Chapter 6: Yet Another Briefing

“I told you.”

Giddeon stared at the screen, jaw tight, the diagnostic flashing green for the third time today.

[ANALYSIS: HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE FUNCTIONS NORMAL]

“Either they programmed you this way, or I’m missing something,” Giddeon murmured, activating the diagnostics program once more. He leaned into the couch as trillions of data points blurred across the screen, vanishing in a single blink. It had been three days since the interrogation, and each day he tested his AIGES, each report showing nothing out of the ordinary.

“Orrr,” Johnny offered. “Third option: You’re crazy.”

An old synth-pop song blared to life in Giddeon’s head, causing him to jump.

“Do you remember when you lost your mind?” Johnny sang in beat to the lyrics.

Giddeon sighed. “Can you stop playing that?”

“Wait, let me skip to the best part.”

“I think you’re cra—”

“Thanks.” Giddeon cut the AI off, closing his holo with a sharp flick of his wrist. “Feel free to leave anytime.”

“No can do, partner,” Johnny said, his voice entirely too cheerful. “If I left, that’d leave a mighty big hole in your head, which you, ninety-nine point nine percent, wouldn’t survive.”

“I’m thinking of taking that point-one-percent chance.”

“Gambling addiction run in the family?”

“Not really, but you’re getting me there.”

“Then let’s talk about positive things,” Johnny said. “One: You aren’t the main suspect for your virus. Yay!”

“I’m still a suspect.”

“Two: You have a pretty hot chick that’s interested in you for some strange reason.”

“You mean a stalker. A married stalker.”

“Geez. Are manic-depressives normally this hard to cheer up?”

“I’m not manic-depressive.”

“Dr. Glivens’ book on Brain Diseases might have something to say on that one,” Johnny quietly returned. “Anywho. Three—and this one’s the most important: You’ve the most amazing partner who gives you great advice, has a wonderful personality, tells the best jokes, and is loyal to a fault.”

“Gives bad advice, was programmed too sarcastic, no one’s laughing, and loyalty’s based on the fact they can’t leave,” Giddeon listed back.

“I resent all of those! Except the last one. That one’s true.”

Giddeon grimaced as his eyes flashed back to his diagnostic screen, still blinking like a stark reminder that all was well with his AIGES, yet clearly not. He rubbed his stubble in deep thought.

“The problem is, I can’t imagine Vibane mistakenly made your coding this way,” he murmured. “Since no other Aiges is having the same issues…I wonder if they designed each system with a completely unique personality. We might all just be a bunch of experiments.”

“You’ve thoroughly searched both your chip and the ship’s database,” Johnny reminded him. “You would have found a program, a log—something—if it were actually there.”

Giddeon hated admitting it, but Johnny was right. Missing a hidden archive was highly unlikely, and the ship’s database would have contained traces at minimum. Unless there’s a third party involved remotely influencing my chip, or perhaps others are—

“That’s what I like to hear,” Johnny interrupted. “There’s my paranoid human, right back on the path of inevitable insanity.”

Giddeon glanced up as a flat, mechanical voice chimed from the hidden ceiling speakers.

ALL AIGES, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO BRIEFING ROOM B IN TEN MINUTES. THIS MESSAGE WILL REPEAT IN FIVE MINUTES.

“Ooh! More meetings!” Johnny exclaimed. “Do you think Graks will be there?”

“With Vibane running the show? Who knows,” Giddeon muttered, pushing himself up from the couch. “I’m assuming they placed a cam-tracker on him, or they’re using whatever means necessary to torture information out of him—if he already isn’t a decorative blip floating just outside a viewport.”

“But he doesn’t actually know anything,” Johnny said.

“His loss.”

“Someone’s vindictive,” Johnny mumbled.

“Believe me, he’s done things to deserve death—worse even,” Giddeon replied. “That Raylan chick was pretty perceptive. I’m sure she doubts he had anything to do with the virus. She’ll consider him just a pawn.”

“Speaking of chicks and pretty, do you think we’ll run into Mrs. Uzari again? I bet she tries sitting next to you.”

“Doubt it,” Giddeon replied. “I’m sure she’s been questioned. Who do you think told them I bolted from the test site? Besides, some of my…ill-timed comments should have her avoiding me like the plague.”

Before the second announcement came, Giddeon dressed and headed to the briefing room. He arrived as everyone was filing in through three separate entrances. The place mirrored the layout of the first hall, except the walls were painted sage and white. Weaving through rows of Aiges, he found a seat in the back right corner.

