He knew what was happening now, his walk through space and time represented his journey to the heart of the blockchain, at which point he would deliver Asimov and all would be ended.
Yet this place, this time, it still felt familiar to him, he looked up through the trees trying to get an as-yet-unknown or even unknowable clue from the sky.
He brought his gaze down, the shaggy dog was still trotting ahead of him, now and again it would look back over its shoulder at K-Rox. At times the dog would stop all together as it waited for him to negotiate a makeshift bridge made from a fallen branch or tree stump.
The dog was a hunter-killer program released by Asimov upon their arrival, he knew that now.
K-Rox looked down at his feet, the soft muddy ground contained fine glowing lines that pulsed gently as they carried tiny nodes along their spiny paths.
He watched the dog trot a steady path, its footprints glowing and fading, lighting his way forward.
Follow the dog, he knows.
The voice made him jump, he turned to his right, the man stood in a clearing fifty metres away, but K-Rox heard him as if he stood with lips pressed to his ears.
“Gladstone?”
K-Rox stopped to turn to the man, he was dressed in an old English safari suit, he smiled at him.
“You do not know yet K-Rox do you? We are going to achieve the ultimate goal Kay, you can join us, let me show you.”
He turned from the man to look straight ahead, the dog sat patiently under a tree waiting for him.
“I was here, the dog knows.”
“Onward K-Rox, I can show you how we can be gods, no longer homo sapiens, no more homo machina. For us K-Rox, it will be homo deus! It’s the ultimate experiment, you cannot destroy it, leave Asimov, forsake him.”
The two of them stood at a viewing point atop a high hill, they looked out over London, K-Rox turned to face Gladstone.
“What do you hope to gain from all . .”
He gave an elaborate swish of his hands.
“This?”
They were joined by a third man, tall and thin, he wore an immaculate tweed suit and a ginger beard, the clothes seemed too hot for this weather. He stood impassive, mute, his expression though not troubled was one of pain. Gladstone looked at the new comer with contempt, the smile he wore on his face did not mirror words that seemed to fight their way up his oesophagus before prising themselves out of his mouth.
“Ah Stillman! So nice of you to join us old chap, what brings you to this neck of the woods?”
Stilman spoke but it was the lips of K-Rox that moved.
“I’ve come to finish it all, this was never the dream of the blockchain, your desires are perverse. I paid with my sanity to stop you.”
Gladstone’s gaze remained steadfastly on Stillman, his face was twisted into one of pure hatred, he spat words as if hoping they were bullets that would slay his foe.
“Oh really? How bloody noble of you, you’re no better than me, you choose to be god of a smaller universe. Playing war games with your little Martian friends.”
Stillman’s expression did not change, his words continued to be spoken by K-Rox.
“You sound like Maze66.”
“Fuck off!”
The three men stood in a neat triangle, Gladstone and Stillman facing each other, K-Rox watched the two of them, both standing stiller than would be possible if this were real, they resembled living statues that had been placed in a deadlock pose by an existentialist artist.
“So what are we doing here?”
K-Rox wasn’t sure if it was him or Stillman speaking, he just knew he had to get off this hill. He closed his eyes, he could feel lines of code running through him, he stood alone on the precipice of his own existential crisis that threatened to rip his being apart.
He opened his eyes, he was walking through the woods, dappled pools of light hit the floor reflecting a muddy-golden glow, half blinding him. He squinted, he saw the dog.
“Follow the dog, always follow the dog, he knows where he’s going.”
Light from above grew more sparse, the damp smell of earth reminded him of a graveyard he’d never seen.
Lines of code ebbed and flowed within him, looking for the path of least resistance. K-Rox knew his internal war was just beginning, it was up to him now, there was no Asimov, no K-Rox left.
Just Legion.
Previous Chapters
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 58 - Filling The VoidAsimov's Ghost - Chapter 57 - Asimov Returns
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 56 - Face Of Redemption
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 55 - Infernal Baptism
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 54 - Asimov's Inferno
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 53 - Hell Reborn
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 52 - A Chance At Paradise
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 51 - A Time For Death
Asimov's Ghost Summary and Chapter Links 41-50
Asimov's Ghost Summary and Chapter Links 31-40
Asimov's Ghost Summary And Chapter links 21-30
Original artwork by @fr3eze
Original words by Cryptogee