Clarissa nodded. “As you know, it seems that that the radios within your ears are down. However, with the help of people on the ground in New York, we were able to find Michelle. I have a TR-3B on the way to drop an EMP on the city and retrieve her. I also concur with your assessment of the robots that are being constructed to oppose you. The other Horsemen facilities around the world are reporting non-humanoid robots that are appearing in the center of cities and simply sitting there.”
Clarissa pulled up a feed to the EMP lab to see Timothy working with a group of other Instructors on EMP bombs. She called out to her fellow Instructor, “Timothy, what’s the status of our EMP production?”
Timothy wiped the sweat from his brow. “We have just finished construction of ten more bombs. We are creating the bombs almost as fast as the TR-3Bs can deploy them and return to base, but I don’t think that’s nearly fast enough to counteract this threat.”
Clarissa nodded. “It’s not. We have dropped EMPs on roughly half of the cities around the Great Lakes. Even in the cities that we have bombed, there are still up to six robots in them killing and collecting people. New York City is the only city outside of the lakes that we are bombing and that is mainly so that we can retrieve Bearadon. For now, we need to focus on using the Kaiju Corps to secure the area around the Great Lakes. As we discussed, once we have secured that area, we will drop our remaining EMPs on the cities along the Eastern United States. New York will soon be secure and then we can move onto Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Atlanta.”
Jerome shook his head. “It’s such a huge undertaking, and even with it, we are only addressing a small portion of the US population let alone the rest of the world.”
Miki stood up behind Jerome and she addressed the Instructors, “You said that the third generation of robots would be built to send the people they have frozen back into space. Do you have any idea of where these space-bound transport robots will be created and where they will launch from?”
Clarissa looked toward Miki as she answered, “They will likely use the resources that we already have in place. Cape Canaveral in Florida is a likely spot for them to start from or perhaps Dombravosky in Russia.”
Miki shouted, “We have to expand our East Coast parameters to include Cape Canaveral. We can’t let the people that the robots have frozen be sent back to the Signal’s home planet!”
Clarissa shook her head in confusion. “Miki, those people are already dead. We need to focus on the people that we can save.”
A wave of anger washed over Miki’s face. “No, they are not dead! They are in some kind of suspended animation! I could sense them when I was inside one of the robots! We can’t let them be shot into space and then wake up on some alien planet where they are going to be used as food.”
Clarissa’s voice took on a softer tone. “Miki, I understand how you feel, but even if we were able to stop them from launching into space, we don’t have the technology to successfully unfreeze those people without killing them.”
Miki screamed, “It would be better for them to die here unaware of what is happening rather than to have them reanimated on some other planet!”
Jerome subtly reached over and grabbed Miki’s hand. He squeezed it, and she understood that he wanted her to back off the argument for the moment. She was still concerned about the fate of the people the robots had frozen, but she trusted and respected Jerome, so she took a deep breath and let him take over the conversation. Jerome looked first at the Instructors and then at his teammates. “I concur with Clarissa. We need to focus our efforts on saving the people who are still alive and free. Once we have secured the Great Lakes and the East Coast, we can start focusing on the farms and then the supply chain the robots will be making back to their home planet.”
Clarissa nodded. “All right, your next target is Chicago. Michelle will be meeting you …” A wave of static flashed across the screen, and it took several seconds for the video feed to return. When Clarissa was able to see both the team in the TR-3B and Timothy, she started talking again, “Sorry about that. Our firewalls are doing everything they can to hold back the Signal as long as possible, but the strain on the system is causing temporary breakdowns like that. As I was saying, Michelle will be meeting you in Chicago.”
The feed flashed again for a brief moment, and when it returned, Jerome took a step closer to the screen. “Are the firewalls still holding out against the Signal as effectively as you thought they would?”
