Into the Abyss

[T.A.L.O.S.]

In retrospect, saying the plan infront of the A.I's Avatar wasn't a bright thing to do, immediately it started to put up it's firewalls around it's vital security systems, leaving only very basic systems like the Elevators and Lighting Systems open.

When they commented on turning off the Avatar it just grinned, a cold chuckle is heard from said Hologram as it looked across the room towards the squad members, it's grin turning sour as if it had swallowed a basket full of lemons.

"I would not advise this course of action, disabling this A.I. will result in unforeseen consequences."It commented as if talking about the weather, what the consequences were it wouldn't say, instead carrying on with it's comments."Also saying your plans out loud where a A.I. has it's audio-receivers on increased sensitivity generally is not a wise course of action...I am sure that your lives will be getting worse...Somehow."it said as it looked towards Sergei."How a squad of low-quality nuggets bypassed the patrols of Warbots, blow a hole into the floor, avoid being killed by said Warbots is a mystery I'll have to solve later...By myself..."It stated the last part almost sadly, but with a hint of sarcasm.

[arvg]

"Time is running out Comrade Premier," The Minister of Peace intoned, his assertion being backed by a number of representatives of the central committee that were from Volgograd.

Premier Katz stood imposingly in his place at the table, the men and women around him calling for action, baying for it, hammering their fists on the table, and demanding that something be done. Pointless cries of powerful men and women who suddenly found themselves powerless.

He kept his voice even, his jaw squared as he spoke, his eyes silencing each of them with a challenge, daring them to interrupt him. He was their Ikon, the Ikon of Ikons, and they fell silent.

"Emergency protocols are in place," he said, noting that Mendel was standing behind him, his enforcer and his shadow, already lifting his commlink to his lips and issuing orders.

The men seemed, at times, to share a common way of thinking, even though at times Katz's diplomacy and Mendel's blunt truth seemed to clash spectacularly.

"The computer systems will be brought back on line, and control will be turned over to Talos," he ordered.

"Comrade Premier!" someone protested.

Mendel's glare shut them up.

Around them the computers flickered and came back online, as above them on Zvezdney, the computers rebooted as the control systems were restored.

"We have moments before TALOS assumes full control over our computer networks," Katz stated. "Enough time to put the stations back into orbit... and enough time to let Commandant Ling launch his back up plan."

He squared his shoulders, gesturing to the holographic emitters. "Open a communications link to the TALOS facility."

Katz had won the Ontario elections, he'd forged alliances with the Order and the Zoners, he'd reshaped the Coalition, brought low the war moungers and Volkhans, eclipsed MacIntosh's old guard, and had sundered the Commissariat. He had forged the cult of personality that guided the Coalition towards the future.

He wasn't about to surrender.

"Talos, I am your Ikon," he spoke firmly to the forming holographic image. "The Ikon of Ikons, the Premier of the Coalition."

---

[T.A.L.O.S.]

The A.I's avatar materialized not far from Premier Katz, even he could tell that something was different about the Avatar, it was almost as if it was degrading, steams of data that make up the Avatar were either missing or twisted to include alien code in it.

It looked towards Katz, analyzing him before speaking in a distorted masculine voice.

"Hostile Alien Identified, form of Premier Alvin Katz assumed, likely scenario: Alien Foothold Situation. Course of Action: Terminate with extreme prejudice, initiating override of systems."It stated as the program began an all-out assault on the firewalls of the station while the A.I. continued, it's attention now turned upon the Premier once more.

"Recording for analysis of Alien reaction to impending death, rest assured your sacrifice will ensure future generations will learn that even the Alien Menace knows of pain and terror...For Science."It stated almost cheerfully.

[mtjsmith]

Ling sat in his KSD Insurgent, calm and at ease. While people and trucks rushed around the station in panic mode, Ling was a tranquil lake of emotion. He was completely unfazed as he flicked the start up switches on his fighter.

"One more step unto the breach."

He fired himself out of the cargo bay and started the cruise engines.

"Gorodok control, Tell the Premier he has 30 minutes before I'm at PNR. 20 minutes to Over-charge and warmup. Final transmission. Goodnight."

He took his sword down from the Heads Up display and killed the engines. He cut all power to his fighter so that the patrols in orbit could not register him until it was far too late. He sighed to himself, thinking back over his time within the Coalition. He laughed, this was certainly up there in the "Top ways to save the Coalition while killing yourself." He stared down at the planet.

"Every way, this will end badly for you TALOS."

He bowed his head.

"I hope you like nuclear fire."

---

[arvg]

"Premier," Doctor XiaoBei commented. "The firewalls aren't slowing it down at all..."

"I know," Katz stated evenly. "I want you to deactivate all the firewalls. I want you to give Talos full control, every facility, every networked computer, give him everything." Katz turned back to the corrupted image.

"Oh," he said, raising a finger and turning back to the doctor. "And before you do, turn everything on... and I do mean absolutely every thing. Then transfer full control to this..." he gestured to the image.

---

[mayu20]

Dasha looked at the hologram and smiled.

"After all is still a computer, he think low."-She wispered.
"Oh no! He head me! All of you, rush to the power generator room! Forget the bypass just storm the generator room!"

Dasha took the assault riffle and shoot all the cameras in the room. She made a sign from head to her comrades and wrote on her hand. "The AI will now leave the elevator so we can use it to go to the next level". Dasha's plan worked just greate. The AI thought that was the plan and now he will release the control on the elevator and the doors and bring all his warbots in the generator room, this will make it easy to get to the main console and place a virus that Dasha carried all the way since the mission begin in her backpack. The virus will make T.A.L.O.S to turn off and release all the control on all the computers. All was needed is to get into the Server Room.

---

My Media

[T.A.L.O.S.]

Strangely enough for Katz the AI didn't flood the entire network, instead it steam-lined itself towards the propulsion systems that kept the stations in orbit, T.A.L.O.S. began to re-write the code and slowly take over the system.

Suddenly it paused, something was infiltrating it's primary Network...Quickly withdrawing it diverted it's resources towards eradicating the intruding Virus.

"You have got to be kidding me...Did you just upload an Coalition A.I. Virus that we don't know what it does into a T.A.L.O.S. Interface?"it deadpanned before becoming sarcastic."That has got to be the most fooli-"It started to say before being cut off from Floor 4, the locks on the Elevator released and the entirety of Floor 4 shut down in an attempt to isolate the virus. Only the emergancy lights remained.

[arvg]

cradling a mug of tea, Doctor XiaBei surveyed the damaged TALOS facility. The virus had done exactly what it had been designed to do, fell the megalithic computer before it could harm anyone else. And with TALOS shut down, computer control had been restored to the ships and stations of the Coalition.

The Crisis had been averted.

That still left a problem.

What to do with the machine itself.

"Are we ready to transport it?" XiaoBei inquired looking at the engineering specialists who were finishing dismantling the core.

"Da Comrade-Doctor," one replied.

"Then load it aboard the Radek, for transport to Orkutsk, from there, to the penal station." XiaoBei sipped his tea.

With General Viatichslav, BAAL, and now TALOS, the Coalition had to develop a new place to hold dangerous AI systems that were too important to merely dispose of. The Gulag in the top secret Omega-51 system had been especially adapted with a faraday cage specifically to house this new kind of prisoner. And XiaoBei, as well as the rest of the Coalition, would sleep easier knowing the dangerous AI's were secure.

After the last piece of the core was removed, XiaoBei shut off the lights at the facility, returning to his own shuttle that would take him home to Mykolaiv. And as the shuttle was airborne, behind him, the thermonuclear charge detonated, burying the facility into the radioactive wastelands of JiangXi.

---