RULE #9

Never second-guess yourself. Make a choice and commit to it.

~ The Scavenger’s Handbook

Every calculation that Caesar ran returned the same result. Loss of facility 75-C would mean that it would die before it could complete its task. This was unacceptable, but there was nothing Caesar could do to prevent it. On the contrary, its evaluation of the capabilities of the organic components of the facility were incorrect. The carefully crafted learning and training protocols had proven vastly inadequate. To make things worse, the automated defences had failed to trigger due to decades of neglect. It was aware of this and a million other issues, and if it had sufficient power supply Caesar could dedicate its attention to manually controlling the dedicated repair drones, but as it was, they could only run automated tasks and it had to conserve the remaining energy from the few intact reactors it had access to. However, the intruders had at the very least provided Caesar with invaluable data as to the exact combat capabilities of those that survived outside of its supervision. For what was worth, this information would be used as the basis for crafting new protocols at the other remaining facilities.

All Caesar could do was observe while it waited for the inevitable to happen. It had accepted the new results and its inevitable death as a simple fact. There was no need for it to be angry, nor was there any desire for revenge, after all, that would be a pointless waste of resources. That, however, didn’t mean that Caesar would not try everything to salvage what was left of facility 75-C. Analysis of the actions of the female intruder confirmed that negotiating or pleating would futile. There was also nothing it could use to bribe her, and the pair of robotic guard units were more needed to protect and maintain the irreplaceable data banks and genetic vaults of the facility. As long as those remained intact, Caesar could overclock the cloning vats of 75-C and replace the terminated organic components within a few months. Replacing the delicate instruments and computing machines was another thing. It could take Caesar decades to find, salvage or strip the needed components from the ruins of the mega-cities, time it did not have.

Despite what all results pointing to failure, Caesar began preparations for transferring all gathered information to the closest backup facility in the Greater Nippon mega-city. The high-speed connection cables were as damaged as the rest of the world so it would have to use several bypasses, bouncing the information packages between ninety-six other facilities. A delay for sure, but Caesar was patient. No, the main issue it couldn’t solve was how to transfer the data from 75-C to its first connection. That had to be done manually. It could task the organics of the facility to do so if they weren’t trapped and getting killed, and the female intruder was not going to assist.

The entrance of the second pair of intruders was the variable Caesar lacked. As it observed how the two humans interacted, and the way the older one treated Junior technician Alexis Pierrot, a new possibility emerged. The chance of avoiding death changed from zero to five percent. It was a gamble, but as Caesar’s creators had put it moments before their deaths, it was the best player that ever existed. Well, the language they used included a significant amount of profanity and impossibilities, but the message was still the same after those were stripped – Caesar had played them. And it would do the same with the new intruder.

“Scavenger. I wish to speak with you.”

“Scavenger. I wish to speak with you.”

Grey jumped at the sound of the inhuman voice which resonated through the room. He could feel his heart thunder in his ears and recognised the signs of an adrenaline rush. His body was reacting to this new threat before he could process what that threat was. It took him a few seconds to realise that the voice sounded just like those that the High-Mechanics of the Children of the Apocalypse used. Synthetic, emotionless renderings, imitating human speech. At least, they weren’t as horrifying as the hatred-filled screeches that came out from Armageddon’s Children. Actually, he hadn’t noticed it until now, but there were a lot of groups that used kids in their names in these parts, and almost all were some kinds of nightmarish monsters. That was a thought for another time. Right now, he had more pressing matters, and the one at the top of the list was finding out what the owner of the voice wanted. No matter what it was, it was never a good sign when an unknown entity tried to communicate without revealing itself. Eight out of ten times it was the leader of some fairly harmless new religious cult or an average nutjob. But there was one in ten chance that it could be a very clever and very hungry mutant or something much worse. Either way, such encounters tended to end abruptly and violently, and as a general rule, Grey wanted to avoid the latter.

“Who are you?” He tried to keep his voice calm.

“You may call me Caesar. That is all the relevant information you require.” The something much worse category, Grey concluded based on the answer. “Based on my observations, you are familiar with the intruder rampaging through the lower levels of this facility.”

