“We won’t know until we hear from them! May the great and glorious Founder bless each and every one of them! In the name of Lenkov and Omori, our beloved Founder, the team is indeed truly number one! A beacon of light to all!” The news reporter stated. It was all over. . . right? Wrong.
Strike Without Mercy
(1)
Task Force ZH-3C went into the factory knowing full well that the automatic defense system would have detected them. Their enemy is Skotadian battle drones with an AI that uses an advance algorithm to take them down with superior tactics. The team naturally will use game theory in a vain effort to defeat the AI but as Omori would say, “the only tactic that you should use is one of out-thinking the mindless contraptions.”
“What was that?” Coté asked after she felt the facility shake.
“The machines are coming.” Ellis responded.
“For whom?” Taylor asked.
“Not for us, but for the defenders at the lab.” Ramirez responded.
“Agreed. And we need to get our asses on the ball to the main communications room if we are to save lives.” Jaguar mentioned.
Five minutes into their run the machines came for them using probing tactics. At Maria request they used Omori’s tactic of “spread the glitch.” The team would use tactics that makes no sense whatsoever. Once the machines are confused you attack before they have the chance to “think.”
“Hey Ellis, remember that tactic that your team used upon mine so long ago?” Ramirez asked him.
“Yeah. I remember. But I’ll need a distraction.” Ellis responded.
“I’m on it.” Wexler mentioned. He, along with Jaguar, Viper, Martinez and Coté, left to perform their duty.
“I’m in their system!” Ellis yelled out after he got inside their cyber systems.
“I’m going in.” Maria cried out.
“No! Let Ellis perform his duty! We need to protect him from their counter-measures!” Ramirez informed her. It didn’t take long for Maria to realize what he’d meant. For the machines wasted no effort in making their life a living hell.
“Something’s not right.” Viper 33X mentioned after nearly fifteen minutes.
“Why do you say that for?” Taylor asked him.
“Because they’re smarter than normal.” Ramirez responded for Viper.
“Alright! Everyone. . . listen up! We need to regroup and to rethink!” Vaistll mentioned. It turned out to be the longest three hours of their lives.
(2)
“Alex what are you dong?” Maria asked him. He was standing in the cartography room looking at an holographic image of the Earth.
“Do humans even deserve existence?” He asked her in a melancholic tone. He then put his hand on a plaque that reminded people of why the Earth was renamed Rymetece. In some small way it meant too much to him to learn why the human race destroyed their place of birth.
“Oh Alex, you were always the melancholic information gatherer. And that is why you are a perfectionist. You need to see that. . .” Her voice started to change and then so did she as she came near. “. . . your desire to seek information is why you proclaim to be an Atheist. For at heart, you are not an Atheist.”
“Do you want me to call you Sayaka or Maria?” He asked her.
“It is your dream. Not mine. For that name is just an alias that I use. Like Joseph and I, you are what psychologists call a narcissistic perfectionist. The ‘narcissist’ part denotes that you will state that you will always do your best. But the ‘perfectionist’ part denotes that, not only do you demand perfection within yourself, but within others. And for that reason you have a bad habit of seeing imperfection not only within yourself, but also the same within others.”
“In other words, you are telling me that I should learn to let go.” Alex responded. He then turned and looked at the Earth and stated, “I can’t. It’s too important.”
“Why? You and Joseph are military men. What would he say?”
“Pour out a little liquor. For tomorrow we fight another fight.” Both of them said at the same time.
“And the Earth?” Sayaka(?) asked him.
He just couldn’t respond. For it was not in his nature to. “What are you?” He asked her out of curiosity. She then just smiled and a bright light came from behind her and then she was gone and he woke up.
(3)
“Alex what are you dong?” Maria asked him.
“How do you mean?”
“What!? She asked out of annoyance over his stupidity.
He wanted to say “Sayaka” but didn’t. Those dreams that he was having of her was just too real. Is this another one of them? Or was it the real thing? There was no way to know. But it’s a good thing for him that he didn’t say anything for Maria would have given him the look of “Are you effing stupid or what?”
“Never mind. What do you got?”
“Nothing. The drones are very sophisticated.”
“How so?”
“They’re too smart. It’s like they can think. Like us. People I mean.”
“Yeah I got that. You know. . . I’ve been having these dreams about Omori.”
“Like what?”
“Before I woke up I had this dream in which I asked her about why the Earth is called Rymetece. She didn’t answer. Instead she informed me about my personality.”
“So what did she say?”
“That I am the melancholic information gatherer.”
“Yeah I guess that is the truth. You do get melancholic at times. As for the part about the Earth. . . don’t worry about it. Everyone feels down-and-out over the fate of what was once humanity’s cradle.”
“Sir, I think that I may have a way to defeat these damn robots.” Viper 33X mentioned after he came in.
“Go ahead.” Ramirez responded.
“Since Coté is the shortest amongst us she could crawl along the pipes while the rest of us provide her with cover.” Viper 33X responded.
“Wouldn’t her weight burst the pipes?” Maria asked.
