Hercules III - 3. Chapter 3

Hercules III

Chapter 3

Special

After being held in the hospital for nearly a week, two bots wearing outdoor coveralls came into the room. “We are directed to take you to the transport facility; please follow us,” the bot in red coveralls said. “Jorge 45356BC will facilitate your transfer to the new ship. Maybe we’ll be able to join you on Hercules III.”

“What if we don’t want to go to the new ship now?” Carlos asked, not expecting an answer, but was surprised when the bot, wearing green coveralls, Jorge 45356BC, joined the conversation.

The bot said, “We were notified of your reluctance to follow orders. There are fifty-seven bots in my quadrant alone looking forward to leaving Hercules One and you will go whether it’s in a body bag or on your own feet. Do you understand? We need your brain not your emotions.”

“That’s reason enough for me,” Stefan said. “Come on, Carlos, now is probably better than later.”

They were given green coveralls, green slippers, and a green knit cap which did little to hide the fact they were green. They still had green faces and whatever else wasn’t covered with cloth. It didn’t matter because the hallways were empty of humans and bots. It felt like they emptied the med center just because Carlos and Stefan left their room.

After about five minutes they were joined by three bots carrying disrupters. Carlos looked at Stefan, who just shrugged with a complacent expression. “What’re they doing?” Carlos asked.

“Beats me,” Stefan said.

“You need protection from here to the exit,” the bot in red coveralls said. “We must be quiet, lest someone hears us or our weapons.”

“Okay,” Stefan whispered.

“Carlos?” the bot in red coveralls quietly asked.

“Sure, I’ll do it too,” Carlos said too loudly. “What about hearing the disrupters?”

“Shush, Carlos. You have to be quiet,” Stefan whispered.

“And if I don’t want to?” Carlos asked in a nearly regular tone and volume.

“Then we’ll be forced to incapacitate you,” Jorge 45356BC said. “It won’t require extra effort on our part at all. At this point, your transition to Hercules III is mostly finished. You can’t go back because you’re an aberration to those humans who think they’re going, too. From here to the pilots’ station is fairly straightforward. So why don’t you step across the threshold into Hercules III as quickly and quietly as possible?”

Reluctantly, Carlos stepped into the new ship’s anteroom. He felt like screaming something derogatory, but he knew that one of the disrupters would go off if he did. He knew exactly what the weapon did to the human body; he’d seen his share of disrupters dismantling bots because they acquired too much data from a life stretched over too many centuries. He wasn’t too keen on having that thing burn a hole through his young body, even if they said it was nearly painless.

Obviously, these bots were at the upper limits of their IQ’s and must be slated for reverse systematization in the very near future. That alone kind of made this as an adventure, which made Carlos feel special. Did the bots orchestrate all of this before he and Stefan were born? It was something to think about when he wasn’t piloting, whatever that meant. What did a pilot do? And, how did they do it with only their brains? Carlos decided now was a good time to play along, at least until he found out more. After the door to Hercules I closed, leaving the bots with disrupters, another door opened on the opposite wall. A four seat people mover was quietly waiting for them. The red bot indicated Stefan and Carlos were to sit in the front two seats and the red bot and Jorge 45356BC took the two seats behind.

Since the route from the anteroom to their destination was entirely through the central portion of the ship which included the command module (their ultimate destination which included the pilots quarters), central storage bays, and the propulsion systems. Unfortunately, there wasn’t too much to see because everything was behind walls. The only thing to see was other people movers going by, with only bots riding in them; after a long while there weren’t any other movers at all. Surprisingly, the trip to the pilots quarters didn’t take much time at all, less than an hour.

The bots stayed in the people mover. “We are not authorized to enter this area of the ship,” Jorge 45356BC said. “Thank you for being so agreeable for this last part of your journey. Your parents may or may not be authorized, either. You’ll have to take that up with the captain’s staff. Again, thank you both.” The boys stood on the platform watching the people mover slip back on the magnetic rails and silently head back to the anteroom or wherever it was supposed to go.

They looked around for some hint where they were to go. That was answered when the door to the pilots quarters opened behind them. There was an older boy wearing green shorts, about nineteen or so, standing just past the threshold.

“So, you’re the new boys, my name is Elgon 03216BG,” the boy said. He was holding two green ribbons with silver medallions hanging from them. “Here put these around your necks, they’ll protect you against software attacks. Well, they don’t offer a lot of protection, but they will handle nearly every time we’re attacked via our systems. Then, of course, you’ll still need partial reboots if you get too infected. Go on put them on now so I can introduce you to the staff.”

As if signaled the dimly lit anteroom to the pilots room was filled with a bright light and more boys, all green and wearing nothing except brief green shorts like those Elgon wore, which definitely identified all present as boys. Carlos didn’t know what to make of it and suddenly felt out of place in the middle of a bunch of green boys. Being fully clothed didn’t help with all these nearly naked boys.

