Artificial Exile Read online

  “We would never able to go to Earth and destroy all the robots,” Bek reminded Malok. “It’s impossible considering how vast their numbers are now. We can only shut down their energy source, which is this planet, and their energy stored on Earth.”

  “I realize this,” Malok replied sharply. “But we still started the uprising against the robots, which is what’s best for the humans forced to live here.”

  “If there are people alive on this planet after this…” Bek replied. “People will remember living peacefully before the uprising.”

  “For how long?” Malok replied firmly back to Bek. “Maybe they would find a new planet with energy sources after some years, and they would leave us here to die. We couldn’t live intentionally forever as slaves. I don’t regret what we started!” A silence fell over the room, but everyone knew that being slaves for the robots wasn’t a sustainable solution for humanity.

  “Let’s go inspect the various preparations,” Bek said.

  “We should go and check,” Malok replied in a calm voice. After taking a moment to regain his composure, Malok led the way to one of the trucks that was parked there. They all left the base and drove toward the area where the abandoned transport shuttles were parked. When they arrived, one of the transport shuttles was being repaired by a large number of people. They got out of their truck, and approached the area. The train going from the city to the factories was in the distance behind them.

  “The factories continue to work,” Bek said to Jaina as they walked along.

  “The city needs energy to run,” Malok told them. “While we are not sending energy to Earth, we still need the city to operate; however, the people working in the factories work fewer hours now.” They approached the transport shuttle that was being worked on by rogues and other people from the city. The other shuttles had been left abandoned, since they would be only needing one at the moment. “This shuttle took so many trips from Earth to Cennan to bring us here, it’s ironic that it’s now being repaired to take us back,” Malok said as they went below it.

  This particular shuttle looked cleaner than the other abandoned ones, and people were entering and exiting from the doors on the sides. Malok’s group went to one of the side doors, and entered. Inside, there were rows and rows of seats—hundreds of seats dusty from the passage of time. They headed carefully toward the front where the control panel was. Taner was there, working on it with other rogues.

  “How is it progressing?” Valeena asked him when they got near them. “Can we set a course to Earth again?”

  “Yes! We salvaged some parts from transport shuttles that recently brought the robot army for the attack; the route to Earth is in its systems already—we just need to activate it. It should automatically head to the warp gate above, power it, and use it to travel to Earth. We will, of course, need to charge it with energy now that the route is established. When landing, it would be a good idea to also use the panel to command the transport shuttle to move further away from the Earth’s landing area.”

  “Very well,” Malok said to him. “Continue working on the transport shuttle. We will need to place energy cells inside half of the transport area in order to have energy to travel back. But at least energy is plentiful here. The hardest part of the plan is going to be controlling the cargo shuttle that’s loaded with Iorine. I hope we can manage to find a solution.” Saying this, Malok took a look at the maintenance panel that Taner was working on, went back through the passenger seating area, and exited the shuttle. Everyone followed him, forming a circle around the transport shuttle towering in front of them. They were convinced that even though the shuttle had been inactive for a long time, with repairs and new parts, it could fly again.

  “Let’s move to the export center and see how work on the cargo shuttle is going,” Bek said to them as they watched the transport shuttle being prepared for the first travel back to Earth in decades.

  “Great work. I am proud of all of you!” Malok shouted his encouragement to the people working in the area. After that, they boarded their truck once more, this time headed for the export center. It didn’t take long before they saw one of the cargo shuttles off in the distance as it became successfully airborne. On entering the export center, they saw rogues and some of the city guards working together in the area and observing the cargo shuttle as it made the rounds above them. Malok’s group left their truck, and walked toward them. Abel was among those working here, and he came over when he noticed them.

  “You came to see our progress, Mr. Malok?” Abel asked him. Malok nodded in agreement. “We eventually found that the only way we have of operating the shuttle remotely is to use one of the remotes that the guards use for their flying drones, and connect it to the shuttle’s operating system.”

  “You can now fly it without anyone being inside?” Jaina queried.

  “Yes, but it took a lot of work, not to mention that we needed the remotes that the guards handed over,” Abel told her.

  “There was no time during the AI assault for a fix like this,” Valeena said to Jaina. “Denec did his best with what we had at the time to save the city and its people—along with you three. Bek, Abel and Jaina: your role was vital. The people here needed time to search and implement a solution for flying the shuttle remotely. The whole city population would likely be dead now if you spent time trying to work out a different plan.”

  Jaina heard Valeena’s kind words, but didn’t want to say anything. Malok asked the group of rogues gathered there if they could show him the type of remote they were using. Abel went and brought it to him.

  “It’s a flying drone remote, Mr. Malok. We implemented the basic flying directions and booster power.”

  Malok took the remote, and after using it to make the cargo shuttle go in circles, he tried sending the shuttle further away from them; it successfully made a turn, and came back. “Lower the booster power slowly when landing it,” Abel said to him as the others watched him control the shuttle. He removed power from the boosters slowly, and the shuttle descended slowly, landing close to them. “Keep in mind that there is a limited distance from which the remote can work, Mr. Malok,” said Abel.

