Ghost in the Machine

Aftermath

"What happens now?"

"It's up to your father," the doctor smiled kindly at the youth, a gentle hand on his shoulder. "He's stable, on good pain medication, and we have every reason to hope."

"Okay," Kai looked through the thick glass door separating him from where his dad lay motionless. In a coma. It had been a six-hour drive from the compound, over treacherous mountain terrain, on a hair-raising path barely big enough for the truck. Hed been on the verge of hysteria upon arriving, having to convince the staff he didn't need tranquilizers. His dad had been taken into immediate emergency surgery. "Can I stay with him?"

"Of course, if you wish," her dusky skin highlighted the white of her teeth as the doctor again smiled warmly at him. "We will call you immediately if there is any change, so if you'd be more comfortable at home-"

"I'll stay." Voice shaking, Kai managed not to cry in front of her, crossing his arms tightly. Where would he go? "I'd rather stay."

"Alright," giving his thin arm a little reassuring squeeze, the doctor moved on to her next patient, murmuring something to a nearby nurse, indicating him with a subtle nod. Kai stiffened as the man walked over.

"Hi, I'm Net, and I'll be your dad's post op nurse. So if you need anything, or have any concerns about his condition or care, you ask for me, okay?"

"Okay..."

"I know you've been here a while, are you hungry?"

"Yeah, but I don't-"

"If it's credits, don't worry about it. This is a trauma hospital in the outlands of nowhere. We're government funded, so no one pays. Do you have any allergies, or can I bring you a sandwich pack?"

"A sandwich would be great," government funded worried him, but there was no way his dad was going anywhere anytime soon.

"Can I bring you anything for your injuries? You're limping, and those casts-"

"I'm fine, just hungry." Truthfully, Kai wasn't feeling any pain. Adrenaline and the shots he'd gotten at the compound hadn't worn off yet.

"Let me know if that changes."

"Thanks." Watching the nurse walk away, Kai could only pray that they'd be alright.

***

"Sir," a uniformed man put a thin folder on the highly polished desk. "This is all we have."

"That's it?" Lifting a brow, the Chancellor shook his head. "Ten years of research, data so classified that I don't even know half of it, and this is all we have to show for it?"

"Yes sir."

Flipping through the loose pages, he kept scoffing in disgust before scribbling out his orders in sharp penmanship. Signing his name in thick strokes he handed the folder back to the man. "Give this to General Hoff and tell him I want the entire project scrapped. Not reassigned, not renamed, not anything. Burned, buried, over. Like it never was. A mess like this could ruin the plans I have for the next division meeting. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed." Ignoring the crisp salute, the Chancellor sat back in his chair with a frustrated sigh, shaking his head before reaching for the phone. "Get me Gerald Freidman." He waited a moment before the gruff voice came on. "Jerry, I'm scrapping the entire AI project, at least until after we win the votes on the next division meeting. I've got promises to keep, quotas to make, and can't afford anymore mistakes. Everyone who had anything to do with the AI project on any level needs to be reassigned with airtight NDAs or eliminated."

Hanging up, he spun toward the window, scowling. What a mess! Why had he ever agreed to start up an AI project in the first place? It was over now, and there wouldn't be anyone left to talk about what they'd almost done.

***

The sharp jingle yanked him from restless sleep and Kai scrambled for the cheap communicator he'd managed to trade for, although it had cost him the military truck along with enough credits to live like a starving monk. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he turned it on.

"Yeah?"

"Kai Rhaner? This is Net, from The Oasis Hospital-"

"How is he?" Already shrugging into his only clothes, Kai was hurriedly pulling on his shoes as he spoke. "Did he wake up?"

"He did," Net's voice was triumphant, for this had been a long time coming. "The first thing he did was ask for you. I told him you're on your way, so get down here as soon as you can."

"Tell him I'm almost there," shaking with anticipation, relief, and joy, Kai rushed from the cramped, closet space he rented as a bedroom, blowing past the slumlord who scowled angrily as the pounding of his feet.

Dad is awake, was the thought beating through his mind, pulsing along his veins as he ran the nearly two miles to the hospital, making it in just under fourteen minutes. All the staff knew him, calling greetings as he rushed by them.

Net was waiting in the corridor outside his dad's room, but the somber look on the nurse's face slowed his steps until he came to a complete stop, gasping for breath.

"What," panting, feeling sweat trickle down his back, Kai felt sick. "What's wrong?"

"He's awake, stable, and alert,"

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"Kai," stepping in to block him, Net shook his head. "I need to tell you something first, so brace yourself, okay?"

Elation gone, Kai stood there numbly, listening to the news that shattered the fragile hope he'd spent the last year clinging to.

***

It was a wasteland. Buildings scorched and crumbling, bodies littered around the yard like scattered garbage. Studying it through field glasses, the young military captain sighed, scrunching his nose in distaste.

"No sign of life," he told the man at his side. I don't see any point in going through it."

"Sir, our orders are-"

"I'm aware, Sergeant." Upset at being questioned on his first solo assignment, the captain stiffened his shoulders. "I want it torched, but make it look natural, like wildfire or something. All we need to do is make certain nothing comes out of that compound that can be traced back to us. Do you think you're up to the task, Sergeant, or should I have Corporal Dillion,"

"I can do it, sir." Hating having to bend to such a snotty nosed jerk, the sergeant saluted. "I didn't mean to question your judgment."

"Yes you did, but it's alright," having no idea how close he was to being punched, the captain clapped a condescending hand on the man's shoulder. "We must all follow orders, whether we agree with them or not. Its what we signed up for, isn't it?"

"Yes sir."

"Get to it, I don't want to linger here longer than we have to."

"What about the personnel list? We need to make a head count of the dead so their families..." his voice faded at the ugly look on his superior's face.

"No one survived, so every family that lost someone here will get a letter, a crest, and a decent government settlement. Burn it, Sergeant. That's an order."

"Yes sir."

The blaze could be seen for miles in every direction, but the sergeant was sharp enough to start it well away from the compound, making a winding, scattered path of accelerant that led to the nearest buildings. They watched it burn until the fire smoldered to ash, thick black columns of smoke dissipating to haze. Nothing stirred, no sign of life trying to flee the area. Satisfied that he'd carried out his given assignment with less trouble than he'd anticipated, the captain ordered his unit back to headquarters, content to say job well done.