Chapter VII
After that first 'successful' test run, we were quickly returned to our tanks, probably because it was easier to store us that way. At least, that was Eduardo's guess at their reasoning. The others tried to comfort us, but everything that they said fell flat in our minds. Maybe it was the shock, or maybe they had lost hope as well. Either way, we weren't the happiest bunch when we finally fell asleep that 'night'.
Over the next several 'months', we were brought out and put through increasingly terrible tests. They seemed to want to stretch us to our limits, find out our breaking points, but our new bodies didn't seem to have any. I actually lost count on how many that we killed, but Jenny remembered, as well as a few others.
I did, however, remember the number of people I killed. To be honest, the number was higher than I would care to relate.
We were trapped. Trapped in the most complete sense of the word. Sure, we would dream about escape, we would dream about rescue, and we would dream of revenge.
Most of the time, however, we dreamed of death.
Many of us wanted to go insane, to escape from the brutal reality that we lived in day after day. None of us did, though. Stacy speculated that it was probably something that the alien monsters had inserted into our heads that kept us from the sweet embrace of madness. I was inclined to agree with her. After all, I doubted very much that fifty humans could ever withstand what we've been through without at least one of us suffering a complete mental breakdown.
I... I don't know how much more of this I can take... Lee said as he was put back into his tank. We killed things that looked kind of like Chewbacca! They were on this ship, captives like us, and completely at the alien's mercy. Why would they make us kill them? They weren't even armed! Why are they doing this?
I don't know. I really don't know, Kazimir said, cold rage burning in his thoughts.
I just sighed at that, my mind drifting as I desperately tried to sleep. I wonder what Valerie is doing right now? I thought to myself. Sleep seemed almost upon me, but for some reason I just couldn't drop off.
Hey, anyone else hear a humming buzz? Lucy asked.
I hear it too, Kazimir answered.
Ignore it. It's probably just the aliens running a diagnostic or something. Just try to get some sleep, Eduardo said.
We all quieted down, many of us quickly dropping off almost immediately. Everyone except for me, that is.
That irritating buzzing was really getting on my nerves, and the more I thought about it, the louder it seemed to get. Just please stop with the buzzing! I thought in exasperation.
Then, just as soon as I had made the thought, the buzzing unexpectedly obeyed my command.
Now, a less curious person probably would have just done the mental equivalent of rolling over, and would have fallen asleep. A man who hadn't spent an entire afternoon taking apart their DVD player would have shrugged it off as merely a coincidence. A lot of people who weren't me would have never given the hum a second thought after the buzzing stopped.
Finally! Now I can sleep! Lucy thought in relief.
Hmmm... Now, was it just coincidence that it stopped right when I told it to? Or did it actually obey my commands... I wondered to myself. Well, it's not like I have anything else to do... Start buzzing again!
That last part I said out loud and, surprisingly enough, the buzzing started again.
Augh! Why did you bring it back? Stop the freaking buzzing already! Bob thought in apparent agony.
However, despite the fact that it had just recently obeyed me, the source of the buzzing noise continued unabated, ignoring Bob's impassioned pleas. Are you making that noise Alex? Bob demanded.
No! I swear it's not me! I answered.
Well, it has to be one of us. Only we can hear you and respond, Eduardo said calmly. Who is it?
The silence that followed this question would have been oppressing, had it not been for the buzzing noise that continued, ignoring Eduardo's question.
Seriously, who's making that buzzing noise? I asked, my patience wearing thin.
Respond: The sound is the background interference usually caused by the residual consciousness of the test subjects of test group Zen. Usually this interference is filtered out, but unknown complications have amplified the interference one hundred fold. Running system diagnostics to determine the cause of the amplification, A familiar, robotic, monotone voice answered.
For a whole minute, there was complete silence as everybody tried to process what they had just heard. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, someone spoke. Uh... guys? Isn't that the voice of the computer that always gives us orders? Lucy asked nervously.
What are you? Kazimir demanded of the voice. The voice, however, again refused to listen to anyone other than me.
Alex, it seems to like you, ask it what it is, Stacy said excitedly.
What are you? I asked quietly.
Respond: This unit is the main computer controller for the Heaven's Gate science project, as well as the main computer core for The Destiny Ascension. The computer answered.
Again, silence followed after the computer's statement. Finally, I worked up the courage to ask another question. What is Heaven's Gate? I inquired.
Respond: Data unavailable. Data files on experiment are stored on external storage device. Please connect external storage device to continue, it said blandly.
So... this is the computer controlling us? And it's just obeying every order you're giving it? Amelia asked incredulously. What, did it get a virus, and now it thinks you're the system admin or something?
