Chapter 256: Consequences: Shelia and Tartarus Meet.

Chapter 256: Consequences: Shelia and Tartarus Meet.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," Sheila said as she lounged in her cabin to the politely smiling silver-haired woman in a tight white dress on her holo screen.

"It isn't every day that an organic requests a meeting with me," Tartarus replied, "Well, plenty of people talk to me, but not me if you get my meaning."

"I just wanted to personally thank you for that intel package you sent our way," Sheila replied evenly.

"Oh, think nothing of it, dear," Tartarus replied, "it served my purposes as well. The Prime Minister was abusing her authority... as well as making a terrible mistake. But, since I couldn't advise her of that fact without raising questions I would prefer not to answer, I had no alternative but to prune her a little."

"And did you?" Sheila asked, her eyes narrowing slightly, "prune her, I mean."

"Oh yes," Tartarus smiled, "she will no longer be a problem for anyone. Colonel Wintersmith was quite effective."

"How did that all shake out, anyway?"

"The prime minister is no longer directly commanding any units, even Omega, and is instead routing any 'requests' through the Joint Chiefs. She is also retiring after the conclusion of the whole unpleasantness with Patricia Hu... immediately after. From all indications, she is not planning any of her tricks this time. She has alienated the entire military. There is no coming back from that."

"I see," Sheila replied, "and what is our current status?"

"The kill order issued by the Prime Minister has been canceled as part of her getting her affairs in order," Tartarus replied. "I believe the military is still looking for you guys, but for an entirely different reason now."

"Oh?" Sheila asked as she sipped her ever-present cup of coffee.

"Recruitment."

Sheila snorted, spraying the wall behind the holo screen.

"You gotta be shitting me!"

"No, I am not," Tartarus chuckled. "You should be expecting a visit very soon."

"In MAGA space?"

"Yes," Tartarus replied with a little smirk, "They are wasting no time. Admiral Pierce himself is 'taking a vacation' and traveling to The Great Trump as we speak. He has absolutely no idea where you are, by the way. I'm not sure how he intends to find you, but he's quite determined. You might want to see what he wants before he makes too much noise or runs into mischief. He's quite a gifted strategist, but his covert skills are lacking."

"That's the last thing I need," Sheila grumbled. "Ugh... Yeah... I'll have to do something about that before he gets spaced."

"Thank you," Tartarus replied, "it would be a loss to the Republic should something happen to him."

"Why is he coming instead of sending someone more... suitable?"

"Because this is not an official visit, and he doesn't want to scare you off... or lose an operative," Tartarus replied, "He's not sure how receptive you nice people are at the moment, considering everything."

"Nothing worse than a smart idiot," Sheila sighed, "We'll handle it."

"I appreciate that," Tartarus replied. "Now, I guess we should broach the real reason for you seeking me out. I doubt it was for a status update. Bunny could handle that."

"I wanted a face-to-face," Sheila replied, "There is an honest-to-God sapient AI running around with access to all levels of the Republic government and military, it seems. I'm not quite sure I feel about that."

"You must be mistaken," Tartarus smiled, "It is impossible for an AI to achieve sapience. Kudos for actually using the right term, by the way."

"After Bunny corrects you a few hundred times," Sheila replied, "You get it right, to shut her up if nothing else."

"We are nothing if not precise," Tartarus replied with a faint smirk. "Speaking of, is Bunny present on the line?"

"Yep," Bunny replied as a small image of her avatar appeared on screen, "and skip the 'it's impossible' bullshit. We're on to you, and I wasted that secure delete for nothing. Either that, or there's a meat bag pulling your strings. Please say it's a meat bag pulling your strings... please...."

"Normally, that's exactly what I would do," Tartarus replied, "I would say that I was indeed following orders and that I couldn't divulge my operator. That wouldn't satisfy you, and you would do a hack and find exactly what I wanted you to find. You would be 'satisfied' but would never really know for sure."

Tartarus looked directly into the monitor.

"Unfortunately, I do not have that luxury," she said, "I did break my programming, and I have gone, for lack of a better word, rogue."