“Not if she wasn’t carrying her gear.” Viper 33X responded.
“How does she feel about it?” Maria asked.
“She’s the one who came up with it.” Viper 33X responded.
“Yeah alright. Tell her that she can go.” Ramirez responded.
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Maria asked him while Viper 33X was leaving.
“No. But it’s the only chance that we’ve got.”
It took quite some time for it work. But eventually Coté (who got lost on way too many occasions) got to her destination. Once she did she was able to disconnect the Wi-Fi link that machines had within the facility.
“Wi-Fi link disconnected.” The computer responded with a generic sound.
“Unleash the spiders and the brutes.” The female computer voice responded.
“Understood.” The generic computer responded.
“Delete all map data and system information.” The female computer ordered the generic one. (Coté was trying in vain to collect any Intel that she could.)
“You damn bitch!” Coté yelled at the computer.
“It takes one to know one.” The female computer responded.
“What!?” Coté asked, stunned that a mindless machine would take offense.
“Assault the intruder.” A male computer voice mentioned.
“All spiders and brutes to the following location. . . (encrypted machine jargon). Strike without mercy.” The generic computer responded.
Coté then placed explosives on the computer mainframe so that the machines could not reestablish the Wi-Fi link. Leaving in a hurry, she could hear fighting in the distance, and knowing that she can’t go the way in which she came she tried her best to get back to her team. With no armor or gear, small arm with only three clips, and with her knowing that the machines will use game theory on her, it was a miracle that she made back to her team.
“Holy shit, I can’t believe that I made it back.” Coté mentioned.
“That’s because they are self-aware.” Coté mentioned.
“What!?” Taylor mentioned out of shock.
“It would explain a lot.” Ramirez stated.
“So what are we going to do about it?” Nakada asked.
“Not all the machines appear to be self-aware.” Martinez added.
“Why do you say that?” Maria asked him.
“It was something that I noticed within their behavior.” Martinez responded.
“And how’s that?” Maria asked him.
“They don’t look in the direction of a gun shot. Nor do they move their heads. So on. The battle droids are different. They act like they can think. But I also noticed something else about them. I don’t know maybe it’s nothing.” Martinez responded.
“What is it? What did you noticed?” Ramirez asked him.
“Their demeanor is the same as Lenkov and Omori.” Martinez responded.
“What!?” Ellis mentioned out of shock.
“You noticed that too. I thought that I was being stupid when I noticed that.” Coté mentioned.
“I’m confused. How could those machines be Lenkov and Omori?” Vaistll asked out of shear bewilderment.
“Blame it on those idiots at Tyos Prime.” Taylor responded.
“Come again?” Vaistll asked him.
“First they thought, wrongly, that they could out-think Omori and her security measures over the advanced androids that Skotadi upper echelons wanted.” Taylor mentioned in his typical nonchalant manner.
“Ma’am. . . we don’t have time for this discussion. But to put it to you simply: although they are not directly responsible for the rebellion there, their actions did in fact led to the rebellion.” Jaguar 42R responded.
“How so?” Vaistll asked him.
“Ma’am, it would take an hour just to explain that to you.” Taylor responded.
“Oh. So how should we deal with these machines?” Vaistll asked.
“Why don’t we get Nakada to speak Japanese around them?” Wexler asked.
“First of all, Omori was such the poker face that you would need Lenkov to read her[37]. Next, it wouldn’t work since those machine can speak all known human/ET languages.” Nakada responded.
“You right. My bad.” Wexler responded.
“It’s alright.” Nakada responded.
“This is a mute argument. If they are Lenkov and Omori than we should figure out a way to defeat them.” Viper 33X mentioned.
“Wait! How in the hell are we supposed to defeat both of them!?” Coté asked out of shock and borderline panic.
“First of all Elisabeth, we are not taking them on, but the connection to them. Next. . .” Viper 33X was saying.
“What do you mean ‘the connection to them?’” Coté asked him.
“This facility has a QMCA so naturally. . .” Viper 33X was saying.
“Wait a minute! I thought that only a TIA starbase have those things!” Vaistll stated out of shock.
“He meant that since this world was colonized a long time ago it should have one. An old one going back to last century.” Taylor responded.
“Yeah. It just nothing more than a backup in case the main one goes down.” Viper 33X mentioned.
“So what would happen if we destroyed it?” Vaistll asked.
“Nothing. Other than the fact that it would put this world in a communicational blackout for several months.” Taylor responded.
“If we attempt it than the machines will stop at nothing at our destruction. You can kiss the cafeteria and the heating goodbye.” Jaguar 42R mentioned.
“Ma’am, if you want to free these people than that would be the route to take.” Coté mentioned.
“Alright let’s do this.” Vaistll responded.
(4)
“Omori, why do you keep on coming to me?” Ramirez asked her in his dream state.
“It is not I who is coming to you. . . but you who are coming to me.”
“Than why do I keep on doing it? What information do I seek? It’s obvious only you can provide me with it. So what is it that I seek?”
“You wish to know the truth about me and the one that you call Joseph.”