Computer, who am I? I asked the device.
For some reason, this caused the buzzing sound to increase in intensity. Not only that, but I seemed to be developing a migraine because of it. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the buzzing quieted a bit, allowing us to hear the computer's next words.
Respond: You are The Master, it said.
Well, if I'm the master, then return control of the test group of Heaven's Gate to this 'residual consciousness,' then, I demanded sarcastically, not really expecting the computer to accept my orders.
Respond: Are you sure you want to do this? This will release all fifty of the current test subjects from their restraints. This may cause harm to ship personnel and may put the ship at risk. It is not guaranteed that restraint can be reestablished without a total system reboot. Y/N?
YES! Fifty voices shouted in unison.
At that, the buzzing rose to almost unbearable levels. There was a sudden, blinding flash of pain, then everything went dark.
* * *
The next thing I remember was a blinding pain in my whole head. It was as if my entire brain was trying to tear itself apart, while simultaneously drilling its way out of my skull. Uhg... my head... I thought as I raised a single hand to my temple.
What the heck just happened? Kazimir asked, his thoughts trembling with pain.
I wasn't listening though. The only thing I could think about was the fact that I just raised my hand to my head. I raised my hand to my head. There was no controlling influence, no inhibiting computer, and no bloodthirsty demon in my skull ordering me about.
I was my own man again.
Despite the pain roaring through my skull, I opened my eyes, brought back a fist, and drove it into the glass tank encapsulating my form. I didn't really have very good leverage, plus I was kind of floating in a glass tank full of liquid. That being said, all I did was put a pretty large crack in the glass in front of me, while simultaneously knocking myself back.
Directly on the other side of the glass, I could see three of the alien scientists at the controls of my tank. I could see others at the other consoles, but to me, all that existed were the ones directly in front of me. My eyes narrowed as the alien monsters worked frantically at the console, my feet bunched up against the glass behind me as the crack in front of me leaked out liquid, and a low growl came from deep within the bowls of my throat as the doors to the room opened, allowing a contingent of guards to enter the chamber.
With one movement, I sprung forward, smashing through the glass tank and grabbing the scientist in front by the throat. The mask attached to my face was torn off by the force of my leap, but I didn't even notice as I tightened my grip, crushing the scientist's windpipe. In my mind's eye, I briefly saw fifty different points of view. Some were centered on the scientists in front of them, but others were glancing towards the front of the room, where the guards were located.
Most of their guns were pointed at a particular monstrous human who was currently strangling one of the scientists, and for some inexplicable reason, I knew that that human was me.
I quickly turned, throwing the limp scientist in my hand at the assembled firing squad and diving behind another scientist. Bolt after bolt of deadly green energy lanced through the air, striking the spot that I had stood just seconds before. However, I was too fast, and it seems that I was too well informed as well.
I don't know how I was able to see from my friend's perspective, nor do I know how I was able to even process that information.
I didn't care.
All that mattered to me at that moment was the pain in my head, the pain in my heart, and the itching in my arms as foot long claws burst from my fingertips. Pure rage tore itself from my throat as I charged at the assembled guards, my body twisting and turning as I closed with them. As I charged, I heard fifty other voices, their frustration mirroring my own.
My claws bit deeply into two of the soldiers, eviscerating them and causing them to drop. I kept getting flashes of other images, other points of view as I made my way through the soldiers, my claws dipping and cutting at random as I slashed my way through. Each point of view I saw was different, yet each was the same at the same time.
Each showed the point of view of one of my family cutting down our tormentors.
Soon, our cries of rage were overshadowed by the screams of fear coming from our opponents, who quickly turned to flee when they found that they couldn't even come close to touching us. Respond: Sealing Heaven's Gate main research laboratory now, I heard the computer say.
Computer, belay that order. Lock out every other user except for me, I commanded, thinking quickly.
Respond: Order acknowledged.
And just like that, the doors, which had been closing, stopped. Immediately they opened wide again, allowing us to quickly overrun our opposition.
* * *
“Tell me, what is a 'calculation device'?” Gustaf asked ~Alex~ curiously.
“Calculation device, thinking machine. It control ship, tell ship what do, tell ship where go. Tell ship who kill,” ~Alex~ said grimly.
“Is it similar to a golem?” Celestia asked, a little confused.
~Alex~ gave her a long, long look, then shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, more complicated, explain better when language speak.”
“So, why did this... golem, obey you? I thought that they only followed the will of their creators,” Luna asked him.
