Nanotroopers Episode 4: ANAD

by Philip Bosshardt

  ***ANAD to Base…how’s that? I’ve got my linkset narrowed down…just a few more connections….I’m not sure what they’re for…but I’m learning how everything works***

  “Me too, ANAD,” Winger muttered. “Doc, is it going to be like this every time? Is it going to take half an hour to get contained and set up comms?”

  Frost shook his head. “I don’t think so. ANAD’s just learning…and I’m fine-tuning his program even more. Plus, your own neural net will adapt as well….it’s not everyday somebody has an assembler buzzing around inside his body, trying to plug in and talk with him.”

  “I’ll say.” Winger lay back in the seat and let ANAD do what he had to do.

  Hours later, the process seemed a lot smoother. Several times, he had practiced a full launch and recovery sequence. Each time, the linkup took less time. By the end of the first day, ANAD and Johnny Winger had honed the process down to just a few minutes.

  “But we’ve got to do better than that, ANAD,” he announced. “In combat, we won’t have even a few minutes. We’ve got to get this linkup down to less than a minute.”

  Frost was skeptical. “I’m not sure that’s doable right now, Johnny. I may have to tinker with ANAD’s kernel again, see if I can optimize it, now that I know where the trouble spots are.”

  Winger was adamant. “To be useful in combat, Doc, I’ve got to be able to get ANAD launched and recovered in a minute.”