As I began to lean against the now frozen in place Toby I reactivated scan blocking and whistled.

As the process started I could feel the electric current like feeling in my spine and neck again. Even my brain felt odd. I realized using my abilities would give me this feeling.

I also quickly realized using these abilities would have its costs.

When the progress bar passed 40% I started feeling heat in my chest. When it passed 70% the heat felt truly hot and my head started to ache. It was bearable but uncomfortable.

When the progress bar read 100% I released a sigh of relief. I rubbed at the sides of my head. The headache was disorienting.

I also felt oddly weaker. I wasn't sure as I was already pretty tired, but I thought I felt that way.

When I had finished appraising myself I looked at Toby. He still stood like a statue. He made no sound.

I wasn't exactly sure what hacking this robot meant just yet. I felt caution would suit me best. Was the hack a complete hack? Did it simply freeze him? Could he suddenly attack after breaking the hack?

"Can you hear me, Toby?"

No answer came. Toby stood motionless. I stared for a few moments. Eventually, I came to the conclusion he was frozen.

I wondered if that was all this hacking ability did. Useful but limited...

I started checking the overview information panel attached to toby in my vision.

SEMI INTELLIGENT AI ASSISTANT #C3Z1 (TOBY) HACKED(safe mode)

Bellow the text box sat 3 buttons. One marked SYSTEM ADMIN PRIVILEGES. One marked SYSTEM DATA, and the last marked DEACTIVATE SAFE MODE.

I thought long and hard. I sort of understood the use of each button. I didn't feel like altering the system data was within my capabilities.

If I accepted that option I guessed I would be met with lines of code and programming language. I couldn't even read it all in a month let alone alter it in all likelihood.

I thought about the safe mode prompt. It was currently in safe mode. It was even marked as such next to its name. I figured safe mode was automatic when hacking.

It made sense. If I was hacking something a frozen safe mode upon completion would be the best way to do it.

I wondered if machines that were linked might notice one machine suddenly dropping out of the loop and entering safe mode. Maybe in some circumstances, safe mode wouldn't be the best choice.

As I thought about the issue more prompts flit across my view asking about user preference and setting defaults for hacking.

This implant was definitely good stuff. The intuitive nature of it shocked me. I also felt violated at how entwined this machine was with my mind.

I choose to keep safe mode as the default and only change it on the fly as needed.

I thought about my options and only system admin privileges seemed to suit my needs.

With a simple thought, the prompt exploded into lines and formed a new text box. I read the text and realized it was a simple list of admins as well as a backlog of admin right alterations. It also had a common user list.

There was only one admin currently listed and no users. A doctor Gregory House was listed as the only admin.

I checked the changelog and found dozens of names with the words ADMIN PRIVILEGE REVOKED and USER PRIVILEGE REVOKED next to them, as well as a time stamp for each action.

One of the other pieces of information listed was who revoked their admin rights.

On the very long list of revoked names, every single person's admin and user rights were revoked by a Dr. Gregory House.

I felt like I might have the name of the grand architect of this whole hair-brained operation now. I wondered if this doctor Gregory set this all up or if the project went beyond his control.

It didn't really matter right this second though. I would find out more later.

I thought about adding my name to the admin list and my implant responded immediately. I accepted the prompt and my name was instantly on the list of admins as Cpt. 782.

I thought about it and decided to revoke the good doctor's admin privileges. Better safe than sorry I say.

Another fast and intuitive prompt later and the doctor was now revoked of all privileges.

I thought about anything else I could do, but nothing came to mind. I figured I had done everything my untrained mind could to the robot for now.

I selected DEACTIVATE SAFE MODE and waited.

Toby jerked and began moving. His snake-like limbs started swaying and probing around him again. His camera turned to me.

"Do you hear me, Toby?"

"Yes, of course I do captain 782! Isn't it such a great day!!"

It didn't call me master or indicate any need for commands. I don't know what I expected it to say honestly. Maybe "how can I serve you master/admin" would have been my expectation.

So I asked a question I know wouldn't have been answered before to test my privileges.

"What are alpha embryo cells?"

Toby quickly answered after a short pause.

"All data on alpha embryo cells are stored on the Icarus base main database. No copies can be stored separately.

Currently, my connection to the main database has been severed by system security. Reason for my revoked authority is unknown. Would you like me to run a diagnostic to troubleshoot the problem?"

"No!"

I started to sweat. It seemed hacking definitely wasn't all powerful. I guessed the base systems had already identified Toby as compromised.

I wondered if Toby running a diagnostic would reset the hack. Maybe he would lose his robot "mind" and start acting erratic.

This was good. I didn't get an answer about what I asked, but I did get info. I also got confirmation of my admin access. He didn't say he wouldn't give me the info. He said he COULDN'T. There was a difference.

So the base computer is still operating? I had to think about that. What was the computer capable of? I guessed it's processing power far outstripped Toby's, but was it just a powerful computer in a box, or could it somehow harm me? I had to ask more.

"Toby, the main base computer... does it have control of security systems?"

"Yes. All base automated security systems are under Icarus main system control."

I felt a shiver at the thought. Was I already listed as an intruder? I couldn't know.

"Do you know the status of the automated security systems?"

"Yes"

It took me a second. I had done it again. I had asked a robot a question too simply. It HAD answered my question. I cursed inwardly and rephrased the question.

"What is the status of the automated security system?"

"Before I was barred from system access the automated security system status stood at 7% effective."