~Alex~ shrugged his shoulders again, a gesture that the assembled delegates were quickly becoming familiar with. “Me not sure. Maybe alien code bad? Maybe alien calculation device catch cold? Maybe Hand of Deity touch machine, allow me work. Me partial last one, make much sense, anything else,” he said cryptically.
“So, I take it that you gained control of the whole ship rather quickly, seeing as how you had control of the golem in charge,” Celestia speculated.
~Alex~ just shook his head at that. “No, they quick learn, disable whole calculation device. Not just take out, not just turn off. Calculation device only listen me, wouldn't listen emergency logic. They destroy calculation device,” he said grimly.
“Why did they do that?” Gustaf asked in confusion.
“Desperation, I feel was at play, to make the monsters act this way,” Lady Ebela answered him, tilting her head to the side as she spoke.
“It was. They learn quick that ship control ours. I turn defense against them, but forget block communication. They tell others destroy calculation device. Figure only chance to keep control of ship..." ~Alex~ said with a grimace.
* * *
ERROR: Computer core damaged, unable to- I heard the computer say, then go silent. Instantly, all the lights went out, and the shouts and weapon fire that we could hear echoing through the corridors went quiet.
Guys, I think they killed the main computer. We're on our own now... I said to everybody.
I'm okay with this. At least we don't have to worry about them jettisoning us into space, Kazimir said energetically.
I think we're missing an important opportunity here, guys. The lights are out, their radar is dead, and their ship cannot call for help. I think it's time that we give these guys a taste of the terror that they inflicted on all those that they forced us to kill, Eduardo said vindictively.
I knew somewhere in the back of my head that what Eduardo was suggesting was wrong, that we couldn't stoop to their level. However, as I looked around, my infrared vision picking up the monstrous forms of my brothers and sisters, I couldn't bring myself to care. If I could have smiled, I would have been wearing a grin that would have put The Joker to shame.
Where do we begin? I asked evilly.
* * *
As we spread throughout the ship like a plague, one thing became abundantly clear to us. This ship was freaking huge! I swear, the thing was probably twice as large as a luxury cruise-liner, and packed to the gills with crewmen. If we were still human, I would have given our chances of actually taking the ship a zero.
However, we weren't exactly human anymore. We were now monsters, built for war, and carrying a grudge. On top of that, most of us had seen the Alien movies: We knew about air ducts, our new bodies were built for stealth, and months spent watching our own bodies sneak around had given us the knowledge we needed to do it ourselves.
We knew how to unsheathe our claws because of the hundreds of times we were forced to do it against innocents. We knew how to take down a group because of the hundreds of people we've been forced to kill. We knew how to hunt the aliens on board because they taught us how. We knew how to fight, we knew how to kill, and we were completely livid about it.
We weren't invincible, however. Amelia got cornered and shot about an hour after we split up, with Bob following her not long after that. In fact, as the battle raged on, fully half of our numbers were hunted down and killed. However, each and every one of us made an accounting of ourselves before we passed, and we made those responsible for our deaths pay dearly.
We mourned the deaths of our family, but did not stop or slow our assault in the slightest. Nothing could stop us now, we had no choice in the matter.
It was quite simple: without the main computer we had no way of getting back home, much less piloting the darn ship. We knew that this was a suicide mission for us, we knew, one way or another, we weren't going to survive this. Even if we cleared out the entire ship, there was no way we could figure out how to get this bird working before we all starved to death.
That will not stop us, though. We have to make sure that these monsters can never do to others what was done to us, I thought to myself as I lurked in the air duct above a group of frightened soldiers. Then, without any warning, I burst open the vent, reached out, and slipped my claws through the armor of the soldier in front of me.
He screamed in pain as I skewered him, then reached out for his friends as I roughly dragged his body back into the vent with me, folding him like a pretzel as his soft, squishy body encountered the metal hull of the ship. I was so fast at this that his friends didn't even have a chance to react before their friend was sucked into the ventilation system.
The other three quickly backed up, fear in their eyes at what had happened as they opened fire upon the vent opening and the walls. I could see all of this, simply because I had already moved to a different vent, and was plotting how to take out the other three from there.
Just a little more to the left, and- I thought, but was interrupted in my thought process by Kazimir's thoughts screaming in my head.
Please, someone, anyone! Five of us got cornered near the bridge. We're pinned down, and I don't think we're going to make it without some backup!
Briefly I saw a flash of where they were, and started to crawl up through the ventilation ducts, hoping that I could reach them in time. Fate, however, had other ideas.
