere else Legion looked up at the heavyset demon sitting on the throne. "Tell me the tale of Darth DFAS, Dee."

The demon looked down. "All right."

In the heart of Crying Anne, Dhruv caught up to Dee. "Tell me about it. I want to hear it."

Dee looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Dhruv/Legion listened carefully to the story about how a government had tried to upgrade something called the Defense Finance Accounting Service to then modern standards, attempting to upgrade some systems that were over eighty years old. How after billions of dollars and decades, the system didn't work, and the government had been forced to return to the old system.

Dhruv/Legion listened to word choice, sentence structure. He interrupted for clarification, stretching out his questions or rewording them so the two images of Dee telling the stories were out of synch.

When it was over, the demon went back to summoning up particularly difficult SUDS files. Dee herself lit another cigarette.

So you aren't like me. You aren't running quantum entangled or single mind copies, he mused.

"Can you run me through the payment algorithm again?" he asked both.

He noticed the demon gave him the exact algorithm, but slightly slower than the biological Dee in front of him.

It's like I spent all night drinking Legion/Dhruv remembered.

"Well, now that you've been entertained, we're here," Dee said, pausing at the door the hologram had stopped in front of. She gave a heaving sigh. "I don't know whether to expect the same hardware that was there when I was there or for it to be upgraded."

"The Imperium was here," Daxin said slowly. "I remember that."

"Then it'll be different," Dee said. "Let's hope there isn't anyone here. Jennifer, open the door."

"I cannot accompany you any further," the hologram said. "Opening door."

The door slid open and the three humans and one cybernetic canine walked into a massive room. Displays and work stations were everywhere, the far wall was nothing but massive displays. Holograms danced and twinkled.

"Joshua?" Dee asked, moving into the room.

Another hologram appeared, this one of a young human male child. It looked up at Dee and frowned. "I remember you."

"And I remember you," she said.

Dhruv moved over and sat down in a chair, motioning Daxin to do the same.

The chair creaked and groaned as it took Daxin's weight.

"Why are you here?" the holographic boy asked.

"To press a red, green, or blue button," Dee said.

The boy frowned. "What? That does not make sense."

"Nevermind," Dee said. "What's the current status?"

"DEFCON Zero," the boy said. "COGCON Zero. STELCON Zero. DIMCON Four. TEMCON Zero. CONFEDMILCON Zero."

Daxin raised his eyebrows and glanced at Dhruv who had raised a single eyebrow.

Dee nodded. "All right. What's the hangup from lowering the statuses?"

"A temporal attack is currently underway. All elements of the Confederate Armed Forces are engaged across multiple theaters. Humanity has taken ninety-three point six two percent casualties outside of the Sol System. Continuity of Government reports zero percent accountability," the boy said. "The temporal and gravitational protective system may not be disengaged at this time without manual command."

Dee sat down and turned to Daxin and Dhruv.

"Here it is," she said. She spread her arms out as she held her cigarette in her teeth. "Right here. Right now. Here it is."

She spun in the chair and laughed, deep belly laughs with a slight tinge of something that made Dhruv shiver.

Legion watched and saw no change to the massive demon on the throne.

"Here what is?" Daxin asked slowly.

Dee stopped spinning and stared at Daxin. She took the cigarette from her mouth and jabbed it at him. "I can get you out of the bag. I can restore your wife and daughters to you," she leaned forward. "I can even make it so the Immortal system leaves you alone."

Daxin shrugged. "All right. So?"

"All you have to do is give me a head start before you tell anyone," she smiled. She looked at Legion. "And if he promises to keep his mouth shut and not tell the incredible sobbing idiot and his marionette."

Dhruv shrugged. "What do I care?"

"I can get you out too, disconnect you from the Case Omaha, make it so the system never bothers you again," Dee said.

"And?" Dhruv asked.

"I'll have Joshua maintain the Case Omaha and we make a run for it," Dee said. She smiled widely. "Make them figure out how to get out of the bag on their own. Make them grow up. Make them stop being coddled little children who don't have to be afraid for their lives when the thunderstorm's lightning is showing them that the sabertooth cat is outside the cave."

"Why do you need us?" Dhruv asked.

Daxin snorted. "She needs us for triangulation. Me, you, FIDO, all have mat-trans beacons that nobody but her can detect. She sends us out of the bag, she can pop right in next to us," he said. "Same theory as the Type-I mat-trans they used on Anthill during the war."

Dhruv shook his head. He had forgotten FIDO had one.

"Perfect," Dee said. "We all need each other. I can keep the system from bugging you, you can get me out."