Two minutes later, Uzari arrived. Despite the mandated uniforms, she somehow made the dull fabric look fashionable. Her dark curls bounced as she walked, small hoops glinting in the light as she moved toward the center of the floor. Heads turned as she passed. Scanning the crowd, she caught his gaze, then sauntered over.

“Minus one intelligence, Gid. Plus one Johnny,” his AI bragged.

“Mr. Seres,” Uzari greeted as she stood next to the empty chair beside him. “Is this seat taken?”

“Not unless you believe in ghosts,” he replied.

She promptly sat down. “Apologize to anyone I just sat on,” she told him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I wouldn’t want to upset the dead.”

“I’ll let you know when they need to get up to use the potty.”

She looked away, but not before he caught the slight rise of her lips.

As more Aiges filled the rows, she leaned close and whispered, “Why’d you suddenly run out from the test?”

“I was spent,” he whispered back.

She gave a lighthearted chuckle. “You certainly didn’t run like you were spent.”

“Must have been my second wind,” he said with a straight face. “I get them all the time.”

Her head swiveled, staring straight at him. “And here I thought you simply disliked my company.”

He met her gaze for a split second before his eyes returned to the stage. “Why would you say that?”

“It’s not the first time you’ve run away from me,” she mumbled, facing ahead.

Giddeon turned sharply to face her. “What’s that?”

She looked back at him, her dark locks swaying as she held his gaze.

“Nothing,” she replied, her tone shifting. “You’d best be careful, though. I was interrogated yesterday because of you.”

“Me?” Giddeon feigned surprise.

“Yes, you!” she scoffed. “They asked all sorts of questions—mostly about my relationship with you and what happened yesterday.”

“Well, that should have been an easy interview,” Giddeon said, adjusting himself to a more comfortable position in his chair. “None. We’ve no relationship, and we’ve barely interacted.”

Suddenly, the hall erupted in hollering and clapping as Ereos jogged onto the stage. The man waved at the crowd like a celebrity, a very bright, very fake smile planted on his face. Several Aiges stood from their chairs, cheering him on even after he took the podium. Giddeon’s stomach roiled in disgust.

“Why would people have brown noses?” Johnny asked inquisitively.

Quit reading my thoughts.

Taka appeared a few seconds later, waving at the still-cheering crowd as he took his spot a few feet behind Ereos. The audience, however, extended beyond the Aiges. Vibane employees stood in two clusters on either side of the stage: one consisting of twenty individuals all in white lab coats, the other of technicians in one-piece brown and red work suits.

“That’s not true,” Uzari said, leaning close and raising her voice over the crowd.

What’s she mean by that?

Johnny butted into his internal musing. “I haven’t a clue. Either you don’t remember, or she’s crazy. Hey! Maybe both of you are crazy! What a perfect match! If you had babies, what are the chances your kids would be crazy? I’d guess high. Like, seventy percent or something.”

I told you not to read my thoughts how many times?

“Quit making it so easy! You’re practically begging me to listen!”

“I’d like to welcome everyone back after a tough week of testing,” Ereos began. “We did testing, retesting, and even more testing. By now, all of you should have reliable stat blocks.” He held up his hands, preempting the room. “Don’t feel down if your numbers aren’t what you expected. There’s much more to who you are as a person, like skills, which more than make up for lower stats.”

Despite his words, the Aiges shot glances at one another. It was tough for many to hide their surprise, jealousy, or disgruntlement as they read each other’s stats. A few scanned Giddeon, resulting in slack jaws or raised eyebrows.

Ereos grasped the podium. “My great-great-great grandfather built Vibane from the ground up during the planet’s fledgling years. He never set foot in a prestigious university. He didn’t need to. Why? Because he had skills: skills to make tough decisions, to hire the right people, and the know-how to manage them. He understood how the human mind ticked.”

He held his hands out, encompassing the auditorium. “And now, we have Vibane Corp.”

Another round of clapping and cheering ensued, though the effect was diminished as several Aiges simply stood there, unmoving.

“Why are so many unhappy?” Johnny asked.

Having stats everyone can see can make people feel inferior. No one wants to know the guy they’re talking to is objectively more intelligent than they are.

“Humans are such fragile beings.”

Not all of us.

“Today, we’ll be going over your mission, what you can expect, and places you’ll be exploring,” Ereos said, pushing right into the briefing. “As topics come up, I’ll introduce you to some of the top experts in the fields of wildlife and botany, along with technicians who’ll go over your gear.”