That was good. 7% sounded good. It was basically on its last leg. It still wouldn't be good to turn a corner and get blasted by one of the few still operational wall mounted phasers, disintegrators, or some other futuristic gizmo.

I had a decision to make. After I had hacked Toby I had started playing around with the idea of taking the whole base for myself. Now... I wasn't sure if that was a good idea.

Take the risk, or leave? I thought long and hard.

In the end leaving won out. Too many factors were in play. This base computer. The security systems. And most of all the knowledge this facility wasn't unknown to others.

The rushing way the noble had pushed our group here, it stank of him trying to beat someone else to the punch.

I may be able to bring this entire base under my control. I may gain possession of a vast storage if old world tech.

It wouldn't help me if someone else showed up and killed me however. How many gold miners had been killed while celebrating over their find?

No. Mother needed me. I wasn't here for a treasure hunt. The risk was too much. Leaving was the proper decision.

What would I even do with all of the tech anyways? In the world today having something valuable was reason enough to get murdered.

I was alive. That would have to be enough.

"Toby, can you lead me to where you found me while avoiding any operational security systems?"

"Yes."

I smiled.

"Good, lead the way around security to the place you found me."

Toby went into motion immediately. He quickly crawled through the door and headed down the hallway.

I followed in the steps of Toby at a fast walk. There were doors here and there on either side of the hallway, but Toby ignored them.

I noticed all the lights were now on and brightly lit. Some of the lights flickered, and some didn't operate at all, but the ones that did work were now fully powered.

I also noticed the corpses. The halls had corpses laying on the floor every once in a while. The corpses looked ravaged by time, but intact. Their clothes were not much more than wisps of rotted cloth now.

We wound our way through a labyrinth of hallways and tunnels for at least 10 minutes before coming to a door with a stairwell painted on the wall beside it.

Toby brought one of his appendages up to the doorknob and I heard a loud buzz and a discordant sound. A light next to the handle that was yellow turned red and flashed before turning yellow again.

"My access has been revoked."

Toby said it as chipper as always. I began to sweat. I walked up to the door and to my relief I saw the handle and the locking mechanism outlined in green with now familiar prompt next to them.

I quickly selected the hack option after touching the locking device. There was another pinprick sensation on the parts of my hand touching the device, and a web of burrowing worm-like fine lines spread from my touch. It was the same as last time.

The progress bar appeared and showed an eta of 15 seconds. I smiled. It only made sense a door lock would be easier to hack then Toby. Toby was an at least semi-smart artificial intelligence.

I didn't feel any heat or experience headache during the short process.

When the progress bar filled fully the light on the door turned green and flashed. I heard an audible clunk and I pushed the door open.

I didn't need to mess with any of the options as the automatic safe mode seemed to have unlocked the door by default anyway.

Toby quickly went passed me and started climbing the stairs. Watching him crawl upstairs was creepy to me. It was the fluid way he moved. It was definitely spider-like.

We ascended a few dozen flights of stairs and passed many doors. I was shocked at how deep this complex went. If every level was as big as the one I just left, then this bunker was absolutely massive!

After a while, Toby stopped at another door. This door also had a yellow light on it. Without even giving Toby a chance to try the door I pushed passed him and touched the door lock.

Moments later the light turned green and I swung the door open.

Toby lead me down winding passageways for another few minutes. We passed through multiple familiar looking rooms along the way.

There were desks, chairs, and chest high barriers in these rooms. They were not the room of the ambush, but they were very similar. I had the idea that this level was some sort of workspace level for research types or something.

Eventually, we came to the scene of the ambush. I stood for a few moments and looked at the three corpses in the room.

I felt like kicking the noble's body for a moment before shrugging and moving on.

I also felt bad for the scavengers, but there wasn't really anything I could do for them. I couldn't carry their bodies back. It just wasn't practical.

I went to the center of the room. I went to the place I had hidden for the ambush and found what I was looking for. My bag lay in the debris.

I opened it and pulled out my last pair of pants and an extra shirt. I didn't like being naked and I had been naked for who knows how long at this point. It felt good to be wearing clothes again.

With my clothes on and my bag settled on my shoulder, I walked back to the corpse of the noble.

Using my foot I rolled him off from the other object I wanted in this room. His assault rifle!

It sat there almost smiling back at me. A green glow outlined the weapon. Text appeared beside the rifle.

PENETRATOR KINETIC ASSAULT RIFLE

HACK?

Just like every other time, when I touched the rifle the hack option lit up. 9 seconds later I was holding my new rifle and trying to familiarize myself with it.

There was a safety like most other weapons, but I couldn't figure out where the magazine release was. I couldn't even tell if this weapon took magazines to begin with.

After fiddling with the weapon for a while and finding a recess in the weapon that matched the size and shape of a piece of metal attached to the noble's hip, I had figured out how to refill its ammo.

Instead of a magazine the gun simply sucked the metal bar into the compartment on the weapon magnetically. This thing didn't shoot bullets it seemed.

I tested the weapon on the wall. I was pleased to hear the snap of it shooting, and watch holes appear on the wall. The weapon had surprisingly little recoil.

Just as I finished testing the weapon and began eyeing the nobles corpse with thoughts of stripping his armor off, all the lights in the room and hallways attached to the room went dark.

I was startled at the sudden darkness. Soon small flashing orange strobe lights began flickering to life. They pulsed in coordination.

A soothing but robotic voice of a woman came over speakers that sounded like they were mounted in the ceiling.

"Base fuel reserves have fallen below failsafe levels. Base self destruct initiated. All base staff are recommended to evacuate immediately."