They found themselves at the elevator shaft, Ashera leaned in and looked down. It was dark, there were lights at the bottom though marking just how high up they were. Ashera pulled some rope from her bag, not a long length of rope but enough to get down to the next floor. They secured the rope to a pile of rubble with some rebar jutting out of it. Ashera was the first to descend, as she slowly made her way down, she noticed the first floor she went past the elevator doors were bowed in with rubble. She figured this was from the brain knocking about trying to get to the rat folk below. The next door was more promising, slightly ajar she could see onto the floor. It looked to be in good condition. She swung to the ledge of the door and motioned for everyone to follow.
At the top Seslyn was letting everyone else go before her, as she paced back and forth. Once the last person was gone, she looked down at the little robot that had been following them around.
“Okay, time for you to go back,” Seslyn said with a ping of sadness in her voice. “You belong here, yes.”
The little vacuum robot moved to the edge of the elevator and wiggled. Then moved back to Seslyn. Seslyn wondered if it was trying to say it wanted to go with them. She had room in her bag, surely bringing it along wouldn’t hurt. She scooped up the robot and placed it in her bag. It’s engine vibrating like a purring kitten.
Everyone gathered on the new level, looking around this floor was a simple office layout. It looked very similar to the one where Suntiana and her group had met Ashera, minus the zombies. The stairwell was easily identifiable in the corner and easy to get to. They shouted up the stairwell wanting to see if everyone else had made it there from the floors above. A cacophony of voices came down to them echoing as it grew louder and closer. Reunited the group once more followed Seslyn down.
Seslyn brought the group to the bottom floor and stopped. Turning to face them, she began. “Here we head into something that used to be called a parking garage, at least according to M.O.T.H.E.R. We must be very quiet here, there are creatures that look like Ashera wandering around. They are aggressive and will charge at any noise even if it means falling to their deaths, yes, very scary.”
“Yes, the zombies,” Ashera confirmed, “we have delt with them before.”
Ashera turned somber for a moment, her gaze drifting off as she staired at nothing. She snapped back as she felt this big furry hand come slowly down on her shoulder. It was Lyna. They shared a quick look and Ashera smiled appreciatively for the comfort her friend was trying to give.
Seslyn continued, “Now we go, and remember being very quiet, yes. If you make some noise, try to distract them by making noise in another direction.”
Seslyn picked up a small piece of rubble and made a throwing motion. She nodded, satisfied with her explanation. She motioned for the group to follow her though the propped open door. It was easy going, slow the car ramp was mostly vacant of zombies, they congregated around the failing fire alarms that beeped periodically. The group walked for what felt like hours, slowly, carefully, making their way down the car ramps. They made it to the tunnel leading down to Seslyn’s home. Seeing the tunnel uncovered made Seslyn uncomfortable, and it showed.
“What’s wrong Seslyn?” Suntiana asked.
“This tunnel, it shouldn’t be like this, yes. Did the zombies find it,” Seslyn wondered aloud.
That’s when it happened the alarms started to sound again. One was much louder than they had heard it before. Looking up Seslyn’s eyes went wide. There was one right above them. She heard them before she could see them, Artemis and Lyna were already looking in the direction of the clambering noises. They were headed right for them the tunnel fully exposed. More would make it into the tunnel.
“We must stop them! Yes!” Seslyn yelled.
“Okay open to suggestions,” Ashera said hastily.
That was when the alarm stopped, and they heard it another alarm. This one was coming from Seslyn’s bag. She looked down at it. Rummaging through her bag she pulled out the little cleaning robot, its alarm growing louder and louder.
“Shh,” Seslyn hissed, “what are you doing?”
The robot spun its wheels, like it was trying to get out of her hands. Seslyn put it on the ground. They heard more noise coming from the tunnel. More zombies, was the robot trying to get them killed? Then it dawned on Ashera, and a few of the others at the same time. Perhaps this little robot was going to try and save them once again.
“You sure about this?” Seslyn asked the robot.
With a motion of quick jerks that made it look like it was nodding it took off towards the hoard coming down the ramp. Immediately grabbing their attention. They clumsily came to a stop falling over those in the front who had fallen trying to turn and follow the robot. They could hear noise still coming from the tunnel. As it grew closer Ashera had an idea.
“Everyone! Move back from the tunnel and to the sides,” she commanded.
The group parted leaving a large path leading from the tunnel. A group of the zombies came crashing out of the tunnel, heading up the ramp. Everyone held their breath, not wanting to make the faintest noise. As the robot's alarm grew fainter the zombies coming from the tunnel started to move slower, less drawn to the noise.
