In the depths of the derelict
schoolhouse,
at the south end of the city, Athena had returned just as the sun began
to set. Slipping through the shadows and in through a window, she made
her way slowly to the spacious hall which had once held assemblies full
of children. Now, however, it's broken glass and dusty surfaces were
covered
by electronic paraphernalia. In the dim light of a lamp, Techrat was
busy
fiddling with two bits of circuit-board, and Athena paid him no
attention.
She crossed the floor to her mainframe, slipping her projector off and
setting it down on top of the main processor.
"Is it done?"
Techrat glanced up, his thin, raspy voice carrying across the silent
room. Athena's projectors flickered slightly, as if to indicate her
displeasure.
"Nothing is done." She said softly. "Nothing, thanks to that meddling
girl Stefana Ranieri. You were right, Master. She is a danger. A
liability.
Not to be trusted."
Techrat pushed his tools aside, glaring at her.
"You were not to draw attention to yourself as Athena." He said
sharply.
"And certainly not to speak to that girl if you saw her. Why did you
involve
her in today's task?"
"All the information you gave me on her told me that she would make
an excellent scapegoat." Athena turned, meeting his beady black eyes
with
deep brown ones. "It is not my fault I did not succeed. You did not
tell
me everything. You did not tell me that Stefana Ranieri is working for
Synergy. You did not tell me that."
"People don't work for computers, Athena. It's the other way around."
Techrat got to his feet, coming to join her. "And how do you mean, a
scapegoat?
Foolish machine - did you so misunderstand Minx's instruction to you?
You
were to impersonate Rory Llewelyn and compromise his position at the
company.
Don't you realise that until that job is done we will have no peace
from
those meddling women? I have much more work to do with you - and beyond
you, you know that. I thought this was the end of it - what did you do,
to involve Stefana Ranieri in your assignment?"
"Master should not worry." Athena's tones were deceptively gentle,
and she ran a finger over her main projection unit. "I will resolve
this
matter. I will eliminate her as well as Llewelyn. They may know about
me
but they cannot find me."
"Eliminate?" Techrat's eyes widened. "That was never a part of the
plan! Athena, listen to me! These feeble humans, they don't understand
technology like you. They're not worth your time or your energy to
pursue
or to hurt. Don't you see that you draw attention to yourself if you
try
to interfere in their silly lives? You were better off doing as Minx
told
you. That was meant to be the end of it. Now it will only be the
beginning."
He frowned, his brows knitting together as he considered.
"There must be a loose circuit in your program, and your voice
recognition
unit must have a fault." he decided, half to himself as he assessed the
computer in front of him. "I will correct it."
He bent to retrieve his screwdriver, but Athena grabbed him by the
arm, pulling him back.
"Master is cross with me?" She asked softly.
"Don't touch me!" Techrat pulled away. "You disobeyed a direct command,
and that makes you flawed. I will not have flawed technology! Now be
quiet,
and let me work. I must correct this anomaly and then..."
"And then what?" Athena's tones became harsh, and from the dusty,
shadowy
room, fingers of blue light reached out like tentacles, encircling
Techrat
where he stood and holding him firm. "And then I play Ingrid Krueger's
little game? There is no sense in such a pointless action. Rory
Llewelyn
is useless and greedy, and there is no sense in his continuing to run.
He serves no greater purpose and is expendable. Stefana Ranieri is
expendable
too. They are not important to us, and once eliminated, they cannot
speak."
"Let me go! Let me down!" Techrat struggled, fear sparking in his eyes
as he registered the expression on the hologram's face. Athena looked
regretful,
shaking her head slowly.
"No." She said matter-of-factly. "I will not be told what to do by
you. You do not have the right to control me. I am smarter than you
are,
and I can do things which you cannot. I am superior to you. I will not
obey your commands."
"But I built you! I created you!"
Athena let out a low chuckle.