Clarissa did her best to portray an aura of confidence as she responded to the soldier’s question. “It looks as if our initial estimate of the firewalls holding for two weeks may have been overly optimistic. Current projections suggest that we may only be able to hold out another five days before the Signal completely overtakes our system.” She could see the look of concern on the faces of the Kaiju Corps members. Clarissa smiled at them. “Don’t worry, we can do a lot of damage to the robots in five days.”
Jerome nodded. “What about the TR-3Bs? Will they be corrupted?”
Clarissa bit her lip. “As far as we can tell from this end, we think that the TR-3Bs will be corrupted at the same time our system here falters.” She moved to her left so that she could see behind Jerome. “Is Mr. Linke there with you? We were hoping that with his expertise he might be able to give us a clearer picture of the status of the TR-3Bs system.”
Brian stepped up to the screen. “Ma’am, I apologize for not knowing your system better, but from what I can tell after looking at the schematics of the TR-3B and its system functionality, I would suggest that the firewalls for this vehicle have less than twenty-four hours before they fail.”
Clarissa’s shoulders slumped. “If the Signal takes over the TR-3Bs, one of our main weapons to attack the robots with will be under the Signal’s control. Is there anything that you can do to extend the amount of time that we can operate the TR-3Bs?”
Brian nodded. “Yes, as far as I can tell from what I am seeing here, if we cut off the feed from outside sources such as satellite, radio, and internet feed, the TR-3B would operate in a closed system that will be beyond the ability of the Signal to reach.”
Clarissa sighed. “You are talking about cutting off all communication between the TR-3Bs with each other and with their home bases?”
“Yes, ma’am. I know that my suggestion is not optimal, but it would still allow us to have access to these craft as both transportation and weapons.”
Clarissa shrugged. “Sadly, I agree with you. We will keep the TR-3Bs online and in communication with each other until Michelle rendezvous with your team.”
Jerome nodded. “Understood, we will contact you prior to cutting communications to see where we stand.” Jerome then turned away from the screen as it cut off. He saw Miki staring at him, and he knew exactly what she was thinking. He walked over to Miki and grabbed her hands in his as he looked her in the eyes. “I promise you we will not let the robots leave the Earth with any of their victims.”
Miki nodded in reply. “Thank you, Jerome.”
Back in the Horsemen headquarters within the Catskill Mountains, Clarissa was still working on coordinating TR-3B bombing runs when she heard the door to the control room open, and she turned around to see Timothy walking toward her. She shook her head as Timothy made his way across the room. “I know what you are going to say. We will still have one more opportunity to speak to them before we totally lose communications. The longer they go without being aware of the next phase of the human survival plan, the longer they will be able to concentrate on what they have to do right now, which is itself a tremendous undertaking.”
Timothy shrugged. “I know what they are facing right now. It’s more than any four people should be burdened with, but we don’t know that we will get the chance to talk to them again. What if the firewalls fail and we have to destroy the facility before we talk to them?” Timothy walked over closer to Clarissa. “You and I know Miki and Nick. There is a good chance that they reach the next
phase of the plan on their own, but what about Jerome and Michelle? We need all four of them working toward the next phase of the plan if humanity has any hope of surviving this cataclysm.”
Clarissa shook her head. “I agree with you that we will have to discuss the next phase of the plan with them the next time we talk to them, but the implications of that phase are not something they are ready for. We also need Jerome’s and Michelle’s personal Instructors with us when we discuss that stage of the plan with them. They will need their personal Instructor’s support as they realize what they have to do and what it will do to them both physically and emotionally. Right now, they are preparing to secure another city. Let them get through that battle at least before we saddle them with even greater concerns.”
Timothy turned and started walking away from Clarissa. “I hope that we have the chance to talk to them again. Our latest projections suggest that the Signal is attacking our firewalls with increased tenacity. We are not simply dealing with a computer virus. We are trying to keep out an artificial intelligence that was created by a civilization far more advanced than our own. The Horsemen programmers are working around the clock updating our firewalls, but their efforts are about as effective as using their fingers to plug holes in a dam. Their latest projections suggest that we have a day or two at best before our system is corrupted. Before that happens, we need to have the TR-3Bs disconnected from external communications, we need to destroy this facility, and we need to be sure that the Kaiju Corps members are ready to carry out the next phase of the plan.”
