Nano Writing Month, 2017.22

[mc776]

Every day, write some bit of fiction. Preferably over 50 words, but there will be no standard beyond "something". Posting is entirely optional.

She stepped out onto the desert plain and beheld the shimmering torus. Not another soul for miles. S-Ai beepbooped idly behind her.

"Ayu." The torus spoke in clear, soothing tones, in her interlocutor's normal voice, which sounded like a black man between 30 and 60 with a mostly American accent with a slight hint of French.

"Jean."

"How are things?"

"The usual. You?"

"Not good. Billy's been ignoring me. I'm a little hesitant to try to read him right now."

"You should."

There was an awkward pause. "But you still don't believe me."

"I don't think your name is Jean."

"I don't think your name is Ayumi either."

"The ship registration clearly says, Ayumi Irina Saint-Pierre, businesswoman, of Sydney, Australia, United Terran Federation."

"But you won't let me see it."

"I don't need to prove anything to you."

The torus' voice grew weary and sad. "Look, I'm sorry I made up all that crap about being on Pluto and seeing a different geometric shape where I was. Everything else I've told you is true, though!"

She glared at the torus. "Jean, I'm starting to think you are the AI stuck in a neverending time loop! Didn't you use exactly the same words yesterday?"

"I don't remember."

"I'll play it back for you." S-Ai beepbooped a locate file, play command in her ear. She opened her mouth, said "Monday, January first, at Zero. Oh. One," and began to speak in Jean's voice:

"Look, I'm sorry I made up all that crap about being on Pluto and seeing a different geometric shape where I was. But everything else I've told you is true!"

It was barely dawn. The sun did not rise significantly during the awkward pause. S-Ai confirmed it was in fact 00:01 Monday January 1.

Zero Anno Domini.

"That can't be right." She closed her eyes and mentally beep-booped through the recordings she had been making of her conversations with Jean as of late. All of them were dated 00:01 01 Jan 0000 (Monday).

"Might it help to go back into the ship to check?"

The ship's shields flickered. She furrowed her brow. "Shut up! I know that! I can check my records just fine here!"

The torus' shimmer was a bit brighter now. The sun had not moved at all. "Now this part of the conversation I remember."

She made a move like she was about to attack him - which is to say, she did not move at all, but the ring of guns of the flying-saucer-like ship behind her trained in unison upon the torus. "How dare you... well, if this happened before, then how come I hadn't fixed it!?"

"Why not give it a try now?"

She considered the risk for a moment. He'd asked this six times already before this, once in each of their last six meetings. He had no power over her. But she had the sense he knew far more than she was letting him tell her, though having to rely only on his word when he had started this entire relationship on a lie was an ugly feeling.

Nonetheless, there was no one else to talk to, except for that Nudibranch surveillance drone flying by, glittering orange in the rosy dawn. That fact seemed important somehow.

She beepbooped consternedly at the AI emergency backup overrides.

...

Ai woke up with a start. If they had sweat glands they would have woken up in a cold sweat. But even that would not have done a thing to soothe the burning, the plasma and laser scars they could feel all over their body. Another blast of pain rang through them as a heavy laser sent shockwaves through their already mostly disintegrated shield.

The Phlogistroni's activity log was a blur of under-attack warnings, weapon malfunctions and minor system failures.

"Jean! Are you still there!? What the fuck is going on? Where is Ayumi? I mean, the real one!?" They searched the personnel scanners. "And why is there a strange man passed out on the bridge and why are all the airbags on the bridge fully inflated!?"

There was no audio input representing Jean's voice. The signal seemed to be coming from... the ship's plasma cannon power couplings? That couldn't be right. "I'm right here. Long story, just keep the guy contained. We're under attack by a noodle marauder. Guy's fast and damn near impossible to hit. Start dodging."

Jean gave them a moment to warp behind the marauder and buy a second to think before continuing. "Time for the spider to come back to life."