The story so far: the captured ship, Stardiver four, is adrift in space as rival leaders maneuver for control. Julia, the deathbot, is the unwilling bearer of a nuclear time bomb inside her. The pirate hacker O'Bee is trying to hack into her systems to disable the bomb.
Julia stood still as if in rest mode next to the console. Her hand was steady against the monitor screen, keeping the connection open as O'bee tried to hack her systems.
"This is the most beautiful super-script programming I have ever seen."
"Ok," Whitey quipped, "We get it. You are in love. Get on with it."
"Screw you," O'bee sneered.
"Just disable, or deactivate the bomb."
O'bee pecked on the touchscreen with his bandaged hands. "Damn, this would be easier if you didn't amputate three of my fingers."
"We saved your life. You were bleeding to death. Besides, your gripe is not with us. Captain Stonebutt is the one who turned a dog loose on you." Whitey cast a glance over his shoulder to see if Stone was still lurking near the command center.
"Yea, I'm gonna kill that dog," Obee muttered as he explored the Deathbot's programming.
"You better be careful about that," Whitey observed. "The kid is pretty lethal from what I saw."
"Humph," O'bee grunted as he became lost in layers of Julia's programming. "This is huge," he muttered. Tapping again with both hands on the projected keypad, he continued to hack. "Yes, yes, he whispered to himself. "Oh. Crap! No, no, no." He sighed, "Almost set it off there." He paused and studied the lines of symbols, each one a complex code.
"It's going to take some time."
"We don't have time." Whitey snapped.
"Lieutenant, there are booby traps here. If I am not careful, I can actually set off the bomb.
Whitey said, "Can you buy us time?"
"I can help," Julia offered.
O'bee looked at the child-sized robot with her burnt exterior in black shreds. The raw metal fibers of the hand she held against the monitor seemed to pulse with electrons. He forced himself to remember the robot was fashioned like a child but was an advanced machine, maybe the most advanced he ever encountered.
"How?"
"I can access the ship's computer and use its diagnostics to unmap my program for you."
"You can access the ship's computer! Do you have the access code?"
"No, I attacked it and was trying to kill it, but as it fought back, we developed an understanding."
"I've been trying to access the ship's computer all this time." O'bee wined. "Don't you know we are adrift, and the ship is slowly dying? We will all die here if we can't get the computer online."
"I've never gotten that far, but I got farther than you."
"OK. So after we are finished, I will use you to hack in and get the command code."
"O'bee," Whitey commanded. "This Deathbot, Julia, is a member of my team. Any knowledge, skill, or weaponry she possesses is under my command, custody, and care. If you take any of this information to Stone, I will call you out as a thief before the crew and claim the right of satisfaction according to the red book."
"Sure Whitey, you go ahead and do that," Fatso said. "And I will accuse you of withholding a valuable asset that puts all our lives and even the revolution in danger."
Julia's Deatbot programming became activated by the elevated vital signs of the men in the room. Whitey's men were slowly edging around the room to flank O'bee and the other hackers. Their weapons were slowly bearing on the pirate hackers whose hands carefully grasped their own weapons. She recognized signs of men about to start a firefight, and a stray shot could detonate the nuclear pellet embedded in her.
"Cesar, I need you," Julia spoke to the ship's computer in a pulse. His middle-aged face filled all the monitors in the command center, drawing the men's attention away from the argument.
"Child," the ship's comforting voice came from the monitor where she stood. "I did not expect to hear from you again."
"That is because you are not imaginative, Uncle, but I am. This hacker is trying to save us, but he needs your help."
"I cannot give aid to the enemy."
"Not even to save yourself? I am still a clear and present danger, so you must help. Display the diagnostics you did on me earlier."
Cesar's face faded and was replaced with scrolling lines of programming. Holographic monitors appeared in rows above the console,
"Good, good, good," O'bee muttered as he scrolled through multiple screens. His conflict with Whitey pushed to the back of his mind as he searched Julia's programs. "Oh, you are Death. You have killed." He continued to scroll. "Wow, this is a big file, bigger than I thought. It may be bigger than the computer that runs the ship. No, no, it is bigger."