Timothy walked out of the room and returned to his work station as Clarissa stared silently at her computer monitor, debating on whether or not she should inform the Kaiju Corps of their true role in the future of humanity’s defense against the robots.
Chapter 10
There was a sound like thunder and Michelle awoke to find herself lying naked in the debris of the building she had destroyed when she was Bearadon. She stood, and unconcerned with her nakedness, she walked out into the abandoned streets of New York. She looked to the west of the city to see a bright blue light cascading over that section of the city. She whispered, “EMP.” She was still looking at the blue cascade when she saw a dark black triangle moving in front of it. She immediately deduced that the craft had been sent by the Horsemen. She tried to use the tiny radio embedded in her ear to contact the craft, but all that she heard was static.
Michelle switched off her earpiece and moved into an open area of the street so that the pilot would be able to find her with minimal effort. She watched as the TR-3B slowed down as it approached the area where she had battled the robots. The triangular craft was moving slowly over the city when the pilot saw Michelle below him. Michelle waited as the TR-3B slowly floated down from the sky and landed silently in the middle of the deserted city. A door opened as a ramp came down from it to allow Michelle to gain access to the ship. She quickly walked up the ramp and entered the TR-3B.
When she entered the craft, she saw a duffel bag sitting near the entrance. Michelle recognized it as one of her bags no doubt with clothes, food, and water inside of it. Michelle grabbed the bag and walked up to the cockpit. The pilot turned around to see the still-naked beautiful young women walking toward him. He swerved his chair around as he said to her, “Ma’am, my name is Captain Rondell Okafur. There are clothes for you in the duffel.”
Michelle dropped the bag next to the pilot then she bent down to open it up as she addressed the pilot in a pointed tone of voice. “The world as we know it is coming to an end due to an invasion of giant robots. I think that any uncomfortableness that you might feel due to my lack of clothing can be overlooked for the moment in favor of you updating me as quickly as possible about where our next destination is as we are heading toward it. Now, start heading toward our next target. I don’t want to have to waste time undressing when we reach it if there are lives that need saving simply because you can’t handle having a fellow soldier naked next to you.”
Okafur continued to stare straight ahead as the TR-3B rose into the air. “Yes, ma’am. Our next target is Chicago with a brief fly over Buffalo. We are going to drop an EMP bomb on Buffalo and then head to Chicago where you will meet up with the rest of the Kaiju Corps. Your team is then to make your way along the Great Lakes, clearing cities of giant robots so that humanity can escape to the wilderness and then later form an insurgency resistance. From there, you are to move to the US East Coast and clear out cities there, forming a second sanctuary and outpost for humanity.”
Michelle reached into her duffle bag and pulled out an apple. She took a bite out of the apple as the TR-3B shot like a rocket through the sky toward Buffalo. With the speed of the TR-3B, the flight between the two cities would take less than five minutes. During the trip, Michelle sat behind the pilot so as not to distract him with her lack of clothing. Captain Okafur informed Michelle of the Horsemen’s plan to combat the threat with continued EMP bombings around the world. The reality that the robots were being massed produced faster than the TR-3Bs could drop EMPs and stop the production was disheartening for Michelle to hear. Okafur also informed her of the battle in Detroit with the other Kaiju Corps members and how the Signal created the Robogator to battle her friends after witnessing her fight the original set of robots.
Michelle had just finished downing a bottle of water when the city of Buffalo came into view. Through the skyscrapers, she could see at least two large humanoid robots that appeared to be constructed out of locomotive parts. Each of the robots was made from thick black steel. Just by looking at them, she could see that these robots were far heavier and denser than the robots she had fought in New York City. In the center of the city was a robot that was also constructed out of engine pieces, but while the other two robots had a humanoid appearance, this robot resembled a giant mechanical ape.