  “The explosives detonator will be connected here as well, won’t it?” Malok asked Abel.

  “I think so. We’ve only worked on controlling the shuttle so far. We don’t even have the explosives yet,” Abel replied.

  “We gathered a lot from the robot army. They’re all at the base. We should start preparing them, as well,” Valeena told him, and he agreed.

  “Should we move the shuttle closer to the factories, and load it with Iorine?” Abel asked Malok.

  “Yes, as soon as possible, and engrave some marks on its side so that it’s recognizable on Earth among the other shuttles,” he told him. “We shouldn’t be sitting around here waiting any longer. The transport shuttle is able to make the trip again, so we better get going before the robots come for us again. Proceed with loading; we will return to base for final preparations.” On hearing this, Abel nodded his agreement.

  “How many people are going on this mission?” Valeena asked Malok.

  “Around ten, I believe. We don’t have the numbers for a full assault on a robot-filled Earth. Our goals are to get water back here, and try to sabotage them. A small team is going to be best for this mission.”

  “I would like to be part of the team,” Abel offered, after overhearing their discussion. “Please allow me, Mr. Malok…It’s what I always wanted.”

  “You can join us. It was just me, Valeena, and Taner until now,” Malok replied.

  “I want to go, as well,” Bek interrupted. “I was also a part of this fight against the AI, and I want to continue the fight as well.” Jaina looked at him anxiously, but saw the decision had already been made in Bek’s mind. The fight with the AI wasn’t going away, and Bek knew the best way to handle it was to help in any way possible.

  “Load the shuttle, charge it, and have it ready to leave as soon as po
ssible,” Malok said to Abel and the other workers there. “Meet us back at the base when you are done.”

  “Will do,” Abel replied quickly. He headed back to the cargo shuttle.

  “Come on. We have to get back to the base,” Malok said to the rest of them, and the four of them climbed into the truck for the return to base. Watching out the window, Bek saw the cargo shuttle take flight, and head slowly toward the factories. In the distance, the city looked quiet. Smoke no longer rose from the buildings; the inhabitants of the city were trying to adjust to the new normal. Bek’s desire was for the city to remain calm, making the mission to eradicate the robots, and prevent future attacks, all the more pressing.

  Back at the rogue base, they spent time pairing the explosives they had salvaged with the detonator in the remote control. The rogues had gathered a lot of ammunition from the vast army of robots that lay deactivated outside the city. They intended to place even more explosives than the last time they had used a cargo shuttle as an Iorine bomb. In addition to having more explosives now, they also had more time to place them above the Iorine containers inside the shuttle so that Iorine would spread more effectively over a bigger area. They didn’t know what they were going to find on Earth, so they had to be prepared for as many scenarios as possible …

  Some days later, everyone who was working on the shuttles joined them back at the base. They had made the necessary repairs and modifications and the shuttles were ready for the mission. The team would be comprised of Malok, Valeena, Taner, Bek, Abel, and seven more rogues who had volunteered. These rogues had envisioned a battle with the AI as their goal all along, even if their plan hadn’t been fully thought out. Abel had wanted to join them from the start, and Bek now saw that fighting against their oppressor was best—not only for the situation they were in now—but if they failed, the people of Cennan would be gone, and the people who remained on Earth would forever be their slaves.

  “Are you sure you want to go?” Jaina asked Bek while they were gathered in the big, open training space inside the base. Everyone who was going to Earth was saying goodbye to their friends and family.

  “The reason I pretended I had joined the rogues in the first place was to come back to the city and make sure you were okay. Now I have joined them willingly to make sure you and everyone else survives in the future. I have to help in any way I can,” he said to her after kissing her.

  “I hope this is not the last time I see you,” she replied to him sadly.

  “I am doing this so everyone has the chance to spend their lives with their loved ones,” he said, hugging her. “I will be back for you.” Malok and the others were preparing to leave, and saluted the rogues who were staying behind. They exchanged handshakes, and then performed one last check of their weapons and equipment.

  “Ready to go?” Malok asked as he approached Bek and Abel.

  “Yes, we are ready,” Bek said.

  Malok turned to Jaina, who looked worried. “You three recruits have helped us more than anyone. It is an honor having you with us,” he said. Jaina was grateful for his words.

  Bek took up his rifle, and donned his personal shield. He and Abel were ready to go. They would be the first people to leave Cennan; up until now, humans had only arrived here. The whole team gathered together and waved goodbye to everyone one last time before heading outside to the area where the transport shuttle was now parked. The cargo shuttle carrying Iorine was going to be sent after them, according to their plan. Bek entered the shuttle last; he waited until everyone had boarded. Abel was, like always, in a cheerful mood, along with Malok. However, Bek was worried, and stopped for a moment on the stairs of the shuttle to look for Jaina in the small crowd that had gathered outside the base. She was there, among the crowd, watching for him too. She waved back when he waved to her, and he entered the shuttle.

