Transition

Chapter 17 - I warned You!

'Good evening, Doctor Frost, Mr. Hunter and welcome Mr. Downs.'

Arlen spun around, gun at arm's length pointing all around frantically. "Who's that? Where is she?"

'My name is Alice. I am the security service for Doctor Frost's laboratory. I am everywhere. Would you care for some beverages, Doctor?'

"Whatta ya mean everywhere? Where are you? Come out or I start shooting!"

"Alice is an artificial intelligence that lives in virtual reality. You can't see her. Nobody can." Frost gestured for Arlen to calm down.

"No tricks, Frost."

"It isn't a trick. She's virtually everywhere in this room."

"Yeah, well tell Alice to get this transition thing going"

Frost took the sample from Arlen's pouch and placed it in the transition chamber Diane had used for her experiments. He stepped back and wiped his forehead.

"Quit stalling!"

"I'm not, I'm not . . . Alice, Mr. Downs would like the sample transitioned to its previous form."

'My scan of the object does not reveal the data necessary for that operation, Doctor Frost.'

"What's she talking about? What's that mean?" Arlen aimed his weapon at Frost.

'It means, Mr. Downs, that the sample mutated in the first stages of Promession and is now of a totally different biological composition.'

Hunter stood and ignored Arlen's weapon. "Don't go any further, Arlen. That could be the same thing that wiped out the team on Galapagos."

"You better sit down and shut up or I'll wipe you out!"

"Alice what does your scan show" Frost asked nervously.

'Nothing I have encountered previously, Dr. Frost. Its composition is alien to me.'

"I told you!"

"Shut up, Hunter. You can operate the transition stage right, Alice?"

'I am perfectly capable of initiating the program, Mr. Downs.'

"Then do it!"

'Should I execute the program, Dr. Frost?'

"Tell her yes or Hunter dies!"

Frost wavered.

"Tell her!"

"Y-yes, Alice."

********

"How long is this gonna take?"

'Because this sample is foreign to me, Mr. Downs, I first have to map its structure and create compatibility with Dr. Sommers' transition coding.'

"I asked how long?"

'Seven minutes, 19 seconds.'

"Don't do this, Arlen, you have no idea what it could be and if it is the same as on Galapagos we are all dead." Hunter pleaded. "Dr. Frost can't you do something? Tell Alice what it might be and what could happen!"

"You say one word and it will be your last, Doc. I don't need either of you now that it's in the works."

'Four minutes, six seconds.'

Three pair of eyes fastened on the computer screen as Alice finished the count and the transition commenced. At first the image was cloudy and nothing was discernible then it cleared.