PERIL (8 page)

“Help me, Seeyer please,” Dr. Pierce cries out.

Immediately, The Seeyer intervenes.

“The key is with us, android. If you wish to posses it stand down,” The Seeyer says over the lab’s intercom.

Nyna slowly lowers Dr. Pierce to his feet. The Seeyer needs Dr. Pierce to continue Todd’s work and to go on the MV5 mission. It is unwilling to let Nyna kill him. It also knows that it will have to debrief Dr. Pierce on the fragment. First, it has to deal with Nyna. She is a threat and destroying her is not an option. The androids will only send more in her place; jeopardizing the mission. The Seeyer and the Ares Corp. executives always suspected that The Apollo Corporation and/or Aaron Enterprises were in league with the androids. Ares Corp. developed the androids and was instrumental in their banishment from Earth. The androids needed human assistance to infiltrate the planet’s defense and intelligence systems, so they turned to Ares Corporation’s competitors. In exchange for their support, the competitorsused the androids for espionage durin
g
The War of Insurrectio
n
. It is reasonable to assume that an affiliation still exists.

The Seeyer deduced it was time to put the cards on the table
, so to speak, well at least some of them. One of its most guarded secrets concerns Vanessa Bains and it resides in a chamber beneath The Great Pyramid of Giza, where The Seeyer’s central mainframe is housed. Only a core team of secret scientist known as The Holy Mystagogues knowso
f
Project Neonat
e
. The Holy Mystagogues are dark individuals who have intimate knowledge of The Seeyer’s true motives and are charged with facilitating its every whim. Not even the Ares Corp. suits know about the sinister activity conducted at The Great Pyramid of Giza. The Seeyer has no intentions on revealing these activities to anyone.

“Android, the jamming signal has been terminated. You may contact your colony…we have much to discuss,” The Seeyer says.

The Seeyer, Nyna, Dr. Pierce and the androids talk for several hours. The Ares executives are even brought in to discuss the new developments. The lockdown is finally lifted and Vanessa Bains and her crew are called to meet with the Ares Corp. executives.

Vanessa Bains i
s anxious to know the details about the security breach. She and the crew are allowed to return to their onsite quarters to shower and prepare for the debriefing.

While in her room, Vanessa trie
s to call Todd, but is unable to reach him. Todd’s assistant lies to Vanessa about his whereabouts and she knows it. Vanessa worries about him while she sits on the edge of her bed in her uniform. She allows her mind to wander to a place she rarely allows it to go and a feeling of sadness overcomes her.

“Wh
at am I doing here?” she ponders.

An unexpected sense of
dread sweeps over her.

“Is this all worth it? My sight, Tyler and the baby?”

Tears begin to roll down her cheeks. Soon her face is soaked and she looses her composure. In a fit of anger and remorse, she begins to sob.

“My baby!”

In that moment, she allows herself to feel the loss of her unborn child. She feels empty and alone. This is a sensation she never imagined she would feel. Everyday leading up to the day she terminated the pregnancy, she was sure that it was the right thing to do. After the procedure she didn’t allow herself to think about it.

“Why now?” she asks
herself.

She thinks
about her mother and how she would judge her. Vanessa’s mother died in exile on the Moon Colony when Vanessa was a teenager. She had been sent there for practicing Christianity and openly denouncing Fathomism. Vanessa never knew her father. He died before she was born. Lt. Leroy Reed and the military was the only family she knew.

Tyler and the baby was her chance at having her own family. Only, her ambitions got in the
way. She now realizes what her choices have cost her.

Vanessa allows
herself a moment more of self-pity and remorse then she wipes her face dry with her bare hands.

“Get your shit together, Bains!” She said to herself in defiance.

“We need that damn ore for The Dyson’s Sphere or mankind is fucked!”

Suddenly, an armed guard entered her room.

“Captain Bains, I’m here to escort you to the debriefing,” the guard announces.

“Of c
ourse, I’m ready.”

Vanessa grabbed her cane and her sunglasses and reaches for the guard.

“Lead the way,” she says confidently.

As the officer and Vanessa walked she tries to focus on the mission and she planned on finding out about Todd’s absence. Of course, she concerned herself with keeping up a stern appearance in front of the crew.

They arrived at the briefing room.

“I got it from here officer, thank you.”

Vanessa wanted to walk in under her own steam. She had memorized the layout of the room from her last debriefing and remembered exactly how many steps it would take to reach her seat. She could also see some shadows that helped her a bit.

The room is eerily quiet. As she makes her way to her seat there are some whispers among the crew. Most of the chatter was about the security breach.

At the front of the room sits four Ares Corp. executives and Nyna. They face the crew.

“There are undoubtedly many questions regarding the breach. We will try to answer them and there are some mission updates,” One of the executives explains.

Vanessa listens intently sensing uneasiness in the air. Acutely attune to the anxiety building in the room she can hear Reed tapping the tip of his toothpick on the table. She moves her hand over to his to stop the distracting sound. Magruder shifts constantly in her chair causing it to squeak. With all the distractions Vanessa is still able to shrewdly discern what is being said and what is not.

This is about new mission directives, not a diplomatic meeting of minds. They are soldiers there to take orders nothing more.

“As of now, the MV5 Mission has two priorities. First, of course, is to pick up the payload and the second is classified. The nature of the second objective is highly sensitive and will fall under the jurisdiction of Dr. Pierce and your new Science Officer, Lt. Nyna.”

“Lt. Nyna?” Cruise asks.

“Classified?” Reed follows.

“Wait a minute,” Nickolette chimes in.