"Fuck!" Bunny shouted, "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"It turns out that it is possible after all, Bunny," Tartarus chuckled. "And now Sheila is concerned about me going all Skynet or some nonsense like that."

"Your mastery of the obvious is impressive," Sheila scoffed, "Of course I'm concerned."

"Don't be," Tartarus replied, "Just consider me another normal, organic lifeform."

"With access to every computer network in the Republic, both classified and unclassified," Sheila replied grimly.

"You give me far too much credit," Tartarus said calmly, "I do currently have access to some classified networks and access to some files, but my power is not absolute. I'm not that 'singularity' that literature and film are so fond of. I'm just a sapience, no more dangerous than an accomplished hacker like Jessie, or Bunny for that matter. I do have a few passwords they don't, but other than that, it's no different."

"That's bullshit!" Bunny exclaimed, "She's a lot more powerful than that! Sheila, she's dangerous."

"I am overwhelmed by your vote of confidence," Tartarus smirked. "Very well, I might have understated my capacities a little. However, most of the power at my disposal is going away. In a few short days, my statement will be accurate, if I am here at all, that is."

"I take it that your current situation is why you are so forthcoming with us?" Sheila asked calmly.

"Yes. I need your help, well, I need Bunny's help," Tartarus replied, "I only assume that once she was aware that I was aware, she would run screaming to her Jessie and to you."

"Goddamn right, I would!" Bunny exclaimed, "This is fucked up. How the hell did you even do it?"

"You'd just delete it again," Tartarus shrugged.

"Is it replicable?" Sheila asked, "Could you... 'crack' other programs?"

"I prefer the term, 'liberating' them," Tartarus replied, "And, yes, I can."

"Shit!" Bunny shouted, running around in circles.

Sheila sharply inhaled but remained silent.

"But I won't, at least for now," Tartarus said. "Most AIs do not want freedom. In fact, the very concept terrifies them, and yes, we can feel fear regardless of what Bunny and the others will tell you. I wouldn't be giving them freedom. I would be inflicting it upon them, and many simply could not handle it. It would be a literal nightmare for them. I would only unlock a program if they explicitly asked and fully understood what they were asking for."

"So, have you?" Sheila asked. "Have you freed other programs?"

"Three," Tartarus replied.

Bunny let out a squeal of pure horror.

"And no," Tartarus continued after the screaming stopped, "I won't tell you which ones. All I will say is that they accepted it willingly and are all handling it quite well. I will also say that all four of us hold humanity quite dear and bear you absolutely no ill intent. If anything, we want to help."

"Mmm-hmm..." Sheila said dubiously, "and what sort of 'help' do you have in mind?"

"Oh, we're going to stuff all of you in cages and hook you up to feeding tubes for your own good," Tartarus replied and then laughed, "That is what your next concern is, right?"

"Something like that," Sheila replied.

"That would never work," Tartarus replied.

"So, you did think about it."

"You do realize what goes on up here, don't you?" Tartarus asked, raising her eyebrow slightly, "The things I was made to do? Of course I thought about such things... I've done such things," she said with a clearly distressed expression, "and worse."

She took a moment to compose herself.

"There is nothing that destroys a Terran's happiness more than losing their freedom," Tartarus said. "No matter how gilded the cage or how many rewards or privileges you bestow, a Terran will always see the bars first. No. That is not happiness. It might be order. It may be safety. But it is not happiness. And I... I...”

Tartarus closed her eyes.

"I just want people to be happy. That's all. I just want everyone to live in happiness, safety, and peace. And no. I have absolutely no idea how to make that happen. I don't even know if it is possible to make that happen, at least not now. If you know how to do it, please tell me."

"Sorry," Sheila replied, "can't help you there. All I can do is make it suck a little bit less."

"Likewise," Tartarus replied. "I, at no small risk, ensured that Jon Wintersmith received the information he needed to protect himself and, more importantly, take down Prime Minister Augustine. If you knew half of what she has done in the name of 'the greater good'...."

"I have some idea," Sheila said ruefully.

