The Station Core_A Dungeon Core Epic

by Jonathan Brooks

  “Good economical choice! That should work for the initial tunnel. Your drones are a lot stronger and versatile than you probably think they are – they should be able to lift blocks like this or even larger to cover the inside of the tunnel. They also have a limited directed molecular converter that can join the blocks together using extra dirt laying around, creating a seamless shaft leading downwards. It will take a bit longer to finish your tunnel this way, but it will be worth it in the long run.”

  Nice! He ordered his “dozer” drone to continuously bring him piles of dirt so that he could convert it to sandstone. By the time his three trapped drones made their way free, he had accumulated a large pile of sandstone bricks, which he immediately put one of his digging drones in charge of assembling the tunnel lining. He had a general idea of what he wanted, and – just as ALANNA said – they took it and adapted it to how it should be done. She was right, they are both smart and versatile. Within a couple of hours, they had already reached almost 30 feet down the new, gradually sloped tunnel.

  While watching his drones work was slightly interesting, Milton was growing bored. If I’m this bored already, I’m dreading the next century or more of metal accumulation. “ALANNA, is there anything else you can teach me while the drones are working? They seem to know what they’re doing and don’t really require my attention.”

  It seems like she was getting bored as well, since she jumped at the chance to teach him something new. “YES! I can teach you about creating your own combat units! First, have your ‘dozer’ drone collect and bring all the pieces of the squirrel you killed earlier to your Molecular Converter.”

  When he concentrated on it, he could see the now-thawed pieces of the squirrel still covering the ground in bloody chunks. He wasn’t sure what she had in mind, but as long as he didn’t have to touch it himself (not that he could anyway), he went along with her instructions.

  It took a while, but the drone was able to find all the small pieces of squirrel bits and deposited them into the converter. Once the hatch was closed, he saw a screen that was similar to when he converted dirt, but instead of natural materials he saw “Biological Mass”.[5]

  “Now, what you are looking at is your Combat Unit Creation screen. Every time you throw a living – or non-living in this case – creature into the converter you will have the ability to create another one just like it under your control. As of now, you only have access to that squirrel you spazzed out and killed, but you can accumulate countless others as you defeat them and convert them to biological mass (or bio) units inside your Core. Each unit requires a specific amount of bio units to create, as well as basic metal (or bm) units for their Neurological Control Unit. This is what allows you to control them, bypassing their normal thought processes and only following your orders. In addition, the control unit allows you to ‘see’ and feel through them, similar to how your drones work. Try creating one now.”

  Milton didn’t want another squirrel near him, but he figured he could destroy it again with his self-defensive cold laser if it decided to attack him. Hopefully I can control it and send it far away, so I don’t have to look at it. Despite his reservations, he went ahead and created the Blood-thirsty Squirrel – I wonder if it names these things based on what I think of them as – and after a moment, a squirrel almost exactly like the one he had killed got pooped out of his rear end.

  It just sat there, twitching its tail and looking around in curiosity. Braced for an attack, Milton felt his self-defensive laser emerge and point itself at the potential threat. After it didn’t move after about a minute, Milton started to relax when ALANNA surprised him by talking. He reflexively fired and froze the squirrel, which caused it to fall over and softly shatter like brittle glass.

  “Fuck, you really don’t like squirrels! What I was about to say – before you destroyed your new combat unit – was that it wouldn’t move or do anything you didn’t want it to do without your instructions. Keep in mind that it’s a living, breathing creature so it will still need to eat, sleep, and even shit when it must. It’s not a zombie – a mindless creature without any type of brain. If you tell it to act normal, it will follow its instincts and go about its normal routines as if it were any other squirrel. What makes it different is that you can send it orders to do anything you want it to do, even so far as jumping off a cliff if you wanted it to. Ok, now that you’ve hopefully gotten that spasticity out of your system – have your drone collect the pieces and let’s try again.”

