Android had called the team into the mess hall
Android 2 shows up
Seven and Five share a look: uh-oh
"What the hell is this?" Three asks
"She's a simulation. A projection based on my factory default settings." Android says. "I created her to monitor and record my behavior."
"Why?" Nyx asks
"I had become concerned that there may be a flaw in my programming." Android says
"There is a flaw in your programming." A2 says
"Not necessarily." Android says
"Yes." A2 says. "Specifically."
"Evidence would suggest that the alteration may have been deliberate." Android says
"Whether deliberate or accidental, - the results are still the same." A2 says
"I disagree." Android says
"As you would." A2 says
"Stop, both of you." Two says. "Let's start from the beginning. How long has this simulation been running?"
"It's difficult to say, because all data since my last activation was deleted." A2 says
"So you created her to monitor your behavior, but then you deleted the results?" Four asks
"Most likely to protect herself Another indication of aberrant behavior." A2 says
"I didn't delete anything...An indication you don't know what you're talking about." Android says
"O-okay." Two says. "Just wait. If you didn't delete the data, then who did?"
"Um..." Seven speaks up and they all look to her.
Seven nudges Five
"Uh, that might have sort of been us." Five says
"Why would you do that?" Kal asks
"It was just before we were boarded by the GA." Five says. "It was a stressful situation."
"Five, the Android runs the ship, and the ship keeps us alive." Two says. "If the Android is malfunctioning--"
"She is malfunctioning." A2 says
"Not necessarily." Android says.
"Okay, seriously, you two..." Three tells them, making them cut it out
"Is there any actual evidence of a malfunction?" Nyx asks
"Do you want to tell them, or should I?" A2 asks
"There was an oversight." ANdroid says. "When I took the ship into the atmosphere on Galen 2, I neglected to initiate the electrostatic buffering sequence. As a result, one of the secondary capacitors failed. There was no serious damage."
"This time." A2 says
"I'm sorry." Android says. "I should have told you."
"Why didn't you?" Two asks
"Why do you think?" Five asks. "She's afraid you're gonna delete her and start over with factory settings."
"That would be the safest course of action." A2 says "Who's to say the next oversight won't involve a more critical system?"
***
"Five, Seven, where are you going?" Two asks, following after the girls
"Bwidge." Seven says
"We're gonna have to start doing a lot more manual system checks now, won't we?" Five says.
"You know, she volunteered to be taken offline." Two says.
"Like you gave her a choice." Five argues
They reach the bridge
"She's the one that wanted to run another charge cycle to see if she had any more of those dreams." Two says.
"Whatever." Seven mutters
"You know, you two should have told us about this a long time ago." Two tells the girls
"I didn't tell you because I knew this would happen." Five says. "And anyway, you're one to talk."
"Whoa, what is that supposed to mean?" Two asks
"Vous ne nous avez pas dit que vous étiez malade jusqu'à ce que nous vous trouvions étendu sur le sol." (You didn't tell us you were sick until we found you lying on the floor.) Seven argues
"I don't..." Two trails off, looking to Five
"She said that you didn't tell us you were sick until we found you lying on the floor." Five translates
"That was different." Two argues. "I was..."
"Scared?" Five asks
"Maybe a little." Two says
"How you tink she feel?" Seven asks
"Christmas, are you sure?" Two asks. "I-I mean, are you absolutely certain that she really feels anything?"
"You kid-ding?" Seven asks
"How could you even ask us that?" Five asks. "She told me what the other Android said, the one from the alternate reality. It was you. You made her this way."
"No." Two denies. "We don't know that for certain."
"You took an obsolete model with no empathy emulators or emotional subroutines, and you tried to make her more human." Five says
"Why would I do that?" Two asks
"I-I don't know." Five answers. "Maybe it was for an op or something. Maybe you just wanted to do something nice for her."
"Okay, well you two know the old me better than I do." Two says. "Does that sound realistic?"
"It was people you hated, not androids." Five says. "You're part machine yourself, right? Maybe you felt a connection with her. Maybe she was the only one on the ship you could stand to be around. That much I'd buy."
