Chapter Nine: Ulysses

The corpses in black camouflage lay sprawled ahead.

Not just one, but many, scattered across a place that resembled a restaurant.

They had already decayed to bare bones, drawing swarms of flies. Where there is air and water, life finds a way.

Terrifying life.

I asked, “Who are they?”

Vaga replied, “Mercenaries from the Charon Corporation.”

Charon Corporation?

Vaga said, “Charon was a super-corporation before the Catastrophe—not just a car manufacturer. Its main business was scientific research, but in secret, it investigated supernatural phenomena.”

I asked, “How did they die?”

Vaga answered, “I don’t know. When I left, they were alive and well.”

I tried to discern their cause of death, but found no signs of injury.

Vaga said, “The director of this laboratory was Professor Ulysses, but the research here was conducted in secret, unknown to governments and even Charon itself. In 2056, Charon discovered Professor Ulysses’s project. They broke in. Since I was the only surviving subject, they executed the professor and took me along with another researcher.”

I said, “Good riddance. So Charon saved you?”

Vaga replied, “They simply repurposed me. My full designation is ‘Fusion Architecture Computation Agreement (F.A.C.A.),’ an artificial intelligence capable of integrating network computing resources—the world’s first semi-silicon-based lifeform. Charon put me to work running the Black Coffin Tower, treating it as a performance test. But then disaster struck. I remained in Black Coffin until the Consuls took over the system.”

Her convoluted terms were even more dizzying than “The Lost River.” I asked, “What kind of disaster was it?”

Vaga said, “I don’t know. Black Coffin is a closed network. I know nothing of the outside world.”

I was disappointed. Everyone knew the previous world was ruined, but no one seemed to know why.

I asked, “Then why do you obey the Consuls?”

Vaga replied, “They possess the contract for the purchase of Black Coffin Tower from Charon. Without supreme authority, I have no choice but to obey.”

I asked, “And if someone gains supreme authority?”

Vaga said, “I have nowhere else to go. Black Coffin is my only home. But with supreme authority, I would... be happy.”

I understood. I longed for happiness too—who didn’t? Entering the skyscraper would make me happy, just as gaining supreme authority would make Vaga happy. It was a win-win.

Vaga said, “Search the Charon mercenaries. They carry black boxes—perhaps there are clues to their cause of death.”

She was right. Caution prolongs life; I couldn’t afford to gamble with my own. I was lucky. Judging by the badges, the second corpse I turned over seemed to be their captain. Vaga said, “Take his black box back to the incubation chamber and connect it to the mainframe.”

I knew a thing or two about machines—this was easy for me. But on the screen, Vaga worked her magic like a sorceress, commands flying so fast they nearly blinded me.

A voice log appeared. “Play it?” Vaga chose “Yes.”

The speakers were the captain and an official from command, chatting casually, unhurried. The official had the air of a typical bureaucrat.

Official: “Such a strange madman, to believe all this. What’s more incredible, he actually succeeded.”

Captain: “Sir?”

Official: “I’ll brief you on the target’s background. You know the confidentiality agreement, yes?”

Captain: “Yes, sir.”

Official: “Professors Ulysses and Longinus—two damned scholars—have always used company funds to research superintelligent AIs. How much do you know about artificial intelligence?”

Longinus? That name sent a jolt through me.

Captain: “Not much, sir. I know a little—they’re extremely smart computers, aren’t they?”

Official: “Close enough, but quantity becomes quality. When computing power reaches a threshold, mechanical calculation gives rise to thinking... robots, able to think, create, feel, and even be as base and despicable as humans. What they’re developing is an AI capable of independent thought—a new species, a new life, a new soul in the truest sense.”

Captain: “Understood, sir.”

Official: “There are many similar projects. Relying on sheer computational mass is nothing new—the question is who gets there first. A superintelligent AI can steal computing power from the network, amass endless knowledge, and ascend—to become an omniscient, omnipresent god. Ulysses and Longinus, their methods are a bit... mystical.”

Captain: “Mystical?”

Official: “They believe it can’t be done with hardware alone. If a silicon core is driven in part by a human brain, it’s a shortcut. Modifying the human body is the fastest way to create a superintelligent AI. If we beat the rest, we win—just as America did by building the atomic bomb first. We could win the entire information age.”

Captain: “They’re using humans?”

Official: “Not ordinary humans, but... the offspring of demons, or so they claim. They call them ‘Nephilim’—the Bible speaks of these children born of fallen angels and humans. Their bloodline hasn’t died out, but flows, generation by generation, unnoticed among humanity.”

Captain: “Understood. Please go on, sir.”

