Stephen Berry - The AI War

Crushing his cup, he stuffed it into the disposer.

Well, that was easy.

Now what? asked John-he had difficulty not speaking the words.

Everything's very neat-start reading those yellow labels over the cubicles. According to their computer index, those are finished prototypes awaiting testing.

Guan-Sharick had flicked them inside the complex-an instantaneous transition from cruiser to earth, over before the mind could react. Arriving after L'Wrona took the raiders in, they'd found the central lab building deserted, its personnel either in shelters or responding to the alarm.

Guan-Sharick had glanced briefly at the building locator in the lobby; then he and John were standing in a lab, instruments all about, looking through a glass wall at the complex. Half a dozen buildings were in flames, burning from the top down-fires triggered by the exchange of fusion bolts with the K'Ronarin shuttle. Ringed by those flaming towers stood the smaller black structure, with

L'Wrona and the commandos still on the rooftop, now battling a sudden rush of human-seeming figures. AIs? wondered John. Or human helpers?

Human, reported Guan-Sharick. Combine T'Lan has retainers-unwitting retainers, most of them.

This isn't what we want.

They'd moved on to another lab, the shrill and crash of blaster fire suddenly muted.

Unfinished projects lay everywhere, spread out like so many vivisected carcasses on long white benches, presided over by the dead green eyes of inactive complinks.

Jump navigational aid-Mark IV. John read the duraplast label above the equipment cubicle, then stepped in.

The device looked like two giant-sized green ear swabs, each about a meter long, crossed diagonally and banded together in the center by a red nodule.

"Not much to-" he said as Guan-Sharick entered the small work area.

Fingers clamped over his mouth. Idiot! There're voice sensors everywhere. Grab that device and we'll go.

What about the research notes?

No time.

Combine T'Lan always had contingencies. They'd activated a major one when no more messages came from T'Lan Two aboard Alpha Prime.

T'Lan Two A had been activated.

People had often remarked on the striking resemblance between T'Lan senior and T'Lan junior. It was a resemblance easily explained-they were of the same series- and easily seen as they stood together, deep beneath S'Hlu, watching the raid.

"I believe this is an act of desperate men with no other options?" asked T'Lan One.

The young-looking AI nodded. "Agreed."

"What bothers me," said the other, watching the screen that showed L'Wrona's contingent fighting for their lives, "is that it's a stupid act. Stupid I wouldn't have expected.

Come now, the armory? S'Gan and D'Trelna have-two cruisers, armed to the jump nodules."

The Combine's Operations Center was large, well-hidden, and only partially preoccupied with the defense of the complex. Most sections and stations were busy directing the activities of fleets of merchant and mining ships, relaying communications from star system to star system, collecting intelligence, and maintaining constant contact with the home universe.

"Then what?" said T'Lan Two A.

"Intruder alert, lab complex four, section red three," said a cool, soft voice issuing from all points of the big room.

"Then that," said T'Lan One, leaning over the console. "Punch up that section," he said to the operator.

A new screen flashed on, showing Harrison carrying a device from the cubicle while a blonde hunched over a complink, fingers flying, eyes scanning the text.

"Guan-Sharick," said T'Lan One. "That's how they got in-teleported." He shook his head. "I didn't believe your predecessor's report. They should be dead-they're organic."

He turned, issuing orders. "Activate lab thirteen's security shield. Withdraw all but a token force from the armory skirmish-it's a ruse. Security's to enter lab thirteen via selective shield penetration, kill those two intruders and recover the device they're stealing."

T'Lans One and Two A stood watching the blonde as the orders went out. "What else survives?" wondered T'Lan One, watching Guan-Sharick.

"Well done, Harrison," said the blonde, turning from the complink. "You may have just lost us the war."

"Why are you speaking?" he asked, hefting the strange device uneasily in his hand.

"Because it doesn't matter now-they've slapped a security shield on this building. I can't teieport through it. The jig, my friend, is up."

"What can I do?" he asked.

"See that door?" Guan-Sharick pointed to the gray slab of battlesteel that shut the lab off from the corridor. Harrison nodded.

"Blast the lock shut; that'll hold the slime for a while. I'll be sending what specs I have"-the transmute tapped her head-"to Lan-Asal. Maybe, just maybe, they can replicate the device."

If we're killed, John added to himself, moving toward the door.

"H'Nar."

D'Trelna's voice came through sharp and clear in L'Wrona's earpiece.

"Yes?" he asked, ducking as a blaster bolt grazed the air duct he was behind, showering him with sparks.

"They've tumbled to it. They're responding a small army to that lab. And they've slapped a security shield on it. Go save them. They're on level seven."

"Where's the screen generator?" asked the captain.

D'Trelna touched his complink, watching the briefing scan as it scrolled by. After a moment he froze it and read quickly. "Subbasement seven, northwest quadrant four- unless they've moved it since the last FleetOps update."

"Have Lan-Asal tell Guan-Sharick to meet us there," said L'Wrona.

"Acknowledged," said the commodore.

With three quick bolts, L'Wrona finished the sniper he'd been toying with, rising as the man's body tumbled from a neighboring rooftop.

"To the boats!" shouted L'Wrona, waving his blaster. "To the boats!"

"Any lifepods launched?" asked D'Trelna, leaning over K'Raoda's shoulder, peering at the tacscan. Red X's marked what had been Deliverance and three Combine ships.

"No, sir," said K'Raoda.

On the tacscan, twenty-one target blips continued to advance on the green dot marking Implacable.

"No obliging mindslavers this time," said D'Trelna, straightening. "Get us some room, T'Lei. Move us farther out from the planet-gunnery to open fire as targets come in range."

He looked at the red X again, then went back to his post.

Lieutenant S'Til dashed across the corridor, blaster bolts snapping around her as she dived into the doorway.

"We're going the wrong way, Captain," she said, pulling herself into the corner shared with L'Wrona.

"No." He stepped around the corner, snapped off three bolts, then ducked back, dodging the return fire. "We're making for that room five doors down-field generator."

"It'll take all night-they've got at least one company between us and it," said S'Til.

"One more doorway's all we need, Lieutenant," said L'Wrona, waving the next squad forward. He and S'Til joined in the covering barrage.

Half the squad reached the next two doorways.

"Let's go," said L'Wrona. He and S'Til made for the next doorway, continuing the deadly game of leapfrog.

"Troops are in the basement," said Guan-Sharick. "Bring the device.''

"Where are we going?" asked John.

The lab door was beginning to glow cherry red, the battlesteel slowly yielding under heavy blaster fire.

"Another hot spot, Harrison," said Guan-Sharick.

The lab was gone-the Terran found himself crouching in a gray doorway, blasters shrilling all around, the wide bore of an Mil A inches from his face. "Don't do that again, John," said L'Wrona, lowering the weapon.

"That's it?" he added, pointing to the device in John's hand.

"Yes," said Guan-Sharick.