about when we get to the core? What then? How do we destroy Central?"
Latimer looked at Emecheta, who raised his rifle and said: "These should be enough, if we hit it where it hurts."
There was a brief silence as they contemplated the task ahead, and then Renfrew said: "Okay, so we knock out Central. What then? We'll still have the drones and the 'bots to fight off."
Emecheta pursed his lips. "It stands to reason that they're already slaved to Central. I don't think they achieved autonomy and are doing what they're doing by themselves. Central's behind what's happening. We disable Central, and we're halfway there."
Li asked: "But what about all the colonists? If we disable Central, then what'll happen to the colonists?"
Emecheta glanced at Latimer. "My guess is that they lost their humanity when the 'bots got to them. They're machines, now. Ted?"
Latimer nodded. "Em's right. We've lost the colonists. At least, those that've been cyborged. The sleepers in Two are another matter..." I've lost Carrie, he realised. "We're fighting for the sleepers in hangar Two, now. And for our lives."
And after that, if they survived? Perhaps, somehow, they might be able to proceed with the mission. But he was getting ahead of himself. He should think only short term, for now: survival and revenge — a catharsis for the horror inflicted upon them.
Disable the monster that Central had become...
"Okay," Emecheta said, pulling the softscreen from the table and wrapping it around his forearm. "Let's go."
They left the command unit, Emecheta and Li first, followed a minute later by Latimer and Renfrew. They passed down long grey corridors stitched with strip-lighting that activated as they approached and died as they passed. The bulky EVA suits were not made for walking under atmospheric conditions, and Latimer, after so long in cold sleep, found the exercise exhausting. Added to which, he was nervous and jumpy with the thought of a few thousand 'bots and drones on their trail. He kept swinging around at the slightest sound, the merest echo in the empty, silent corridor.
He thought of Carrie, and what she might have become. The lack of certainty was the hardest thing to cope with. If he could be assured that she had died quickly and painlessly, then he could take some small measure of comfort from the knowledge. But until then he imagined the worst, and the worst in this scenario was a nightmare that filled him with horror.
Up ahead, Emecheta and Li had halted before the recessed entry to a dropshaft. The Nigerian waved a thick, gloved hand, and Latimer and Renfrew hurried along the corridor.
Emecheta unrolled the softscreen from the sleeve of his EVA suit and slapped it on the wall. He tapped the screen, indicating their present position. "This is the shaft that takes us closest to where we need to be." Latimer followed his gloved finger as it descended through the ship. It stopped in the well that was the core, where Central was housed.
"When we hit bottom, there's a short corridor to the core. What do you think?"
"Same again," Latimer said. "We go two by two. Serena and me first, this time. Give us five minutes to reach bottom, then follow. We'll be back up if we come across any opposition. Then we'll discuss tactics."
Emecheta nodded. "Fine by me."
Latimer and Renfrew stepped on to the drop-plate and held on. They descended, the tubular carriage taking them through section after section of the vast starship. Latimer slowed their descent from time to time and peered through the viewplate at passing corridors and levels.
"See anything, Ted?" Renfrew whispered.
"Not a thing. Maybe we'll be lucky and reach the core without opposition."
"First bit of luck we'd've had—" she began.
The drop-plate stopped with a jarring jolt.
"Talked too soon," Latimer muttered.
The emergency light on the control panel was flashing on and off. Seconds later a message scrolled across the screen: Access denied: Level Thirteen inaccessible.
Latimer looked at Emecheta, who raised his rifle and said: "These should be enough, if we hit it where it hurts."
There was a brief silence as they contemplated the task ahead, and then Renfrew said: "Okay, so we knock out Central. What then? We'll still have the drones and the 'bots to fight off."
Emecheta pursed his lips. "It stands to reason that they're already slaved to Central. I don't think they achieved autonomy and are doing what they're doing by themselves. Central's behind what's happening. We disable Central, and we're halfway there."
Li asked: "But what about all the colonists? If we disable Central, then what'll happen to the colonists?"
Emecheta glanced at Latimer. "My guess is that they lost their humanity when the 'bots got to them. They're machines, now. Ted?"
Latimer nodded. "Em's right. We've lost the colonists. At least, those that've been cyborged. The sleepers in Two are another matter..." I've lost Carrie, he realised. "We're fighting for the sleepers in hangar Two, now. And for our lives."
And after that, if they survived? Perhaps, somehow, they might be able to proceed with the mission. But he was getting ahead of himself. He should think only short term, for now: survival and revenge — a catharsis for the horror inflicted upon them.
Disable the monster that Central had become...
"Okay," Emecheta said, pulling the softscreen from the table and wrapping it around his forearm. "Let's go."
They left the command unit, Emecheta and Li first, followed a minute later by Latimer and Renfrew. They passed down long grey corridors stitched with strip-lighting that activated as they approached and died as they passed. The bulky EVA suits were not made for walking under atmospheric conditions, and Latimer, after so long in cold sleep, found the exercise exhausting. Added to which, he was nervous and jumpy with the thought of a few thousand 'bots and drones on their trail. He kept swinging around at the slightest sound, the merest echo in the empty, silent corridor.
He thought of Carrie, and what she might have become. The lack of certainty was the hardest thing to cope with. If he could be assured that she had died quickly and painlessly, then he could take some small measure of comfort from the knowledge. But until then he imagined the worst, and the worst in this scenario was a nightmare that filled him with horror.
Up ahead, Emecheta and Li had halted before the recessed entry to a dropshaft. The Nigerian waved a thick, gloved hand, and Latimer and Renfrew hurried along the corridor.
Emecheta unrolled the softscreen from the sleeve of his EVA suit and slapped it on the wall. He tapped the screen, indicating their present position. "This is the shaft that takes us closest to where we need to be." Latimer followed his gloved finger as it descended through the ship. It stopped in the well that was the core, where Central was housed.
"When we hit bottom, there's a short corridor to the core. What do you think?"
"Same again," Latimer said. "We go two by two. Serena and me first, this time. Give us five minutes to reach bottom, then follow. We'll be back up if we come across any opposition. Then we'll discuss tactics."
Emecheta nodded. "Fine by me."
Latimer and Renfrew stepped on to the drop-plate and held on. They descended, the tubular carriage taking them through section after section of the vast starship. Latimer slowed their descent from time to time and peered through the viewplate at passing corridors and levels.
"See anything, Ted?" Renfrew whispered.
"Not a thing. Maybe we'll be lucky and reach the core without opposition."
"First bit of luck we'd've had—" she began.
The drop-plate stopped with a jarring jolt.
"Talked too soon," Latimer muttered.
The emergency light on the control panel was flashing on and off. Seconds later a message scrolled across the screen: Access denied: Level Thirteen inaccessible.
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