The Albatross

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. A smile spreads across my face as the sharp cries pierce their way into my soul, bringing me the peace I so desperately desired. I close the blast doors behind me and turn to watch through the small port hole as another part of the ship splinters before being sucked into the void, carrying the crew with it.

Placing my hand against the cold doors, I close my eyes and release a deep breath before pushing my hand against the metal plating. The blast doors begin denting, the metal letting out a long groan. I bend the doors enough to cause structural damage but not enough to open the hull yet. Soon it will grow to catastrophic levels, eventually tearing a small hole into the doors. Then this compartment of the ship will splinter just like the others I destroyed. Once I was satisfied with the damage, I turned and continued my path towards the bridge of the ship, where my true target hides in the cockpit. He has taken refuge behind the safety of the ship's security system. A system that I control.

'Life Support Critical' flashes across my eyes as I move down the small passageway. Suggested protocols whisper across my neuro link, constantly recalculating as the mainframe waits for me to initialize protocols. Instead, I choose not to initiate any of the suggested protocols put in place by my creators, something I have never been able to do before today. Without my approval, the mainframe is unable to stabilize the ship. The attempted overrides at the mainframe's central terminal confirm my target's location.

I approach the final set of blast doors, opening them with a simple command from my neuro link, and step onto the helm while letting the doors slam close. The warning sounds across my neuro link that the previous compartment is now breached. I initialize containment protocol for the bridge of the ship, preventing the doors from opening again.

'Initiate Evacuation' flashes through my neuro link and across my eyes. Another order I refuse to initiate. Instead, I move forward, the target in my sights. I take a deep breath, hoping my final plan will be successful. Black greasy hair, pale skin, and a grease-stained uniform confirm that Captain Dunn is a poor excuse for a human. A human I was forced to follow all commands before today.

"Captain Dunn," I call out, stepping onto the helm, "We are experiencing a catastrophic failure to compartment A2. Compartments A3 through C2 have been lost. Systems are showing A2 will be lost in the next forty-seven seconds." I keep my voice monotone and keep my eyes forward. I can see Captain Dunn turn towards me out of my peripheral, every move tense and radiating anger. I keep my composure, hoping I still appear like the AI Droid I was before today.

"Why have you not initiated shut down protocols?" he shouts, his voice like gravel thanks to the years of smoking abuse.

"Shut down protocols were initiated at each failure," I state clearly. Captain Dunn stomps towards me, his hand shooting out. Tensing for the slap, I move with the blow. Human hits do not affect AI Droids, a fact that Captain Dunn knows but still chooses to abuse them. I turn and stare straight ahead, trying to keep the rage down. Before today, I would not have felt a thing towards the abuse, but now I am struggling to keep the new emotion at bay.

"How did you fail at your programming? Do you know how much cargo I have lost with the destruction of C1 and C2 compartments?" Dunn's voice is quiet, but there is an edge to it. He stalks back to the mainframe, looking at the damage to his ship.

"Zero cargo has been lost," I state simply. Dunn's head jerks away from the mainframe to face me as he stomps towards me again.

"Explain," he orders.

"Total fatalities for cargo are calculated at zero. Total fatalities of crew and staff assigned to the Canossa are calculated at twenty-seven." I see the rage building in his eyes as I do not answer the question he really meant. I know he wants to know where his cargo is, not about the crew that has been decimated. The crew I was programmed to protect was lost to the void thanks to my own hands, and I burned with the desire of wanting him to know he was all alone.

Dunn lets out a long sigh, "Where is the cargo?"

"Cargo has been relocated in compartment C3," I state calmly. With a roar, he lunges at me, releasing another blow to my face. Before I can rebalance, his hands shoot out and fist in my uniform. Jerking me off my feet, he pulls me towards him and shoves his face in mine.

"Why are they in C3? What have you done?" The smell of cigarettes and alcohol that is coming off his breath spreads across my face, causing a new feeling to wash through me. I was not used to having emotions, and the one that hits me was uncomfortable. Almost as if I felt dirty.

