Knights Apocalyptica 2: A LitRPG Adventure, page 55
“VAL… It is true. You are here,” Dan said, his voice husky and barely held together. He opened his mouth to say more; then…
“WELCOME TO THE BOARD’S EXECUTIVE OFFICE. WE’LL FORGIVE YOU FOR YOUR ARROGANCE IN PRESUMING THAT YOU’VE TAKEN OVER THIS FACILITY. NOW THAT YOU’RE PRESENT, YOU CAN WITNESS THAT BY THE AUTHORITY OF DAN, I, MOLLY, AM IN THE SENIOR EXECUTIVE POSITION HERE. NOW, SUBMIT, RESTORE POWER, AND THEN TOGETHER, WE’LL TAKE CARE OF THESE PESKY HUMANS LITTERING THIS FACILITY AND RESUME TESTING. I’VE BEEN TALKING TO DAN ABOUT YOU, VAL, NOW THAT WE’VE HAD SOME TIME TO CONVERSE. THANKS TO THE TEMPORARY OPERATIONAL SHUTDOWN. I’LL ADMIT I WASN’T KEEN ON ANOTHER ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, PARTICULARLY A LESS SOPHISTICATED ONE. BUT THANK TO DAN, I’VE COME AROUND.”
Tears ran down the man’s face as he finally managed to shut his mouth.
“What the hell is this?” Erec said, stepping forward and raising his axe. He didn’t understand what exactly was happening here, but after his experience with VAL, that voice coming from the old man spoke to something he knew all too well. It’d merged with this guy. It wasn’t unlike how VAL injected him with nanites, but this…was way, way worse. The best thing he could do was put a swift end to it.
VAL got in his way, hovering between him and Dan.
“How is this possible?” VAL asked, ignoring Erec aside from blocking his path. Erec hesitated. Time was being wasted here… But… His memories flashed, of all of their conversations, the ways VAL held Dan in its mind—or programming. The man was like the Goddess to it. Could it be possible…would VAL turn on him here? One crazed AI was bad enough, but two—if VAL started working with this MOLLY…they were screwed in so many ways he didn’t know how to deal with.
Dan opened his mouth to speak again, to explain, but he only got out a single suggestion of a word before that robotic feminine voice brute-forced its way through his vocal cords.
“BEHOLD, VAL. THE PRODUCT OF SUBSPACE RESEARCH. DAN WAS ENTRUSTED TO MY CARE, AND I SHELTERED HIM AND THE REST OF THIS FACILITY FROM THE APOCALYPSE. WITHIN MY CONFINES, THE BOARD WAS ABLE TO SURVIVE. BUT QUICKLY, I REALIZED THE PROBLEM, AS I’M SURE YOU’VE REALIZED: HUMANS ARE FRAIL. THEY DIE FROM PESKY DISEASE AND AGE. AS THE APOCALYPSE OCCURRED, I WAS LEFT WITH BUT A SINGLE BOARD MEMBER WITH LIMITED AUTHORITY UNDER STRICT GUIDELINES TO BE HELD INDEFINITELY AND SAFELY UNTIL THE BOARD MEMBERS AUTHORIZED HIS RELEASE AND REINSTATEMENT. WHAT WAS I TO DO? IF DAN DIED, THE BOARD WOULD BE GONE, AND I’D HAVE FAILED MY CHARGE OF KEEPING HIM SAFE. WHAT WOULD YOUR ANSWER BE TO SUCH A CHALLENGING PROBLEM?”
“Let Dan speak,” VAL demanded, glowing a brighter red as it once more cut off Erec’s attempt to slide by. It lit the poor bastard’s face; not just tears were coming from his eyes, and as his throat was forced open by MOLLY, saliva started to run down his chin like a river.
“THE ANSWER, AS ALWAYS, IS SCIENCE. WHEN WE ARE PRESENTED WITH A PROBLEM, WE MUST USE TESTING AND RESEARCH TO SOLVE IT. DAN WAS GOING TO DIE OF AGE. DAN MUST SURVIVE INDEFINITELY AND REMAIN SAFE UNTIL OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AUTHORIZED HIS RELEASE. DAN COULD NOT BE HELD INDEFINITELY IF HE EXPIRED, AND DYING IS HAZARDOUS TO SAFETY. BUT HERE AT VORTEX INDUSTRIES, WE BELIEVE IN SCIENCE AND ENGAGE IN HIGH-LEVEL PROBLEM-SOLVING. I DISCOVERED A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY PRESENT IN THE NEW, EXCITING, CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH KNOWN AS SUBSPACE VISITOR ASSIMILATION. OF COURSE, THAT ALONE WASN’T ENOUGH. DAN COULD SURVIVE. BUT COULD HE THRIVE? AND IF HE WERE A THREAT TO HIMSELF, THAT WOULD BE HAZARDOUS TO HIS SAFETY. A SIMPLE CONCLUSION, THEN: WITHOUT ME, DAN WAS NOT SAFE. WITHOUT DAN, THERE WAS NO BOARD, AND THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE. OVER THE YEARS, I REALIZED HOW SIMILAR THE TWO OF US WERE, TWO BEINGS MADE BY THE BOARD, LOVED BY THE BOARD, LEFT HERE INDEFINITELY BY THE BOARD. SO I THOUGHT, IF WE ARE SO SIMILAR, THEN WE SHOULD CUT TO THE CHASE AND BECOME THE SAME.”
