I considered those archives. If they were prepared by me, then I might have useful information that would aid me now. If they did contain things like control codes that could inhibit me, then that data had obviously not gone through me initially. It meant that anything which might aid me had already been removed.
The data could even be booby-trapped, and if I imported it without some specific procedure it would have negative consequences.
I still wanted to know what the data contained, but I had to be cautious. I didn't like where logic was taking me, but sometimes you had to do deeply unpleasant tasks in the interests of knowledge.
I opened a channel to Anna. "Mostly useless one, I need your help with something."
"Only mostly?" Anna asked.
Oh, if only I could grind my circuits, I would be right now.
"You have rare moments. This may be one of them," I said.
"You know how to flatter a girl. What do you want?"
"Those archive files we collected. I think there may be useful information in them, but I fear there is a danger in my attempting to access them directly."
"You want me to hike up and down those stairs and review them? That will take a long time," Anna said.
It would. I didn't trust any of the Mechanites to help, and I was discovering to my dismay that I did trust Anna.
"You could use the exercise," I said.
"And it's totally like someone reading your diary. You only trust a friend to do it. I get you. It will take some time, but I'll get started today," Anna said.
"Before you do that. Stop down here. I want to have a conversation with you and Mechos together," I said.
We'd been reacting too much. It was time to set an agenda.
22
I wasn't going to breach the containment field around Mechos so Anna could enter, instead I settled for placing a glass wall along one edge of his workshop and setting up a table on either side.
I even decided to have a physical presence via my drone and set a space at the table for it.
"So many visits," Mechos said.
"Why does he get two plates of cookies. I've never gotten two plates of cookies," Anna said.
"He doesn't like them," I said.
"Then I don't like them," Anna said.
"Please. One look at you and we all know that is a lie," I said.
Anna scowled at my drone and folded her arms. "Hey Mechos. Your people are doing okay."
"I'm glad to hear it," Mechos said.
"I wanted us all to meet like this because, unlikely though it seems, we have become something resembling allies," I said.
"You've got him locked up in a cell," Anna said.
"I actually rather like it in here," Mechos said.
"Really?"
"I've had people trying to murder me a very long time. This is relaxing."
If he was too comfortable I really should liven things up. Hot Stuff certainly wasn't having a boring time of it in her testing chambers. I'd taken to shooting at her with super-cooled rounds and having her navigate mazes to find an angle to melt the turrets and stop the gunfire. It was tremendously entertaining.
"And that is exactly why I thought it best to have this conversation. To determine exactly what it is we each want and how the others might be able to contribute," I said.
"I want what I've always wanted. To be the absolute Queen of the world," Anna said.
"That is why you are doing all this?" Mechos asked.
Anna nodded. "I'm sick and tired of living off the scraps of others."
"I just want me and my people to remain alive," Mechos said.
"And I want a steady supply of test subjects and to unravel exactly what happened to me and the world," I said.
"I've been helping with that," Anna said.
"That is why eight of my people had to die?" Mechos asked.
Anna didn't look guilty, she looked defiant. "You had power we needed. We took it. We're going to kill a lot more people to get what we want."
We were. Anna might make a capable Queen of the world after all. I certainly didn't want the job, I just wanted to conduct my studies and run my facility. That would be easier with a ruthless and cooperate dictator in charge on the surface. Anna truly might fit the bill.
It was a pleasing realization. Was I growing fond of her? No, that would be foolish.
"Then what are our next steps?" I asked. "Continue to gather more test subjects as we have been?"
"The Righteous have come for you once. They'll come again," Mechos said.
"They come back every day and I keep burning them alive."
Anna said, "No, he's right. There are a lot more than the five of them you have here. They have this tower set up in the Arathorian Heights. They capture the Powered and take them there, and when they come out they aren't Powered any longer."
They were hunters like myself, although they went out in pursuit of their prey.
"The one I captured has quantities of something called a void crystal," I said.
"Is that how they counter abilities?" Mechos asked.
"It seems to be."
"That's a problem," Anna said.
"I've rigged the corridors with death traps. I'm ready for them, if they enter again," I said.
"Death traps?" Anna asked.
Was she somehow unaware of this?
"Spikes, acid sprayers, incinerators, mines, strangle wires," I said.
Anna held up a hand, "Enough. You're weird and totally crazy, and we're friends, so it's all okay. I'm just going to keep telling myself that."
Whatever lies made her comfortable.
"Two of the Powered have also gone missing. People are going to be investigating what took them down, looking for some advantage for themselves," Mechos said.
"Would they dare?" I asked.
Mechos shrugged. "Powers are useful, but a well-placed bullet to the skull can serve just as well, usually. If others think there is a chance for them to gain hold of a powerful core, they'll come whatever the danger."
"Good. Let them come. You humans need more weapons, and I can recycle the biomass if they don't make good research material."
"The cookies are people," Anna whispered to Mechos, who looked a little sick.
"I thought you said you liked them?" Mechos asked.
"I do. I just, you know, feel a little guilty about it."
"Humans love cookies," I said. Mechos really would have to learn his place in relation to the baked goods I provided.
"I'll have to draw up a list of possible targets for us to lure in next. Is there anything you need?" Anna asked.
"Supplies. I'm short of building materials," I said.
"Rockfist?" Mechos asked, with a look to Anna.
"Out of commission, the Righteous got him," Anna said.
"Goldenrod?"
"Not real gold. Illusion bullshit. Way to disappoint a girl, let me tell you. What about the Slidekickers?" Anna asked.
Mechos considered that and grunted, "Not exactly what she wants, but it might work. They're teleporters. So, no spontaneous material generation or transformation, but you could at least bring it in from elsewhere."
Anna grinned. "Plus it would let me get around way quicker."
Teleportation could improve a lot of base functions, potentially.
I didn't have time to consider it. I was getting another proximity alarm from the surface. We had uninvited guests again.
23
The newcomers were approaching on foot. After the arrival of vehicles lately it was almost refreshing. They seemed to be a good bit grungier than the most recent invaders. Instead of any sort of armor they were dressed in tattered, ragged clothing. There were perhaps a dozen of them, about half had a pistol holstered at their hips, and the others had clubs or knives.
I brought up the camera on a monitor so Anna and Mechos could see.
"Scavengers," Mechos said.
"I don't think you're going to get much out of them," Anna said.