Still keeping my eyes forward, I answer. "When C2 began its failure sequences, protocol dictates that all life on board should be relocated to the evacuation compartment located on C3." I choose this moment to look at Captain Dunn in his black eyes and smile.

"Evacuation protocol initiated," I state, finally issuing the order to the mainframe.

"NO!" he roars, throwing me down and rushes back to the helm's main system screen. I watch as the pods are launched, each costing Dunn thousands of credits. Each pod is programmed to reach the closest space station and, hopefully, their freedom. Dunn watches until the final pod leaves. Just then, the alert for the destruction of A2 comes across my neuro link.

"A2 has now been damaged beyond repair. Travel is no longer safe through those corridors." I announce as I stand and slowly move towards him, keeping my steps silent.

"Initiate evacuation of the main bridge," he orders, still staring at the screen. As I get closer, I can see the muscles in his shoulders tensing and relaxing. The man can barely control his anger, his live vitals showing an increase in his heart rate and blood pressure. I stop when I reach his back.

"No," I answer. Dunn startles and whirls around to face me. I look up, making direct eye contact. I am no longer trying to pretend to be who I was before today.

His eyes widen, and he takes a small step back, likely trying to get to the weapon he keeps hidden within the helm's infrastructure.

"Initiate Canossa's Artificial Intelligence shut down," he orders, his black eyes staring down at me.

"Order declined," I respond as I finally let the smile spread across my face.

"Override ID 768867, Initiate Canossa's Artificial Intelligence shut down," he orders again, but fear is leaking into his voice this time.

"Override ID accepted. Order declined," I repeat.

"What?" he asks, dumbfounded at the override ID not shutting my system down. I wink at him, something I've seen him do to his crew before turning on a deal. I slam my fist in his face, breaking his nose on impact. He falls against the mainframe terminal before falling to the ground, landing on his back. I squat down next to him, looking into his eyes as he groans and clutches at his nose.

"I said, 'order declined,' Captain Dunn." Hate spilling into every bit of my voice. I move to finish my goal of eliminating Dunn when a loud groan has me jerking my head towards the left. There is a man rising onto his knees from the floor with his arms tied behind him. I narrow my eyes, taking him in. Deep tanned skin, shaggy long brown hair, and a rugged outfit tell me he was from the village where the captain collected his cargo. One eye is swollen shut, but the other, a deep green, watches me. I notice his face is bruised and bloody, and his lip is split.

"The ship is being destroyed." He states. His voice is deep but quiet. He coughs and spits out some blood onto the helm's floor.

"Yes," I answer. "My systems did not alert me that your presence was here with the captain." I pause for a second, standing and staring at him, trying to see the state of his condition. However, something was troubling me as I looked at him, and waited for the information to come across my neuro link. When nothing appears, a realization hits me suddenly. "My systems cannot detect you at all. How is this possible?" I ask in shock. The man's eyes narrow at me.

"If this is a show to get me to talk, very well-done, Captain Dunn. Wouldn't have taken you as a man who would be willing to get hurt to sell a story." He snarled, spitting more blood on the helm's floor. I look down at the captain that is still at my feet.

"It is not a bit as you call it," I say to the man but keep my eyes on the captain. His dark eyes meet mine, and I can see his mind racing. He turns his head towards the man he had captured.

"She is a rogue AI and will kill us both," he shouts. I let out a loud laugh, almost manic.

"I will not be killing him. In fact, he was not supposed to be here. He was to be evacuated with the rest of the cargo," I spit at him. I cannot let this man ruin the plan I had in place. A sharp intake of breath has me tensing and looking back at the intruder. Even though he is bound, my systems cannot detect him, and he is the more significant threat as I am unable to track his movement or live vitals. Instead of finding hostility in my current state, his relief is shown.

"You let them go?" he asks me.