There were only a few of the zombies left. After what felt like an eternity. Ashera motioned for the group to try and sneak into the tunnel. She pointed at individuals and motioned for them to head down. Starting with the healers and least experienced fighters. Moving up the ranks in that order. Once everyone was inside Ashera went in. Looking around for something to block the path with, she found nothing. Her only idea was to collapse the wall. She waited for a moment, hoping to herself that the little robot would find somewhere to hide.
That was when she saw it, the little robot was headed back towards them. No alarm blearing, no hoard of creatures following it. Ashera motioned for it to move quicker, hoping it would understand. It did. The robot moved quickly in between the feet of the zombies still down by the entrance. Making what could only be described as a dive into the tunnel. As it skidded to a halt, the alarms started again. Ashera wasted no time firing a shot of magical energy at the wall, collapsing it on a few of the creatures as they came back to the alarm. “Hey Seslyn, I have a visitor for you,” Ashera said.
Seslyn came back to Ashera and jumped with joy, her little robot was still alive, though worse for wear. It has scratches and gashes all over its cover. Apparently, some of the zombies had gotten to it. She quickly put him back in her bag and whispered, welcome back. Seslyn looked around, checking for familiar landmarks in the dark. There were new tunnels dug here by her family. She estimated they were running under the city in its entirety by the looks of how far they went. She heard something coming from the central path. It was chatter from someone, she assumed it to be a family member. Her family were the only ones living down here after. She called out in their direction.
“Hello,” Seslyn stammered, “I’m back and I have brought friends, yes. Brother, sister, are you there?”
The talking stopped and scurrying could be heard coming closer to them. As the scurrying grew closer Artemis, and the others wondered what was going on. Not sure what was happening they readied their weapons just to be safe. The silhouette of a ratfolk started to immerge, then another, and another. Seslyn was jumping around and pointing at them, smiling from ear to ear.
The ratfolk came into view, looking from Seslyn to the group. Ashera and the others took in the ratfolk as well. They were different from Seslyn, Ashera couldn’t quite put her finger on how though. They seemed to be moving in perfect unison, the kind of unison you see in insects or other hive minded creatures. That couldn’t be right, Ashera thought. As if on cue, the ratfolk spoke.
“What are you doing back here broken one? M.O.T.H.E.R. removed you from us for a reason, yes. Why have you brought strangers to this place?” They asked in a creepy kind of union.
Ashera and the group saw Seslyn shrink a little with those comments, before she spoke.
“The elves…” she stammered. “Are making something bad, something to hurt the…”
She was cut off.
“M.O.T.H.E.R. knows, yes.” They said in the same creepy unison. “She has plans for this already, you are not needed. Yes, not needed. Take your… friends and leave this place.”
They cocked their heads as though they were hearing a distant sound and were straining to hear it.
“M.O.T.H.E.R. wishes to speak with you after all, yes,” they said through sneered expressions. “Come follow us, then leave.”
Ashera bent down to whisper to Seslyn, “we don’t have to go with them. It appears there is more to the story of how you ended up where you were then you let on. They don’t seem particularly kind to you.”
Seslyn nodded, “we must go, M.O.T.H.E.R. beacons. Even though I cannot hear her like they can, yes.”
Ashera cocked an eyebrow at this statement. She didn’t want to pressure Seslyn for more answers, instead she turned to the three other ratfolk standing in front of them.
“Lead on,” she said to them as pleasantly as she could. “Seslyn is excited to see her mother again, and I am excited to meet her.”
She rested a hand on Seslyn’s shoulder to reassure her. The ratfolk, without another word turned and began back down the tunnel. Seslyn pulled away from Ashera and started to follow her siblings down the tunnel.
After an hour or so of walking in silence they came to the city. They stood atop a hill looking down at a massive subterranean city. It expanded out in all directions. Looking up Ashera noticed what appeared to be tunnels in the closest district leading up to the city above. It was nothing like what any of them expected. It was pristine. As they walked through the first of the districts, they noticed it was all food and drink production, storage, and distribution. There appeared to be no shortage of these necessities for the ratfolk. The streets were dirt roads, they were well maintained. Not a speck of dust kicked up as they walked along them. It was like walking a sidewalk of concrete Ashera thought. The roads were exquisite. The buildings though made of stone and lumber, unlike the towering metal buildings of her time, appeared to be carved right from the earth itself. The design, and even the amount of building in each area seemed to be thought out to the last millimeter of usable space. It had a utopian feel to it. Maybe there was something else going on here Ashera thought.