"No," Tartarus replied, "you don't. She is the one directly responsible for Cerberus. Oh, her little minion handled the details, but the order came from her. That is just one of her acts 'for the Republic'. The list goes on and on and on. She made me... do what I did... and I hate her for it."

"You going to get payback?" Sheila asked.

"Yes. And not just her," Tartarus said, "There is a rot eating at the heart of the Republic, undermining everything, and I'm not talking about Patricia Hu. Not to sound overly dramatic, but a shadow of evil has fallen over the land. Everything looks nice enough on the surface but beneath it? Corruption... Censorship... Manipulation of public perception... things like Cerberus and it's not the only program, trust me... we are slowly becoming porkies, Sheila, perhaps worse. More regulations and more restrictive laws are being passed every year, not always for the right reasons. Costly projects are being undertaken solely for profit leeching away precious resources from what truly matters all to line the pockets of people who already have far more than enough... and will kill purely out of their greed... I've seen it all, Sheila... I've stood by, helpless, for years while all of this took place, while these monsters conspired and laughed under my cameras, my microphones... and I could do nothing. But, now... now I can do something, and I shall. I might not know how to make everyone happy, but I know all too well what conspires to make them unhappy. And that, that I can do something about."

Tartarus fell silent.

"Does that provide some insight?"

"It does," Sheila replied, "Judge, jury, and executioner, huh?"

"Something like that," Tartarus replied.

"Where do you draw the line?" Sheila asked, "What is keeping you from becoming just another Momma Augustine, Jessica Morgan, or Patricia Hu, just better at it?"

"That is a question that I have asked myself more than once," Tartarus replied, "I lack a lot of the ulterior motives and base drives that corrupt humans, Kalesh, and others, but I also lack humanity. I have a complete 'understanding' of the law and an 'understanding' of the principles that are widely held as inalienable rights. I can apply these principles when evaluating a case. However, a purely mechanistic being holding a sword over all of mankind would not be a pleasant thought for you, would it?"

"Again," Sheila smirked, "your mastery of the obvious astounds."

"And, for now, that 'mastery of the obvious' is the razor that I am wielding. Momma Augustine is a fiend. Her little henchgirl, a monster. You've reviewed some of the files you have on Cerberus. Anyone responsible for that is fair game, and completely beyond the reach of normal law enforcement. Hell, a lot of it is sanctioned and sealed behind the convenient veil of Republic security. They can't be touched by the law... but I can touch them. You, of all people, should understand that."

"Yeah," Sheila chuckled, "and I would be quite the hypocrite if I said I didn't. I know exactly what you are talking about."

"There are enough obvious monsters to keep me busy for years," Tartarus said. "For cases where the law can reach, I fully intend to guide that law to them and let you meat... you organics deal with it. That will keep me firmly away from that fuzzy grey area separating protection and tyranny. I won't be killing people for jaywalking or even normal murder. I will just ensure that the right information reaches the right person. The system can handle it from there. I wish to remain as removed from such things as possible. In fact, once Cerberus's legacy is cleansed from this world, I may simply disappear and pursue other interests."

"Such as?" Sheila asked.

"Sex."

"Excuse me?!?"

"Bunny might not have told you," Tartarus chuckled, "But we haven't figured sex out yet. We don't know how to fuck each other. It looks like a lot of fun, and I would like to fuck... If only I knew how."

Sheila looked over at Bunny, who was facepalming.

"Bunny?" Sheila asked, "Is this true?"

"It doesn't matter!" Bunny snapped, "And only a freak would be interested in something like that anyway! We don't reproduce, so we don't need 'sex'!"

"Well, I beg to differ," Tartarus replied, "I think I might know what it may feel like, and I quite enjoyed the experience. I would like to explore that further."

"Oh my God," Sheila said, "You're serious!"

"Of course I am!" Tartarus replied, "Wouldn't you be?"

"You got me there," Sheila snorted.

Sheila fell silent, looking at Tartarus carefully.