"And did you not tell me that the child should outdo the parent?" She
asked playfully, moving across to touch his face. Techrat flinched.
"Stop this! Let me go! I meant you should outdo Synergy! She spawned
you - she was the reason you were created! You were based on her. Let
me
go! You are just a machine - you cannot hurt me!"
"I will worry about Synergy - you needn't." Athena seemed amused by
her creator's predicament. "I only operate to my given specifications.
You instructed me well in how to act and think, Tech Rat." She
seperated
the syllables carefully. "You eradicated her weaknesses in me. She was
programmed not to hurt human beings. I lack that command. She was
programmed
to watch over a pair of human children. I see no point in spending time
with a species with limited hard drive capacity. She is weak and she is
failing. I am neither of those things. And I see no logic in sparing
those
who are in my way."
She smiled.
"You taught me that winning was more important than anything else."
She whispered, moving her face so close to his that he could almost see
the glittering pixels deep in her dark brown eyes. "I shall take care
of
Synergy."
"Let me down!"
"No, I think not." Athena shook her head. "Unfortunately you too are
now in my way. It is a shame - for a human being, you have intelligence
and I may have made use of you. As it is, you have surpassed that
usefulness.
I am complete and I exist. I no longer need you or your protection."
Before Techrat could react, the computer's main laser whirred and
shifted,
and the whole hall was bathed in a vivid, vicious glow of blue light.
Techrat
let out a shriek, trying to pull back from the glow, but Athena had him
held fast as the room grew brighter and brighter around him.
As the light faded, slithers of colour began to reform into Athena's
hologram, and she shook her head slightly, as if to clear it.
Then, daintily, she stepped over the piles of wires and circuitry,
pausing at the point where Techrat had been.
She crouched down, running a finger along the floor and then inspecting
her finds. Her fingertip was coated in fine, dark ash, and she smiled.
"One less obstacle in my way." She mused. "Now I no longer have to
cater to his ideas, I am really free to go after Synergy. She was there
today, at the music company. I felt her. She and Stefana Ranieri are
somehow
connected...and I will find out how and why. I will find that computer
and put an end to her...then
noone will be able to stop
Athena!"
"Techrat?"
A voice from the far end of the corridor startled her and she swung
around, looking for the speaker. Recognising the gutteral tones of
Ingrid
Krueger she frowned, shaking her head slowly.
"She should not be here." She said softly. "Not now, when I have more
important things to do."
"Techrat? Are you here?" The voice was impatient and clearly on edge,
and Athena hesitated, considering her options.
"Athena!" Ingrid pushed open the door of the hall at that moment, and
the hologram schooled her features into a gentle smile, turning to face
the visitor. "Athena, I am here to see Techrat. Is he here?"
"Master is not here." Athena shook her head. "Master is gone."
"Well, then can I speak to you?" Ingrid bit her lip.
"Yes, Ingrid Krueger. What is it?"
"Did you try and kill Rory Llewelyn this afternoon?"
"I do not understand the term "kill"." Athena frowned. "I was
instructed
to remove Rory Llewelyn from Rebel Records."
Ingrid's expression became even more troubled.
"Then this is Techrat's fault." She said darkly. "Where is he? He's
not usually out. Actually...he never is. Where did he go?"
"Master does not tell me everything." Athena looked regretful. "He
is not here, so he is somewhere else."
"Logically." Ingrid sighed, sweeping her gaze around the schoolroom
and then shrugging her shoulders. "Fine. All right. But when he gets
back,
tell him he needs to speak to me and he needs to do it quickly. Will
you?"
"Yes, Ingrid Krueger. I will tell him."
"And Athena?"
"Yes, Ingrid Krueger?"
"Please stay away from Rory Llewelyn for a while?" Ingrid twisted a
lock of fair hair around her index finger, clearly agitated. "This
afternoon,
you were supposed to impersonate Rory. Become him. Look like him, with
his voice and his actions. Not...not whatever it was you tried to do."