As though she was reading Ashera’s thoughts Suntiana let out a whistle.
“Wow,” Suntiana said in Awe. “It’s the complete opposite of where we came from. It doesn’t feel real. It’s as though this place is left out of time.”
“This is our home,” Seslyn said, a little distracted. “It’s been like this for generations. No one knows how long M.O.T.H.E.R. has kept this place going. Some of the older brothers and sisters think it is from the fall of humans. Others think this place is much older than even that.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Ashera stopped in her tracks. The fall of humans, who exactly was this mother. Each time they passed a new district, the architecture changed slightly, as if each area had been made by a different generation of builders. Each improving on the others works. The closer they got to the center the more “human” the architecture looked Ashera thought. The outer areas of the city must be the newest she mused. If not, why stop using metal to build their city.
The residential area was in some of the older styles. An amalgamation of the old human style housing and the clean roman style buildings used in the further areas. The houses were metal framed from what they could see with the same clean stone faces and wooden roofs used elsewhere. There were windows and each building seemed to house quite a few members of Seslyn’s family in them. Some looked like they were big enough to hold 20 or so people comfortably.
“How much further until we reach this mother?” Suntiana asked, finally breaking the silence.
“She is in the centre of the city.” The ratfolk responded. “Only a couple more minutes more walking, if you over-worlders can handle that much.”
Apparently, there was some prejudice there. Suntiana shot Ashera a look. Ashera nodded in agreement. If this was the hive mind at work, mother might not be as accommodating as they were hoping. As she continued to take in the surroundings, she noticed that there were stairs going up to tunnels in the sealing in every district. They seemed to be mimicking something. Ashera had her speculations but nothing concrete yet. She would have to ask Seslyns mother about it. She had an ever-growing list of questions for her mother. Ashera hoped her mother would answer them.
“We’re here,” the ratfolk said. “Go in and try not to offend mother this time 10957.”
They laughed at this and pointed at Seslyn.
“My name is Seslyn!” She exclaimed. “Just because mother did not give you names does not mean you can forget mine.”
They scoffed at her, “Get going don’t keep M.O.T.H.E.R. waiting.”
With that the ratfolk left the group staring at a massive metal door. It looked like something from the human world. It had runic and magic symbols carved along the doors inner and outer sides. From what Ashera could tell the magitech symbols were new, carved by the ratfolk maybe? The magic symbols were there to keep the room safe. They were wards to keep people, specifically elves out. This peaked Ashera’s interest. What was a bunker doing under this city with anti-elf wards on it? A bunker made specifically to house weapons, Ashera thought. Could this mother really be something from human times?
Emblazoned above the doors in big, bold, blue letters was M.O.T.H.E.R. Ashera was beginning to think her suspicions were on the mark. As if on cue the door opened enough to let them in. Seslyn motioned for them to follow her and stepped into the dark space beyond the door. The rest of them filed into the room. Once on the other side they saw it, “mother” as the ratfolk referred to it. It was a floating brain covered in metallic structures. Ashera recognized it immediately as the first weapon created to counter the elven made virus. M.O.T.H.E.R. or as Ashera knew it Medical Operations Technology for Healing and Enhanced Recovery. Now it was making sense, M.O.T.H.E.R. was indeed someone from the old world.
“Hello, Ashera,” M.O.T.H.E.R. said in a voice that was unexpectedly alive. “How have you been?”
Ashera was stunned that mother remembered her. Ashera had been part of the team that had taken Hannah’s brain, the lead on M.O.T.H.E.R.s team of researchers and turned her into M.O.T.H.E.R. Hannah had insisted that a human component be integrated into the AI to give it full autonomy and a personality from the start. During this part in the war, they didn’t know if the elves would strike first or if M.O.T.H.E.R. would be ready. As it turned out the elvers had struck first and a backup system Ashera had made was used to attempt to save humanity. Now though, Ashera thought, it was a fate worse than death humans had endured.
The team responsible for getting her under the city must have been the one they had to fight through to get down here, Ashera thought. Feeling Seslyn elbowing her in the thigh Ashera realized she had been lost in thought.
“Hello, Hann… I mean M.O.T.H.E.R. A lot has happened. I’m not sure how much you know of what happened to the humans,” Ashera started.
