Cascade

11 - Doubt

11 - Doubt

The retro rockets fired on time, the drag flaps held integrity, and the stabilizing thrusters ignited in the final stage of the re-entry sequence. For the first time in the past several days, Claire was not plummeting to her death. She allowed herself a smile.

Claire’s bracelet gave a chirp as a message displayed across it.

“PROXIMITY: PROFEAREN PALADIN DETECTED.” It read. Melissa’s was identical.

“Looks like you chose the right spot.” Melissa said.

“Right. Full steam ahead.” Claire replied.

“Wait, you are just going to intercept the most dangerous person on the planet flying a Nexus war bird?” Jordan asked.

“Don’t worry. Ally’s band will have alerted her, too. She’ll know it’s us.” Melissa said.

“Getting to her won’t be the hard part. Convincing her to join us will be.” Claire said.

“What’s so hard about convincing someone not to kill of an entire planet?” Jordan asked.

“Melissa and I were programmed differently.” Claire said. “In order to infiltrate high level security, one needs to be manipulative. In order to manipulate, one needs to understand. In order to understand, one needs to empathize.

“Melissa and I have highly developed senses of empathy, intuition, and emotional awareness. We know when people are happy, sad, scared, or nervous. What is more, we often know why. I can tell you exactly what words will cheer someone up, or break them completely. It was my idea to make the series of strike events happen as they have, because I knew what it would do. I knew how to psychologically pray off the fear of the masses. I knew it, because I could feel it if I chose to.”

“Alice is not like us.” Melissa said.

“She was designed to wield the weapon of machines. Her brain is wired to understand mechanics, chemistry, networking, programming, not people. Her mission had no need for empathy. So it was removed.

“Alice doesn’t feel remorse, or compassion, or guilt. Like a machine herself, she has been programmed only with what she needs to complete her sole purpose.”

“So what’s the plan?” Jordan asked.

“Eliminate the threat.” Claire replied.

“Alice sounds like one hell of a threat.”

“She’s a weapon of unfathomable destructive potential. But then again, so are we. Two against one, Melissa and I have her outgunned.”

“But doesn’t she have every machine on the planet at her disposal?”

“All but one.” Claire said. “She can’t control this dragonfly.”

“So……what? Are we going to fire a missile at her?”

“No.” Claire replied. “We are going to try to talk to her. You’ll take over the ship and fire missiles if all goes horribly wrong, which it most likely will.”

“But I don’t know how to fly one of these things.”

Claire pulled up the holo-screen and displayed a manual.

“Best start reading then.”

“Wait. You said Alice wouldn’t listen. Why are you going to try talking to her?”

“I’ve murdered enough people already. I’m not about to add one more count to the list.” Claire said.

“And if she doesn’t come along nicely?”