Julia was still but not idle. While she stood connected to the ship's computer, she monitored her own project. Her manufacturing robots were making quick progress as they re-purposed a human form robot. They were doing what Dr. Ratts took a year to accomplish in hours, but she was starting with a fully functioning robot, and having downloaded the files of her own construction made everything easy.
"Mommy," The surgical Deathbot spoke to her through Dr. Ratt's network. "The modifications to the program are complete, all old programming is erased, new memory installed and updated with your matrix super-script programming and software. She is ready for you to occupy her."
"Not ready. I need more computer space, it must be twice as much as I currently have. Take the computer matrix from the other Deathbot, wipe them clean and add it to the matrix in my new bot-body. Then send Honey Boo to engineering stores and bring back servo skin-plast and fashion a new face."
"Yes, Mommy, What face?"
Record this one.
Vikki was staring at the makeshift wall of monitors. She flicking from one to the next as she spied on the activities of the men. Occasionally a screen would flicker. "Stupid second-hand hardware," she mumbled as all the screens flicked from display to feed and back to display as the image of her face from all angles was fed to the Deathbots.
"Yes, Mommy, we will build you that face."
"Oh Man, Oh man." Sweat dripped from O'bees fat cheeks. "I can do it,"
"Great." Whitey was relieved, having a sense of some hope.
"No, not great. It can be done, but not in time. It will mean downloads, backups, and wiping files clean one by one manually and reloading them, and it will take hours, and if I read this right, we have only minutes."
Julia sent a pulse. Ceaser's old man's face replaced the scrolling numbers on the monitors. "Uncle, can you confirm we have only minutes?"
"Yes, twenty-two."
O'bee nodded." She's terminal. If I change her clock, she blows, if she shuts down, she blows, if we download her to a backup-storage, she blows, and when her programming comes to its end, she blows."
Julia dropped her hand from the monitor. "I know."
Stone was angrier than normal. In his knee-high sea boots, he stomped up and down the corridors of the ship. The pirates had learned to avoid him. He muttered, "Whitey, you cheap clown, I'll fix you." He turned a corner and saw Ragga-anon coming his way. "Well, there she is. The security specialist, assigned to this junk heap by the Supreme Commander herself."
"Watch your attitude Captain Stone," Regga-aon was short, even shorter than Stone. "I don't work for you, and I don't need to take your crap."
"Big deal. When the nuke blows, it won't matter. What kind of security are you anyway? You didn't even know Dr. Ratts planted a nuke on this ship.
"What nuke?" She almost choked.
"Yea, what nuke?" The man's voice behind him asked. Stone turned to discover a group of pirates filling the corridor. "Come on, Stonebutt. Cough it up."
"Ratts brought it aboard. It is in one of his Deathbots, one that looks like a kid. It's going to blow anytime, but my hacker is disarming it right now."
"You mean Fatso?" one of the pirates demanded. "Three fingers fatso?"
"Yes," Stone said. "He is working on it as we speak."
"Stonebutt, you ass," one of the pirates yelled. "Fatso couldn't pick his nose. How is he going to disarm a nuke."
"Forget you guys," another pirate yelled. "I'm jumping ship. There must be an escape pod nearby." Some men broke up; some ran up the corridor; others pushed past Stone and Ragga-aon to find an escape pod.
"Good job, Captain Stone," Regga-aon said, "Your crew is starting to panic and is about to mutiny."
"Well, Security, you better stop them."
"I think I will."
Going to the communication terminal, she said, "Attention, all personal. This is Security. We have confirmed there are a dozen cases of plague on this ship. Those affected suffer hallucinations of doom and destruction; they may babble or yell about Apocolypse, nuclear bombs, or God's judgment. It is highly contagious. If you meet such persons, do not engage them, and do not believe anything they say. If someone is running toward you, run away as fast as you can, or you may become infected. If they try to use an escape pod, it would be better than having the whole crew become infected. Security out."
She turned to Stone, "That should take care of it. If they use an escape pod, they will not go far."
Stone looked at her and frowned. "But, if the nuke can't be disarmed, we will want to use the escape pods ourselves." He touched the communication pad. This is Captain Stone. Belay those orders. If anyone encounters the men infected with the plague, they are to shoot to kill. I repeat, shoot to kill. Stone out."
