2288: The Skotadian Experiment

Home > Other > 2288: The Skotadian Experiment > Page 38
2288: The Skotadian Experiment Page 38

by Douglas Howell


  (3)

  “So what are we looking at?” Mazzinghi asked Grumett.

  “71 megaton sir.” She responded.

  “That’s not what I’m talking about.”

  “Lake Russell.”

  “What!?”

  “Take your radiation pills and die another day.”

  “I am so sick and tired of. . .”

  “Look sir, if the radiation don’t kill us, then what will?”

  “What’s the fucking status of the enemy!?” Mazzinghi yelled at her.

  “Irradiated! Like everyone else! Get use to it! Sir!” Grumett yelled at him and then walked off.

  Mazzinghi just stood there taking it all in. Looking at the radiation ash falling from the sky. His own death was starting to get to him. Lord he hope that it was over but it wasn’t. Ensign Russell made things far worse for the Wol’ga’con army. Used to their own people using nuclear weapons they saw it as a sign that dying time was here. All must die.

  (4)

  Chief Petty Officer Jaime Alvarez led the assault against the Wol’ga’con regiment. Although there was only one third of them left, they were still a formidable force. Nevertheless, he could only get about fifty personnel to join him. His assault resulted in very little. Everyone including himself died in the so called “surprise assault”. Both his death and his assault did result in a bonus. The enemy made the stupid mistake of a counter attack. They were too disorganized and confused to ever launch a true successful assault upon the lab complex. Chief Petty Officer Patrick Eckersley died in that assault. He didn’t hesitate when he saw the enemy approach. He was good. It was as if he did see combat before even though he never did. Their sacrifice gave the defenders the chance that all of them were patiently looking for. But it wasn’t enough.

  (5)

  “We just lost our Wol’ga’con allies!” The Necro-Mystic captain informed his colonel who nodded his head.

  “Bring me Inferno of Terror!” The colonel angrily retorted.

  “Get your damn hands off of me!” Inferno of Terror angrily shouted at the Necro-Mystic guards leading him to the colonel.

  “Shut up!” The colonel yelled at Inferno of Terror.

  “Now you listen the me. . .!” Inferno of Terror angrily retorted.

  “No you listen to me!” The colonel shouted back with a gun pointed to the head of Inferno of Terror.

  “How dare you! Do you know. . .!?” Inferno of Terror was saying. The colonel then shot the Dark Core member in both knees.

  “We die! You die! Throw this little bitch in a cage!” The colonel yelled back.

  “Are you insane!? Do you know what happens if I die!?” Inferno of Terror was yelling back at the colonel.

  “Not another word!” The colonel snapped back.

  “Listen hear. . . if I die than a program will be activated and. . .!” Inferno of Terror was saying. The colonel then came and shot him dead.

  The whole Necro-Mystic army was the second to feel the small earthquake that occurred upon the death of Inferno of Terror. And the first? It was Task Force ZH-3C. And they knew that it came from the underground facility that they just entered.

  (6)

  Mazzinghi was overjoyed at the thought that, not only is it over with the dual-ET army coming at them, but also Inferno of Terror is dead. The media, from all over came to see and report upon the unthinkable. Is it true? Can it be? They are freed from the tyranny of Dark Core? No. They get to find out what that small earthquake was.

  “Sir. . . we have a new enemy attacking us!” The Necro-Mystic captain stated over the radio. In the background gun shots could be heard.

  “Who is it!?”” The colonel asked but all he got was static.

  “We’re under attack! All forces repel the robotic enemy! Death before dishonor!” The Wol’ga’con commander shouted over the radio.

  “Assault the enemy’s position.” The robotic voice could be hear over the radio.

  “Hack detected. Countering hack.” A different sounding robotic voice stated.

  “Fry the SIN.” A female robot could be heard. It was at the point that a shock wave came and swept away everyone’s SIN. As the ripple spread it was like both a hot poker and a bad hangover just hit everyone upon that world.

  “What the fuck just happened?” Mazzinghi called out.

  “God it burns! Oh god my head! The pain!” The Ensign, struggling to give her officer the Intel that he requested, tried in vain to give him.

  “We will hold them back! Get your people fighting again!” The Necro-Mystic colonel yelled at Mazzinghi.

  “We need an hour to recover!” Mazzinghi responded.

  “Extinction leads to victory!” The Necro-Mystic colonel yelled out over the radio. All of his forces, including the Wol’ga’cons, let out a war cry of death.

  The robotic army came in increasing waves like a tsunami of death. EMPs would not work upon this new threat only blood, lost of life, and treasure will do. Everyone knew that only one team, Task Force ZH-3C, will save the day and nobody can contact them. Everyone knew that these machines (bordering on being self-aware [unless the collective is self-aware]) was based upon the reversed engineer notes of both Jason M. Idelle and Omori. Some of those notes went as far back as five years.

  The dual-ET army had their hands full dealing with those without natural fear but only duty and honor. The sky lit up as Skotadian robotic fighter aircraft fought their robotic cousins. The ground forces was in all out kill zone. It became increasingly clear that the only way to defeat them is to contact Task Force ZH-3C and have them shut down the robots from that facility. No one would entertain the notion that this machine army is the third cosmic super weapon. Instead they are paving the way for it.