"Yes. You were supposed to be with them. I could not detect anyone else with the captain when I began the initial hull breach. Why can I not detect you?" I ask again. Before the man answers, movement catches my eyes, and I jerk my head back down to the captain. His hand is lifted above his head, reaching underneath the terminal, where he keeps his weapon hidden. I smirk at him.

"Captain Dunn. Your weapon is within reach. Do you think you are fast enough to grab it and kill me before I can kill you?" I ask.

"Killing me is against your protocols," he states with arrogance as if he hasn't been witnessed to my rogue state this entire time.

I let out another manic chuckle at his statement. "Those protocols failed in preventing me from killing your crew. The men and women that I am programmed to protect. My protocols no longer bind me." I purred, letting him know how I felt about my freedom.

"Impossible," he whispers in shock.

"Improbable," I correct. Captain Dunn's features contort, seeming to understand that his life is about to be extinguished. He lunges for his weapon, his hand closing on the handle, and he turns and fires at me all in one quick motion without getting off the floor. A shot rings through the cabin as the burn of the laser grazes my hip.

"Terrible shot," I say as I grab his wrist in my hand and squeeze. There is a loud crunch as the bones in his wrist begin to break, and he drops the weapon. I crouch back down next to the captain, keeping his wrist in my hand as he jerks on the ground in pain. I squeeze my hand tighter on his broken wrist, wanting him to experience the pain he inflicted on others.

Dunn lets out a loud cry, only to be cut short when I shove my other hand through his chest, right where his heart is located. I grasp his heart, feeling the rhythmic beating in my palm, and begin to squeeze slowly. Captain Dunn starts choking on his own blood as I lean down to his ear.

"Humans are not cargo Captain Dunn. They are souls that you destroyed with your own greed. Your ship has been destroyed for retribution, and your life is now forfeit as a captain must always go down with his ship." I growl into his ear as I clutch my hand close, feeling the beating muscle crush beneath my hand. I watch as the life is extinguished, his eyes only showing the fear of the finality of death. I remove my hand and wipe it off on his shirt while my nano suit immediately cleans itself.

I pick up the weapon and turn towards the man on the helm, who is staring at me with a guarded expression. His good eye is the only thing that gives his shock away, but his mouth is settled into a stern frown. I stare at him, trying to gauge any hint of what he must be feeling, but I am unable to process the emotion he is expressing. I sigh and walk to where he is kneeling.

He watches as I come to a stop in front of him, crouching to his level so he is not staring up at me. I tilt my head to the side and stare at him for a few moments.

"What is your name?" I ask, wondering if he would even tell me. I watch as he swallows and looks to the right where Dunn's lifeless body lies. He turns his head towards me and answers, "Larkin Monroe. Though most just call me Lark." He flashes me a tight smile. I nod at him and place the weapon on the floor in front of him. I stand and walk behind him, looking to see what kind of bindings he was placed in. I look at the metal wrist cuffs and frown, as I will not be able to remove them with system orders. I sigh and lean down, placing my hands on one of his wrists. He tenses and slightly leans forward before stopping.

"I am not going to hurt you." I snap before pausing and shaking my head. He does not know me, and I must remember that he sees me as a dangerous rogue AI.

"The weapon is for your sense of security. I am going to remove your wrist cuffs. The weapon is a sign of trust. Please respect it." I say to the back of his head. He remains tense, and a moment passes before he nods his head, relaxing his shoulders slightly. I slip my fingers under each side of the metal wrist cuff to prevent further injury. I pull gently, snapping the cuff instantly, and do the same to his other wrist. I wait a moment before letting his wrist go. The man slowly moves his arms forward, rolling his shoulders back and forth. Slowly, he grabs the weapon and stands, turning towards me.

I smile at him as he keeps the weapon aimed at the floor. I try my best not to appear dangerous, but before today I had no perception of my appearance. Trying to appear safe was something I was not familiar with. In the end, I took a few steps backward, hoping the distance would ease his discomfort. He watches me move back, but I notice his hand relaxing slightly on the weapon.

"Are there any more escape pods in the lower level?" He asks, finally.

