Chapter 103. The Lie

You can't trust anyone.

Later that evening while I was in bed watching an old Star Trek Voyager episode, 'The Thaw", I got this idea that we were being betrayed by an object, not a person, and if it were true it would mean that the androids are still trying to deceive me with false information, and that would indicate that they are still being influenced by Tyco's programming.

I decided I needed help with this problem, so I went to Alexa's bedroom and found her watching an old Star Wars episode.

She looked at me and frowned. "Now what?"

I gave her hint of a smile. "I need your help with another problem. I think that the androids are still being manipulated by Tyco's plot, but I don't think it's through an operative."

"That doesn't make sense. How else could the androids be manipulated."

"I believe it's through an object, and I think this object is giving away our location coordinates and probably our strategy."

"What kind of object could do all of that?"

"It would have to be a self-powered quantum entangled computer system."

"Are you suggesting that Tyco placed something like that on this vessel? He wasn't around when it was built."

"That's true, but we did use some spare parts from the original Explorer-1."

"If that's what happened, it should narrow it down."

"Yes, and I know exactly which parts. They were used in the warp system."

"There you go," she said. "You don't need me now."

I tilted my head and frowned. "I need you to help me determine where the object is communicating with."

"Why me? I thought that you use Molly for that kind of work."

"I trust you."

She stared at me for a few moments before replying. "Okay, but I want a favor in turn."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I want you to bang me."

I smiled. "Sure, I would be honored."

She got out of bed. "Okay, let's go solve your problem."

"You're not going to get dressed?"

She gave me a rebuking frown. "Do you want my help or not?"

I held my hands up in surrender. "No problem."

I teleported Alexa and me down to the engineering deck and found Venessa and Lori there monitoring the engines.

They turned to look at us.

"We're here to find a compact computer device that relaying our location out to the breakaway coalition."

"We are not familiar with such a device, Jason," Venessa said.

"I think you are. It has to be in one of the parts that we used to make the warp engines."

"What is you reason to suspect this?"

"Those parts were on the Explorer-1 and that gave Queen the opportunity to imbed the unit in one of the replacement parts."

"Why are you deliberately trying to thwart our attempts to free us from Tyco's influence?" Alexa asked the androids.

"We are being blocked . . ." Venessa blurted before she stopped moving. Lori also ceased functioning.

"This is a lot worse than I thought," I told Alexa. "We have to find the device before it shuts everyone down."

"If this device is using entanglement quantum communication, we should be able to detect the neutrinos it emits."

"Good luck there," I said. "Neutrinos are able to penetrate us without us even feeling them."

"Ah, but the nuclear device they're using to power the device is probably forming antineutrons which decay to form positrons, which in turn find electrons to annihilate and give off two gamma rays. We should be able to detect the extra gamma rays even though they're not all that many of them being given off."

I went over to a cabinet where they keep instruments and found a gamma ray detector. I handed it to her. "Let's go see if your idea works."

We went to the innards of the ship and Alexa began scanning for gamma rays. After several minutes, she got a positive reading. "It's in there," she said, pointing to a cowling that covered the antimatter injector units.

I used a wrench to unfasten the cowling and carefully remove it. After a careful inspection, I found a small metal cylinder.

"Yeah, the rays are coming from that," Alexa said. "I would be careful with that because it's showing positive for antimatter."

"That figures. Hang tight, I'll be right back."

I teleported into space with the device several thousand kilometers from the ship and then teleported back. The blast of gamma rays from the explosion hit the outer hull like a hailstone storm.

Both Venessa and Lori started moving.

"Are you two okay?" I asked.

"Yes, Jason," Venessa replied.

"Did you know that there was a spy device in here?"

"Yes, but we were unable to inform you about it."

I turned to Venessa. "There has to be a way that we can stop this deception."

"Maybe a reboot to the system would cure the problem."

"I can do that, but everyone, including you, will temporarily be out of action."

She shrugged.

I went over to the main console and began the process. I had to enter several passwords and answer stupid questions, but the system rebooted. I wasn't affected, and I turned to notice that neither was Alexa."

"How come you weren't affected?" I asked her.

"I was the operative, but I purged the code that linked me to Tyco."

I squinted. "How did you become connected to Tyco?"

"He's the one that killed me. I assume that he injected the code into my personality data and memories. When you resurrected me that code became active."

"How did he kill you?"

"He injected a neuro-agent directly into my heart. It didn't kill me right away, but I was paralyzed while he stripped me and raped me. I wished that I could have been with you when you destroyed him."

"I didn't destroy him. He did it himself."

She frowned. "Whatever!"

I sighed. "Well, at least we've averted a possible takeover."

"There's something else you should know, and you're not going to like it."

I stared at her with a concerned expression. What new crisis was I about to face?