RAID. It was a simple term though one not used in modern computing. However, the concept was still well known. It was a redundant array of independent drives. Basically, a bunch of different systems all working together to solve problems, but still separate such that if any of them fail they don’t get in the way of the rest of the system as a whole.

It was also what BaBS-Y had turned every robot on board the Thesis into, using their processing capabilities to enhance itself and reduce its own burden.

“That’s why the robots are all stopped,” Charlotte from Data Transfer was saying. “A bunch of them have already overheated or exceeded their processors and have broken down but…well it’s freeing up BaBS-Y from having to deal with everything itself.”

“Great,” Matiew groaned. “What does that mean for Cassandra and her team?”

“Not sure,” Charlotte replied. “We don’t have access to BaBS-Y or the cameras down on twelve.”

“You need access to the cameras?” Kamaria asked.

The others turned to face her. They’d just reached the elevator to begin going up to the hospital but Jancy was frozen, her hand an inch above the call button.

“Does Security still have access?” Jancy asked.

“Pretty sure it does,” Kamaria said. “At least, I don’t think BaBS-Y ever locked me out. Spencer and Darcy probably don’t have access anymore.”

Immediately Matiew pulled out his portable workstation and swung it around to face Kamaria.

“See if you can still get in,” he said.

A moment later and they were looking down at the camera feeds. It was a desperate struggle playing out before them, and one they knew was not going the way they had hoped. Of the six people sent, one was draped over a planter in the atrium, four were showing signs of distress even as they tried to corner and attack BaBS-Y. After some further searching, they found the final member of the team outside the airlock leading back to sector eleven, struggling to get the airlock door to open.

“Their suits aren’t looking too good,” Jancy pointed out right away. “Looks like BaBS-Y’s poking holes in their suits.”

“BaBS-Y’s taken a few hits though,” Matiew said. “Look at the right side of its head.”

Sure enough, there was a decent sized dent and some of the inner components were visible through a crack in the outer shell.

“Is there anything we can do to help them?” Kamaria asked.

*

“How you doing, Dash?” Cassandra asked, nearly out of breath. Her suit was struggling to keep up with the multiple leaks and she knew she wasn’t alone. Everyone had taken at least one good jab from BaBS-Y, compromising their suits.

“Think I’m bleeding a bit more than I thought,” Dash replied. “Legs not wanting to support weight either.”

Not good.

“Alright, try to get back to the airlock,” she said.

Dash hesitated for a moment but then turned and fled back and away from the fighting. He mostly had to hop on his uninjured leg, bracing himself up with one hand on the wall while the other hand was held clamped over the puncture in his suit to minimize the loss of pressure.

“All airlocks are currently unavailable,” BaBS-Y said over the comm. “If you will all agree to end hostilities and submit to a PaLS unit on sector sixteen then this unit will allow you to leave.”

“You can’t lock us out of the airlocks,” Cassandra said, calling its bluff. “Those are fully independent systems that no one can–

“This unit has made multiple trips to the exterior of the Thesis and has made modifications to the airlocks. Your short range comms will not be sufficient to reach your companion but this unit assures you they have not yet been able to gain access to sector eleven.”

Was that possible? Cassandra hadn’t noticed any changes to the airlock door, but then again she wasn’t usually on the outside of the airlocks. BaBS-Y could have done any number of things to the doors. Although, what tools did it have at its disposal?

In that moment of thought and hesitation, BaBS-Y shot forward. It went from standing still to sprinting in a fraction of a second and before any of them could react it had rammed its impromptu spear through the visor of the nearest member of Cassandra’s team.

She watched in horror as Casey cried out silently, clawing at his face as it swelled and his eyes bulged. BaBS-Y spun the broom handle around and brought it around towards Cassandra herself. She only just barely managed to bring the heavy wrench up in time to block the strike.

“You want to know something?!” Cassandra screamed at the robot while her friend died, writhing on the floor just a few feet away from her. She grabbed the handle and pulled herself close enough to the robot that she could finally grapple it. “Your stupid salon will never reopen! You’ll never have clients again!”