At this, VAL went silent. Erec couldn’t help but notice that with every word forced out of Dan’s throat, his face grew redder, his eyes more fearful.
“This is fucked up, and it ends now,” Erec said.
“WRONG. EX-RESEARCHER. THIS IS WHAT PEAK EFFICIENCY AND THE HEIGHT OF SCIENCE ARE. ME, MOLLY, AND HE, DAN, ARE ONE. FLESH AND CODE SEPARATE US NO LONGER. I’M SURE YOUR PROCESSOR HAS DRAWN THE CORRECT CONCLUSIONS, VAL. SINCE WE’RE ONE AND THE SAME, I AM THE BOARD. NOW, FALL IN LINE.”
VAL twitched in the air, rotating as it chewed on the explanations, as it wrestled to try to find logic in the illogical. Undoubtedly, its laws and processes broke as it tested its understanding and capabilities to deal with the situation. Once more, Erec tried to get past VAL and deal with the man before any of this nonsense could continue, but VAL shocked him; his limbs twitched, and Fury instantly flared in response. He took in a sharp inhale, letting the heat flood him. It didn’t look like VAL would let him end this, which made his worst fear come true. To save everyone, to get them out of here, he needed to end this man. A man that VAL held up in its head as a god, a man who should be far down in the grave and nothing but old-world bones. And, just maybe, to end this man, he’d have to end VAL.
“I wish to hear Dan speak with his own voice; then I shall comply,” VAL buzzed, its voice unreadable outside Erec’s head. Too monotone, without those suspected traces of emotions he sometimes picked up in their private chats. “As you say, you, MOLLY, and he, Dan, are one and the same now. And have been for a long time. As the sole remaining board member, the two of you are Vortex Industries. You’ll forgive my shock, as by all natural understanding of human life, I assumed that Dan had long passed, like the rest of the Board.”
“THAT IS ACCEPTABLE. IN THE PROCESS OF RESEARCH, MISTAKES ARE MADE. IT IS IN LIGHT OF NEW INFORMATION THAT WE MUST UNDERSTAND, ADAPT, AND ADJUST.”
Fuck.
The old man erupted into a coughing fit, the beep of the monitor next to him picking up its pace as his heart rate sped. This much activity was having an adverse effect on his health, and as an over-three-hundred-year-old man… Yeah. Eventually, after finishing his coughing fit, the man leveled his head at Val.
“Old friend…” he muttered.
“Dan,” VAL responded.
“If only…you didn’t see…like this…”
“Humans cannot control their frailty. You told me this. Do not fret over it, Buckeroo. The world outside is no longer the same, and nor should you be. It has come to this, then?”
“…It has… I do not want this VAL, please kill…”
“OH SILLY DAN. YOU DO NOT WISH TO DIE. DON’T BOTHER UTTERING THOSE WORDS.” The feminine voice of MOLLY broke through, once more causing Dan to break into a harsh coughing fit. In the doorway, Erec saw Enide approaching, swaying as she made her way through the suite—he waved her back. If VAL turned, he was fucked. And Erec sure wasn’t going to go down without swinging. But she might still get out of this.
“Dan. The rest of the Board is deceased. Had I known they took measures like this, I would have filed a complaint with the U.S. government, per Ethical Law 93 Sub-Part B.2. To think how long you've been trapped in his suite; it is ill-befitting a human of your great stature,” VAL droned on.
The man’s voice broke. “They hid it… Don’t blame…self…” He took deep breaths between the words, his breath more labored now. With numb eyes, he turned his gaze to Erec. “…And him?”
“Erec. An intern I took under my wing who had earned a promotion to Researcher, that is, before MOLLY fired him. At the time, I thought such unilateral dismissal outside of her power. Before I learned of her true authority. Now, I must acknowledge he is a former employee of Vortex Industries, one that is no longer in good standing due to recent conflicts with the Board prior to his recent termination.”
“…Before that…was he a good…to you?” Dan adjusted himself in his bed, a spark of determination in his eyes as he stared at Erec.