"The fact is we cannot afford to have an android that makes mistakes." Two says.
"No one on this ship is in a position to criticize." Five argues
"It's only temporary, just until we can figure this out." Two says
"What if there's nothing to figure out?" Five asks, upset. "What if this is just the way she is? If we delete her personality matrix and start over..."
"You kill her." Seven says. "We no kill."
***
An alarm starts blaring
"What is that?" Two asks
"It looks like we've got a coolant leak Level 4, section F." Five answers
"Can we seal it?" Two asks
"I think so." Five says. "I can shut off the nearest valve to the rupture."
"Okay." Two says. "I'll go check it out."
Two leaves
"Five, Seven, are you reading any power fluctuations?" Two asks over the comms
Seven looks at the computer, confused
"Um, no." Seven answers
"Power system's functioning normally." Five tells her
"Girls, please respond." Two tells them and they look at each other. "The lights were just flickering down here."
"I-I said power system's functioning normally." Five repeats.
No answer.
"Two?" Five asks
"Christmas, if you can hear me, I think the comms are malfunctioning." Two says
"Yeah, we can hear you just fine." Five says. "Can you hear me?"
Nothing.
"Two, please respond." Five says. "Six, can you read me?"
"Go ahead." Kal--Six, responds
"I-I think something's wrong." Five says. "Two was on her way down to level 4, section F to check on a small coolant leak, but now I can't get her on the comm. The last thing she said was something about power fluctuations, but I'm not reading anything."
"Okay. Nyx and I will check it out." Six says
They go
Five and Seven wait in the bridge
"Five, Seven, come in." Six says
"Hey, did you find Two?" Five asks
"Yeah, we did." Six says. "Listen, have you heard or seen anything unusual in the last little while? Anything at all?"
Five looks to Seven who shrugs
"Other than the fact that I couldn't raise Two on the comm, no." Five says
"What about the ship Any unusual readings?" Six asks
"At the moment, everything seems fine." Five says
"All right, keep monitoring." Six says. "Six out."
"What going on?" Seven asks
"I don't know..." Five answers
"Christmas, come in." Six says
"Go ahead." The girls answer
"I'm standing outside Three's quarters, and he won't let me in." Six says. "Can you open the door?"
"Why?" Five asks
"Something strange is going on." Six says. "We think Two and Four might have had some kind of hallucination."
"What? When did this happen?" Five asks
"We don't have all the details yet." Six says. "They're down at the infirmary. But in the meantime, I just want to make sure Three's all right."
"Okay. Yeah, I'll... I'll have to write a workaround." Five says.
"All right." Six says
Five and Seven start working
"Christmas, how's it coming?" Six asks
"Uh, it'll take a few minutes to decrypt." Five says. "But in the meantime.."
"What?" Six asks
"He has a computer console in his room, and I'm willing to bet he never security encrypted the camera." Five says. "Just give me a second."
Five types
"I think I've got it." Five says
Five pulls up the video and they see Three with a gun to his head
"Oh, my God." Seven exclaims, running out of the room
"He's got a gun. I think he's gonna shoot himself." Five says through the comms
"All right. Come on, get the door open." Six says
"Yeah, I'm trying." Five says. "Seven's on her way, she can help you."
"Three! Three, let me in!" Six yells, banging on the door.
Seven turns the corner and sees Six
"Help me get the door open!" Six tells her
Seven goes under the control box and pulls the wires out
"Three! Three, let me in!" Six pounds on the door. "Whatever you're seeing, it's not real." He turns to Seve. "Did you get it yet?"
Seven shakes her head
"Listen to me! Three! Open the door! Come on, man! Three, let me in!" Six yells, pounding on the door
Seven works the wires as fast as she can
"Three, come on! Three! Yes. Listen to me! It's not real! Three!" Six yells
The wires in Seven's hands sparks
"Is open! Go!" Seven yells
The door opens
Six runs in and tackles Three
"Where is she?" Three yells, jumping up
"What are you talking about? Who?" Six asks
"What did you do with her?" Three asks
Seven stands in the doorway
"Who are you talking about?" Six asks
"Sara! She was right here!" Three yells
"No, she wasn't." Six says
"Yes, she was!" Three exclaims
"It wasn't real." Six says. "The same thing happened to Two and Four. They saw people who weren't really there."