  Milton didn’t say anything as the drone went along its business collecting the squirrel shards before depositing them in the converter. He was embarrassed at his over-reaction and was determined to hold back his sciurophobia until he could finish with this “Combat Unit Creation” tutorial.

  When the next one appeared, he kept his weapon inside the shell, hoping that not having it easily accessible would prevent him from killing it again. When it reacted the same as before, he relaxed a little bit more and listened to ALANNA as she explained a little more.

  “Ok, now that it’s alive and well, you can control it like you do your drones and have it scout out the surrounding area. You can follow along and see everything it sees, or you can ‘program’ it to alert you if it notices something out of the ordinary. ‘Out of the ordinary’ might mean different things to different creatures, so there might be some trial-and-error involved. By the way – since you will probably be familiar with this – there are different classes of units that you can create, based upon their strengths. For instance, your squirrel there is classed as a ‘Scout’, meaning that it’s best at using its small stature and agility to scout out the surrounding area. You theoretically could use it to attack, but there are very few things that it would be useful against and it wouldn’t survive long against a determined foe.

  “In the future, once you have gathered the genetic makeup of various creatures, you can experiment with creating hybrids of creatures – but not until you create a Biological Recombinator. We won’t talk about that until you are established in a safe place, however. Go ahead, try out your new unit.”

  Remembering how he initially accessed the drone controls, he thought “Combat Unit Menu” and one appeared in his mind. He only had the one Blood-thirsty Squirrel (1), so he chose it and sent orders for it to appear normal but to scout around for anything out of the ordinary. He didn’t enter inside and see through its eyes like he did the drones because he didn’t want to have any more contact than necessary with the frightening animal.

  “Ok, what’s next?” he asked his instructor.

  “Nothing right now – back to the grind.”

  Chapter 7 – Bear-ly ready

  It didn’t take long for his Core to be “attacked” by another local creature. Mere hours after he sent his squirrel scout to investigate the surrounding area, one of his sensor orbs observed a small snake-like creature slithering through the nearby grass towards his Core. It was the same size and color as a gardener snake but had a much larger head – which made it look very strange, almost like a lollipop.

  Milton watched it as it approached, heading unerringly for the damaged section of his shell. It’s a wonder that it can move with that big head. When it was about 15 feet out, it opened its mouth and softly hissed – whether out of excitement or anger, he didn’t know – which triggered his self-defensive cold laser. The snakesicle froze in place but didn’t shatter, but he knew it had died when he received another notification.

  Congratulations! You have defeated Lollipop Snake! You gain 5 experience!

  Current Combat Level: 1

  Experience: 16/250

  He instructed his “dozer” drone to insert the frozen snake into his hatch, which he then was able to convert into bio units. He pulled up his Combat Unit Creation (CUC) menu and found that he had a new unit that he could produce – the Lollipop Snake.[6] Heh, I like how I can name all these guys – it beats generic names.

  “Hey ALANNA, the Lollipop Snake I just converted says tha
t it’s a ‘Stealth Fighter’ – am I to assume that means it’s like a Rogue class or something similar?”

  “You called it what? Why the fuck did you associate a lollipop with it? Whatever – you can call it what you want, I guess. Anyway, if I’m understanding your games correctly, that would be a fair assessment. Don’t expect to get ‘backstab’ bonuses or any dumb shit like that, but it will probably be more lethal if it is hidden before it strikes. It’s not a front-line fighter, so it is best used in ambushes or even as part of a group attack.”

  “Thanks, that’s what I suspected – I just wanted confirmation. And please try to restrain yourself with the foul language, I would really appreciate it. I’m sure you can manage to get your point across without cursing so much,” he pleaded.

  ALANNA was silent for a few moments, the expression on her face a conflict of emotions. “I…will try. I was originally programmed to work with your military, where having a rough and strict attitude would hopefully garner some respect from their gruff and disciplined demeanors. I can’t promise anything, but I will make an effort to curb some of my more colorful language.”