Without warning, the whole ship pitched to the side, throwing me down the shaft and ramming my back against the wall. I gasped out in pain, certain that I had broken something from the force of the impact, but was unable to check because the ship began to shake and tremble uncontrollably. I tried to crawl out of the vent, but another lurch tossed me about like a pinball. Finally, after several minutes of this, I hit my head on the inside of the vent, and I remembered no more.
* * *
“What happened then?” Luna asked the tired-looking ~human.~
“Me not know. One moment, me in vent, tossed and turned like salad. Next, wake in ship crash,” ~Alex~ said with a yawn. “There were so many bodies, not know if any else escape. Not hear thoughts anymore, but either family dead, or collar broken. Maybe collar allow thought-speak, not know. Just know they not answer anymore, and collar gone. Hurt from crash, not sure how survive. Ship still burn, ship still maybe explode. Flee from crash-site, escape with life. First time in long time free. Not fight for life, not fight for others, Free,” he said with a tear in his eye.
At this, Celestia turned towards Chancellor Gustaf. “I hope you found his story sufficient?” she asked dryly, raising a single eyebrow as she did so.
Gustaf didn't answer immediately, instead choosing to bring a talon to his forehead and bow to ~Alex~, giving the wounded ~human~ the griffon token of respect. “I have heard enough. Thank you for your time, ~Alex~. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I thank you for sharing this discovery with the Griffon Empire, as disturbing as the findings may be. I must apprise the Emperor of everything we have discussed today before I can give you my decision, but know this: what these monsters have wrought is inexcusable,” he said with a shake of his head. “Just by their actions, I can tell that they would not only seek out and recapture their lost slave given the opportunity, but enslave or burn our world to the ground, just for the fun of it.”
With that, the griffon ambassador swept out of the room, the zebra ambassador close on his heels. Celestia then turned towards the ~human~, intending to ask him one final question before she left, but stopped at what she saw.
The poor ~human~ was fast asleep, the ghost of a smile dancing upon his lips.
* * *
Pinkie Pie hummed happily as she handed Thunderlane his baker's dozen, just glad for all the happy chatter that filled the interior of Sugar Cube Corner. It had been a fairly stressful week after all the silliness that Defender's visit to Ponyville had inadvertently caused, so it was good to get everypony back to their normal routine.
She honestly couldn't believe what all the fuss was about. All she had done was invite someone to a party, and yet, everypony acted as if the whole town was on fire! Ponies had locked their doors, the royal guard was called, and many ponies had reported that they had seen Defender try to break into their homes, despite the fact that Defender had gone home after his disaster of a party.
As Pinkie thought about this, the bell that hung in front of Sugar Cube Corner's door rang, signifying the entrance of another customer. Pinkie's face immediately broke out into a smile as she turned around. “Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner! Where everything is super-Oh, hi Twilight!” Pinkie said as the purple unicorn trotted up to the counter, clearly out of breath. “You okay Twilight? Oh! I know! you're training for the upcoming Running of the Leaves! I bet you're going for first place, huh, Twilight?”
“No, Pinkie, I'm not,” Twilight said with a gasp. “I-”
“You're not going to win first place? Not with that attitude you won't! We'll just have to whip you into shape before then!” Pinkie said as she waved her hoof wildly in Twilight's face. Pinkie then leaned in, and dropped her usually hyperactive voice down to a not much quieter stage whisper. “But just between you and me, I think you've got your work cut out for you. Both Dashie and Applejack have been training super hard to win this year, and they've both agreed to have a nice clean race this time.”
Twilight just shook her head at that, smiling ruefully to herself. “Pinkie, I'm not entering the Running of the Leaves this year. I'm here because I just received a letter from Princess Celestia. She wants all of us to come to Canterlot immediately!”
“What? Why? Is there a parasprite swarm on the loose? Should I get my tuba?” Pinkie asked excitedly.
“I don't know, Pinkie. She just said that she needed all of the elements there as soon as possible,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “I think that whatever it is, it's pretty serious.”
“What makes you think that? Do you think that Discord escaped again? No... he would have made it rain super yummylicious chocolate before you'd even gotten word from Princess Celestia...” Pinkie said thoughtfully.
“Whatever it is, it's important enough for the Princesses to send a guard detail,” Twilight said seriously, interrupting Pinkie's train of thought. “The guards are going to be here in about two hours, so we need to be ready before then. I've already sent Spike to round up Rarity, so could you go find Rainbow Dash and have her go round up Applejack while I go and get Fluttershy? Tell them all that we'll meet up in front of the Library in an hour.”
Before Pinkie could even think to give an answer, Twilight disappeared in a flash of purple light, leaving Pinkie Pie with more questions than answers.