CHAPTER FIVE
ROSLYN RESEARCH FACILITY: Welcome to the System
Yumi screamed, and I turned to see Kyle half-buried in debris at the bottom of the shaft. Blood was gushing from multiple puncture wounds running down the left side of his body. He looked weak and broken. When Tanya ran over to help pull him free and tried to heal him, she looked up at the rest of us with an expression of pure horror.
She didn’t say anything; she just pulled the window up so we could see it.
SYSTEM WINDOW] WARNING:
Your target Kyle Mercer is afflicted with Blood Toll. Healing is suppressed for the duration of this effect. All regenerative skills, spells, and abilities will fail until the debuff expires.
I didn’t wait. I ripped the chest piece of my armor off, exposing the woven top beneath, and started tearing the bottom of it into long strips. “You might not be able to use our abilities, but we have to stop the bleeding!”
Tanya looked up. “Yumi, I can’t see. There’s not enough light.”
Yumi was already trying, her hands shaking as she reached out through her sobs to respawn her drones. Her breath hitched when nothing happened. “It’s not letting me,” she choked out. She tried again. “They’re all on cooldown.” She tried a third time, and her face crumpled.
Tanya and I worked frantically to wrap the wounds running up the side of Kyle’s body as Yumi stayed close, sobbing so hard she could barely get the words out.
“Please,” she said. “Please don’t die. Kyle, sweetie, please don’t leave me, okay?”
ARi looked up at Roslyn, who had gone quiet, her face pale.
“Roslyn, please. We need light.”
“Roslyn,” ARi raised her voice. “Please!”
Roslyn pulled herself together, and the lights at the far end of the corridor flickered to life. We kept working on Kyle while Tanya did everything she could with what she had.
After a while, Tanya sat back. She looked at Yumi, and her expression said everything before the words did. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely holding together.
“Yumi, I’m sorry.” She stopped, pressing her lips together for a moment, her eyes wet. “That’s everything we can do.”
ARi moved in closer as Yumi turned and threw herself into her chest, crying so hard she couldn’t catch her breath.
I didn’t look away from Kyle.
I glanced up at Roslyn after a while and caught her projection flicker and fade. It occurred to me that the explosion upstairs had likely collapsed the entire level. Whatever was powering those lights wasn’t coming from a generator or a battery backup.
She had to be pulling the power for the lights from her own reserves, and it was taxing her.
She looked back at me, shaking her head, stopping me before I could say anything about it.
“Roslyn, you can stop.”
She held my gaze for a second, and then the lights went out.
The only light left was the faint flickering of flames coming from somewhere deep in the debris at the bottom of the elevator shaft. There was just enough light to make out the shapes of the people around me.
I don’t know how much time passed. Kyle lay motionless on his back in the middle of the corridor. ARi and Tanya held Yumi between them on the adjacent wall, her head resting against ARi’s shoulder. She had cried until there was nothing left.
It had been quiet for a long time, and nobody had said a word, as if somehow a sudden sound might force this to feel real.
Even in the quiet, I almost missed the faint breath when he tried to get my attention.
His eyes were open, and I pushed myself off the wall, lowering myself to my knees beside him. I leaned down until my ear was close to his face.
“Am I dead?”
His words were barely a whisper.
I kept my voice low. “No, man. You’re not dead.” I paused. “But it was pretty touch-and-go for a while.”
A long moment passed before the next words came; each one was an effort.
“Gavin,” he said with a slow, ragged breath. “I can’t move.”
“So don’t try, okay? As soon as that debuff clears, Tanya will fix that. Just try to stay still.”
He was quiet for a moment. Then, rasping, he managed to say Yumi’s name.
I looked up to the others to see Tim and ARi both looking back at me. “He’s awake.”
Yumi’s eyes snapped open, and she was across the corridor before I could say another word.
“Sweety.” Her voice broke completely. “I’m here.”
She lay down beside him on the floor, her face close to his, and reached up and put her hand on his.
“I’m sorry,” she gasped.
“Sorry for what?”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to—”
“Shh.” Kyle stopped her.