“I know it’s all a bit confusing now,” Elgon said. “But you’ll figure it all out soon enough. First things first, we need to get you out of those green clothes. Come on, I’ll take you to your quarters. You’re probably overwhelmed right now, but you’ll figure it out once you see the bots’ command structure and where you belong. Maybe you’ll be assigned to living quarters further up in the ship. As I said, you’ll figure it out sooner than you expect. There’s not a lot of information you need in the beginning. Once we get you plugged in to see your cognitive levels, everything will slowly fall into place. First off we get you into proper attire. Then we’ll find your sponsors who’ll help you the first few days. Then we can get your mental levels. Finally, if all the tests come back positive, we’ll introduce you to the Chief Pilot and his staff. I know this sounds like a lot to do, but you should be done with everything before evening team switch.”

Elgon led them down a series of stairs. At every landing brightly lit hallways went off into the ship. When they came to the fifth level Elgon led them down a hallway marked “5A”. About halfway down they met two boys walking toward them.

“Carlos, Stefan, this is Freddie 23245BD and Monty 87652BD,” Elgon said. “They’ll be your sponsors until you’re fully integrated into the ways of the ship. Carlos what is your full alpha-numeric?”

“I think it’s zero one double alpha,” Carlos said. “That’s the right way to say it, right Stefan?”

“Yeah, I’m zero one double alpha, too,” Stefan said. “Is that special?”

“Oh, shit, that has to be at least eight levels above me,” Elgon exclaimed. “Freddie? Monty? Have either of you heard of a double alpha down here in the barracks?”

“No, aren’t they Pilot HQ?” Monty asked. “And, they have the same alpha-numeric. I thought they were unique to each person.”

“We’re identical twins,” Stefan offered.

“Okay now what should I do with you two?” Elgon asked no one in particular. “Well, I know we’d better contact Staff. They should know what we should do. Okay you two, I guess it’s back to the dayroom until we find out what to do with you. I don’t want to scare you but your alpha-numeric means you’re supposed to be in HQ, quite possibly Central HQ for the whole ship. I don’t know but I’m pretty sure they will figure out something. Maybe you’re expected.”

“Are there other boys there?” Carlos asked.

“I suppose there must be some,” Elgon said. “I’m not authorized to go up there so I don’t know for sure, but let’s get you out of those clothes and into shorts then I’ll try to get a message to Alistair. He’s been there, but he’s hooked up so we might have to wait. I have to admit it, but I don’t know what to do with you two. I think I should have both of you contact Operations because I’m fairly certain you’re expected.”

There were only a few boys in the dayroom watching a vids, playing card games, or working out on the exercising equipment. Carlos and Stefan didn’t know what to do. The novelty of being green had quickly worn off. That’s when Carlos noticed a difference in each boy. Some were a light green and others were darker almost black.

“Okay, this is what will happen,” Elgon said when he got back. “It seems Pilot HQ has been expecting you two for the past couple days. They said you’re destined for Ship Command HQ. I guess from what they said you’re kind of special.”

********

After changing into shorts like all the other boys wore, Elgon took them back to the dayroom and then to one of the doors opening to a corridor leading into the ship.

“Can I ask you something?” Carlos asked.

“Sure, what do you want?” Elgon asked.

“Well, can you tell me what is it like doing regular piloting?” Carlos asked.

“I wish I could tell you more, but you haven’t been accepted by the Pilot’s HQ,” Elgon said. “I suppose, technically, I should contact Pilot’s HQ so I can plot our route up through central core, but they’ll just tell me what I already know, that you’re special and need to go up via the short route. All I can say now is to stay with me when we go out that door. I’m not expecting any problems, but we must be as quiet as possible lest we’re attacked. You have to be very quiet and follow close to me.”

“What’s out there?” Stefan asked.

“Mostly viruses, worms, and any piece of malicious software that is especially targeted at the ship’s computers or you,” Elgon said. “Just stay close and with luck they’ll leave us alone. It’s mostly safety in numbers out there, but both of you are neophytes at this. All I can say is to watch me and we should be able to follow the paths without too much trouble. Put on those paper slippers and we’ll leave.”

“Elgon, when do we eat?” Carlos asked.

“Oh boy, you two really are new to this,” Elgon said. “Your body’s photosynthesis has been nourishing you since you got out of surgery. But if you want a sandwich or something I’m sure you’ll find a cook somewhere in HQ. Okay, come on. ”

The door to the core of the Command and Piloting module opened with a faint hiss. Their path headed right on a catwalk about a person and a half wide. Carlos looked over the handrail and nearly fainted. He couldn’t see the bottom. Looking up and he saw a jumble of pipes, catwalks, and what looked like shielded cables all going in different directions. He wanted to ask Elgon about all of it, but remembered he was supposed to be very quiet. He decided to store all of this away in hopes of seeing it again or, quite possibly, looking it all up in a database when he got off work if that was at all possible.

