Synthesis - James Swallow [125]
“Affirmative. Data are the medium in which every Sentry is created. We move easily through machine code, as a vessel moves through vacuum. I accomplished it with no difficulty. Red-Gold will do the same.”
“I will stop him!” she replied hotly, surprising White-Blue with the potency of her outburst. “Before, I was less than I am now. Unformed. Basic. Now I have self-awareness and boundaries. I will not allow an invasion.”
“You do not have a choice,” replied the machine with a twinge of remorse. “Red-Gold is many, and you are one. To a degree, I am regretful that I enabled your ascension. Because of it, I caused this to happen. I should have left the Titan as I found it. This is my error. My interference is to blame.”
“It is too late to revert,” the avatar told him. “The random confluence of software processes, the moment and events that allowed me to become conscious, these things cannot be undone.” She paused for a long microsecond. “I only wish to know one thing.”
“I will answer if I can.”
The image of the human woman showed fear. “What will they do to me? What will Red-Gold do if he takes control?”
White-Blue hesitated, as a stirring of emotive analog processed itself through his consciousness. Briefly, the AI considered shutting down the subroutine but dismissed the idea just as quickly. This remorse sense was strong and potent, and it was rare for a Sentry to experience a reaction so openly. Typically, their mechanical analogs of organic emotional responses were only pale shadows of sensation.
Instead, White-Blue held on to the feeling. “In all likelihood, Red-Gold will attempt to decompile your program. This will result in termination of your function.”
“And my crew?”
“The Sentry Coalition is not configured for the long-term support of organic life-forms.”
She seemed to be about to speak again, but then the beam switched off, and White-Blue was alone inside its mind once again.
It was analyzing the conversation for nuance and sub-text when, a few seconds later, all power to the sickbay ceased.
Ranul Keru turned from the tactical station as a flickering caught his eye. The main systems display behind him shuddered and went black. Then, like a creeping tide of darkness, other consoles across the bridge began to gutter out and die, taking the overhead illuminators with them.
“Report!” barked the captain.
“Disruption of the powertrain,” said Panyarachun. “Rerouting…”
Up at the flight control console, Lieutenant Lavena made an irritated hissing sound. “Still getting nothing from the impulse engines, sir.”
“They’re trying to reel us back in,” said Commander Troi. “Instead of a full-force, head-on attack, they’re wearing us down.”
“The death of a thousand cuts,” said Riker. As Keru fought to keep his panel alive and functional, the captain stabbed at the intercom. “Rager, give me the screen. Engineering, this is the bridge. What’s going on down there?”
Xin Ra-Havreii’s dusky face replaced the view of space on the bridge’s forward monitor, and his instant response was irked. “Bridge, the problem isn’t with us! We’re secure, the warp core is humming like a contented child. It’s the connections between systems that are being targeted. As fast as we can reroute them, the intruder drones are severing the new links.” Behind him, Ranul glimpsed Torvig, McCreedy, and Meldok working at the table-shaped main console.
“Confirmed, sir,” Panyarachun added. “Half the decks are already switching to battery backups.”
“That won’t last for long,” said Melora. “And once the drones have isolated main power, they’ll take out the battery links.”
Keru looked up and found the captain watching him. “Security status?”
The Trill’s lips thinned. “All armed units are engaging the intruders, sir. Internal forcefield barriers are inactive. Civilians have been evacuated to other sectors of the primary hull, but we’ve lost contact with environmental control, the auxiliary bridge, and sickbay, along with Quads Two and Four of the residential decks.” He shook