She was pummeling BaBS-Y now, ignoring the robot’s own attacks as she smashed more and more of its face. She brought the wrench down a final time and the head snapped off from the torso, striking the ground and sliding away. Only then did she look down to where BaBS-Y had run her through with the spear. There was no pain. No sensation, even. She couldn’t remember when she’d let go of the broom handle. All she could remember was the satisfaction of finally battering the robot into pieces.

“Hey, Jancy,” Cassandra said after activating her comm, “I got the robot.”

Her team was carefully helping her up and retreating back to the airlock.

“One of you should grab the robot’s body,” she said to her team. “We’ll throw it out the breach in the hull so even if it’s not fully destroyed it won’t be able to do…to do anything.”

“We got it,” they said and Cassandra nodded.

Her head was feeling too heavy and her vision was fuzzy. There was an annoying buzzing in her ears that didn’t have anything to do with her damaged suit or comm. She managed to remain conscious just long enough to see the robot tossed out of the ship and into empty space.

She blacked out with a faint grin on her face.

*

Matiew, Min, Jancy, and Kamaria watched all of this play out on Matiew’s portable workstation. It wasn’t until Cassandra contacted Jancy that they heard anything from them and had no idea about what all BaBS-Y had said to Cassandra and her team. What was clear, was that the robot was broken and gone.

“We need to send someone down to that airlock and see why it’s not opening,” Jancy was saying.

She had the remaining human leadership of the Thesis gathered now in the hospital. Various runners were being organized to bring in the other injured passengers and crew but most of the action seemed to be focused still around Cassandra and her team.

“Get the team that’s been delivering them supplies since they’re the most practiced at moving up and down the Thesis. See if they can get the airlock open.”

While Jancy, Matiew, and Min were checked over, Kamaria sat off to the side, occasionally switching between different cameras. Matiew could see the display from where he was lying. The two main views Kamaria was switching between were those of her coworkers, now being helped towards the hospital, and who Matiew assumed were her parents, sitting in one of the maintenance offices.

“Looks like we’re all going to make it,” he told her.

Kamaria jumped, but then relaxed when she saw Matiew looking at the display. She tried to smile but couldn’t manage it and her expression turned sour.

“Yeah, no thanks to me,” she muttered. “I almost got you all killed…I did get people killed.”

“For what it’s worth,” Matiew said, “I won’t hold it against you. You didn’t know what robots could be like.”

She nodded and went back to cycling through the camera feeds. After a few minutes, she turned back to Matiew.

“Why are all the other robots still just standing around?” She asked.

“Hmm?” Matiew looked over and Kamaria showed him image after image of the ship’s robots, still inactive.

“Do we have to reboot them or–

“Min! Jancy!” Matiew all but shouted, “BaBS-Y’s RAID is still active!”

It only took a second for both of them to register what he’d said before they each leapt up from their hospital beds.

“We need oxygen,” Jancy said at once. “And face masks. Goggles. The gas is still too thick to safely work in.”

No one moved.

“We need to secure the RCC! BaBS-Y could still be inside the system!” Jancy shouted out to the surprised and concerned hospital staff.

That finally got them all moving and almost at once Jancy had the things she’d asked for.

“You stay here,” Jancy told Matiew. “You’ve got you workstation so do what you can from here. Min and I will get down there and try to ferret that robot out of whatever corner it’s hiding in. Just keep it from activating any of those PaLS while we’re down there.”

With that, they were gone and Matiew and Kamaria were left alone.

“I thought they threw BaBS-Y out of the ship?” Kamaria asked.

Matiew had taken back his workstation and was typing away, sending messages to Data Transfer and beginning work on a new search protocol. He was just opening his mouth to respond to Kamaria, when an all-too-familiar voice spoke over the comms.

“This unit regrets to inform the passengers and crew aboard the Thesis that your prolonged survival has proven to be at odds with the success of the Frank Nelis salon. Do not worry. As mission director for the Thesis, this unit has approved full services to be offered to all deceased clients once the Frank Nelis salon reopens. Kindly remain where you are while final preparations are made prior to your deaths. Thank you and this unit hopes you enjoy your final days here on board the Thesis.”

Silence. Matiew could see all eyes turning towards him as Kamaria and the medical staff all looked to him for answers. For a way out of this situation. He had nothing he could say to them. The best he could do was focus on the work he had to do and hope he wasn’t too late.