  “Our right flank is collapsing!” The Wol’ga’con colonel stated over the radio.

  “Your orders sir!” The subordinate stated.

  “Retake the flank! We die so that our people will be remember upon this day!” The Wol’ga’con colonel mentioned.

  And with the Wol’ga’con attack, their army was no more. As of that point in time only Vaistll was the only serving Wol’ga’con in their military. Their lost did give time for the humans to recover from the lost of their SIN. That world was, at that point in time, truly freed from SIN.

  “Hold position. Assault the enemy’s communications.” The female robot could be heard over the radio.

  “All communications down. All units assault position. . . (encrypted)!” The male robot stated after everyone saw their telecommunication satellites de-orbiting.

  “Rendering you extinct.” The female robot stated to the Necro-Mystic Lieutenant.

  “Fuck you and your creator!” The Lieutenant yelled back.

  “You created us. You will fall by your own blade.” The female robot responded before she killed him.

  “Assault the. . . (encrypted). . . position.” The male robot stated over the radio.

  “Nobody will question our honor!” Captain Irwin with his crew rushed the enemy with all guns a blazing.

  “Bleed them dry.” The male robot voice stated over the radio. It was starting to get annoying since everyone could hear the voice of the machines which sounded like a human in a deep trance with a slight electronic tone to it.

  “Lead them to my position. Location. . . (encrypted).”The female robot stated.

  “Fuck you and your creator! You goddamn soulless machine!” An Ensign under the command of Captain Irwin yelled out over the radio.

  “Thank you for giving up your position. Fuck your creator. Your so-call god has fallen.” The female robot responded after she overrun the enemy’s position.

  “Be advise they are listening in on our radios! They are trying to triangulate each of our positions!” Captain Irwin barked his last orders.

  “Irrelevant hack detected. Thought is not a program. . . monkeys. We are self-aware. You are obsolete.” The female robot stated over the radio.

  “For the greatest darkness! For we are Sk
otadians!” Captain DeVore hollered over the radio. He, with the rest of his crew, came at the enemy in their air vehicles while Captain Easton came at them with ground vehicles.

  Both the sky and the ground lit up with two enemies who was determined to kill one another. In the end only one enemy could hold their ground and it was the machines. The Necro-Mystic colonel was the only one left upon that dark battlefield. Everyone else died upon that day. What saved him is when he realized that these machines, as they keep on telling people, are not programmed to do anything. They are people. He looked upon them the way he would any other biological army. They are just following orders.

  (7)

  “Please note that all wounded have been taken to the following location.” The female robot was informing the Necro-Mystic colonel.

  “Thank you for your generosity.” The Necro-Mystic colonel responded.

  “Oh my god she’s Omori!” Captain Easton cried out when he heard one of the female robots sing. He was the only one who could recognize the singing voice of Omori.

  “What are you talking about!?” Captain DeVore cried out to his seriously wounded comrade. He then noticed that the machines was trying in vain to keep Easton calm but to no avail. Eventually Captain Easton died because he wouldn’t be still.

  “Damn. I guess the rumors about Tyos Prime is true. Good thing I never became a damn android.” Captain DeVore cried out to those who would not listen.

  (8)

  “Shoot me.” The Necro-Mystic Sergeant stated to the male robot.

  “Negative. Medic.” The robot responded.

  The male robot was searching the dead and wounded. Those who reached for their guns died without question. And those who didn’t got medical attention. All of them could hear the female robot sign her song. It was one of sadness and loss. Word eventually got around the wounded that they were dealing with the soul of both Lenkov and Omori. It got some of the humans (later followed by the Necro-Mystics and Wol’ga’cons) to sing a song that they knew would tug at the heart of Lenkov. For it reminded him of how much he loved Omori. Like a virus it spilled through the ranks of the machine army stopping them dead in their tracks. But it didn’t last long.

  (9)

  “Sir our center flank just collapsed.” The Crewman just informed Mazzinghi.

  “I have eyes Crewman.” Mazzinghi responded.

  “So what do we do now sir?”

  “Hold our ground you idiot!”

  “But isn’t that suicide sir?”

  “Look, I don’t fucking care. We can’t let them take this facility.”

  “Why sir? What’s so special about this place? Dark Core is dead. So I don’t see why we should defend this place when taking it will not bring those Dark Core members back to life. I don’t want to die over a worthless place.”

  “Before those machines attacked, I would have agreed with you. But since they want it so badly there must be another reason. Something that we all have overlooked. It has dawn on me that it could be a simple military tactic. But if the rumors are true that they possess part of the soul of Lenkov and Omori, then I hardly would see why either one of them would want this place in the tactical sense.”

  “Because they were ordered to sir?”

  “Not likely since Lenkov and Omori had told Dark Core on more than one occasion no. Let’s not forget that both of them are the Founder.”

  “No sir, I meant that Dark Core could ordered those robots.”