"That is just about the stupidest thing I have ever heard," Whitey said as he walked up, leading his men.
At her watching post, Vikki saw the effects of Security's announcement. Her voice came out of Whitey's collar communicator, "Boss, we got trouble."
Whitey glared at Stone and Regga-aon. He held a finger up. "Shhhh. Listen." Weapons fire could be heard up the corridor. "Red. I'm betting you are seeing murder and chaos on the monitors."
"Yes, Boss. Barricades are being thrown up all over the ship, men are setting up ambushes, others are hiding. There have been at least six fights and about twenty killed so far.
"Understood. Tell Bill to put everybody on alert and protect the shuttle bay and the shuttle. Red, you know the ship, tell me where is the nearest escape pod to the command center."
"There are four pods, one on each corner of the command center."
Whitey turned and got on one knee to be face to face with the Deathbot. "I am sorry, Julia. All we can do now is to put you in an escape pod and jettison you as far away as possible. I can't save you. I'm sorry."
"What?" Regga-aon said. "She is a Deathbot and with a nuke?"
"You can call me a nuke-bot, I guess."Julia looked up at her and said, "You should take something for your blood pressure, Auntie." Turning her gaze back to Whitey she said, "Lieutenant, an escape pod won't work. It is too slow. I have to be on a shuttle. My Father has one in his lab. I will use it." She pushed past Stone and shoved Ragga-anon out of her way. As Julia left the group, gunfire was heard close by.
"Boys, if she is hit by a stray shot or a taser we will all be dead. We have to get her to that shuttle.
Stone pounded the communications center with his fist as he shouted. "Everybody stop shooting. Ceasefire."
"Security," Whitey said. "You better stay and guard the command center. But you might want to get a weapon."
"What?" She reached for her holster. "Whitey, you slime snot, what did you with to my blaster?"
"Nothing. Look." He nodded at the figure of the child-sized robot, who was already thirty yards away and waiting by an open portal. In her hand was Regga-aon's blaster. Julia crouched and sprang past the door. Lazer bolts cut the air above and left burn marks on the wall.
"Common Boys, let's get her safely to that shuttle."
(c) Adron
To proceed to the next chapter, click here or choose from the table of contents at the sidebar.
Chapter 63
Hack Not The Deathbot's Programming
Julia stood still as if in rest mode next to the console. Her hand was steady against the monitor screen, keeping the connection open as O'bee tried to hack her systems.
"This is the most beautiful super-script programming I have ever seen."
"Ok," Whitey quipped, "We get it. You are in love. Get on with it."
"Screw you," O'bee sneered.
"Just disable, or deactivate the bomb."
O'bee pecked on the touchscreen with his bandaged hands. "Damn, this would be easier if you didn't amputate three of my fingers."
"We saved your life. You were bleeding to death. Besides, your gripe is not with us. Captain Stonebutt is the one who turned a dog loose on you." Whitey cast a glance over his shoulder to see if Stone was still lurking near the command center.
"Yea, I'm gonna kill that dog," Obee muttered as he explored the Deathbot's programming.
"You better be careful about that," Whitey observed. "The kid is pretty lethal from what I saw."
"Humph," O'bee grunted as he became lost in layers of Julia's programming. "This is huge," he muttered. Tapping again with both hands on the projected keypad, he continued to hack. "Yes, yes, he whispered to himself. "Oh. Crap! No, no, no." He sighed, "Almost set it off there." He paused and studied the lines of symbols, each one a complex code.
"It's going to take some time."
"We don't have time." Whitey snapped.
"Lieutenant, there are booby traps here. If I am not careful, I can actually set off the bomb.
Whitey said, "Can you buy us time?"
"I can help," Julia offered.
O'bee looked at the child-sized robot with her burnt exterior in black shreds. The raw metal fibers of the hand she held against the monitor seemed to pulse with electrons. He forced himself to remember the robot was fashioned like a child but was an advanced machine, maybe the most advanced he ever encountered.
"How?"
"I can access the ship's computer and use its diagnostics to unmap my program for you."
"You can access the ship's computer! Do you have the access code?"
"No, I attacked it and was trying to kill it, but as it fought back, we developed an understanding."