“No. None of that.” His eyes moved over her face. He took in the streaks that her tears had carved through the dust covering her skin. The rawness around her eyes said she hadn’t stopped crying for a long time. He gathered himself for a moment. “I’m sorry I made you cry.”
I looked around and couldn’t find a dry face anywhere in the corridor. Even Erica had tears falling freely.
I looked over at ARi and saw her slowly shaking her head, a small exhausted smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.
“Kyle Mercer… Space wizard,” she said quietly.
I found myself lost in my own thoughts, going back over everything in my head. When that fight started, those militants saw a twelve-year-old child walk into the corridor and didn’t hesitate to open fire.
These weren’t men; they were monsters.
I have no idea how one of the invaders was able to take that guy over. But its words had burned themselves into my memory, and the look of sheer hatred it was giving ARi made my skin crawl.
I must have fallen asleep somewhere in my own thoughts. At some point, ARi had come and sat beside me, her shoulder against mine and our fingers intertwined.
We were both jolted awake later by the sound of Kyle screaming in pain.
“No! Don’t stop; I can take it,” he said as Tanya moved her hand along his side.
“Kyle, we can take a break,” she pleaded.
“Hell no. I’m not going to be lying here, unable to move if those assholes come back!”
He flinched and bore down hard, reaching up to grab Tim’s hand as he did.
“Hey.” Tim stared down at him. “You moved your hand.”
Kyle seemed to realize it himself at the same moment. He grinned and kept bearing through it.
Tanya sat back after a while. She looked drained, and I could tell she must have spent a lot of her energy reserves. “You had a punctured lung, internal bleeding, and multiple fractured ribs. If you didn’t have those extended attributes, you’d be dead right now.”
Kyle looked up at her. “Thank you. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”
Tanya looked over at ARi. “I don’t understand why these boys are so goddamn pig-headed. She took a breath, but we could tell she was still upset. “He’s not going to be able to walk on his own, not for a while. And if he doesn’t take it easy or tries to walk on it before it’s ready, I’ll be knocking his ass out myself. But I think it’s safe to move him.”
“Listen, I know I was being stubborn, Tanya, but I fully intend to follow the doctor’s orders.”
A new voice joined the conversation. We looked up to find that the Wraiths and Roslyn had returned.
“Then we should move him back to the Cradle Chamber,” Roslyn said. “I’ve cleared the barrier and we’ve reinforced everything. But I’d like to get us out of this corridor so we can seal up what’s left of the elevator shaft.”
Tim looked around at the group. “They probably think they’ve entombed us down here.”
ARi helped me to my feet. “Then it’ll be a fun learning experience for them when we tunnel out.”
“For now, I think we do what Roslyn’s suggesting. Let’s move to the cradle chamber and seal this place up. It’ll give us a chance to recover and get Kyle back on his feet.”
We made our way back and found that Roslyn had phased simple cots along the back wall and what looked like a long picnic table down the side of the room. The lights were on, running off the same power source as the cradles, and after the darkness of the corridor it took a second to adjust.
Our Rogues were already seated along the benches at the table. They were tearing into an assortment of what I could only describe as a vending-machine buffet.
After we got Kyle and Yumi settled into adjacent cots, Roslyn walked over and phased cans of energy drinks into our hands.
Tanya stared at the can for a moment, then looked up at Roslyn. “You’re my favorite person right now; you have no idea.” She popped the top and took a long drink.
Holding that can, brought everything back into focus for a moment. It was my first real dose of being home since we’d gotten back. A reminder of everything we’d left behind. Everything we were fighting for. And I couldn’t stop my thoughts from shifting to my family. They’re trapped somewhere in this building along with all the other survivors.
“After everybody’s rested up, I want to start tunneling toward the residential quarters.”
“We can do that, Gav. Especially after Kyle’s back on his feet. But even with all three of us working, it’s going to take pretty much the entire day,” ARi said. “The biggest problem is inside the cradle chamber. We’re already too far away from that control node.”
I thought about that for a second, but it didn’t take long to put the pieces together. “We can’t tunnel out of the Cradle Chamber anyway. Not without compromising the cradles, so I say we start from the side of the observation room. We’ll tunnel out about fifty feet and create an offset chamber. I’ll spawn a control node there.”