The first group took the stage to outline natural hazards, including volcanoes, marshes, sinkholes, typhoons, and earthquakes. The second group spoke at length about known flora and fauna, highlighting the fire drake as the deadliest predator they might encounter. Most of the discussion revolved around survival—what was safe to eat, and what would kill them in a matter of minutes—with all the data readily available on their AIGES for reference.

“Now, I know you’re all curious as to how we’re going to get you safely down onto the planet,” Ereos began, causing the Aiges to sit up or lean forward in their chairs. “I’ll explain it in a nutshell, then let you ask questions of our lead technician here, Ivan.” He indicated the lone expert who had remained on stage, a tall man in a blue jumpsuit.

“Five.” Ereos held up his hand, all five fingers splayed. “Five state-of-the-art thrusters packed with the highest-grade antimatter fuel available are equipped on each of your ships. Each is wired to an independent activation board. When your ship descends, the planet’s anti-technological pushback—as we’ve come to call it—will disable any running systems. But…”

He smiled, shifting to a single raised finger for suspense. “It won’t touch anything dormant. Technology that isn’t active when it enters the atmosphere remains safe for several seconds. Think of it like a series of dominoes. When one switch is flipped, a thruster fires to slow your descent. When that one fails, the next switch is flipped, the next thruster activates, and so on.”

As murmurs in the crowd arose, Ereos held up three fingers, calming the room with a smile.

“Three sets of chutes, built with Veridian cord, will also deploy at critical stages. When one tears apart, pieces of the hull are expelled, making the ship lighter for the next deployment.” He paused for effect, glancing around the chamber as complete silence fell. “A large lake, miles deep, is our landing site. Now, how’s that for safety? But don’t just trust my word. Let’s watch a demonstration.”

A massive display behind him blipped on, presenting a split-screen view of the inside and outside of a Veridian-hulled descent ship. Inside, a row of bare-bones skeletal robots stood motionless in front of five switches. Three monkeys strapped into seats looked around cluelessly, oblivious to the journey they were taking.

“As you can see, we used robots to flip the switches,” Ereos explained. “We activated them remotely, one at a time. And before you ask, yes, you can also activate them manually.”

The robot on the far left suddenly thrust its arm forward, flipping a switch. Outside, a thruster burst to life, spewing black-and-blue flames—the unmistakable sign of anti-matter fuel burning cleanly. Giddeon began counting.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine—

The thruster abruptly sputtered, then failed. A few seconds later, the next robot came to life.

The process repeated with mechanical precision. Parachutes deployed after the second, third, and final thruster failures, blowing sections of the hull free to visibly slow the ship’s descent. With each new cycle, Giddeon counted to nine before the systems died.

“It appears mana affects it just before reaching ten,” Johnny observed. “I wonder if the threshold changes according to size or internal workings, or if it all just goes kablooey after nine seconds.”

No way to test it from here, Giddeon thought back. And what do you mean mana affects it? I thought mana was something people gained.

“Mana is many things, Gid,” Johnny said. “It’s like oxygen. It’s how magic works.”

Magic? Giddeon snorted. Well, if I’m lucky, the anti-technological pushback thingy will work on you as well. Then I’ll finally be able to get some peace and quiet.

“That is a very rude thing to say to your bestie!”

The video continued, the ship eventually plummeting into a large body of water with a colossal splash. Seconds later, the craft burst onto to the surface, rocking back and forth before settling. Inside, the monkeys were visibly jostled, but unharmed.

The video blipped off. “Let me also reassure you,” Ereos said, “this was one of twenty consecutive test descents, all of which landed with zero casualties.”

“Zero?” Johnny guffawed. “Those poor monkeys starved to death strapped in their seats.”

Vibane couldn’t care less about its human test subjects, let alone animal ones.

“Now, Ivan will take your questions,” Ereos told the crowd. “Let’s do it the old Earth One way. Please raise your hand, and we’ll get to you if we have time.”

Over half the crowd raised their hands.

Ivan’s twenty-minute question-and-answer session gleaned absolutely nothing new. That left only one topic to discuss: the mission.

A giant, 3D holographic map materialized on the stage, which Ereos pointed at and spread his fingers wide. A section of it expanded, revealing a vast, sprawling body of water stretching for miles in all directions. “This is where you’ll be landing, which we refer to as Lake C. From here, you’ll reach the eastern shore.” The map zoomed in, highlighting a sandy beach flanked by flat rock with a dense forest resting less than half a mile away.