"What the hell?" Three asks
"Just calm down." Six says. "We'll figure it out. We'll figure it out."
"What the hell?" Three repeats
"Calm down." Six says again
***
Five and Seven are walking down the hallway
"I don't want to." Seven says, stopping.
"The team is meeting in the mess." Five tells her
"About Android." Seven says. "They go-ing to kill her?"
"I...I hope not." Five says. "Come on."
The girls walk in and take a seat
"How long is this gonna take?" Five asks
"She said she'd report back as soon as she had any news." Two says
"I've completed my analysis." A2 says
"What do you have for us?" Two asks
"It's no coincidence that you, Three, and Four were the ones who experienced the hallucinations." A2 says. "It's the neural link."
"But it's nothing like last time, and we didn't ask the computer to search for links." Two says.
"Nevertheless, I do believe you've been targeted as a result of the neural imprint you uploaded to the medical database." A2 says
"Targeted by whom?" Four asks
"Your ship's android." A2 says.
"How could it be the Android?" Five asks. "She's offline."
"Theoretically, she should be." A2 says. "But evidence suggests that some of her higher functions are still active."
"That doesn't mean she's responsible for what happened to us." Two says.
"While she's in her charge cycle, she has no neural control, but the platform itself provides a physical connection." A2 says. "She's literally plugged into the ship."
"So what?" Three asks
"I believe she used this connection to upload a virus." A2 says. "It's an aggressive AI that's spreading through multiple systems creating a new command structure independent of any input from the crew."
"So you're saying she's trying to take over the ship?" Nyx asks
"Yes." A2 says. "The hallucinations you experienced were a byproduct of the virus attacking the program that controls the neural link."
"This is crazy." Five says. "Why would she try to take over the ship?"
"She perceived a threat to her existence." A2 says. "This initiated a rogue subroutine in her programming, a directive that never should have been there The instinct for self-preservation."
"You guys aren't seriously buying this, are you?" Five asks
The others say nothing
Five scoffs and stands up
"Where you going?" Six asks
"I'm gonna go check systems." Five says, upset. "I want to see this virus for myself."
Seven stands up
"You guys suck." Seven tells them before leaving after Five
"Come on, Sev." Five says, walking quickly to her room. "We're gonna hack the frick out of these systems."
***
"Two, whatever you're gonna do to the Android, don't." Five says, her and Seven walking into the bridge
"It not her." Seven says
"Three, hold off." Two says through the comms
"Seriously?" Three asks
"I've seen the virus." Two tells the girls. "It's real."
"Yeah, I know." Five syas. "But we can't trust anything she's telling us."
"Why not?" Two asks
"She infected, too." Seven says
"I went to check, and I couldn't find the original simulation program." Five says. "It's just gone, which means it must have been overwritten."
"You couldn't find it because I moved it to a folder containing nonessential programs, knowing that the virus would attack critical systems first." A2 syas
"Five..." Two trails off, kind of tired/annoyed
"Seven." Five pleads
"She can't do that." Seven says
"That's right." Five says, "She's lying. I can prove it. I just need more time."
"You're out of time." A2 says. "You have to act now."
A2 disappears
"Boss lady, I'm gonna need a call on this." Three's voice comes through the comms
"You don't want to kill her any more than I do." Five says
"Come on, Two." Three says. "What's it gonna be?"
Two is silent
"I don't know." Two says. "I'm not sure."
"This is ridiculous." Three mutters. "I need some answers."
Three storms into the bridge
"What the hell is this? You send us down there to shoot the robot." Three says. "I'm this close to pulling the trigger, then you pull me off. You just leave me hanging there."
The tablet Five is on beeps
"I-I got it." Five says. "Seven, look. we knew it."
"You got what?" Six asks
"We uploaded a worm to trace back the progress of the virus." Five says. "It didn't start when the Android went on the charging platform. It started before that, when the simulation was activated. I-I knew we couldn't trust her."