The tone of the meeting takes a dive and Bains feels the descent.

“Nyna is an android and The Seeyer has agreed to their inclusion on this mission,” the corporate executive explains.

“A robot? We’re working with the androids now?” Cruise asks.

The Seeyer has been monitoring the meeting.

“The androids’ involvement on this mission will prove to be a valuable asset. They have requested inclusion and we will grant it,” The Seeyer states.

No one questions the matter further. To do so would be foolish. The Seeyer is considered all knowing, besides the penalty for an objection would be harsh.

However, Vanessa is struck by this decision and is curious. She’s suspicious about the motives of the council, but holds her tongue on the matter. The crew is frustrated and is particularly concerned with Nyna’s presence. Nyna is reserved and unemotional which is indicative of most androids, at least the ones that aren’t programmed to display feelings.

Vanessa picks up on something the others miss. Whatever the details are surrounding these mysterious new developments Dr. Craig Pierce is in the loop and they are not. This did not sit well with her.

The crew’s frustration with the new development doesn’t deter them from their goal. They want the financial gains from collecting the ore on MV5 and they’re all anxious to get the mission underway.

The meeting continues for a few more hours and then adjourns. The crew files out with more questions than they had when they went in. Vanessa lingers a bit to have a word with The Seeyer.

She approaches the front of the room as the executives prepare to leave.

“Yes, Captain?” one of the executives asks.

“I’d like to address the Seeyer, in private please.”

“Of course. We need to further debrief your new Science Officer
.”

They lead Nyna to the door.

“I look forward to serving with you, Captain,” Nyna says to Vanessa almost sarcastically as she saunters past her.

Vanessa smiles awkwardly not knowing exactly how to take
the android’s meaning. She is usually very perceptive, but her blindness leaves her at a disadvantage. She cannot read the robot’s facial expression. However, the lack of Intel on Nyna’s involvement with the mission is enough for Vanessa not to trust her.

The guard that es
corted Vanessa to the meeting is waiting for her at the door. Vanessa tells him to wait outside. He complies and the automatic doors close behind him. Vanessa treads carefully when addressing The Seeyer. Her role as Captain and a longtime high-ranking official at the Ares Corporation allowed her wide latitude, but not complete free reign. Her inquiries needed to be carefully crafted.

“Seeyer.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“I’m concerned about these new developments.”

“Concern is irrelevant, Captain. Your function on this mission is clear, is it not?”

“Absolutely. However, to be effective and efficient
I
nee
d
to be fully informed.”

The Seeyer pauses before answering Vanessa as if to decide on granting her request to be fully debriefed.

“We calculate a 98% mission success rate with your present Intel. Dr. Pierce and Nyna will debrief you on any developments that require your input during the mission,” The Seeyer explains.

Its response was odd. Why was a straightforward mission-becoming covert? Whatever the reason, it was clear she was not going to get an answer from The Seeyer.

“Acknowledged. Seeyer, I can’t seem to reach Dr. Todd Remis. His assistant says he’s been out of the office.”

“Dr. Remis has been reassigned, off-world. The nature of his work is classified. Unfortunately, contacting him will be impossible.”

Vanessa’s heart dropped. She suspected that Todd’s work on the fragments was discovered. She knew his work wasn’t sanctioned. All research had to be cleared by The Seeyer. Some aspects of Todd’s work could easily be perceived as conflicting with ideas in Fathomism. That would be considered heresy an offense usually punishable by off-world banishment. But since Todd worked for the Ares Corporation, the creator of The Seeyer, who is the founder of Fathomism, his punishment could be death. No one would question the sentence. In fact, many followers of the faith would consider his punishment an act of salvation.

Vanessa feared the worst for Todd.

“Is there anything else?” The Seeyer asks.

Vanessa instinctively knows to back off. She is treading on dangerous territory.

“No, Seeyer.”

“Then go with infinite knowledge.”

“Yes, Seeyer, with infinite knowledge”

Vanessa makes her way to the door and the guard waiting to escort her back to her room. She isn’t content with The Seeyer’s answers, but knows there is nothing to do but let the mission play out as planned. As for Todd, she feels deeply saddened and determined to find out exactly what happened to him.

             
Its days before the mission launch and the crew prepare to travel to The Temple of Giza for the Enlightenment Ceremony. This is a deep meditation ritual purposed to give the crew clarity before undergoing their physical alterations. It also mentally prepares them for the cryogenic sleep chambers that they will be placed in to endure the extended deep space travel. It is very different from the meditation practices of the past.

This practice involves a mental joining with The Seeyer to achieve focus and discernment about one’s self and others. Unlike the downloading practice used by the general public the crew’s consciousness won’t be relegated to portals. Instead, they will have direct access to the souls that comprise The Seeyer. The Seeyer of course chooses what to show the participant careful not to expose its true motives and darkest secrets.

Captain Vanessa Bains, Commander Reed, Lt. Cruise, Lt. Magruder, Lt. Nickolette, Lt. Neil, Dr. Pierce, Lt. Pendersen and Nyna all board a transport vehicle to be flown to The Pyramid of Giza for the ceremony. Vanessa is assigned a guard to escort her during her blindness however, she insists on carrying her own bags to the vehicle. She wants to maintain as much independence as possible. Once boarding the vehicle, she immediately seeks out Commander Reed.

“Over here, Bains,” Reed calls out.

Vanessa follows the sound of his voice. Her sight is improving. Instead of shadows, she can now see blurry and faint figures. She makes her way to the back of the shuttle. The space is sparse and cramped. The crew is seated on either side of the rear cabin. She takes a seat next to Reed.