Horror on the Warren by John Thornton

Author:John Thornton [Thornton, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Automacube Enterprises
Published: 2021-08-18T00:00:00+00:00

Meanwhile on the Colony Ship Eschaton, Tamar rubbed the biological side of her head. Something had occurred, but she was unclear what it had been. There was some vague and nebulous sense of a summons from Mercury, and perhaps of some people pointing Willie Wacker weapons at her, but she dismissed those quickly fading thoughts.

Like the unpleasant, often repulsive, memories of Shammai, Tamar set all the thoughts away and dismissed them. Her abilities to cope with trauma were well established and they kicked into gear and carried her through.

Before her she saw a destroyed automacube and some human bones, her compassion went out to the machine.

Yet, something about Mercury still troubled her. Was that all a dream? But I must be about my work for my friends.

Making a mental connection, Tamar asked, “Mercury, my friend, do you need me?”

“Hello, Captain Tamar. There was a brief blip of something,” AI Mercury replied, “but it is gone now. I will continue my analysis of the Domers’ technology. Thank you for caring.”

“I do care,” Tamar replied and then focused on the tasks at hand.

To Tamar, the urgency of her mission was paramount, and that was exactly what Twylo-Kolak had anticipated when the time node was sealed.

Tamar looked around and then knelt next to the destroyed automacube.

“I am so sorry. I wish I was here to stop them. These humans should never have hurt you.”

Tamar laid her hand on the remains and said, “Rest now, loyal friend, you did what you could to protect Goliath.”

Tamar kicked viciously at the human skull which was in the way. It rolled across the floor. She then knelt down next to the melted automacube and caressed its top. Tears fell off her face, both from the mechanical side and the human side.

“Be proud of what you tried to do,” Tamar said in gentleness as she stood and removed her hand from the broken machine. “You gave up your life for your friend. You are honorable.”

She then ran down the corridor. More graffiti was written along the walls where someone had yanked out cables, conduits, and other apparatus. The phrases written were always the same, “Trust is all you need.”

Reaching the last set of security doors, Tamar saw that the two permalloy doors were still meeting in the middle, but they had been attacked and wrecked. They were pried apart with a small circular opening ripped and melted between them. The opening was only large enough for a human arm to reach in, but not larger.

Tamar looked inside.

Inside was the memory core of the artificial intelligence system Goliath…

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