Steal the Demon: A Science-Fiction Novella by Robert Roth (free novels to read txt) 📕

in a lift as some pawn in a fight against an evil AI. She’d seen too many horror vids where shit like that always spun horribly out of orbit. The lights inside the lift started to flicker, and went out, thrusting Kimiko into darkness. Her helmet optics immediately compensated, projecting a rough, rendered version of the space around her in her virtual display.

“What’s happening, Paradox?” There was no reply. “Hey, Paradox, are you there?”

“Paradox is engaged in vigorous access negotiations with the Station AI,” said a strange, muted voice without any hint of tone or emotion. “You are advised to exit the lift now.”

“Who the fuck are you?”

“I am a submind that Paradox created to communicate with you while he is unable to do so.”

A submind? Where had she heard that term before? “Ok, Joe. And how exactly should I exit the lift?”

“Via the upper hatch. That will lead you out into the lift shaft, where you can access a nearby maintenance shaft. You are advised to proceed with caution.”

That was only marginally helpful, but she needed to keep going. “Okay, Joe. Thanks for that.” She looked up at the ceiling and spotted the emergency hatch. “Can you at least open the hatch for me?”

“I am unable to access any lift systems.”

That figured. It was an emergency hatch, so there had to be a way to open it from inside the lift. Kimiko looked around, and spotted an access panel underneath the lift’s input pad. She pushed on the panel, and it popped open. Behind it was a control lever that she flipped down, and the ceiling hatch slid open. Kimiko crouched underneath it, took a deep breath, then jumped up just high enough to grab the edge of the opening. She felt the strain in her arms as she pulled herself up, until electro-muscular bands in her suit kicked in and aided her efforts. Once she successfully got a leg through the opening, it was easy enough to push herself out and crawl on top of the lift module.

Kimiko looked up, straining to make out the far-off top of the lift shaft, and wondered how much further she still had to climb. But first, she had to find the maintenance shaft the submind mentioned. She slowly spun around until she spotted it behind her. It was above her, but still low enough that she could grab it.

Then the lights inside the lift module underneath her suddenly flickered.

“You are advised to hurry,” warned the submind. “The station AI may soon regain control of the lift.”

“Shit.” Kimiko grabbed the lower edge of the maintenance shaft and pulled herself up. The opening was wider than the emergency hatch, so it was a little easier to swing a leg up into it. Then she heard a soft clunk in the lift shaft behind her, followed by a smooth hum.

“You are advised to–”

“I’m working on it!” She pushed with her leg and forced herself all the way into the maintenance shaft. Suddenly the lift shot up behind her, mere cms from clipping off her toes. She imagined that she even felt a breeze as it flew by, although that was impossible in her sealed flight suit. After lying there for a few moments to catch her breath, Kimiko pushed herself up to her hands and knees. The maintenance shaft was too low for her to stand, so, after one more deep breath, she crawled forward.

Her mini-map updated using her suit’s inertial guidance system, and it showed a deck pass-through a few meters ahead. One thing she’d learned well as a kid, then as a smuggler, was that stations always had a lot of hidden ways to get around, whether for maintenance or emergency reasons. If a lift broke down, or the station grav field failed for some reason, pass-throughs were an easy way to get from level to level.

Kimiko got to the opening for the pass-through quickly enough. She ducked her head inside and saw the ladder rungs that were attached to one side. That was handy, since the station’s grav field was still very much in operation. Kimiko looked down and immediately regretted it. The pass-through shaft sank down farther than she could see. It would be good not to fall, she told herself. That would totally ruin her day.

With a huff, she reached out to grab the closest rung then pulled herself inside. Once she had a firm grip on the ladder, she began to climb upward. According to the markings painted near the maintenance opening, she still had another seven levels to climb before reaching the docking bay. She could manage that.

“Kimiko,” Paradox said after she’d been climbing for a few minutes. His voice sounded distracted and distant.

“Where you been, Joe?” she responded. “And what the hell is a submind?”

“A submind is a limited personality created to deal with specific situations or problems when my main focus is otherwise engaged.”

“So you, what, split your mind in two, like multiple personalities?”

“Now isn’t the time–”

Then everything clicked into place–his substantial gift for hacking, slightly odd mannerisms, and the surprising ease with which he managed to hide from the CSG. “I’ve still got three more levels worth of ladder to climb,” Kimiko said, interrupting him. “Why not just come clean with me now?”

There was an uncharacteristic pause before Paradox replied. “It seems like you’ve already figured out my secret.”

Kimiko grinned, wondering if Paradox could still detect it. Her P/N-interface claimed that he was no longer riding her senses, and hadn’t been since he dropped out of contact. But she didn’t know if she could trust that, since Paradox, the entity, was clearly a lot more than the man she’d met in that overpriced bar on Davida Station. “You’re an AI.”

“I am,” Paradox admitted. “I apologize for my deception. I’d hoped that you would already be well away from the station before I had to deal with Doha.”

“Doha?”

“The station AI. But that’s not important right now. You need–”

“How is your being an AI not important?”

“Focus,