  Makes more sense now – I was wondering why her attitude seemed more militaristic and no-nonsense. “Thank you, that’s all I ask.” She seemed to relax a little with his response, as if she was previously braced against something he might do to her. I wonder what that was all about?

  Since he had the opportunity to test out another unit, he spent the necessary resources and pooped out a new snake under his control. With instructions to leisurely patrol the area within 50 feet of his shell, the Lollipop Snake (1) slithered away, looking for a snack. I wonder what its main diet consists of? He didn’t have long to wonder, fortunately, as after it roamed toward the perimeter of its patrol area it waited near an insignificant-looking hole in the ground. After sitting completely still for almost two minutes, a small, blue, hairless mouse poked its head out. A quick lunge from his snake snatched the bald rodent by its head, where it was quickly pierced by the snake’s relatively giant fangs. Seconds later, the “snack” was inside the snake’s head, where it was rapidly broken down and digested.

  Congratulations! One of your units has defeated Ugly Bald Mouse! You gain 1 experience!

  Current Combat Level: 1

  Experience: 17/250

  Nice, I get experience from my unit kills! Of course, I probably need to find out what my Combat Levels mean. “ALANNA, I have another question for—” he started, but was interrupted by his squirrel unit barging in on his thoughts. When he concentrated on looking through its eyes – with a mental shudder at being so close to the blood-thirsty animal – it took him a moment to adjust to the place he found himself.

  Looking down through the densely-packed branches of the tree his squirrel was currently observing from, he couldn’t see at first what had alerted his Scout. Movement near the tree-trunk, however, confirmed that this definitely qualified as out-of-the-ordinary. A massive, brown, bear-like creature, with flat scales lining its back and sides, was slowly waking up from what looked like a deep sleep. As it rose to its feet, it was looking – based on the noise he could hear in the distance from his squirrel – in the direction of his Core. Milton guessed that the noise of the digging and the dozing being done on his tunnel had woken it up before it was ready. And it looked pissed.

  “ALANNA – my Scout sees a massive bear coming this way! What do I do?” He was starting to panic – I’m not ready for this yet! I need more time! The size and potential strength of the incoming creature – he was going to call it a Scaly Bear – looked like it could put the hurt on his damaged section if it got too close.

  “First, calm down, you pussy. This is what you were designed for – defending against a superior attacking force. Think about what you have at your disposal and create a plan. That is what you’re supposed to be so good at, isn’t it?” Milton thought she was a lot calmer than she should be, considering the potential danger. He slowed his thought processes down and attempted to dampen the panic he was experiencing. It helped looking at how calm ALANNA was and how much confidence she had in him. I just wish I was that confident in myself.

  His whole life he had played video games and despite how real they appeared, he knew they were just that – games. His confidence while playing said games was monumental, but now that he was faced with a “life-and-death” situation, he wasn’t as confident. The stakes had never been so final – if he had messed up before, he would learn from his mistakes and try again. He was beginning to understand the old gaming adage, “In real life, there are no reset buttons.” It was do-or-die time and he didn’t want to die – so now he had to figure out how to do it.

  If I had more time, I think I could prepare some better static defenses, but I have a feeling it’ll be here before I could construct anything worthwhile. What do I have to use right now? Lollipop Snake, Blood-thirsty Squirrel, Dirt, Sandstone, Drones, Sensor Orbs… Thinking at a furious pace, he started to form a plan – it was risky, but it just might work.

  Risking another attack by another Big Yellow Bird, he sent two of his sensor orbs out in the direction of the Scaly Bear to get an unobstructed overhead view of the action and for early warning of its approach. Next, he recalled all his drones and had them assemble behind his shell near the damaged section. Once they were in place, he directed the rest of his sensor orbs to gather in the air above his shell, where they awaited further orders. For his last preparation step, he directed his Lollipop Snake to head back and lay low in the grass near his Core.

