Distant Cathartic

Distant Cathartic I (Mind 4)

Days passed before Athlon woke up. A spark flickered in the back of the Android's brain, and Athlon found that he was aware of his surroundings. His memory was murky, and for a time he didn't understand what had happened to him. There was, however, a strong instinct to speak French. Curious, Athlon floated for a while in his confusion, exploring his thoughts without thinking too much about where he was and what he was doing.

Athlon began to get a grip on himself, and soon found that he was a prisoner in his own head. He couldn't move his body. He sensed Osiris with him, evil and dark, but knew that he was ignoring the mind of his host. Athlon's memory came flooding back, and he saw that he was on a battlefield, somewhere in the Jintisu system. He sensed the black city far behind him, and saw that thousands of shadowy warriors were marching with him, slaughtering the population of the planet they were attacking. Furious, Athlon screamed at Osiris, fighting the power that so solidly gripped his body.

"What can you do against me? I am in control here, Android. Throw your fit if you like, but you will do little more than tire yourself. Soon I will find a way to purge you completely."

Athlon could see what Osiris saw, and from the back of their shared brain Athlon watched in horror as Osiris used the Android's hands to slaughter a scared looking soldier. Osiris laughed, and then fell silent.

Athlon stopped watching what was happening. Being helpless was intolerable for Athlon, who had spent his life helping others and enjoying everything he found, from the complex four- dimensional art of Metebelis IV, to the perfect croissants baked by the few remaining Ba'ku chefs.

He had to focus, gather his strength, and find a way to fight back. He worked away in the back of his head, building a shield against Osiris' mind, hiding what he intended to do. Osiris was wrapped around every part of Athlon's brain, giving him full control. There was nowhere Athlon could gain ground.

Athlon's plan was simple, if difficult: he would use his knowledge and technological skill to split his personality. If he could partition his brain into three parts, Osiris would have to jump between them in order to remain in control. That meant that Athlon could move into a different section and battle the intruder.

With his activities shielded, Athlon set to work, knowing that every second meant more people were dying at Osiris' hands. Slowly, he made headway, severing connections in his brain in order to separate one into three.

It was a painful process, and Athlon found that insanity threatened his progress. This wasn't something he was designed to do, and the controlled destruction he was inflicting on himself fragmented his thoughts. Sometimes it was hard to focus, and Athlon had to work carefully in order to keep from falling into the deepening pit of madness opening in his mind. He left the primary pathways between sections for last so that Osiris wouldn't notice a sudden difficulty in operating the Android's brain.

Athlon couldn't simply divide his brain without also separating his mind. He existed as a single being, and while Osiris had taken over the hardware, Athlon's consciousness existed in every part of his brain. Emotions had to be put in one section, while logic and rationality had to be put in another. Athlon's memories and knowledge went into the third partition, and his personality itself was split between all three. Essentially, three simplified Athlons now existed in a single brain, segregated to protect the greater whole.

When Athlon's work was complete, he waited for Osiris to return to the black city. The city rose from a burnt planet back into space, and Athlon made his move. Severing the final pathways, Osiris was thrown into disarray. His consciousness regrouped in one partition, and Athlon grabbed hold of another. Osiris roared:

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

"You will not force me out. I am a GOD. You are nothing more than software."