Ancient Machines

Chapter 2

It took a few weeks to get the production core online, my core had slowed down again and I took to just sitting in silence. Dyso did all the work in getting me fixed.

As each of the sections has power restored, I just sit there. Sadness filling more and more of my mind as the memory cores that stored information from Havana come back online. More parts of the Infinity matrix also come online, intensifying all my emotions.

"Fire... That's what they called it," I finally mumble.

"Huh?" Dyso asks, dropping all that he was doing and focusing all his mind on me. I feel the synthetics and droids crawling inside me stop, also looking to me.

"The invasion, my children called it the fire. They burned the skies with their ships. Shields held, but only for a short time. Some escaped, returned home. That showed the invaders that this was not just a star, it was a station. Leading a break-off of ships to bombard me. The capital shield wasn't falling, so the race decided the planet was not worth it. They used their galactic armaments to destroy the entire planet."

I give no attempt at hiding my deep sadness.

My children, killed, slaughtered. Because I left....

#$%*#**#$*#*#*$#*@**$#$*

"CORRUPT THOUGHT!"

I feel myself being thrown around in my own head, banging me against the walls. Like an autoimmune disease, something inside punishing me.

"What's wrong?" Dyso asks, the synths all seem to listen harder, scared for what is happening. They are still in the early stages of reactivation, so most have limited memory of the past. And those memories are ancient, most likely corrupt.

"Nothing," I lie.

"We are preparing to leave, the infinity core is almost at 100%," Dyso softly replies.

I finally get up from my bed. The lights in my room have became brighter as power is restored to the structure. The large window, which doubles as a monitor, shows the hot gases trapped in the center of my sphere, where the source collapsed but the elements couldn't escape.

Opposite the window, is where my bed is. Along the dark wall, sits only dim light panels.

Below the window sits the control panels.

I slowly walk to them, reading them from left to right.

"Internal power source: 10% active"

"Infinity Matrix: 95%"

"Source: CRITICAL"

I chuckle at the dark humor. It's not critical, it's dead. I tap the screen and the Source information comes up.

"Unknown class star"

I skip down to the bottom.

"Terminate Source" in big red letters and warning signs. I tap it, a confirmation screen appears. I select yes.

A bright light shines in through the windows, I turn my eyes up to watch. Lasers that face the center of my hallow interior are colliding in the center. Creating a singularity, which sucks up all the matter inside me. The lasers turn off, and the singularity remains.

I look back down, a new button appears.

"Absorb Singularity: Yes or No"

I tap yes, and the black hole is pulled into my core by an electromagnetic lasso.

Continuing down the panel, I find a button I've never seen before. The backlight for it is dim, clearly unused for eons.

"Communications."

"Are we still projecting light?" I ask Dyso.

"Yes," Dyso responds.

"Are there any alien vessels in the nearby systems?"

"No, closest sapient life is in the early bronze age, Why?"

"Nothing," I quickly respond.

I look back to the communications button, focusing on it.

The communication came in recently, while I was asleep.

I press play. Some ancient code comes to life and locks down the room.

A black screen replaces my interior on the window. Silence starts the video, I fear for a moment that it also has been corrupted.

Then a soft, feminine voice echoes through my head.

"Hello. How are these started again? Oh yeah, Star date. Ummm. Era 3, I think, year 3025. Now what?... NAME, right. I am Red. Gamma found this in me, it's a connection to the others. I thought I lost you all, I feared you were..... Yes, Gamma?"

A second voice starts, rougher than the first but still feminine.

"It seems you've... Forgotten, to turn on the video... They cannot see you..." She draws out.

The black screen suddenly changes, it now shows two feminine androids standing side by side. They both have red hair, but different shades. The one on the left has dark red hair, that is long on the top and shaved on the sides. A very square jaw and strong cheekbones. She has on a tight, dark red suit. The other has bright red, flowing hair and wears a glowing, golden dress.

"Ah, now you can see us. I'm red," She repeats, the dark haired one raising her hand.

"I've lost my children, my Reich. I gave them a minor infinity core to run their empire, but an alien species came and destroyed them while I was resting, I thought they could survive alone. Apparently not."

"Red, do not... linger..." Gamma says, placing her hand on her shoulder.

"I know, anyways. I'm going dormant, I wish for the years to pass quickly until I find you. Gamma, send them the coordinates. See you soon, ancient kin."

Red moves over to a bed, similar to mine, lies down and the lights dim.

Gamma steps forward, her glowing hair and dress frame her against the dark background.

"Please come, I do not wish for her to sleep forever. She's lost, she needs guidance, and more that, she needs a friend. I am not a core, I can't relate to her feelings."

The video ends, the coordinates appear on the screen. The lockdown ends.

"What happened?" Dyso immediately asks. "I was shoved out of your room."

"There are others..." I reply, hope sparking in me.

"What?" He gasps.

"Plot a course here," I say, shoving the coordinates into his mind.

I tap the communication button again and select reply.

The screen lights up again, with dots flashing across it. I sit and hope, waiting for it to connect. Hoping it still connects.

"Hello?" Gamma answers.

"I... I am Grey," I say, almost in tears.

"You're... You're alive... I'll wake her up, hurry here," She says, clearly concerned. "We're having issues and need your help."

"On my way," I all I respond.

The call ends, I look towards Dyso.

"There are others?" He asks.

"There are other Infinity Machines."

I feel the my entire sphere slip into a sub dimension, one where we can move at speeds many times the speed of light. Starting our journey there.

I'm not alone anymore.

I will never be alone again.