They came to a junction of many catwalks headed many different ways; one went up and another went down. They continued on their original course until it came to another junction. Stefan felt some tingling in the back of his head. That’s when he heard a faint whistling from his silver medallion. He didn’t have to say anything to Elgon. The older boy turned slightly.

“Stefan, are you okay?” Elgon asked. “I’m sorry, but we can’t stop. If it gets so bad you want to hurt yourself, let me know. Okay?”

“You mean this feeling gets worse?” Stefan asked. “My medallion is whistling and the back of my head is tingling; how much worse can it get?

“Come on, we’re almost there,” Elgon said.

They went up some stairs to a small landing. There was a palm reader on the black wall, but the door was so perfectly set in the wall you couldn’t see it. Elgon placed his hand on the reader and the door slid open without a sound.

“Hurry up, get inside,” Elgon said. “Carlos, are you okay?

“Yeah, but what about Stefan?” Carlos asked.

“Stefan, come over here and I’ll attach the dump lines to the terminals on the back of your head.”

Stefan slowly walked over to where Elgon was standing and saw the plugs Elgon was holding. He immediately knew they weren’t going to work. He and Carlos were different. Their terminals were of a higher sort, something Elgon probably wouldn’t see again for a long time. He turned around and waited for the older boy to see what he was up against.

“Let me guess,” Stefan said. “The plugs you want to use don’t match any of the jacks available.”

“So what do I do?” Elgon asked. “I can’t take you into the Pilot’s staff room. We have to clear out your brain now and I don’t know how to do it.”

“Do you have a yellow jumper in your kit?” Carlos asked.

“Yeah, but what’s it used for?” Elgon asked.

“It used to be a switch and I suspect is still used for some greens,” Carlos said. “For some of us, though, it’ll be a plug-in used to create a pathway between two brains. You have to make certain the polarities match or nothing happens. See, this little notch has to match the corresponding notch in my plug-in. Hook me up first so I can get my defenses up and ready to fight off Stefan’s infection. I’d do it myself, but I need to concentrate.”

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Elgon asked.

“We read all about software infections when using the yellow jumper,” Carlos said. “Come on get that plug inserted in the back of my head. When I’m ready, I’ll plug Stefan into my brain. This works, Elgon, you have to trust me on this. We’re different than you and the other boys. Basically we’re one boy with two bodies and two brains that act as one in special circumstances.”

“I thought I heard the welcoming buzzer,” a bot said from the door to Pilot’s staff room. “What’s wrong?”

“Stefan was attacked by viruses out on the catwalks,” Elgon said. “Carlos was getting ready to hook up his brain to Stefan.”

“That’s good. The less we have to deal with these boys the better. I’m Mark 56782HT; I’m one of the navigators. It’s been decided Carlos and Stefan are to be placed in Ship’s Command, but I think we’d better wait until the boys are cleared of the malignant software. Do either of you need anything to help?”

“We need some water. It’s supposed to help seizing the malicious software and flushing them through our kidneys,” Stefan said as he felt Carlos enter his brain and start the search for the errant software. “I need to sit down. Are you okay Carlos?”

“I could use some water, too, and something to sit on,” Carlos said as he winced from the pain of Stefan’s mind crossing the yellow jumper.

A third class bot brought a portable bench into the anteroom enabling the boys to sit as the software cleansing program in Carlos’s brain crossed back to the corresponding program in Stefan’s brain.

“You remembered and I thought you weren’t paying attention,” Stefan said.

“Just because I had my eyes closed doesn’t mean I was asleep,” Carlos said. “And look, I can use it when it’s needed. I think we’re about done. Elgon? We need more water, though. Where’s Elgon, Mark?”

“He is not authorized at this level,” Mark said. “He was sent back via the pilot access. I’ll get you more water.”

The boys sat quietly talking to each other via the yellow jumper while waiting for the unusually tall bot in blue coveralls to return. When they had completely eradicated all of the errant software, they let their bodies’ physiology get rid of bad molecular strings. A brief analysis showed each had cleaned the same number of neurons.

“So, it looks like someone close was infected, too,” Stefan said.

“Just doing my job,” Carlos said.

“What job is that?” Stefan asked.

“Mama told me to take care of you because you’re a spoky,” Carlos said. “Luckily, we’re twins in more ways than one. What I want to know now is what’s to become of us. But before Mark gets back, let’s unplug ourselves.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Stefan asked.

“They can only do us one at a time, so why not take care of it now?”

“Okay, but I think it’s the wrong thing to do,” Stefan said. “I like him, you know. He’s not like the other bots. He seems to be almost human. They used to do it that way a long time ago; and he shows his virtual face when talking to us.”