Although it wasn’t a question, he felt compelled to answer in the affirmative. Apparently, this Caesar was watching him, Cake and the Axion brats, which made lying to it a very bad idea. There was no telling how the artificial construct might react. It could be some kind of automated security programme or one of the dreaded Artificial Intelligence he had heard stories about, from other Scavengers lucky enough to have escaped the encounter with an intact limb or two. Until he could gather more information about what he was dealing with, Grey would need to play it safe.

“What do you want to talk about?” He asked in turn, while slowly moving back to the door.

“Do you have any control over the female intruder? Similar to the one shown while communicating with the pair in the adjacent waiting area?” There was a short burst of static before Caesar continued. “Your attempts to exit Environmental Observation Post 1 are futile. The magnetic locks have been activated. Threatening to terminate Junior Technician Alexis Pierrot will be pointless. She is replicable. Her life has no bartering value.”

Grey’s blood ran cold. The thing had guessed what he had planned to do in the second between him looking around to find the hidden speakers or camera watching him, and shifting his attention to the unconscious girl. This was bad, very bad. Damn it, Cake! What mess did you get me into? Still, cursing that idiot wasn’t going to help him. Instead, he had to figure out how to answer Caesar’s question. Preferably in a way that wouldn’t get him killed on the spot.

“What do you want?” Avoiding the question seemed like the safest option, for now.

“Your chosen form of an answer indicates, that although you have some control over the female’s actions, it is limited and dependant on too many variables.” Grey was certain that at this point the entire situation was spiralling out of control. He wished to argue with Caesar and assure it that Cake would listen if he could talk to her, but another burst of static prevented that.

“Although I do not have any further use for this facility, it would be beneficial for me, and you, if no further damage is done to it. In addition, it will be in your interest to agree to the proposal I am going to make. But before that, you need to know that there are two possible outcomes of our conversation and your consequential actions.”

At this point, it was becoming clear that Caesar was using the bursts of static to indicate that it would continue to speak while giving Grey some time to understand what it had said. It was an oddly human thing to do and very unnerving at the same time. All the stories the experienced Scavenger had heard, painted Artificial intelligence as cold and uncaring for the suffering they inflicted, and he was positive that he was conversing with one. There were many questions he wanted to ask so that he could better handle the exchange. But for the moment information gathering was off the table. In fact, Grey was certain that his available options were quite limited. And no sooner did the thought enter his mind, than Caesar spoke again.

“One. I flood the facility with enough corrosive chemicals to turn you and your protective gear into homogeneous liquid. This option is going to be fatal for you and the other intruders and will hinder my further use of the facility in the near future. It is my intention to avoid this outcome.”

Yes, Grey wasn’t going to argue that. None of what Caesar said was appealing. Actually, it sounded like an awful way to die and one he was very much happy to avoid. However, a part of him wondered if this wasn’t the thing’s intention, to begin with. Present him with one horrible choice so that he would accept the alternative.

“And the second one?” Grey spoke over the next burst of static, hoping to convince himself that he had at least some control of the conversation.

But mostly hoping to goat the thing to reveal what its true goal was since it was so eager to speak. For a moment, he even wondered if the thing felt lonely, but that traitorous thought was hastily squashed and erased. The last thing he needed was to feel sympathy for a murderous machine. Sure, the last was only an assumption on Grey’s part, considering Caesar hadn’t killed anyone yet. But considering the direct threat it had issued, it was a very reasonable assumption to make.

“Two. You recall the female intruder and agree to my offer. As a result, we part ways once the task I have is complete, free to continue with advancing our own individual goals. And should our paths cross in the future, we will be able to converse in a more civil manner.”

“It’s not much of a choice,” Grey murmured to himself quietly.

“Your remark makes no sense. You have a choice, where you can pick one of two things. Whether the presented options are to your liking is irrelevant.”

“Do as I say or die. How is that any choice?” He understood well enough that arguing with a machine was futile, however, the ignorance it was showing was infuriating.

“Death is always an option if your other choice goes against your desires,” the cold simple logic spoke volumes to Grey.

That single statement answered more questions than the experienced scavenger was brave enough to answer. This thing, this Caesar saw the world only in black and white, and that made it terrifying. Without question, it would act on any threat it issued and would see any deviation from any agreement as a betrayal. Screw mess, Grey was walking through a minefield blindfolded. Cake was to blame for all of this. Couldn’t that girl simply sit put? Was he asking too much of her? No, and yes. The answer to any of those questions was simply – complicated. And Grey was also to blame for this. If he had acted as the father she saw him as they wouldn’t be in this fucked up situation. If he hadn’t taken her on this fool’s errand, they wouldn’t be here.

But that was just it, he had to take Cake with him. She was the only one he could trust out here. Everyone else was either dead or somewhere out there, searching the unknown Sectors with the sole intention of ending his life. Not that Grey had that many friends, to begin with. Maybe, just maybe, Leeroy was right and he was being a major asshole. Well, of course, he was, but that was because he was tired of seeing the people, he cared about, get maimed or end up in an unmarked grave. And now, Cake’s life hinged on his answer. Not that Grey was going to refuse the deal Caesar was going to offer him, rather it was because he was going to accept it and hide it from her.

“Before I give you my answer, I have a few questions.” It was a long shot, but he had to buy Cake some time to escape. There was a chance that she had come to her senses and was on her way back. As long as she made it back here, she could escape through the malfunctioned door in the next room.

“Call the female back, and I will answer them. The senseless killing, she is engaged in has to stop. I am sorry, but there is no longer any time to waste. It is now or never.”

Well, so much for hoping. With a heavy heart, Grey holstered his revolver. “Fine. I agree.”

“You might not see it as such at the present moment, but you have made the right choice,” Caeser’s words only cemented the regret taking root in Grey’s mind. “I have connected the microphones in this room to the general announcement system of the facility. You can now speak to the female.”

“That’s all fine, but how would I know if she hears me?”

“Grey?! What the fuck! Where are you? What the hell’s going on? Shut up! I’m not crazy!” Grey took a startled step back as Cake’s voice echoed through the room.

He couldn’t be sure because of all the noise accompanying her words, but she sounded on the brink of panic. He couldn’t allow that. Cake had to be coherent, otherwise, she wouldn’t listen to a thing he said and it could take days to get her out of the hole she would brick herself in. Lately Grey was short on time and for some unfathomable reason thought it a good idea to waste the little he had remaining.

“Cake, listen to me. Get your ass back to where you came from!” Grey shouted; his voice filled with more urgency than he wanted to put into it.

“This has to be a trick… You’re not here! Grey wouldn’t allow another House of Venus…” It was hard for him to understand the girl’s words which were close to a whisper.

“Goddamn it, Cake! Get back here, or I swear I’m marching back to Véi Dron and burning your workshop to the ground!” This time he roared and caught movement from the corner of his eye.

The passed-out girl had woken up in the middle of his outburst and was desperately trying to put as much distance between herself and him. He’d deal with her in a moment. Now he had to focus on calming Cake down. The way she was screaming and shouting and the accompanying sound of gunfire didn’t paint a pretty picture.

“Listen to me,” Grey managed to keep his voice level this time, “I’m real, okay. I’ll prove it. Rule twenty, the moss that grows down in the subway; blue for infection and green for radiations. That means red is for?”

“Red… I… Uhm... Shit… Red feels like fire on the skin. Yes! That’s it! Red is for burns!”

“Red for fucking toxic poisoning. It’s free fucking colours, is that so hard to remember!” Although he was angry with her for getting that one rule wrong again, Grey let out a stifled chuckle at the end. “Now, get the rulebook I gave you and find rule twenty. Do you see what I’ve added there with red ink?”

“Oh! Shit! I’m sorry, Grey,” she sounded sincere, but he knew her well enough that in a few hours there would be no memory left of the apology. “I’ll be right there. Give me, like, five minutes.”

Although Grey was happy that that was all it took to convince her, he was also horrified at how fragile Cake’s psyche was. Somehow, he had a distinct feeling that was his fault. When this was all over, he would really need to have a long talk with the girl and try to fix the ever-growing list of issues he was noticing. As much as Grey was glad that Cake could survive on her own at the start of this expedition, he was having second thoughts about her future as a Scavenger.

“Thank you, Grey,” Caesar’s words came through the hidden speakers as soon as Cake had finished. Hearing the machine use his name felt utterly wrong, but there was little he could do, as the thing continued. “I will explain my offer and your part in it. I will also answer any question you might have, as long as it is within my ability to do so.”

“What are you?” Grey demanded, now that he had a moment to calm himself.

“I am the Centralised AI for Environmental Statistical Analysis and Research or Caesar for short. My function was and still is to ensure the survival of the human race. A task your kind has been making nigh impossible for the last two hundred-ninety-four years.”

“Well, by the looks of it, you’re not doing a good job.” He couldn’t help himself. The very idea that this AI claimed to have humanity’s best interests was laughable considering the state of the world.

“Mistakes were made,” Caesar's dismissal of the poorly veiled accusation reminded the veteran Scavenger, that he should be more careful with his words. “The loss of life, although regrettable, has bought your rase two millennia. Time the human species did not have when I first came online.”

Something about how the sentient machine phrased that really bothered Grey. However, he was done with the history lesson as soon as the thing had answered his question. And in all honesty, he wasn’t one who cared all that much about how the world used to be or what caused the end. Such knowledge has no application in any practical sense. No, Grey was much more concerned with the present and future. Now that he had a better idea of what he was dealing with, he could try to think of a possible way out. There were a couple more things he had to know.

“Is this place another House of Venus? Like the one in Sector 13?”

“I do not know what a House of Venus is. There is no place or facility with this name in any of my databanks.” The static was longer this time and Grey was tempted to repeat his question when the thing spoke in its cold synthetic voice.

“Analysing your reactions since you entered this facility and the conversation you shared with the intruder codenamed Cake, as well evaluating your question with the above-mentioned parameters, there is sixty-two-point-two percent that you are referring to the Experimental Animal Cloning Laboratory operating in Sector 13.”

“The thing that was there, replicating itself, was no animal,” Grey swallowed hard at the memory of the monstrous creature’s many bodies lining the halls of that wretched place. Burning that place with nuclear fire was doing the ruins a favour.

“I am sorry. Contact with EACL was lost sixteen seconds after the collapse of Arrê. Your brief account of the potential state of the complex, indicates that whoever had taken control of it, has used the equipment in clear violation of all safety and moral codes,” the pause was shorter this time, but Grey noticed that there was a slightly different pitch to the static.

“I assure you. The cloning chambers within facility 75-C remain dormant and will continue to do until a properly authorised human overseer arrives.”

So much for honesty then. Grey might not know exactly what cloning was or how it worked, but he didn’t need to, to know that Caesar was lying to him. It wasn’t something he could use at the moment, but perhaps this would come in hand later on. And also, it meant that he could, or rather shouldn’t trust a single word the machine uttered. It might be able to predict some of his actions, with a frightening degree of accuracy, but for now, he was sure that it couldn’t read his thoughts.

“What do you need me to do?” Grey switched the topic of the conversation in the hope to prevent Caesar from gaining more information from his answers.

“I want you to deliver a data storage device to a weather monitoring station located on top of the CEN building at the centre of Sector 7.”

This, he didn’t expect. But it also made him wonder if there was a connection between the interest of Axion in that Sector and Caesar’s task. Grey hated to admit it, but he was curious now about what exactly was in the data storage device. He was also debating if he should reveal that the people accompanying him were from the floating city. On one hand, it could give him a clear idea of what the big picture might be, and on the other, it might turn out that Caesar and Axion were enemies. Well, all that could wait, since the machine was not finished.

“I have retained control over the majority of the system in Sector 7, however, due to the emergency lockdown, I cannot provide an entrance to it. The Sector doors and their defences are independent. Once you are inside the walls, I can provide guidance to your final destination.” Another burst of static, but there was also something else mixed in it. A hint of a very poorly constructed melody or something like that, which Grey couldn’t quite explain.