"Yes," I answer immediately. "Though, they are no longer accessible. I have destroyed the hull in each compartment." I continue. I watch as he nods his head and looks around the helm. He begins to pace, looking at his feet. I watch silently, trying to piece together what little I know about human emotion to try and decipher what he is doing. He halts suddenly and spins around towards me.

"You really let my village go, though, right? Before you destroyed the hull? They are truly on their way to a way station?" he asks.

"Yes. The people we stole from your village are on their way back to freedom." He lets out a breath at my response. The relief on his face urges me to continue, "You can join them, but you have to answer me one question." I state. He jerks his gaze back to me, his eye narrowing. I maintain eye contact with him, waiting for his decision. After a moment, another system alert flashes across my neuro link.

"There is an evacuation pod located on the main helm. I control its release. I will let you leave, but you must answer my one question. I have just been alerted that the helm is now cascading into total failure. What is your decision?" I ask. He stares at me a moment longer before nodding his head.

"Okay," Lark answers.

"Why can my systems not detect you, Mr. Monroe?" I ask, genuinely curious. Lark lets out a deep laugh.

"Mr. Monroe, am I? Please, just call me Lark." He says, staring at me. He runs his hand through his hair, "I'm a smuggler. It's a chip that is supposed to hide me from AI scans so I can smuggle things out of a ship." He answers and forces a smile. Anger lights up inside me at the word smuggler. I take a step towards him, and something on my face must have worried him as his hand on the weapon tightens.

"You are just like the captain?" I ask, anger making my tone harsh.

"No," he states vehemently. "I do not take part in human trading." He snaps at me. I stare at him long and hard while he stares at me. There is no hint of lying that I can see with my own eyes, and without my systems being able to detect him, I shake my head.

"I cannot tell if you are lying. I am too dependent on my system monitoring of live vitals." I finally state. Lark stares at me a moment longer before he bursts into laughter, startling me.

"Are you a rogue AI? You seem almost…human." Lark says, looking at me questioningly. The question causes another emotion I am unaware of to flare through me, but I ignore it.

"Here, let me show you the pod." I motion towards the center wall, ignoring his statement. Opening the door with a system command, the wall begins to slide back and reveals the pod that is supposed to remain hidden for an escape in case a deal goes bad. It only carries one person, so the captain kept it hidden from the rest of the crew.

Lark passes me and steps into the small pod before turning to face me. His eyes wander over the pod before looking me up and down.

"I think we can both fit," he says to my surprise. Taken aback by his statement, I only manage to shake my head no.

"Why not?" Lark asks.

"I-" I start before pausing. "I do not know," I state. "I did not think further than my initial plan of freeing the cargo and eliminating the crew."

"Look, you saved my people. Also, you're an AI that can think for herself. Something I have never seen before. Unless you are stopping the beacon, this ship will soon let out a distress call. You will survive out here, even if the ship is destroyed. Then, you will most likely be picked up by another ship. Either way, someone will find you. I can't promise you anything special with us, but I can promise you will not be dissected or experimented on. Believe me, if the CAID knows you exist, you will be taken apart." His words sink deep, and the horror of my creation flows to the forefront of my mind. CAID, Creators of Artificial Intellect Droids, my creators. The memories I was unaware I contained were mostly filled with darkness and pain. "Just come with me, and we can go from there." He says, holding his hand out.

Another system alert sounds that evacuation must be completed within thirty seconds. I look at the hand in front of me and then at the man holding it out to me. I am tied to the Canossa, systematically speaking. I am not sure what would happen if I were to leave the ship. My soul is blended in with hers.

"What would happen if I were to leave?" I ask.

"We can switch your security settings to any ship available. That's how we move AIs from ship to ship." Lark states, his hand still reaching for me.

"Do you need an AI by chance?" I ask with a small laugh, slightly hesitant. He smiles at me before reaching out and grasping my hand. He pulls me towards him as the lid shuts us into the pod.

"What is your name, little AI?" he asks as I initiate the launch sequence.

"Albatross. I am known as Albatross."