“Here, you will rendezvous and create your base of operations,” Ereos continued, his tone losing all of its charismatic mirth, turning business-like. “Base Camp Six. You’ll be given containment bags to collect flora and fauna in the surrounding area. Profiles of what is needed, including pictures and precautions, have been downloaded into your AIGES. To keep things interesting, we’ve listed how much is required to complete each ‘quest’. When your collective groups gather enough of a resource, that quest is marked complete.”

“A green checkmark will appear next to the quest name on your Tasks Page,” Taka clarified, speaking up from behind him.

“You’ll also have a few quests to capture live animals for study,” Ereos added. “Most will be small, so don’t worry. For safety, each team will be assigned at least one person with survival and combat skills. We call them Hunters, and they’ll be given a few weapons that will function on Enivia.”

“Oh, nice!” Johnny exclaimed excitedly. “Do you think you’ll be given Hunter status?”

My scores are all ten.

“Yeah, probably not.”

“Eventually, after several weeks, you’ll make your way here.” Ereos pointed at a dark section of the map north of the camp. Holographic light rippled, expanding to reveal rugged terrain, thick forests, and swaths of barren, red-stained land with a colossal hole in its center.

“This is called the Crater,” he said, his voice echoing lightly. “Roughly a day’s travel from the base camp.”

Leaving the podium, Ereos walked straight through the map, causing the image to instantly switch off. He turned to the crowd.

“Once you reach the Crater, you’ll be given more missions, focused primarily on exploration alongside plant and soil collection. If you see something of interest—and a team leader deems it safe—you can collect other items. Now, time for questions.”

The briefing devolved into an hour-long Q&A session. Questions ranged from well-thought-out to downright moronic, covering everything from indigenous flora to the quality of the food. One hopeful soul even asked if permanent positions would be considered once the mission was over.

“I don’t see Graks here,” Johnny mused as Giddeon scanned the crowd. “Your ruse seems to have worked out well.”

Not necessarily. If I were Raylin, I’d keep him out of sight to trick the real culprit into thinking they’re in the clear.

“You have experience in these things?”

I’ve some experience in subterfuge and trickery as well as interrogation, yes.

“Interesting. And kidnapping?”

No comment.

When the number of questioners died down, Giddeon raised his hand.

Ereos’s smile briefly cracked before recovering. “Yes, Mr. Seres?”

“How are we getting back?”

It was a simple question, yet the room fell dead silent.

Ereos paused before replying, “Unfortunately, that’s one of those things the Triumvirate won’t let me talk about. Suffice it to say, it’s safe, and takes no time at all. I’m just not at liberty to discuss the details yet.”

“How can we trust you have a way back for us, then?” Kilner demanded, sitting up in his chair.

Ereos chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. “We wouldn’t have you collect samples just to have them rot on the surface. That formula we made—it’s from previous surface examples we successfully retrieved. There are recovery ships, but again, everyone knows how the Triumvirate is with its proprietary transit tech.”

“But if we’re the first boots on the ground,” Hinelin spoke up. “How do you know that…stuff you injected us with will mask our chips? What if it fails and we can’t access our AIGES?”

A worried buzz flowed through the crowd.

“We’ll have a live demonstration tomorrow,” Ereos replied. “One of your own has bravely volunteered to head down first. A demonstration to show you just how safe the descent actually is.”

Most of the murmuring stopped. The air in the room instantly grew lighter.

“Who’s the volunteer?” asked a short woman sitting in the front row, her voice carrying a slight Indian lilt. Her warm, dark skin and long, black hair stood out, and though she appeared to be approaching her forties, she had lost none of her grace.

“A man named Graks, Miss Vessa,” Ereos replied, his eyes scanning the crowd with a bright, terrifying smile. “We asked a select few to volunteer. He was the most eager. He did mention some friends who wanted to go, but sadly, the ship was a one-seater.” Ereos paused, letting his gaze linger across everyone. “But don’t you worry, Graks’ friends. You’ll get your chance soon enough.”

“Not-so-subtle, is he?” Johnny murmured.

They’re fishing for reactions. This is good. It means they have no real leads.

“I still feel bad, even if he’s part of a criminal organization,” Johnny lamented. “He’s being unfairly punished for something he didn’t do.”

Read my memory. Then never talk about this again.

Against his better judgment, Giddeon relaxed his guard, letting a dark door he had sealed shut long ago swing open.

THINGS TO COME: