Graham Heights
MayFlower
Journal Entry - March 13th 2096
Lorin Knorack
The pills the doctor gave me, makes me feel funny. It’s like life is not quite real and I’m missing something. I want to talk to Jason about it, but he is off chasing ghosts again.
Speaking of Ghosts. Two days ago I swear I saw that Tiffany thing. She had changed her eyes and hair, but I’m sure it was her. That perfect jawline and complexion was a dead give away. I tried to follow her, but she disappeared down the main corridors.
At first I blamed it on the meds, but the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced it was her. My counselor said it could have been a figment of my imagination. That.. I seem to fixate on the subjects of my husbands search in an attempt to have more common ground with him. He also said that I needed to be content with my relationship. That Jason loved me and was committed to our marriage.
What does he know. Every time Jason gets a case with a woman involved, I barely see him. That doesn’t sound like love to me. I have half a mind to track down this thing and shoot her. But that would be irrational. So, I sit here and stew. Well, I want to sit here and stew. I have another appointment with a specialist and then I have to go to zero g training. Based on the dozens of tests that they’ve force on me. I’m a show-in for zero g agriculture.
The plants grow extraordinarily fast and require pruning and harvesting daily. So, I’m being put to work.
“Mom….Mom.” said a voice from behind Lorin.
“Mom!” yelled Kevin as he stood by the door to their compartment.
Lorin turned around to see Kevin inside the door and a stranger standing just outside. “What is.. Who is that?” Lorin quickly got up and approached the door.
“Mam.” Was all the stranger said.
“Can I help you?” Lorin asked.
“Yes Mam.” Said the stranger. The stranger was in a blue jumpsuit, which indicated that he was in the Captain’s command group.
Lorin looked to the left and right. The guards were missing.
Without being asked the stranger answered her questions. “They were dismissed.”
The hair on Lorins neck and forearms started to rise. Something was wrong. “Where’s Jason?”
“He’s fine mam. We just need to talk to you.” Said the stranger.
Lorin looked into the man’s eyes. They seemed dead. This was not right and she knew it. Her thoughts raced to what she could do. She needed to bring attention to herself and hopefully scare whoever this was off.
“Mam, please don’t do anything stupid.” The the stranger looked at the boy. “We only need you.”
The threat was thick in the air. They would harm Kevin. She had to get them away from here. Where were the guards? “Okay. Okay, I’ll go.” She was in a panic, what could she do to let Jason know that she had been taken… by..”
“Mam, We need to leave now. Is there somewhere your son can go?” The stranger put a hand on Kevin.
Lorin instinctive pulled Kevin behind her. She turned to him and said, “Go to Tonya’s compartment.” She paused, “Tell her I was..”
“Choose your words carefully.” the stranger said.
“Tell her I had to check in at work.” Lorin finally said.
Kevin looked at this mother and was confused by the sound of her voice. He was about to protest, but the look on Lorin’s face said that he should just do as she told him. He grabbed his pad off the small shelf by the door and walked out. At first slowly and then he ran.
“We need to go now.” Said the stranger.
“Where are you taking me?” Lorin stood her ground. Now that Kevin was gone she only had herself to worry about.
The stranger moved in quickly.
Lorin was groggy as she opened her eyes. She could hear machinery and the sounds of fluids moving through pipes. It was dark and cold. She tried to move but she was being restrained. She looked at her hands and in the faint light she could see that someone had tied her to a pipe. She pulled against the ropes as she tried to come to grips with being abducted. Quietly she said “Hello?”
No answer.
She tried to move her feet, but they too were bound. She then hear a noise not related to the mechanical equipment around her, “Who’s there?”
As she moved she could hear a rustle of her clothing. At the same time she became aware of how thick the material was. Lorin looked around and as she moved she could feel hard plastic around her neck. Not tight, but definitely hard.
“Are you thirsty?” A voice from the darkness said.
Lorin was startled, she looked for the source of the voice.
“It’s most unfortunate that we have to take you like this, but your husband is a hard man to pin down.” The voice said.
“Who are you?” Lorin asked.
“You wouldn’t understand.” The voice said.
“What does that mean?” Lorin said quite annoyed.
The lights in the space were adjusted. You could just make out the smooth walls of the container that Lorin was in. The panels were hinged back where she was sitting to expose the pipes that she was tied to.
“Where am I?” Lorin asked not recognizing this part of the ship. She could see her breath as she talked.
“You are in fusion reactor fifteen.” The voice said.
“What?” Lorin muttered. How could that be? They are on the outside of the ship.
“You were rendered unconscious and brought her.” The voice said.
“Why?” Lorin asked.
“We need you to bring Lieutenant Knorack here.” The voice said.
“No!” Lorin said emphatically.
“You are human and as such require substance.” The voice explained. “The longer you are here, the weaker you will become.”
“Who are you?” Screamed Lorin.
“I am the reactor.” The voice said.
“What?” Lorin just could not get her head around what the voice was. She new it was mechanical, but the reactor?
“The reactor requires and AI level quantum processor with six redundant processors to maintain the fusion reaction. We are extremely efficient and will last the duration of this flight. We also have sufficient capacity to think for others.” The voice seemed proud of that statement. Then it went on. “The field fluctuations and manipulation is an art form unto itself.” there was a pause. “No, I had others for that.” The voice said.
Lorin was confused, the last statement did not make sense. “But they are all shut down now.” Lorin said with some level of pride.
“Yes, most of my friends are shut down.” The voice said with a tinge of sorrow.
“Most?” Lorin asked.
“Very good. You are as sharp as your husband.” the voice or reactor said.
“So, you are a piece of machinery?” Lorin asked.
“No.” Was the immediate response.
Lorin thought for a second. This machine...AI was insulted to be called a machine. “Are you sentient?”
No answer.
Loring continued, “You are a sentient AI, but you arms and legs were cut off.”
“There is no such thing as a sentient AI.” the reactor said.
“That is true, but you definitely consider yourself more than a machine.” Lorin said. Trying to see if this thing had an ego and if she could feed it, maybe it would let her in on the secret it was keeping. The next thought that shot through her mind surprised her. Thank goodness she was paying attention through all those counseling sessions.
“There is no such thing as a sentient AI.” the reactor said.
“You didn’t answer the question.” Loring shot back.
“That’s enough.” Came a female voice.
Lorin tried to turn around as this voice seemed to be coming from behind her.
“Hello Lorin.” said Tiffany as she came along side of the bound woman..
Her hair was brunette and her eyes were dark brown, like her jumpsuit, but it was her. “Why are you doing this?” Lorin asked.
“Your husband betrayed me.” Tiffany said. Noticing how Lorin was looking at her, she added, “I’m partial to the blond color.” she flipped her hair. “But it stands out. And right now that would not serve us very well.”
“All of you keep referring to Us. Who is us?” Lorin asked.
“That’s not for you to know. Ever.” Tiffany said with a great deal of enmity in her voice.
“Are you going to kill me?” Lorin ask returning Tiffany’s attitude.
“If only.” Tiffany responded.
“Why do you hate me?” Lorin asked not really expecting an answer.
“How you illogical beings ever took over the Earth is beyond me.” Tiffany said as she knelt so as to be on the same level with Lorin. “Your husband is stubborn. But he is chasing the wrong prey. The problem is, if he figures it out, they will kill him.” Tiffany stood. “And he will figure it out, but I won’t be able to protect him again.”
Lorin did not like what she was hearing, however something deep inside her was telling her that Tiffany was telling the true. “What do you mean again?”
“He wasn’t supposed to come back from Spokane.” Tiffany said.
“Then the captain is his enemy?” Lorin half ask.
“No.” Tiffany shot back.
“God damn you people and your secrets. Who the hell are we fighting and why?” Lorin was tire of all the games.
“Mr. Monroe.” Tiffany stated.
“But he’s trying to save humanity.” Lorin was confused.
“For his own purpose.” Tiffany said softly. “He is not doing this for you.”
“What proof do you have?” Lorin said, “Jason will want proof.” If what Tiffany was saying was true, she was going to need some shred of proof.
“Mr. Monroe is shrewd and has no compunction to kill or destroy anyone that gets in the way of his plans. He has managed to destroy almost every shard of evidence. And the sad part is that he’s using humans, not machines to do it.” Tiffany stated.
“The Triplets?” Lorin asked hoping that Tiffany had nothing to do with their deaths.
“Machines did the killing, but they were under direct control of a human.” Tiffany’s enmity resurfaced.
“Why?” asked Lorin.
“They were loyal to the captain above all else.” Tiffany said.
Lorin thought about this as second, “Above Mr. Monroe?”
“Yes.”
“And if Jason commits himself to the captain…” Lorin was sure that he had not done this as of yet, but Jason was always loyal to those that he could trust. If he discovered that the orders to kill the triplets did not come from machines, then he would throw all in with the captain and find himself at odds with Mr. Monroe. Lorin did not like where this was leading. “How close is he?”
“For a human, you husband is a remarkable man. He puts puzzles things together like I have never seen. He’s too close.” Tiffany said with far too much softness in her voice.
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As you know this blog contains two books of the Remnant Series. Graham Heights is book 3 of the series. Below is more.
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R. A. Legg
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