  As Bek entered, Taner closed the door, and soon, everyone took their places in the front. The rear area of the shuttle had been modified to carry extra power cells so that they wouldn’t need to recharge on Earth for the return trip to Cennan. That way, they also didn’t have another hard task to try and complete while on Earth. Malok went to the front first, followed by Taner, and the two of them worked on the panel to start the liftoff sequence for the shuttle. When the shuttle slowly began to fly forward once the boosters were activated, the crew went to the windows to view the crowd watching them leave. Bek and Valeena did not want to look any longer, and returned to their seats with an anxious expression on their faces. The shuttle gradually moved higher, and increased its booster power. Malok, along with the others, took their seats, as well, and did up their belts. Abel was the last to sit down.

  “Don’t worry, Bek. These shuttles have made the trip countless times before,” Abel reassured his friend.

  “It’s not the trip I am worried about: it is not knowing what will happen when we reach Earth,” Bek replied. Abel didn’t have a reply to Bek’s worries—a rarity for him. The base and city retreated from sight as the shuttle initiated a steep climb. After a while, they had left Cennan behind them.

  “All systems look good,” Malok announced as they went farther and farther from Cennan. Leaving the planet behind, the shuttle reduced speed as it approached the warp gate, and they felt a small shock as the shuttle docked. A buzzing sound started, indicating that the shuttle was giving power to the warp gate. Everyone sat very still as the gate was charging from the shuttle: they had planned it so that they would have enough energy to leave and return. Suddenly, the buzzing sound stopped. The gate was charged, and it started to power on. Bek closed his eyes, grabbed his seat cushion, and held on as the gate was powering up. He felt only a small push as they were propelled forward and, for the first time, people escaped the bonds of their prison on Cennan.

  Chapter 11

  After the warp had finished, everyone looked at one another. The transport shuttle calmed down after passing the warp gate, and was now travelling at a steady pace.

  “Did we make it?” Valeena said, wondering.

  “We are alive. The gate only sends one way: to Earth, so we must have made it,” Malok replied to her, heading for one of the windows of the shuttle. The travel toward Earth continued steadily, and soon, everyone was up from their seats, watching outside to see the once-human planet approach. Continuing their travel, they entered the atmosphere and headed farther down. The Earth they had known from memorabilia didn’t look like the one they were starting to see as they got closer and closer to the ground. They didn’t see green fields and snowy mountains, instead, mechanical lines were spread everywhere for transporting materials and factories of robots that made up their ever-expanding army.

  “It’s been completely taken over by the robots,” Bek told them as he watched as far he could to see robot structures that were mining Earth, trying to find any source of energy that hadn’t been found before. The whole planet was harnessed as a resource that the robots were trying to exploit. As far as they could see, in every field and all the lakes, the robots had built mining structures to extract any available resources they could.

  “They must have completely drained the planet,” Taner said to them as they approached to land. He went to the maintenance panel in order to guide the shuttle away from landing in the export center on Earth.

  “There is a mountain next to the export center: place us behind it,” Malok told him. Taner changed the direction the shuttle was traveling, and they passed above the mountain, slowly heading to land just beyond it. “Grab your gear,” Malok said, and they started to prepare to exit the transport shuttle. The shuttle continued its descent, and eventually, everyone felt a hard knock as it touched Earth. They were quiet for a while, looking at each other and then watching outside. The area they landed in was behind a mountain, and the ground here was dark, with no plants visible—only mining facilities could be seen around them, stretching into the distance. They didn’t see any robots in the area, and it was deemed safe for them to exit the shuttle. Taner w
ent near the main entrance and initiated the door opening. Moments later, the door opened, and Malok was the first to walk out. “Be proud to be one of the first people stepping foot back on Earth; we are coming home from Cennan,” he told them, smiling. Everyone else followed him, slowly exiting.

  “Wasn’t our Earth a lot more colorful?” Abel asked when they got outside and started looking around.

  “It was livelier when it had resources and humans living here,” Malok replied to him. “Come on. We should climb the side of the mountain to see if we can observe the export center.” They formed a line with Malok leading, and started to walk up the side of the mountain. They rarely met even a dying plant or tree on their way up. “Come. Take cover behind this boulder,” Malok said to them after reaching a height that allowed them to see in the distance. The team members followed him, going behind a large boulder that gave them cover while they could look below.

  “There is the export center,” Valeena told them as she pointed toward a large open area where shuttles were loaded with water, ready to head to Cennan. They saw in the distance a huge lake stretching all the way to the horizon that must have been one of the water reservoir areas. Inside the lake were huge pumps connected to long pipes that led to the export center.

  “And there is their energy storage for the energy they receive from us,” Malok said as he pointed to a facility close to the export center. Both facilities used the same cargo shuttles, so they both spanned the same complex.

  “For some reason, I don’t see any movement in the area,” Bek said as he observed the location.

  “Well, nothing is coming or going, so they don’t have work to do now,” Taner replied to him. “We should try to send water back. The Iorine-filled shuttle should be arriving in a while.” All nodded in agreement.