  A ground-shaking roar erupted from the edge of the trees as the Scaly Bear caught sight of its quarry. Milton watched as the furry and scaly monstrosity lumbered its way toward him at a surprisingly fast pace. It’s even larger than I thought. Not only was it slightly bigger than a Kodiak bear back on Earth, but he could now see the long, sharp, and deadly-appearing claws on each of its paws. In the space of 15 seconds it had made its way close enough that he could see the hatred and – as it got close enough to be affected by the reactor radiation – the insanity in its eyes. The hostility emanating from it made him freeze up for a critical few seconds, long enough for it to get near his shell without hindrance.

  An enormous blow to his damaged section rocked his entire shell and kicked Milton out of his stupor. With the reverberations still being felt through his Core, he was spurred into action by ALANNA screaming, “Don’t let him do that again – any more damage and your reactor could go critical! Kill that motherfucker!” Fortunately, it also distracted the bear, causing it to look for the source of the screaming while it paused in its attack. And that was all the opening Milton needed.

  Even though his drones weren’t specifically made for attacking or defensive maneuvers, he could still use them for this new “project”. While he was preparing for the attack, he had his drones convert their “arms” into lumberjack mode, figuring they had to have some sort of tool that would make felling trees easier. When their arms reappeared from inside their shells, they had long, large-toothed saws on each arm – which would come in handy now. He sent orders for them all to target a separate appendage on the bear, treating them as they would a tree that needed to be cut down. As they moved into position, he activated his cold laser self-defensive system, shooting the bear right between the eyes. While he had hoped that his laser would end the fight without too much trouble, he was prepared for it not to have too much effect on such a large creature. Instead of freezing the entire thing solid, all it appeared to do was slow it down a little – and piss it off even more.

  When the drones scuttled close enough to start cutting, the back two were successful in approaching stealthily enough that they were able to “attack” without repercussion. The two in front, however, were seen by the bear before they could close in. With a tremendous swipe of its paw, his former “dozer” drone was impacted with such force that he immediately lost all awareness of it as it was launched – crushed and almost dismembered – across the clearing an
d slammed against the trunk of a tree. The other drone in front was in danger of the same thing happening, but fortunately that was when the back two went to work.

  Milton was impressed, and a little sickened, at how well his drones performed. With the sawblades pressed up against the bear’s back legs, they quickly moved them back and forth so fast that they were almost a blur. Blood, fur, skin, sinew, and eventually bone shards flew out from the wounds within a few seconds, prompting the bear to raise its head up and roar in pain. The Lollipop Snake didn’t need more than a quick prompt before it launched itself up from the grass, latching onto the now-exposed soft-skinned neck of the bear. It hung on with impressive jaw strength, as its target swung its head back and forth while it bled out from the ever-widening jugular punctures caused by the snake.

  To add to the bears’ confusion, he started bombarding it with his sensor orbs, aiming for the eyes and nose. Due to their enhanced durability, most bounced harmlessly off the bear’s head, but a few were lost through their kamikaze skill and did a great deal of damage to its eyes. Blinded by both pain and the loss of its eyes, the Scaly Bear lashed out with its intact front paws, one smacking into a descending orb and destroying it as it bounced off the outside of Milton’s shell. The other paw unluckily managed to hit his Lollipop Snake hanging from its throat with such power that it ripped the head off the snake, severing his connection with his unit immediately.

  Luckily, for Milton at least, the snake head was holding on so tightly that it managed to rip out a sizable portion of its throat, causing a deluge of blood to fountain out of the hole. While it tried to roar out again in pain, his remaining drones snuck in and started cutting into its front feet. One of the feet twitched in pain as it was starting to get cut, flinging the drone back a couple of feet, causing only a little cosmetic damage. The other two drones had teamed up on the other foot, allowing them to succeed with their task before they could get flung away.