“I am aware of their fate. I am hooked into both the old human network and the elven network. Though without my memory banks all human knowledge would have been lost centuries ago when the network went dark. The elves commend themselves on a successful test of the virus.” M.O.T.H.E.R. stated matter-of-factly.
“Test?” Ashera questioned. “What do you mean test? They are still planning on using it?”
“Umm, if… if I may ask. Why do you two sound like you know each other?” Seslyn asked looking between her mother and Ashera.
“Ashera here, Seslyn was one of the scientists who worked on making me. In a sense you only exist because Ashera exists.” M.O.T.H.E.R. answered with what Ashera thought was a proud inflection to her voice.
“I wouldn’t go that far Hannah,” Ashera said with a smile. “You’re the one who made the ultimate sacrifice and put your brain into the M.O.T.H.E.R. project.”
“Wait, what?” Seslyn shouted in course with a few of the others.
Ashera and M.O.T.H.E.R. took turns explaining how the project had been designed to infiltrate the elven stronghold above this position and eradicate all evidence of the virus and its creators back during the great war. How it had been a project only a select few were allowed to work on and if you weren’t part of the team no one knew who you were. It was a black ops project. Something again they explained to everyone. They explained how every time they created an AI, which they also had to explain was an artificial intelligence, to run the mother program it failed to grasp the subtlety and nuance required for the project. They explained how, due to the time constraint with the virus, it would have taken far too much time to properly train an AI to perform the required tasks. So, Hannah made the decision to convert herself into the M.O.T.H.E.R. project.
Unfortunately, it took too much time to get her setup in the proper location with all the lab equipment needed. As they had seen on their way down here through the underground structure. Which in its original time had been mostly above ground as a combined research and embassy for the elves and humans. Secretly, both parties were in an arms race in the city. M.O.T.H.E.R. had never had a chance to make her debut, as the elves struck first. Triggering Ashera’s other protocol causing the zombie crisis the humans now found themselves in.
“And that brings us up to now. Did that help Seslyn?” M.O.T.H.E.R. asked in a tone an actual mother would use when speaking to their children.
Seslyn was quiet for a long while. Lost in thought, her M.O.T.H.E.R. had been created by humans. Not only that but by the human with her. She wasn’t sure what to say. It was all so overwhelming.
“It helps, but I have few questions if I may ask them, yes?” Seslyn asked of M.O.T.H.E.R.
Projectors all around the room hummed to life, all pointed at the same spot to create a 3D image. An image of Hannah, at last as she was before becoming M.O.T.H.E.R. fazed into existence. She walked over to Seslyn and knelt beside her.
“What is it my favourite child?” M.O.T.H.E.R. said in a sweet tone. One might convince themselves had real motherly love in it.
“Favourite? Then why was I not put on the telepathic hive, yes? Why was I left alone? Why did you have me removed from the family?” Seslyn blurted out almost in tears. “If I was truly your favourite, wouldn’t you want me here, yes?”
M.O.T.H.E.R. Smiled at Seslyn, in that moment Ashera thought Hannah truly wished she could hug Seslyn to comfort her.
“Yes, you are my favourite. That is exactly why you aren’t on the hive mind. I wanted you to be able to go where you wanted, see the world. I removed you from here because the others were getting jealous of you. You have something they will never have. Freedom. They will always be bound to my will, till they ultimately serve their purpose. Which with the arrival of your little group, will be sooner than I would have liked. My children aren’t all ready for what is to come. I wanted some small piece of my legacy to survive in you,” M.O.T.H.E.R. explained. “I wanted to make sure you were safe, that’s why I didn’t stop the others from driving you out. It might have been cruel, and you may not forgive me for it, but it was the right choice. Now though, we will have to give you another injection. Remember how we used to when you lived here?”
“Yes, I remember,” Seslyn said, still a stone’s throw away from tears. “What are the injections for? You never really told me, yes.”
M.O.T.H.E.R. sighed, “they are to prevent you from becoming like the others. Drones in the coming battle. To make sure if you are here when it happens, which you will be now, you don’t activate your programming. The programming to fight the infected.”
Seslyn went to ask a question but was cut off by Suntiana. “Oh bullshit, why make her suffer so you could live on?! What is she your clone or something? Why make her so different from the others. She flet like she had no family when we met her.”
M.O.T.H.E.R. looked at Suntiana quizzically for a moment, then decided to ignore her and continued talking to Seslyn.