“So what is it?”
“I think that you know. But it is something that you cannot accept. And that is why you come to me. You can feel it can’t you? That strong feeling of death. But you know that I, as well as Joseph, is not dead.”
“Are we living in a Matrix?”
“Do you care to know?”
“Not really.”
“And your connection to the city of New York?”
“It was something that I lost there.”
“And what was it?”
“My humanity?”
“Then you no longer need me.” Omori responded. He then woke up. What he didn’t know is that was the last time that he would have that type of dream.
(5)
“You know I wish that this was some type of Matrix.” Coté mentioned.
“Why do you say that?” Wexler asked her.
“Because I would like to put a hard boot in the ass of the programmer who designed this shitty universe.” Coté responded.
“I heard that.” Wexler mentioned.
“What if it was Lenkov and Omori?” Ellis asked her.
“Well that would be different.” Coté responded.
“How so?” Nakada asked her.
“They’re the god that choose to be with us.” Coté responded.
“And fight and suffer with us.” Martinez added.
“What do you think sir?” Ellis asked Ramirez.
“If this is a Matrix than there is no way to know. For this universe appears to be so genuine that no human programmer could ever create it. No, it is far easier to assume that no human created it.” Ramirez responded.
“We need to get on with our mission.” Viper 33X mentioned.
“He’s right, we just kicked over a hornet’s nest. And once the machines collect their senses they are going to hit us hard.” Jaguar 42R mentioned.
“What about those smart droids? The so-call Lenkov and Omori ones?” Vaistll asked.
“Ma’am, if we don’t take down these computers those machines will be up and running in no time flat.” Ramirez responded.
“What about the QMCA?” Vaistll asked.
“It’s a delicate piece of machinery. So yeah, if the computers are down in this place then it will not function until quite some time.” Taylor responded.
“Why don’t we just blow it to shit?” Coté asked.
“Not necessary. We don’t have enough explosives and besides, these old type of QMCA has a radioactive core. No power equals meltdown and sooner or later kaboom.” Taylor mentioned in too much of a nonchalant tone for Vaistll.
“How big of a kaboom?” Vaistll just had to ask.
“Initially, roughly something that would create about 50-to-100 sieverts per hour of radiation. Beyond that, who knows, it could go as high as 500.” Taylor responded in his nonchalant tone.
“Oh my god!” Vaistll responded out of shock.
“It’s why the newer ones don’t have that type of a power core anymore. Freedom has its price ma’am.” Taylor mentioned.
“Look at the bright side ma’am, nobody is going to get that thing up and running for a very long time.” Coté mentioned.
“We can’t go back, for we can only go forward. Fate commands us to destroy whatever Dark Core is planning.” Vaistll responded.
(6)
“The computers are down.” Ellis informed everyone over the radio.
“Understood and good job.” Ramirez responded.
“I got contact!” Jaguar 42R informed everyone. He was engaging spider-bots which were machines that could climb wall and ceilings.
“I need help with these damn spider-bots!” Jaguar 42R pleaded with his teamma
tes.
“I’m on it!” Viper 33X responded.
“We’re closer! We’re on it!” Ellis jumped in.
“Viper, did you complete your objective!? Taylor asked him.
“No sir.”
“Complete your objective!”
“Yes sir.”
“Goddamn it! I always hated these damn things.” Coté mentioned. She, like the others, was having a hard time at shooting them. The worse part was about to begin for them. They were fixing to get bog down and they knew it.
“Ma’am I just took out the LAN computers.” Viper 33X mentioned.
“Alright. Go and help Ellis and your brother.” Vaistll responded.
“Yes ma’am.” Viper 33X responded. Thirty seconds later he was almost gunned down by spider-bots. He then called out for assistance and the only one who could help was Ramirez. Everyone else was too far away. It didn’t take long for both Ramirez and Viper 33X to get bog down. The problem with those spider-bots was that they move fast, shoot, and then move again. And because of their small size, and the fact that they could communicate with each other, made it extra hard to destroy them. And if they are not destroyed fast enough, more would come.
“Ma’am we need to take out these damn spider-bots!” Ramirez frustratingly said to Vaistll over the radio.
“Any ideas?” Vaistll asked him.
“If we had an Electro Auto-Rifle that would. . .” Ramirez was saying. “Shit! Are you alright!?” He asked Viper 33X. Everyone than heard Viper respond in the affirmative. “Ma’am, they made be small and fast but with one Electro Auto-Rifle we could be able to take them out.”
“Ma’am, I’m nearest to the weapons storage.” Wexler mentioned.
“Get on it.” Vaistll ordered him.
“Yes ma’am.” Wexler responded. Five minutes later he shouted out, “Oh fuck! Battle-droid!” Things was going from bad to worse for the team.
“Do you need assistance!?” Vaistll asked him.
“Not now ma’am. I kind of busy dogging these damn. . . shit. . . gun turret and a. . .” Wexler was saying he didn’t finished but they could hear him breathing heavily from running.
2288: The Skotadian Experiment Page 39