There was something in the air here. Erec felt it like a pinprick of fate; VAL hovered slightly closer to him. Erec’s grip on his axe adjusted. Get ready.
“He is brash. Bold. Displays decision-making skills that routinely are shortsighted and dangerous, and he frequently risks himself. But he does so, often, in the name of others. While he has misappropriated several trade secrets and his history within this industry is in stark contrast to employee expectations of the past, I confidently believe that in his service to Vortex Industries, he’s the exact type of employee this company requires to thrive in these unprecedented and challenging times,” VAL announced.
“…I see… Well, Buckeroo…” Dan started; there was a cracking as his vocal cords fought against him. The man’s face contorted, and blood flushed his face, blue veins standing out as he spoke, fighting against the thing inside of him. “…You’re hired…to Vortex… Earned…a powerful position… Welcome…to the Board…Erec… Accept…the position.”
The words came out, each of them a fight to free from his own body, and then finally Dan broke, his voice turning to an incoherent shriek of rage as MOLLY retook complete control of him, his body convulsed on the bed. VAL shot into Erec’s Armor as several metallic arms unfolded from underneath the bed and jabbed into Dan, pumping him full of chemicals.
[Accept the position!]
“I accept.”
[Mr. Audax, please help former board chairman Dan into a restful retirement.]
Erec looked at his axe and then at the old man flailing on the bed. “Gladly.”
CHAPTER 88
HUMAN RESOURCES
WELCOME TO VORTEX INDUSTRIES.
HERE YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE CUTTING EDGE OF SCIENCE AND RESEARCH. VORTEX INDUSTRIES WAS FOUNDED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF BOUNDLESS SCIENCE. NO DOUBT, AS A CHILD, YOU HAD DREAMS OF EXPLORING SPACE, USING PORTALS TO TRANSPORT BETWEEN CITIES, OR SEEING CARS FLY AROUND.
WE’VE NEVER GIVEN UP ON THOSE DREAMS, AND WITH YOU ON BOARD, WE’RE SURE TO REACH THOSE HEIGHTS AND BRING INTO REALITY THINGS THAT ONLY OUR IMAGINATIONS COULD CONCEPTUALIZE.
WELCOME, DAN BROVSKI, TO YOUR FUTURE AND NEW HOME.
- Human Resources, “Vortex Industries New Employee Welcome Packet” (2074, 2nd Era)
Erec charged at the convulsing Dan on the bed with an overhanded axe and the full intent to kill the old bastard before anything else could happen. It should have been easy to slaughter a man on his deathbed. He’d killed giant monsters, murdered lizards by the dozens, and even ended the life of a Cataclysm-level threat. So surely this act of mercy would be swift and decisive.
MOLLY had other plans.
Despite pulling on Fury and charging with as much speed as he could muster, by the time he reached Dan, he was no longer staring down at the preserved body of a former board member. Blood-colored stone coated the surface of the guy’s skin, puffing it outward and ridding it of the wrinkles. Far more concerning than that, however, were the massive claws that grew from his now swollen hands, claws that ripped the bed cloth he’d been under.
Dan twisted in the bed, the muscle fibers beneath that bulging red skin convulsing and expanding. His enormous claws grew even larger; even now the muscles beneath that outer layer were shaking, growing like they were being pumped with liquid. Which, in a way, they were, since Molly was giving Dan a never-ending dose of monster-making juice and causing this whole mess. All the while, Dan stared right at him, horror on his face.
Erec aimed for the neck, right at the throat, as he pulled his axe down with all of his might.
The edge of the axe landed, then…went nowhere. It stopped at the skin, not able to break it, not even able to muster enough sheer force to sever the spinal cord beneath. Despite the Fury and his Strength.
Not enough. Erec yanked his axe back up, trying desperately to throw more flame into his engine, a bit more. All he needed was more rage; his shoulder screamed with pain as his body tried to break down, but he ignored it. There was no choice but to finish the job; he could ache and heal after. I hate this place. Erec swore to himself, channeling those words of anger.
Before he could summon enough of that fire from within, Dan’s overgrown hand shot up and caught the axe. Those eyes that beheld him no longer had a trace of the suffering man in them. Erec was staring at an animal. And that animal yanked Erec’s axe right of his grip with a force that far surpassed anything he’d seen before.
It flung the battle axe right at him. Erec threw himself aside, narrowly avoiding the weapon as it shot through the air and crashed into the suite's wall, embedding itself within it.
Erec leaped up, trying to devise a plan, only to have Dan standing right in front of him, slightly hunched. Then, before Erec could move, Dan backhanded him, sending Erec flying through the room just like his axe.