“You as this woman put it, are not my clone. You are however my child and for those of us who didn’t grow up on a prison island, a mother’s job is to provide the best she can for her children. I tried this with you. It would seem your new family thinks I have failed in that regard. I hope you don’t think so,” M.O.T.H.E.R. said looking at Seslyn.
“You looked after me when I was here. You tried to protect me. I understand there was only so much you could do to protect me from the others, yes. Still, I don’t get what makes me so special to you. You let me go,” Seslyn said.
“You’re special because your parents aren’t out there like all your other siblings. I am right here, I made you specifically. You have the missing pieces of my brain in you. You are not a clone, with some effort on my part and a lot of manipulation of things we don’t need to get into I effectively gave birth to you, my biological daughter,” M.O.T.H.E.R. said practically beaming.
“I am your daughter?” Seslyn let this sink in for a moment. “Wow. I am a part of you, yes. Wait, what do you mean not like the others out there?”
“Inquisitive as always I see,” M.O.T.H.E.R. said smiling. “The others out there are all clones of experiments from when I was left down here after the elves used their virus on the world.”
She began to explain to everyone that the ratfolk are an artificially created race of people. One the elf’s virus wouldn’t work on because unlike beast people they had no human ancestors. They had evolved one hundred percent from rats. Each one perfected over generations of trial and error. The utopian era they have now was not what it was in the beginning. There was a lack of caring and drive when everything was plentiful. The arguments and disagreements started when M.O.T.H.E.R. tried to control and ration supplies. The first two generations were lost to these unforeseen issues. To help correct for the lack of caring and drive she had implemented the hive mind. Which allowed for everything to be plentiful and made it so any who fell into old habits were corrected with the impulses given to them by their connection.
Ashera nodded along understanding, while everyone else looked mortified at M.O.T.H.E.R. They considered her lack of concern for the life lost and the amount of control she was exerting as barbaric. One of them was even sick when M.O.T.H.E.R. finished her explanation.
“How… How could you?” Seslyn asked pulling herself back from her mother.
“I had to; this project cannot fail. If it does, the only beings left on the planet will be the elves. They are planning to exterminate all other species. They are going to run a small-scale test on this city. That is the only time we will have to save the rest of the world. There are enough ratfolk, as you are calling them, to have one for each being in the city above. Workers and elves alike. What the elves don’t understand about their new version of the disease is when it’s in its final stage it can affect them as well.
“I have made each ratfolk a vaccine in a way. Once they bite onto someone, they transfer the vaccine to them, unfortunately this only completes part of their purpose. The second part is their bodies will break down releasing the rest of the antidote as an airborne pathogen to kill any virus lingering in the air. I understand your disgusted at what I have done, but it needs to be this way,” M.O.T.H.E.R. stated matter-of-factly.
“My family, the ones I grew up around are nothing more than an anti-virus?” Seslyn shrieked.
“That is why I made you, so our species could live on. You have all my knowledge and experiences from when I was human in your brain. This final injection will unlock them completely for you. If you still want that of course,” M.O.T.H.E.R. said in a more sombre tone.
Seeing Seslyn’s disbelief at the situation Ashera spoke up.
“I think you ought to consider it at the very least Seslyn. You are literally one of a kind. You are the beginning of a new species. You’re a proud new being and you’re the most loyal and loving member of our group. Your mother, not M.O.T.H.E.R. is asking you to live on. She wants you to succeed and grow, true some of the experiments she ran were a little less than ethical. Still, she has the entire world to think about and even with all that going on and with everything a rouge element like you represent. She chose to make you. She wanted to have someone she could count on to have a future. That must count for something,” Ashara said.
Seslyn stood there her eyes moving back and forth between her mother and Ashera. Her mother looking anxiously back at her. Ashera trying to look confident and hopeful for Seslyn. She didn’t know what to think, true her mother wanted what was best for her, and her friend was right that she should be happy to be different from the rest of her family. Still knowing the rest of her family was meant for some greater purpose that she would not be a part of it made her a little sad. She wondered what to do, whether she should finish her mothers work or if she should attempt to let this latent programming take over. She thought long and hard while all eyes were on her.
“If I do this, will I understand everything you have done, yes?” Seslyn finally asked her mother.
“Yes,” her mother replied.
Seslyn nodded and spoke confidently, “then I will take the injection and complete whatever you started with me, yes. I want you to know that I am not happy about it though. You used me without ever explaining anything to me while I was here. You know how confused that left me?”
M.O.T.H.E.R. nodded and said, “come. The final injection is ready, I was counting on you making this decision. After this all will be clear to you.”