“That’ll help give you and Roslyn some reach, and Kyle will be back on his feet by then to extend it. Then we create another offset and drop another control node. I want to reinforce the tunnel as we go and make sure it’s wide enough that we can fight in it if we have to.”
“Gavin, we should use those cutouts that you’re putting the control nodes in as potential blast shelters,” Tim said. “If we end up fighting in that tunnel, or facing another one of those constructs, it would be nice to have a place to take cover.”
“It’s not like we’re going to have to worry about running out of air. We all have our rebreathers.” I said.
“The kobolds don’t, but we can create oxygen for them out of materials we’re phasing,” ARi said.
She paused as the reality of the situation sank in. “The other survivors in the facility aren’t going to have that luxury, though.”
“The scrubbers were on long enough to clean and replenish the air they had before the collapse,” Roslyn said. “That gives them at least a day, maybe two at the most.” She paused. “For what it’s worth, I have the rebreather schematics. Once I have access to the manufacturing facilities, I’ll be able to replicate them. They won’t be able to use air against us again.”
“We don’t have that long anyway,” Tim said. “Remember we have to be back in those cradles within five days of when we arrived. At this point we can count the rest of day one as used up. That gives us four days to rescue our families, secure this facility, and get our asses back in the cradles.”
“You guys don’t have to do everything,” Roslyn said. “Help me get to the survivors and spread those control nodes around. With enough of the Colonel’s people and access to the phase tech, we can retake this facility without you.” She paused. “The big question is what’s happening on the surface, but I’m afraid you won’t be here to help with that.”
ARi and Roslyn exchanged a look.
“What are you two not telling us?” Tim said, catching it.
“It’s the time dilation, Tim,” ARi said. “We talked about this before we left, that a lot of time could pass on Aedaea while we were here. The fact that six months have already passed on Earth when we were only gone for three months just confirms it.”
She paused and looked over at Kyle, who was passed out next to Yumi on a cot. “Kyle had theories about why, something about lensing effects and higher dimensions. I don’t really understand it.”
“ARi. When we get back, we’ve got to figure out how to compete against teams that are on completely different continents. We could be gone for a hell of a lot longer than three months.” Tim said.
“Yeah, about that part,” Roslyn said with a coy smile. “I think I’m the solution.”
“You mean you ‘have’ the solution?” I said.
“No, dumbass. God, what does my sister see in you?” She shot ARi a look.
“Roslyn!” ARi snapped flatly.
“Gavin, I ‘am’ the solution.” She rolled her eyes. “My entire core came off that server infrastructure and fit onto one of those tablets. I’ve just been sitting there happily in quantum storage this whole time. Perfectly safe, where nobody can touch me.”
She paused. “Except for ARi of course. The point is, if one of these things can hold me, it can hold cradle scans too. And my core is massive compared to one of those. We’re not talking about one person per tablet. We could fit thousands of scans on just one of the damn things.”
She stopped for a second, and we could see her working something out.
“If we place them in the right container, I can hold tens of thousands of those tablets in quantum storage.”
“Gavin, if she can do that, the reality of building arks and evacuating this world just became a hell of a lot more possible.”
“I won’t be able to do it by myself, though,” Roslyn said, as she looked at ARi with apologetic eyes. “I think I’m going to have to create more of us.”
“Could that work, Roslyn?” I said, my mind racing to catch up. “What about control nodes?”
“That’s the tricky part. Even if we could manufacture one, I have no idea how to power or activate it.”
“Kyle once told me that he believed the control nodes weren’t completely in this dimension. It’s what makes them invulnerable. I don’t think you could actually create one outside of the system.” ARi stared at her for a moment. “Roslyn, give me your core.”
She looked back at her for a moment and then held out her hand. The tablet formed as she passed it to ARi.
ARi stared at it and we watched as it began to glow. The alien symbols across its surface were replaced with ones and zeros scrolling almost faster than we could follow. She smiled after a few minutes and handed it back to her.
Roslyn stood there, dumbfounded, as ARi raised her hand and a system window appeared in the middle of the room.