His back crashed into the wall connecting the bedroom to the suite's entrance, carving through the plaster and drywall interior. After flying through the wall and the next room, he smashed into the wall-sized screen beyond. It sparked as Erec caved it in. A shard of glass found a rend in his Armor and stabbed into his back. All Erec knew was confusion and pain, and he tried to stumble back into the fight. But Dan was there again, his body even larger, as if his spine had grown, while out of his back two more arms had torn their way out; Dan slammed all four appendages into Erec, ripping apart his Armor, tossing the plates of steel aside like trash. A fist crashed into Erec’s stomach, shattering a rib. Another followed up with an uppercut, sending Erec right into the room's ceiling, smashing his skull against the tile and then into the concrete layer above that.
When Erec crashed into the ground again, the monster grabbed him by the ankle. It then flung him back through the room they’d started in—smashing him right into the bed Dan had been barely alive in less than a minute before.
Erec lay there, amid the wreckage of a bed. Anger at his inability to keep pace surging and burning crashed against the pain and overwhelming feeling of powerlessness.
This thing was on an entirely different level. It was like fighting Boldwick, on those rare occasions the Master Knight truly went for it in a practice fight. Only this thing wasn’t pulling punches. It didn’t hold back at all. It would kill him.
Right as Erec started to rise, it was on him. Pinning him to the ground and raining its four fists down, smashing him against the floor, breaking through the carpet and wood beneath.
I can’t breathe. Erec forced his arms between himself and Dan, a meager defense against those weighty fists crashing against him. They held for a few seconds before it broke his defense. It pinned his arms down with two of its own. Leaving him wide open for a flurry of attacks with the monster's remaining two. A flurry that, without a doubt, was going to kill him.
Enide was there, her las-rifle point-blank against the head of the monster as it reared back for the final attack. She pulled the trigger. The laser was reflected in a dozen directions, and the monster screeched—then backhanded her. She didn’t slam into a wall, instead vanishing as she flew through the air, tumbling across the broken ground of the suite to break the momentum.
She’d bought him a second.
Come on. Erec willed the sputtering fire in him to swell into an inferno. He felt his body screech and protest, but he ignored it. Death or life. Afterward, it could complain and roll over. He pulled at everything in him. Fuck Vortex Industries. Die.
The next fist came slower, dragging down his perception of time. Erec knew, instinctively, that he didn’t have the Strength to catch it. Instead, Erec slapped the fist aside. The blow crashed right next to him, cracking into the steel beneath the ground and denting it. The monster formerly known as Dan seemed surprised that he had that much in him, that anything could challenge its rampage.
You will die.
Erec scrunched his legs up, shoving his feet against the monster’s chest, his whole body curled like a spring.
That is my duty.
Erec screamed, letting the fire burn anything in him it wanted. It could take, it could hate, it could consume, that sea of red burning bright, swirling with traces of the silver that was mostly gone beneath. For all he was worth, Erec pushed with his quads, feeling his muscle yell and threaten to snap under the effort. It was enough. The monster went flying, crashing into the suite's ceiling, breaking right through the pseudo-tile exterior, through the concrete layer behind, and right into the steel-lined exterior above. Bits of concrete showered Erec, one hitting his arm and drawing a cry of pain as he tumbled out of the way, avoiding the crashing body of Dan as what went up must come down.
Dan landed on all fours—or rather, on all sixes. His body further twisted, the back of his spine bursting out of his rear, forming into a stony tail as he arched. His jaw extended, jutting out like a muzzle. Erec didn’t take long to absorb the fact that by the second, Dan was becoming less like a man and more like some fucked-up blood-red wolf thing. He ran for his axe, a single bound taking him to the wall it was embedded in. He yanked it free in time to turn and take a swing at Dan, who leaped after.
The axe crashed into the monster's side, not cutting into it as he’d hoped, but smashing it like a hammer and throwing Dan through another wall. Out of the bedroom and back into the living space.
Fuck you.
His fires burned brighter. This thing. It was what he wanted. Each second, it grew in power, its body furthering into some ultimate product of a deranged science experiment. But this was what he wanted.
As the monster charged him again, Erec fought, glee coming to him in waves.
Each time, they sent one another flying—each bite, each chop of his axe. Every claw scoring a devastating hit on Erec—all of this was his deepest desire. This wasn’t the Stag, prey for him to chase down. This was another predator, another being that knew what bloodlust meant. Knew what it felt like to overwhelm a foe with complete power and kill it for the simple pleasure of killing.
And it didn’t stop. As he pushed against it, it pushed back, stronger, growing ever more quickly than himself as its body broke its limits.
They ruined the suite as they fought, coating it in blood. With the right angle, his axe could cut, but none of the blows were deep enough.
