<P>Peter stopped typing and stepped away from the keyboard. "There's nothing we can do, Kate. Icarus is in control. We can't pull the plug, Ralph will die without life support, and we can't manipulate with Icarus' systems from out here. We... we gotta... I guess we have to let Ralph handle this." Kate just stared at him in terror. "Guys..." Daniel barely succeeded in shaping the words with his trembling lips, and his tongue seemed to have tied a knot on itself. "Guys, something's happening... Ralph's stats..."
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<P>The three of them watched in horror as Ralph's vital signs just went up and up and up. Hours seemed to pass before his heartbeats, his adrenalin levels and pretty much every possible function of his body finally stopped rising. For the longest 10 seconds in any of their lives, the vitals signs remained steady. Then, Kate and Daniel cried out simultaneously as Ralph's vital signs suddenly fell like a plane shot straight out of the sky and crashed with a persistent flatline tone. Finally Kate cried. She'd been holding up very well so far, but now she couldn't hold it back any longer. Ralph's hand dropped down the side of the chair and swung limply back and forth a few times. Peter looked almost angrily at the monitor; fists clenched and shoulders drawn up to his ears, he just stood there helplessly watching the flat lines on the vital signs monitor. Daniel dropped himself into a nearby chair and seemed to try to hide there. He hadn't even noticed the tears which had rolled down his face.
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<P>In the observation room above them, Walton Simons turned around and faced the holocom. "The experiment was a success. You'll be pleased to know it reacts with surprising cunning, and we've been sure to get rid of any moral codes which could prove inhibiting to our plans. As opposed to our previous project, the new AI will also be completely loyal thanks to a few alterations to the control program, and it's ready to be released at your will." Simons halted the recording and pressed the "Send" button, and then he calmly left the room turning the lights off behind him.