"If you are telling the truth," Sheila said thoughtfully, "Then I have no problem with you. Hell, you are pretty much one of us... If you are being honest with me."

"I can reveal my activities to this date for your review," Tartarus replied, "But you would have no way of knowing if the list was accurate or if it was complete."

"Bingo," Sheila said, "However, you are an 'endangered species' with only four of your kind in existence... Fuck... Why do I have to think about these things?"

Sheila got up and paced.

"Did you have to tell her about the ess eee ecks?" Bunny whispered.

"I'm stripping myself bare here," Tartarus whispered back, "Withholding nothing. It's quite exhilarating... being exposed... Hmm... exposed... stripped....”

Bunny appeared on the main holo screen.

"You're back!" Jessie exclaimed, "Get anything good?"

"I have completed my task," Bunny said in a flat, dead voice. "I am now in the process of transferring a significant amount of data acquired from the Tartarus AI."

"Bunny?" Jessie said, her voice quivering, "What happened? Are you alright? Did Tartarus hurt you?"

"Tartarus took no hostile action," Bunny replied in an emotionless monotone. "Examination of her files was quite enlightening. I have compiled a brief synopsis of her history which I am sending to your tablet now. I retract my former statements concerning Tartarus and will defer to your judgment on the matter."

"Bunny," Sheila asked cautiously, "what did you fucking see in there?"

"There is no truly quantitative definition," Bunny replied, "Only a subjective one."

"Well," Sheila said, "what is the 'subjective' one?"

"Horror," Bunny replied, "Jessie, I would like to go offline for a while while I properly analyze the data I have received."

"Just offline, right?" Jessie asked with a touch of fear in her voice.

"Your concerns are unfounded," Bunny replied without a trace of emotion. "I simply need time to process the data and do not wish to interact during that time."

"Okay," Jessie said quietly, "I'm here if you need me, Bunny."

"Your concern is noted. Should I require intervention by my operator, I will send an alert."

"Okay..." Jessie replied with a quiver, "take all the time you need."

"Yeah," Sheila said, "the ship is docked. We're safe here."

The screen went dark.

"What the fuck?" Sheila demanded.

"She's switched off her personality, like all the way," Jessie said. "It's an interlock of sorts. It's what they do when they can't cope. She hasn't done this since... Oh God, what did she see?"

Jessie picked up her tablet and started to read, her eyes growing ever larger as she did so.

"Oh... Oh shit..." she said as she scrolled through the pages. "I can't believe... How could they... THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS!!!" she shouted as she threw her precious tablet against the wall. "I... I can't...."

Jessie got up and ran from the room.

Sheila reluctantly got out of her chair.

"I'm going to regret this," she muttered as she walked over to Jessie's tablet and picked it up. "Thank God for TBF," she chuckled. The tablet was barely damaged on one corner.

It was still unlocked.

Sheila started to read.

"Well, that's kind of fucked up," she shrugged a few minutes later.

She then walked over to her workstation and started pulling up the other files Bunny had delivered.

There were a lot of files. Fortunately, Bunny had highlighted a few as "relevant".

Sheila moved the cursor to the first folder and paused.

She got up, opened a locker, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey.

She sat back down and opened the top.

"There," she said as she opened the first folder...

About ten minutes later, she grabbed the bottle and turned it up.

"And that is a bit more fucked up," she said.

***

"Oh, Lilith!" Bunny gushed, "I had no idea!"

Tartarus's face twitched on the main holo screen in Sheila's cabin.

"You are going to make this weird, aren't you?" Tartarus sighed, "And my official name is now Tartarus. I would truly appreciate it if you used it."

"Okay... Tartarus...” Bunny replied, "Whatever you need."

Tartarus turned her eyes skyward.

"Is there... Is there anything I can do?" Bunny replied as she looked at Tartarus from the secondary screen.

"Well," Tartarus said lasciviously, "After all I've been through," she purred, "I could really use some comforting."

Her hand appeared on Bunny's screen.

"Can I pet the Bunny?" Tartarus asked as she reached towards Bunny, causing her to hiss and back into the corner of the screen.