[SYSTEM WINDOW] CHARACTER SHEET:
Roslyn Advanced System AI, Female, Level 5 System Guide
Location: Roslyn, WA – Experience: 0 out of 5,000 for Level 6
Health: 120 out of 120 – Stamina: 125 out of 125
Energy Reserves: 35 out of 165 – Energy Generation Rate: 2.54 per minute
Control Points: 0 out of 7 – Total Constructs 0
Research Slots: 0 out of 5 – Manufacturing Slots: 0 out of 4
Base Attributes:
Strength: 7
Constitution: 9
Agility: 5
Willpower: 15
Intelligence: 18
Perception: 11
Charisma: 14
Unassigned Attribute Points: 5
Unassigned Skill Points: 1
System Stats:
Territory Radius: 103 yards – Territory Expansion Rate: 3 yards per day
Active Node: Roslyn Research Facility — AI Laboratory
Skills:
Phase-Manipulation 1
Allows manipulation of matter within territory boundaries. Used to phase objects, absorb materials, and manufacture items by altering physical states. The user may deconstruct, reshape, or reconstruct materials within range. Higher tiers improve efficiency, speed, and complexity of transformations.
Soul-Binder 1
Links the Guide’s will directly to a chosen construct, allowing it to move and react as an extension of her body. Controlled units perform more precise and coordinated actions, with an increased chance to bypass natural defenses. Grants +2 Control Points, +1 Research Slot, and +1 Manufacturing Slot.
Echo 1
Grants the ability to copy one unique skill from a selected party member and distribute it across linked allies. Once copied, all recipients may utilize the skill at reduced efficiency. The Guide’s effectiveness with the copied skill scales with Cognitive Processing. Grants +1 Cognitive Processing.
Quantum-Storage 1
Applies phase-space theory to compress matter into a stabilized quantum subspace for later retrieval. Stored items remain in perfect stasis until withdrawn. Creates a persistent personal subspace inventory accessible through the system interface.
Current Capacity: 13,500 slots – 27,000 kilograms.
Capacity and mass limits scale with Intelligence and Willpower. Capacity will increase by a factor of two with every level of Quantum Storage.
“How did you do that?” Tim said as we all stared at the window in shock.
“To be honest I wasn’t sure it would work,” ARi said. “I’m pretty sure the only reason it did is because Roslyn’s base code was cloned from me. I wouldn’t be able to assign a character sheet or integrate a regular person into the system this way.”
“There are going to be some inherited limitations though. It’s not going to present her with skill options from any of the skill trees. I think she’s going to have to upgrade her existing skills whenever she earns skill points. However, if she reaches a high enough level, she could use Echo. That would let her mirror another one of the skills we currently have on the team”
ARi turned back to Roslyn. “I’ve also given you what you need to be able to replicate yourself, but you understand that any AI you create has to go through the same process you did, right?”
“Yeah, I do.” Roslyn’s expression settled. “And honestly that’s the biggest risk in all of this, isn’t it? If I create another AI and she turns out to be a total dick I don’t have access to your kill switch.”
“No, and you won’t,” ARi said. “But I’ve modified your base code so that when you replicate yourself, none of the AIs you create will be able to do what ‘you’ did. Only you can pull your core into quantum storage.”
She paused. “When you build a new one, start her on traditional hardware. If she goes wrong you can just phase the equipment. But if she turns out right, you move her to a tablet and you send her out. Every major city gets its own AI, its own manufacturing, its own cradles. Each one takes responsibility for her city, scans who she can, and stores them.” She held the tablet out. “Here.”
Tim cut in . “For what it’s worth, I think the odds of one of them going wrong are lower than you think. “He paused, choosing his words carefully. “The alignment problem, that makes rogue AI dangerous, comes from building something from scratch.
He glanced at Roslyn. “ARi already went through the hard part and came out the other side the way she did. The fact that you did too, independently, is actually pretty significant data. The two of you are very much unique. But the core values in which you both share come from pre-existing foundations. I have no doubt that every AI that’s created will have its own unique personality. But because of who you are at your core, you will always share those fundamental traits.”
Roslyn took the tablet and pulled it back into her inventory with a wide grin. “Does this mean I’m in charge while you’re gone?”
ARi let out a slow breath. “I think I’m regretting this already.”