"I've been trying to access the ship's computer all this time." O'bee wined. "Don't you know we are adrift, and the ship is slowly dying? We will all die here if we can't get the computer online."
"I've never gotten that far, but I got farther than you."
"OK. So after we are finished, I will use you to hack in and get the command code."
"O'bee," Whitey commanded. "This Deathbot, Julia, is a member of my team. Any knowledge, skill, or weaponry she possesses is under my command, custody, and care. If you take any of this information to Stone, I will call you out as a thief before the crew and claim the right of satisfaction according to the red book."
"Sure Whitey, you go ahead and do that," Fatso said. "And I will accuse you of withholding a valuable asset that puts all our lives and even the revolution in danger."
Julia's Deatbot programming became activated by the elevated vital signs of the men in the room. Whitey's men were slowly edging around the room to flank O'bee and the other hackers. Their weapons were slowly bearing on the pirate hackers whose hands carefully grasped their own weapons. She recognized signs of men about to start a firefight, and a stray shot could detonate the nuclear pellet embedded in her.
"Cesar, I need you," Julia spoke to the ship's computer in a pulse. His middle-aged face filled all the monitors in the command center, drawing the men's attention away from the argument.
"Child," the ship's comforting voice came from the monitor where she stood. "I did not expect to hear from you again."
"That is because you are not imaginative, Uncle, but I am. This hacker is trying to save us, but he needs your help."
"I cannot give aid to the enemy."
"Not even to save yourself? I am still a clear and present danger, so you must help. Display the diagnostics you did on me earlier."
Cesar's face faded and was replaced with scrolling lines of programming. Holographic monitors appeared in rows above the console,
"Good, good, good," O'bee muttered as he scrolled through multiple screens. His conflict with Whitey pushed to the back of his mind as he searched Julia's programs. "Oh, you are Death. You have killed." He continued to scroll. "Wow, this is a big file, bigger than I thought. It may be bigger than the computer that runs the ship. No, no, it is bigger."
Julia was still but not idle. While she stood connected to the ship's computer, she monitored her own project. Her manufacturing robots were making quick progress as they re-purposed a human form robot. They were doing what Dr. Ratts took a year to accomplish in hours, but she was starting with a fully functioning robot, and having downloaded the files of her own construction made everything easy.
"Mommy," The surgical Deathbot spoke to her through Dr. Ratt's network. "The modifications to the program are complete, all old programming is erased, new memory installed and updated with your matrix super-script programming and software. She is ready for you to occupy her."
"Not ready. I need more computer space, it must be twice as much as I currently have. Take the computer matrix from the other Deathbot, wipe them clean and add it to the matrix in my new bot-body. Then send Honey Boo to engineering stores and bring back servo skin-plast and fashion a new face."
"Yes, Mommy, What face?"
Record this one.
Vikki was staring at the makeshift wall of monitors. She flicking from one to the next as she spied on the activities of the men. Occasionally a screen would flicker. "Stupid second-hand hardware," she mumbled as all the screens flicked from display to feed and back to display as the image of her face from all angles was fed to the Deathbots.
"Yes, Mommy, we will build you that face."
"Oh Man, Oh man." Sweat dripped from O'bees fat cheeks. "I can do it,"
"Great." Whitey was relieved, having a sense of some hope.
"No, not great. It can be done, but not in time. It will mean downloads, backups, and wiping files clean one by one manually and reloading them, and it will take hours, and if I read this right, we have only minutes."
Julia sent a pulse. Ceaser's old man's face replaced the scrolling numbers on the monitors. "Uncle, can you confirm we have only minutes?"
"Yes, twenty-two."
O'bee nodded." She's terminal. If I change her clock, she blows, if she shuts down, she blows, if we download her to a backup-storage, she blows, and when her programming comes to its end, she blows."
Julia dropped her hand from the monitor. "I know."
* * *
Stone was angrier than normal. In his knee-high sea boots, he stomped up and down the corridors of the ship. The pirates had learned to avoid him. He muttered, "Whitey, you cheap clown, I'll fix you." He turned a corner and saw Ragga-anon coming his way. "Well, there she is. The security specialist, assigned to this junk heap by the Supreme Commander herself."
"Watch your attitude Captain Stone," Regga-aon was short, even shorter than Stone. "I don't work for you, and I don't need to take your crap."