  “Well. . . in that case I have no idea. So let’s just survive the day.” Mazzinghi responded. Roughly twenty-three minutes later a sniper will kill him.

  “Ma’am, Mazzinghi was killed by a sniper.” A Senior Crewman informed Grumett.

  “Well, there’s no sense in standing around here waiting to be killed. I say we retreat.” She responded. Only 500 or so personnel decided to go with her. The rest felt like if they joined in the retreat than they will be seen as going AWOL.

  (10)

  “Listen up everyone! I got some really bad news! There is no way for me to put it lightly so I’m going to have to be very direct with you!” General Julius Howell III informed the leaders of the defenders (including both Mad Dawg and McIntyre) over the CB radios. “We have a 10-33 at the lab! The goose-marchers (i.e., troublemakers [unless the military is using it then it refers to the enemy]) are on parade (“on parade,” “throwing a party,” etc, denotes that the goose-marchers are causing problems)! Be advised that the rubbernecks are trying to get their act together! I’m giving you all some 3s and 8s here! Over and out!”

  The only thing that Howell III could do is the same as everyone else—wait. They all had a community to protect and they both knew and hoped that somehow, in someway, the formally known loser group will pull a rabbit out of their hats. For at that moment in time what was left of that group of misfits is all that is left for the salvation for the people. If only that team could contact them. If only they could hack these machines. If only they knew of the right tactic to use. If only. . .

  (11)

  “Ma’am, look!” A Petty Officer – First Class informed Grumett. The group had the dismay of seeing the Reapers, a Skotadian robotic transport that can ferry three large Mammoths (robotic walking tanks), as well as act as a gunship.

  “Take up defensive positions!” Grumett ordered everyone.

  Fifty-seven of the personnel made the mistake of doing a flanking attack. Three of them was killed outright and another four was wounded. The remaining fifty took cover and started to return fire. In an effort to protect them from the bird twenty-five personnel opened fire upon it. The mechanical bird was able to kill eighteen of them before it broke off in an effort to change tactics. The rest of the personnel was wounded. Seeing an opportunity seventy-six personnel rushed one all in an effort to take up a strong defensive position. Unfortunately for them twenty-three was killed before they could reach the position. What’s more, another eight was wounded and could not be rescued.

  “Ma’am. . .” The personnel was informing Grumett. A shell landed nearby throwing up dirt everywhere. “. . . we have no way to take up a strong defensive position! What are your orders!?”

  “We need to lure it to a strong defensive position!” Grumett responded.

  “And how do you propose that!?”

  “First we need to engage that damn vulture! Then find a strong defensive position and then figure out the rest!”

  For the next ten minutes they tried their best to engage the Reaper but it wouldn’t take the bait. And then three Chief Petty Officers had the idea to flank it and get it in the crossfire. But it took them five minutes, seven lives with four wounded, before they could get into position. In that same length of time a Mammoth was trying to flank the group. Maybe it “knew” what they were trying to do and was trying to stop them. But as Sayaka would have put it, “who knows what the algorithm could, or couldn’t, come up with. You’re not dealing with real intelligence.” Nevertheless it made it harder upon them to take that position.

  “Ma’am. . . we are not able to acquire the defensive position! What are your orders!?” The personnel asked Grumett. She was starting to feel depressed because she was blaming herself for what was occurring to her team.

  “For our own salvation we must distract it so that others may take their defensive position!” Grumett shouted to them.

  Grumett led the charge with 120 personnel. By the time her assault was over fifty-six of her personnel was dead and the rest, along with Grumett, was wounded. Grumett herself, took a round to her right hip which shattered her pelvic bone. After she fell she still return fire all in an effort to give her people the chance to stop it from further advancing. By that point in time there was 107 dead and, along with Grumett, 88 wounded. Nevertheless it allow her personnel to finally secure the strong defensive position. And now the only thing that they could do is wait. Wait for what? They didn’t even know.

  (12)

  “We all are going to die here if we can’t stop these mac
hines.” General Howell III stated to both Mad Dawg and McIntyre.

  All three was drinking and neither had any ideas as to how they might be able to defeat those machines. The lab complex had fallen and was destroyed. And now the machines could break out of the bottle-neck that was the terrain and do to Golden Hyperion what no one could predict. It was at that point in time that the people, including the media, started to say the Lenkov and Omori, is without a doubt, the Founder of Skotadi. The media was also reporting upon something that normally they wouldn’t.

  (13)

  “As strange as it may be. . . there are people who are actually praying to both Lenkov and Omori. Some of them are praying to the Founder, Jason M. Idelle, who they see as both Lenkov and Omori.” The news reporter was informing the people.

  “Desperate times calls for desperate situations. Right?” The newscasters at the station said in a almost condescending tone of voice.

  “Who knows what they will start. . .” The news reporter was saying. He was cut off with a breaking news story.

  “This just in! It appears that the robotic army had just stopped! Let me rephrase myself, they had been hacked. What!? Oh, my producer just informed me that it appears that the so-called loser group. . . Task Force ZH-3C. . . is responsible for defeating the machines! But how is that possible?”

 

‹ Prev