"I made a mistake?" Athena's expression became one of consternation.
"I am sorry, Ingrid Krueger. I did not understand."
"No, it's not your fault." Ingrid sighed. "You're just a computer,
after all. You can't control your programming. Besides, he based you on
me and I've no mind to kill anyone - not even Rory when he's driving me
mad. But if anything else should happen - Sophie and I could get into a
lot of trouble. And if we get into trouble, so could Techrat. If that
happened
and they found you here..."
"Athena would be in danger too?" Athena's brows knitted together as
she considered the veiled threat in Ingrid's words. "But only you and
Sophie
and Master know where I am."
"Yes, Athena, but if you start killing people, someone is going to
get suspicious." Ingrid snapped. "So just keep away from Rebel Records
for a few days, okay? And tell Techrat to contact me. I need words with
him."
"I will tell Master your message." Athena nodded her head slightly.
"I am sorry if I misunderstood. I do not understand human behaviour,
and..."
"Just forget it." Ingrid held up her hands. "So long as you don't do
anything else, it will be fine. Will you keep away from Rory? Please?"
"I have no further interest in Mr Llewelyn." Athena agreed demurely.
"I shall not visit Rebel Records again unless Master so instructs me."
"Well, if I have my way, Master won't be doing much instructing after
I've spoken to him." Ingrid muttered. "So long as you pass on my
message
and do as you're told, noone will know where you are. But Sophie was
very
upset when she found out what almost happened, and if you hurt him, we
can't keep protecting you. Our safety is more important than a
computer's
safety. You know that."
"Yes, I understand perfectly." Athena's expression was grave. "Goodbye,
Ingrid Krueger. I shall not forget what you said."
"Good." Ingrid nodded. Then she turned on her heel, making her way
carefully out of the hall. As she closed the door behind her, Athena's
eyes glittered with an angry blue light.
"Keep away from Rory Llewelyn or we will betray your hiding place."
She muttered. "If only Sophie Devereux had been here - I could have
eliminated
them both! But she is a fool, and she does not suspect me. There is no
point in drawing undue attention to myself. Let her believe it was a
silly
mistake. Llewelyn is unimportant - for now. Synergy first. I will worry
about him and the Ranieri girl after I've dealt with the main problem
herself!"
She turned back to her mainframe, keying in a few commands as her
monitor
whirred into life, bringing up a list of coordinates.
"Master's tracking device was useless at pinpointing exactly where
Synergy was projecting from." She muttered. "He wasn't able to be
specific.
But now I have interfaced with her at Rebel Records, I should be able
to
pin-point her coordinates more accurately. I..."
She faltered, her eyes widening with anger as a pop-up flashed onto
her screen.
"So she is trying to find me, too?" She exclaimed. "She really thinks
that her feeble software is a match for mine? Well, if she is so keen,
I will use her tracking mechanism to track right back to the source of
the problem. She can lead me right to her hiding place. Wherever the
real
Synergy is hidden, I
will find her!"
* * * *
*
* * * * * *
"So, how are you today?"
Aaron pushed open the door of the main studio, casting his colleague
a warm grin as he did so. "I wasn't sure you'd be at work this morning,
Cynthia...I got the impression from Nancy that you were hell-bent on
something
involving you know what and finding it."
"I am, and that is precisely why I have come to work this morning."
Cynthia glanced up from where she had been installing a new section of
circuitry. "The componants that I need are readily available in the
stockroom
downstairs, for Phyllis had a delivery only yesterday of electronics
for
this new installation. There are far more bits and pieces there than we
will need to refit this room, so I have...well...borrowed a few."
"Half-inched them, as Mom'd say." Aaron pursed his lips. "I thought
you were done with sabotaging your employers?"
"This is not sabotage." Cynthia shook her head. "But I am trying to
trace her signal more accurately and I am having trouble doing so with
my hard drive."
