“I understand, you must be surprised, my data suggests that you took part in the Phoenix project long before even I was made, however, I am more than happy to provide any answers I can.”
The disembodied voice’s emotionless tone did not match its friendly words, but Adam was too surprised to notice such a pointless detail. He was speechless, not because he didn’t understand what was happening, but because he had a theory in mind. One that truly unsettled him.
“are you…the ship itself? An AI?”
The screens displayed nothing but a blinding white light that occasionally flickered away, bathing the room in a mysterious atmosphere that truly matched the situation. Still, as if answering Adam’s inquiry, the screens suddenly showed the insignia of humanity’s space exploration division, sending a hoard of memories rushing back to him.
“you are half correct, I am indeed an AI, but I am not installed onto a ship, but a space station. I’m currently doing my 2922154th orbit around the planet.”
Asterius spoke in its usual emotionless tone as if what it just said didn’t completely shatter Adam’s world. Not only was true AI nothing but a distant dream when he was alive, but it was also one that the common soldier didn’t want anything to do with.
The invasion of the demons led to a rise of some rather extreme beliefs within the ranks of mankind, and having a non-human fighting side by side with them was especially too big of a pill to swallow for most.
“w-what about the crew?”
“all of them passed away only weeks after arriving, the red harvest somehow made it onto my vessel. I’ve been roaming around aimlessly since, hoping to pick up on any human activity.”
The screens flicked once more, changing the images to display a live feed of the space station's interior. It was dim, empty, and lifeless. The only human shapes that decorated its plain halls were that of the long-dead crew, their skeletons decorated with sharp red crystals and horrified expressions frozen in time.
Adam clenched his fist, trying to calm himself before speaking. “why are you onboard a space station? I thought the Astraeus vessel was supposed to be a massive transport spaceship, an ark meant to guarantee the continued survival of humanity outside of Earth.”
“your knowledge is outdated commander, the project was cancelled due to a lack of resources long ago, but it was brought back in a more feasible form.”
“which is what, exactly?”
“A military and reconnaissance vessel carrying heavy weaponry and capable of using them without any human input.”
The screens displayed images of numerous blueprints that Adam managed to identify correctly. “nuclear warheads? Someone installed nukes on a space station and allowed a non-human to use them without restraint?”
The screens flickered once again and displayed a massive list of crossed-off names that only got longer by the second.
“that is false commander, indeed, a human doesn’t need to press the button, one still needs to give permission and specify a target; however, as you can see, the chain of command has been decimated long ago… until now.”
Adam looked in surprise as the list stopped expanding as it reached the one name that wasn’t crossed out. One he recognized as his own.
“Commander Williams, you are currently the highest ranking member of the United Human Military, and thus you are entitled to the control of this vessel, please specify your orders, commander.”
Shiira almost yelped when she heard the machine voice give Adam command over the super weapons of mankind. She didn’t know much about them, but from everything she heard, she concluded that they were mankind’s answer to forbidden magic. The fact that Adam, the undying monster from another time, just got his hands on them was nothing short of disastrous.
“let's start with some information, Am I the last human left?”
Shiira listened carefully, for the machine’s answer could change everything. Dangerous as he was, Adam was at least malleable enough to not pursue vengeance as a first thought, instead focusing on finding more of his kind and rebuilding what was once lost. There was no guarantee that another human from his time would do the same.
“Answer me already!”
As if reacting to his irritated voice, the screens flickered a few times before displaying several pictures of different humans, five clearly shown and one heavily blurred out.
“no, commander, you are in fact not the last one; however, that might not be the blessing you think it to be, considering your… present company.”
Adam’s eyes opened wide and his pupils trembled in excitement. He couldn’t hold his shacking lips from warping into a smile. After despairing alone, thinking he was the last of a species that went extinct centuries ago, destined to live in a world surrounded by the very enemies that took everyone that mattered to him, he finally had confirmation that he wasn’t alone; that there was hope for humanity.
“I can’t believe it… it’s just six people but I can work with it, m-maybe one of them is a scientist or something right? We can maybe salvage some tech and start a cloning facility. We can resurrect all of humanity at…”
“commander”
The robotic voice of the AI cut through Adam’s overly optimistic ramblings.
“I don’t have access to much information currently, but I know that all six of them were part of the military, and thus none have any knowledge of advanced sciences such as cloning, not that it would be a viable strategy regardless. They are alive because, much like you, they were a part of the Phoenix project, and it goes without saying, they are all augmented as well.”
Adam’s expression soured for a second but he still had a smile drawn on his face, unlike Shiira who’s face was decorated with fearful eyes and a downpour of cold sweat.
“excuse me, can I ask you a question?”
In a desperate attempt to gather information, Shiira spoke to the AI, her voice trembling in fear, but for once her fear wasn’t directed at Adam himself, but at the idea that there were 6 other immortals, just as powerful as him.
“if the commander allows it.”
Adam shrugged and gave the okay, equal part curious and uncaring about what Shiira had to say in his near euphoric state.
“are they… as strong as Sir Adam?”
The screens flickered again, draining what little light they offered from the room for a second, but unlike all the times before, they had nothing to show afterward.
“according to my database, commander Adam is a second-generation augment, his control and power output were some of the highest of their time…however, all except one of the remaining humans are actually generation five, which is to say, their powers completely eclipse his own in most ways.”
Both Adam and shiira were stunned for different reasons. Adam couldn’t believe that humanity couldn’t win with generation 3 which was advertised as minkind's ultimate feat of technology by the military central command, and Shiira was struggling to picture the kind of power the AI was describing.
“what about the other one? The one that isn’t gen five?”
“that one is rather interesting, he is actually generation one, unfortunately, I have no other data about him, he is an enigma to me as well.”
Adam was left confused, the very first generation of augments were brave and dedicated, but they were volatile and prone to psychological problems due to the imperfect gene modifications. However, the most puzzling part was the fact that they were all dead by the time Adam himself took command, with the only exception being his own mentor and predecessor, a soldier with legendary skills even amongst the demons, and the only gen one augment to live into retirement.
“no way… Commander Miller?”
Before he could ponder any further, Asterius broke the silence with its emotionless voice.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to end our conversation here commander, someone is trying to hack into my systems from the city above, I can’t risk them tapping into our conversation, however, I need to let you know something before I disconnect. I never attempted to contact the remaining six survivors for a good reason, they were military, but unlike you, they are all labeled as traitors. They may be dangerous; I advise you not to contact them until acquiring further information.”
A mechanical sound filled the room and halls of the abandoned facility, drawing the attention of Adam and Shiira.
“do not be alarmed, I’ve opened a small door to the outside, I would appreciate it if you could stop whoever is attempting to hack into my systems. They’ve been trying for weeks now, and they are getting close to succeeding, good luck commander.”
The emotionless voice dissipated into thin air, taking the flickering lights of the screens with it, leaving Adam and Shiira alone to look for the exit to the city above.
