Deathstalker 04 - Deathstalker Honor

Humanity no longer, and the final war will begin, metal against flesh, to the utter extinction of all inferior life.”
    Daniel thought he should keep his side up. “There’s always the chance that Humanity might create new AIs, even more powerful than Shub, but still under their control. It could happen.”
    “There can be nothing greater than the Unholy Trinity,” said Jacob flatly. “They have improved themselves to the point of perfection. Mere human minds could not follow where Shub has gone.”
    “Well, maybe espers…”
    “No. One cannot improve upon perfection.”
    “Let’s stop for a moment,” said Daniel. He sat down heavily on a sturdy-looking piece of outcropping machinery. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but right then he felt so bone-deep weary he could have gone to sleep on a bed of razor blades. Jacob glared down at him, an impatient frown on his dead white face.
    “We have no time to waste, Daniel. There is still much the AIs want you to see.” “Don’t care. My head aches, my back’s killing me, and my feet aren’t talking to me. It’s no good showing me anything impressive if I can’t keep my eyes open long enough to focus on it.”
    “Human weakness. You have no idea how good it is to have left all that behind me.”
    “So,” said Daniel, looking wearily up at his father. “What’s it like being dead?”
    “Uncomplicated. No more constraints, or inhibitions. I am free to do what is necessary, without the drawbacks of morality, honor, or compassion.” “That’s not what you brought me up to believe. You always said a man was nothing without honor. That it was honor which gave life purpose.” “I have left such limiting nonsense behind me. Such human abstractions merely get in the way of efficiency.”
    “Does that include emotions?” said Daniel quietly. “Don’t you feel anything anymore?”
    “No,” said Jacob. “There is no room in me for such weaknesses.”
    “And you don’t miss your Family? Clan Wolfe?”
    “That was the past. I live in the future now.”
    “Do you remember me, Daddy? I mean, really remember who I am and what we were to each other?”
    Jacob frowned, and for the first time seemed to pause uncertainly. “I used to be Jacob Wolfe. I know that. I have complete access to all the memories in his brain, or what’s left of it. I recognize the relationship between Daniel and Jacob Wolfe. I know… we were not close. Not as close as we could have been. I know that though I have gained much, there are some things… that are lost to me.”
    “I came a long way, walked into Hell itself, to find you. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
    “Yes. You have come a long way, Daniel.”
    “I love you. Daddy.”
    “Of course you do.” Jacob turned and looked away. “Come. We must move on. There are wonders and terrors yet for you to see.”
    Daniel struggled painfully to his feet and followed Jacob’s tech-driven corpse through yet more obstacle courses of incomprehensible machinery and rooms whose shapes made no sense. Daniel was sweating hard inside the transparent suit, which dried it up almost immediately, and his mouth was so dry he sucked at the small amount of sweat that trickled down the small gap over his face. The salt just made him thirstier. He was beginning to wonder how long it was going to be before they would let him out of the suit. He ached in every muscle, his head was swimming with fatigue, and he stilt didn’t have even the beginning of an idea how he was going to get himself and his father safely away from Shub. He had no idea where he was anymore in relation to his docked ship. His only thought so far had been to somehow make use of Shub’s teleport system, but that seemed to be the one thing Jacob hadn’t showed him.
    Eventually he raised the question himself, in what he hoped was a casual manner. “Excuse me for asking, but why are we walking everywhere when we could be teleporting? Surely it would be a lot quicker. And more efficient.” “Teleportation uses up too much energy to be wasted on trivial matters,” said Jacob. “It’s only practical at all because the whole planet is basically one big power station. And a lot of that goes to maintaining the planetary force field and its extradimensional properties. Besides, a little exercise will do you good, boy. You always were too reliant on the body shops.” Bright, glowing lights floated on the air before them, self-contained clouds of changing colors.