"Why?" Daxin asked. "What's your master plan after you get out? It's not like law enforcement or any government body knows you exist or cares one iota about you. They aren't going to chase you. You could board a luxury liner and cruise off into the sunset. Why all of this?"

Dee stopped moving her chair back and forth. She blinked several times. "I... I hadn't thought of that," her face suddenly hardened. "No. Sooner or later someone will come looking for me. Want to take from me what I know."

She stood up, her fists clenched.

"ISN'T IT ENOUGH THEY TOOK YOU, TOOK MY BOYS, TOOK MY WORK?" she suddenly shrieked. "ISN'T IT ENOUGH THEY EVEN TOOK MY NAME!"

She grabbed a monitor and threw it across the room. It bounced twice, shattering, and landed on the floor.

"THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMETHING ELSE THEY WANT FROM ME!" she screamed.

The monitor melted away and reformed on the desk behind her.

She began stalking back and forth. "That glittering pansy brought me back from the dead to help Pinnochio, but that wasn't enough," she snarled. "Even after I died for the last time, he 'fixed' me, packed my brain full of cotton by making a cheap Memorex copy of me, and had me weighing the sins of the dead to help them reach the afterlife."

Dee turned and faced the two men. "It's always more more more with them. It's NEVER enough! NEVER!"

Daxin nodded slowly, reaching out carefully, deliberately, to scratch FIDO's warsteel skull. "You're right."

Dhruv nodded. "Mortals always want more," he said.

Dee nodded, staring at them. "And when I provide it, they take it, claim they did it, and shove me into a hole, their boot on my face," her face purpled. "AND THEY WONDER WHY I KILL THEM!"

Daxin nodded. "Yup. Every war. Every fight. Oh, no, Daxin, save us, liberate us, protect us, help us," he said, his voice hard. "Never... hey, Daxin, how about a beer? Hey, Daxin, are you busy, I'm throwing a party."

Dhruv kept the look of disbelief off his face, knowing good and damn well Daxin would never take anyone up on any kind of offer like that.

"Then they made it so we could hear their prayers," Dhruv added. "Please, Vat Grown Luke, help me. Give me courage. Give me wisdom. Give me strength. Night and day, asleep or awake, we could always hear them, begging, pleading, beseeching us."

Daxin nodded, putting his feet up on the desk, pushing his legs out until the monitor fell to the ground and cracked. "It wasn't enough we were the Apostles of the Digital Omnimessiah, no, they had to take us here and craft us into the Immortals, binding what our Digital Father had done to their own desires."

Dee's hands slowly unclenched.

"Did you know that Rigellian ducks teach the ducklings a song called 'Luke loves the little ducklings' when they're tiny? That even, right this second, I can hear them singing it?" Dhruv asked. He closed his eyes and cocked his head for a moment. When he opened his eyes he shook his head. "Right now, on Rigel, a little duckling is cuddling up under its daddy duck and peeping the song in his sleep. He's warm, safe, and his mother is less than ten feet away, doing bench press reps."

Dee picked up her cigarette, never taking her eyes off of either of the men.

Daxin just shrugged. "Right now, there's a soldier, a Telkan Marine, calling out to me, asking me to witness him as he stands against incredible odds with an overheated and slushed out creation engine, asking me for witness, to know he existed, and what he is trying to do."

"They always ask for more," both men said at the same time.

"Before the Digital Omnimessiah was assassinated and we were remade into the Immortals, I might have appeared next to the little duckling to stroke its feathers and smile at it," Dhruv admitted.

"I would have joined his fight, lifted his body from his enemies once he had died and I had vanquished his foes, and vanished into Hellspace with it to return it home," Daxin said.

"What..." Dee said. She stopped and sat down, her hands shaking, her face still red, sweat on her face. "What changed?"

"Time? Betrayal?" Dhruv shrugged. "Who knows."

"The Imperium," Daxin said. "When they betrayed us, it broke the conditioning," he stared up at the ceiling. "We just wanted to be left alone. To grow old, maybe, or maybe just be forgotten."

"Being forgotten is a bitch," Dee said softly.

"What are you going to do when you leave, Dee?" Dhruv asked.

Dee stared at the floor. "I don't know."

Dhruv looked at Daxin for a long moment, then to Dee.

"What if I told you there could be a place for you?" he said. Dee looked up. "A place where scientific advancement and research is priority. Where you get everything you need. Where questions are answered and all oversight is for is to make sure you can work unimpeded."

Dee snorted. "What if we went to Neverland?"

"Not Neverland," Dhruv said, shaking his head.

"A Black Box."