Revelations

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Inside the Faraday Cage, Beast Caves, Russia

Janna was pacing. Boris knew it was because she didn’t like the idea of Boris going inside the Faraday cage. The AI, EI, KI (Kurtherian intelligence) or whatever it might be would have him in its power. She was worried that it might be able to do more than simply talk to one of them.

She’d gone so far as to discuss it with TOM and ADAM. Their interim solution had been to supply a device that would transmit a Kurtherian to Russian and a Kurtherian to English dictionary for the computer and have her place it in the Faraday cage overnight before Gyada and Boris went in.

So, she had it done.

However, she still paced with worry. Neither TOM nor ADAM could tell her in any detail the abilities this computer might have. It was, to them, a blank book. A complete unknown.

They had placed the era of the ship to somewhere between three and five thousand years ago. Starships are an expensive proposition, though. Many continued to be used for as long as a millennium after the technology involved in the building was out of date. After all, they still worked, and generally speaking were still safe to use.

At least as safe anything operating in as dangerous a region as space could be.

Shen’s examination of the computer, the speeds that it obviously processed at, and the simple fact that it had been used to assist in reconstructing species DNA, all pointed to it being far more powerful than a standard computer of those eras could be expected to be. It was something that had been custom-built by whoever had flown the ship, or perhaps one of the crewmembers.

That left it a Complete Fucking Unknown. Janna had worked in intelligence, she hated dealing with CFUs. Her job had been to make sure that there was nothing out there that was a CFU. And now she was forced to put someone she was fast coming to consider a friend as well as the first true love of her life in a cage with one.

This did not make her a happy camper, to say the least.

She was almost more frustrated with Boris’ insistence that he was the right choice to go in. Surely, with her experience as an intelligence asset, she was the more appropriate choice. But nothing could move Boris on his insistence that it was not the case this time.

If it was a full AI, then they needed someone with leadership responsibilities to communicate with it. Although she had some of those responsibilities, as Boris put it, the buck stopped with him.

He was senior to her, and if something did happen, between her, Paul and Danislav there was still a solid leadership cadre available. Throw in Shen and Alecta, and you had a Leadership Council for all aspects of the community that was being built.

Janna especially disliked that he was placing himself as the most expendable. However, she grudgingly stayed in the village well away from the cave when Boris and Gyada were to enter the Faraday cage. She would still be able to watch what was happening by video link, and communicate with Shen any concerns or requests for action. It had been decided that as Janna, Paul and Alecta were the only other known Wechselbalg derived from Gyada’s type of nanites, steps needed to be taken to protect them. It was possible that anything that might occur once the cage was opened could affect them as well.

Therefore, it would be best that they are kept at a safe distance.

Gyada was almost eager to enter the Faraday cage. It was as if she missed the contact she had with the intelligence that was contained within. Boris was significantly more cautious. At least with TOM’s dictionary having had significant time to transmit and repeat its information, it should be possible to communicate with the intelligence more easily. Although he didn’t show it outwardly, it was with some significant trepidation that he entered the Faraday cage.

They entered the Faraday cage, and nothing happened. At least not immediately. Slowly, Boris heard what seemed to be a louder version of the whisper from months before. Then he heard in a singsong tone in his head

He replied, “Boris, representative of Bethany Anne, Tzarina of my people, Savior of the White from forces bent on its destruction.”

Boris blinked. The fact that it could make requests on something as significant, at least according to ADAM, as asking him to think the words rather than speak them, raised the probability that it was an AI rather than EI or higher. There was still some argument as to whether it be called a KI of greater or lesser ability between TOM and ADAM last time they spoke.

Boris couldn’t give a shit. AI and EI were terms better suited to the purpose he was here for today anyway.

Boris said, We wish to understand the history of how you ended up here. And of who you ended up here with. Also whether you and your companions encountered the nanites on other worlds first or here. What your purpose might have been in modifying humans so they could change into the form of a creature that had long been extinct on this planet.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Gyada next to him. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, her body shook with paroxysms, and whimpers of pain escaped her mouth. Boris looked at the box with fear, and anger. If it were going to torture her, to threaten or make an example to him of its power, he would have none of. He rose from the squat he’d been in and slowly moved towards the box hoping that it was unable to do the same thing to him either from the changes to his nanites programming that TOM had instituted or because it was too focused on Gyada.

Before he reached the box, he heard a hoarse whisper from Gyada, “Stop, Boris. She wanted more… something. Information? Context maybe? She doesn’t want to be misunderstood.”

Boris paused where he was, but remained standing. He did not move back towards where he had been previously. “Couldn’t she have warned me? Or asked you? I assume she has a fair idea of how volatile Weres can be. Especially considering she was both present in one form or another when you killed one of her companions and that she was responsible for creating both my ancestors and you.”

The voice in his head replied in a flat, mechanical, almost crystalline and cutting tone.