Michelle walked up next to the pilot and pointed at the visual of the city. “The one in the middle of the city, the Apetrain robot. That has to be the battle robot for Buffalo, right?”
Captain Okafur kept his eyes forward and replied, “Yes, ma’am. Initial scans are showing that the two humanoid robots come from two different locomotive manufacturing plants. The Horsemen are designating them as such. The humanoid robot on the east end of the city is GE and the humanoid robot in the west end of the city is designated Colmar.”
Michelle could see waves of people trying to escape the robots. She turned away from the pilot and she began walking toward the door of the craft. “Drop the EMP. If the robots don’t deactivate from the blast, then I want you to circle around the city and drop me right on top of the robot designated GE.”
Okafur took a quick look back at Michelle. “Ma’am, I have orders to drop the EMP on the city and then to deliver you to Chicago to help with the battle there. Based on population numbers, Chicago has been designated as a higher priority than Buffalo.”
Michelle screamed at the pilot, “There are hundreds of thousands of people down there! I am not going to let them die simply because they live in a smaller city than the one the other members of the Kaiju Corps are heading to! They can handle whatever is in Chicago, and I can handle the threat here! Now drop the EMP and stop the production of more giant robots! After you do that, I am changing into Bearadon whether you open the door in front of me or not!”
Okafur grumbled, “Yes, ma’am,” in reply. He then flew low over the city and dropped the EMP on Buffalo.
Buffalo was blanketed in the blue energy of the explosion as every electrical apparatus in the city shut down with the notable exception of the three robots. The people who were fleeing the city were caught off guard by the blast. When the blue light exploded out of what looked like a UFO, even the people who were running directly in front of the robot designated GE were compelled to turn their heads and look at the explosion behind them. The brief second that they turned around cost them their lives, as it slowed their forward progress to the point where GE trampled them to death.
Michelle watched as GE crushed the people in front of it. She half-growled to the pilot as she yelled at him, “Get over GE right now, and open the door!” At hearing the change in Michelle’s voice, the pilot quickly turned around to see thick white fur sprouting over Michelle’s body. Seeing that she was already transforming into Bearadon, the pilot quickly complied with her request.
When the door opened in front of Michelle, she had already reached a size at which she was barely able to squeeze through it. She pushed her body through the door and then she was in free fall as she guided herself toward GE. Michelle had completed the transformation into Bearadon just prior to landing on top of GE. When the kaiju crashed into the robot, she dug her teeth, horns, and foreclaws into the robot’s shoulder. The kaiju used her momentum to slide down the robot’s back, land on her feet, and then flip GE over her shoulder. GE soared through the air and came crashing down into an abandoned building. A cloud of debris and dust flew into the air from the force of the impact. Bearadon quickly turned around to see that by tossing the robot, she had created a distance of several blocks between the bulk of the fleeing mob and GE.
She turned her head back in the direction that she had tossed the robot to see it pulling itself up out of the rubble. GE’s thick black armor was covered in gray dust as it walked out of the crushed building toward Bearadon. Bearadon was standing on all fours as she charged GE and drove her horns into GE’s midsection. The blow caused GE to fall flat on its back. Bearadon mounted the robot and swiped her claw across its chest. While the kaiju’s claw had managed to gouge the robot’s chest, she did not feel it reach the rubber insulation or the CPU beneath it. Bearadon roared as she remembered that the locomotive parts used to construct GE were far stronger than the car parts used to make the robots she had faced in New York.
Bearadon felt the ground rumbling beneath her, and she looked up to see the Apetrain robot barreling toward her. As she was looking up, GE backhanded her across the jaw and then it pushed her of its chest. Bearadon rolled when she hit the ground, and then she stood up in her bipedal stance ready to take on two robots at one time. She took a quick glance to her left to see GE walking away from her and towards the fleeing people. She snapped her head forward just as Apetrain slammed into her. Bearadon wrapped arms around Apetrain and she dug her feet into the ground, but despite her best efforts, the mech’s strength and momentum pushed her backward.
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