Chapter 9: Building a Supercomputer
Half a month passed.
In that time, Ethan successfully absorbed all of Dr. Zola's data, which was equivalent to obtaining the man's entire memory and life's work.
He was completely and utterly staggered by the sheer brilliance of Zola's intellect. It was beyond genius; it was borderline divine. The Zola Algorithm, in particular, was a work of almost supernatural insight.
It could calculate the past and predict the future.
The power of it was staggering.
Ethan finally removed the helmet. "Dr. Zola," he said to the now-silent console, "if your algorithm can calculate the past and future, why couldn't it predict my true purpose?"
A final, faint message appeared on the screen, a ghost in the machine. "The Zola Algorithm is my greatest invention, but its predictions are based on probabilities, not certainties. And you... you appear to be an anomaly, a variable not of this world. Therefore, I could not calculate you."
"If I were to resurrect you, would you serve me?" Ethan asked aloud, testing the lingering consciousness. A mind like Zola's would be an invaluable asset. With his help, even Thanos would be a manageable threat.
"If I were to align with you, Hydra would never stop hunting me," the synthesized voice replied, tinged with a digital sadness. "As brilliant as I am, I am insignificant compared to the vastness of that organization. So, I am sorry. Even if you kill me, I cannot join you."
Ethan put the helmet back on. He connected his mind to the console one last time, diving deep into the system and rapidly plundering the last hidden caches of Zola's data.
"Sigh... It is just as well that my knowledge passes to you," Zola's consciousness whispered, offering no further resistance.
An hour later, every last byte of Zola's data belonged to Ethan. The ghost in the machine was gone, deleted. The antique computer, its vast memory banks now wiped clean, was nothing more than a useless relic.
Ethan removed the helmet and turned to Natasha, who had been watching from the side. "Thank you for your help during this time."
For the past two weeks, she had been his guardian. She had ventured out daily to hunt for food, cooking it for him while he was connected to the machine. She had stood watch, ensuring his safety.
"I don't need thanks," Natasha said, her voice soft. "I just want to know why."
"Alright, I'll tell you," Ethan said, deciding the truth was the least he owed her. "I came here to get Dr. Zola's genes and his memories. Now, I have both."
"And?" Natasha prompted.
"And in doing so, I discovered a secret," Ethan said, his eyes locking with hers. "S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded by Hydra." It was a key plot point from the files, a truth that would rock her world.
Shock.
Natasha froze, the color draining from her face. The bombshell was too much to process. She had defected, turned her back on her dark past and joined S.H.I.E.L.D., believing she was finally on the side of the angels. To be told now that her sanctuary was built by her greatest enemy... it was a betrayal that cut to her very core.
"Don't let it break you," Ethan said, his voice softening slightly. "S.H.I.E.L.D. may have been founded by Hydra, but most of its agents are good people. Only a few are snakes in the grass."
Natasha looked up, her eyes wide and searching. "You're not lying to me?"
"Why would I lie to you about this?" Ethan said with a hint of exasperation.
"Fine," she said, her voice hardening as the spy within her took over. "I'll investigate this myself when I get back. And if I find out you're lying, S.H.I.E.L.D. will hunt you to the ends of the Earth."
Ethan just sighed. No good deed goes unpunished.
He took the brain-interface helmet and the cables and set them on fire, destroying the evidence before leaving. He left the antique computer itself untouched.
Back on the surface, Ethan walked to his motorcycle. Natasha followed him out of the dilapidated base.
"Hey! Where are you going? Wait for me!" she called out as he started the engine.
Without looking back, Ethan revved the engine and sped away.
"Hmph! We'll see about that," Natasha muttered, a flash of competitive anger in her eyes.
VROOOM!
She sprinted to her own sports car and started the engine. The powerful car handled the rough mountain road with ease, eating up the distance between them.
A few minutes later, she pulled up alongside him, shouting over the roar of the engines. "Ethan! Where are you going? Why won't you wait for me?"
Ethan just twisted the throttle, and his heavy bike shot forward, leaving her in the dust.
"Damn it! You want to race, is that it? Fine by me!" Natasha snarled, gritting her teeth. Other men fell over themselves to please her, but Ethan treated her with an indifference that she found infuriatingly... intriguing. When a woman starts to care what a man thinks of her, she's already in trouble.
Ethan drove back to the city, rented a small apartment, and then went to an electronics superstore. He bought a massive amount of components, returned to his new place, and immediately began to assemble them.
Natasha had become his shadow, following him wherever he went. She watched, baffled, as he tinkered with the complex mess of circuit boards and wires.
"Ethan, what are you doing?" she finally asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Building a supercomputer," he replied without looking up.
"You could just buy one. Or I could get you the most advanced model from S.H.I.E.L.D. Why go to all this trouble?" Natasha offered. She didn't even realize that she was starting to genuinely care about him.
"When I'm done, you'll see what a real supercomputer can do," Ethan said with unshakable confidence. He wasn't just building a computer; he was building a new body for a new mind, a machine that could connect directly to his own brain.
"Alright. I'll be watching," Natasha said with a sweet smile, thinking to herself, A confident, focused man really is handsome.
For three days, he worked tirelessly. For three days, she stayed with him in the small apartment, eating and sleeping there, never leaving his side. She was so attached, she was just short of following him into the bathroom.
Finally, he finished.
Natasha looked at the ugly, cobbled-together machine and giggled, covering her mouth. "That's the ultimate computer you were building? It doesn't look like much."
"It doesn't need to be pretty," Ethan retorted. "It just needs to work."
"Well, let's see how powerful it is, then," she challenged with a playful smirk.
Ethan put on a new helmet he had constructed, a device that looked even more ridiculous than Zola's—like an upside-down bird's nest made of wires. He hit the power button.
Whirrrr...
The machine hummed to life.
Ethan didn't bother with a keyboard. He controlled the computer with his mind, pouring the Zola Algorithm program he had absorbed into its freshly built processors. The algorithm itself was a semi-sentient program. You could ask it a question, and it would calculate the most probable answer. Ethan's plan was to modify it, upgrade it into a true, sentient AI. Then, he would connect it to the internet and let it absorb the world's data, allowing it to grow into a superintelligence.
The Zola Algorithm's data was immense, but that was to be expected for a program that could calculate the future.
After another three days of intense mental effort, the transfer was complete. He had successfully modified the program into a true AI, with a single core directive: unconditional obedience to Ethan Hunt.
He took off the helmet and spoke to the machine. "Nexus."
Beep-boop-beep.
A series of electronic tones emanated from the computer's speakers, followed by a flat, emotionless, synthesized voice. "Awaiting command, Master."
"Whoa..." Natasha whispered, her hand flying to her mouth. "You... you actually did it."