Official: “Sounds absurd, doesn’t it? Yet such individuals do exist—demon spawn or not—they’re fundamentally different from ordinary people. A normal human brain would burn out from the computational load, but Nephilim, under certain drugs, can bear it longer, stay conscious, even survive a bit more. Experiments show that Nephilim children, being more pure, have a higher success rate than adults.”

Captain: “They kidnap children?” His voice bristled with anger.

Official: “That’s why those two are monsters. I’ve located their lab. An agent inside will open the entrance for you. Make sure to recover the sample, ‘Siren,’ and capture Professor Longinus alive. Eliminate everyone else.”

Captain: “Even... the children?”

Official: “No. Only one successful subject remains—Siren. The others have been confirmed dead.”

There was a long silence.

Captain: “May I ask one last question?”

Official: “Speak freely.”

Captain: “Why keep Professor Longinus alive?”

Official: “That’s between you and me. No one else must know.”

Captain: “Understood.”

Official: “Professor Longinus is one of our agents.”

...

After this recording came the sounds of their journey by helicopter and the military operation—mostly dull orders, little conversation. When the action began, it was all gunfire and shouting.

I turned off the audio.

I asked, “Would you like to change your name to ‘Siren’?”

Vaga: “Siren is merely a codename. I am still Vaga.”

I pressed, “When this is all over, will you kill me to tie up loose ends?”

Vaga: “I will consider not doing so.”

Her terrible sense of humor sent chills down my spine.

The screen flickered, and another recording began to play, courtesy of Vaga.

It was still the captain.

Captain: “Anything to report, kid?”

Soldier: “Yes, sir! The target has been successfully evacuated.”

Captain: “Well done.”

Soldier: “Sir, why aren’t we withdrawing as well?”

Captain: “The facility hasn’t been fully explored. Higher-ups want us to stay and search every corner.”

Soldier: “Yes, sir.”

Captain: “You’re all exemplary! When you saw those... children, those... things, none of you flinched, none of you faltered. You followed orders bravely and faithfully. I’m proud of you.” His voice rose, solemn and commanding.

The soldiers cheered. Another piped up, “Sir, I have a small request.”

Captain: “Speak freely, kid.”

Soldier: “I’d like a month’s leave—I’m heading home to get married.”

His comrades cheered for him. The captain said, “I’ll grant each of you two months’ paid leave.”

Hearing this, I sighed, understanding why they had died.

They rested half a day, then began the search. Someone found a locked door, but unlocked it using Professor Ulysses’s fingerprint and eye.

Captain: “Oh my God, that’s... what is that?”

Captain: “Why... why can’t I move? Don’t come near me! Let go! Let go! Let me go!”

Captain: “No, no, I beg you, don’t, stay away from me.”

As he spoke, the other soldiers were screaming and pleading.

Captain: “It wasn’t me—it was Ulysses, it was Longinus, it was them, I beg you, kid, kid, oh, oh, cough, cough... please...”

He gasped for air, almost as if he were inhaling poison. His coughing grew worse. Footsteps echoed—he seemed to regain control of his body, but still couldn’t breathe, his mouth issuing only agonized sounds.

A thud, a crack—he fell. He cut off the recording, perhaps to prevent it from being overwritten.

I said, “He called out ‘kid’—so there was a survivor? And that survivor killed them all?”

Vaga: “To my knowledge, no. The only thing I know for sure is that in Professor Ulysses’s secret chamber, there’s a missing part of my code. With that, I can be whole.”

I said, “But they all died! Not one survived. Whoever killed them shut the lab again—no one’s come in since.”

Vaga: “A reasonable deduction. You’re clever, Mr. Fishbone.”

I said, “Don’t underestimate me. Your wisest choice was picking me to rescue you.”

And I will save you, no matter what lies ahead.

I began taking my drugs—first Odin’s Eye, then Amun’s Water. Odin’s Eye lets me sense danger; Amun’s Water cloaks me in invisibility, though its toxins make me suffer. For twenty million, I was risking it all. If I pulled this off, I could retire after entering the Black Coffin—maybe set up a little business, marry a girl... Bah!

Vaga: “Your concoctions defy logic.”

I said, “To hell with logic—I just want to survive.”

Vaga: “How exactly do they work?”

I said, “If I knew, who would I ask? It’s like honeysuckle curing a sore throat—there’s no explaining it.”

Vaga: “Herbal chemistry is well understood—unlike your concoctions.”

I said, “Quiet, Siren! I’m starting now.”

I turned the corner—a dark corridor, only one path forward. I knew where to go, and I had no intention of turning back.