[OOC: Sorry, this is going to be a LONG one...]
Jess reached down to Benton's desk and grabbed his dive gear. She put the goggles on her face and, looking through them, yelled back at Heath.
"Get EVERYONE out of this building," she yelled. "Every last person in this facility - on this entire mountain, for that matter - needs to be evacuated immediately."
Heath hesitated. "Now wait a minute," he shouted.
Renk turned around and looked at Heath. "Do it," he said. "If you think we're bluffing, go ahead and be my guest. BE vaporized."
Renk handed Atlas the rifle. "We're destroying this weapon no matter what," snapped Atlas. "Even if that means we die."
"We don't negotiate with terrorists," stammered Heath.
"TERRORISTS?!" screamed Jess. "The only terrorist is this pig right here!" she yelled, continuing to point her sword at Benton. "Now GET. OUT. OF. THE. BUILDING."
Heath and his men exited the office and a loud alarm siren began to ring out. A voice on the P.A. system said, "All personnel. This is not a drill. Evacuate the facility at once. I repeat..."
Renk forced Benton out of his seat as Atlas kept his rifle pointed at the man. Atlas then opened his own space suit and pulled a tranquilizer dart pistol out of his pocket. He shot Benton with a tranquilizer dart, sending the large man down to the floor, unconscious.
Jess sat down and engaged the dive gear. It made a direct connection to her brain, which was a very weird sensation. It was much different than any dive she had attempted before and she felt truly disembodied. Darkness began to surround her in the deepest void imaginable.
"Where am I?" asked Jess, into the void. No one answered. Even Renk and Atlas, standing nearby in the physical world, weren't audible in this state.
This isn't the sphere's control system, is it? thought Jess.
Jess tried to look around for any controls but couldn't find them. Then, out of nowhere, she heard a voice.
It was her father.
"Jess," said the voice, "If you can hear me, this is an artificial intelligence that I've left behind. If you are here..."
"Father!" shouted Jess. "Where are you?!"
Her father appeared before her. The black void surrounding them changed to a wide open, grassy field with the bright sun overhead. Jess could hear birds chirping and the wind blowing. She could even feel the warm air around her.
"Jess, listen carefully," said Richard. "If you're here, that means I'm probably dead, no doubt at the hands of some assassin or terrorists."
Jess put her hands over her face. She couldn't bear even to tell the A.I. the truth about how her father had died.
"I regret to tell you that I have been keeping a very dark secret," said Richard. "You are inside the most dangerous weapon known to humanity. It was discovered many, many centuries ago and kept hidden from the world. This system has the power to control and destroy almost anything."
"Yes, I know," sobbed Jess. "Lots of people are already dead or hurt because of it."
"Are you here to destroy it?" asked Richard.
"Of course," replied Jess. "Why didn't you destroy it long ago?"
"A seal was placed on it, preventing its activation," replied Richard. "It was sealed by someone or something tens of thousands of years ago but, the year you were born, someone found a way to unlock it."
"But why didn't YOU destroy it," demanded Jess.
"Because the people who unlocked it also made sure that if I destroyed it... you would die," said Richard.
Jess was silent for a moment.
"THAT's the purpose of the nano technology? That's what was behind the adepts?" said Jess. She could hardly believe this revelation.
"Benton Mulhauser oversaw the entire project," said Richard. "The Price family was entrusted with keeping the weapon hidden on an asteroid but Benton, the leader of the Herei Mob Army, took control of it. I was desperate to leak information about this threat but had to be careful because I was being monitored. I even tried to sneak information to you at one point..."
"So that's why they put that nano tech into my body in the lab before I was born," said Jess. "It was all a way to prevent you from destroying this weapon..."
"I tried many times to leak information without Benton finding out. I contacted many deckers and freelancers in the hope that they would be able to help. It was all done under the pseudonym 'Dark Spider'," said Richard.
"YOU were Dark Spider...?!" gasped Jess.
"Now that you're here," said Richard, "That means you've taken control of this system. That means it's safe to finally bring an end to all of this madness."
Jess shook her head. "I don't understand," she whispered.
"Please give me authorization," said Richard. "With your approval, I will do two things. First, I will block all further access to this system's controls."
"Yes, I authorize it," said Jess.
"Confirmed. I will also begin a self-destruct countdown. Jess, I know you are in close proximity to one of the main physical access points of this system. Have your team put on their space suits and go back to the sphere. Make physical contact with it and I will take care of the rest," said Richard.
"Father, wait..." said Jess.
"Goodbye, Jess. You've made me proud..."
Jess was suddenly jolted out of the dive. The dive gear malfunctioned and became inoperable.
She quickly stood up. "Atlas, Renk, put your helmets on."
Jess ran out of the office and motioned Atlas and Renk to follow.