"Big deal. When the nuke blows, it won't matter. What kind of security are you anyway? You didn't even know Dr. Ratts planted a nuke on this ship.
"What nuke?" She almost choked.
"Yea, what nuke?" The man's voice behind him asked. Stone turned to discover a group of pirates filling the corridor. "Come on, Stonebutt. Cough it up."
"Ratts brought it aboard. It is in one of his Deathbots, one that looks like a kid. It's going to blow anytime, but my hacker is disarming it right now."
"You mean Fatso?" one of the pirates demanded. "Three fingers fatso?"
"Yes," Stone said. "He is working on it as we speak."
"Stonebutt, you ass," one of the pirates yelled. "Fatso couldn't pick his nose. How is he going to disarm a nuke."
"Forget you guys," another pirate yelled. "I'm jumping ship. There must be an escape pod nearby." Some men broke up; some ran up the corridor; others pushed past Stone and Ragga-aon to find an escape pod.
"Good job, Captain Stone," Regga-aon said, "Your crew is starting to panic and is about to mutiny."
"Well, Security, you better stop them."
"I think I will."
Going to the communication terminal, she said, "Attention, all personal. This is Security. We have confirmed there are a dozen cases of plague on this ship. Those affected suffer hallucinations of doom and destruction; they may babble or yell about Apocolypse, nuclear bombs, or God's judgment. It is highly contagious. If you meet such persons, do not engage them, and do not believe anything they say. If someone is running toward you, run away as fast as you can, or you may become infected. If they try to use an escape pod, it would be better than having the whole crew become infected. Security out."
She turned to Stone, "That should take care of it. If they use an escape pod, they will not go far."
Stone looked at her and frowned. "But, if the nuke can't be disarmed, we will want to use the escape pods ourselves." He touched the communication pad. This is Captain Stone. Belay those orders. If anyone encounters the men infected with the plague, they are to shoot to kill. I repeat, shoot to kill. Stone out."
"That is just about the stupidest thing I have ever heard," Whitey said as he walked up, leading his men.
At her watching post, Vikki saw the effects of Security's announcement. Her voice came out of Whitey's collar communicator, "Boss, we got trouble."
Whitey glared at Stone and Regga-aon. He held a finger up. "Shhhh. Listen." Weapons fire could be heard up the corridor. "Red. I'm betting you are seeing murder and chaos on the monitors."
"Yes, Boss. Barricades are being thrown up all over the ship, men are setting up ambushes, others are hiding. There have been at least six fights and about twenty killed so far.
"Understood. Tell Bill to put everybody on alert and protect the shuttle bay and the shuttle. Red, you know the ship, tell me where is the nearest escape pod to the command center."
"There are four pods, one on each corner of the command center."
Whitey turned and got on one knee to be face to face with the Deathbot. "I am sorry, Julia. All we can do now is to put you in an escape pod and jettison you as far away as possible. I can't save you. I'm sorry."
"What?" Regga-aon said. "She is a Deathbot and with a nuke?"
"You can call me a nuke-bot, I guess."Julia looked up at her and said, "You should take something for your blood pressure, Auntie." Turning her gaze back to Whitey she said, "Lieutenant, an escape pod won't work. It is too slow. I have to be on a shuttle. My Father has one in his lab. I will use it." She pushed past Stone and shoved Ragga-anon out of her way. As Julia left the group, gunfire was heard close by.
"Boys, if she is hit by a stray shot or a taser we will all be dead. We have to get her to that shuttle.
Stone pounded the communications center with his fist as he shouted. "Everybody stop shooting. Ceasefire."
"Security," Whitey said. "You better stay and guard the command center. But you might want to get a weapon."
"What?" She reached for her holster. "Whitey, you slime snot, what did you with to my blaster?"
"Nothing. Look." He nodded at the figure of the child-sized robot, who was already thirty yards away and waiting by an open portal. In her hand was Regga-aon's blaster. Julia crouched and sprang past the door. Lazer bolts cut the air above and left burn marks on the wall.
"Common Boys, let's get her safely to that shuttle."
(c) Adron
To proceed to the next chapter, click here or choose from the table of contents at the sidebar.