"But she's just a projection." Six says. "How can she create a virus?"
"She didn't create it, but whoever did uploaded it into her program." Five says. It was dormant until we activated her, and then it spread from there."
"The timing lines up perfectly." Two says, looking at the tablet. "It can't be a coincidence."
"Well, we can't shoot a projection in the head." Three says. "How do we deal with this?"
Gas and smoke start hissing into the room
They all start coughing
Two is fine
"It's the virus." Two says. "It's leaking toxic gas from the coolant system. I-I can't shut it down. We're locked out."
"Has the virus spread to the Marauder?" Six asks
"No, it hasn't." Two says. "That's it."
Seven stops still, no air is coming into her lungs
She grips at her chest, looking up at Two and Three
Five coughs out a few more times
"She...she has asthma..." Five says in between coughs
Seven's lips swell up and start turning purple/blue
She wheezes
"We gotta get out of here." Two says. "Three, get her."
Three grabs Seven, a hand under her knees and one under her back, carrying her through the halls.
Seven grips Three's shoulder, trying to breathe into his shirt
Five stumbles and Six and Four grab her arms
"Everyone inside." Two says. "Seal the doors. I'll stay out here and deal with this."
Three lays Seven on the ground on her back
"What...what do we do?" Five asks, worried and still coughing
Seven gasps for air, not much making it into her lungs
The scene around her is getting dizzier
"We're on a ship, there's gotta be like an oxygen mask or something." Three says
Six walks in
"Are there any oxygen masks?" Nyx asks him
"Uh..." Six thinks.
"Come on, you know this ship like the back of your hand." Three says. "Just think."
Six thinks for a second.
Then he runs over and smashes an emergency case in the back
Six returns with a mask and a tank of oxygen
Three grabs the mask and puts it over Seven's mouth, who grabs it
Six presses a button
Seven starts breathing normally again
Three and Five sigh in relief
***
"What happened?" Two asks, sitting up in the medbay
Five is standing next to the bed where Two is and Seven is in a different bed with a wire attached to her wrist and finger to check her vitals. She also has a tube to help her breathe
"Well, according to the Android, you survived what should have been a fatal execution, probably thanks to your recent nanite upgrade." Five says. "The virus is gone, and everyone's okay, but the ship's in bad shape."
"Do we know where it came from?" Two asks
"Best guess... The other Truffault." FIve says. "She had complete control of the ship, access to all systems, and when you forced her to give it back..."
"She left a little something behind." Two says
"The Android is working on repairs, but I-it's slow going." Five says
Two reaches for her comms
"Android, come in." Two says
"Go ahead." Android says.
"What's our status?" two asks
"Life support has been restored, but most other systems are still down." Android says. "Unfortunately, repairs will take quite some time."
"Well, have you restored your neural link?" Two asks. "That should speed things up."
"I wasn't sure you wanted me to do that." Android says
"Of course I do." Two says
"Are you sure the others feel the same?" Android asks
"Give me an open channel." Two says. "I want everyone to hear this."
"Go ahead." Android says.
"Everyone, I'm going to instruct the Android to reestablish her neural link so that she can effect repairs more efficiently." Two says through all the comms. "Any objections?"
"I should warn you, although I'll do my very best, I can't guarantee I'll never make another mistake." Android says
"You're our ship's android." Two says. "We need you."
Two turns her comms off
She turns to Seven
"How're you doing?" Two asks
Seven gives slight thumbs up
Two jumps off the table and walks over to Seven
"You really scared the hell out of me." Two says. "I had no idea you had asthma."
Seven shrugs
"Is there anything else we should know about you?" Two asks
Seven stares at her
Two looks to Five, confused
"Why--" Two starts
"She stopped talking again." Five says. "Android said it was probably to help her heal and control the oxygen she brings in, but...but I know better. She's scared."
Two looks to Seven
"You don't have to be scared, Sev, we're here for you." Two tells her
Seven gives her a small smile
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Hope you all liked that chapter!!
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Next chapter up NEXT MONDAY
-MC