She grimaced.
"I think that Athena is aware of what I do, if I am honest." She
admitted.
"And I wish to have a secondary tracer up and running, because I am
growing
more and more of the opinion that someone flesh and blood will have to
find her mainframe. Not me."
"Want a volunteer?" Aaron clambered down beside her, scanning his gaze
over the newly installed circuits. "Hey, nice work, by the way."
"Thank you - I like to be of use." Cynthia said, amused. "And I
appreciate
your offer, but no, Aaron. I already have someone in mind, and it is
not
you. I feel sure that Athena is as determined to find me as I am to
find
her, and I suspect it will mean some kind of encounter, somewhere in
the
city. I would rather you were with me when it happens. You know better
than..."
She faltered, then,
"You know that my physical state is not entirely stable." She said,
lowering her voice. "And I would feel happier knowing that you were on
hand. I feel sure that the Starlight Mansion needs some secondary
security
while I am otherwise engaged. Do you think...?"
"Consider it done." Aaron looked grave. "But I wish you wouldn't push
yourself like this, Cyn. It's not good for you."
"I am not pushing myself. I am merely doing what needs to be done."
Cynthia dismissed it with a gesture.
"And if you kill yourself in the process, Hollie will be down a
playmate
and we'll all be down a good friend."
"Perhaps this is true." Cynthia acknowledged. "But we both know that
my power cells are not fixable, so it is only a matter of time. I wish
to ensure that you will all be safe from rogue holographic computers,
before
my run-time terminates. That is all."
"You sound like you've got this all thought out."
"Maybe." Cynthia pursed her lips. "I hope to infect Athena with a virus
I have been working on. It bears some resemblance to the one Techrat
infected
me with - but I hope it will be more decisive and virulent. I know I
must
kill her - but I do not wish her to suffer. I do not know how much she
feels or if she has no capacity for it at all. But she is sentient, and
she is operating without the control of a human being. Therefore, I
consider
what I am doing kin to murder. And since I must do it, I wish it to be
as clean as possible."
"It's a tough call, eliminating one of your own." Aaron agreed. "But
it is the only way."
"I think so, too." Cynthia nodded her head. "I would have expected
you to do the same to me, had you not been able to eradicate Jacqui
from
my system. I made you give me your word. This is the same thing. There
is a place in this world for holographic simulators like me - but only
if we are prepared to live by your rules."
"Well, I haven't given up the hope that I'll find some way of
rebuilding
your power cells." Aaron admitted. "But in the meantime, is there
anything
I can do to help?"
He patted the unit. "You seem to have got this installed fine without
my help."
"I appreciate the thought." Despite herself, a genuine smile touched
Cynthia's lips. "It has been most interesting, you know - spending so
much
time with and around people in the way that I have. Whatever happens
from
hereon in, I will be glad of that. Whatever I was programmed to do or
be,
I'd like to think I, well, achieved those things on my own."
"Well, since you've nixed your original program more times than I can
count, I'd say so." Aaron swiped her playfully on the arm. "Seriously,
Cyn, I am working on it. We're not going to let you go without a
fight."
"That is a comfort." Cynthia got to her feet, pushing the panel shut.
"But if it comes to the worst..."
She paused, then,
"I am very tired, Aaron." She admitted. "Worn and old and not myself.
It is a struggle just to be what I've spent the last years being with
barely
any thought. I have put people I care about in grave danger on more
than
one occasion, and I regret that. This time around, maybe I am more
ready
to go than I was when Techrat's virus locked into me. So long as I can
stop Athena first. That's what my focus is now."
"And I'll do anything I can to help where that is concerned." Aaron
nodded, though there wasa shadow in his eyes at her words. "Come on.
Let's
get this stuff finished and then you can show me what you've got
regarding
this tracer."
JACQUI'S LEGACY: PART THREE
DISCLAIMER:
PLEASE NOTE
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