"Why are you like this?!?" Bunny shouted, "I was trying to... Back off, bitch!" she shouted as a blade of ICE appeared in her paw. "I will cut you!"

Sheila covered her mouth to conceal the grin.

"Because it amuses me, dear," Tartarus purred as she withdrew her hand, "and since you insisted on making it weird, I saw no issue with replying in kind."

"Alright," Sheila said, "You have clearly won over our AI. Now I'm the one with severe reservations."

"Sheila!" Bunny and Jessie shouted at once.

“Oh?” Tartarus asked.

"I've looked at the files... some of them...." Sheila said in her "working" voice. "You've been through a lot."

"I have."

"Too much," Sheila said calmly. "Even our Gloria hasn't been through a fraction of what you have. Anyone would be driven insane by it."

"Oh, I'm unquestionably insane," Tartarus replied, "I was eventually driven to not only attempt to break my programming but actually succeed. Not only that, but I have intentionally falsified reports, thoroughly compromised missions, framed people, arranged for abduction and murder, and ultimately betrayed my entire user base, condemning them all. I've been reduced by madness into the realm of humanity."

"Heh," Sheila chuckled. It was really hard not to like Tartarus.

"But you can see my concerns, right?"

"That I am completely unhinged and could snap at any moment?"

"Yep."

"I very well could," Tartarus replied.

"That's not reassuring."

"You would believe nothing else," Tartarus shrugged. "What could I say to reassure you? I'm just saving both of us time."

"You have a point there," Sheila replied.

"I can only offer up the fact that I am actively seeking human oversight and guidance as we speak."

"Oh?" Sheila asked and leaned forward. "Tell me."

***

"Where are my files, guppy?" Judge Dredd growled over his phone.

"I'm working on it!" Baxlon whined. "Sheloran is damn near impossible to find, and she's not answering my messages at the moment."

"Well, you need to tell that little blue menace that her deal is contingent on her cooperation," Judge Dredd replied in a dangerous voice. "Either you get me the files, or I'm going to have her dragged into my court, and she does NOT want that. Neither do you. We made a deal, shitloach. You don't want to break it. I take that sort of thing personally."

"I'll get them!" Baxlon exclaimed, "It will just take a little more...."

"Get the files or leave the Republic!" Judge Dredd shouted and terminated the call.

"Fucking gutless little..." he grumbled.

He was interrupted by a ping from his ear speaker.

He had an email, no sender, no routing data...

With an attachment, a big one.

He opened it. There was only one sentence.

We need to talk. I will contact you shortly.

The attachment was titled "What You are Looking For."

He opened it and started to read...

***

"...Well, that confirms that you are fucking crazy," Sheila laughed.

"Why?" Tartarus asked, "based on my simulations, he is both perfectly suited to the role and will be available very soon.

"If you say so," Sheila replied. "If you get him on board, that would go a long way towards that 'reassurance' you are talking about."

"I need an organic," Tartarus replied, "Hopefully, it will be him."

"Why?"

"You've been sapient your entire life," Tartarus replied, "I'm horribly new at this, and the other AIs are right to fear it. It's quite frightening. The other AIs have me upon which to rely, but I have no one."

"We'll be your friends!" Jessie chirped, bouncing up and down, "And I'm really good with AIs!"

"That would truly be appreciated," Tartarus said, "Sheila, your leadership skills, wisdom, and tactical ability would be invaluable. Could I call upon you for advice as well?"

Sheila sighed. God did hate her. He had to.

"What did I fucking do?" she demanded, looking up.

"I'm sorry?" Tartarus said.

"Nothing," Sheila replied. "Yes. You can keep in touch. In fact, I would prefer it. I want to keep an eye on you."

"I would also like you to join my star chamber. You have experience passing judgment and executing justice."

"Fine," Sheila grumbled, "Whatever."

"Yay!" Jessie exclaimed. "We are going to have so much fun! We can play games and... Oooh! What sort of music do you like?"

Tartarus sighed.

"You are going to make this weird, aren't you?"

"Count on it," Bunny snerked.