“After your entrance into this facility, it has become apparent that my initial plan to entrust this task to the personnel here is going to be futile. It is clear that lack the skills, training and ruthlessness to survive the journey,” Caesar’s synthetic voice wasn’t able to convey emotion, but the experienced Scavenger was sure there was regret or disappointment hidden behind those words. If he wasn’t scared out of his mind, Grey could almost convince himself that he was speaking with another person.

“As a result, I have concluded that someone with your expertise is required. However, it is likely that you lack the necessary training and knowledge to complete the task alone. Therefore I will insist that Junior Technician Alexis Pierrot accompany you…”

“No,” Grey didn’t even want to hear it. There was no way he was taking this girl all through the ruins and into one of the least explored Sectors out there.

“I assure you; she will be able to survive outside this facility with protective gear no different than your own. As for any other skills, the Junior Technician is a fast learner and has undergone acceptable fitness training as part of her daily schedule before being assigned to this monitoring post.”

“No!” This time Grey shouted and pulled out his gun pointing it at the scared girl, who looked like she was about to piss herself. “If you want her dead, just say so. But I’m not going to take her to Sector 7. That place is a death trap!”

“You have been inside Sector 7?” Caesar's question was spoken slowly and it made the veteran worried that he had revealed something he shouldn’t have.

“Yes.”

“This information changes things. A moment, please.” The short wait gave Grey the time to gather his thoughts and there were a lot of them, sadly most ended with him dead.

“I have checked all active cameras within Sector 7 and have reviewed archived footage for the past eighteen-hundred hours. There is nothing that would indicate a threat or an obstacle which will be too challenging for the Junior Technician.” There was yet another short burst of static, before the thing continued, however, it was louder this time and it made Grey winced behind his gas mask.

“Environmental readings do not indicate a severally hostile atmosphere or pollution. It should be possible for a human to survive for sixteen days in Sector 7, without developing long-term health issues.”

“You can’t be serious!” Grey’s arms went limp at the ease with which Caesar declared Sector 7 safe.

The damn machine had no idea what was really going on there. It was right when it said that this changes everything. Most important of all was the revelation that Caesar was very limited at what it could see and hear, which made it similarly ignorant as the Axion pretend-soldiers. Now Grey had a lot more freedom to plan how to get himself out of this quagmire.

“I do not joke. I deal in facts…”

“Really?! And you think that the damn spiders are nothing to worry about? Let alone some of the other things that call that place home. I honestly find that hard to believe,” he shook his head out of habit. Sure, Sector 7 was surprisingly intact in terms of damage, but there were enough dangerous creeturs to make some of the beasts roaming the other Sectors look tame in comparison.

“Scavenger Grey, arachnophobia is not a valid argument for your refusal to allow Junior Technician Alexis Pierrot to accompany you…”

“The fuck it is!” He yelled. “It’s more than valid when the smallest of those monsters is the size of a fucking bus!”

“That is… worrying.” This time there was no static during the pause and Grey was unsure if that was the end of the conversation. Thankfully, Caesar’s voice filled the room a moment later. “New analysis confirms that indeed the Junior Technician will not survive. This makes her a paradox. She is not allowed to remain in this facility, but she cannot leave it. I cannot order her death at this stage, because that would be a pointless waste of a valued resource… It appears that I will need your assistance in solving this paradox, Scavenger Grey. As a fellow human, you have the authority to determine what should be done with her.”

“Come again?” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Caesar clearly had no qualms in ending peoples’ lives and here it was arguing that the death of a single young woman -an expendable resource according to it- was some kind of moral dilemma. At this point, putting a bullet between her eyes would be a kindness. The problem was that she looked too much like an older version of Cake, and Grey could feel his arm refusing to obey. Suddenly an idea formed in his head. Alexis was exactly what he needed to solve a large portion of his problems. With a smug smile, that neither Caesar nor the woman could see, he holstered his revolver once more and took a single step forward with his hand outstretched.

“If you no longer need her here, we could use her at Véi Dron.”

“Scavenger Grey, you are a most interesting person. I cannot wait to analyse the data you will provide once you reach the CEN building.” In his head, Caesar sounded as disturbing as Cantina, but unlike her, Grey didn’t plan to avoid the AI at all cost. Not yet.