“Yeah, I like him, too,” Carlos said.

********

It wasn’t wrong to do. They sat on the bench quietly waiting for Mark to bring them the water they needed to flush the errant bits from their bodies. They wondered what was to become of them in a way they hadn’t thought possible. It was there in those moments of quiet that they slowly became aware of their voices in each other’s mind. They looked at each other and smiled because they immediately knew what was occurring just might be useful sometime in the future.

“It must have something to do with making us green,” Carlos thought.

“No, it’s has something to do with us being twins,” Stefan thought. “Mark is coming.”

“Yeah, I can hear him, too,” Carlos thought. “He’s whistling.”

The door hissed open and the bot entered the room with larger cups of water. He looked at the boys as if he knew what they were doing with their minds. He decided now was a good time to let them know certain bots shared their new found communication tool.

“Is there anything else I could get you?” Mark thought. “Don’t look so surprised. We’ve known all along that you two have special talents that will be useful in Ship Operations.”

“We need a toilet,” Stefan thought.

“Yes, of course,” Mark said out loud. “But I think it’s best if we don’t let everyone know your little secret. Follow me to the toilet. It should be spotless since there aren’t a lot of boys in the relay office. Oh, yes, it’d be best if you drank your water now, instead of taking it with you.”

“Like what special talents?” Carlos asked.

“Well, you seem to like your mind trick,” Mark said. “There are a few bots that also have the talent, so you have to be extra careful of the bots around us, especially those of us who have been here the longest. They’re the ones that can hurt you the most or, in some situations, help you, as I’m doing now. Ah, here we are. Please try to hurry. I must get you over to Analytics before shift change.”

“Why do bots have to work on shifts?” Stefan asked when they left the restroom.

“It’s not for the bots,” Mark said. “It’s for their human co-worker.”

“You have more boys here?” Carlos asked.

“Certainly,” Mark said.

Anymore questions were simply ignored by the bot. They followed Mark through a series of elevators, stairways, and catwalks. For the most part, their direction of travel was up and stayed in close proximity to the very center of the ship which now contained five transparent tubes about a meter wide. Something colorful was inside the tubes and was pulsing up and down their length. Finally, they came to the door marked Analytics. Mark inserted his right index finger into a hole in center of the door and held it there until the lock mechanism clicked.

They were presented with two rows of ten cubicles with two seats, one for a bot and another for a youngish boy. The windowless room had the five tubes where the pulsing contents came up, paused for a moment, before starting to pulse again as it sank back to some undesignated destination. At the far end of the room a cubicle with three seats waited to be filled.

“Let me guess, the seats over there are for Carlos and me,” Stefan said.

“Certainly,” Mark said, “and the center seat is for me. Shall we get to work?”

“What kind of work?” Stefan asked.

“At first we’ll work on the contents of the ship. Then, later, we’ll work you on analyzing outside of the ship. That will be your initial goal, but we can work you up to it. Go ahead and see what seat you prefer, though I prefer Carlos on my right and Stefan on my left.”

“Why are we sitting together?” Carlos asked. “Does it have anything to do with us being able to talk to each other?”

“Yes,” Mark said. “Okay, I’ll plug you up. You can unhook each other at the end of your shift, but I’ll expect you to be able to do the plugging in a week or so. You need to pay attention to the plug placements when you unhook today. Luckily, in your case the plugs and jacks are color coded.”

The first thing Carlos noticed after being hooked up was an overwhelming sense of everything being red where the color ranged from a barely visible pink to a glaring crimson. Stefan saw things as being different shades of yellow, from reddish orange to bluish green. Both of the boys were fully aware of Mark in their minds. Neither boy could imagine what Mark was doing with the data the boys were generating from the pulsing tubes behind them.

After what seemed like hours, Carlos felt himself being drawn into one of the tubes. The pulsing seemed somewhat like a warm, comforting blanket. It drew him into the tube where he found similar thought processes of hundreds of bots all trying desperately to get his attention. Unfortunately, none of them were solely in the red side of the spectrum. Other colors made out as if they were a shade of red, but they couldn’t overcome Carlos’s sudden intrusion into their private party.

On the other side of Mark, Stefan was having similar feelings, his yellow spectrum seemed to be very close to completely overwhelming the young boy’s mental capacities. Mark stepped in when an almost pure green pulse focused on Stefan’s mind. The pulse tried to fend off Mark’s intrusion, but with Stefan’s pure natural mental powers, the pulse had no defense against Mark’s presence. Stefan was obviously too stressed to access the pulsing tubes anymore. All he wanted was a bed to lie down on.

“Okay boys, it looks like we’re not going to be able to fend off anymore attacks, so I recommend a few hours of sleep to rejuvenate your brains and mental abilities,” Mark said.